The Best of Binky's Johnny Weir Blog: January 2011

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Once More, With Feeling

We interrupt our extremely bad mood in which upcoming events this weekend are busily eating away at our soul in order to bring you this brief exciting announcement:

As noted yesterday, IceNetwork WILL be broadcasting Johnny's acceptance of the 2010 Readers' Choice Award for Skater of the Year (Michelle Kwan Trophy) LIVE tomorrow, Sunday, January 30, at 3:30 pm EST!:

Even better: You DON'T have to be a paid subscriber of IceNetwork in order to watch! They'll be livestreaming it free on their website!

They finally clarified that on Twitter yesterday with just a bit of a tone to their tweets ...

("We've tweeted it numerous times..." Yes, but you never said it was FREE. And nobody thought to ask until you tweeted that Evan's press conference would be livestreamed free)

... because they are a wholly owned subsisidiary of USFS ...

(which in turn appears to now proudly be a wholly owned subsidiary of Smucker's; aw, it's one big happy family over there)

... so that's just part of the whole required employee demeanor, but whatever: We get to see Johnny!! So yay! Thank you, IceNetwork!

I have no idea how this works, but other fans suggested that you head on over to IceNetwork's website RIGHT NOW and register with them (it's free). That way if you do, in fact, need to be a registered user in order to see the free livestream, you'll be all prepared and won't be fumbling around on Sunday mis-typing your email address and a password that you'll never remember ("hmmmm ... how about 'USFSBS' ... oh, that's already taken ... ?") while this thing is starting, and thus missing the whole five-minute ceremony which, with any luck at all, will not be completely drowned out by the roar of the Zamboni.

And OK, look, I wasn't even going to bring it up, but now that I'm blogging anyway, WTH: Can I just say that I find it appalling that the focus of Sunday's events is now really nothing more than one giant, extended commercial for Smucker's Stars on Ice, RISE, and Evan? And what a disservice this does to the men actually medaling at Nationals this weekend? Because now their exhibition performances are being completely, deliberately, blithely overshadowed by all the fussing and fawning of USFS over Evan. (Yes, I know. OGM. But that's just so last year. How's his competitive season been this year? Oh ...)

And for everyone who doubted that non-competitor Evan was, in fact, invited to skate TWICE on Sunday--yes, indeedy, both DURING the Smucker's Craptacular itself, an invitation which is unprecedented in USFS history, according to sources, and then again AFTER the Craptacular to film a scene for RISE--here it is, straight from the mouth of USFS Executive Director David Raith himself:

At the end of every championship, we have an exhibition called the "Smucker's Skating Spectacular." It consists of the champions of novices--our little ones; our junior competitors; and the top four senior competitors. ... This year we have a very special guest: The 2010 Olympic champion, Evan Lysacek, will be here in Greensboro performing for the audience. ... The special part will be that he will perform for the audience within the exhibition, but then when the exhibition is over, we're going to transform this arena into a kind of stage that we are going to tape--and we're asking the crowd to stay--tape two very special skating performances, which Evan will be in.

Lolwut. He's actually skating THREE times?

And even Raith says giddily in the interview: "It's never happened before!"

(Although it's a little unclear, as he and the reporter trip over each other's words, babbling and gurgling with joy, whether he's talking about Evan, the movie thing, the ability of Smucker's--that bastion of Christian values and leadership--to grasp that the Golden Rule does NOT mean that he who has the gold makes the rules, or USFS actually developing a conscience.)

Yeah.

Well.

With those words ringing in our ears, I feel the only proper response is to offer again the richly satisfying graphic first seen here back in July 2010, when USFS grudgingly announced that yes, dammit, Johnny had won the Readers' Choice Award, but they sure as hell weren't going to talk about the fact that he is the only skater other than Michelle Kwan herself to ever win the award more than once in its 21-year history.

Please note that this is an updated graphic in which the abbreviation "USFSA" has carefuly been corrected, in accordance with USFS's style rules. Because God knows I wouldn't want to offend them by violating their own rules, and then compound the problem by deliberately turning a deaf ear to their pleas for fairness and polite requests to please reconsider ... oh wait ...

(Here's hoping this is exactly what he's wearing on Sunday when he picks up the trophy for the second time in his career.)

BTW he tweeted this last night:

To which my first thought was, "He should design a whole line of gorgeous briefs for men and call it 'UnderWeir' ..." followed by an extended fugue state, and then, upon my return to reality, this: Yes, it's so not the same without you, Johnny. We're not loving it either--but we always love you, Captain Underpants. ♥

I don't know if the award ceremony footage

will be included in NBC's live broadcast,

but just in case, they'll be covering the men's

competition starting at 4 pm EST on Sunday.

Johnny tweeted recently:

"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.

Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold

takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"

THE WORLD NEEDS THIS VIDEO
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.

You know what to do.

Please buy the song from Johnny's website,

or just click the "Buy" button on the player

at the top of the blog!

Hey, Welcome to My World also is available

as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!

Designer T. Rains and Johnny have teamed up to raise money and awareness for The Trevor Project! This organization is "determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources." Proceeds from the "Army of One" t-shirt sales will go to The Trevor Project foundation. Order yours today! Your support is greatly appreciated!

For more information, please visit www.thetrevorproject.org.

Yes! You can own a fine art print of Johnnyperfect for any/every room in the house! Prints of artist Peter Jurik's "Showtime!" are available for purchase from his website.More info here!

Please remember to register to receivethe JW Art Project's email newsletter!
They have great tidbits to offer,
and you get a special sneak peek at an exclusive photo
from the Artbook when you sign up!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Just Johnny ...

The source of genius

is imagination alone,

the refinement of the senses

that sees what others do not see,

or sees them differently.

~ Eugene Delacroix

The stupid believe that

to be truthful is easy;

only the artist, the great artist,

knows how difficult it is.

~ Willa Cather

To create one's own world

in any of the arts

takes courage.

~ Georgia O'Keeffe

Where there is great love

there are always miracles.

~ Willa Cather

Special thanks to

Agentress Extraordinaire Tara Modlin

for the photo, taken in China,

September 2010.

Well, at least there's this.

If you're a subscriber to IceNetwork,

you can watch the live broadcast on their site.

If, like me, you're not, you can join me

in throwing ourselves on the mercies of someone,

anyone, who IS a subscriber, and begging them

to upload it to YouTube ASAP ...

I don't know if this footage will be included

in NBC's live broadcast, but just in case,

they'll be covering the men's free skate

starting at 4 pm EST on Sunday.

Johnny tweeted recently:

"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.

Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold

takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"

THE WORLD NEEDS THIS VIDEO
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.

You know what to do.

Please buy the song from Johnny's website,

or just click the "Buy" button on the player

at the top of the blog!

Hey, Welcome to My World also is available

as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!

For more information, please visit www.thetrevorproject.org.

Yes! You can own a fine art print of Johnny perfect for any/every room in the house! Prints of artist Peter Jurik's "Showtime!" are available for purchase from his website. More info here!

Please remember to register to receive the JW Art Project's email newsletter!
They have great tidbits to offer,
and you get a special sneak peek at an exclusive photo
from the Artbook when you sign up!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

... And Reap Just What You Sow

With special thanks to Sandy555x on YouTube,

and to Ninja Girl,

who shared this song with me.
If the video is geoblocked or otherwise won't play for you,
please click to read the lyrics.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

USFSFU

From Johnny's website.

Well. I hardly know where to begin.

So yesterday we had a lot of picspam to roll around in/on to help ease our minds after the bizarre Case of the Disappearing Johnny-Love Posts and Photos from the USFS Facebook Page, in which we posted many polite requests to USFS asking them to invite Johnny to skate in the exhibition this coming Sunday after he receives his Readers' Choice Award because they're bending the rules to invite Evan to skate so why not Johnny because he's Skater of the Year FOR A REASON blah blah blah, and in which our requests were met with stony silence, then deletion, then a complete lockdown of the USFS page forbidding anyone to post.

And I noted that apparently the USFS PR team had trained under Stalin after flunking out of PR 101.

So then I was quite surprised yesterday afternoon when I was Facebooking from my phone and saw that my friend Bea had posted, "Have you noticed that all Johnny posts on USFS FB are on the wall again? Or is it just me?"

And no, it wasn't just her.

Suddenly all the posts and photos--or nearly all, as some fans said they still couldn't find theirs--really were back on the USFS wall.

Yay us!

Here is the actualfax conversation that ensued with my two teenagers:

Me [cracking up]: Oh my God. So they didn't delete everything--they must have just changed their settings so that only USFS posts would show, and only USFS could post. And now they've changed it all back. So we've gone from training under Stalin to graduating from Lolwut University ...

Son: ... having studied under Professor Bipolar and earning a degree in WTFery ...

Me [crying with laughter]: OMG. Can you believe these people?

Daughter: Yes. And that's the sad part.

Yes, it is.

But not the saddest part.

So OK then. The posts and photos are back, and they're lovely,
and a few more have been added, which also are lovely, and so
that was going to be the extent of today's blog: Chortling at the ridiculousness of it all, and wistfully nurturing a tiny tiny seed of renewed hope because hey, at least anybody who visits their page can see our reasoned, polite pleas and some really beautiful photos and maybe even quietly join in ...

So that was happy.

And THEN I happened to check out Johnny's website in the wee hours of this morning because I live a strange life, and I saw the new graphic above. How exciting!

And so I dutifully clicked for details and landed on this page which says:

"During the men’s free skate competition, Johnny will be presented with the Readers’ Choice Skater of the Year Award (Michelle Kwan Trophy) in a ceremony scheduled for 3:30 pm on Sunday, January 30."

Wait WHAT?

WTF 3:30 pm on Sunday?? "During the men's free skate" ... ???

HELLO THEY ALWAYS DO IT AT THE EXHIBITION WHICH STARTS AT 7:15 PM.

So I checked his Events page and yep, it's been updated to say the same thing.

So THEN I checked the NC2011 schedule AGAIN and guess what's going on at 3:30 pm on Sunday?

Well, that is indeed smackdab in the middle of the men's free skate competition--just about the time they bring out the Zamboni to resurface the ice for the second half.

OMFG.

So that's USFS's final answer.

And here's the saddest part: I think this was their intent from the start--which is why he's never been listed on their official exhibition schedule all this time.

Not only did they never intend to invite him--or even entertain the thought--to SKATE in the exhibition, they decided to remove all doubt and not even give him his AWARD at the exhibition. Thus allowing the "Smuckers Skating Spectacular" to truly be "The Evan Show." Because apparently Smuckers (oh look! There he is again!) now owns the USFS as well as "Stars on Ice."

And maybe that's the saddest part of all--that a sport can be sold to a title sponsor, who can then briskly call all the shots for their willing hostage. Yes, I know the federation has been nothing but asshats to Johnny since before Smucker's started underwriting the exhibition. But the combination of USFS and Smucker's seems absolutely toxic, for both Johnny and the sport as a whole--IMO, and just speaking as an outsider who doesn't give a rat's ass that "this is how we've always done things," except it isn't, and BTW the minute any organization starts saying sh*t like that, they've moved way past "out of touch," completely overshot "irrelevant," and are now mired in a tar pit--that one last sticky step before extinction.

So: Johnny gets to accept his award over the loud hum of the Zamboni exactly 30 minutes BEFORE NBC begins its live coverage of the men's free skate, which starts at 4 pm EST / 3 pm CST.

So no presentation at the exhibition. No TV coverage. No nothing.

Dunno if he gets to make a speech or not--but judging by last time (page 228 in the book), I'm not betting on it.

I don't evan know what to say.

But I bet I'll think of something.

Johnny tweeted recently:

"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.

Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold

takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"

THE WORLD NEEDS THIS VIDEO
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.

You know what to do.

Please buy the song from Johnny's website,

or just click the "Buy" button on the player

at the top of the blog!

Hey, Welcome to My World also is available

as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!

For more information, please visit www.thetrevorproject.org.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Some Picspam to Soothe the Weary Soul

Johnny chats with a fan at his book signing

at Borders in Chicago, January 18, 2011.

Photo courtesy of David Ingogly.

OK then!

To recap: So we've spent the last couple of weeks trying to communicate with USFS, asking them with polite persistence to please invite Johnny to skate in the exhibition after he picks up the second Readers' Choice Award of his career. We tweeted, we emailed, some of us even used snail mail, and then Friday a lot of fans banded together and posted dozens of courteous requests on the USFS Facebook page, some accompanied by our favorite photos of Johnny.

And we waited for a response.

Which came around 4 pm Friday, when the posts and photos began disappearing. USFS left fifteen of them on the page, but completely disabled the "post" feature to ensure that they wouldn't hear any more from us.

By Saturday afternoon, the remaining fifteen posts were gone. Including one from a lovely and thoughtful 11-year-old girl.

Oh, USFS. Really?

Yes. Really.

You can see screencaps of most of the posts on Saturday's blog. Please enjoy these wonderful, loving messages, and then join me in shaking your head at the USFS PR team. Who apparently trained under Stalin.

Anyway!

I'm sure none of us have lost our desire to see Johnny skate this coming Sunday. In fact, many fans also requested that USFS consider inaugurating a new tradition--starting right now--of always inviting the Readers' Choice winner to skate in the exhibition, whether said skater is competing or not. Because HELLO. This is the skater the fans voted as their favorite. The fans are the ones who actually watch figure skating. Like on TV and stuff. So their votes tell USFS which skater the fans would most like to see, you know, SKATE. Like on TV and stuff. Good Lord. It's like explaining Einstein's theory of relativity to someone else's particularly recalcitrant three-year-old whom you are babysitting and who is clearly running a fever and desperately in need of a nap.

But.

Nationals officially got under way yesterday in Greensboro. And that means it's time for the spotlight to shift to those skaters who have worked so hard this season to make it to this competition, and who are now battling it out with everything they've got.

And because Johnny loves his sport--to which he has given his heart, his soul, his life--the last thing he would want, I think, is for anything to try to steal that spotlight. Especially anything with his name attached to it.

So as much as I think USFS is wrong--and actually "wrong" doesn't even begin to cover it--in inviting Evan to skate but not Johnny; in not having a long-standing tradition in the first place of including the Readers' Choice winner in the exhibition (seriously? nobody thought of this until now?), and in reacting to the outpouring of requests from fans with nothing but utter disdain and contempt and the complete inability to offer even a PR 101 response ("Thank you so much for your interest in US Figure Skating! We always appreciate hearing from our fans. Please do not reply to this email as this mailbox is unattended, just like our conscience. We look forward to ignoring you again!"): I want Johnny to be as proud of his fans as we are of him.

So I'm shifting my focus to (1) being thrilled that there are fans who will be attending the exhibition next Sunday specifically to cheer as loudly as possible for him when he receives his award; and (2) doing everything I can to alert absolutely everyone I've ever met to the fact that Johnny will be hosting a book signing in Greensboro at 12 noon next Sunday! What a wonderful opportunity for fans to see him, show their support, and get an autographed copy of Welcome to My World! So please, if you're anywhere near Greensboro or can get there somehow--preferably with 1,000 or so of your closest friends--please consider making the effort to turn out for him.

And to further inspire you, please enjoy this picspam from last week's book signing in Chicago. Apply directly to your heart. Repeat as often as needed.

The bus is here! And so we're really busy photographing it! And waiting for Johnny! Until we get a call from Gary saying, "Hey you guys--he's already up here!"

Yep, he's already here, signing away and looking impossibly gorgeous for someone traveling by bus.

The two "bus boys," as Eric Alt called them, help by handing the books to Johnny, opened and ready to sign, and also by taking pictures with fans' cameras (even though the written rules say

"No photos!" but you know Johnny and rules ...)

For a young fan, Johnny steps out from behind the signing table

in order to do a photo. What? No photos?

I can't hear you la la la la la ...

Aaaaaaaaaand he's mobbed ...

A lucky fan poses for another forbidden photo WTH rules schmules.

Another fan shows him the photo one of the bus boys just took with her camera ... hmmmm ...

Taking a closer look ... possibly not thrilled ...

But Weirlandians await! Left to right: Gary Podschun, Julie Findon, Jen Warfield, and me. (I'm sorry, I don't know the lovely lady in front of us.)

Gary, wearing an AWESOME coat, discusses something fashionable, I'm sure, with Johnny.

Jen's turn!

And it's a parade of fan after fan, moving briskly, but all enjoying a special moment with Johnny.

Another lucky fan poses for a photo with Johnny! By this time the Borders people have crumpled up the written list of rules and tossed it over their shoulders ...

Aaaaaand they're still coming ...

After double- and triple-checking that all fans have gotten their books signed, it's time for Borders staff to get a photo with Johnny. Because they're about as starstruck as the rest of us.

Yep, he's done. Time to get his fur coat back on to brave the cold walk to the bus ...

Yes, it takes not one Starbucks, but two, to fuel this tour ...

"Wait," he says to me. "Where are the kids? Are the kids here today?" "Just Davey," I say. "Where is he?" he asks.

"Right over there, taking a million pictures of you,"

I smile as he spots my son.

Starbucks in hand, he waves at David the quiet cameraman.

And then Johnny went over and gave him a big hug.

Back on the bus and pulling away to head for Milwaukee.

Bye, Johnny! Thank you! We love you!

Johnny tweeted recently:

"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.

Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold

takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"

THE WORLD NEEDS THIS VIDEO
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.

You know what to do.

Please buy the song from Johnny's website,

or just click the "Buy" button on the player

at the top of the blog!

Hey, Welcome to My World also is available

as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!

All photos courtesy of David Ingogly.
Who rocks.

For more information, please visit www.thetrevorproject.org.