Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Merry Month of May

It's almost that time again, and as a precursor to May training break here comes the first article promoting CSOI/Tessa_Scott while emphasizing that between Worlds and CSOI they went their separate ways.

Separate ways

Separate phone interviews, separate ways. This week, Tessa lives in Windsor and Scott went "home" to Ilderton where he lives in Mom and Dad's basement like most 24 year olds (made that last part up). For good measure, we're told their relationship is "sibling like".

Poor interviewer wasn't up to speed on the London promotional venture*, Scott and Tessa's interviews while driving from Canton, and Scott and Tessa going to Tokyo for WTT. Separate ways is next month when Tessa goes solo to Capri or perhaps joins a few classmates for an expedition to India, while Scott enjoys beautiful Jamaica with Jessica Dube.

Speaking of WTT:
Look who sat herself down closest to the camera lens.
It's Barb MacDonald. What's she even doing on

camera, let alone putting herself front and center?
Is it the Director of Communications' job to shove her face closest to the camera frame? Yes. Otherwise, how would the skaters know to cheer? How would we know? Barb is good for morale! They probably had to urge her over her protests to plant her ass exactly where it is.

Why don't other Directors of Communication do this? 

Well, it's the other teams' loss. Without their own Director of Communications on camera leading the cheers, they embarrass themselves, like France:
Team Stick-in-the-Mud
Wave the red, white and blue all you like, Team USA, inside we know you're green with envy.


With William Thompson, Skate Canada CEO, needing a second mouth to accommodate the feet he keeps shoving in there in his infatuation with the sound of his own voice, not to mention preoccupation with telling people how fortunate they are to receive a portion of his attention, with Barb hungrily sucking up the spotlight aimed at the figure skaters, not to mention Debbi pretending she's Oprah, and apparently thinking business development means driving business off and otherwise ignoring business, these three appear to pretty much do nothing but gorge themselves at the Skate Canada pr trough, shallow as it is. It's clear that one reason the skater pr is as strangled and stilted as it is is Barb, Debbi and Bill want to claim as much self-promotional real estate for themselves as they can, including what has traditionally been left to actual skaters. Barb's placing herself where she is is unseemly but it has the feel of an entitlement. I don't mean entitlement as in attitude, but as in job perk that's been agreed upon.

It's not a privately owned company, Skate Canada, yet these three carry on while the organization goes down the tubes in more ways than one and nobody puts them in check and very little daunts them in their self-promoting zeal. They're like tanks.

Their titles are obviously fig leaves. How come they can carry on like this without fear of a Jeff Neely-type reckoning? They feel secure. It's almost like somebody in power gave their jobs to them like in the bad political days of yore when somebody's cronies were given a department to pillage as a pay-off for services rendered.
_________________________

*Been giving more thought to that and to William Thompson's deft civic diplomacy and promotional genius. I.e., the light show will make a big difference!

So what are you saying Bill?

Nobody would want to spend a weekend in London vs. Moncton vs somewhere in Nunavit unless there was a light show incentive? You kind of implied that.

Tessa and Scott's rah rah London public appearance sort of backed it up. You mentioned how other cities made a bid, but the light show influenced your decision and without the light show visitors will be left twiddling their thumbs. Now at least there will be something t o see. "Awesome! A light show! London is finally getting with1967!"*

Goes without saying that transportation to said light show will be brilliantly organized and not interfere with normal or (it is to be hoped) enhanced traffic patterns flowing in and around London's business area.

Debbi did an awesome job showing corporate London how much bang they'd get for their buck if anyone decides to partner up with Skate Canada. Once again, she's demonstrated her superb qualifications for her position. Look how she prepped Tessa and Scott to be perfect and appealing spokespeople for London's business community. "Uh - duh, haha - uh - well."

___________________________

*Bill Thompson, SC CEO, I totally hope your bizarre light show fixation is because you're a weird, pompous dope, a
nd not because you or anyone in your circle of friends, families and cronies have any $$ interest in light-show related services.  Some of your remarks to London had the flavor of strong-arming.

57 comments:

  1. this post must have gone up minutes after my comment in post below, but it belongs more here - where was Team Canada during the SD?? it was awkward

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  2. Who knows, it's opposite day as always with Skate Canada. Scott was churlish about having to participate in WTT in 2009, even misrepresented when the skaters learned about it and the penalties for skipping it. This time he and Tessa acted like they wanted nothing more than to get their butts to Japan right after worlds - they were so excited. Going by the showing so far, they're not excited but boy Barb's excited. She tweeted up a storm complete with her usual compelling snapshots.

    So maybe things have inverted themselves completely and skaters like Scott and Tessa are in the position of having to proactively talk something up because their Director of Communications plans to use it for her personal camera-hogging showcase.

    I must say SC is more of a full service fed than most. Some of the Team USA skaters are tweeting their own twitpics. Despite Barb day-late-dollar-shorting-exhorting Team Canada to get on twitter, she's the one tweeting over how incredibly exciting it all is, and if only her enthusiasm were contagious. I don't think it's the skating that's got her excited, but her chance to be in the spotlight.

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  3. As much as I find this blog very entertaining and quite well written, I've read through all the posts and have no idea what forms the basis of your belief. Is there really no picture/video/reliable statement that puts these two together as a romantic couple? Their behavior resembles that of two love-sick confused immature teenagers, they are in their 20s, but considering the sheltered life they have led, their behavior is not that surprising. Unlike davis/white, who seem to come from real privilege and were raised in close proximity to their training centers, it seems to me that virtue/moir raised each other more than their families did. It seems as if they fully trust only each other because that's all they've ever known.

    There is an obvious mutual attraction and love between them. They are both gorgeous adults and cute kids and teenagers.

    But isn't that it? I think after all these years some proof would have come out and there just isn't any. There are cameras everywhere. Some they see and some they dont. So....

    And considering how they really do not restrain their mutual adoration, anywhere!, I just don't see how they're lying about dating other people and not being in a relationship.

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    1. I think you're the sanest person on here! So refreshing to read this spot-on comment that I agree with completely.

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  4. Hah, Jamaica. Has someone been creeping Jess Dube's Pinterest account?

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  5. Sounds like Scott...not so excited. Has he been hanging around JD too long? #KChissyfit. And does that mean their excitement about WTT this year was a lie!? shocking #rolleyes

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  6. HAHAHA. OMG, Scott. I love how he goes from smiling and kissing Tess to "oh my god, I hate this event." Priceless.

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  7. SC and Scott and Tessa are like a cartoon on some sort of learning channel. The way to tell they're lying is to figure out that whatever they just said, the opposite is true. It's like Lying 101. I was struck by Scott's pre-event conspicuous enthusiasm for WTT this year when he'd crabbed about having to participate in 2009. And with Barb strenously trying to show she's with it and "fun" on twitter you have to figure the skaters must be miserable.

    She don't care. She's getting hers.

    Are all Skate Canadians implanted with a stick up their rears prior to being named to the team? The insincerity kind of reeks from them. The joie de vivre is so forced they don't even appear able to enter into the actual spirit for the short moment it is occurring. Have a drink!

    I can't help liking Scott's remark - it's good to know the entire place hasn't become 100%Stepford. I also want to know and always will want to know what kind of hold SC has on its skaters to make them squelch their natural personalities so thoroughly and tolerate the self-aggrandizing encroachment of the Skate Canada officials into their personal space and spotlight. It's one thing if SC were riding high and the Directors were enjoying their success a little too much, but SC is in the toilet and the Directors don't care because they're too busy being opportunistic with personal promotion. I don't count Scott/Tessa and Chan as SC successes - they succeed in figure skating despite SC because of their own talent and their US coaching.

    SC is managing to make a mess of pairs despite having tons of talent in that department and the women are too pathetic to even talk about.

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    1. "SC and Scott and Tessa are like a cartoon on some sort of learning channel. The way to tell they're lying is to figure out that whatever they just said, the opposite is true. It's like Lying 101."

      This is exactly what i was thinking...and it also makes me think that they bullshit when they say they love stars on ice - i bet they fucking dont and they really do hate all us fans just like you say. My love for them is dwindling rapidly from all the lies they've been feeding me...us...i dont know what to believe anymore and i feel raped.

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  8. I don't know how excited the skaters from the other countries really are..but they legitimately seem to be having some fun with it at the same time. I can't blame Scott if this competition was not on his priority list, but his comment was especially unfortunate when juxtaposed with the "team spirit" of a few seconds before. You hate this event because you have to be around your teammates? Make a show of team spirit? Or are you just pissed about your marks? Oh yeah, and why did you pretend you were so excited int he first place? It was just confusing. Why in the middle of it couldn't he have made the best of the situation, even if he wasn't thrilled about going? Also makes you wonder how they really feel about the team event at the Olympics. If they cared about two golds as much as they said, then isn't this good experience of some form?

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    1. After watching this WTT FD a couple times, I wonder if Scott was referring to hating how the event unfolded for him and Tessa personally (not so well - maybe they were too exhausted, whatever), and not so much referring to the event itself.

      In any case, it's an unfortunate comment to get picked up by the camera, and it also unfortunately makes all the "Team Rah Rah" look more fake than it did before. He really needs to learn to filter his thoughts before speaking them.

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    2. I feel like it was meant to be a comment muttered to Tessa. I hope it was more referring to how they were scored etc because otherwise, that's a huge slap in the face to the Japanese federation. Suck it up and grow up, Scott. You're not going to win them all - especially when your partner was waaay off her game the previous game.

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    3. ^ er, make that the previous night. Not game.

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    4. I think it's the competition of course and of course not Japan. Scott was unhappy doing WTT last time.

      I don't think anything could help or harm Team Canada's rah rah - they all looked like they would rather be having root canal.

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    5. I agree that Scott is probably not a big fan of this type of competition and well the timing of it after a long season. Personally, I don't see the team event at the Olympics being a success. I would have preferred a synchro team event - which I think would have been totally cool and in the long term increase participation in figure skating.

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    6. What I understand about the event in 2009 (which is the only one I have information about) is the general vibe from all the skaters behind the scenes, not just SC, was they were doing people a favor just being there and nobody was happy about it. So when Scott crabbed about it then, he may well have been airing a generally-felt grievance, although at the same time he played fast and loose with the truth of when the skaters were told they had to participate and he misrepresented what the penalties would be if they didn't. "Team" figure skating is an ISU-passion. I don't know what their research tells them. Maybe it's going to be very popular in big figure skating countries like Japan and Korea. It's not a popular concept with figure skaters and I think it's kind of stupid. OTOH, gymnastics is also an individual sport yet there is a team event at the Olympics, so maybe the concept will end up having merit.

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  9. I've been getting the distinct impression that all is not well with team V/M for a while now. They have rarely looked happy this season and now this. I wonder how much pressure is being put on them by Skate Canada.

    If they intend to continue their career and continue whatever little games they're playing, I hope they can take the off-season and refocus. Scott, at least, seems to genuinely enjoy Stars on Ice, so I wish them well on that tour.

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    1. I would hate for the "off-season refocus" to mean coming back with even more little games.

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    2. This has been a weird week for their games. Facebook profile pictures, Scott's grumpier than usual behaviour. I'm not sure what to think.

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    3. i think he's getting fed up, with what, i dont know. but i'm not going to be surprised if an article comes out soon saying they've quit or retired or w/e - something is not right with team VM, i can sense that too. something is at a breaking point...

      "Scott, at least, seems to genuinely enjoy Stars on Ice, so I wish them well on that tour." how can you be sure? i'm really feeling now that he honestly hates Stars on ice and probably having to deal with fans as well. everything else that comes out of their mouths are fucking lies so what would make this any different?

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  10. Someone's deleting comments on Scott's Facebook page again. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that commenting on your lack of team spirit was verboten. Jeeeeeeesus Christ.

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  11. he is going to snap. tessa is keeping him together. i think he is sick of the attention, SC exploitation and expectations, and probably his half girlfriend Jessica Dube. It can't all be staged.

    Also, I think he's a small town kid, sick of the spotlight, who wants to marry tessa, go back to ilderton and raise skating kids and retire on the money they've already made.

    But tessa has stars in her eyes and figured out how to keep scott running after her when for years it was other way around. she smartened up with how to deal with a guy like scott and has been playing the impossible get/good girl/hard to get role since her shins started hurting. i dont think they're in a real romantic relationship right now, even though they are all over each other all the time, but i do think they should be, want to be, and he is done leading a double life. sorry, no one can act that well. davis and white put on their loving eyes faces but you can tell it's fake.

    also, i think they were surprised that funny face was not as embraced as white/davis's beautiful but boring/predictable free skate. do w/d have any real footwork beyong twizzles? funny face, after watching it a few times, the program is really incredible. i think they're frustrated that people did not respond to one of the most technically challenging and innovative programs in years this season. no way can davis/white pull something like that off.

    will they part? no way. theyre going to the olympics no matter what. after that, some shows, some stuff to make money, and then for sure it's done.

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  12. They already are together, that is a fact, not a theory.

    Jessica is no kind of girlfriend. There is no relationship with her.

    I have issues with Scott (and Tessa's, and the sham's) double standards, manipulations, carelessness, insensitivity, mean spiritedness over the past few years. I'm especially looking now at the lack of candid photos on his so-called fan page. I see photos of him holding a digital camera taken by fans or posted by other facebooks, but except when he's just shown his ass big time he can't post any photos of his on his fan page? Why not? His relatives and friends have, in the past, but he won't. I do suspect they are hording them and intend to sell them because why not squeeze even more money out of the fans they lie to and treat like shit.

    However, I don't have any problem with Scott's personality as in "I hate this competition" "It's a piss-off" or "we're the best team in the world." It's a grown-up sport or it's not. It's not a team sport (apart from his actual team, which is him and Tessa) - it's an individual sport. A little authenticity is welcome from someone on Team Canada which is usually a bunch of robotic banalities and/or hair raising instances of TMI or self-absorption. If they want the sport to be "masculine" Scott's a good example - he takes it seriously as a sport and gets het up about it. There's no need to take his every mood with deadly seriousness. It IS IMO valid to note when he bursts out with a "do as I say, not as I do" moment, such as when he warned people "Tessa Virtue"'s fb was fake and it was not cool.

    I think the sham and Skate Canada are debacles but I don't think VM is at the breaking point. I believe they were frustrated this season because there was a bit of a double standard in the scoring. VM's feet were held to the fire and every error was noted; D/W got a pass. D/W is a great team but they should be held to the same standards as VM and up to and including the GPF, they weren't. That would piss me off too.

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  13. You kind of have to grin at Charlie White's tweet after the U.S. win: "World Team Trophy- So proud to captain such a great team. And what a great event! Both for the US and figure skating in general."

    What a "great event." Checkmate. Your move, Scott.

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    1. Well Chuck has always been a laid back type of guy and a great diplomat...the only thing you need to be corrected on is that Japan actually won the event...

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  14. sorry, oycanada, u need some proof they are together. real proof, not just some conjecture. i hope they are together, but some proof beyond, it has to be true, they're too touchey etc. is needed. otherwise i would think this blog is put together by v/m opponents!

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    1. You're welcome to think what you like.

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    2. Anon 1:04

      Have you bothered reading through the blog? Blogger claims to "know" and this not based on conjectures. As far as I can tell, the blogger has been respectful of his/her sources and has said he/she will not divulge those. However, as "proof," has offered a connect-the-dots map of exhibits, if you will, based on what is in the public domain. We the readers can decide if we think these evidences (from the public domain) are valid or not, but the point of reference of the blogger is assuredly not conjecture.

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  15. "has offered a connect-the-dots map of exhibits"

    Exactly!! I feel that this blog has given a great deal of "proof" , not of the "here's of a picture of them conceiving their child" type, but in the form of SEVERAL supporting pieces of evidence that build a strikingly consistent narrative...

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    1. That's too bad, though. I could really go for a picture of them conceiving their child.

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    2. "I could really go for a picture of them conceiving their child." ... so them having sex? creepy.....

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    3. Like you haven't already written fan fic about it, 3:42. Get real.

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    4. 3:42 here - i didnt even know what "fan fic" was until this blog!

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  16. Hey, I'm dying of curiosity to know where you got the info that Tessa is going either to Capri or India :) Did she say it in some interview, because I have totally missed that :/ Thanks in advance! :)

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    1. i too am curious to know that and about jamaica and scott too... what are the sources???

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    2. Tessa, I don't know but Jessica has a Pinterest account and from her cheery "For vacation..." board, it seems that Jamaica is the destination of choice this year.

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    3. Tessa Moir has one :) fun to say those names together LOL

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    4. Yeah oycanada, how did you know that?

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  17. Team Canada's response to Scott's comment was fucking hilarious. I wonder what was said behind closed doors on that one.

    Since pictures of it are all over Tumblr at the moment, is Worlds the first time that T/S have done the hand-to-heart thing? It's pretty...interesting.

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  18. what was ten canada's response?

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  19. I too wanna know that.

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  20. I haven't seen T&S doing the hand thingy before Worlds.. :) What was Team Canada's response and where did you hear/read it?

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  21. Sorry, I didn't mean an official response from Skate Canada - just the over enthusiastic spouting off about how much they loved the competition the next day.

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  22. Well now that the competitive season is over - it's now time for Canadian Stars on Ice. I am hoping that we will get some tweets from Jeremy Abbott, Ashley Wagner, Weaver/Poje and Jeff Buttle...may V/M have a great tour....

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  23. Why doesn't Jess have a giant photo of her and Scott macking on the beach as her cover photo? I'm disappointed, Jess.

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  24. What happened to that girl's comment on Scott's Facebook Fan Page? And why is Jess Dube's FB suddenly public????

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  25. ^doesn't look public to me, just time-lined so small bits are public

    I just was watching some old interviews of TS...and a thought occurred to me, do they realize that now nearly every single interview they've given has a lie in it? And skating fans love to keep old videos. It's not like newspapers...it's not even like online news articles. Diehard figure skating fans save and watch videos FOREVER. I doubt I'm the only one who's killed an hour now and then watching some old TS fluff. But I don't find it nearly as fun as I used to. What could have been a wonderful legacy that fans could look back upon for years is going to be pretty tainted stuff. Maybe we'll all just get over it. But I'm not good at compartmentalizing. If you don't want to be reminded of their mishandling of...everything, you can watch nothing but their skating and it has to be commentary free at that.

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  26. http://pinterest.com/j3ssdube/ Have you seen this?

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  27. Soooo,
    Are we to expect a comment "just in passing between you and me" from Scott to whoever interviews him next, that he's off to Jamaica (or some other exotic beach locale) "with my girlfriend" after SOI?

    Since as you pointed out, this is the time of year we hear all about Scott and Tessa's separate - in different countries - vacations.

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    1. I don't know -- this whole thing isn't really following the script of the previous years.

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    2. Anon 8:31

      You don't think so?
      I do think it's the same script, but there's an attempt to tweak it since this blog has called them out. Aren't Jessica's latest choices & comments re cover photos related to "vacations with Scott?". And geez, at this time of year - what are the odds?

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    3. Just wishful thinking, I guess. Sigh.

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    4. Anon 9:19

      At least a nice thought is that the way they do things shows how much it's manipulative games and not like any real-life couple. Try as they might, it doesn't come across real and sincere. Because it isn't.
      :)

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  28. Have you seen their new number for SOI yet? The Up thing. I guess they are acting that she's pregnant by the end of it. Maybe they wanted to tell us something lol

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    1. Pretty sure that was existing choreography but I am amused that Tessa and Scott took on the roles.

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