Johnny in NYMag

[azskatefan]

I appreciate the artistic vision of the pictures but much of the other stuff just creates a mostly bad image of Johnny and his agent. Hope he makes enough money for the both of them. I'm glad Johnny is himself but I'm not sure all of anyone needs to be public.

[Carolla5501]

Johnny's "agent" may turn out to be his costliest error ever. He needs a professional to help him leverage his 15 minutes and he has..... well words fail me, but professional isn't in the description IMHO!

It's the agent's job to polish the image, not let it slide into the gutter. What was she thinking with that scene they decribe in her apartment... "It's all about ME"?????? SHEESH!

[REO]

I'm in serious doubt that Johnny's agent asked to have her clothing described as tatty and her decor as put up with a bedazzler and hot glue gun. Nor do I think the makeup man, or whoever it was, wanted himself described as having his stomach straining at his t shirt. That is on Larocca and I those remarks were cheap shots. She was derisive about his friends and their nicknames (although Paris came off unscathed! lol) They invited her into a gathering of friends and she was rude in her article. That's what Patti and Johnny are miffed about.

[portia]

I actually subscribe to NY Mag, and have enjoyed reading Amy's profiles in recent years. I don't find JW's profile to be badly written or even unfair. As a skating fan who is fairly neutral on JW, my impression is that Johnny's personality either grates on certain people or makes them love him even more. I happen to like his skating fine, but IMO he was never the consummate artistic skater of all time that his ubers make him out to be, he's not even the most artistic skater of his competitive years (give or take last decade or so).

JW is an interesting person and recently his public persona has been overshadowing his skating accomplishments. More power to him if his intent is to pursue a career as a pop culture personality, something akin to a RuPaul. I'd say he has every right to parlay his 15 minutes into whatever public role he's aiming for, but he and his fans have to realize that celebrities should expect both good and bad that comes with fame. That is, they can be fawned over as much as criticized; it's the nature of the fame game in our culture today. You can't be thin skinned if you wish to be a public figure. What I don't understand is how some ubers attack every critique/ opinion, however mild or justified, as personal affronts or worse, as indications of said critics' discriminatory bias.

Yes, a knowledge of high-end designer labels alone does not translate into applicable skills. If one wants to make fashion into a career, one has to study it instead of consuming it. I studied fashion design at Pratt Institute after graduating from high school. I stopped short of graduating but spent enough time around the industry to realize it wasn't for me. People see the glitzy aspect of being a fashion designer without knowing how much effort and technical knowledge it takes to succeed. Fashion designer is one of those dream careers like actor or singer that many people aspire to have. They don't know about the ugly side nor the many years spent toiling in obscurity earning low salaries as assistant designer or pattern cutter.

I can see how some people can read his utterance that he doesn't have any marketable 9-5 skills as being condescending. Most people in fashion do work 9-5 jobs, contrary to popular belief. JW is gonna be OTT and dramatic, so let's not analyze his quotes like they're the equivalent to Hegel or Sartre.

My impression from what I've read about Johnny's aspirations of being a designer is that he's somewhat naive about the industry as a whole. Not only does one need financial backers to start but it's a constant struggle to keep finances in the black season after season. Fashion is a business more than art, with elements of ridiculous and superficiality thrown in. While there are exceptions, profitable celeb clothing lines are not high fashion at all. They are lines sold in chains like Walmart or Kohls. Johnny talks about possible collaboration with QVC, so that's closer to the typical celeb clothing line. He'd probably do better as a stylist than a designer; a stylist doesn't have to possess technical knowledge about fashion other than be crazy about it and possess a distinct and yet wearable POV.

[Wyliefan]

To invite a reporter into a gathering of friends does not bind her to say only flattering things about them.

[kwanfan1818]

Nor do I think the makeup man, or whoever it was, wanted himself described as having his stomach straining at his t shirt.

From the article,

Alt, who is a burly guy often seen tending Danielle Staub’s extensions on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. “I only let bears do my beauty,” Weir says. “I like beauty bears.”

[Carolla5501]

I'm in serious doubt that Johnny's agent asked to have her clothing described as tatty and her decor as put up with a bedazzler and hot glue gun. Nor do I think the makeup man, or whoever it was, wanted himself described as having his stomach straining at his t shirt. That is on Larocca and I those remarks were cheap shots. She was derisive about his friends and their nicknames (although Paris came off unscathed! lol) They invited her into a gathering of friends and she was rude in her article. That's what Patti and Johnny are miffed about.

What were they thinking is precisely my point! Did they really think this was going to look great.

This agent seems to spend a lot of time putting herself in the spotlight and putting or allowing Johnny to be put in situations that are not becoming... there were several scenes in the TV show that just had me going .... It's her job to "polish" the image not show off her friends/apartment. I am truly scared that this is not her only skating client.... but it's telling that the others seem not to be willing to appear on TV with her or have interviews in her apartment!

If you are an AGENT it's your job to look at the situation and see what "negatives" could be there too. she seems clueless about that!

[Prancer]

To invite a reporter into a gathering of friends does not bind her to say only flattering things about them.

Yup. A profile piece is not an objective report; when you allow yourself to be the subject of a profile, you are going to get the reporter's interpretation of you and what you do, for better or worse. Profiles rely heavily on description as a way of setting scene and defining character. The point is not to be flattering or noncontroversial, but to describe things in a brief but pointed way that captures the essence. Good profile writers do not attempt to flatter their subjects, but rather to present insightful and fair (meaning presenting both positive and negative) images of their subjects.

What were they thinking is precisely my point! Did they really think this was going to look great.

Probably. To me, it sounds like they were having a good time. They probably find one another fun and charming and playful, and thus they would naturally expect others to do so as well.

[Lexxandra]

Outtakes from NY Mag photo shoot

[kwanfan1818]

Outtakes from NY Mag photo shoot

Great photos -- thanks!

[Prancer]

Love the leather coat.

[REO]

I agree up to a point. She certainly didn't have to flatter them or suck up. I just thought she was mean spirited to people who were only bystanders and not the subject of her piece. She wasn't nasty to Johnny himself although she did get a few things wrong or out of context but that's pretty usual.

Thanks for the pix Lexxandra! Some of them were really nice.

[BittyBug]

This agent seems to spend a lot of time putting herself in the spotlight.....

It certainly seems that way.

Outtakes from NY Mag photo shoot

Nice work. Sort of a gender-bender James Dean - the look suits him.

[DickButtonFan]

Those are really nice photos, especially the last one.

[kittyjake5]

Loved the photos. I want that gold sequined blouse.

[igniculus]

He needs a professional to help him leverage his 15 minutes and he has.....

ITA. Let's face it, lots of parts in the article portrayed Johnny as a really shallow person, something that is not flattering at all. I can see Patti was pissed.

To invite a reporter into a gathering of friends does not bind her to say only flattering things about them.

ITA. As a matter of fact, it makes the article a lot more objective than the usual "oh he is so sweet he farts glitter" kind of gushy ones.

If you are an AGENT it's your job to look at the situation and see what "negatives" could be there too. she seems clueless about that!

Eys! An agent's job is to stay in the background and make the way to success clear for the client. Not to step into the same spotlight and trying to steal the attention. It's stupid and unprofessional, no matter how highly Johnny thinks of her.

Outtakes from NY Mag photo shoot

Love the leather coat.

Me too.

Still don't see the point of him putting on heels. The picture could have done better without it.

[azskatefan]

Most agents and celebrities would know better than to invite a journalist they don't know into their home. It's unfortunate she did not have better things to say but some of the responsibility is on Johnny/Tara. If you don't want that in the story, you invite the journalist to meet you at the event. Or to the rink. Or to lunch. Not into the apartment. Nice to see an elite athlete smoking, BTW.

[nylynnr]

The New York Mag article is now spanning yet another series of interviews and articles, like the one in New York Daily News quoted above. Johnny was sixth at the Olympics and didn't win a world title; yet, he's the name on many people's lips, including people who don't follow skating. And that means for the kind of celebrity he's looking for, which doesn't involve the traditional figure skater route of COI/SOI tours, he and his agent are doing some things right. With all of the social media outlets that have sprung up, and with a reality TV culture that puts Kardashian sisters on virtually every celebrity magazine cover out there, I'd say all bets are off on what is the right way to leverage fame's 15 minutes. Weir is in uncharted territory. If articles like the one in New York didn't appear, his time in the spotlight may have already been over. Who knows?

[sunny_sari]

The New York Mag article is now spanning yet another series of interviews and articles, like the one in New York Daily News quoted above. Johnny was sixth at the Olympics and didn't win a world title; yet, he's the name on many people's lips, including people who don't follow skating. And that means for the kind of celebrity he's looking for, which doesn't involve the traditional figure skater route of COI/SOI tours, he and his agent are doing some things right. With all of the social media outlets that have sprung up, and with a reality TV culture that puts Kardashian sisters on virtually every celebrity magazine cover out there, I'd say all bets are off on what is the right way to leverage fame's 15 minutes. Weir is in uncharted territory. If articles like the one in New York didn't appear, his time in the spotlight may have already been over. Who knows?

I agree with a lot of what you said. This is a very unique circumstance and we haven't had a "celebrity" like Johnny in.... ever and the fact that he's coming from the skating world which if course didn't know what to do with him (and still doesn't) either. While I didn't love the article I did at least think the author got that part right: she captured the "everything's up in the air" feelings about his fame and impact right now and basically nobody knows what will happen and which will it will go. One thing we are sure of is that he's fascinating and there's potential there.

I hear a lot of people badmouth Tara and I can understand what frustrates people about her. However when you think about what he's accomplished since the Olympics and the things he's done/doing you really have to think they're doing something right. He's becoming a household name now. He's a regular on PerezHilton, shows up in monologues on late-night programs, and gets random mentions in pop-culture mag articles. People talk about Tara needed to see what should/shouldn't be put out there about her client and she needs to "polish" him but I'm just not sure that would work in Johnny's case. It's BECAUSE Johnny is Johnny just the way he is that people are so interested in him. If he wasn't this way he'd be like everyone else and fade into obscurity just as quickly. I'm not really sure the general public wants to see a "polished" Johnny. Of course things he says/does may hurt him or may just lead the path to even greater things. We'll just have to wait and see. At least he can take comfort in the fact that it will be a fate of his own design and he'll have nobody else's constructs to blame or credit.

[Bemused101]

Kwanfan said: If he's going to be sensitive that people don't think highly of Modlin based on what she says and the way she presents herself -- and there's extensive footage on his show and manleywoman's skatecast, not just a "NY Magazine" article -- he's going to spend a lot of time being pissed off.

I agree fully. If he thinks this article is not flattering, how is he going to handle a negative book review?

I was really surprised to read on FB that a number of fans didn't like the article. I know there were factual errors, but thought the piece was very flattering overall, and fun, too. People started jumping all over the author, attacking and name-calling--I thought it was so strange. Then the Daily News comments came out, and I was even more surprised to see Johnny complaining. Why in heaven's name he thinks that this article "attacked" his friends is beyond me. This is one of the best pieces of non-skating-world written publicity that he's received; you think he'd be happy.

To me, this kind of feeds into the "everyone's picking on me" attitude that he often conveys.