Johnny offers his fashion expertise as a guest judge
on Bravo-TV's The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection.
Last night's episode challenged the designers
to create looks for three gay couples
preparing to marry. LOVE that!
So I watched this show, by which I mean I meant to fast-forward through most of it to get to the Johnny parts, but I found myself rather transfixed by Iman and so I actually did watch some non-Johnny parts. Of which there were way too many. Conclusion: Like nearly everything in life, show needs more Johnny.
Best moment: His assessment of this lovely retro dress, about which he said: "This flower. I want to wear it. Actually, I just want to rip it off the dress, put it on the floor, and roll around on it, because I love it that much."(This was followed after the show by this tweet:
"@factory_design @JohnnyGWeir I love you so much I want to throw you on the floor and roll around on you. LOL! Loved you on The Fashion Show! Great hair.")
Wendy Stevens was kind enough to make the brief Johnnyness available on YouTube for anyone who missed it (thank you, Wendy!). There's also extra footage on Johnny's website, which helps, plus the cutest video blog from Isaac Mizrahi, who apparently is trying desperately to get Johnny's attention in real life and would really really like to be actualfax friends with him.
So that was all good, but I have to admit I was the tiniest bit distracted throughout the show, and not just by the exotic, throaty, and goddess-like presence of Iman. Because this tiny tweet flitted across my timeline late yesterday afternoon and I felt a great disturbance in The Cabal:
This was immediately followed by a swift barrage of tweets in response, all asking the same question, as tweeted here most politely by @BSonTwit: "@fsonline I am so excited for Nationals but I would love to also see @JohnnyGWeir perform there too! Do you know if he is?"
The answer from @FSOnline (who BTW are very lovely people): "@bsontwit No info on if @JohnnyGWeir is performing at nationals, in the exhibition, or just accepting his award. Sorry."
Hmm.
It's been floating around for some time, and attributed to the USFSA, that only skaters who are currently competing--and, more specifically and traditionally, only those who are currently competing this season AND who are among the top three finishers in their discipline at Nationals 2011--are allowed to skate in the exhibition.
Evan doesn't fit this criteria. Although granted, he is the reigning Olympic gold medalist. But he's not competing this year, at Nationals or anywhere else.
Hmmmm.
Interestingly, there were TWELVE American Olympic gold medalists at Nationals last year in Spokane. They came out on the ice as honored guests.
But they weren't allowed to perform.
Hmmmmmm.
Johnny is expected to receive his Readers' Choice Award/Michelle Kwan Trophy at Nationals, which, as I understand it, is a ceremony that's usually part of the exhibition. Wouldn't it be fabulous if he, too, were allowed to actually perform in the exhibition? Since, after all, he is the people's choice, as evidenced by the award? You know, those same people who would love to tune in to see him skate live on national TV and thus boost the ratings through the roof? Plus he's a bit of a powerhouse in the sport himself, what with being a three-time national champion, two-time Olympian, and a World medalist.
Although actually, nowhere on this year's schedule of events is this award even listed as being presented at Nationals. Nor is Johnny's name as recipient anywhere to be found.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Well, maybe they'll update that soon.
Here's perhaps the most interesting tidbit of all: The exhibition is a three-hour extravaganza that will be broadcast live on NBC on Sunday, January 30. It's currently noted on the schedule as the "USFS Skating Spectacular."
Its actual name for the last three seasons, and likely this season as well, in honor of the organization who purchases the rights to be the "titled sponsor"?
"Smucker's Skating Spectacular."
(You mean the Smucker's who underwrites Stars on Ice, the skating tour whose biggest headliner is Evan Lysacek?
The tour for which "Johnny is not family-friendly because Johnny is too gay," as noted in the BGJW Season One finale?
Why yes, the very same.)
Ohhhhhhhh.
Johnny is not amused by anything
that smacks of f*ckery.
And neither is The Cabal.
that smacks of f*ckery.
And neither is The Cabal.
Get ready for a glorious explosion of glitter:
WeirDate JohnnyWeir 11, 2011,
is less than one week from today!
Finally, the release of both
Welcome to My World and "Dirty Love"!
Check Johnny's website for upcoming book tour dates!
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.
They have great tidbits to offer,
and you get a special sneak peek at an exclusive photo
from the Artbook when you sign up!
11 comments:
I still can´t understand that USFSA tries to sweep Johnny under the carpet...one of the biggest magnets right now to draw attention, among other things, to the sport of figure skating even while taking a year off. Are they blind? Or are they just outmoded paper shufflers? Are they trying to present E. Lysacek with kind of a consolation prize b/c they can influence who´s skating at the exhibition while they couldn´t do the same with the Michelle Kwan award? Weird.
Great blog as usual. Let´s get started...even if I might not be able to watch it (I can´t get access to Isaac`s video blog also. But what is new here?)
Preaching to the choir, but… the only skater other than Michelle Kwan to win the readers' choice award more than once AND he was voted readers' choice over the first men's single Olympic Gold medalist in how many years?
Transfixed by JohnnyWeir countdown clock & smiling Johnnyface.
Now off to compose strongly worded letter to USFSA. Asshats.
Hmm... Never known anyone other than the top four or five finishers to skate in the exhibitions! I didn't even know til I read your Blog that Evan was supposed to be! When I went to Nationals the only ones other than the top finishers (not just in seniors in other divisions) who skated were two lovely young people who were handicapped skaters. But as you said EL is the Olympic champion...
Once again, great Blog! I knew about Wendy's video but not about Isaac or on Johnny's website, so I'll have to go check them out later!
Dearest Binks,
You know, there are times when my life starts to avalanche around me with ten million Very Serious Demands and Supposedly Important Distractions and I think to myself, this is all too much. I've got to cut back. And I start to think about what's essential and what's not and I get in these delusional stages where I convince myself that I just need to focus solely on earning more income, or my litany of chores, or the needs of my employees or the delicate whittling away that aging hindquarters require. And I think it would make sense to not care about Johnny. So I tell myself, like some kind of lunatic, "today I will NOT CARE about Johnny...today I will NOT CARE about Johnny...today I will NOT CARE about Johnny."
Which works really beautifully. Almost as well as saying, "today I will NOT CARE about beauty...today I will NOT CARE about intelligence...today I will NOT CARE about love...today I will NOT CARE about BREATHING."
Plus, there are things like today's blog about which it is patently impossible for me NOT to CARE. I don't even understand how the USFSA sleeps at night, to be pefectly honest. It's outrageous. And yes, gold medal, blah blah blah. But are you even joking? Johnny is the person who since Vancouver has been tirelessly promoting figure skating, in the U.S. and across the world. Don't you know that? Are you stupid?
So, today, while I'm juggling conference calls and meetings and presentations and performance reviews and my See's candy breakfast and the tearing out of my hair, I'm going to be writing a series of justifiably outraged letters to Supposedly Important People who apparently excel in two major disciplines: Moral Blindness and Sucking Jam.
Oh, and maybe Shooting Their Own Sport In The Face.
Idiots!
I love you and I love Johnny like breathing,
Neeks
Ya know Binks...I think that USFS, as well as the rest of the skating world, and anyone remotely interested in figure skating in the world-world, or with eyes for that matter, knows that Johnny Weir, in last two years, has done more to raise interest in, and promote the sport and art of, modern figure skating than ANYONE. That's right, I said it...ANYONE!!
EL is the Olympic Gold Medalist, but I don't hear fireworks going off when he's been scheduled for a TV or other media appearance. Johnny parts his hair to the side, and the news of it flies around the globe in seconds....No negative press anywhere, audiences love him, interviewers adore him, and other athletes and promoters call him to join their shows, so why the seeming reticence to acknowledge him?
I can't help but think that deep down, the powers that be know that they have soured their relationship with the one skater that would have been their greatest ambassador, their most valuable resource as far as recruitment and international respect...and now have to appear to regard him as though his accomplishments "weren't really all that."
Perhaps I've got it all wrong, and it’s Johnny himself that has distanced them and moved on; I don't know and I don't profess to know the inner workings of the skating game. Perhaps there is no desire to skate at Nationals; it's still probably very bittersweet. Or maybe it is simply just something that is not done.
Whatever the case, I'm proud that I am a fan of Johnny Weir. I am proud that he is a champion multiple times over, and that people all over the world love and respect him as an artist, a world-class athlete, and as a great human being. I'm proud that he has won the Readers’ Choice Award / Michelle Kwan Trophy for the second time because NO ONE has worked harder to bring his sport and art to greater visibility and popularity. He continues on his own path; and along the way delights audiences and shows even casual viewers what figure skating is truly about.
Yes, its obviously VERY smart of US figure skating to not invite the most famous skater with the largest fanbase to skate in the exhibition while he is ALREADY THERE receiving an award. Really good strategy my favorite sport that needs new fans and needs more support...
and MM, you cracked me up saying that I tweeted "most politely"!! LOL!! =)
I have been emailing and tweeting those lovely folk at usfig skating but for some reason they are not responding to someone who has loved, watched and supported the sport for over a decade. again, makes sense...they could at least email me or tweet me back!
Beth (twitter-bsontwit)
Binky,
I totally get the fact that they only had the top competitors for the season participate in the Nationals Exhibition. Rules are meant to be followed if there is good reason for them. So why take away the limelight from those in competitition? I see no problem in this; however, they threw EL in there. And so the rules have 'changed' and of course JW fans would ask to have him skate as well. He is after all the recipient of the Readers' Choice Award. I would love to see him skate. But if he doesn't my only hope is that out of this travesty everyone sees that on the one hand we have the fantabulous Johnny Weir - recipient of the Michelle Kwan Award; and on the other hand we have Evan - Olympic Gold Medalist who has yet to earn the adoration of figure skating fans.
TK
I hadn't been following the controversy regarding Evan but not Johnny skating in the exhibition, this post is the first I've heard about it other than a few tweets and status updates from kittens here and there that I didn't understand. And my jaw dropped when I read the smuckers line. Fuckery indeed.
The cabal is not amused.
Ditto to everyone here.
More importantly: Doesn't Isaac Mizrahi know Johnny is the favorite person for all of us and we ALL want to be his best friend? Get in line Isaac!!
Great blog MM! Time to write yet another sharply worded letter on behalf of our boy to USFSA!!
Great! So now Smuckers gets to influence the Nationals Exhibition? USFSA, can you say sell out? And breaking all the rules for the right amount of cash?
We all know Smuckers are homophobic idiots that need to be stuffed into jam jars and pushed to the back of the shelf where no one can see them. So, you know, the rest of us can get on with important life stuff, like Loving Johnny.
Going to look at pretty pictures of Johnny in Moscow now so I can get that nasty Smuckers aftertaste out of my head, heart, & pores.
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