I'm so looking forward to seeing the Kristi Yamaguchi Family and Friends show on TV in November.
I had a chance to check it out on Saturday night with my daughter Julia. It'll be interesting to see the TV version, with retakes and all.
Julia, who is 7, had this to say about the show:
"I thought the ice skating was cool. I liked the backflips, the twirling and the dancing on ice. I thought the Cheetah Girls were awesome singing. They were the best part of the show. Also, my other favorite part was when Corbin Bleu was doing all his songs. I also liked seeing the kids skating."
She gave the show 5 out of 5 stars. She wasn't the only little girl to think the show was that good.
During the show's intermission, I spoke to a few moms. All of them said their daughters were thrilled that they got to see the Cheetah Girls and Corbin Bleu. "They couldn't stop screaming," one mom said.
After the show, 6-year-old Sophi Moyer, of Scottsdale, couldn't wait to go to a VIP reception (she was thrilled with the autographs she snagged). What did she think of the show? "It was good." Her favorite part? "When the Cheetah Girls sang."
She also liked seeing skater Ekaterina Gordeeva with her two daughters, Daria and Eliza. She liked the girls in their pink dresses. It probably didn't hurt that Gordeeva and her daughters skated to the Cheetah Girls' "Homesick" - a song that's quite meaningful to the family since mom is out on the road several times a year. Another bonus is seeing a little girl get her own solo moment (It screams a message that you can do anything if you try).
I gotta say Kristi Yamaguchi is one smart momma. (She has two little ones.) A few weeks back, when I had the chance to talk to her about the show, she told me that she wanted to do something for the kids. Disney stars made sense. And so plenty of kids came out, sitting in seats valued at $35-$150 plus fees.
The Cheetah Girls performed songs from their new album, "TCG," as did Corbin Bleu (his album is "Another Side"). It was a great marketing opportunity for them, too, as I'm sure a few moms got a little more pressure to buy those albums.
The show was incredibly family friendly. And there were some spectacular moments. I was amazed by the ice dancing, triples of everything and backflips, just as was my daughter. But I found the number by Isabell Brasseur & Rocky Marval dazzling. I guess anytime one skater holds another upside down and starts twirling, my mouth opens in amazement. Their daughter Gabriela also joined them on the ice. Talk about fun, she had dad swing her around on the ice holding just her wrist and ankle.
Kids upstaged parents a few time. It was their skating but their cuteness. One show stealer was Nancy Kerrigan's kids skating to Disney's "I Don't Dance" from High School Musical 2. The hosts mentioned her older son Mathew wanted to take lessons after checking out his mom's performance last year. The crowd cheered on his efforts.
The adults did have amazing moments, too. Josef Sabovcik did plenty of backflips to get cheers out of his audience. And skater Ilia Kulik wowed the audience by skate dancing the exact moves Corbin and this dancing crew were doing to the song "Deal With It."
Of course, the most fun for me was watching a few repeat steps after the show ended. A few of the skaters weren't completely happy with how some parts turned out. (Though the novice eye could hardly tell) Luckily, we have the magic of TV and retakes for skating shows (they wouldn't get that chance in competitive skating). And so every move will look flawless.
Watch the show on NBC from 1-3 p.m. on Nov. 25. The kids will like it.
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
