Compiled by Susan Wessling

Lyscaek is Part of New Cast for 'DWTS'

Evan Lysacek is one of the new competitors on ABC hit show, "Dancing With the Stars." Interest peaked on Lysacek as a contender as soon as he won the Olympic gold medal in Vancouver. Cheryl Burke tweeted him the suggestion that he join the cast of the show.

Lysacek will dance with pro Anna Trebunskaya (who will be in her fifth season with the show). She was the runner-up with partner and football player Jerry Rice in the show’s second season. "I’m really excited to take on this new challenge,” Lysacek said. See our report.

Fun Quotes From the Stars in Vancouver

NBC’s Scott Hamilton is always good for some interesting sound bites. After the men's event at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver he sat down with Al Michaels to share his thoughts. Men’s gold medalist Evan Lysacek also talked to Michaels about his victory.

Lysacek on his performance in the free skate: “I knew that I skated a winning performance for me. It was my absolute best on the Olympic stage, the most important moment of my life probably and that’s all I can possibly ask for.”

Lysacek on competing in Sochi in 2014 after beating a Russian: "I don't know if they're going to let me in the country now.”

Hamilton on Lysacek’s performance: “I’ll say this emphatically, he’s the best trained, the most conditioned athlete in that event and it showed up on the most important night it needed to. He skated beautifully. He did everything he needed to do.”

Andrea Joyce on Lysacek not crying: "(His coach) Frank Carroll has to stop telling his skaters not cry -- that's my bread and butter area!!"

Hamilton on Evgeni Plushenko (who took the silver medal) and “the quad” controversy: “He was rewarded for doing the quad triple combination. He’s the only guy in the world right now that can depend on that combination. It’s his greatest trick and it’s his best asset. It’s what he’s going to throw out in front of everybody and he’s absolutely right to do so.

“He’s absolutely right to say that the future of figure skating should be in the quadruple jumps. You need to raise the levels of competition. The ISU needs to think about that. But you know what? It’s figure skating. It’s about skating and it’s about the entire performance.

“That’s one thing that I think has been lost on him. You can’t do the same performance you did in Torino and expect to win four years later. The sport has evolved, and you’re showing up at a championship to compete under set rules and guidelines, and you don’t think they apply to you, generally, directly. I think that’s a problem.”

Jimmy Roberts, NBC Sports reporter and host of "Meet the Olympic Press" on Plushenko: "Figure skating is clearly in a state of transition. ... The most amazing thing to come out of ... the competition is that if Plushenko had just done one more jump, one that he could have done as a 12-year-old, he would have won. It's elementary. That's amazing."

Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic slver medalist, on whether or not figure skating is advancing without a quad: "The sport of figure skating is advancing and the quad is very important, but it’s not just a one-jump competition."

Joyce: “When they miss the jump (the quad), the rest of their program falls apart. ... Had Plushenko finished that quad and got the extra point, I think people would have been shocked and booed (if Plushenko had won and Lysacek was judged the silver medalist).

Phil Hersh, Chicago Tribune reporter on Plushenko's reaction to getting silver: "I thought it was one of the worst displays of sportsmanship I've ever seen."

Joyce: “Plushenko did not congratulate Evan at all. But Evan gave Plushenko props.”

Hamilton on the future of men’s figure skating: “There a lot of guys whose description ended in ‘teen,’ and they’re phenomenal. Nineteen year olds who are doing extraordinary things under this system of judging. They’ll only get stronger and better.”

Dick Button on USA’s Davis and White: “I am marvelously impressed by with Davis and White. I thought their two performances [at the U.S. Championships], first the original and then the free dance, were just special and they just got to me. ... The performance they gave, the choreography of it, it was just mesmerizing.”

Michaels on ice dancing not being a sport: “You don’t need a penalty box for it to be a sport.”

Button: “You don’t need to slug somebody and knock them out. Although I must say, some of the Russians are trying to do that right now after the men’s singles skating. Don’t get me started on that."



Universal Sports has been interviewing broadcaster, stars and their family members in their coverage. Earlier in the week, they convened to talk about several disciplines.

Peter Carruthers, 1984 Olympic pairs silver medalist and figure skating analyst (on the performance of Chinese pair skaters Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao): "They now have this show quality, they perform and that's so hard to do. It's all seamless. [It is] so masterfully choreographed. ... When you can watch something like that and get immersed in the performance. Wow! That's a home run."

Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic gold medalist and figure skating analyst (on Mirai Nagusu): “She’s become the media darling of the Olympics. She’s a witty, young girl.”

Shawn Johnson, 2008 Olympic gymnastics gold medalist: “What is a death spiral (in figure skating)? Sounds like something you shouldn’t even try.”



The 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony from Vancouver was the most-watched television event in Canadian history. CTV reported that 13.3 million viewers tuned in for the event.

Half of all Americans (152 million) watched the 2010 Olympic Winter Games on the networks of NBC Universal (NBCU) through the first seven days of the Games; six million more than watched the first seven days of the 2006 Winter Games (146 million) according to data available today from The Nielsen Company.

NBCU’s Thursday broadcasts were seen by 77 million total viewers, 14 million more than the first Thursday from the 2006 Games (63 million), on a night that faced original competition including "Survivor" on CBS and "Grey’s Anatomy" and" Private Practice" on ABC.

The 26.6 million average viewers for the first seven nights of the Vancouver Games is the most for a non-U.S. Winter Olympics since the 1994 Lillehammer Games (37.5 million). The 26.6 million is nearly six million more and 27 percent higher than the average viewership of the first seven nights from Torino in 2006 (20.9 million).

A night after defeating "American Idol" by 12 million viewers, Thursday night’s Olympic coverage (8-11:31 p.m.) drew 24.8 million viewers, more than five million more viewers and 28 percent higher than the first Thursday night of the 2006 Winter Games (19.4 million,.

Kwan on 'GMA' Team For Games; Other Stars in TV Mix

Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, is joining ABC ’s “Good Morning America” as a special correspondent covering the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Kwan — a two-Olympic medalist, five-time World champion, and nine-time U.S. champion — will provide commentary and analysis on figure skating, as well as coverage of other news stories at the Games. Her first report for “Good Morning America” will air on Friday, Feb. 12.

Meanwhile 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi is reporting for the "TODAY" show. She is laso hosting a daily show on Universal Sports Channel. Two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan is working for "ET/The Insider". See our full reports on the above stars on our HOME PAGE.

Photo above: Michelle Kwan and choreographer David Wilson at a practice session for “Ice All Stars 2009”; photo by Susan D. Russell



Johnny Weir was featured on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" Feb. 9. The show will re-air Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. (ET) and is avaialabe for download on ITunes.

Weir's reality show "Be Good Johnny Weir" airs Mondays at 10:30 p.m. The Sundance Channel original documentary series explores the life of one of America's most outspoken and colorful sports figures, three-time U.S. men's champion (2004, '05, and '06) and the 2008 World bronze medalist. Click HERE for more information from IFS including a link to an interview with Weir.

Check out the Sundance Channel website for some fun clips.



The 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held Jan. 14-24 in Spokane, Wash., drew a healthy TV audience, once again proving the sport has a large following in the United States.

Nearly 13.7 million viewers tuned in to NBC Sports' coverage of the 2010 U.S. Championships, the largest television audience for the event since 2003. In addition to the 13 hours of coverage on NBC, including four hours in primetime, Universal Sports featured 15 hours of coverage during the week of the championships, including seven live hours of senior-level competition in ladies, men's, pairs and ice dancing. The championships were carried on television in more than 125 countries and available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide.

NBC Sports’ final primetime rating for the ladies free skate Saturday, Jan. 23 was 3.4, 26 percent higher than in 2009. Saturday afternoon’s airing of the original dance, free dance and ladies short program received a final rating of 2.1, 17 percent higher than in 2009, and the primetime broadcast of the Smucker’s Skating Spectacular on Sunday, Jan. 24 earned a 2.5 final rating, 150 percent higher than the 2009 Smucker’s Skating Spectacular that aired in a 2:30-4:30 p.m. time slot. The three skating programs all produced higher network ratings than any of the weekend's nine other sporting events, except those of the two NFL conference championship games.

Photo above: The ladies podium at U.S. nationals: (from left) Mirai Nagasu (silver), Rachael Flatt (gold), Ashley Wagner (bronze),and Sasha Chone (pewter); photo by Jay Adeff


Brian Boitano cooked up some good TV viewing with his new show "What Would Brian Boitano Make?" on the Food Network. The delicious show, shot in the 1988 Olympic champion's San Francisco home, received positive reviews from the experts and it seems was well received by audiences as well. Its off-the-wall humor and easy-to-follow recipes made for an entertaining show.

The show has been picked up for a second season. The new season began March 7. See our story.


Prior to the Grand Prix Series announcment, U.S. Figure Skating and NBC Sports had inked a deal to continue their partnership to broadcast Skate America and U.S. nationals through the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The agreement will ensure live primetime and afternoon coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships as well as live afternoon coverage of Skate America, part of the ISU Grand Prix Series, for the next four years.

“The partnership with NBC has allowed figure skating fans to view numerous hours of live competition over the course of the last two years,” said Patricia St. Peter, president of U.S. Figure Skating. “The extension of this partnership again shows the dedication of both U.S. Figure Skating and NBC Sports to showcase this popular sport not just in an Olympic year but for the next four years.”

The partnership includes 12 hours of live event coverage on NBC Sports during the 2009-10 season, including live primetime coverage of the ladies free skate at the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 14-24, 2010, in Spokane, Wash. The 2010 Olympic Figure Skating Team will be determined at the conclusion of this event. Universal Sports, available in more than 56 million homes, will once again offer additional coverage and re-airs of Skate America and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

TV SCHEDULE

USA

February 2010

13 to 27: 5 am to 6 am
Universal Sports TV, Olympics USTV: Figure Skating Hour
(also streamed on NBCOlympics.com )

NBC's Olympic Coverage

14 7:00pm - 11:00pm Live
Pairs Short Program Olympics

14 11:35pm - 12:05am Taped
Pairs Short Program Recap Olympics

15 8:00pm - 12:00am Live
Pairs Free Skate Olympics

16 8:00pm - 12:00am Live
Men's Short Program Olympics

18 8:00pm - 12:00am
Men's Free Skate Olympics

19 3:00pm - 5:00pm Taped
Men's Free Skate Recap Olympics

19 8:00pm - 11:30pm Live
Compulsory Dance Olympics

21 7:00pm - 11:00pm Live
Original Dance Olympics

22 8:00pm - 12:00am Live
Free Dance Olympics

23 8:00pm - 12:00am Live
Ladies Short Program Olympics

24 12:35am - 2:05am Taped
Ladies Short Program Recap Olympics

25 3:00pm - 5:00pm Taped
Ladies Preview Olympics

25 8:00pm - 12:00am Live
Ladies Free Skate Olympics

26 12:35am - 2:05am Taped
Ladies Free Skate Recap Olympics

27 8:00pm - 11:00pm (tentative)
Champions Gala Olympics

***************************************
28 6:00am - 12:00pm Taped
MSNBC: Champions Gala Repeat Olympics

CANADA

JANUARY 2010

[14] 4:30 p.m. PT
Rogers Sportsnet: Pairs Shorts Porgram Olympic Games

CTV (and its affiliated stations) has the rights to the Games in Canada. They are not releasing a schedule for figure skating coverage but have provided a general schedule on its website. See CTV Olympic Viewers' Guide. Most of the coverage is expected to be live.

LIVE EVENT SCHEDULE

Sunday, February 14, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Pairs Figure Skating: 16:30 - 19:55

Monday, February 15, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Pairs Figure Skating: 17:00 - 20:55

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Men's Figure Skating: 16:15 - 20:45

Thursday, February 18, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Men's Figure Skating: 17:00 - 21:05

Friday, February 19, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Ice Dance: 16:45 - 20:05

Sunday, February 21, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Ice Dance: 16:15 - 19:45

Monday, February 22, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Ice Dance: 16:45 - 20:55

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Ladies' Figure Skating: 16:30 - 21:00

Thursday, February 25, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Ladies' Figure Skating: 17:00 - 20:55

Saturday, February 27, 2010 Pacific Coliseum
Exhibition Gala: 16:30 - 19:00

Editor’s Note: Times are Eastern unless otherwise noted. Broadcast schedules are subject to change. Please check your local listings.

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