Johnny at the end of his final Artistry on Ice
performance of Born This Way in Beijing last night.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Please click twice for glorious full-size view
to see the exquisite detailing on this costume.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The livestream of last night’s entire Beijing show
is available for viewing here!!
Don’t miss this. It’s absolutely amazing.
Do be forewarned: It may take forever to load.
But it’s sooo worth the wait.
Johnny’s appearances are as follows
(time codes approximate):
Opening group number 00:20:16
Army of Me 01:06:01
Born This Way 02:19:58
Closing group number 02:58:22
UPDATE: Please check out Johnny's new blog post for the US Olympic Team! In "The Beat Goes On...," he discusses what matters to him in choosing music for his programs:
I choose music based on feeling. I choose music based on imagination. Most importantly, I choose music that fits my life and the story I want to tell. ... The moment you create is what you’re remembered for, and the music is the soundtrack of that moment.
So Johnny is winging his way back home as I write this, to be joyously reunited today with his beloved puppy, and leaving behind him a monumentally successful Artistry on Ice tour that played to an audience of nearly 50,000 people in its four stops. Photos and videos are still pouring out of China and likely will be for weeks to come, thanks to the boundless generosity of Asian fans. So today we present just a sampling of the latest Weibopalooza from the tour, plus a special tribute to Johnny’s dear Asian fans at the end of the blog.
But first, before we hit the picspam, please roll around in these must-see videos:
Gorgeous HD video of Johnny’s Army of Me performance
in Taipei, from the Amway Taiwan YouTube channel...
Video link.
...and from the same uploader, equally gorgeous
HD video of Born This Way in Taipei...
Video link.
...and the closing group number from Taipei,
to the hypnotically pleasing earworm,
“You Are My Flower,” by Taiwanese rockstar Wu Bai.
Video link.
Another version of Army of Me from Taipei,
with bonus footage of Johnny before he takes the ice.
Video link.
And from the same uploader, another version of
Born This Way, also with bonus pre-ice footage.
Video link.
Rehearsal in Guangzhou, or as described
by the uploader: “Artistry on Ice 2013 Guangzhou
opening practice video, focus on Stéphane Lambiel
and Johnny Weir.” Yes please.
A complete playlist of Guangzhou-related videos
is available on Tudou here.
Video link.
Shanghai rehearsal footage and press conference,
including Johnny and Stéphane moments!
Video link.
More Shanghai rehearsal plus priceless new
Shanghai press conference footage, starting at
about 00:48, in which Johnny describes his
costume and does other stuff.
Yes, someone’s already gif’d one of the best moments:
Please click to refresh if it won’t play for you.
Vine vids from Johnny! “Guangzhou Show Day.”
Video link.
“Ahhhhh Shanghai-Beijing.”
At the Shangai railway station, preparing to travel
via high-speed train to Beijing, with bonus Stéphane.
Video link.
And posted late last night/early this morning,
at his layover in Tokyo before heading home: “NRT.”
Video link.
And now, Weibo-sized picspam, in which we pick up our story where we left off, sort of, beginning with more from Guangzhou...
As always, please click any photo twice for full-size image.
Guangzhou.
From the opening number,
during his introduction by the announcer.
Army of Me.
Born This Way.
Yes, the outfit he was sporting in rehearsal,
as seen here, is indeed what he wore
for the Guangzhou show’s closing number.
Love it.
Shanghai.
Opening number.
Army of Me.
Born This Way.
Closing number, in a different costume yet again.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Photo posted by Johnny to his Weibo:
“Thank you Shanghai!”
Beijing.
The final press conference of the tour.
Love his winged vest so much.
At rehearsal.
At rehearsal with giant Johnny projected behind him.
Final performances of the tour:
Army of Me.
Army of Me.
Born This Way.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
And that ending pose once again.
This entire program and costume
are one damn bold statement to make,
especially in places where LGBT equality
lags behind... which includes parts of the US.
lags behind... which includes parts of the US.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Bonus Round:
Pics From Everywhere.
Doing media in Guangzhou.
Shoes.
Also shorts.
(For some reason there’s no Weibo stamp on these,
but I’m pretty sure that’s where I found them.
As soon as I track down the source, I’ll update!)
More from that never-ending source of amusement,
the Shanghai press conference...
...including this fantasy moment,
photoshopped from this pic.
At the Beijing press conference...
...through which Stéphane apparently slept.
From the tour’s closing celebration on the ice
after the conclusion of the Beijing show.
And one more: wide-eyed (and possibly exhausted)
Johnny at the on-ice celebration.
Exclusive photo © Joveta Leo.
Epilogue:
“We Love Johnny Weir.”
Johnny fans arriving at the show in Shanghai.
The fabulous Joveta Leo, who contributed so many
exclusive photos to the blog, is at the far right.
Many fans traveled on to see Johnny
perform in Beijing as well.
Reading the goodbyes to Johnny on Weibo today is breaking my heart.
Very early in the morning, after the final show in Beijing the night before, fans came to his hotel lobby, exhausted beyond words from weeks of planning for and anticipating his visit; the thrill of actually seeing him again as he arrived at various airports and train stations; the build-up to the shows with press conference after press conference—each more hilarious than the last, thanks mostly to Johnny and Stéphane; the many encounters in hotel lobbies to greet him and bring him yet more flowers and gifts; and finally, the overpoweringly dazzling excitement of watching him perform and of being part of the huge crowds roaring their appreciation as he skated over for hugs, kisses, and even more flowers—all underlined with the inescapable growing sadness that all too soon, it would be time for him to leave.
Johnny holding one of the enormous banners
in Taipei, which reads: “We Love Johnny Weir.”
From Weibo: “Flowers for Johnny at the
press conference in Shanghai.
Rose, jasmine, and the one in the center
is called ‘Diva.’ Fabulous!!”
Fans hung banners in the stadiums for him...
...at every tour stop.
Beijing (I think): A red bouquet for Johnny,
a pink one for Stéphane.
Among the final group of flowers for Johnny
in Beijing was this stunning bouquet.
Posted by Johnny to his Instagram:
“Xie Xie Beijing! I love you!”
So they came to the Sheraton at the crack of dawn on Monday to send him off with farewell hugs and fragile smiles.
“Seeing Johnny off at Sheraton,” my friend Maria commented on her Instagram. “Sorry about the low quality of pic, so sleepy that I could die.”
“Everybody is DYING,” wrote another fan dejectedly as they waited for him to finish checking out.
He took time to hug each one, and spoke freely with them, they said, promising with his characteristic wry humor that nothing could prevent him from coming back next year “unless I died!” (or possibly, “...over my dead body!” #NotClearOn)
Maria’s photo of Johnny
as fans wait to tell him goodbye.
“Do not want to sleep, do not want
to wake up, because. . . wake up again,
it is really over,” wrote one fan.
And then he was on his way.
“Last year, when he left, I cried all the way to the Beijing railway station, and then I was crying on the train,” another lovely fan posted. “When he left this year... once I saw him again [in the lobby], I calm down a lot, but I’m still so sad he’s gone!!”
“It’s so hard to say goodbye,” I agreed with much sympathy.
“That was exactly what I said to him last year ╯ ﹏ ╰,” she replied sadly.
Some hours later, I found that she had posted this photo of Johnny from the 2010 Olys on her Weibo:
...with this beautiful caption (translated):
“Rose-colored memories of you
are the most magnificent of my life.”
Very special thanks to
Joveta Leo
for the exclusive photos!!
Sun Valley tickets are on sale!
Johnny is scheduled to perform again this year
in Sun Valley’s gorgeous outdoor summer ice shows.
More info and tickets here!
Fantasy on Ice is just weeks away!!
please visit the AI Official website.
The Refinery29 photo shoot featured on the blog
last month is here! Please go read it now!
Johnny is part of Refinery29’s “Month of Style Stars” for June,
and the second photo from the interview (above) IS. A. GIF.
(Refresh the page to restart the gif. So fabulous!)
ICYMI: “Vision,” featuring two gorgeous
new exclusive pics plus thoughts on
the Grand Prix announcement from the ISU...
the Grand Prix announcement from the ISU...
Happy Pride Month!
Johnny as the LA Pride Parade Grand Marshal, June 2011.
Relive the glory (and the hair) here!
Please continue to tweet @Nike
in a non-irritating way and tell them
in a non-irritating way and tell them
you’d love for them to sponsor Johnny!
If you’re not on Twitter, you may write to them
at Nike World Headquarters, One Bowerman Drive,
To see up-close how battered and worn his skates are
from thousands of training hours—particularly the left skate,
because Johnny is a rare clockwise jumper and spinner—
please click here. Photo © David Ingogly.
Johnny’s latest column for the
Falls Church News-Press.
Falls Church News-Press.
His columns are published every Thursday
in the “National Commentary“
section—don’t miss a single one!
in the “National Commentary“
section—don’t miss a single one!
Special offer for Johnny’s fans from TWELV Magazine:
Get his fabulous limited-edition cover issue of TWELV—
no longer available on newsstands—for 50% off!
If you’d like to grab one, please email Kevin
at johnnyweircover@gmail.com, and he’ll explain
how to order and pay for your copy.
Do it now—there are only a few left!
The Team Weir-Voronov fan store now has
updated calendars, in case you missed out on buying yours
in January! The new 12-month version runs from
July 2013 to June 2014, while the 18-month version takes you
from July 2013 all the way to December 2014.
A number of Johnny’s auction items have been relisted,
which means if you missed out the first time around,
you’re in luck: It’s not too late to own a piece of Weir Gear!
Go check it out and see what treasures you could take home!
Please alert absolutely everyone you’ve ever met
to “like” and follow the new
Because he should be on all the things.
With or without ice.
But definitely with Viacheslav.
Landing quads and kicking ass!
Read his comeback statement
and the update on his website!
Please click to vote for Johnny
once a day as “Best Sportsman”!
Please be sure to check in with GetGlue
anytime you’re watching the show...
or thinking about watching the show....
or wishing you were watching the show....
anytime you’re watching the show...
or thinking about watching the show....
or wishing you were watching the show....
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!”
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!
at the top of the blog!
Hey, Welcome to My World also is available
as an eBook! More info on Johnny’s website!
copyright 2013 / Binky and the Misfit Mimes / Lynn V. Ingogly / all rights reserved
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1 comment:
Great to see such an energized audience and fan base for Johnny, and Johnny so energized and strong.
Johnny definitely has international appeal.
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