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Falling in love was so hard for me.
Now that I’ve found you
Life is such a dream.
Let’s keep up this masquerade we both adore
Let’s get dirty, (Let’s get dirty, dirty)
On the floor.
I’m not scared of your dirty love,
You think you know me, but I call your bluff
Better raise your game
Come on let’s make some dirty love.
(They say) Keep on doing good
Yeah, Johnny be good
This is my love song, my dirty love song.
(They tell me) Keep on doing good
Yeah, Johnny be good
This is my love song, my dirty love song.
I know it’s tough to play this filthy game
Maybe it’s just the price you pay for fame
I’ve been up and I’ve been down so make your move
You play dirty, (You’re so dirty, dirty)
So I’ve got nothing to lose
But agnyom!*
Fight, don’t stop, get your war paint on
March to the beat of my dirty love song. (Arigato)+
Fight, don’t stop, get your war paint on
March to the beat of my dirty love song.
The opening number on the final night of 'Skating With the Stars' literally left me speechless and breathless. It was barely two minutes long and skated on that tiny, tiny ice surface, but it was amazing in my eyes! I can only hope we may see this program again sometime, with additional time and choreography as well as on a larger ice surface. If this stunning program is in any way an example of what we can expect to see when Johnny finally does his own Skating Spectacular, I now have even more reason to look forward to that day! He has said he wants something different, something spectacular, something with a limited number of skaters, along with elements like Cirque de Soleil, Elton John, Lady Gaga...
The program began with Johnny in a cage. He skated as a bird who escaped his cage and Denis, Keauna and Jennifer tried to force him back into the cage. However he won't be re-confined, and we are treated to a stunning visual interpretation of his struggle to not be caged any longer. Due to the small ice surface moves such as Johnny's trademark knee slide 'zamboni' had to be shortened, as did Denis Petukhov's similar move. Johnny's beautiful 'cannonball' spin was centered and blurred; an example for aspiring skaters to aspire to! The four skaters received a spontaneous, well deserved standing ovation! If only this wonderful program could have lasted longer!
Without further input from Laurieann Gibson and Johnny Weir I can not speak to what their caged bird is a metaphor for. However, I can speak to my own interpretation of what it all meant. I saw the bird in the cage as a metaphor for how the United States Figure Skating Association and the International Skating Union have tried to put Johnny Weir in a box and force him to conform. However, he escaped from the box/cage and is now free to give us stunning visual artistic endeavours such as this performance. Even if he chooses to return to eligible competition he will never be forced into the box/cage as he once was. Johnny Weir is skating, he is creating, he is amazing, he is passionate, he is athletic, he is artistic, he is free, he is as my friend Judith says 'Nureyev on ice', and we are so lucky to have had him come into our lives!
Less than three months ago, six stars met their pro partners for the first time. Since then, we've seen our share of tension, drama, pain, and fear, including three trips to the emergency room. Judges scores, online and phone viewer votes, and even illness all pared down the battlefield to the two celebrities in the spotlight tonight. "The underdog" — Bethenny Frankel, and "The natural" — Rebecca Budig.
Tonight they were each required to re-skate a performance from earlier in the season, with the chance to step it up a notch and wow the judges with their improvement.
The previously eliminated pairs returned to the ice once more, giving us an encore of their best performances. Great to see Sean & Denis and Vince & Jennifer skating together again, and it seemed that Jonny & Brooke seriously stepped up their repeat of their week 3 love story performance (although Jonny did stumble during a difficult lift... scary stuff for a moment).
Unfortunately, Brandon Mychal Smith still wasn't well enough to skate — but he was there in the audience to enthusiastically cheering on the pairs.
Bethenny and Rebecca both skated better than they have all season. Bethenny's 28 for Artistic Impression included her first 10 of the season. But the judges couldn't have been more impressed with Rebecca, giving her perfect 30s (three 10s) for both the Technical and Artistic scores for her reprise of their performance to "Hot & Cold" from week 3.
Bethenny really proved tonight that she had the dedication to make it to the finals, and the judges and audience were proud. But when the Golden Skates trophy was awarded to the team with the highest combined judges' scores and viewer votes, Rebecca Budig & Fred Palascak were named the champions of Season One of Skating with the Stars!
Three teams enter, two teams leave. And tomorrow night, the winner is crowned.
It's the finals, and tonight weeks of hard-core rehearsing came to a head. The pairs, who at the beginning of the season could barely skate backwards, are now performing lifts and jumps and death spirals — things have gotten good.
For tonight, there were no required elements. Instead, the challenge was two-fold. First: the pairs performed in a group skate to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" — a spectacular display of each team's ice dancing skills, choreographed by Cindy Stuart and Douglas Webster. The judges conferred to give each team one score, and no score could be repeated. Rebecca & Fred earned a 9, Jonny & Brooke an 8, and Bethenny & Ethan a "very close" 7.
Next, each pair performed the "Free Skate" — with no rules to follow — and the celebrities chose the music.
Rebecca performed one of the most impressive lifts that she has done in the entire competition, and incredible "attention to detail, with the free leg turned out and her posture remaining absolutely perfect." Rebecca also performed some beautiful assisted jumps, using Fred only for balance.
Bethenny went head-to-head with Rebecca performing the same difficult lift from Rebecca's routine. Although Bethenny showed confidence, her imperfect posture and free leg may have cost her points. Bethenny did show tremendous improvement in her basic moves, which the judges have been calling out throughout the competition.
Jonny lifted Brooke into a difficult lift using good knee bend, but his timing was off. His "Olympic muscle" was able to lift her, however, and she struck a beautiful position above his head. Then, performing the first back outside death spiral we've seen in the competition, "he took on the full level of difficulty by performing a proper pivot."
It was really an impressive night of skating. And even though Jonny had solid judges' scores over these two weeks of voting, when all the viewer votes were combined with the judges' scores, Jonny Moseley was eliminated in third place.
The show recap below is partly my own, and partly information from the ABC.com 'Skating With the Stars' website. I felt they glossed over the Bethenny Frankel situation more than they should have, so I posted the response directly below on the website:
****
My Response:
It's too bad Brandon had to leave like that; but if he is too ill to continue, there isn't much that can be done about it. We'll miss him!
I think Johnny Weir was right to call Bethenny Frankel out the way he did. A lot of fans don't know about all her behavior. Not only did she say 'F+uck Johnny Weir' during her Week 2 segment, she also said flat out in an interview he wanted to be a woman (this from a woman who hosted a GLAADevent which Weir attended), and last week she verbally abused him backstage after the show. There were witnesses. She has not taken any criticism or suggestions from the judges seriously at all, and when she was called on it her reaction was to say she doesn't care what the judges think, and to suggest she would put a skate blade up the judges' butts, and she would like to slap Laurieann aside the face, and so on. And a segment of her fandom has been even worse; hurling gay slurs at Weir, attacking him verbally, calling him names, attacking his fans and so on. They've been mean to Laurieann and Dick as well, but nothing like the attacks on Weir; though this week I saw some very mean things said about Dick Button on Facebook. Given Bethenny's deplorable attitude she is lucky she isn't being graded on that attitude, because if she were, every score would be a minus ten. Based on what he has endured from her and her fans, Weir is restraining himself.
And I despise how ABC is milking this. They mention what Weir said, and gloss over what Bethenny has said, and complete forget to mention her slurs against him. Shame on ABC for allowing this to continue the way they have. She is lucky she didn't get booted off last week for confronting Weir, which is against the show's rules!
****
Former United States pairs champion and world medalist (with Kyoko Ina) and U.S. bronze medalist (with Stephanie Stiegler) John Zimmerman appeared in this episode to assist the skaters and celebrities with learning their pairs moves. In 2006 John appeared on the hit FOX show 'Skating with Celebrities', partnering television host Jillian Barberie to a second-place finish. Zimmerman also joined the cast of Russia's version of Skating With the Stars.
You thought last week was thrilling, with multiple trips to the hospital and blood on the ice? Now get ready for "Thrill Week!" This week our stars had to further temp fate by performing some difficult and dangerous moves: lifts, throws, and the morbidly-named "death spiral."
Unfortunately, Brandon Mychal Smith didn't perform tonight. His illness, a debilitating stomach virus that has kept him very weak, has made it impossible for Brandon to rehears and perform, and because of this he has been eliminated from competition.
Brandon appeared on the show tonight to share his regrets, and it's clear that he and his partner Keauna McLaughlin are heartbroken about not being able to move forward in the competition.
Because of this unexpected twist, no teams were eliminated tonight. The vote opened as usual, however, and the viewer votes from last week and tonight will be combined with the judges' votes from tonight and next week to determine who gets eliminated next week and makes it to the finals.
Required Elements:
Each week, there will be precise figure skating rules the Stars must follow. Throughout the competition, they'll need to perform specific "Required Elements" in their routine. This week, stars had to perform two of the following three stunts — some of the most thrilling moves in figure skating:
Required Element: The death spiral. The female is spun around by her partner using only one arm, her head barely inches from the ice. It's a feat of precision, tension, and balance for both partners.
Required Element: The throw. The man must lift and propel his partner while speeding along the ice, and she has only one razor-sharp blade to rely on for a safe landing.
Required Element: The overhead lift. A breathtaking show of strength by both partners. For the woman, it's all about core strength, poise and balance. For the man, explosive lifting power and stability on the ice.
Tonight's performances were exemplary. Jonny & Brooke held onto first place in the judges' scores with a solid performance earning all 9s in technique and artistry. Brooke was particularly worried about the lift in this routine — Jonny had dropped her in rehearsal, shaking her nerves for what could be a very dangerous move. But they nailed it.
Rebecca Budig continued to demonstrate grace and skill on the ice with partner Fred Palascak. The judges wanted to see more individual presence from her out there, and Dick Button almost gave her extra points for her butt. (Do they score that way in the Olympics, Dick?)
But the drama on the ice tonight was between Bethenny Frankel and judge Johnny Weir. Last week, Bethenny was fed up with the judges' criticism and critiques and suggestions, and said she doesn't care what the judges think. (She just cares about what the fans and viewers think!) And that hit a nerve with Johnny: "To me it's very clear, you don't care what we think, and I don't really care to watch you actually perform anymore because you aren't listening to our critiques."
In the end, Bethenny thinks the whole thing is about having a good time:
"This is so much fun! I man, I'm wearing a sequined costume! It's supposed to be fun - it's ice skating! We're having the best time, it's all kind of idiotic, isn't it? ... I rocked out. I feel it, I know it, I give it all."
At the end of the show, Keauna McLaughlin was joined by Denis Petukhov to perform the routine she would have done with Brandon tonight.
The Scores:
Bethenny & Ethan's routine included a forward inside death spiral and a Detroiter lift
Rebecca & Fred's routine included some impressive overhead lifts and a death spiral
Technique: 26 points (9/8/9)
Artistic Impression: 27 (9/9/9)
Total: 53 points
Music for Week Four
Pair Song Artist
Pro Opening Number Baby It's Cold Outside Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews
Bethenny & Ethan Superstition Stevie Wonder
Jonny & Brooke Take On Me A-Ha
Rebecca & Fred December '63 (Oh What A Night) The Four Seasons
Keauna & Denis Stronger Kanye West
Plixi pic of Johnny Weir posted by Eric Altomare (Caption: Here he is. Our lovely boy..@JohnnyGWeir). Eric had previously tweeted fans Johnny would have blue hair extensions and that he would be sending pictures.
At after three am local time on Friday December 10, Johnny Weir sent a Tweet indicating he had slept only an hour due to insomnia and was facing another media blitz. He also indicated he was due at a local Fox Station at 5:45 am. Approximately an hour later he sent another Tweet indicating fans should tune into ABC 7 Detroit to watch him. Two hours after the ABC 7 tweet he sent yet another Tweet; this time indicating he was in the Green Room at FOX 2 Detroit and fans should get ready for more morning madness! Seven hours after the FOX 2 tweet Johnny sent his most recent Tweet, indicating he was heading to the Flint, Michigan ABC station and then to the first stage rehearsal of 'Dirty Love'! Our poor, exhausted Johnny Weir! Hopefully he got enough rest Friday night to be rested before the show Saturday at Perani Arena in Flint, Michigan!
(Okay, there is something really odd and flukey going on here... I had the WXYZ video directly below this one, and for some reason that video also became embedded above in the FOX 2 video spot. So I deleted both videos and re-embedded them separately. This time the FOX 2 video appeared in both places. Thinking I had somehow mixed up the links, I deleted the WXYZ video and moved it to the bottom of the Blog underneath the Detroit Free Press article, hoping that separating them would fix whatever oddball thing was occurring. No such luck! As soon as I embedded that video it also showed up in the FOX 2 spot. Therefore I have decided to stop messing with both of them. To watch the FOX 2 video please follow the link above or here (Johnny Weir's Holiday Dreams on Ice (Article and WJBK Fox 2 Detroit video); and to watch the WXYZ video, follow the link or the embedded video at the bottom of the Blog! Sorry for the mix up, but I can NOT seem to fix it! I also decided to quickly create a separate Blog Johnny Weir's Flint, Michigan Media Blitz (Part 2) just for the FOX 2 video, so whatever weirdness was occurring with the links would not happen. So you may also click over to that Blog to watch the FOX interview.
There was, once again, a lot of off stage drama associated with Week Three of 'Skating With the Stars'. I decided prior to the show I would not dignify the haters with more attention for their hate Tweets and posts to Johnny Weir. When I heard about and read a few things being said Sunday afternoon I was tempted to change my mind; however I held fast to my determination to not give these less then exemplary examples of human beings any more of a forum than they already had. My disappointment was heightened when Bethenny's partner Ethan Burgess retweeted a Tweet regarding Bethenny's feelings about the judging. I felt, and still feel, he should know better, just as he should know what it is about her skating that is drawing the scores she is getting from the judges.
My determination was sorely tested again Monday evening when we heard even more, not only from a segment of Bethenny Frankel's fandom, but from Bethenny herself, and from others who had observed less than stellar behavior from her backstage at the show. I have a friend (and links to her Blogs are provided below) who handles this sort of thing much better than I do, because she does it with a sense of humor I do not always show when I am irritated about something. I will leave the subject here with this wonderful Tweet sent by Johnny Weir at around 11:25 pm EST Tuesday, December 7, 2010:
Skating turned serious this week with some nailbiting injuries.
The pairs this week each had to perform a particular love story for their Artistic Impression score.
Each week, there will be precise figure skating rules the Stars must follow. Throughout the competition, they'll need to perform specific "Required Elements" in their routine. This week there was a tough one:
Required Element: The jump. The stars are required to leap off the ice and land on one foot. The judges looked for height, distance, and level of difficulty.
We knew things weren't good from the beginning of the episode, when Keauna McLaughlin skated onto the ice by herself during the opening introductions. Her partner, Brandon Mychal Smith, had taken ill earlier in the day. In fact, when Keauna showed up at the studio, she saw Brandon on a stretcher being put into an ambulance by paramedics. A shaken Keauna, along with the rest of us, hoped that Brandon would be better and could return to compete in tonight's show, but that didn't happen. We all hope that Brandon gets well soon.
According to the rules, Brandon & Keauna were scored based on video of their last complete rehearsal, which was taken on Sunday.
Brooke Castile was at the hospital earlier today as well. During rehearsal, her partner Jonny Moseley accidentally tripped her, and inadvertently "bladed" her — cutting her finger with the tip of his blade. The cut was deep — to the bone, and, according to Jonny, it was quite bloody. Brooke received stitches and a finger splint at the hospital, and performed with her bandaged hand, still in pain. Jonny himself fell quite a few times during rehearsal throughout the week, some pretty painful, and in fact had never completed their performance without a fall at any time during rehearsal.
Over the weekend, Rebecca Budig went to the emergency room after a fall from a difficult lift with partner Fred Palascak. She landed hard on her wrist, which hurt and swelled. Luckily it turned out not to be broken.
And Vince Neil had a fall earlier in the week of rehearsal, injuring his back. He spent a few grueling days working through it.
Luckily, no one got hurt during tonight's competition, and there were some impressive performances and improvements throughout.
But after the judges' scores were combined with last week's viewers' votes, rocker Vince Neil was eliminated.
The Scores:
Rebecca & Fred skated a love story about "Tumultuous Love"
