"Tara and Johnny" lifestyle podcast for NBC

[CoolGuy]

One thing that was interesting was Johnny's statement of Kwan being "a little judgmental" of his "life choices." Johnny also said that he is "team Lipinski now" but used to be "team both of you;" however, I distinctly remember Johnny, in a Q&A session, saying Kwan should've won Nagano over Lipinski (seems "team both of you" is just a very delicate way of saying "team Kwan").

 

[VGThuy]

How long ago was that Q&A session I wonder? About ten years ago I remember reading Johnny saying Kwan yelled at him for refusing to go to a White House event for Olympians that George W. Bush was hosting. That was about the time Kwan was getting cosy to the Bush administration and dating the son of that really extreme right-wing Christian millionaire. As a self-proclaimed hardcore leftwing person, it honestly wasn't the best time to be a Kwan fan honestly. However, that said, even I found myself pretty judgmental about Johnny during that time because he was doing some "outlandish things" (like stuff that I now would not even shrug my shoulders over and wonder why I thought it was such a big deal back then), so basically he challenged my sensibilities at the time.

Anyway, it's nice to hear Tara speak so kindly about Kwan.

 

[CoolGuy]

How long ago was that Q&A session I wonder? About ten years ago I remember reading Johnny saying Kwan yelled at him for refusing to go to a White House event for Olympians that George W. Bush was hosting. That was about the time Kwan was getting cosy to the Bush administration and dating the son of that really extreme right-wing Christian millionaire. As a self-proclaimed hardcore leftwing person, it honestly wasn't the best time to be a Kwan fan honestly. However, that said, even I found myself pretty judgmental about Johnny during that time because he was doing some "outlandish things" (like stuff that I now would not even shrug my shoulders over and wonder why I thought it was such a big deal back then), so basically he challenged my sensibilities at the time.

Anyway, it's nice to hear Tara speak so kindly about Kwan.

The Q&A session that I'm thinking of was back when he was still competing; I would say it was easily 10 years ago (although, everything in figure skating seems like it was only yesterday for me).

 

[aftershocks]

In Episode 7 wrapping up the Rio Olympics and reflecting on their past Olympic experiences, Johnny actually admits to having been 'a douche' when he attended his first Olympics. Tara chalks it up to his youth. Johnny professes to have grown out of the 'douche' phase by his second Olympics.

 

[kwanette]

How long ago was that Q&A session I wonder? About ten years ago I remember reading Johnny saying Kwan yelled at him for refusing to go to a White House event for Olympians that George W. Bush was hosting. That was about the time Kwan was getting cosy to the Bush administration and dating the son of that really extreme right-wing Christian millionaire. As a self-proclaimed hardcore leftwing person, it honestly wasn't the best time to be a Kwan fan honestly. However, that said, even I found myself pretty judgmental about Johnny during that time because he was doing some "outlandish things" (like stuff that I now would not even shrug my shoulders over and wonder why I thought it was such a big deal back then), so basically he challenged my sensibilities at the time.

Anyway, it's nice to hear Tara speak so kindly about Kwan.

Skaters and their political beliefs never bother me. Whether MK was working w/ Condi Rice or Hillary, she is the the same dedicated, decent human being that I have admired for 20 plus yrs.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting these 2 videos that were published in November 2016 on the Olympic Channel:

"I Always Doubted Myself" - Tara Lipinski | The Inside Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNdqNtcSles

The Best Commentator of Johnny Weir's Vancouver 2010 [FS] Routine | Take the Mic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z03XJkN86bs

Tara and Johnny are up to episode 24 in their podcast series: https://audioboom.com/channel/tara-and-johnny

 

[aftershocks]

The Best Commentator of Johnny Weir's Vancouver 2010 [FS] Routine | Take the Mic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z03XJkN86bs

Johnny Weir: "A medal or not, he's the People's Princess!" A sincere and honest telling it like it is. No holds barred.

The unstoppable, incomparable Mr. Weir.

ETA:
In other news, Tara/Johnny shared behind the scenes duties again at The National Dog Show in November (broadcast on Thanksgiving Day). Johnny appeared with his dog Tema in various NBC promo clips up on Youtube.

Old news: ET clip of Tara's engagement party preparations early last year--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGVMQ1lXnzU

Tara/Johnny interviewed during 2016 Boston Worlds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtWTFLN6H9A

Tara talks with Simone Biles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRZuJfmF_2Q

 

[Sylvia]

Episode 26 is Tara & Johnny take Kansas City: https://audioboom.com/posts/5506890-ep-26-t-j-take-kansas-city

Johnny Weir skated and emceed at the Bryant Park rink in NYC last night - some clips:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPytMJMhYf3/?taken-by=michlmint
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPyu9JyhgYN
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPyvTIYhRup
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPy01q2BHX2
Finale: https://www.instagram.com/p/BPy01q2BHX2/

 

[aftershocks]

Tara and Johnny are up to Episode 31 (from 6 days ago) of their NBC podcast on random topics and everything under the sun. This is for die-hard Tara & Johnny fans. I've not had the time to listen to each podcast or even follow them as much as I'd like. Meanwhile, Tara has 'bride brain,' and Johnny among other things is getting Invisalign braces to straighten his teeth, and he fortunately has had the last vestiges of his former partner's name 'burned off of his ass...'

BTW, Tara is interviewed on the latest Episode 25 of IceTalk: http://web.icenetwork.com/fans/icetalk

I'm happy for Tara and Johnny in their current life pursuits and career projects, but I sometimes kinda miss Johnny at his competitive skater best. And I often shake my head over some of his poor skating career decisions (e.g., his listening to Irina in picking his 2005-2006 fp 'elevator' Maksim Mvirca music -- Johnny should have stuck with TAT's Liebestraum that season Well, at least Jason Brown's Liebestraum years later made up somewhat for never seeing Johnny skate to that music).

Here's a brief Johnny montage video -- just under a minute, and it leaves me wishing for more .... Down memory lane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyS7wPljaXc Johnny, we hardly knew ye, but it was thrilling while it lasted

 

[Veronika]

This isn't related to the podcast, but I saw this article (with some exclusive pictures including Johnny) today. Tara's shower looked beautiful!

http://people.com/sports/tara-lipinski-bridal-shower-photos/

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ According to the link above, Tara Lipinski's wedding is scheduled for this summer in Charleston, South Carolina.

Episode 34: https://audioboom.com/posts/5880076-ep-34-long-story-short
"Tara and Johnny discuss Johnny's trip to Iceland, going to Access Hollywood, Tara's bridal shower and more."

 

[aftershocks]

The latest from Tara/Johnny podcast: Episode #40 Wedding countdown
https://audioboom.com/channel/tara-and-johnny main page

Fun pics:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LSSpZD2dE...5qs/s1600/JW_GZ_fan_art_08-02-2014_01_e1p.png
Unreal Johnny Weir! The eye makeup alone! Wowza, can I have some makeup tips Mr. Weir?

https://nbcolympictalk.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/bab_1143.jpg?w=610&h=343&crop=1
J&T ice sculptures

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polop...gen/derivatives/article_750/weir28f-1-web.jpg
At first I thought this was a pic of actual Johnny & Tara fashion dolls

https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/fashion/daily/2014/02/20/20-taraandjohnny-instagram.w710.h473.jpg
Catching up on some platonic shut-eye at the Sochi Olympics
From this NYMag article: https://www.thecut.com/2014/02/johnny-weir-and-tara-lipinski-are-gold-medalists.html

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bc/46/f5/bc46f5a0add43fe4842985a8f83399c7.jpg
This pic speaks volumes about their symbiotic-twins relationship

http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/i...eaeb1fa_crop_north.jpg?1392934753&w=630&h=420
'Uh huh, yep I got yo back sis' And TerryG has got theirs!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BT8KeVahJaZ/?taken-by=taraandjohnny&hl=en O-ho! Yeah true
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTiM28VhWpH/?taken-by=taraandjohnny&hl=en Fun & Friends

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPDPos-jn1M/?taken-by=taraandjohnny&hl=en Too cute...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPu-5tejY2p/?taken-by=taraandjohnny&hl=en No words
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPp9BPHjaqW/?taken-by=taraandjohnny&hl=en

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/429215089200091136/nzISQO5I.jpeg "We two sexy for our hair..."

 

[aftershocks]

Stephane & Johnny promo for 2017 Fantasy on Ice... fun
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUkvsRDgfbP/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Of flower headdresses & Miki & Johnny
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUlwe9lA633/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Johnny & KseniaS
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTy0JN_g6El/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Awww, smooch!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTwjiMrAEym/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

I love peonies...
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT12oFmg3Xn/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

His Pocahontas with fur look?!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSj-ggmgPIT/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Gorgeous green eyes
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTsqE-vD4xG/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Verner, Weir, Joubert "Whether you're a brother, or whether you're a mother ... stayin' alive, stayin' alive..."
https://www.instagram.com/p/BU8SoQXg23e/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

BFFs Happy B'day Tomas (June 3)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BU3-G0fgYuF/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Happy B'day Tara (June 10)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVJVnS7gpaI/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Ohhhh Johnny! What a view ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVD5sqoACfk/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

Johnny gets his beauty rest
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUbwSZDAPqp/?taken-by=johnnygweir&hl=en

 

[Sylvia]

Cross-posting from Tara's wedding thread in GSD: http://people.com/sports/how-tara-lipinski-surprised-bff-bridesman-johnny-weir-at-wedding/

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting @Justathoughtabl's post here:

Not sure where to put this, but the Tara and Johnny podcast won the Cynopsis (that's not a typo) Media Award for best podcast. Apparently they were up against the NY Times (!).
If you haven't listened (and you like them), it's a lot of fun. They don't talk a lot about skating, but they chat about what they've been up to and sometimes take calls from listeners who have funny stories to tell.

Awards list (scroll down): http://www.cynopsis.com/events/model-d-awards-2017/?id=98681

(I started this thread in the Trash Can in July 2016 & just found it in GSD.)

 

[DDNatalia]

Have they really kept this going? If so, I'll be impressed, because like all recurring social media efforts (even blogs), it always seems such a fun good idea. But maintaining it is truly a labor.

 

[Justathoughtabl]

Yup, the episode released this week was #55. They took a break over the summer while Tara was on her honeymoon, but they do it every week, sometimes from opposite coasts. Link to podcast here: https://www.instagram.com/taraandjohnny/?hl=en

 

[aftershocks]

Here's the direct original link to the episodes thru #49: https://audioboom.com/channel/tara-and-johnny

Here's the new I-Tunes link to all episodes:
applepodcasts.com/tandj

Ep. 46 from Sept. 14 is interesting. Tara discusses her behind-the-scenes experiences as a judge for this year's Miss America pageant. Johnny talks about his decision to attend school to properly learn Russian. He hasn't been able to keep up with his Russian as much in recent years, and he wants to gear up with the language for the upcoming Olympics in Pyeongchang -- hopefully the Russian figure skaters will actually be there. Johnny says he has a 'Moscow' accent because he learned how to speak Russian initially via talking to his Russian skater friends. Also, T&J discuss their flying/ airport experiences. Johnny relates a story about standing in line at an airport and a couple standing in front of him who don't recognize him, strike up a conversation. The man ended up vociferously chastising Johnny for not attending college. Johnny set the man and his wife straight that he didn't have time to attend college because he was too busy training and competing in two Olympics. When the couple asked him which sport he competed in at the Olympics, Johnny teasingly said: Bobsled!
https://audioboom.com/posts/6294247-ep-46-aggressive-muppets-quads

T&J also mention a feature where they ask their listeners to send in funny stories and they pick the best story and invite the winner to be interviewed the following week on their show. Cool.

In Ep 46, T&J also talk a little about figure skating and the newly suggested changes to scoring rules, proposed by the friggin' ISU.
Sorry Johnny, Plushy was charismatic and a great jumper with brilliant presence but he failed to fully live up to his artistic potential. Plush was not a great artist on the ice, and not a great spinner either. He was a great champion with enviable presence, charm, determination and chutzpah.

And no Tara! Come on, the situation of technical emphasis trumping and taking away from a focus on artistry existed and was a problem well before Nathan landed 5 quads in a fp. Why did it take Nathan Chen landing 5 quads in a clean performance before the ISU was able to recognize that the mental energy and physical demands required to land quads was taking away from skaters being able to fully concentrate on artistry?! Nathan gave the ISU what they were asking for and what they were OTT rewarding! And now, all of a sudden the ISU is antsy and don't know what to do about the imbalance quads are causing!!! It's ISU's fault T&J. And your perspective on the quad conundrum is somewhat skewed re some of your emphasis and perceptions.

Yes Nathan is still maturing artistically, but he's not a skater without any artistry, musicality and performance abilities. He's more well rounded than most skaters. He has focused on developing quads because that has been the sport's emphasis since 2011 for how to win! But Nathan has not focused on quads to the exclusion of working on other aspects of his skating. Why weren't you guys more up in arms about Boyang Jin reaching the podium at Worlds 2016 with 4 quads and poor presentation skills?! Nathan has not been winning over Yuzu simply because he has great technical skill with a multi-quad arsenal. To think that way completely downplays Nathan's very real artistic talents.

IMHO, Jeremy Abbott, Alexander Johnson, Adam Rippon and Jason Brown are better artists on the ice than Yuzuri and Javi. It has been Yuzuru's and Javi's quads that catapulted them to the top. And they have both been consistently over-scored on PCS. Javi has gotten better over the years artistically, but he's always been highly scored on PCS because of his quads. Same for Yuzuru, who has the gorgeous looking quads when he's in the zone. However, Yuzuru is not a great artist. He goes in and out of concentration on the presentation side because of the technical demands. T&J over-exaggerate that the best artists are winning. Yuzu and Javi are good enough on presentation after all these years, but it's their quads that have the judges throwing PCS gifts at them.

What an overstatement by Tara that Evgenia Medvedeva is "a gorgeous, innovative, creative artist on the ice." NOT!!!! 1,000 times NOT! Med is technically consistent and quite lovely and okay presentation-wise, but she's NOT creative and innovative. Neither is Med fully authentic and convincing with her OTT faux drama shtick. I realize many love Med because of her competitiveness, her technical skill and her porcelain good looks. But 'creative and innovative'!? What the heck are you smoking Tara???

When you ask what the ISU's fear is Tara, the answer is that they are fearful of the upsetting of the status quo applecart by Nathan and other young up-and-coming quadsters. But it's Nathan in particular, because he showed in a big way what is possible with quads. Meanwhile, the lame PTB in this sport as usual were totally unprepared for the sea change that their own silly overemphasis on quads. and lack of vision and forethought precipitated in the first place!

I get that the reason T&J bring this topic up is because they disagree with the ISU trying to devalue quads. ITA that the ISU is the problem. And, the real issue is that the ISU never took the time to even figure out the impact that quads would have on the sport long term. And TPTB keep making changes to the scoring system which only leads to more confusion and does not solve the problems.

And Johnny, you are too modest. If not for your contributions during your skating years both technically and artistically, combined with Plushenko's contributions, and many others such as Stephane Lambiel, Jeff Buttle, and Dai Takahashi, there would be no Yuzuru, Nathan, and Shoma following in your bootsteps!

 

[Sylvia]

https://www.recode.net/2017/12/27/1...inski-olympic-coverage-recode-media-usa-medal

On this episode of Recode Media with Peter Kafka, figure skaters-turned-commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski talk about their coverage of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The pair debuted their tell-it-like-it-is style at the Sochi Olympics and have been entertaining/informing skating audiences ever since.

You can read some of the highlights from the interview here, or listen to it [33 mins.] in the audio player above. Below, we’ve provided a lightly edited complete transcript of their conversation.