Crystal Skate

The pairs' final does not predict a lot of changes for the competition, as Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot are set for the win, but Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov are only a point behind, so anything could happen. It's a rough start of the competition as Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer  make mistake after mistake. They both fall on the side-by-side triple Lutz, then he over-rotates the triple Toeloop and steps out of the double Toeloop, she falls again on the throw triple Flip, they only manage a single twist, and the side-by-side spins are out of sync. Their score: 92.95 . Overall: 145.01 . Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres  make their home crowd proud. She lands the throw quad Salchow, but double-foots it; same mistake with the throw triple Flip, and the side-by-side spins are not in sync at the very end. Their first lift is innovative and their death spiral is incredibly low. Their music is a cover of Sound of Silence . They get 132.53  points. Overall: 198.58 . ...

The ladies' short programme is going to keep us at the edge of our seats from the very start as the best skaters in Paris are all competing in the first group. Is this the ISU's new way to attract more viewers from the very start of the competition? Let me know what you think, but first, let's see what the girls bring on the ice tonight. This season is not going well for Gracie Gold . She double-foots the triple Toeloop, doubles out of the triple Flip and singles the Axel. This is nothing short of a disaster for a skater who came close to wining the Worlds last season. Her score: 54.87 . Mao Asada getting ready to be 'witchy' Photo: Tasos Katopodis Getty Images North America Evgenia Medvedeva  offers a staggering contrast to the American. Her ability to tell a story gives me goosebumps, from her expressions to the way the programme, set to River Flows in You , is put together. Her stamina is also incredible, doing all the jumps after the step sequence. She...

The boys' competition in Paris is about to start. Spain's Javier Fernandez looks like he has no rival here, but all it takes for that to change is a good start of the season for Denis Ten. But first,  Adam Rippon , my first choice for a bronze medal if the two men afore-mentioned blow their performances out of the water. He makes no mistakes here. His score: 85.25 . Brendan Kerry  falls on the quad Toeloop, doubles out of the triple Toeloop and double-foots the triple Axel. I do like the invisible umbrella he is 'holding' during the camel spin and in several parts of the routine. Nice detail to present Singing in the Rain . He gets 70.67  points. Brendan Kerry of Australia Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America Chafik Besseghier 's also got troubles with his opening combination - hands down on the quad, doubles out of the triple Toeloop. The first part of his step sequence is not in sync with It's a Man's World , but his spins are much ...

Ladies and gentlemen, Trophee Eric Bompard is no more. The French Grand Prix event is now officially called Trophee de France after changing its name for the fourth time since 1987. Originally known as Grand Prix International de Paris, its name changes happened in sync with main sponsor changes. Thus the competition was also called Trophee Lalique, after a French glass company, and of course, Eric Bompard, after a French fashion company. Does this mean it'll likely get a new name once a new sponsor is welcome on board? Likely so, but we'll have to wait at least another season to see. In the meantime, let's see who are the main skaters to watch this weekend in Paris. MEN Javier Fernandez  - nothing's changed since last week when I listed the top skaters to watch at Rostelecom Cup. The Spaniard seems an even surer bet with none of his main rivals present in Paris. Javier Fernandez during the free skate in Moscow Photograph: Joosep Martinson – ISU/ISU via Ge...

The pairs short programme saw another unexpected result as the ones we all thought were going to win this without difficulties suddenly ended on second place. Here is what happened with the top five pairs yesterday. First of all, Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau , the winners of Skate America, ended on fifth place to everyone's dismay. They both fell on the side-by-side triple Salchow and she had a hand down on the throw triple Flip. Perhaps the pressure was too great going against the Germans. Their routine was set to Skokiaan  by Louis Armstrong. Their score: 61.72 . Aliona and Bruno's lift Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov  were another pair to under-perform in Moscow. They both double-footed the side-by-side triple Salchow and the side-by-side spins were not entirely in sync. The choreography for Io Ti Penso Amore  was so clever though - the lift was set to the highest notes and the death spiral to the soft part of the song. They got 65.61  points. Vale...

Over in the men's event, my predictions were shook until they shattered to the ground. Well, actually, not really, but there were a few bittersweet surprises for me in the top five. The first pleasant surprise came from France. Chafik Besseghier  exceeded my expectations and landed himself in fifth place. His music was Seal's It's a Man's World . I find his spins very interesting - some he needs to work on (camel), others he's really good at (low spins). His score: 80.68 . Alexei Bychenko  stayed true to his worth and ended right on the tails of the podium contenders. His quad Toeloop looked effortless and his personality on the ice was very endearing. The music, Chambermaid Swing , fit him like the gloves he was wearing. Again, some spins, like the umbrella spin, were not quite perfect, knees bent and all. He got 86.81  points. I've said this before about Mikhail Kolyada , but it is still true - he needs to make sure his comedic body language reaches his ...

The ice dancers got the party started in Moscow, quite literally, with tunes from the likes of Elvis Presley and  Grease  that got people moving their feet. Let's see what the top five couples of the competition brought to the game. Tiffany Zahorski/Jonathan Guerreiro  ended up in 5th place with music by Christina Aguilera and Parov Stelar. I have to say I'm not a big fan of this musical combo. The first part was super sexy, but the second was silly and completely destroyed the vibe they had going at the beginning. They also still need to work on their chemistry, but this is their debut at the Grand Prix Series, so there's time for that. Their score: 64.28 . Madison and Evan's dance was the grittiest of the day Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri 's concept was at an entirely different level. They chose to skate to the soundtrack of Grease , and everything about the concept, from the costumes to the rock 'n roll touches of the choreography, was perfect. Absol...

Privet, everyone, or  привет!  Think it's too early for me to Google how to say Hello in Russian? Well, so did I before discovering Rostelecom Cup had moved out of its usual place in the Grand Prix Series. The trip to Moscow comes early this season, but it's not leaving any of its drama behind. By drama, I actually mean, difficulty level and by difficulty level I mean, Hello, world medalists! Sorry, I meant Privet, world medalists! So, who to look for? In no particular order... Shoma Uno after his victory as Skate America 2016 Photograph:  Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America MEN Javier Fernandez  - the double World champion and his Elvis Presley routine pretty much have this in the back of his pocket if everything goes according to plan. Shoma Uno  - the future of Japanese male skating just got a new Personal Best Total Score (279.34), so he's in everyone's predictions for a spot on the podium. Mikhail Kolyada  - Russia's best known athlet...