Johnny and Tara

[moonvine]

Ok...I have to say...apparently someone sent these two to commentary school during Covid. Dick Button they are not, but they are much better than they were. They (mostly) refrained from excess talking during the skating. Johnny did get off on a tangent during Yuma’s skate, but there was no mention of Taras OGM, no “give it to me Nathan” etc. They even dug up words like “Beautiful” and “perfect” when describing Keegan.

 

[mrrice]

Ok...I have to say...apparently someone sent these two to commentary school during Covid. Dick Button they are not, but they are much better than they were. They (mostly) refrained from excess talking during the skating. Johnny did get off on a tangent during Yuma’s skate, but there was no mention of Taras OGM, no “give it to me Nathan” etc. They even dug up words like “Beautiful” and “perfect” when describing Keegan.

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe it's because there wasn't an actual staduim full of people but, they were more refined today.

 

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

I agree. I heard a bit of it while at work, and they were actually not bad.

 

[Amei]

Johnny still does the Terrance thing and it drives me nuts...

 

[sandraskates]

I've actually learned a few things about scoring from Johnny.
I'm okay with Tara but I just wish she'd let the program get at least 30 seconds in before starting to comment. She starts talking about 5 seconds in and I want to get into the skater and their music.

 

[readernick]

It was an improvement. However, I think all singles' skaters should be replaced by ice dancers when it comes to commentary. Mark was incredible and I have found that to be the case for Tanith, Ben and Charlie,too.

 

[orbitz]

Johnny still does the Terrance thing and it drives me nuts...

That bugs the heck out me too, LOL. I don't get why he does that. Everyone in broadcasting that Terry Gannon have worked with have always refer to him as Terry. What makes Johnny so special that he uses 'Terrance' instead? Its sounds so unprofessional.

 

[Arriba627]

Ok...I have to say...apparently someone sent these two to commentary school during Covid. Dick Button they are not, but they are much better than they were. They (mostly) refrained from excess talking during the skating. Johnny did get off on a tangent during Yuma’s skate, but there was no mention of Taras OGM, no “give it to me Nathan” etc. They even dug up words like “Beautiful” and “perfect” when describing Keegan.

Sounds like we were all noticing the same thing. I wondered if there had been complaints to the powers that be (whoever that is) about their excessive talking during the skating. They mostly kept silence during the skating, with a few comments here and there. Usually during the replay, there's plenty of time for comments, so it seems that's what they did...Sorry I love the "Terrence" thing. Don't ask me why!

 

[karne]

That bugs the heck out me too, LOL. I don't get why he does that. Everyone in broadcasting that Terry Gannon have worked with have always refer to him as Terry. What makes Johnny so special that he uses 'Terrance' instead? Its sounds so unprofessional.

It's part of his "sassy gay friend" schtick.

 

[CellarDweller]

I think it's possible that they were different this season because they were all apart, and there was a delay due to working remotely. They had to be mindful of that, so that they wouldn't talk over each other.

As for the whole "Terrance" thing, I would assume that is up to Terry, and if he hasn't corrected Johnny about it, then he's fine with it, and he's the only one who matters.

I will say that I am Charles, but I tell everyone I prefer "Chuck", and if I was the commentator, and Johnny insisted on calling me "Charles", I would let him know in no uncertain terms, on air, that it's "Chuck".

 

[el henry]

Actually, Terrence hands it right back to Johnny and has called him “John”. I’m sure he could care less.

I agree that Tara and Johnny now stay quiet (for the most part) and Johnny cannot gush enough about the difficulty level of Jason’s programs and don’t underestimate the athleticism of what he does and I never thought I’d see the day

It‘s a welcome change

 

[moonvine]

It's part of his "sassy gay friend" schtick.

My 80 year old mother eats it up. “He’s so creative!”

 

[moonvine]

Actually, Terrence hands it right back to Johnny and has called him “John”. I’m sure he could care less.

I agree that Tara and Johnny now stay quiet (for the most part) and Johnny cannot gush enough about the difficulty level of Jason’s programs and don’t underestimate the athleticism of what he does and I never thought I’d see the day

It‘s a welcome change

He dredged up nice things to say about Keegan! Although I’m still not sure about him comparing Keegan to food wrapped in bacon.

 

[Tada]

What tangent did Johnny go off on during Yuma?

 

[moonvine]

What tangent did Johnny go off on during Yuma?

I don’t remember. Yuma’s skate was the only one he really talked a lot during.

 

[noskates]

I like Johnny. He knows what he's talking about. That's why people like Tanith because she knows what she's talking about in ice dance. If you had her "call" the men's long program she probably wouldn't be as efficient. Dick Button was horribly biased about skaters and wrote a skater off if they made one little mistake. You knew immediately if he personally approved of a skater's talents and/or programs. His knowledge was steeped in the forties and he did not keep up with all the changes in figure skating. I used to cringe when he'd say something like "a spiral is more important than a triple jump!" Uhhhh - in whose world? And don't get me started on Peter "can't finish a sentence" Carruthers. Johnny may have his foibles but he does know the sport and he does know the technicalities. And he's obviously not afraid to call attention to a bad jump or spin or a less-than perfect program.

 

[Weathergal]

no skates, I disagree with you on ice dancers not necessarily being able to call other disciplines (I love your Kurt avatar though!). I don't know specifically about Tanith and how well she can discuss things like jumps (although I still wouldn't mind her commentary even if she discussing jumps wasn't her forte), but I wholeheartedly agree with readernick about Mark Hanretty. He was outstanding.

I say that not just because I'm enamored with his Scottish accent, which I might be...

Silliness aside, he made some good comments on jump techniques, quietly called the jumps and some of the other elements without being obtrusive, and gave some helpful insights on why some worked and some didn't. He also has a pretty sharp eye for underrotations and even mentioned a prerotation or two (without making a big deal of it).

I found him to be informative without being overbearing and kind to and appreciative of the skaters without being fawning. He showed his love for skating and also peppered his commentary with some backstories but not to the point of distraction. To do hours and hours of skating commentary at a time by yourself has to be daunting, but he did an excellent job.

OK I'll stop gushing about Mark now. One thing I really like about Tanith is her true passion for the sport. Once in a while she talks perhaps a bit too much, but when she does, it's about the skating not about herself so it's more palatable than when Tara makes it all about her.

I only watched on Peacock this time and haven't seen NBC coverage yet, but I'm glad to hear that they did a better job of being less obtrusive this time. They clearly love what they do, and I respect them for that, even they aren't my favorites. I'll also say that Terry Gannon is one versatile commentator, not just because he covers everything from figure skating to golf but also because he works well with so many different personality types - everyone from Peggy Fleming / Dick Button to Tara Lipinski / Johnny Weir.

 

[Scott512]

Johnny still does the Terrance thing and it drives me nuts...

Why? Hes just being tongue in cheek cute. But I can understand why it would be annoying to some.

Is that Terry Gannon's real 1st name?

 

[Amei]

Why? Hes just being tongue in cheek cute. But I can understand why it would be annoying to some.

Is that Terry Gannon's real 1st name?

Yes, Terrance is Mr. Gannon's given first name, that no one calls him by in broadcasting.

 

[Scott512]

Yes, Terrance is Mr. Gannon's given first name, that no one calls him by in broadcasting.

It is what it is. For some reason Johnny likes to do that.