Five favorite things with the Shibutanis
Alex and Maia favor their puppies, Kung Fu Panda and 30 Rock
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| Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani enjoy spending time with their dogs, Lilly and Po. (Sarah S. Brannen) |
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By Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com
(04/13/2011) - Maia Shibutani, 16, and Alex Shibutani, who turns 20 on April 25th, are a typical brother-and-sister duo. They answer for each other, finish each others sentences and share similar sharp senses of humor. In their dwindling downtime, the fast-rising ice dancers -- who won two Grand Prix medals last fall and captured the silver medal at the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships -- enjoy playing with their puppies, Lilly and Po, and listening to all types of music. But keep Alex out of the kitchen.
What's your favorite movie?
Maia: I think we should go with Kung Fu Panda. It inspired us to name one of our dogs Po. Alex: Yes, I think that's a must for both of us. Maia: I don't think we have any favorite sappy movies we can tell you the names of right now. Alex: I could make a joke and say I love watching The Notebook, but I can't honestly say I've ever seen the movie. How about food?
Maia: I like cooking, my dad likes to cook, and my mom likes to cook. I think whatever Alex doesn't cook is my favorite. Alex: I will eat anything that is edible. I'm a college student, put something in front of me and I will most likely eat it. I would say pizza, but I wouldn't want spaghetti to feel left out. What's on your iPods?
Alex: Our parents were classical musicians, and so I think we've been blessed with having . . . Maia: . . . diverse tastes. So it's not like Alex is going to say just rap or anything, because I think we like all genres. Alex: We've been exposed to so many different types of music. It really depends on the mood. I listen from anything from John Mayer or Jack Johnson, to The Roots, to Yo-Yo Ma, it's so broad. Maia: I really think we're not the best people for this favorites thing. Favorite downtime activity?
Maia: Spending time with our puppies, Lilly and Po. Alex: That's actually been a recent development. We spend a lot of time with them. They're so much fun. Maia: At competitions, I know that one of our favorite things is playing Apples to Apples, or Cranium, or other board games with the other skaters. And I just have to say Adam Rippon and I are the most awesome team when it comes to team board games. Anyone who plays against us had just better watch out. Alex: I really don't enjoy losing to Maia and Adam, so if I have to say something I'll say I like hanging out with the guys at the rink. The other day Charlie [White] came over to my apartment and we played video games for maybe four hours straight. Something completely unrelated to skating and school. What TV shows do you enjoy?
Alex: I'm not going to go out on a limb and say, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. I like watching comedy shows with witty writing, so mostly NBC shows like 30 Rock, Community, and one that is a little bit more inflammatory is an FX show called It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That one seems to be a favorite amongst a lot of the guys. I'm also a big ESPN buff, big sports fan, so shows like Pardon the Interruption. Maia: I do like The Office and 30 Rock and also the Food Network and some of the Bravo shows like Top Chef.
Maia: I think we should go with Kung Fu Panda. It inspired us to name one of our dogs Po. Alex: Yes, I think that's a must for both of us. Maia: I don't think we have any favorite sappy movies we can tell you the names of right now. Alex: I could make a joke and say I love watching The Notebook, but I can't honestly say I've ever seen the movie. How about food?
Maia: I like cooking, my dad likes to cook, and my mom likes to cook. I think whatever Alex doesn't cook is my favorite. Alex: I will eat anything that is edible. I'm a college student, put something in front of me and I will most likely eat it. I would say pizza, but I wouldn't want spaghetti to feel left out. What's on your iPods?
Alex: Our parents were classical musicians, and so I think we've been blessed with having . . . Maia: . . . diverse tastes. So it's not like Alex is going to say just rap or anything, because I think we like all genres. Alex: We've been exposed to so many different types of music. It really depends on the mood. I listen from anything from John Mayer or Jack Johnson, to The Roots, to Yo-Yo Ma, it's so broad. Maia: I really think we're not the best people for this favorites thing. Favorite downtime activity?
Maia: Spending time with our puppies, Lilly and Po. Alex: That's actually been a recent development. We spend a lot of time with them. They're so much fun. Maia: At competitions, I know that one of our favorite things is playing Apples to Apples, or Cranium, or other board games with the other skaters. And I just have to say Adam Rippon and I are the most awesome team when it comes to team board games. Anyone who plays against us had just better watch out. Alex: I really don't enjoy losing to Maia and Adam, so if I have to say something I'll say I like hanging out with the guys at the rink. The other day Charlie [White] came over to my apartment and we played video games for maybe four hours straight. Something completely unrelated to skating and school. What TV shows do you enjoy?
Alex: I'm not going to go out on a limb and say, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. I like watching comedy shows with witty writing, so mostly NBC shows like 30 Rock, Community, and one that is a little bit more inflammatory is an FX show called It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That one seems to be a favorite amongst a lot of the guys. I'm also a big ESPN buff, big sports fan, so shows like Pardon the Interruption. Maia: I do like The Office and 30 Rock and also the Food Network and some of the Bravo shows like Top Chef.