Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Johnny in Japan: So Much Happy

Johnny Weir. Photo © Ineko Nakagawa @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Johnny is delighted to hug one of his many "beauties
who came to greet him upon his arrival 
at Narita airport in Tokyo last Thursday.
Photo courtesy of Ineko Nakagawa
who captioned this, "Super close-up." Love it.



Oh hai!

How are you? I'm much better, thank you, than I was a week ago, when my life was consumed by ridiculous amounts of arrrrgh punctuated by random volcanic vomiting. Thank you to all who sent me lovely "get-well-soon!" tweets and Facebook posts—I really, really appreciate your thoughtfulness. BTW if you managed to get here somehow via Johnny's Facebook fan page despite Facebook's every effort to prevent you from doing exactly that, may I be the first to congratulate you on your finely honed, laser-like ability--born of unimaginably fierce desperation determination--to seek out new Johnny photos, and please allow me to bestow upon you this completely non-functioning but super-glittery compass and a totally adorable pink-tasseled sack of bread crumbs (made from bread stamped with "LV," of course) to help you find your way back. If all goes well, you'll be greeted upon your return by Spoon Boy, who will whisper to you the secret Zuckerberg code phrase: "Do not try to make sense of The Timeline — that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth: there is no Timeline."

Which segues us nicely into today's post, because while I was busy lying in bed making small mewling noises, Johnny and Tara went to Japan and back, touching down in NYC yesterday just exactly 50 minutes before they left Tokyo that same day. (See? I think Spoon Boy is onto something...).

Johnny went to Japan to perform in Miki Ando's "Reborn Garden" (brief bonus Johnny in this video, at about 4:36 and again around 4:56. Thanks to Schismatic Beam for the link!). This gorgeous ice show was part of the commemorative events held over the weekend to honor the victims and survivors of last year's horrific earthquake and tsunami. A year ago, Johnny wrote this beautiful note of love and encouragement to his Japanese fans immediately following the disaster. This year, he was able to come and offer his message of hope in person, through his performance in Reborn Garden, and through every moment he spent with his wonderful Japanese fans.

There's no way to even begin to catch up on all the fabulous photos that have come out of Japan thus far (although weir.ru is a good place to start!), so let us content ourselves with photos shared by dear lovely Tara, who, despite being jet-lagged beyond all reason, frostbitten because the instructions for the thermostat in the hotel were just slightly incomprehensible ("for heat, press 'air conditioning' button"), and fighting an uncooperative email service every. step. of. the. way., still managed to send a whole bunch of goodies for fans. We also have photos shared by Ineko Nakagawa and Junko Mi. So grab a spoon and dig in! Because there's no time like the present! Unless you're on Facebook! (In which case, please tell Morpheus I want the blue pill...)

As always, please click any photo twice for larger view. Super hi-res versions available for some pics.



Johnny Weir. Photo © Ineko Nakagawa @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Friday, 03/09/2012
5 p.m.-ish in Japan.
Johnny arrives in Tokyo and is happy to see 
so many fans waiting for him! 
The number-one tweeted comment after they met him 
was every variation you can imagine of: 
"Johnny looks very skinny...!" 
He's been working hard to get into 
quad-quad-quad-quad-quad shape, and it shows. 
Photo courtesy of Ineko Nakagawa.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Ineko Nakagawa @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
A quick conversation with Tara...
Photo courtesy of Ineko Nakagawa.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
...and he's ready for his fans!
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
There's a really bright light shining on him here
for some reason...
(see Tara's comments below 
under restaurant photos...).
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Yet more fans!
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Junko Mi @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Absolutely laden with gifts already, 
he's thrilled to see everyone!
Photo courtesy of Junko Mi.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Ineko Nakagawa @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Big smiles all around.
Photo courtesy of Ineko Nakagawa.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Junko Mi @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
So. Many. Flowers.
Oh. And. Gifts.
Photo courtesy of Junko Mi.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Junko Mi @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Everyone wants to see his ring!
Photo courtesy of Junko Mi.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Friday, 03/09/2012.
6 p.m.-ish.
On the way to the hotel in Yokohama.
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
View from the hotel.
Love the reflections of Johnny and Tara
 in the window...
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Saturday, 03/10/2012.
10 a.m.-ish.
Tara says, "Johnny did this morning 'photo shoot'...  
Five minutes after being outside, all the curl in my hair 
was gone--even with the very nice complimentary 
umbrella that the hotel gave us. 
(P.S. The complimentary umbrella is for skinny people 
with skinny hair ... I definitely needed one of those 
extra-large, heavy-duty ones they sell in NYC 
that gets in everyone's way on the sidewalk.)"
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
About an hour later. 
IDK what he's doing. But LOL. 
(Tara couldn't offer notes for every photo 
because her fingers were freezing. 
Until @yu_mico came to her rescue with thermostat tips!)
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Lunchtime! And awesome glasses! 
Tara says, "Johnny tried taking my picture again 
but it kept coming out too dark."
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
"Again. Too dark."
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Tara's turn to photograph Johnny. 
"Somehow I figured out how not 
to make him dark..."
Photo courtesy of Tara.
Super hi-res here.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
"I am better with the camera ... 
or maybe there is a spotlight over his head 
all the time that no one can see ..."
Photo courtesy of Tara.
Super hi-res here.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Food! At the restaurant! 
Plus Johnny’s leopard-print legs!
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Beautiful cherry blossom tree. 
Tara says, "I want that for my wedding, 
so I took a picture. Johnny insists that we have them 
in the States...  (Really? 'Cause I've never seen 
a random cherry blossom tree on 38th Street...)." 
Yes, Johnny wins this one--OK, maybe there aren't
 any on 38th Street, but apparently there are some 
in Sakura Park in Manhattan!
(Don't ask him to photograph them, though...)


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
This is an another caption-less photo. 
Please feel free to write your own.
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Tara Modlin @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Saturday, 03/10/2012.
3 p.m.-ish
Johnny heading to practice soon, I think?
Photo courtesy of Tara.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Junko Mi @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Also from Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Junko Mi.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Junko Mi @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Photo courtesy of Junko Mi.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Junko Mi @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Photo courtesy of Junko Mi.



Johnny Weir. Photo © Ineko Nakagawa @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
Bonus pics!! Back in September 2011, 
Ineko presented Johnny with a "Bad Romance" bear, 
dressed in a replica made by Ineko 
of his sparkly Bad Romance costume.

A few months ago, Ineko asked me for some help 
with a secret plan. She wanted to create an Ave Maria bear 
for Johnny, but she needed to make sure she understood 
exactly what the colors and details were on his J. Mendel costume, 
since that's what she wanted the new bear to wear. 
So I sent her a cropped close-up of one of Davey's photos 
from HDOI to help clarify the detailing for her. 
She also mentioned that her sewing machine no longer worked, 
so this time she would have to do it all by hand.

And she did.


Johnny Weir. Photo © Ineko Nakagawa @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
And here is Johnny with his new Ave Maria bear, 
given to him by Ineko last Thursday at the airport.


Johnny Weir. Photo © David Ingogly @ Official Johnny Weir Blog.
And here's the full version of one of 
the photos she used for her inspiration.
Photo courtesy of David Ingogly.
Super hi-res here.



Bonus videos!! From Johnny's Saturday practice, 
courtesy of Tara. A triple axel here...


...and another one here!


And, from the archives: Johnny performs 
a 4T + 3T + 3Lo, circa 2006. 
Uploaded to Johnny's Official YouTube Channel over the weekend, 
thanks to the mad editing skillz of Misha Burshteyn 
and original videographer Priscilla Hill
As @dapperderp noted: "Yessss, we need you 
to quad all over everyone's face just like that."



Very special thanks to Ineko, Junko, and 
Super Agentress Tara for the photos! 
Coming up: More from Japan!



Why yes he is!! 
Landing quads and kicking ass!
Read his comeback statement 
on his website!



Get tix now!! Johnny is an Honorary Chairperson 
for the Imperial Court of New York's biggest annual fundraiser, 
This year's beneficiaries are PFLAG-NYC and 
New Alternatives, a group that helps homeless LGBT youth. 
Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 31, 



It's not too late! Subscribe now 
and get the entire Johnny Weir perspective, 
including his never-before-heard free skate commentary 
available exclusively on icenetwork.com!



Q and A! Go read it now!




Johnny's Glitter and Ice collection 
with MAC is pretty much sold out, 
but I'm leaving this video on here 
for a little while longer 
because I love it so much. 



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!"

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 2012 / Binky and the Misfit Mimes / Lynn V. Ingogly / all rights reserved

5 comments:

germansoulmate said...

Thank God, you are back. I really started to show withdrawal symptoms. I´m even more glad you are fine again.

I love all the pics provided and sent by Johnny´s Japanese fans and by Tara. What would we poor stay-at-home fans do without their courtesy and help and enthusiasm. I´m so happy for Johnny to have such great and loving fans to whom I count myself too. I can´t help thinking that Johnny´s fans` love keeps growing and growing. It´s amazing. He´s that kind of person people look up to.

Anyway...thank you for providing the place for all this beauty again, Binky.

Oh...reading all the tweets about his new exhibition and listening to the music all day long, I can´t wait to see this program..even if it is only online. I´m so excited.

Thank you again to all people involved and letting us be part of it.

Debora Walsh said...

So happy you're back Binky! Stay well, please...the galaxy kinda grinds to a halt when you're quiet.

What a post, huh?
Johnny is not only a marvel on the ice (ummm hello archival quad-triple-triple) but can we all just give it up here for that flawless skin? He's glowing...after a hundreds of hours non stop flight to the other side of the world! When I fly anywhere-near or far-I emerge from that aircraft looking like I've been trapped in a subway car for 9 hours. Bed head, parched skin, raccoon eyes, swollen ankles, blank stare and clothing I don't even recognize anymore...
But Johnny and Tara...tra la la la... all shiny, dewy and bright eyed into Narita! They may be dragging on the inside, but damn, they hide it well. Thank you Binks, for bringing us photos of these gorgeous people, and THANK YOU JAPANESE FANS!! I think I love you all as much as Johnny does! Hope we get a chance to see the Chopin number someday, too!

aaaack said...

For Johnny to take part in this fund-raiser is just so thoughtful and generous. Hearing "Over the Rainbow" in this context is so sad. Hope Miki Ando had a great success.

Some very ancient carved Japanese stones warned not to build beyond their placement. Sadly, the warnings of the ancients were ignored. Folks in the Pacific Northwest of the USA also need to take heed, now that three of the four corners of the plate have faced bad earthquakes (Christchurch in New Zealand, Japan, and Chile).

Binky, hope you will be back to 100% on all levels soon. You are part den mother and part ventriloquist for our thoughts and feelings. When you leave the page, some of its energy leaves. A bit like when Johnny is out of the country.

Facebook is so annoying. My theory is that Mark Zuckerberg has exchanged some eyebrow genetics with his dog named "Beast" (who has his own facebook page) and a new growth of Hungarian sheepdog bangs is giving him tunnel vision.

Thanks to all the Japanese fans who take such good care of Johnny and share the photos. Also, special thanks to Tara and Johnny for sharing photos and videos of their journey. Plus, it's so good to feel your energy back home.

boomerbubie said...

OMQ! Everything that everyone just wrote in comments! Yes yes yes, BINKY. Our world hasn't been complete without you! Thank God you're back glitterbombing us all with the wonder and promise that is our flying twirling wunderkind @JohnnyGWeir! And the JWkits and angels are SO fabulous. From all his fans around the world, thank you for representing! And for all the Japanese such a fitting joy-filled anniversary rememberance of souls lost 1 year ago. LuvluvBB's

Princess Johnny-Love ♥ said...

Yay! Binky's back! *hugggggggg* I was suffering from blog withdrawal too!

so psyched to see an excellent close-up of The Ring <3 ...
And Tara in glasses= cute!

Ty for the lovely blog! So glad Johnny got to be part of this event.