Johnny Weir makes me want to throw a brick through my TV

[ice coverage]

Not afraid to say I enjoy Johhny. I think he adds a lot of insight and a funny amount of sass. He’s not perfect but I like him anyway.

:disagree:

I'm not sure what your latest post means.

Are you expressing that it would be just as well to have 26 separate posts with the thumb-up emoji scattered through the thread in reply to your comment that you enjoy Johnny? Instead of 26 (at the moment) "likes" seen right next to your post?

 

[ladyjane]

I think this is a ridiculous thread, but I was triggered (yes, we are all used to the spectaularising - made up word - that the media do anyway) by the title. I've heard him, and Tara too, and they're both a bit catty towards skaters instead of towards their achievements and/or their fails. It's why I liked the Universiade commentator and why I like Ted Barton, and like these two less. But Johnny still likes to educate his listeners, and it's still up to them to agree or not. No bricks from me, just sometimes switching to another channel with incomprehensible commentry or silence. And Tat? She's just emotional because of her love for the sport and the athletes, even the ones she has no personal feeling for. Don't understand a word of Russion, but Tat sobbing, that I do comprehend!

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I'm not sure what your latest post means.

Are you expressing that it would be just as well to have 26 separate posts with the thumb-up emoji scattered through the thread in reply to your comment that you enjoy Johnny? Instead of 26 (at the moment) "likes" seen right next to your post?

Or everyone can just like the first thumbs down given :agree:

 

[Mathman]

(1) Yikes, what is the world coming to?

Criticizing/mocking someone for correct pronunciation makes absolutely zero sense to me.​

I know, I know. Same with using deliberately incorrect grammar just to show that you're a beer-guzzling, monster-truck-drivin' kinda guy.

But as for "what the world is coming to," I think it is moving more and more toward people trying to pronounce foreign names the way the owners of those names do, instead of the way they wish they were pronounced.

In past centuries, for instance, no self-respecting Englishman would ever say "Paree" for "Paris." Wut, and disrespect the Queen? I think this is changing and that English-speakers, like everybody else, are coming around to the idea that "Paree" is cool -- maybe someone will think I know how to speak French.

Anyway, that's my view from here in De-twah.

Johnny is in the vanguard but he might be too hip for the room at the present time. I would recommend that he gradually ease into it by pronouncing foreign names sort of correctly, but with exaggerated precision and an American accent, then get better and better as viewers get more used to it. I think I will email that suggestion to NBC. :yes:​

 

[Mathman]

(2) I am all for civility, and for allowing people to express opinions. Re the Thumbs Down button:

I don't understand why it inherently would be more civil to respond to a post with a tone (not uncommon on GS) of, "Are you kidding me? ...

I don't think it is either/or. I would vote for neither of the above.

 

[ice coverage]

… But as for "what the world is coming to," I think it is moving more and more toward people trying to pronounce foreign names the way the owners of those names do, instead of the way they wish they were pronounced. …

So I should have asked, "What is this GS thread coming to?"

To be clear, I hope that the world *is* moving toward pronouncing names the way that the owners of those names do.

It was disappointing to me to see the two posts in the thread that were less than supportive of Johnny-in-the-vanguard re pronunciations.

---

I don't think it is either/or. I would vote for neither of the above.

I will try to leave this discussion alone because you and I never are going to see eye to eye on what I am talking about. Will just reiterate that I spoke my mind because my wish is to make GS a more civil place -- not less civil.

 

[WeakAnkles]

I find that popcorn is an EXCELLENT thing to throw at the monitor when need be. Why should I damage my monitor over someone else's stupidity/angst/inability to hold their tongue?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I find that popcorn is an EXCELLENT thing to throw at the monitor when need be. Why should I damage my monitor over someone else's stupidity/angst/inability to hold their tongue?

But then you are wasting all of that tasty popcorn!

 

[Scott512]

I like Tara partly because of her enthusiasm as a great young figure skater which was unusual for figure skating and partly because she was very positive and fond of two of my recent favorites at Adelina and Alina. I also just think it's not in her nature to be negative unnecessarily.

Johnny has grown on me over the years. But I can see how some people aren't that fond of his work as an analyst. I certainly like his work for the most part. Not perfect by any means but who is?

 

[meem]

There's nothing wrong with learning how to correctly pronounce someone's name and doing so. I believe all of the commentators have been making a good effort in that regard. But with JW, it's always just with the Russians and he has to pronounce the names with an extra flourish (za-GEEE-tova). It's a bit much. I remember whenever Alyssa Czisny skated and I was able to watch a Russian video, the commentators would always pronounce her name as Cheezzznee, complete with their own accent. I guess they didn't bother to find out how it's pronounced in America.

I know, I know. Same with using deliberately incorrect grammar just to show that you're a beer-guzzling, monster-truck-drivin' kinda guy.

But as for "what the world is coming to," I think it is moving more and more toward people trying to pronounce foreign names the way the owners of those names do, instead of the way they wish they were pronounced.

In past centuries, for instance, no self-respecting Englishman would ever say "Paree" for "Paris." Wut, and disrespect the Queen? I think this is changing and that English-speakers, like everybody else, are coming around to the idea that "Paree" is cool -- maybe someone will think I know how to speak French.

Anyway, that's my view from here in De-twah.

Johnny is in the vanguard but he might be too hip for the room at the present time. I would recommend that he gradually ease into it by pronouncing foreign names sort of correctly, but with exaggerated precision and an American accent, then get better and better as viewers get more used to it. I think I will email that suggestion to NBC. :yes:

 

[el henry]

There's nothing wrong with learning how to correctly pronounce someone's name and doing so. I believe all of the commentators have been making a good effort in that regard. But with JW, it's always just with the Russians and he has to pronounce the names with an extra flourish (za-GEEE-tova). It's a bit much. I remember whenever Alyssa Czisny skated and I was able to watch a Russian video, the commentators would always pronounce her name as Cheezzznee, complete with their own accent. I guess they didn't bother to find out how it's pronounced in America.

This.

I have no problem with an attempt at correct pronunciation. I do have a problem when I feel it is at the expense of the skater, and merely to show off the linguistic skills of the commentator.:noshake:

It is no secret that I adore Donovan Carrillo:luv17: Donovan's first name in Spanish, between the accent on a different syllable, the long o versus the short o, and the mysteries of the "bcorte" to an English speaker, is not at all pronounced like Donovan in English. When speaking to fellow Anglophones, I could pronounce Donovan Carrillo as it's pronounced in Spanish (even trilling my r's, which given all my years in French I'm rather good at trilling my r's ), and to what end? No one would know who the heck I'm talking about. ETA: if I were speaking to Spanish speakers, I would absolutely make the attempt. Only without the Argentinian accent that would change Carri-yo to Carri-zho

That's my issue. I could go around saying "Kikero" (the correct original pronunciation) to modern English speakers and they would have no idea to what ancient Roman orator I refer. When I say how much I adore Donovan, I want Anglophones to know of whom I speak:yes:

 

[anonymoose_au]

...

Johnny has grown on me over the years. But I can see how some people aren't that fond of his work as an analyst. I certainly like his work for the most part. Not perfect by any means but who is?

Ted Barton of course!

Seriously, he doesn't talk during the programs and always has something nice and constructive to say. I feel like I've learned a lot from him!

SBS man (Paul Auster) is also quite good, although he had a horrible habit of jinxing skaters!

(Although not liking Ivett Toth's AC/DC? SBS man and Johnny, that is a crime )

 

[lizardlass]

I don't like Johnny or Tara much as commentators, but I like Johnny less. He is excessively negative and dismissive, and annoyingly over-dramatic. It's like he's trying to make the performances more about him, and his one liners. Like this is American Idol or The Voice (or something), and we're supposed to be just as invested in him (and Tara) as we are in the skating and the skaters. Both him and Tara really annoy me when they become so over the top biased for a specific skater (like Polina Edmunds a few years ago at nationals, and Bradie last year, among others.) They have probably been coached to push specific narratives, but they are so obnoxious about it. I yell at the screen a lot when I have to listen to them commentate. I've always liked Terry, and I wish NBC would keep him and bring in Tanith. I don't think they need three commentators.

But Tara is annoying, too, for sure. Like how she constantly called Mirai Nagasu's 3A her "secret weapon." IT'S NOT A SECRET, TARA. LEARN WORDS.

 

[ice coverage]

This.

I have no problem with an attempt at correct pronunciation. I do have a problem when I feel it is at the expense of the skater, and merely to show off the linguistic skills of the commentator.:noshake:

It is no secret that I adore Donovan Carrillo:luv17: Donovan's first name in Spanish, between the accent on a different syllable, the long o versus the short o, and the mysteries of the "bcorte" to an English speaker, is not at all pronounced like Donovan in English. When speaking to fellow Anglophones, I could pronounce Donovan Carrillo as it's pronounced in Spanish (even trilling my r's, which given all my years in French I'm rather good at trilling my r's ), and to what end? No one would know who the heck I'm talking about. ETA: if I were speaking to Spanish speakers, I would absolutely make the attempt. Only without the Argentinian accent that would change Carri-yo to Carri-zho

That's my issue. I could go around saying "Kikero" (the correct original pronunciation) to modern English speakers and they would have no idea to what ancient Roman orator I refer. When I say how much I adore Donovan, I want Anglophones to know of whom I speak:yes:

Wow, I agree to strongly disagree.

Again, not an example related to Johnny, but I don't see how correctly pronouncing Trennt Michaud's last name ever could be "at his expense" -- even if some/many(?) in a U.S. audience perhaps would be "expecting" a butchered mispronunciation based on the spelling.

IMO, viewers who were not previously aware of the correct pronunciation should appreciate hearing it from a commentator (I know that I as a viewer would be appreciative).
And viewers who already previously were aware would appreciate the correct pronunciation.

(BTW, none of my posts have been about someone like Michal Brezina -- who himself Americanizes the pronunciation of his name.)

(I am really hoping that someone is not going to suggest that when NBC correctly spells Michaud's first name on screen as Trennt, the only reason is to show off NBC's spelling skills.)

 

[DanseMacabre]

Wow, I agree to strongly disagree.

Again, not an example related to Johnny, but I don't see how correctly pronouncing Trennt Michaud's last name ever could be "at his expense" -- even if some/many(?) in a U.S. audience perhaps would be "expecting" a butchered mispronunciation based on the spelling.

IMO, viewers who were not previously aware of the correct pronunciation should appreciate hearing it from a commentator (I know that I as a viewer would be appreciative).
And viewers who already previously were aware would appreciate the correct pronunciation.

Very much agreed. My family name is one that many Americans struggle with and while I don't fault anyone for tripping over an unfamiliar pronunciation it very much is disrespectful to purposefully disregard or not even attempt to pronounce our names correctly. I find it honestly baffling that anyone would try to argue otherwise. Of all the things to criticize Johnny for an attempt to do justice to Russian names is such a strange choice. Even if someone fails to pronounce my family's "foreign" sounding name, the effort to do so correctly is always appreciated.

When speaking to fellow Anglophones, I could pronounce Donovan Carrillo as it's pronounced in Spanish (even trilling my r's, which given all my years in French I'm rather good at trilling my r's ), and to what end? No one would know who the heck I'm talking about. ETA: if I were speaking to Spanish speakers, I would absolutely make the attempt. Only without the Argentinian accent that would change Carri-yo to Carri-zho

You should attempt to pronounce a Spanish surname the proper way regardless of who you're speaking to. Like Donovan, most of the people in my family have first names that aren't Spanish in origin paired with Spanish surnames and it's honestly bizarre and insulting when people try to "Americanize" our name when speaking English. There's no need to add a Spanish accent to a non-Spanish first name (unless of course that's someone's personal preference) but purposefully butchering a Spanish name to make it seem more Anglicized isn't a great thing to do especially when you know how it's supposed to be pronounced.

 

[Mathman]

I remember whenever Alyssa Czisny skated and I was able to watch a Russian video, the commentators would always pronounce her name as Cheezzznee, complete with their own accent. I guess they didn't bother to find out how it's pronounced in America.

Alissa says her name is a shortened version of a "Prussian" (probably Polish) name. I have always been intrigued by it.

BTW, none of my posts have been about someone like Michal Brezina -- who himself Americanizes the pronunciation of his name.

So, is that "i" separately pronounced (Bre-ZHEE-na or BREZH-i-na) or is it some sort of diphthong with the z: BREZHna? I noticed that Terry Gannon especially has gone back to the separate "i" sound, after switching back and forth in the past.

I think one thing that makes it hard for Americans to pronounce and to understand names from other languages is that English is heavily accented. We have a compulsion to pick our favorite syllable and pounce on it. While in many languages there it might actually be several unstressed or equally stressed syllables. (I think Japanese is somewhat like that, although I do not speak or understand spoken Japanese, so I don't really know.)

 

[Harriet]

Alissa says her name is a shortened version of a "Prussian" (probably Polish) name. I have always been intrigued by it.

Prussia is a historical region in Germany; some of my ancestors came from there.

 

[WeakAnkles]

But then you are wasting all of that tasty popcorn!

Ah, but some smaller sacrifices are totally worth making to avoid larger disasters, like a brick through the monitor.

Just saying...

 

[CoyoteChris]

I'm ok with Tara and Johnny. The one who makes me crazy is Tanith. She NEVER stops talking. One of the most frustrating commentaries I've ever heard was her 2016 U.S. Nats Shibs FS commentary. She talked about the music so much that you couldn't even hear the music and went on and on about their emotional journey. As the music was building and the crowd was roaring its approval during their twizzles, mostly you just heard her talking and lost the whole emotional impact of what was going on at the competition. When they were in the K & C and the scores came up, she was STILL talking and Terry cut her off so we could hear the scores. Sheesh!

I give her some slack cause getting her to say two words in Public used to be like pulling hens teeth. I think , and this is a WAG, JMTC, and IMHO, that she is just nervous and thinks she has to produce and ends up saying too much at times.

 

[Crossover]

OK, this is an off season, so....any reserved feelings and free speech can come out. The title is hilarious to be honest. I'm generally OK with Johnny's commentary except his lost objectivity over certain skaters that he doesn't seem to like but Tara's noisy nasal voice drives me crazy sometimes regardless of what she says. She needs to clear her unstable voice up in my opinion if she wants to be seen as a professional commentator which I don't feel from her.