- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
If Scott thinks Weir is popular in the US, he'd make an effort to hire Johnny for his tour.
When will Johnny be in Stars on Ice?
- Thread starter Spun Silver
- Start date
If Scott thinks Weir is popular in the US, he'd make an effort to hire Johnny for his tour.
Maybe. Hamilton really seems to not like the guy and it’s not at all hard to believe that personal animus could trump box office in this instance.
Weir is arguably the best known skater currently active in competition in the U.S. and his fan base is devoted even by figure skating standards. I doubt he would drive people away from the show and he would most likely be a considerable help.
I doubt it's this. SOI hired Alexei Yagudin after he was outright kicked off of COI by Tom Collins. I'm not going to go into the many rumors about what caused Tom Collins to fire Yagudin, but Collins has been around a long time and seen an awful lot, and I don't remember anyone ever getting kicked off COI like that. Johnny's Johnny, but I've never heard anything about him that's even remotely like what is alleged to have occurred with Yagudin, and SOI still hired him.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
No, that wouldn't be hard to believe at all. I'm just going with the more charitable explanation because: A) I don't have any actual dirt on any hostility between Hamilton and Weir. B) In between winking jokes and nervous giggling about Weir, Scott seems to have some nice things to say about him. Well, do you have any dirt on Scott and Johnny? If so, please, don't hold back!
Toller Cranston and Rob McCall were both in the closet during their SOI days. McCall stayed in the closet until he died, and Cranston only came out of the closet a few years ago, I think. Orser only came out when he was forced out about ten years ago, and didn't skate for very long afterwards.
If you think about it, SOI is really cast kind of like a soap opera. Soap operas usually cast along certain lines (heroine, leading man, ingenue, juvenile, matriarch, villain, etc.), and for all the behind the scenes drama, they usually stick pretty close to it.
SOI seems really like certain storylines for their skaters, and some of their most popular ones over the years have been:
America's sweetheart (Kristi Yamaguchi)
All-American boy (Paul Wylie, Todd Eldredge, Michael Weiss, etc.)
Pairs Skaters who are So In Love With Each Other (Gordeeva and Grinkov, Meno and Sand)
Senior Lady (Rosalyn Sumner, Katarina Witt)
Workhorse Pair (Bechke & Petrov, Ina and Zimmerman)
Guy Who Plays Golf With Scott (Steven Cousins)
I don't think Johnny fits into any of SOI's pre-scripted storylines, and there's no other ready-made hook for him.
Also as far as IMG is concerned, if Hamilton and IMG wanted it to happen, it would happen. Shep Goldberg has been Michelle Kwan's agent forever, and is not IMG, but do you think that if Kwan had the slightest interest in SOI, it would be any issue whatsoever? Scott Hamilton has been falling all over himself to get her to tour with SOI for over a decade. I don't remember Torvill and Dean being represented by IMG, but they toured with SOI for years as well.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
If Scott were a PT Barnum, ie genius entrepreneur, he'd have Johnny out there doing Gaga until they both really are gaga.
I really wish he would rethink SOI and redevelop it for adults, or even teenagers. Nothing against Jen Robinson but her dopey monologues and dialogues, not to mention every time any of the other skaters talk, make me want to scream. And what Scott did to Shen & Zhao a year or two ago (fright wigs) was a crime. All the present skaters (plus the new ones they've announced, and Johnny) are fine by me, but let them do what they do best.
I really wish he would rethink SOI and redevelop it for adults, or even teenagers. Nothing against Jen Robinson but her dopey monologues and dialogues, not to mention every time any of the other skaters talk, make me want to scream. And what Scott did to Shen & Zhao a year or two ago (fright wigs) was a crime. All the present skaters (plus the new ones they've announced, and Johnny) are fine by me, but let them do what they do best.
Yes, but SOI hired Yagudin after he became the 2002 Olympic gold medalist. His bad behaviour with COI happened in summer 1999. Weir may be popular, but he has no current titles and he has a very big mouth. If I were the SOI hiring person, I would never hire him, because one never knows what embarrassing things about other persons comes out of his mouth (or pen, his website). Just remembering what he said on National tv about his roommates in US Nationals a year or two ago...
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
I think that's the real reason SOI has gone 'down hill' in the quality of programs... there's no reason to go all out like before because, let's face it, they're litterally he only show out there. Johnny needs to take a note from Scott's book - if the tours that be won't have him, he could create his own. the US needs more than one tour anyway.
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
If you are talking about what he said in the "Truth Booth" that was just a joke, he didn't even refer to anyone specifically, he just said something like, "What am I supposed to do, say who is sleeping with whom or tell on my roommates?" That's probably not close to his exact words but it was clearly just a joke referring to shows like the Mole where's there's no pretense the show is about anything but watching people stir up catfights and trouble.
Or did you mean some other incident entirely?
I think Johnny's a true class act, so many of his so-called outrageous comments are just witty but really not-particularly-biting pointed commentaries. The NPR article got it right, Johnny's like a current-day Oscar Wilde of sorts. Droll and witty and devoted to art but not ever to the point of being mean-spirited or misanthropic -- quite the contrary, wanting to reach out to others with his art and give them something meaningful. I for one WOULD go to SOI to see Johnny, I'd go out of my way to see him by many hours if necessary, but I really think Scott dislikes him, or at least his skating, in some personal way -- judging from Scott's virtual inability to say anything nice about Johnny and only squeaking out minimal and begrudging praise. I don't think Scott would ever choose to hire Johnny, but that's just a guess.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
Creating a tour would be hugely expensive. I've seen nothing to indicate that Johnny has that kind of money. Besides, Scott would be on the warpath against any upstart.
SOI has been dwindling. It makes a lot more sense for it to hire the biggest draw (? my guess, anyway) in US skating.
SOI has been dwindling. It makes a lot more sense for it to hire the biggest draw (? my guess, anyway) in US skating.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2008
That was a reference to "The Real World" which frequently had contestants enter a confessional and they basically said who was sleeping with who or fighting or whatever. Pop culture reference and not something about his life
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
Yes, what ballerynna said! I couldn't remember which of the many "reality" shows he was spoofing but I knew it was one of them.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
If he skated to Otanal and My Way sure. But the kids and the over 65 crowd that frequent these shows do not appreciate Gaga or whatever outragous music/ costume he will pull out next.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
K.O.I.?
(Why can't I write capital letters? They convert to lower case.)
(Why can't I write capital letters? They convert to lower case.)
- Joined
- May 15, 2009
Perhaps the reason Johnny's not on SOI is because of money issues. Johnny wants top SOI dollar and they want to pay him a lot less. They can't find middle ground. Johnny can find other ways to make money and SOI gets easier people to manage. The fans lose out.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
I think Weir has enough fans in Asia and maybe Europe he doesn't need SOI which probably doesn't want him for many reasons, the chief two being a) his management b) his ..... demeanour which glorifies everything Scott Hamilton has fought against in male figure skating for .... how many years now?
