Tara dissed on E!NewsLive | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Tara dissed on E!NewsLive

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Sarah, I think, did not know what she was getting into... and I think all she really wanted was to skate well at the Olympics... teh gold medal was totally unexpected for her. And I think it's great that she's decided to go to school instead of skate for eons... it's not like she gets a lot of praise by the skating fandoms... she's noted as gawky, her spiral isn't perfect... I don't blame her for wanting out...

Debi Thomas left skating for school, as did Paul Wylie... Sarah's got a whole future ahead of her... she's a girl from the Class of Duece-Double O-three... I have nothing but the utmost respect for her decision.

Anyway... Tara, yes, normally has a better fasion sense... her black dress she wore at an event last year was very nice and age appropriate, and her hair was so pretty... and her makeup was tasteful... where's THAT Tara?
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
You don't see movie stars running around wanting to suddenly be skaters, or lawyers, or doctors, or who knows what else. You don't see singers suddenly deciding to change careers and become business execs.
Oh, but you do. Every actor want to direct. Every director wants to produce. Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford started their own studio (United Artists) and did become business executives.

Every actor on a soap opera wants to sing. Every singer, from Barbara Steissand to Queen Latifa, wants to act. Golfer Phil Mickelson tried out yesterday as a pitcher for the Toledo Mud Hens baseball team. (He hopes to do better in the minors than he has in the majors.)

As Toni points out, Debi Thomas went to medical school after her skating career was done and is now an orthopedic surgeon. Olympic gold medalist Tenley Albright is also an MD, retired now after many years of exemplary service. Paul Wylie has a law degree from Harvard and is now a business executive with Disney. This is admirable, not "strange."

You can't skate forever, so what's wrong with trying to branch out into some other field of endeavor? Michelle has a natural entre into the film business with Disney. Already she gets to speak a few lines in the cartoon Mulan II. (She is a shopkeeper, and one of her lines is, "We have some fine Salchow today.") She could study drama at UCLA if she wanted to get serious about it later on.

As for criticizing Sarah and others for wanting to continue their education, oh my goodness. You only go around once -- why would anyone choose a life of ignorance if he or she had a chance to go to school?

In Tara's case, she is 21 and, because of her injuries, her career as a figure skater is probably over. Of course she is looking around for new mountains to climb and new worlds to conquer. Would we rather have her sit like a vegetable for the next 70 years caressing her Gold Medal?

Mathman
 
Last edited:

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I completely agree with Mathman on this issue. Anyone that wants to WILLINGLY continue their education should be given all of the credit in the world. Figure skating is a sport and a career can be made out of it for a while, but at some point age will play the greatest factor and greatly diminish the boundaries of such a career. I'd feel extremely comfortable having an Olympic Champion perform surgery on me! LOL. Seriously, reaching the Olympic level in any sport requires great reserves of dedication, intelligence and will-power. These attributes also make great students, physicians, actors (well, intelligence may not always be a common factor here), etc. So, if you've done all that you can with one phase in your life, where does it say that you can't focus all of your energy/talent towards a new phase? Sarah has every right to choose a new direction in life. If not I guess we could just go ahead and prepare her shelf in the catacombs of Olympic Champions! I respect any person that can be highly successful in a variety of situations...that shows true worth and grit.
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Cupcake sits on a bakery shelf for five years and wins a World silver medal at 23, Maria takes a World title at 26, and we are completely writing Sarah off at 18? I don't think we've heard the last of her.

As for wanting an education, I think it's AWESOME! I hardly equate wanting an education with wanting to be a big STAR on the silver screen! Some people just get used to the limelight and can't let it go. Even in that case, I suppose it's their right. Maybe Tara would never have had a shot at any kind of acting career without her gold medal, but, hey, it's her life. Personally, I think that she (and Michelle, too, for that matter) needs to get rid of that nasal squeak she calls a speaking voice and maybe take some real acting lessons before anyone looks on the screen and says anything beyond "Hey, that's Tara Lipinski on TV!"

After all, would stars such as Kate Hudson get a toe in the revolving Hollywood door if Mommy were not Goldie Hawn?
 
Last edited:

VIETgrlTerifa

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
A little off topic but:

After all, would stars such as Kate Hudson get a toe in the revolving Hollywood door if Mommy were not Goldie Hawn?

True, but I still think Kate Hudson is a great actress and takes it seriously.
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Yes, but I'm sure that there are many young equally-talented actresses out there whose Mommy and Daddy are not famous and who are struggling to land auditions that will hopefully lead to that lucky break! It isn't what you know--it's WHO you know!:D
 

mmandel

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Unfortunately, when you are a public figure, you are held to a higher standard than average people and are scrutinized for not meeting that standard. She's a young woman with the appearance of a teenager.

She was not the first to be dissed, nor will she be the last. The only reason she was pointed out, is that she happened to be at the right place at the wrong time.
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Mathman and Heyang,
ITA and you just saved GS another Rgirl tome. You said it all very well. As for Tara wanting to act, there's a difference between wanting to be a huge star and being satisfied with being a working actor. Living in NY, I know plenty of actors who make their living acting and pull in all of $45,000 a year, which ain't much in NY. But they're working and doing what they love, and most of them are satsified with that.

Also, Tara is only 21 and just this past season got the crushing news that skating was something she was not going to be able to continue doing. This, after five years of excruciating pain. BTW, Tara was not told to stop skating. Her hip injury was not even diagnosed until about 2002. It's been reported that she went back to skating too early after her surgery, but when you've got SOI breathing down your neck and you're all of 19 or 20, it's a tough decision since ALL top skaters have skated through injuries at one time or another. Tara got dissed for missing SOI shows and dissed for skating in them. She can't win.

As for love of spotlight, Michelle was asked about going pro at this year's Nationals after she finished her LP and the crowd was still roaring with adulation. She said, "Who would want to give up this?" and gestured to the adoring crowd. Michelle didn't say, "Who would want to give up competitive skating?" Yes, I know at other times Michelle has said that in her heart she is a competitor and that she may never skate as a pro. But at that particular moment, Michelle was excited and overwhelmed by the reaction from the crowd. And why shouldn't she be? That's a powerful, wonderful feeling.

Tara hasn't been doing the red carpet thing much before and I'm sure the cameras and fans was thrilling. Besides, Tara was not in the movie being premiered. She's dissed no matter what she says. If it's, "I can't wait to act in a movie like this too!" Then it would be, "Who does she think she is?" It it's "I loved the acting in the movie," it's "What does she know about acting?"

Tara was an extremely talented skater, IMO, who got dealt a bad hand with her hip injuries. She's trying to do something else for which she has passion. She's a beautiful girl who loves to perform, why is acting so "bad?" I wish her the best. If she doesn't succeed, her tenacity in the face of adversity thus far has demonstrated that she will try something else. But success doesn't have to mean being the next Julianne Moore. Like I said, plenty of actors are happy just working, no matter what the role. Plus, Tara's paying her dues and getting experience. Julianne Moore and many other big-time actors started on a soap, Moore in 1985.

I realize Tara is the skater many fans love to hate, but she's a person with both dreams fulfilled and many, many broken dreams. When she turned pro in '98, she had legitimate reasons, most importantly increasing hip pain. I don't think she was rabid for the spotlight. I thik she just wanted to be able to skate in an environment where she was physically able to handle the demands. Five years of beating up on Tara (I know, not everybody does) is, IMO, enough.

Sorry, you got an Rgirl tome anyway, lol.
Rgirl
 

EricAba

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Just wanted to put my two cents in about Joan Rivers. Sure, she's got more plastic in her face than a Barbie doll, but I can never miss the dishes and disses that she, Melissa and their motley crew dole out at all of the award shows. Who cares about the Oscars? ... all I really want to know is what Joan is thinking about J. Lo's new Oscar de la Renta gown and bob hairdo, or whether Courtney Love shows up this year as "glam queen" or "rocker whore". I'll take the "Golden Hanger" over an "Emmy" anytime, and I guess a lot of you would do the same :D

On another note, I think it's great that Tara wants to pursue an acting career, but playing a teenage whore on "7th Heaven"? I just don't see it. (Please correct me if I'm wrong about this)
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
What SHOULD she play? A skater? Forever?

BTW, is it absolutely definite that Tara has completely retired from skating?
 

merfsk8s

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
I don't have so much problem with Sarah wanting an education, but it did seem like all she did was complain last year after winning the gold medal.

Silly me, I thought it would have been something she was proud of.

But, then again, silly me, I thought a message board was for people to post their opinions - didn't realize I was going to get blasted by one and all.

I don't recall criticizing anyone else's opinions. Perhaps this is a clique I should have just stayed out of. Newcomers not welcome?!
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Well, of course newcomers are welcome, Merf. :) Where would we be without them?

As for people jumping on your opinions, I always take that as a complement when this happens to me. It means that I must have said something interesting, even if others disagreed!

What I really hate is when I say something so boring that no one bothers to respond, and it kills the whole thread.

I'll say something "interesting" (not silly :laugh: ) now, to prove my point. I look forward to seeing Michelle :love: kick off her new "acting" career in the Disney cartoon special coming up for the Christmas season. She is the animation model for Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck in a skating contest scene. That way, she can combine her old career as a figure skater with her new career as an actress, sort of. Go Michelle!

Mathman
 
Last edited:

merfsk8s

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
Thanks Mathman....I hadn't thought about it that way.

I haven't ever seen (or heard, rather) Michelle act yet - though I know she did an episode of "Arthur" and an episode of "Futurama."

Actually, I haven't seen Tara act, either. Though a viewer of Y&R whenever I get the chance, I was unable to see it during the time she was on it.

And, her scenes in "Vanilla Sky" were edited out (that movie was plenty long enough as it was), from what I've heard - and, I don't remember seeing her in it. So, I'll have to go with what everyone else said about her acting ability - or lack thereof.....
 

Linny

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
7th Heaven

Regarding Tara's acting: she was a pivotal character in last season's finale for 7th Heaven so I suspect that means she'll be showing up the in the upcoming season premier (assuming, that is, that the show hasn't been cancelled).
Lin
 

taf2002

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
rgirl-"Also, Tara is only 21 and just this past season got the crushing news that skating was something she was not going to be able to continue doing. This, after five years of excruciating pain. BTW, Tara was not told to stop skating. Her hip injury was not even diagnosed until about 2002. It's been reported that she went back to skating too early after her surgery, but when you've got SOI breathing down your neck and you're all of 19 or 20, it's a tough decision since ALL top skaters have skated through injuries at one time or another. Tara got dissed for missing SOI shows and dissed for skating in them. She can't win."

This paragraph doesn't make sense. You mention 5 yrs of excruciating pain, then say her hip injury wasn't diagnosed until about 2002. One of her many reason why she went pro is that she knew her hip couldn't take the training that eligibles have to do. (Frankly, I don't care WHY she went pro, it's her life-just get a reason and stick with it.) If she was in excruciating pain (and how do you know that?), why wasn't it diagnosed? Did she see one doctor who didn't know what it was? If my hip was hurting I think I would see as many doctors as I had to until it was properly diagnosed. If you look at the way she skated the first couple of years after 98, it's doubtful that her injury goes back that far.

Also I read an article in which Tara was quoted as going back on the ice long before the doctors wanted her to. But I haven't seen one diss on any board for missing SOI shows when she was injured. I don't think the public is so heartless that we would complain that a skater didn't show up when they are injured. In fact, the only skaters I've ever seen critcized for using an injury are those who are perceived as being not really injured. (Such as those who missed 2002 GPF.)
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I really blame this all on Sonia Henie who couldn't act but for the time Zanuck catered to her and her movies sold. They sold because she was an oddity - a dancer on blades who won gold 3 times. Then with Esther Williams coming into the movies with her swimming medals (and incredible body), it seemed like this was a path to movie stardom.

I can understand the young minds of figure skaters who believe the end of skating is the beginning of a big movie career. Sad, it just doesn't work that way anymore.

As for Tara, I believe with the work she's been getting on the soaps, she will be learning her acting craft. She will not get the meteoric rise to an academy award or a tony but she may well become a decent character actor. She could easily find work in summer stock but that is not the publicity she is used to. I hope her dreams are not rushing to the top.

Joe
 

shdotz

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Tara

Thanks for posting the photos - I don't keep up with Tara.

I'm speechless.

sh
 
Top