This is where we start at the moment. Romaniuta and Barantsev have withdrawn (of Russia)

Alia Ouabdelsselam and Benjamin Delmas FRA

Shot of the French fans here in force...she's wearing black and blue...lots of flesh coloured net...he's mostl y balck with blue lines all over the place and sparkles on his back...these are national champions...steps to start...lift wehre she's on top of him, like you'd carry a baby....lots of ice covergae....she goes under his leg and they stop...music changes....nicky says that was their circular step...dance spin....slow piece now....with voical.....soulful arm waving....lift wehere he turns her upside down....andother lift....kinda uncomfortable looking as he carires her....straight line steps along a diagonal....nice unision.....stop dance in cernre ice....dance spin....not great unison....diagonal step in pretty muc hte same trad hold...closed hold which nicky tells me is required....a rotational lift....he throws her over his arms in a somesault and they're done. Good effort chris says, rough around hte edges in palces.....got to say that it left me cold....14th place going into the free....that's where they were last year...nicky tells us that he looks always intense through the routine, that there's no change of look...no change of pace throughout the routine, again I agree with that....her eyeline always dtopped on the intricate stuff...

marks...4.1-4.8....4.5-5.0...all firsts one third.

Marika Humphreys and Vitaly Baranov GBR

As C&N fly the union jack....He's wearing purple trousers. Cream shirt and purple trousers. And a yellow tie. And she's got a little purple dress...Mr Zoot Suit is the music....so at least it fits the costume....and his boots look like shoes...thsoe white and black affairs....nice lift wehre she rest on his arms in splits, turn upside down and out under his legs....and lots of swing on the lift there....more steps...really fun chris calls it and I agree...nice changes of hold thus far...lots of ice coverage too....good timing nicky tells us....dance spin.....and stop....schmoose in front of the judges....s/s steps...loss of unison there....just not holding that line.....another lift where her leg is over his shoulder and he slides her around and down....she's not looking at him much it seems....lift where he's holding her in his arms , shes facing him...another dance spin...stop and music change...the slow part wasn't as good for me....straight line steps and that's a bif time loss of unison...diagonal step...and anoter h somersault lift.....nicky thinks that sometimes his needs more tech....lift where he turns her while her legs are between his waist...really nice dance spin where htye're holding and facing each other and doing illusion spins....really effective looking...and they're done.....it started well, lost it in the middle and was only beginning to get back at the end...nicky tells us there is more room for tech content and sharpness...praises the fllick over lifts....and I'm not sure I would have put her in that dress but that's just me...certainly I'm not sure that the colour did much for her....they're the hightest ranked couple in the group...effectively 11th after the withdrawal and chris says it would be amazing ig they can get up into the top ten...I'd say incredible, but there you go. Theyre going to SLC

marks 4.7-5.0...4.9-5.3....all firsts so far.

Kristin Fraser and Igor Lukanin AZE

Oh the pinkness of her dress, with a touch of mauve at the end...matching pink sash for him, and purple crushed velvet body suit....it's bright pink put it taht way...truman show....jim carrey never looked like that....lift where her legs are around his waist she's onl his lap....around the corner and down the ice...nice glide and flow on the ice....lift and spin where she's facing him.....lots of crossovers says nicky.....circular step....lots of turning and twisting and we get a dance spin.....and stop and the crowd squeal...why? loss of unison on those steps...big time, that was bad....around the corner now and down the rink in a carry lift....half the length of the rink he glides with her in his arms....maintaining speed says nicky but theres too much crossovers either fw or bw but no changes of edge.s....good alignment of free legs....rotational lift....and she stops and he skates around her....flirting ensues on he ice and they finally begin todance together again...that smooth talking man he is....steps...much better unison.....and a ift where she does the splits across his back....damce spin with her in what might have been a cmael position but free leg way too low...and that's the end of that. Tech content not really there says chris....he pout his foot down on the last spin, cuaght it before the third rotation....nicky is lamenting the lack of counters and rockers and three turns in there....presented it well, but there wasn't much there....music also stayed at the same level....needed more light and shade...

marks....4.6-4.8...Liz Coates beside them, and Genrich Stretenski....she's American herself....4.5-5.1..they're in third.

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali ITA

And a kind of pale aquamarine...4 Seasons is the music...his trousers are navy?...shirt the same colour as hers....and there's ruffles on his shirt....ruffley ruffles....lots of kicks from her to start with...and lift and spin, which is more a jump than a lift....she kneels and spins and he's down as nicky says they're doing great and his mum helps coach the,.....going like rockets on the ice...spins and lift....and dance spin and stop, kneeling twoards each other.....thye were really motoring around the ice there....she lifts him, a la marina and gwendal....steps...which are not in unison....circular step....lots of speed and expression....ahe's liftted with her free leg not pointing as much as it should.chris praies clever lifts....dance spin.....diagonal steps.....lots of energy....and he looked like he could've gone again there....turns and twizzles.....and he doesn't look secure to me....more steps....someone needs to tell this girl to point her toe...it's no that hard....lift where hes bent over and she's holding him by curling up her free legs under his...he gave it 110% says chris...and for a split second he was over the limit...didn't seem like 4 minutes I have to say, it really did fly and so did they....shes 20 hes 22....yeah, he just went too far and too fast and she had a hold of him and she yanked him up! you can almost see her saying get up! nice her lifting him lift there....these lying in 13th, so effectively 12th...and someone threw a dead chicken toy on the ice for her. OK....and Andrei Bukin is with them....

marks 4.4-4.8...4.6-5.1...and they're second.

Warm up for group 4. As Chris laments lack of movement from OD to here thus far.

Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostamarov RUS

Nice black sparkley dress for her, no back. Near see tbrough front save for the sequins. He's in a pinstripe suit with floppy jacket with sequins on it.....something about you by michale jackson....lots of speed first of all....liftwhere she's straigth up in the air....straigt line steps.....nicely done....nice moving to the music here...great synch...lift where hes turning quickly shes leanign across him...dance spin....this is very sharp says nicky as they dance on ice...stop and step through the door, oull it closed as we hear it bang...nice touch! slow part....dance spin....better camel for her....cantilever spreads leaning away from one another...great! she foes a spiral he pulls her in between his legs and pulls her arounds and spins her and sets her out....lift wehre hes in besti squat holding her....shes singing along to something about a masquerade....steps have great unison....and really tricky and intricate...circular step...and stop bang on music...and more dancing on centre ice....and she goes inder his legs nad does it again....dance up the ice ...sometimes on two feet....seh does spin and he foes nder her leg...then lifts her so she's horizontal and spins her...and that's that ,and chris loved it and so did I ! And you know I wasn't sure about his costume because the jacket could stand to be taken in (esp when you look at him when he's standing still) but when he's moving it doesn't seem so bad....great syncopation in the dance...and she really sold it....almost an exhibition in terms of its presentation says nicky, but it was really good! again, didn't seem like four minutes....lift where she was wrapped around him, holding onto her skate balde...the stripes in hsi trousers are sparkles,did I mention???

marks 4.9-5.3...the aussie hated it! 5.4-5.5 (4 5.5s) all firsts.

Eliane Hugentobler and Daniel Hugentobler SUI

Oh my. There is blue. With purple and lime green inserts. and her dress looks as if its come open..and its a skirt and jacket i stand corrected....red collars for both..I Will Survive....dance spin.....live version of the song is distracting....nice turns....crowd love it...diagonal step...lots of speed...red tshirt for him...lift wher hes in besti squat her leg is over his shoulde.r...and does it again going teh other way ,that not as good....looked shakier....more stesps....lots of deep edges....great move where thye're both oing a leg straight out in front of them and hse goes infront of him...dance spin...little stumble in steps.....he thrwos his leg over her and she leans back against him when he goes through....and dance spin...lots of energy here.....goes to the slow part where the crowd clap along.....this is really good..in a cheesy way that is....s/s besti squats....mores teps....circular step...lots of twizzles from her.....great speed! lift ....and run along hte ice and hold her on his soulder ....half somersault....and theyre done! And the crrwod loved it! Not sure how hard it was...not on a tech level , but it was fun to watch! Nicky thinks they presented it out of their skins the crowd helped, they couldn't have done it better, but he's not caught up in it. Well, I'm easily pleased...I loved it! Lift after lift...offline in twizzles....over the top with the leg done twice...not the detail and depth of hte choreography that there could have been....I'm not disagreeing....not a lot of changes of hold either....didn't hold him....it held me, did I mention that? Nicky and I are not on the same wavelength tonight, I don't think he's my boyfriend anymore....

marks and they're with Linichuk....5.0-5.2...5.1-5.4....they're second. one third.

Sylwia Novak and Sebastian Kolasinski POL

At least it's not the godfather....blue outfits for them...like something that Usova and Zhulin may have worn....give a little time for your love...is that barry white? cause he's object to that blouse that that man has on him....lift to start....and another ....she kicks legs in time with music....twizzles off synch and the second batch more so than the irst...lift wehre she's straight up in the iar.....turns ....steps around the ice...circular step....lots of tuens and changes of hold....lift and spin....he's on two feet.....and into dance spin....wving of arms as they step and straight line step is again out of synch...and those steps were too...not holding the line at all...she's lying on his laps, her legs on either isde of his waist facing the toehr way...nicky praises the lifts....program notworking for him in terms of putting over whole theme...sing it brother! stpes...and dacne spin where her leg is on his shoulder as she faces him...diag step....lift and spin.....and dance on the ice...and someone needs to take in his blouse....her dress is ok...he hydorblades holding on to her leg...and they're done. Well, it was better than the godgather...she's lopped off all her hair...she's 25 hes 26...finished right in front of hte judges....nicky praises the power of hteir movements lots of ice coverage but the music didn't work for him....gotta agree with him and I'm waiting for chris to start singing from the hymnsheet of national pride and lack of movement in ice dance and he don't let me down...nicky would have them behind the brits....and I think Iwould have too....nicky adds the music didn't lift the performance

marks 4.9-5.1....itll be close....5.0-5.3..third...their alloted slot. Well, theres a surprise, and we get another verse of the standing still standings song.

Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov UKR

Nice red dress for her. Really. It's nice. Lots of gold sequins on the front going down the middle but its nice. Blakc and red suit ofr him....Barcelona the music....and this is a nice dress for her. From a couple known for disasters with me. Wow, ...flying across the ice...lots of flow ....lift where he lifts her and hse = leaning back against him.....move wehre he's holding hands under her leg....and great changes of hold...dnace spin....he turns her over in the air...dodgy stutter there.....and he spins her under his arm....picking out pieces of the music nicely....and they slowdown for the slow part....nice spiral from him....lotsof kicking up the leg...he holds her up in a lift and that hand was miughty close to his head...just got away with it....hes in a sit postion she standing on his lap as they glide..nice....she does besti squat as hes in bent leg psiral....dance spin.....and music changes again....they run and stpo and dance again....mores tesps.....and a llift and spin....lots of hcanges of hold but it's starting to look laboured....she's in between his legs and he rotates and gets closer to the cie and when he sinks down it's over....nicky prefered this to the poles as did I...no real theme he thinks....she turns herself inside out....maintaining of holds was good....interesting lifts in it....she slides under on replay gripping his leg....yeah, we see the stutter coming down from that lift there where he turned her over in the air...nicky praises the lightness in the lifts...

marks...and this another linichuk pair....4.8-5.4...whistles from crowd....they should be second....5.2-5.4..and they do, 4 have them first, 2 2nds, a third a fourth and a fifth.

Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviyski BUL

Black primarily....lots of wispy black from the sleeves...and fire and suns on their chests....flamey orange at the end of her skirt....cirque du soleil....lots of flesh coloured net as well....stesp to star...move where shes in wishbone postitoin on his lap...dance spin with difficult hold and entrey.....good unison so far...diagonal steps....poweful ice coverage....and lift where eh's spinning her and once bounce of the hip and shes in the air, nicely done....great transtiitons between moves....music changes and they pose on the ice...twizzles....adance psin......steps....lift where he's in besti squat, she lies across him....great lift...nicely put in with teh music....steps....matnching besit squats...me no like that move....change of pace, blessed be....they dance...and that's irish stpe dancing right htere! riverdance here we come....circular step looks a little rageed....and theres a lift and theyre' done. Chris loved it. Me not so much...technically empty as he said, and the musci towards the middle began to give me a headache....nicky loved the idea of the theme and the costume...liked their lines as well...shes certainly very elegant...nicky ponders the legality of some of their swingy athletic lifts....pushing hte rules to the limit...

marks... 5.1-5.6...looking to lead....if they're told hold onto 6th...5.3-5.6...all firsts except a second and a third.

Ice resurface for final group.

Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio ITA

I Will Survive...they might but will I??? She's in pink no back and lots of sparkles...he's in black...sparkly tassles...much midriff from her...she starts sliding inder his legs...and dance around...lean against each other.....lift...and that looked unglainly in the transitions......dance spin......stop and pose...run this fingers through his hair....s/s steps....good synch.....thye're moving....lots of speed...but she's doing all the work....lots of turns and twizzles....lift and kick...stiraght line steps....lots of enerfy....lift...nice transtition to slow part where he glides low while carrying her....and another swing and lift...dance spin....her in camel....competent nicky calls it...sometimes trnaitions have ragged edges...lift where hse's upsidedown then leans legs over so theyre in front of him...glidy moves...and lift....and spin....and stop...and the slow part that everyone claps at ....twizzles..s/s ....steps....good synch...and hse turns and turns.....and liftand spin....and some more.....and theyre done....and she loved it and so did he....plenty of energy but not so sure about the tech esp from him....great presentation but very trad nicky calls it....he thinks they need more....and the dress a pink and peach combo, didn't really suit her....he also worries about the message that teh song title send out as champions....some of the moves looked ungainly. not as smooth as they could have been....not the finesse...chris points out that the draw will not help what with the french going last.

marks5.7-5.8 (4 5.8s) 5.7-5.9///one of each the rest 58s

Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh RUS

Shes in silver and grey raggedy bits...he's in black trousers...top looks like rags as well...Harpsichord and turn turn turn...start wtih her in wishbone, legs on his shoulder, arms level with his knees....and he picks her up...fight over which hand she'll hold...spinny thingys....lift...where shes on his head and his hand is higher than his head....he does little runs on the ice....he does a jump....is that allowed...hes pushing it says nicky and he does anotehr one as she skates alongside him...lift where shes upsidedown against his chest.....dance spin.....they're turning as someone wails about a time to blah de blah...twizzles...nice synch....time for a circular step dequcen which is nicely in time with te music....or at least wit hte beat.....lift wher hes in sit position, she's got one leg up in the iar....her leg across his neck now and shes up the air nowshes sliding down...good trnasitions....and anotehr dance spin...and stop...and music speds...more s/s twizzles.....good changes of hold in this part....and anotehr lift with her legs in a v in the air.....around the side of the rink...stes along the diag....loss of speed here...and he lifts her and she holds a skate blade as she wraps herself around him, sldies down his body and they're done. And while there was much to admire, it didn't do it for me. Nicky doesn't think that that move at the end was really choreographed....aws almost repetitive later on....that hand was above his head! ....jump he did.....did he go around more than one rev, nicky says no but it was close...he lookedd to me like he did but the end was on the ground if you know what I mean....you nkow they nearly have matching hairdos? they go all swingy and floppy in the sme way....and he looked like he nearly fell ove rat the end...her knee is strapped...fluid on it, might need op..

marks 5.4-5.7....boos jeers and whistles....5.6-5.8...row of 2s....

Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas LTU

And here we go....still no movement chris reminds us....and its hard to type with crossed fingers here.....like it's been easy before....red dress from her, line of flame down the diagonal...black from him, little wingy thingys on it....and sprakrles...and lotsof chest....dance spin....some french vocal? he goes uner her arms...they show off their sprials....great movements strong edges....shes behind him leaning on him as they turn....lift....great speed in the turns....twizzles....and again...nice....lift...where she turns in his arms and is on his shoudler then upsidedown and out....that was great...transitions were seamless....kicks and turns....slow and glide....circular step in closed hold.....rest of program quite open nicky tells me...lift where she kneels on his thigh....move where shes in spiral he leans back on her back....dance spin.....and change agand anotehr one.....looked like she lost that tqizzles there but got it back....and he slides under her amrs...and skneeels and slides.....lift.....and change of pos and down......and she does an somersault over him...glide...s/s steps....slide to stop...and dance infront of eahc other...more steps.....lift....and side and turn.....and dwing her around...and dshe turns and that was great! 11th consecutive Euros...and that was great! I'd have that ahrad of the RUS, no surprise there...last move, wehre seh spun out of nowehre and into his arms when you thought that it was over, that was great! Nicky thinks it may have been too open....a little out of unison at the end...little oopsie on the synch twizzles....lost balance slightly...these slomos are great....as chris once more sings the song of lack of movement

marks....rita gets nailed by floes....5.5-5.7....mostly 5s and 6s....5.7-5.8...3rd....fra has 1st amer 2nd rest third.

Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski ISR

Stars of David on amber and black...hardly any back on her....Jewish folk music...big piece of amber material off his side....slow start for now....dance spin....claps on sdtk...crowd take the hint....and she jumps and he spins her around...and again....she spns around him as he skaes on one leg...great synch twizzles there....lifts and spins with her legs in splits.....diag step...in closed hold....nicely done...great changes of positions in it...and relaly rreally fast....lift and himn in besti squat her looking down...hold that lift...and then stop on centre ice....dance spin.....slow part....he spins her by the arm....glidy moves....lift...changes if position not sure about those....music changes again....circular step....synch twizzles....and lift...changes of position....and they're done/ So sharp loads of energy says chris...maybe I;'m just disappointed over D&V but that didn't do it for me....not like what they've done the past two years....didn't seem as fast as I'm used to them being although he certainly sold it well....nicky wonders about the music that skaters use soemtimes...he loved the start....chris says that he draws you in....flow over the ice was good....

marks ... 5.4-5.6...they'll be 4th .... 5.5-5.8...and they are, what a surprise. 4th!

Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat FRA

Thats one yellow dress she has on her....grey with pale yellow for him. And thankfully it looks like Santa came late and gave Gwendal a razor. And there's rope around him....that's the way we want him! he's lying down, but not on the ice...she's stanidng...and half her dress is grey...Martin Luther Kings I hace a dream starts....dances spin...good unison....lifts her up...arms extended from her....diag step....lots of hcnages of hold and postiion.....lift....where sh'es in front of him...she follwos him on ice ...wouldn't you....he's sitting almost on ice and she's stnading as they glide...both kneel and glide now....and him agian...dance spin change anotehr one...turns and steps.....MLK starts agin....as they do that lift where she's upsidedown at his side.....facing spirals....he lidts her....she's horizontal down low.....spins under his arms....she lifts him so he's upside down! circular step.....little hoppy things from him.....she stnads on him....was the hand above the head.....and they stop.....and that can't be four minutes! such presence raves nicky.....always coming up with somehting new...hop going forwards so daring they say, in case he catches a toe rake....chris has tried it and it's not a pretty sight! just see in the slomos that the synch steps werent as synched in one place as they might have been....hand on level with his head but its close....we see the lifts again, and they were great....

marks....5.7(2)-5.9(2) the rest 8s.....one 5.7, one 5.8, the rest 5.9s with one 6.0!!!! 2 have them second, but they win! AZE gave 6.0...and thye're thrilled!

So, Fra Ita, Rus, Ltu, Isr, Bul is the one to six. Nicky considers using last years program for the free for FP&M....I could be snotty and say that it didn't do them much good at the Grand Prix final, but I won't. Oh look, I just did. Chris gives us one final blast of the mournful melody of movement or the lack thereof.