Looking at Scott's lovely answer to the trading places question, I'm reminded that Team Virtue Moir never appears to understand the difference between audacious and disgusting. It's not hard. Team Virtue/Moir doesn't understand the distinction between obnoxious and clever either. I think it's a safe bet they don't think there is one.
When you set up and jerk the chains of people who don't know what you know (using things they hold sacred and presume you hold sacred too), people who admire you, who are less fortunate than you are, more credulous, more "simple", not as important, more well-meaning and not nearly as cool - that's obnoxious. It doesn't take clever to do that. It just takes asshole. It's the kind of obnoxious that might make some people want to flip the bird. (I'm sure Team Virtue Moir doesn't understand that last feeling at all. I'm confident they have the maturity to let stuff aimed at them roll right off their backs, even if their preferred position is dishing it out.)
And obviously they wade in with gusto when it comes to using the name and image of, or to making a strategic reference to, the youngest and most innocent members of their family, if it helps them get over on people. It's just like people on the metros and subways who tote their kids along while asking for money that's of course not for drugs or booze. Those people have reasons for what they do also. I know VM are super unique and special but they do understand that the rest of us could also come up with solid rationalizations for lying through our teeth to everybody all day long too, right? If you want to lie, you can find reasons. That's them. They want it, and make up the reasons afterwards. It's part of why this has been such a wreck.
For them, I think it comes down to WHO are they lying to? Important people, like friends, potential sponsors, movers and shakers, their own friends and family? Absolutely not. So they're good. They're only lying to the public. Why is that okay though? Why is it okay to not just lie to us, but lie the way they lie, to lie in the avaricious way they do it?
Well, we're lower caste. Lying to a buch of skels like us gets the thumbs up from the people who count in their world. Somewhere in the Canadian Bible it must say this stuff is okay. Especially as it often seems as if Scott gets patriotism and religion (or values, or ethics) confused. But in among the gang running stuff at Skate Canada, I can see how that would happen. Conflate those things (patriotism and religion)*, Barb, Debbi and Bill must have thought they could empty people's wallets faster than Debbi or Barb exit their seating when a Skate Canada team figure skater they don't give a flying fuck about takes the ice. And let me tell you something - that's fast.
Why should they care what fans think about what they do, as long as fans stay OUT? Fans don't know what's going on, fans don't count, except when you want to sell them stuff or except when you want to promote something or except you want to control what they think and except when you pick out your gala music and make sure it's not outside "our audience"s wheelhouse.
Here's how this thing smells to me. That Scott and Tessa are high ranking in some theoretical Church of Canada of their minds, and Skate Canada's mind. You know how in the Church of Scientology, it's said you plug away and plug away, ascending through the ranks until, if things fall into place, you find that you're Tom Cruise, sitting at the right hand of David Miscavige? That's a place where the rules are different than they are for those lower down. Even in the limited way Scott and Tessa explain themselves to the public, even though they can't keep basic elements of their personal history straight one promotional appearance to the next (you know Scott pulls half those cute anecdotes out his hind end), their presentation of themselves has that whiff. It's not Christian, it's not any type of non-squirelly religious values or ethics that justifies what they do. It's hierarchy. They're at the top. It's what you get to do there. They're not special and entitled because they're great skaters, or great "kids". They're special and entitled because they're important, and this is what important people get to do. It's just the star system.
And never forgetting this. Setting up your special reality so that it requires a team of enablers justifies the employment of folks (Debbi and Barb, most particularly) who otherwise are incompetent at the job implied in their titles, folks who wouldn't give a shit about doing that type of actual drudgery even if they had a clue. This hoax gives the self-aggrandizing Business Development and Corporate Communications directors something to pretend to be doing that's fun for them, and because of VM and Chan, they can also feel important. The Scientology model certainly allows for your Barbs and Debis. So does the organized crime model.
Definitely skaters below the level of a Virtue/Moir have no need of important Skate Canada officials actually interested in anybody who isn't a celebrity.
Surely nobody questions that, in the aggregate, the rank and file of Skate Canada think how Virtue Moir have been handled has been great for everybody. Long-term sponsors and critical financial support took their money and bolted for the exits, and potential sponsors appear to be leery, but OTOH, who isn't happy for Debbi, Barb and Bill with their heads all up VM's and Chan's asses, milking Tessa and Scott's pseudo celebrity for all it's worth in the interests of Bill, Barb and Debbi's own self-promotion? I'm sure all the other skaters approve of how Virtue Moir's celebrity has shielded the trio from any critical cost/benefit evaluation.
So. Back to the SOI Q&A above. Scott's "my brother, because then I'd have a beautiful daughter" is pure Scott Moir cleverness. I know he prides himself on being sly with the media, being slippery in ways we and they can't quite catch. I mean, you'd need actual eyes and ears to figure out what he's doing!
It's a gift Scott has, of being quicker and smarter than the rest of us. When he was in middle school, he claimed to dislike people who thought they were smarter - but that was before he realized HE was smarter, and now he enjoys being that way and finds it entertaining.
About the above Q&A, these thoughts of course immediately occur:
Which brother has the beautiful daughter and who has the daughter that is just eh? Well, they're showing Quinn off on facebooks - must be Charlotte who's the uggo.
And, this means Scott doesn't have a kid - because of course he wouldn't lie about it like THAT! If HE had a daughter, he'd never say that in a Q&A! It would be hurtful! Hell, it would hurt the hearts of parents reading it! So he wouldn't - any more than he'd lip kiss another woman for the edification of strangers on public social media while he was a dad, any more than faking xmas when he's a dad, any more than some skier would twitpic an "in bed in Canton" Mo-vember photo directly after appearing alongside Tessa Virtue in a public photo call meant to imply he's her boyfriend - if Tessa were a mommy.
So this means he doesn't have a daughter, and if he is a daddy, he has a son! He's sent us a message. He's sly!
So it's done. Scott has a son. It's okay to do this if he has a son, because the son won't care when he reads through an old SOI program and sees daddy's Q&A that at the time he was a tot, daddy would trade places with one of the uncles so he could have a beautiful daughter. Dad wanted a girl? Eh - so what. Boys are tough.
Tough and also in this case, the child of very unique figure skaters, the type of celeb offspring who learns cynicism and "better than" early. The type who learns his parents are special and the great "other' (particularly boring women of no importance who are too invested in figure skating) are icky.
Kids can understand all this, when it's time, and that's a smarter way to raise them then having them grow up thinking you're a hero. My dad the hero is my example! My mom is my hero!
That's so bourgeois.
"My dad and mom acted like little punks cause they had to. They explained." is way better. Other celeb spawn have scrapbooks of media of their parents that aren't a record of an ongoing hoax, so, in this way, Tessa and Scott's spawn will preserve that tradition of being special and unique.
Of course, if Scott is doing what he would never dare to do (being too much of a what you see is what you get good guy) and he has a daughter, what his daughter will read is dad telling everybody that he'd trade with one of the uncles because then he'd have a BEAUTIFUL daughter.You know, instead of the dog's dinner one he got. That's something the daughter of a gorgeous mother needs to read.
I'm sure Daddy and Mommy will explain the whole thing perfectly and never a shadow will cross the child's mind. Mommy and Daddy had priorities. And I'm sure Scott can claim** he trafficked in misdirection for the benefit of those who did believe he had a child. With this Q&A answer, they'd immediately believe the child wasn't a girl, so this way, he would protect his girl from whatever fake danger posed by the public that he, Tessa, Debbi, etc. pull out their ass. I'm sure there's some very urgent reason.
_______________________________
*History suggests that when people start conflating their patriotism with their religious beliefs things can get problematic.
**Purely a figure of speech. Scott's not going to claim shit. When the time comes, they will be so pusillanimous rat fink about it they'll be hiding behind some reporter so thrilled he/she got face time they'll tweet about their exclusive ten times an hour for a solid week. They'll get someone who will back door the headline all offhand like, preferably with a violin audio clip that activates when you click on the link. That or Tracy Wilson and a camera person with soft gel filters will have a "sit down" with Tessa and Scott, suffocate us with sanctimony, and when it's over we'll be apologizing to them.
oh. my. goodness.
ReplyDeleteIt better be a boy. If he is so stupid and eager to be clever that he misses what that could potentially do to a little girl, then....as screwed up as TS are when it comes to this stuff, I will give him the benefit of the doubt that baby TS is a boy.
But it's still awful, still might cause real hurt!! How obnoxious can you get to toy with the truth like that? Why don't you stop sending us subliminal messages Scott and just tell us? Yikes. A therapist could make a full time living off their family alone.
Also, it's offensive to fans, and this is aimed at fans. They're basically prostituting themselves for this scam, and prostituting their family life. They use it to push buttons. They know where we think the boundaries are, and that's exactly why Team Virtue Moir & Co. cross them. To make lies more credible. They're whores and nothing is sacred. Every choice they make is a reflection of what they think of US, that's the point. We don't merit decency. Throwing that out the window is an essential business tactic. We're so far beneath Tessa and Scott nothing they do even matters - they can press every button on the planet but it's just US, fans. We're not even human. In their own world, with people who actually count, they're very respectable!
ReplyDeleteAll of this is our business because it's aimed our way in their promotion. Tessa simpering that she dates outside the sport and was so angry/hurt during the nonexistent rift while she and Scott are pregnant is our business. It all points out how important it is to them to lie, and the importance lying has to them reflects directly on us, the ones they're lying to. How we must suck. How they must hate our guts. The contempt they feel for us is limitless. They must protect every molecule of their reality from our what - filth? tackiness? Pain-in-the assness? What? Unless of course, they can get money out of it. Then they'll hold their noses and show a little leg.
It's our business because they appeal to us in a way calculated to exploit what they believe are our values, knowing most of us assume Tessa and Scott share those values.
Oh, that's our big mistake, and they take advantage of our good opinion of them. They exploit that belief to push the lies. If we find it offensive that a man would insinuate he doesn't have a daughter when he does, that's because it IS offensive. Let alone how awful this is even if he didn't. The man (Scott) has TWO nieces - which one is beautiful? Why couldn't he say "one of my brothers"? Even for those who don't believe Scott is a parent, that sticks out. Which fucking brother has the star quality daughter and who's the one not as cute?
"The man (Scott) has TWO nieces - which one is beautiful? Why couldn't he say 'one of my brothers'? "
ReplyDeleteMaybe because he was asked the question when only one of his brothers had a child?
It's obvious the questions were asked at different times -- Tessa and Scott debuted "The Goose" years ago. Guess you wanted to ignore that so you could advance your "V/M hate their fans" agenda.
"It's obvious the questions were asked at different times"
DeleteReally?
In other words, these Q&A SOI puts out every year are just a collection of questions/answers from various times and places, going back years? Are you kidding? SOI wouldn't have credibility if it pulled that kind of stunt. The public expects these kinds of things to be updated to within a decent time frame of the tour and the business people running SOI are aware of this. We're not talking SC incompetence here - SOI runs a much better managed ship than SC does.
It's possible the Q&A for this year's Canadian SOI could be a couple months old, but certainly not from last year (when both of Scott's nieces were born) or years before that. If the questions sound uninformed that's the interviewer's fault.
And it doesn't take away from the fact that SCOTT has a child, and the answer is awful from that perspective, even if his intention is to eliminate any suspicion that he himself is a dad.
DeleteThe arrogance of it all, the gamesmanship, is a slap in the face to the MANY fans who are reticent about what they know.
There's a defensive driving course many people have to take when they get their driver's license. One point made is that every drunk driver who thinks they're fantastic driving drunk because they get home without an accident or causing damage is ignoring the fact that dozens of people HELPED them get home safely - smarter drivers who got out of the way or steered clear or just drove safely themselves, so the jerk who was inebriated didn't plow into a clusterfuck of equally screwed up drivers.
The point being, there are many fans, quite a few on the internet, who don't let on that they know better. It's not because Scott & Co. are as clever as they think they are; it's because these people are nicer, classier and more decent than Team Virtue Moir ever credit fans for being, and treat VM more decently than they are treated by VM. Plenty of people have shammed and lied, I don't know whose brainstorm it was in this VM thing to be an asshole about it and escalate their asshole in order to up the ante and win, however short-lived (in the broad sense) the win will be. No class.
People are nice to them, and they take it for granted. For some reason, SC and Team Virtue Moir believe it's the fans job to swallow their shit that they are putting out as part of a marketing scheme, and so they have no appreciation for those who don't swallow it but don't call them out either. It's amazing to me that they believe the target market is supposed to simply roll over and not examine critically what they're being sold. Doing so is rude or something. I imagine none of us are supposed to notice if we've been sold defective goods and paid good money for them either. This is no different.
They didn't debut the Goose when the summer Olympics were soon - they debuted the Goose the season directly following the 2008 Beijing Olympics (at Canadians 2009). The question was clearly referring to the upcoming 2012 summer Olympics, well after Scott's brothers had their babies, both of whose kids are younger than Scott's. He was a dad first. He sucks to go there to "protect" his child from WHAT?
DeleteProtect himself, that's all. From the warren of b.s. they've built. Just procrastinate until they're out of the game.
oc
??? You just proved the point that the questions were asked at different times. The first question was asked in 2009. The Summer Olympics question was asked more recently. It's possible that the second question about his niece was also asked at an earlier time, maybe the same time the first question was asked.
DeleteWere they married before the baby?
ReplyDeleteDo you think Joannie is coming back, and if so, why hasn't SC hitched their wagon to her star yet?
Yes to the first.
DeleteDon't know to the second.
Their lives are planned, all of it. They had this planned for hoped for forever, and it's what Scott was referencing when he said they didn't want to wait (their "turn") for a gold medal as they had other goals after Vancouver.
oc
I think it is ridiculous that people think he has a child...come on. that he is with tessa....maybe, but a kid....no way.
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:27
DeleteJust two years ago, it was considered the height of ridiculous for any fan to suggest Scott was actually with Tessa and not really dating Jessica. Going by the comments I've seen here on the blog (comments along the lines of your own,"that he is with tessa...maybe"), it's now considered to be not only within the realm of the possible, but the probable.
I think it's equally possible the blogger is right about a child. Yeah, it blows my mind. But the idea of a fake relationship in the first place also seemed just as ridiculous.
Just saying....
The idea of a married couple, pregnant with their first child, deciding to write and then promote a book on television interview shows and entertainmet media, sitting and smiling with understanding, using every ounce of their perceived charm and sincerity to sell absolute fraud, to aggressively misrepresent the facts, giggling and explaining, and chuckling as they claim they have always been platonic and remain so, make an effort to be apart off-ice, date outside the sport (and of course, each other) and then go further and gaslight fans by turning pious and understanding about fans wanting them to be together due to the George Clooney principal, and then hoping we'll rush out to spend 30 bucks a book for more of this shit (I love the fond, understanding chuckles aimed at the wishful fans), while Scott's fucking baby is growing inside Tessa - is a little ridiculous, don't you think? Who thought this was a good idea. Who didn't see not just ethical issues, but potential legal ones and professional ones? How do two supposedly sweet "kids" DO this? What is wrong with their parents? Who has such twisted thinking that they can talk themselves into believing this is a concession, that by framing lies with little edit bits of truth and marketing that as a book, they are pacifying fans, doing them a favor, they are giving fans something. A quid pro quo if you will, something in it for both sides. The huge central lie protects Tessa and Scott from God knows what, and the little scrapbook photos and made-up stories (lies lies lie) are a little something for the fans.
DeleteWho thought this made sense, when the driving message this married and pregnant couple delivered at every stop (after the planned - you guys are not a couple, right? question/statemet was delivered) was "we are not together, Scott is fucking somebody else, I live outside the sport, and ha ha, we'll be happy to answer more questions about how we cope with the delusional fans who wish we were more than friends." That angle came from Tessa/Scott - not the media. That's fucking crazy. But it's no crazier than the rest of Skate Canada at the top (I don't want to tarnish the hard working SC people trying to get stuff done regionally. But they should all, every one of them, grow a fucking pair already. Tessa and Scott are like a poison pill, no matter how they seem like the trophy of the organization, it has been polluted and has negatively affected the organization at every level.)
It completely smells like one of those those brainstorms Debbi got from reading about it somewhere or having known about it in tamer editions in the past, and she figured she could improve upon it, as she and Slipchuk and Thompson knew they could solve every Skate Canada challenge their predecessors could not cause they were so much smarter. They knew buzz words!
DeleteA sham, customarily, is pre-emptive. It quells rumors, but at its most pro-active, it heads them off at the past. You get it on recordd that you and so and so are dating (yes, you put it on record in the mainstream media too). You roll out with a few tame anecdotes about having known each other awhile but sometimes in the past little while you spent more time together, realized you liked each other and started dating, and it's going just great. And that is pretty much all you say. That said, and on the record, you then show up all smiley at a few red carpet events, media appearances, and other preferably public stuff (published in legit media) cause that sure frees up your personal time and the legit medida, via getty images and others found on google, have those images forever so your initial sham roll-out keeps on working for you months after you announced you were dating. What you don't do is use the legit media to ask you who you're dating - are you sure it's not this OTHER person (whom you are, actually dating) and make this the central feature of your media push so you can lie about it every second you breathe, and meantime you do not appear in the legit media with your fake SO nor breathe her name, you just spam facebook with epic tastelessness and grossly timed gross. And carry on instructing the legit media to keep on asking you about someone you've said a million times you're not dating - a question you can take off the table any time you choose, but you don't.
Let's just make this the clusterfuck of clusterfucks and add a big helping of self-righteous and you've got yourself a plan. Who is going to pay? US. Just you wait until the framing. They will be VERY understanding. But whose fault was it they had to write a fake book, promote the fake book, fake a book signing with the help of Skate Canada so people would look at the photos from the staged book signing (at Mississauga) and think Tessa can't be as far along as she should be if rumors were true, and otherwise talk about how utterly separate their personal lives were and allude to Scott's girlfriend all while the baby was stirring in Tessa? It's our fault.
Man, I look forward to it. I want to learn exactly what they would have had to deal with if they hadn't thought up this hair-raisingly self-serving, myopic, aggressive, idiotic plan, attempted to make money off it, blamed the fans, and sat there twiddling their fingers and lying about shit that fans hold sacred, mostly because they are so up their own asses they think even the basic facts about themselves are too precious to be contaminated by fan awareness, and besides, maybe they can make a windfall off those facts whoring them down the line. You know - make money off the lie on the front end, milk the reveal with a flood of photos they've banked for years and thus make money from having suckered people on the back end.
"Man, I look forward to it. "
DeleteWe know you do, OC. That's the biggest irony of them all. You sit here complaining all day about how V/M lie to their fans and plan to cash in at the end, but we all know that when they do, you'll be first in line to buy. Guess the plan's working after all.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/figure+of+speech
DeleteLMAO. Nice try, OC.
Delete"but we all know that when they do, you'll be first in line to buy"
DeleteSo you do expect them to come clean, as in you believe they have something to come clean about? Or were you too using a figure of speech?
Busted! 9:01. And here I thought this blog had fooled everybody into thinking I had no interest in the topic of what VM market whatsoever.
DeleteThey'll have to come clean and yes I expect them to, once they're clear of SC and the SC officials are clear of them, so they don't get caught in a snare.
Although you know, they lie lie lie lie lie. The set up, the logic appears that they're mustering through to Sochi and then they'll be done. But as almost everything important they do is hidden and the stuff they publicize is diversion, it's always good to wait a beat or so to see if they seemingly abruptly veer in a different direction - as in retire earlier, or continue after. Most of what they say in public is self-protection.
I must say though I'm looking forward to the 2012-2013 season almost as avidly as I did the 2010-2011.
Delete^Does that mean what I think it might mean? as in...again??
DeleteAgain what?
DeleteAgain, as in Tessa's pregnant again?
DeleteWhy do you think she's pregnant again?
DeletePoor Tessa, did she know she have so many childrens? :)))))))))))
DeleteThey could withdraw from GP like any other team, all could happened, but did Tessa have plan to born 5 childrens before OG?
No. The quads were unplanned.
DeleteI don't think she's pregnant again - I just don't think they have a particular plan for the coming season yet, pr-wise, and I'm interested to see what they do.
DeleteI don't know what's more scary, this blog and the blogger itself or the fact that there are people here that actually believe everything she says. Seriously you guys should check yourselves into an asylum ASAP!
ReplyDelete6:26
DeleteCalling people crazy and advising they check into an asylum sure brings clarity, thank you very much. With this profoundly intelligent statement, the whole blog has been analyzed and scrutinized, and reliable evidence brought forth to challenge the blog's assertions.
What would the readers ever do without your persuasive arguments against this crazy blogger.
Agree.... And people feel free post something like this - really crazy :)
DeleteThere was a montage posted about TS about a month ago (I don't want to be specific considering the hissy fits that can happen, although I have no reason to believe the creator has an opinion about the blog). Anyways, because it uses kind of a darker struggling-with-the-relationship type song, I really liked it because it was in tune with how I feel frustrated with what TS are doing. But I would guess the intent of it is the tension if TS were in love but not together and they're both too scared etc etc etc. And it occurred to me that...maybe some people LIKE the idea of them not being together yet, as in it's more ....dramatic. Maybe the truth is so perfect it's kind of boring for some people?
ReplyDeleteWhich montage?
DeleteFans believe what they want to believe. They like the idea of them not being together because thay can speculate on their relationship. They can write fanfic, you know, make montages, say that they are "so cute together". Fans want to control the storyline.
I also think they don't like to believe they either watched VM all these years unaware of the real deal, just waiting for "these kids" to wake up to their real feelings, or they clued into them after the Olympics, like watching a favorite show, and they think the "best" parts of this relationship is happening in real time, conveniently intensifying and experiencing the most drama exactly when they tuned in. I think it would be discomfitting if they knew the whole thing was done and done long ago, way before fans speculated, and Scott and Tessa are miles ahead of them, and in fact have always known what fans wish they'd wake up to.
Delete^YES, exactly.
DeleteWTH, http://youtu.be/SvmJRjtBYe0 (Montage creator, if you hate the blog, then just see this as increasing your hits, it's an absolutely gorgeous montage). Certain parts of it kind of sync with the sham, but obviously that interpretation is over dramatized too. But at first I didn't even get what another intent could be, why use such dark music for such a happy couple? (then ooooh right, not everyone thinks they are a couple...or happy). Of course, lots of skating montages are made with no intent other than the music is great and would work well so that may well be the case here too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Pc_a-WBSs&feature=g-hist Check the comments. There's someone saying that J and S are still together.
ReplyDeleteThey never were so they can't be still.
Delete"Ya, I wish someone would/could sue the ass of this nutcase."
ReplyDeleteThe people who could, aren't. Doesn't that strike you as odd?
If V/M were Brangelina, then yeah, I wouldn't expect a lawsuit. Celebrities that big don't waste their time suing small fry like this, because there will always be jealous people spouting lies in attempt to get attention and publicity.
But V/M are not on that scale. A lawsuit wouldn't make the press, or would hit in a minor way spun very much in V/M's favor. So why don't V/M do it? Why would they want a website of lies out there that many people visit?
Maybe they don't care. Sponsors like Lindt signed them anyway, so maybe they don't think this will hurt their bottom line. Maybe. Although I think if I started a website like this about Kristi Yamaguchi, she'd be all over me in 30 seconds.
Maybe it's because they have no grounds to sue. If what the blogger is saying is all true, then there's nothing to sue about.
Team VirtueMoir are all very much aware of this blog. I'm sure they could have had it shut down, if they wanted to. Tessa's dad would have the legal know-how. Yet, it continues...
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:45
ReplyDeleteAny suit would bring attention to all the shenanigans V/M have engaged in. For the sake of discussion let's say Scott really was with Jessica. So? They'd still be scrutinized, and asked to answer, all this other crap of inconsistencies and proven lies in the information they've given the public. Not to mention, the really disgusting pseudo-intimate photos of Scott and Jessica all over social media would become much more public than if they're just confined to some blog on the internet. None of it looks good coming from celebrity-skaters who claim to love privacy.
11:45
ReplyDeleteAlso, this blog is not only about Tessa and Scott, but Skate Canada. I imagine none of the SC officials would be anxious for any kind focus on their own activities. A lawsuit against this blog would surely also shine a huge light on Skate Canada.
What "really disgusting pseudo-intimate photos of Scott and Jessica"? Are all you guys Puritans or members of the Taliban? There are pictures of two people kissing. It's not like they were engaged in hardcore S&M. Big fucking deal.
ReplyDeleteIt's not puritinical. Scott and Tessa present themselves as genuine "kids", sincere, never traveling far from their hometown roots. They do all they can to appeal to down home type Canadian fans, pressing the buttons that they think work on Canadian fans - honesty, humility, shared values.
DeleteShared values does not include lip locking with another woman on social media to deceive the public that you're not with your skating partner, a woman you love completely. That's disgusting. You love THIS woman but smarm it up with that woman and make fans choke it down. I'm sorry, but there's something about the Jessica/Scott combo that's gross - I can't nail it down. Perhaps it's Scott's love for Tessa permeates everything. Perhaps it's that who Jessica is is the antithesis of anything he can respect. Whatever it is, I'm not putting it down - it's gross, plain and simple. Manipulating newborns, marriage, your sex life, religious holidays, other people's weddings, pregancies, etc., is also disgusting. Essentially the contrast between Scott's reality and what he has tried to communicate about him and Jessica is gross because of what he has with Tessa. Sure, the idea is it protects what he has with Tessa, but the problem is, that's not what comes across when he shams.
To each their own - not disgusting to me. The amount of time that you spend spreading lies is more disgusting to me. Give me the fake kissing pictures any day.
Delete^how can the blogger be spreading lies AND the pictures be fake?
DeleteAbsolutely, it's disgusting for all the reasons OC just outlined - the sham can't be taken out of the context in which it's played. First, that he's married and has a child and second, that these pictures aren't "just kissing", the context (Punta Cana, Moir Xmas in pajamas) are meant to show they are supposedly sleeping together. Do NHL players get to do this? News anchors? Politiicans? People who are way bigger fish don't require this kind of "protection". And it has nothing to do with them being a special partnership or whatever, because plenty of figure skating couples are together, some are even married.
DeleteBut even if JS were for real, it doesn't mean you're puritanical for not liking those pictures. There is a difference between having discomfort with the actual acts supposedly taking place (ie. I have absolutely no problem with premarital sex) and considering certain pictures as TMI, especially people you don't know very well. For example, none of my friends have posted pictures as kissy/touchy as those from their actual honeymoons!
Anon 4:55
DeleteI agree with everything you said.
I know this blog and many comments here have talked about the OTT nature and huge quantity of sham photos on social media. But I still have a difficulties tryng to understand exactly why they would do such a thing? Even supposing Scott & Jessica really had been a couple (which I don't believe), it's smarmy. These skaters acted coy with legitimate media, proclaiming their love of, and desire, for privacy. Scott, especially, always so careful to once in a while just say "girlfriend," but never saying her name. And then they go and post these kinds of photos? Definitely TMI and too much "in your face.". This contradiction , along with the attitude that came across from Scott, Jessica and the Moirs, of delight in making fun of the V/M fans (I agree with the blogger that the attitude even became malicious), is one of the major things that convinced me it was all bs.
I don't mind the pictures. What I find disgusting is how everyone blames Scott, Jessica, and their families for the disgustingness while Tessa comes out smelling like a rose, when she's the person behind the whole damn thing.
DeleteAnyone remember this interview: http://www.fanforum.com/48518850-post86.html
Note what Marina says:
Who's the leader in their pair?
On the ice, probably Scott, he's more intense in work. But in regards to some questions off the ice, probably Tessa.
Take a wild guess as to what she's talking about.
Tessa is the one who is so obsessed with privacy that she'll go to any lengths to preserve it. Scott's so in love with her that he enables her and does whatever the hell she wants. Jessica does it for the perks, but at what price? Tessa constantly humiliated her by making it clear that Scott loved her, not Jessica. You'd think if Tessa really want to throw people off the scent, she'd try to make the Scott/Jessica thing believable. Instead, she choreographs exhibitions like Jack and Diane and I Want To Hold Your Hand. And then turns around and says they didn't even text each other during their "estrangement" with a straight face! No fidgeting for that girl. That's disgusting. As for all the Scott/Jessica vacation photos, etc.? Who paid for all that stuff? I doubt it was SC or the Moir family. Tessa's family all the way.
Absoutely agree, all the disgustingness comes from the participation of both the Moirs and Virtues, the Moirs (and Jessica) happen to be the public face of it, and for myself, the photos (and all the other facebook activity) did disgust me.
DeleteI don't know that I agree that Tessa humiliated Jessica. Jessica doesn't come across as a very secure nor likeable person and that's nothing to do with Tessa. In my view, Scott was the one humiliated by being associated with someone like Jessica. Just one more reason this "relationship" didn't pass the smell test - as if Scott would fall for the moody, self-absorbed Jessica when he's best friends with someone who is the complete oppoiste, and whom he says he admires (Tessa).
7:17 a.m., I do have to agree with you to the extent that Tessa and her family are behind this every bit much as the Moirs. It's only a guess on my part but between both personalities (Tessa and Scott's) and observing Scott's public behavior, it's difficult not to extrapolate that Tessa is behind the most egregious aspects of the sham. It definitely speaks well of her over all (if this conclusion is true) that she can insist on this but remain as beloved as she is. The Virtues, not the Moirs, are financially positioned to make this worth Jessica's while. And not to mention, that on the few occasions Jessica has addressed Tessa's existence, she is very deferential and respectful. Add in that the Moirs' demeanor around Jessica tends to the "tolerate" while the Virtue demeanor is more smiley, one can't help thinking you have a point.
DeleteIf the Virtue family really is the money and egregiousness behind this, it shocks me that Tessa's Dad, being a lawyer, would endorse it. Isn't he the one who should have been the ethical watch-guard?
DeleteThis is interesting. Do you think that the Jessica part of this is over, or will she make another appearance? All signs seem to be pointing to her being out of the picture now. Where do they go from here?
DeleteIf she was being compensated, they must still be finding a way to keep that up or she'll talk. Personally, if this blog is correct, I hope she does talk. Let it out, Jess. Let it all out!
"It definitely speaks well of her over all (if this conclusion is true) that she can insist on this but remain as beloved as she is."
DeleteI don't think it speaks well of her. I think the way she has Scott do all her dirty work so she looks blameless is appalling. Does she love anyone more than she loves herself?
Yeah. It's easy to be beloved when you never have to do any of the dirty work.
Delete"Jessica does it for the perks, but at what price? Tessa constantly humiliated her by making it clear that Scott loved her, not Jessica."
DeleteJessica is not an adult? She was not free at any time to remove herself from this sham? It's hard to have much sympathy for any alleged humiliation when you consider how much she benefited. Scott is the one who talked about a "girlfriend" in abstract terms, while Jessica was more than happy to specifically say "My boyfriend, Scott Moir" and then willingly accept all the deference that fans and skating media readily give to one who is the presumed romantic choice of an Olympic champion. For heaven's sake, she even went on record with a popular magazine's "Most Beautiful" issue talking about how Scott made her feel so beautiful (talk about presumptuous!). It doesn't matter whether she said these things to the media on her own or under direction, the result is the same. She ends up more "popular" and "special" only based on her association with Scott. That may say lots of ridiculous things about our society, but that's beside the point. Being known as "Scott Moir's girlfriend" brought her notoriety.
Add to that, the way Skate Canada bent over backward to give her a place in the spotlight, plus the free trips to various exotic locales. If she did in fact feel any humiliation, she must have considered all the perks more than ample reward, otherwise why stay?
Nope, I'm not feeling sorry for Jessica.
They couldn't file a lawsuit against this blog. The procedure would be to contact google. It's google they'd have to take it up with, not me. Google could shut the blog down and it hasn't - either complaints haven't been registered or they recognize there's no grounds. Don't forget that a lawsuit goes both ways. They're (Skate Canada and Tessa/Scott) lying. If they (for the sake of argument) ever prevailed in any type of lawsuit it would be because of perjury - they'd have to continue lying for my lifetime, because if they came clean prior to that I could counter sue. Their only angle would be to persuade Google that the blog violates Google's TOS. It does not. But google could decide it did. Obviously, google thinks not. Google is reluctant to censor stuff for public relations reasons, because its subscribers get pissed and there's lots of blowback. Outside google TOS, SC and Team Virtue Moir are up a creek, because they're the ones lying.
ReplyDeleteThat's the legal picture. I don't think it comes into play - I doubt Skate Canada or Team Virtue Moir think about the legal side twice, but I bet potential sponsors do. SC and Team VM have fucked up in large part because in terms of mainstream media and public awareness, figure skating is now a niche sport. It's not big money, it doesn't have the coverage major league sports gets. This led SC and Team Virtue Moir to forge ahead with a somewhat grandiose, poorly thought out scheme, inconsistent, over-ambitious, avaricious, and immature. If figure skating were a mainstream sport instead of reported on largely by groupies, this attitude would get them killed.
If google declined to shut the blog down and any type of lawsuit were filed, that's where SC and Team VM know perfectly well they are fucked. There's a discovery process, which would immediately reveal that the blog isn't lying. Team VM and SC know that as well as the blog knows that.
ReplyDeleteWaiting to hear your take on the Shpilband firing... there's an interesting post (#273) in the FSU thread.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that it's politics and one of Marina or Shpilband made moves that unbalanced the coaching machinery at Canton - they all collaborate, but all have specific roles at the end of the day. If one of them attempted to leverage the success of the past few years in a self-aggrandizing way, into a new role, expanding it, changing priorities or grabbing onto the other's territory in some way, or thought they could leverage relationships into acquiring more control (not even control over the skaters per se, but maybe branching out), that's going to go bad fast. It's weird to figure how Jacquie White's comment about "control" played itself out specifically. Igor and Marina have different roles that don't really overlap. I can't picture her insisting on doing the footwork. I can't picture him deciding he's a better choreographer. This all appears to have developed in the off-season so I believe Jacquie White when she says the skaters are bystanders. A guess would be maybe one of them (Marina or Igor) wanted to use more of their on-the-job-time for other ventures outside the way things are currently set-up, as mysteriously insinuated-and-dismissed in the article.
DeleteIt's unfortunate that figure skating doesn't have real journalists. Most of those who write about figure skating just get it straight from the public relations offices of those in question. Jacquie White's comment below the article is probably as candid as it's going to get. It catches my attention that these "issues" have supposedly been going on only since April. If that's accurate, that means a partnership of ten years plus went from zero to destroyed in a matter of weeks.
The conversation on fsu IMO just illustrates again how people take their feelings and project it onto the topic and from there why not just assume the people involved feel exactly as you do and it's all true. And there you have your fsu facts, where D/W and V/M are in conflict (that exists only on fsu) where Scott and Tessa would like to leave Marina and get coaching that creates exactly the kinds of programs a lot of fsu wants to see (again, only in fsu's heads), and where now some are deciding that Igor must have diddled somebody to get his ass canned this fast. Oh yes, that must be it. Well, why wait for more information - there it is!
FSU and most message boards prefers soap operish drama and personality politics to the actual politics that happen around elite level sports. The idea a lot of posters have about Canton exists only in their own minds and stems from what they want, not any accurate guage. One poster actually mentioned the photo of Scott, Tessa, Charlie, Meryl in some intense huddle and concludes it must have been a discussion about these problems. Where do people get this stuff? None of these four live on camera. They all know when the camera is on and off. They do not play out this shit in front of us.
P.S. - the article was difficult to track - it never really said what the problems were. Even Igor's quotes were odd. One read could be that he anticipated setting up his own operation after Sochi. That would be a natural goal but I'm not sure he's saying that. If he tried to get that up and running concurrently with his present responsibilities, maybe that would be a conflict source and maybe he anticipated Marina scheduling the top three teams so as to accomodate Igor's other pursuits and she didn't. That's the closest to a guess I can come up with from what the article reported, and there's too much missing to even believe it's in the ballpark. Not to mention Igor seemingly wanting to coach other teams appears to have been mentioned and then tossed away as a reason for the split. Not to mention how disruptive would such a thing be, and why would it become a deal breaker?
DeleteP.P.S. - Marina now says Igor was starting his own coaching business inside "their" business, separate from their shared business as a team, and she considered this a conflict of interest. I agree with her but can also speculate on Igor's idea - he is the less famous, less credentialed member of the team, she's the choreographic genius networked up to the eyeballs from years of working at a very high level with Russians, Canadians, Americans and more. She does a lot of outside choreography for pairs. He's respected, but he's not her. He's younger than she is. It's possible he envisioned the partnership ending after Sochi, the big teams retiring, and he didn't want to start from scratch after that, so he began laying the groundwork for his own school now. The big names at Canton would of course attract skaters who'd love to work with the guy who was the tech coach for Olympic and World champions. However, that enterprise would create a conflict of interest at least in one area - scheduling - which Igor has already brought up. His quote made it appear as if Marina abruptly began to schedule the top three teams without consulting him, but possibly it's more accurate to speculate that she scheduled them without accomodating his own individual coaching business and schedule. Surely those teams shouldn't be expected to work around that, if that was the situation.
DeleteWhy would there be a lawsuit against a blog that spouts pure speculation and opinion? Some may think because it will bring unwanted attention, but I think because the blog is full of pure bunk that the subjects of the blog actually don't take ithe blogger seriously. I would congratulate the blogger on convincing others while offering no proof and only distorted speculation. I don't believe there's a marriage and a baby, but I guess the figure skating world needs some spicing up. This blog is pure entertainment to me - I come once in a while and see that the kool-aid still flows strongly.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to tell at this point who's fault the rift is. I don't believe it is the "kids'" fault as the Freep article claims. I am curious if V/M are staying or going from Canton. Many are speculating how dramatic it would be if V/M went with Igor and D/W are staying with Marina.
ReplyDeleteThe strange thing is that the American teams put out statements about Igor that were pretty glowing. Why would this be, if he was in the wrong.
Because it's the right thing to do. He's already fired - you don't throw him under a bus and further jeopardize his future. Isn't that what we'd all say in their shoes? Of course it's an unhappy situation. Besides, it's the truth. He was integral to their success and they'd be inhuman not to have respect gratitude and appreciation/admiration as well as a personal liking for the man. Things like this don't change that.
DeleteI think it's a big, big mistake to make this about the skaters. A lot of fans are jumping on that thinking it validates their speculation that Canton must is full of resentment and political (not competitive) tensions among the skaters. Such speculation is confusing their interpretation of Igor's firing. I don't believe this is about the top teams vying for attention with each other nor about politics. Here's what it is - a key component of their coaching team has become less and less available for any of them because he's got his own unauthorized coaching business on the side.
The problems based on the information that's been shared so far have nothing to do with his abilities as a coach or his history with those teams, but with his decision to launch his own business inside the business he was hired to do in cooperation with Marina at Arctic Edge.
I think all three teams are staying put. There are some things to keep in mind. One is, these are people with the same concerns as the rest of us - their careers, their future, capitalizing on success to protect their future and so on. Next, imagine that you have a well paid job - let's use an office because the analogy is clearer that way. You are very successful running your department along with a co-director, you are managing some lucrative and important client relationships and the owners are very happy with you. You've got a great reputation in your industry and could probably work anywhere, but your association with the company's major clients is good for your personal brand, so you stay put. Still you'd kind of like to start your own company some day with your own clients.
In that scenario you're not an independent contractor. You and your co-director don't run your own business as such - you are using the facilities of the company and the owners of the company pay for everything - supplies, utilities, support staff, computer operations, maintenance staff - everything they pay for, not you. Your side of the bargain is to manage those important clients and you're doing great at it. Those clients aren't just yours, they're also the clients of the company's, since the company is paying for the infrastructure you're using and a lot of other stuff.
So you start thinking I bet I could do this myself. And you get yourself some clients that are just yours, you use the infrastructure the company is paying for, and you do it on company time. The big company client's want a conference call or meeting and you ask to reschedule because you're busy with your own clients. By the way, you did this without permission and the company has no stake in the clients you've gotten on your own. And you're neglecting the company clients. You leave your co-director to handle the company clients. Maybe you get irritated that your co-director doesn't have your back and isn't helping you make your own business happen by picking up the slack, covering your ass, or persuading the clients that there's a reasonable reason a key player isn't available for them anymore, when they're paying big money for him or her.
How many organizations would put up with that? These aren't just "Igor and Marina's" skaters they're the skaters of the Arctic Edge training center. Igor's are not. They're just his. Think of the show "Mad Men". Of course in advertising when an accounts person leaves, their clients might go with them - in law too. But while they work for the "Mad Men" firm, these clients are also the company clients. Now suppose while you're taking up a desk, a phone, a salary, a computer, a support staff - all paid for by the firm, of course, you begin acquiring your own clients, sort of running a one person business out of the offices of your company, and you're starting to ignore the company clients. How long would that last if the billables went straight to you and the company didn't have a share, but you were using stuff they were paying for as your base of operations?
DeleteThat's what Igor seems to have been doing. Using Arctic Edge as his base of operations for his own shop, outside of his agreement with Arctic Edge, outside of his partnership with Marina and neglecting the skaters he was hired to coach to boot. Why should either Arctic Edge or Marina OR D/W, V/M and the Shibs enable Igor's one-man show? As a favor? What do they get out of it? It's Arctic Edge's property. It's Marina and Igor's program Igor is damaging by his lack of availability. Etc. Etc.
If Igor had done some of his own coaching the way Marina does choreography - outside his primary responsibilities towards the top skaters - I'm sure nobody would have had a problem with him using Arctic Edge facilities for it. However the problem seems to be that he wasn't available for the top three teams in the way he was before. Not available would mean that before, when it was a straightforward matter to put the training schedule together, it's now become much more difficult to get face time with Igor because he's coaching his own skaters. So now the schedule of V/M, D/W and the Shibs are affected - they have to rejigger their gym, dance training and other appointments around Igor's availability if they want to get his tech input. Remember that figure skating is incredibly, incredibly expensive. Even top skaters like these shell out a LOT of money to train there.
DeletePossibly the skaters, Marina and Arctic Edge would have looked the other way if Igor had done a little consulting or other outside types of service providing. But to set up a full-time coaching operation in the same hours he was already coaching full time, do it on the same premises, and expect that the primary skaters be the one to work around him, instead of him scheduling is own coaching around them - was a big mistake if that's what went down.
Igor kind of shot himself in the foot by saying "I have a lot of skaters." When was he coaching so many skaters? How was he able to prioritize D/W, V/M and the Shibs with so many skaters of his own? This is when the programs are put together for next season. It's a pre-Olympic season that's coming up. The skaters are going to want to, as always, make sure the tech is pristine and maxes out CoP as much as possible. It's extremely important, it's high tension because the decisions and work done at this time of year are going to determine how well you do in the coming season. Later, when the programs have mileage, the skaters can use the foundation they established now and do a lot of work themselves. Now is not that time.
DeleteThat's what lawsuits are for. People don't generally file lawsuits against a site that is telling the truth, they file them against bunk.
ReplyDeleteOnce in awhile is defined differently by me than you but I'm glad to see you continue to get yourself and your ego covered coming and going as the excuse for why you never leave.
One of the reasons people don't file lawsuits is they don't want to waste money and why throw money at a little blog like this? Absence of a lawsuit doesn't mean you're telling the truth. And calling me out on my ego is a bit rich - your ego is a bit inflated and you're one to talk. But no matter! You still provide me with entertainment! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI'm just curious how disruptive the "one man show" really was. Was it really disruptive, or did Marina just want him out and embellished the disruption. Marina mentioned in an interview that they wanted to take on more skaters, so there was obviously time in their schedule. So I'm wondering if she got mad that Igor used the extra time to take on his own students instead of joint students. He was making extra money, while she wasn't. I don't see a problem with this, because employees can do what they want in their own time. Unless he really did neglect his other students. Yes he was using the rink's resources, but unless he didn't pay the rink their coaching fees, I don't see it as fraudulent. He's going to be using the rink whether he coaches the top 3 or his new teams. I don't see this as stealing time or resources if he truly had the time. It's just not clear if he did have time or was neglecting, from anything I've read. Jaqui's comment makes it seem like the coaches were just arguing with each other but didn't say anything about the skaters feeling neglected before the argument started.
ReplyDeleteShe was making plenty of money - don't forget she participated in Battle of the Blades and she does a fair amount of lucrative choreography on the side. That's a LOT of money for not a ton of time invested. However, her doing those things didn't disrupt her primary responsibilities at Canton.
Delete"I don't see the problem with this because employees can do what they want in their own time."
Exactly. And I think it's fairly clear that Igor wasn't doing it on his own time, or Marina wouldn't have described it as his own business inside the business they have together. There would be no conflict. Arctic Edge wouldn't mention that he wasn't prioritizing the top three teams.
When they take joint students, they work together to make sure the time and attention is distributed fairly, with fair priorities.
Actually Sarah, I think this was laid out pretty well in the post above yours. If you like Igor, fine, I do too. But from the information available so far he wasn't doing it on his own time - he was taking away from his availability for his own students. MARINA is doing HER side business on HER own time (the choreography for pairs and so forth) and it does not affect her availability for the top three teams.
It's not fraudulent and nobody said it was, but it apparently wasn't mutually agreed upon (with the rink or with Marina) nor was his set up worked out to the satisfaction of the rink and Marina. You're saying "he's going to use the rink whether he coaches his top teams or his new teams." Actually, that's the problem. He CAN'T use the rink for his new teams without ensuring the okay from the rink and from Marina and he can't get that okay to have a side business unless it doesn't affect the top teams.
You keep saying "it's his own time" and "his extra time." I think it's pretty clear from not just Marina, but from Arctic Edge, that he's not using his "extra" time, or "his own time" but time that he's supposed to be available for V/M, the Shibs and D/W and his business with Marina/Arctic Edge.
Not to mention the rink isn't a joint resource. The rink is Arctic Edge's facility. Igor doesn't have equal right to it without prior agreement. There's an agreement to use it for the training he runs with Marina. There was obviously no agreement for him to use it for his own side business during the time he was supposed to be available to the top skaters. That IS the issue. You keep saying "unless". Well "Unless" came to pass and that was the problem. Again, Marina isn't begrudging him making money - SHE makes money. But she doesn't do it during the time she's supposed to working with the top teams.
Anyhow, again, it seems it was not his time, and nor was it his property (employees can do what they want on their own time, but can they do it on their employer's property without authorization?).
DeleteJacquie White was responding to a comment below the DFP article that laid into the skaters, blamed them, called them brats and implied they were ungrateful divas. She was correct that this had nothing to do with them.
But if course it AFFECTS them. When this type of maneuver occurs they're affected and it's in everybody's best interest to deal with it quickly.
Figure skaters want to train. They don't want to mediate this type of mess. It's not their job. It's not what they're paying through the nose for. They're paying for a top-tier well-run facility and top-level coaching. If Igor isn't available when he used to be available, it's not their job to fix that problem or even bring it to the attention of management. Management is supposed to be on top of that - so is Marina (and so is Igor). If V/M, D/W and the Shibs suddenly find they won't be working with Igor at an expected time but another, possibly more disruptive time, it's not their job to bring it up. It's management's/owners' and Marina's (if she's on top of it) to realize they're no longer providing the skaters what they've come to expect and are paying for and to take steps. It seems that's what they've done. The very fact that the skaters have stayed on says that. I'm sure they don't want their names thrown about and politicized. Marina didn't drag them into it. Igor did (with talking about calling D/W) and Arctic Edge did phrase it as the teams taking a "him or us" position, but it's possible Arctic Edge put it to the skaters if they could continue with the status quo and they said no. That almost amounts to the same thing.
If you had a job you could do what you wanted on your own time but not on company time and probably not on company property, not without first negotiating an arrangement that didn't conflict with your existing responsibilities. That's the issue here.
I wonder how things will play out. Will everyone stay classy? Or will people like Igor, who know a lot about V/M and the lies they have told (like throwing 4CCs in 2011) start making some comments here and there?
ReplyDeleteI've thought of the same thing, but it's not good business to let cats out of the bag. That'll only make your current students distrust you and future students be cautious too. That stuff is for when everyone's financially secure and retired. :)
DeleteI am unbelievably hooked on this blog and for someone who does not work in the summer, this is a dangerous thing :) I must say looking at the sport and the participants after reading through this blog has had me going from thoughts "of no way" to "holy cow" and I think the blogger of this site promotes fantastic discussion. I knew the sport had its secrets so to speak because all sports do but this is in a whole other realm.
ReplyDelete