Monday, November 28, 2011

And Now, a Word from Our Monarch...


In apparently his first official proclamation that did not involve chicken soup, peanuts, or sushi, the Winter Monarch has requested that we all vote for him in the 5th Annual Mashable Awards, in which he is one of seven finalists nominated for "Must-Follow Athlete on Social Media." Which, as I mentioned previously, is KIND. OF. A. BIG. DEAL.

Mashable, a social media / news site, gets more than 50 million page views per month, and has been named by Time Magazine as one of the top 25 blogs on the Internet. Anastasia Pryanikova points out that "Mashable is huge in social media and technology: 20 million monthly unique visitors and 4 million social media followers." Plus I think he's the only Winter Monarch ever to be recognized by Mashable. So that's awesome.    

He's up against some tough competition from Yuna Kim and John Cena, among others, but hey--we're really good at voting! We can do this! 

He's also in some amazing company: As Megan Gusinski notes, finalists in other categories include The Trevor Project, NOH8, GLAAD, and Ellen Degeneres, so there's lots of other great stuff to vote for while you're on Mashable's site.

You can vote once per day from each of your Twitter and Facebook accounts (so if you have more than one account, please vote from them all!).

Voting ends on Friday, December 16, and the winners will be announced on Monday, December 19. Just click the graphic below or at the top righthand side of the blog to be taken directly to the voting page for Johnny. 

 VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!




Random Thanksgiving  Leftovers


Thanks to sharp-eyed Tatiana Edrenkina for spotting this. And I totally agree. According to Macy's press release, Joan was officially the "Snow Queen" in last year's parade. I personally am pleased that her reign has ended, and that we are now under the glittery guidance of the Winter Monarch. Let's take another  look at him, shall we? vote






And now, a little perspective... I love this shot. 
How perfect that he's in front of Toys R Us 
on a giant rocking horse--and wow at how big 
that thing really is... 
Photo courtesy of PeterJr1961 on Flickr 
(original is huuuuuuuge....).
vote


And more perspective.... 
There he is, waaaaaaaaaaaay down there.... 
Photo tweeted by @ayukovon.
vote



More from San Francisco: Another photo tweeted
by Klassy Goldberg, who writes: "Me interviewing 
@JohnnyGWeir for Refinery29. #nofilter." LOL.
UPDATE: The interview is now available!


And another lovely photo from his performance 
at the tree lighting...
vote



And two more videos!
vote




And finally, Kaleidoscope photos  have been posted 
here and here--take a look!
vote



Blog entry, "Portraits," now updated 
with true full-size images!! 
If you haven't had a chance to see
these gorgeous photos yet, please check them out.
Here's just one sample...
(click photo again after it loads for full size).



Their "Fever On Ice" program is up 
for a $50K grant from Pepsi Refresh!
They're now in second place 
in their category and tier--
but only first place wins. We can do this!





Johnny's Glitter and Ice collection 
with MAC is selling out fast! 
Don't miss your chance to sparkle--
visit a MAC retailer or order online ASAP! 



NEW!! The Sheraton Philadelphia University City 
is now the official Holiday Dreams On Ice hotel!! 
Book your rooms before December 9 
and receive a special HDOI-only discount! 
The Sheraton also will be hosting the VIP after-show party.
More info on the Holiday Dreams On Ice website!

"Like" HDOI on Facebook
and use promo code "philadelphia" 
for 50% off your general admission ticket!!



New Q and A! Go read it now!
(Note: Now updated every Monday and Thursday... 
more time to savor each one!)



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:
"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!



Bonus video via The Advocate, from their post titled:
"Possibly the Most Beautiful Ad for Marriage Equality We've Seen." 
The video was produced by an equality group in Australia, 
where nearly two-thirds of voters favor legalizing
gay marriage, according to The Advocate
but prime minister Julia Gillard remains firmly opposed. 
I agree with The Advocate
This is one of the most eloquent illustrations I've seen 
of this simple concept: Love is love.
Please pass it on.


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

Saturday, November 26, 2011

A Dazzling Display! Oh, and the Tree Was Nice, Too

Johnny performs Ave Maria 
at Union Square in San Francisco Friday evening 
as part of the Macy's Great Tree Lighting ceremony. 
Photo courtesy of the amazing Diana Dumbadse
who posted it to Johnny's fan page last night 
and whose photos are breathtaking works of art 
(and I speak from experience--I have one in my living room). 
Diana wrote: "What a turnout for the tree lighting 
in Union Square tonight! What was I thinking 
that I would get a good spot to take pictures?!?!?
I have NEVER seen this many people 
at the tree lighting EVER! 
Johnny sparkled and dazzled :)
I think you did just fine, Diana!
More on the size of the crowd below...



Kayso here I was thinking that there'd be hardly any coverage to be had of his Macy's tree-lighting event--though of course I desperately wanted all kinds of coverage, including thousands of twitpics and full video crews from all the major networks (really? Is that too much to ask? He's only the biggest skating star in the world...)--and so I was disconsolately wandering around the Internet comforting myself by ferreting out leftover pics from the parade when lo and behold: Photos! Lots of photos! Mostly courtesy of fabulous Super Managtress Tara, who is able to do amazing multitask-y things whilst functioning on the last good sleep she had which I believe was some time in late 2008. Plus yes, twitpics from various sources! And even a video!

So here we go with today's story, of yet more dazzling dazzly-ness even in the face of huge crowds, multiple media interviews, Occupy protesters, and everything else that goes into just another random Friday for Johnny and Tara...



Union Square, San Francisco.
2:43 p.m.
After doing some shopping earlier in the day, 
during which Johnny suffered an unfortunate encounter 
with a fur rack in Saks, prompting Tara to warn, 
"Watch out for non-moving objects" 
(but the real question is the one posed by Jenn Kittler
"Did he say, 'Excuse me ma'am'?"), 
they headed to the rink so Johnny could get in 
some rehearsal time...


...and he's already drawing a crowd 
around the rink...


...plus random people actually on the ice...


5:11 p.m.
Less than an hour before show time.
Johnny is interviewed by Klassy Goldberg of Refinery29...


...while Tara takes a pic of the program 
for the evening's events.


5:27 p.m.
Another interview, 
this time with the San Francisco Examiner.


6:02 p.m.
And now a glimpse of the utter glamour and sophistication 
that is always the backstage area at an ice show 
(at least in my brief experience thus far)... 
replete with folding chairs and some kind of ... metal? thing ... 
upon which to balance one's water bottle. 
While Johnny gets ready....


...Tara peeks out at the 
"super fun, dance-y Christmas choir" 
which has begun the evening's festivities.


6:04 p.m.
A surprise visit from the Grinch: 
"He keeps telling me he stole Christmas!" 
She adamantly refuses to believe him.


6:06 p.m.
A peek in another direction. Tara explains: 
"Not sure if you can see here, but there are 30,000 people 
[YES THIRTY THOUSAND. Diana wasn't kidding 
when she said she'd NEVER seen this many people 
at the tree lighting before!] on the streets. 
They don't even have a view of the stage or the ice 
from there... they're just here for the atmosphere."


Another view of the massive crowd, 
tweeted by @xdamman.


6:11 p.m.
Backstage photo op with San Francisco's
Mayor Ed Lee and his wife, Anita.


An excited Mayor Lee tweeted his own photo of the moment, 
joined here by San Francisco police chief Greg Suhr 
and Santa Claus.


Meanwhile, Tara tweeted this photo: 
"@JohnnyGWeir about to sk8 .... Its gorgeous here!!"


6:32 p.m.
Mayor Lee addresses the crowd 
just prior to Johnny taking the ice....


...and here he is. 
Photo tweeted by Refinery29's Klassy Goldberg: 
"Super-stunning @JohnnyGWeir on ice."


Photo tweeted by @tawnifaceee, 
who got to meet Johnny after the performance 
and get his autograph on multiple items
She later tweeted: "Happiness is a @JohnnyGWeir hug." 
Awwww. Yes, it is.


Photo courtesy of Diana Dumbadse. 
Full-size here; uncropped version here.


Photo courtesy of Diana Dumbadse. 
Full-size here; uncropped version here.


Photo courtesy of Diana Dumbadse. 
Full-size here.


And: The beautiful tree is lit. 
Aerial view tweeted by San Francisco's ABC7 
offers another look at the enormous crowd. 
I think maybe that's Johnny with Santa on the ice...?


7:58 p.m.
Photo tweeted by Tara at the end of the evening: 
"We wish u a merry holiday and a happy new year!!!"



Yes! We have fancam video! 
Many thanks to @SvetVin1 for spotting this!



My favorite tweet of the night
(click for larger view).



Bonus video via The Advocate, from their post titled:
"Possibly the Most Beautiful Ad for Marriage Equality We've Seen." 
The video was produced by an equality group in Australia, 
where nearly two-thirds of voters favor legalizing
gay marriage, according to The Advocate
but prime minister Julia Gillard remains firmly opposed. 
I agree with The Advocate
This is one of the most eloquent illustrations I've seen 
of this simple concept: Love is love.



HEY!!! We did it!! 
Johnny is a finalist for 
"Must-Follow Athlete on Social Media" 
in the 5th Annual Mashable Awards!!


IT'S KIND OF A BIG DEAL. Mashable gets more than 50 million page views per month, and has been named by Time Magazine as one of the top 25 blogs on the Internet. 

He's up against some stiff competition from Yuna Kim and John Cena, among others, but hey--we're really good at voting! We can do this! 

He's also in some amazing company: As Megan Gusinski pointed out, finalists in other categories include The Trevor Project, NOH8, GLAAD, and Ellen Degeneres, so you might want to do some additional voting while you're on Mashable's site.

Voting ends on Friday, December 16, and the winners will be announced on Monday, December 19. Just click the graphic above or at the top righthand side of the blog to be taken directly to the voting page for Johnny. 

You can vote once per day per Twitter and Facebook account. Please VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!



Very special thanks to Super Managtress Tara 
for all the exclusive photos!!



Blog entry, "Portraits," now updated 
with true full-size images!! 
If you haven't had a chance to see
these gorgeous photos yet, please check them out.
Here's just one sample...
(click photo again after it loads for full size).



Their "Fever On Ice" program is up 
for a $50K grant from Pepsi Refresh!
They're now in second place 
in their category and tier--
but only first place wins. We can do this!





Johnny's Glitter and Ice collection 
with MAC is selling out fast! 
Don't miss your chance to sparkle--
visit a MAC retailer or order online ASAP! 



NEW!! The Sheraton Philadelphia University City 
is now the official Holiday Dreams On Ice hotel!! 
Book your rooms before December 9 
and receive a special HDOI-only discount! 
The Sheraton also will be hosting the VIP after-show party.
More info on the Holiday Dreams On Ice website!

"Like" HDOI on Facebook
and use promo code "philadelphia" 
for 50% off your general admission ticket!!



New Q and A! Go read it now!
(Note: Now updated every Monday and Thursday... 
more time to savor each one!)



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:
"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!


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

Friday, November 25, 2011

All Hail the Winter Monarch!

Johnny, the "Winter Monarch"--
as he was described by NBC announcer Ann Curry--
of the 85th Anniversary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. 
His appearance prompted a huge outpouring of Twitter love, 
including this response:

Yes. An idea whose time has come. 
Completely clad in sparkles and fur.



This was by far the sparkliest Thanksgiving Day I have ever had in my life, thanks in no small part to Czarina Johnny:


As the NewNowNext blog authors wrote in their parade review, in which they lauded Johnny as one of the stars who stole the show:

Johnny [Weir's] ten-second appearance clad in all white, waving from atop a rocking horse as some sort of King of Winter, was the most fabulous thing ever in most American living rooms all year. 

And so let's just roll around in a few of my fav pics from the fabulosity. 

Please be sure to click photos twice for glittery full-size view. For more incredible pics, see this Tumblr post.



The resplendent Czarina. 
OMG the shoes. 
Photo from CelebSpin
Thanks to Lauren Ashbaugh for spotting 
this watermark-free version!


The Monarch on his way 
to his magnificently appointed SparkleStallion. 
Newscom has a zillion more (watermarked) photos--
just click here and search for "Johnny Weir."


First look. 
Photo tweeted by Johnny with the caption: 
"Oh nothing...just a random Thursday."


Photo tweeted by Alicia S.


Photo via Wire Image.


Photo via Wire Image.


Almost immediately after his appearance 
on America's screens, The Advocate posted this photo 
as their Art Dept's Photo of the Day. Love it.

A few hours later, The Advocate posted "A Look at the Macy's Thanksgiving Gay Parade," in which they wrote:

We're not sure whether this is a first. But men in drag performed as part of this year's big Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is usually at its most outrageous when the Rockettes kick up their heels in lurid unison. And that performance — from Broadway's Priscilla, Queen of the Desert — actually had a rival for the annual event's gayest moment.

Ice skating star (and a LOGO reality TV personality) Johnny Weir stirred up the crowd in front of Herald Square, arriving on an oversized rocking horse, confetti blowing in the air, while being announced to television viewers as a "winter monarch." ... Is this one of those small moments that illustrates mainstream culture's acceptance of the LGBT community?

I'd like to think so. And IMO there's no better ambassador to help further that acceptance than the Monarch / Czarina.

Interestingly, also immediately after his appearance on TV, there was so much Twitter love that this happened (thanks to Jen Bee for the screencap!):



Here's an accompanying explanatory tweet in case there's anyone left still clueless on the planet:



OK, yes, more photos:

Photo courtesy of SvetVin.


OMG DID I MENTION THE SHOES. 
Photo via Wire Image.


Photo via Wire Image.


Photo via Wire Image.


Photo via Wire Image.


Photo courtesy of BNugs on Flickr.

I came across this story on Tumblr, and IDK if it happened around the time this photo was taken, but the poster writes: 

I was at the parade today, and no one around me knew who Johnny was. So, I called out his name and he looked toward me and waved. Then, I called back out to him--"Make sure you be good, Johnny Weir" (cheesy, I know) but, he then did the most fabulous leg kick I have ever seen, threw his head back, then threw glitter in the air. Needless to say, my love for him only grew.



Yes! We have video! First, from Wendy Stevenz...


...next, from Jenn Kittler...


...and finally, from Elizabeth Lara
WHO. WAS. THERE. WHICH. IS. AWESOME. 
Thank you so much for sharing this, Elizabeth!! 
And when she sent me the link, she wrote, 
"I just noticed that the baby in the background 
said Johnny's name [at about 00:14]. :)" Love!


And, of course, our coverage would not be complete
without a gif from Weibo.



Bonus Feature: 
Kaleidoscope Unbound

Johnny winks at the camera 
at the end of his performance of Poker Face 
in Kaleidoscope.



Yes, at last, the super-secret-squirrel-skate-travaganza called "Kaleidoscope" (Code Name: Shhhhhhh-If-I-Tell-You-I'll-Have-To-Kill-You) aired yesterday on Fox after an interminable football game followed by an even more interminable (as if that were possible) (hello you're running overtime and spilling your interminableness all over my watching Johnny Marmalade perform skating as a new type of pole dancing pls STFU already) post-game show (Alice: "Why is there a boring post-game show to talk about the boring game everyone just watched / slept through? And if we have to have those, why don't we have them in skating?" Me: "That sounds like a question for our good Monarch..."). And yes, they cut most of the pole-skating-in-a-trenchcoat (argh), but at least they did retain both of his performances AND feature him extensively in the "coming up next!" segments, so yay! And WE HAVE VIDEO thanks once again to Wendy Stevenz!


Johnny Marmalade. 
I have to agree with Rachel Machinton
Love Patti LaBelle, but this needs 
more more more Johnny on camera.


And: What he says will be his last performance 
of Poker Face. Y_Y



Once again, our coverage concludes with a gif, 
this time from the fabulous Jenn Kittler, without whom
sometimes this blog would not even happen. 
Thank you, Jenn!



Yes please.



HEY!!! We did it!! 
Johnny is a finalist for 
"Must-Follow Athlete on Social Media" 
in the 5th Annual Mashable Awards!!


IT'S KIND OF A BIG DEAL. Mashable gets more than 50 million page views per month, and has been named by Time Magazine as one of the top 25 blogs on the Internet. 

He's up against some stiff competition from Yuna Kim and John Cena, among others, but hey--we're really good at voting! We can do this! 

He's also in some amazing company: As Megan Gusinski pointed out, finalists in other categories include The Trevor Project, NOH8, GLAAD, and Ellen Degeneres, so you might want to do some additional voting while you're on Mashable's site.

Voting ends on Friday, December 16, and the winners will be announced on Monday, December 19. Just click the graphic above or at the top righthand side of the blog to be taken directly to the voting page for Johnny. 

You can vote once per day per Twitter and Facebook account. Please VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!



West Coast fans! Come see Johnny perform 
at Union Square Ice Rink as part of Macy's Great Tree Lighting 
in San Francisco! From Macy's website
"Visit the MAC Cosmetics tent during the day 
for holiday beauty tips, and be sure to come back 
after Johnny Weir's performance 
to meet the Olympian in person."!!!!



Blog entry, "Portraits," now updated 
with true full-size images!! 
If you haven't had a chance to see
these gorgeous photos yet, please check them out.
Here's just one sample...
(click photo again after it loads for full size).



Their "Fever On Ice" program is up 
for a $50K grant from Pepsi Refresh!
They're now in second place 
in their category and tier--
but only first place wins. We can do this!





Johnny's Glitter and Ice collection 
with MAC is selling out fast! 
Don't miss your chance to sparkle--
visit a MAC retailer or order online ASAP! 



NEW!! The Sheraton Philadelphia University City 
is now the official Holiday Dreams On Ice hotel!! 
Book your rooms before December 9 
and receive a special HDOI-only discount! 
The Sheraton also will be hosting the VIP after-show party.
More info on the Holiday Dreams On Ice website!

"Like" HDOI on Facebook
and use promo code "philadelphia" 
for 50% off your general admission ticket!!



New Q and A! Go read it now!
(Note: Now updated every Monday and Thursday... 
more time to savor each one!)



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:
"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!


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