Miss NBC's Airing of Skate for the Heart? Not to Worry

If you are like me, being one of the unfortunate few individuals left on this planet without Tivo or some other new-fangled technological contrivance to record TV programs directly for your future viewing pleasures (I'd say we're a dying breed, along with people without Facebook accounts and people with Myspace accounts), you may have missed the NBC airing of Cold-EEZE Skate for the Heart last month. If you were one of the lucky locals or die-hard skating fans that traveled to see the live show on October 10, 2010, at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, you can tap into your personal cherished memory bank and hit "replay" again and again.

If not, and you have resorted to cursing your respective deity or deities or just cursing; fear not. You have one more shot to view this amazing Disson Skating production that brings together skating champions and music powerhouses for an unforgettable show linking the passion and excitement we all experienced during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, with the important message of living a healthy life while raising awareness of heart disease.

Featured in this show is 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist Joannie Rochette, who won over the hearts of her home nation of Canada and millions more who watched her perform at the Winter Games in Vancouver. Her beautiful and emotional performance, shortly after her mother's untimely passing due to a heart attack, was one of the standout moments of the Winter Games and earned Rochette a 2010 ESPY nomination. Rochette joins an outstanding line-up of skaters for "Cold-EEZE Skate for the Heart" airing on the Hallmark Channel Tuesday, February 8th, 2011.

Special music guests include ATCO/ Atlantic recording group Straight No Chaser, performing eight of their hits. Founded at Indiana University in the fall of 1996, Straight No Chaser’s goal was to expand the boundaries of the traditional college acappella group. Fueled by appearances on the Today show, ABC World News Tonight, CNN Headline News and two PBS specials, the group's 2008 release spent fourteen days in the number one slot on Amazon and five days in the top slot overall on Itunes. But, original member Randy Stine comments, “We take the music very seriously; we just don’t take ourselves too seriously.” American Idol season two winner and Grammy-nominated R&B artist Ruben Studdard and American Idol season seven Runner-up David Archuleta will each perform two of their hits in “Cold-EEZE Skate for the Heart.”


Show: Cold-EEZE Skate for the Heart

Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm EST

Place: Hallmark Channel (check your local listings for channel information)

Skaters:
Ryan Bradley 2011 U.S. National Champion

Joannie Rochette 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist
Six-time Canada National Champion

Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto 2006 Olympic Silver Medalists
Five-time U.S. National Dance Champions

Sasha Cohen 2006 Olympic Silver Medalist
Two-time World Silver Medalist

Rachael Flatt 2010 U.S. National Champion
2010 Winter Olympian

Jeremy Abbott Two-time U.S. National Champion
2010 Winter Olympian

Johnny Weir Three-time U.S. National Champion
Two-time Winter Olympian

Caydee Denney &Jeremy Barrett 2011 U.S. National Pairs Silver Medalists
2010 U.S. National Pairs Champions



Musical Guest Stars:
David Archuleta
Ruben Studdard
Straight No Chaser

National Charity:
American Heart Association

Ice Dance Champ or Unstoppable SuperHero? Ben Agosto Isn't Human

Summer is in full swing and man I am excited! I’ve already been camping once in Nebraska for the 4th of July weekend. I mean, who doesn’t love being in all the glory of nature, building fire-pits, playing beach volleyball and swimming in a giant lake?! Many of you may be cursing your respective heat waves and swamp-cooler/Central AC units malfunctioning, but try and enjoy this fleeting season, because the weather will change quickly (especially here in Colorado… We savor the slightest glimpse of weather-related normalcy) and before you know it you’ll be cursing the freezing sleet and snow and ice build-up on your windshield that the stupid scraper you have never fully removes and your heater barely works so all it does is fog up the inside of the window. Look on the bright side…The 2010 Winter Olympics will coincide with this malaise of weather.

So here’s a little glimpse at one of the contenders and my other favorite skater and all around awesome dude.

Ben Agosto-
Champion figure skater, rock-climber and guitar-hero, part Puerto Rican and part Jewish. The devilishly handsome Agosto can perform a flawless Tosca routine and then fake an entire interview in Spanish (He did it at the 2006 Olympics). Check out his interview with Urban Latino Radio talking about his roots and skating and so much more. (www.urbanlatinoradio.com) The interview will be up soon. Follow me on Twitter and you’ll know as soon as it’s posted (http://twitter.com/Extreme_Twizzle)

The 27 year old rock star of the ice has a list of professional accolades to his name with ice dancing partner Tanith Belbin, including being the 2009 World Silver Medalist in Ice Dance, 2009 World Team Trophy Gold winner, 2006 Olympic silver medalist, 2004–2006 Four Continents Champion, and 2004–2008 US National Champion. I could retire on that list of accomplishments…but this guy just keeps going. I wish there was a good metaphor to describe Ben’s un-stopability (not a real word but I don’t care) If there was only like a small animal that just keeps going and going and going that perhaps plays an instrument…eh, oh well.
But this isn’t his only talent or passion. He has a musical side too. The first time I saw him lay down a couple licks backstage at a Disson Skating show in Los Angeles, I was thoroughly impressed. And not to toot my own horn (here I go) but I know good players, having shared the stage with members of the James Brown Band and numerous phenomenal musicians you’ve probably never heard of. With an all-too-familiar musical inception, Agosto played in a high school jazz band, like many would-be guitar gods and champions of the six-string.
The formative first concert- when a musician sees their first live show and the planets seem to align and everything sonically melds into a beautiful gelatinous blob of audio, visual and all-encompassing sensory theater…everything seems to just make sense. Ben’s first concert was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Technique, grace and passion, but his idol of the music world embodies raw emotion, pain and soul…The blues my friend and the man that made it all so good, Stevie Ray Vaughn. When I discovered my band Other Side of Clearview is on Ben’s Olympic Ipod playlist, I nearly soiled myself with delight.
From jamming back stage on the road while skating around the globe to rocking Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” live on the ice, Ben is a solid player. A man who can take seemingly polarized passions, excel at each and in many cases join them together.

With all of Ben’s free time (that preceding statement is dripping with sarcasm) he’s picked up rock climbing too! He describes it as “…both an adrenaline rush and a spiritual experience. There is a serene escape of entering a world where it is just you and the rock face. Everything is usually very quiet and climbing is never something you want to rush. That feeling of ‘oneness’ is then punctuated my moments of exhilaration and danger (or perceived danger :)”

Back to skating- Despite a back injury that took Tanith and Ben out of some major qualifying competitions (I think it was a publicity cover-up…Back injury? He was probably climbing K2 so he could shoot a music video of him ripping a monster solo at the summit), they bounced back at the World Figure Skating Championships in March and are now potential contenders for the 2010 Winter Games.
To top it off Ben is an all around nice guy. He’s not full of himself like a lot of celebrity athletes or getting himself wrapped up in scandals. Luckily the sport of figure skating is generally full of nice people that have their acts together. Of course there are always a few bad apples like the recent downfall of 2005 US Champion Nicole Bobek.

Send Ben your best wishes as he prepares for the 2010 Games through Twitter (http://twitter.com/Ben_Agosto)

I see these Winter Games going like this: Tanya Harding will be strapped for cash and tired of appearing a guest on shows like “World’s Dumbest Criminals” (I find it very ironic that she is a host of a show about stupid criminals) and as a publicity stunt will club her own knee outside of the Olympic torch ceremony. Nicole Bobek, to avoid a potential 10 year prison sentence for her links to a New Jersey meth ring will offer to clean every Olympic venue in less than 24 hours…All will wonder how she managed to do it. After that, Kimmie Meissner will take Gold for the US ladies, Evan Lysacek for the men and Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto in Ice Dance. That’s all I can predict right now. I’m sure I’ll have others soon.

For more info on Ben Agosto go to his official website: http://www.tanithandben.com/

Cheers! Ciao! y Hasta Luego!