Friday, September 30, 2011

Ave Maria: The Creation of Beauty



Love of beauty is Taste. 
The creation of beauty is Art.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson



Johnny takes the ice at FOI 
for his performance of Ave Maria, 
bathed in blue spotlights and wearing a gorgeous costume 
designed by Gilles Mendel of J. Mendel. 
Photo © David Ingogly
Hi-def video of Johnny's performance
available thanks to the fabulous Nicole Davis
my partner in media adventures!
Another excellent video here from
Bendonna on YouTube.



And now, in our continuing series of picspam from Johnny's breathtaking Fashion on Ice performances, we come to the second half of the show, which featured all J. Mendel designs and had a very different vibe from the Betsey Johnson first half--though both sections were equally stunning. Act 2 was all understated retro elegance evocative of the 1920s, and my lovely friend Karen Burke observed with pleasure that Johnny's look here seemed very Rudolph Valentino.

Karen, who has watched him skate this program maybe a million times on video (this was her second time to see it live) also said, "He obviously loved the costume, and it was a very passionate performance." Yes, it was--quite intense, and so poignantly beautiful that I don't want to clutter up the photos with a lot of words.

So without further ado, please wander through these, click on any photo twice for full-size view, and be prepared to hear "Ave Maria" begin running through your head as you scroll down--and to stay with you, attached to these exquisite images, for a very long time afterward...
















































 The work of art must seize upon you, 
wrap you up in itself and carry you away. 
It is the means by which the artist 
conveys his passion. 
It is the current which he puts forth, 
which sweeps you along
in his passion.
-- Pierre-Auguste Renoir 



All photos © David Ingogly.



From Our "When He's Bad, He's Better, and In Either Case, WAY Too Good for You" Dept.: If you happened to miss it, another dear friend, Deb Walsh, left this wonderful comment on Wednesday's blog after seeing the FOI Bad Romance pictures:

I actually have tears in my dorky eyes ... I'm so proud of him I can't even put it into words.

I want to take that picture of Johnny, with the crowd reacting to him in the background, blow it up to the size of a billboard, and just jam it into the faces of all the judges, spectators, commentators and federation execs that felt he wasn't right enough to represent the sport of figure skating... shortsighted fools, Johnny Weir IS figure skating! I'd flip them all a massive bird on the way out, too.

Johnny has "it"; that undefinable combination of talent, brains, savvy, looks and flair that demands attention and recognition. And, he has remained the great person he always was... what a star he has, it's like a supernova....!

ITA, Deb! BRB checking out billboard rental fees... :D




Yes! Holiday Dreams On Ice returns, 
this time to Philly! 
VIP tickets are already on sale! 
Get yours today via the Holiday Dreams On Ice website!



Big news in Eric Alt Land!! 
Eric is teaming up with The Imperial Court of New York 
(and if you don't know who they are, go there now! 
ICNY president Gary Cosgrove is made of awesome.) 
to host his own runway show 
for New Jersey Fashion Week--starring Johnny
Click the poster to read all about it, 
then get your tickets here
VIP tickets also available!!



OMGIDIE. BRB now moving to Orlando...
More info from MAC here.



New Q and A!! Go read it now!



Still tix available!
Or see the ITNY website for more info!



Yes! Johnny's dresses are now available
for purchase only on eDressMe.com!



At last: Pop Star On Ice is now available on DVD!
Order yours today from the Pop Star On Ice website!



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!



OMG. Finally caught up on all six episodes of Husbands
Laughing out loud at my desk. 
If you haven't seen this yet, go check it out now! 
Then please "like" them on Facebook 
and sign up for their insider newsletter!


copyright 2011 / Binky and the Misfit Mimes / Lynn V. Ingogly / all rights reserved

7 comments:

germansoulmate said...

*Love of beauty is Taste.
The creation of beauty is Art.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson*

Yes. Johnny is the personification of this quote.

Thank you! Thank you (and Davey) for this beautiful, awesome pic spam, and as always, thank you to Johnny.

Princess Johnny-Love ♥ said...

yay! stayed up to see if you would post tonight. and now that i've seen more beautiful Davey pics of The Lovely One, i'm going to bed!

new lens = YES!!

p.s. can i watch Husbands online?

Binky and the Misfit Mimes said...

Yes, "Husbands" is available ONLY online! You can watch it on Cheeks' YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/GoCheeksGo), or on the Husbands' website (http://husbandstheseries.com/)!

Anonymous said...

Love these Ave Maria pictures! and Deb Walsh, totally agree and absolutely LOVE what you said.

Johnny's skating has helped me so much over the last 11 (or is it now 12?) years. Watching him compete and perform with such power and pretty at the same time has given me so much in my life. MUCH more useful than any carwashing I have had over the last decade! =)

Beth
♥♥♥

Nancy Knisley said...

As I do research for The Quotable Johnny Weir, I come across quotes from officials, commentators, people in the media saying basically "Johnny Weir will be forgotten tomorrow." Many of these quotes were years ago. Yet here is still is, his fan base keeps growing, and he seems to be the biggest draw in U.S. figure skating today.

The public knows what it likes, and it isn't what the figure skating establishment has been pushing.

And note those who feel "Johnny Weir is too gay to represent figure skating" that Johnny's not-really-coming-out-because-he-was-never-in doesn't seem to have hurt his popularity one bit. If anything, it's only made him more visible and introduced him to even more people who became fans.

Johnny Weir fans might have gone on to become figure skating fans if the establishment had embraced Johnny and encouraged other skaters like him. But no-o-o!

Shortsighted, misguided, self-injuring figure skating establishment!

aaaack said...

Beautiful.

Debora Walsh said...

This is one of my favorite programs. The nostalgic emotions I have, hearing this music, when combined with the expressiveness of his skating, just well up and catch me every time. He is resplendent in that costume, moving and spiraling like the smoke in the church that is recalled when I see him skate this.

I know I'm like a broken record, but of the so many things that draw me in to an appreciation of Johnny Weir's talent, I think it's the obviously soulful intellect, that infuses every one of his programs, that strikes me and probably all of us, most.

Thank you Binkz & Davey....and thank you Johnny Weir. Beauty indeed.