2007年VOA标准英语-Figure Skating Gets Comedy Treatment in New Wil

By Alan Silverman
Hollywood
01 April 2007

The pageantry, the athleticism¹ and the grace of competitive figure skating all get a royal roasting in the new comedy film co-starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder. Alan Silverman has a look at "Blades of Glory."

Jon Heder, (left) and Will Ferrell skate away with the laughs in "Blades of Glory"

With colorful, tight-fitting costumes and crowd-pleasing styles, Chazz Michaels and Jimmy McElroy are at the top in the men's figure skating world. Of course, that doesn't mean they like each other:

The rivalry² only gets more intense when the final result at the biggest international skating competition is a tie.

Right. But as the crowd cheers, the bickering³ on the winner's platform escalates⁴.

Embarrassed by the brawl⁵, national figure skating officials take harsh action.

However, it turns out there's a loophole. They can no longer compete as individuals; but nothing in the bylaws says they can't skate as a couple.

John Heder, who plays delicate Jimmy McElroy, says they had to be fully-committed to make the comedy-on-ice work. "You didn't have time to be silly because you're really focused on n-o-t falling when you're on the ice," he says. For those parts you're (thinking) 'I've got to look good.'

Co-star Will Ferrell, as macho Chazz Michaels, adds that they did a lot of their own skating. Well, some of their own skating:

[FERRELL]: "The first time that Chazz and Jimmy skate together - the 'Fire and Ice' thing - the whole beginning part is all us actually doing it. The coming together, the twirling around and then skating off. All the spots that they could use us they definitely did."

[HEDER]: "Going on and off the ice, all the really simple stuff, that was us ...also coming to a stop and hitting our marks."

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett play the reigning⁶ pairs skating champions: a brother-and-sister act that clearly looks like another sort of relationship.

The film pokes⁷ much fun at the high fashion and cutthroat competition that exists in real figure skating; but do real skaters see the humor in their sport? Yes they do, insists Olympic Gold medalist Scott Hamilton, who plays a very sincere TV commentator⁸ in the film. "I built a career on laughing at myself first, so if this is a send-up of the skating industry, it's great if they can look at it and say 'okay, we have a sense of humor and this is going to be a fun ride.' It may not be a ride that we've chosen to take, but it's funny," he says.

In fact, veteran skaters and current champions have cameos in the film, including Dorothy Hammill, Peggy Fleming, Nancy Kerrigan, Brian Boitano and Sasha Cohen. Will Ferrell says they are not there to be mocked. "I think they all know that there's a campy element to figure skating. They know that it's all about the pageantry and the outfits⁹ and I think, too, at the end of the day, anyone associated with a sport that a film is about is just happy that you're paying attention to them, regardless of what it's saying," he says.

"Blades of Glory" also features Jenna Fischer as Jon Heder's love interest (Will Ferrell's character just can't be limited to one woman); and Craig T. Nelson is the guys' dedicated¹⁰ coach. The comedy is co-directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck¹¹.

1 athleticism   

n.运动竞赛，崇尚运动，竞技热

参考例句：

• He brings defense. He brings talent. He brings athleticism. That's a lot. “他带来的防御，他带来了人才，他带来了身体，这是很多”。 来自互联网
• Each of these sports isn't won through sheer athleticism alone. 每个体育项目无法凭借纯粹的运动能力而获胜。 来自互联网

2 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

3 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

5 brawl   

n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂

参考例句：

• They had nothing better to do than brawl in the street.他们除了在街上斗殴做不出什么好事。
• I don't want to see our two neighbours engaged in a brawl.我不希望我们两家吵架吵得不可开交。

6 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

7 pokes   

v.伸出( poke的第三人称单数 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• He pokes his nose into everything. 他这人好管闲事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Only the tip of an iceberg pokes up above water. 只有冰山的尖端突出于水面。 来自辞典例句

8 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

9 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

10 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

11 speck   

n.微粒，小污点，小斑点

参考例句：

• I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
• The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗，一星星云彩也没有。