Tonichelle, I just loved your post!! It does seem that some would like the straight skaters to be in a closet...
Johnny's Reaction in the K&C
- Thread starter Dee4707
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Tonichelle, I just loved your post!! It does seem that some would like the straight skaters to be in a closet...
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- Jun 21, 2003
How could we kick off the winner of the U.S. Nationals Prediction Contest? You obviously rock.... if it gets me kicked off the board..well it's been a nice but brief posting career here.
Thanks for that Sally
Yes, I sure hope he can take it to Worlds too. It'd be great if he could rise above all the negativity and disappointment of the last year and show just how good he can be !
How could we kick off the winner of the U.S. Nationals Prediction Contest? You obviously rock.
I won??? I had no idea.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
This article doesn't say anything new, but it puts things together. OK - maybe part about metal detectors for Johnny alone is new ... could that be true?
It adds up to a lot of pressure for a not very thick-skinned young man.
http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=808&Itemid=35
It adds up to a lot of pressure for a not very thick-skinned young man.
http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=808&Itemid=35
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- Jun 27, 2003
discoduck - your honesty is appreciated... some people can see a bigger picture and don't seem to dwell in the 'drama of television'
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- Jun 21, 2003
We have to take things we read on the Internet with a grain of salt. Nicholas Benton and his "Falls Church On-line Newspaper" has been beating the "USFS hates Johnny" drum all year. Mr. Benton is entitled to his opinions and his agenda, of course. Others may disagree.This article doesn't say anything new, but it puts things together. OK - maybe part about metal detectors for Johnny alone is new ... could that be true?
It adds up to a lot of pressure for a not very thick-skinned young man.
http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=808&Itemid=35
(I will say, though, that I once wrote an angry letter to Mr. Benton (you can click on "contact us" on his site) and he responded quite cordially and not in kind, which made me feel like an idiot for my rant, LOL.)
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- Dec 29, 2004
We have to take things we read on the Internet with a grain of salt. Nicholas Benton and his "Falls Church On-line Newspaper" has been beating the "USFS hates Johnny" drum all year. Mr. Benton is entitled to his opinions and his agenda, of course. Others may disagree.
(I will say, though, that I once wrote an angry letter to Mr. Benton (you can click on "contact us" on his site) and he responded quite cordially and not in kind, which made me feel like an idiot for my rant, LOL.)
Don't you hate that??
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- Mar 14, 2006
You're right about the grain of salt, MM, but how many skaters can you name who are constantly being pressured from both sides (gay and straight) about their sexuality? If Benton is right about the "vicious" parody of Johnny in the new Will Ferrell film - and if you've seen the trailer, there's no doubt about the parody of Johnny part - it's going to get even worse.
People say Johnny brings it on himself, but what if he's just (1) being himself, (2) doing what he can to profit from his limited and probably brief fame as a top skater (he wasn't born rich and doesn't even have a college degree), and (3) 22 years old and still growing up?
It's hard to imagine him NOT being confused and hurt by the mix of acclaim and notoriety that he attracts. IMO the toughness he assumes is very superficial.
People say Johnny brings it on himself, but what if he's just (1) being himself, (2) doing what he can to profit from his limited and probably brief fame as a top skater (he wasn't born rich and doesn't even have a college degree), and (3) 22 years old and still growing up?
It's hard to imagine him NOT being confused and hurt by the mix of acclaim and notoriety that he attracts. IMO the toughness he assumes is very superficial.
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- Jul 11, 2003
It's a question of salvation, whatever that is? It's not about figure skating. 
Joe
Joe
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- Feb 5, 2004
I would seriously doubt the parody is "vicious". Doesn't Johnny have a cameo in this film? He ould surely not have done that if he felt it was harsh.
Ant
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- Mar 14, 2006
Joe, what do you mean by this and the "soul-saving" point in the ESPN thread? Not really caring about skating I understand (even if it may not be true ... I mean the guy did take his family to a show) but why salvation?It's a question of salvation, whatever that is? It's not about figure skating.
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- Jun 27, 2003
it probably has to do something with the title of the blog with the 'Falls Church' in the title...
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- Mar 14, 2006
:scratch: Falls Church is a town in VA....
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- Dec 28, 2003
walk a mile in those shoes
MUCH easier said than done, BravesSkateFan, when you are walking a mile in those shoes, and when many times you can confirm that the prejudice/racism is STILL actually happening, making it harder to take off that headset on the occasions when it's not about the prejudice/racism. I felt strongly about this because of my personal experience as a Black Cuban woman in a racist White Cuban community in the midst of a predominantly White USA, and although this discussion is 8 or so pages old, I felt I had to weigh in.
And thank you for that wonderfu story, Mathman - I hope all is well with you!
Sarah M.
MUCH easier said than done, BravesSkateFan, when you are walking a mile in those shoes, and when many times you can confirm that the prejudice/racism is STILL actually happening, making it harder to take off that headset on the occasions when it's not about the prejudice/racism. I felt strongly about this because of my personal experience as a Black Cuban woman in a racist White Cuban community in the midst of a predominantly White USA, and although this discussion is 8 or so pages old, I felt I had to weigh in.
And thank you for that wonderfu story, Mathman - I hope all is well with you!
Sarah M.
I don't think he has a cameo. But he is aware of the parody and seems okay with it. Of course, he hasn't seen it yet.
Since the "Johnny" character is one of the heroes (for lack of a better word) of the movie, I'm guessing that he'll have at least some redeeming qualities so that the audience will be rooting for him and his partner to succeed. In the trailer, I think the macho skater actually came off as more of a doofus, lol.
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- Jun 27, 2003
I know, but when I first read the title I didn't make the connection, so that's why I was guessing that's how the salvation comment made it in here...
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- Mar 14, 2006
On his website, when a fan asks if he'd like to try movie-acting, he replies: " I am being parodied in the new movie, "Blades of Glory" so I'm kind of in a movie!"
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- Jun 21, 2003
Doing just fine, Sarah M. I've got Samba Rhumba on right now.
Falls Church, Virginia, is a small suburb of Washington, D.C. Mr. Benton is a legitimate journalist whose on-line newspaper mostly caters to local news, like coverage of city council meetings, zoning ordinances and the like. His features on Johnny Weir and other topics appear on the editorial page.
Like op-ed pieces often do, I think this one exagerates the vastness and perfidy of the conspiracy that is laboring so mightily to bring Johnny down. I doubt, for instance, that the reason the L.A. Lakers arena has metal detectors is because of death threats directed at Johnny at the time of the Olympics. (I always have to go through security here in Detroit when COI or SOI plays the Joe Louis Arena or the Palace of Auburn Hills -- at least, ever since the Nancy-Tonya incident at Cobo Hall, LOL.)
By the way, the church itself that the town is named after (George Washington was once a Deacon there), was in the news last year. The congregation voted to withdraw from the Espiscopal Church in protest over the ordination of an openly gay priest as Bishop of New hampshire. :frown2:
PS. If you want to read what's going on now with the church, from Spun Silver's link (post 105) you can click on "Front Page" (pdf file). Evidently the Episcopal Church has taken the congregation to court to prevent them from leaving the fold.
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I really don't think Evan was responding to Johnny or sending vibes his way or whatever. I think the shots were completely separate, and ESPN juxtaposed them to show ... everybody groan together, now ... the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. TV is all about visuals and (melo)drama.
The big eye roller for me was the comparison of Evan-Johnny to Frazier-Ali. Granted, I'm old enough to remember Frazier and Ali. But so is Dick Button. He shoulda known better.
Mathman -- I think the argument is legally limited to the real estate. People always have a right to walk, but the way the Episcopal Church is structured, individual parishes don't own the property (in part because most didn't pay for it without diocesan assistance). This situation has arisen in many dioceses, including my own, and the diocese generally wins. But the legal standing of Falls Church parish could be different because the diocese there dates back to the colonial Church of England days.
Susan (who wishes her co-religionists on both sides would treat gay and lesbian Episcopalians as people instead of issues)
The big eye roller for me was the comparison of Evan-Johnny to Frazier-Ali. Granted, I'm old enough to remember Frazier and Ali. But so is Dick Button. He shoulda known better.
Mathman -- I think the argument is legally limited to the real estate. People always have a right to walk, but the way the Episcopal Church is structured, individual parishes don't own the property (in part because most didn't pay for it without diocesan assistance). This situation has arisen in many dioceses, including my own, and the diocese generally wins. But the legal standing of Falls Church parish could be different because the diocese there dates back to the colonial Church of England days.
Susan (who wishes her co-religionists on both sides would treat gay and lesbian Episcopalians as people instead of issues)
