I expect now that he's a big grown-up, a quarter of a century, he may actually say "thanks" without a poison pill embedded. What does he have to lose? It's not like people are banging down his door (because they don't know where Bubble Boy lives, do they? They don't even know what town. And at last year's Canadians there were Canadians in attendance who didn't know who VM were.).
Let's see how the day plays out. I know he's busy, and, unlike with sham things, there's no point in showing up for five seconds to acknowledge fan well-wishes when there's nothing to plug (his family's restaurant, a show he's appearing in, the sham, etc.), nothing in it for him. And no swag involved. No jewelry, cars, shoes, perks (royalty, galas, etc.).
It would be fun if he'd realize sincerity unattached to some type of plug or bait has benefits, but that's long-term thinking, which in terms of fans is not something Virtue and Moir have ever shown a willingness to understand and also something I doubt is in any type of business model Tessa and Scott find intriguing. It's weird considering that training mates DW and now, especially, the Shibs, are state of the art role models for genuine fan engagement that's going to reap Kwan-esque benefits long term, but the lesson is either lost or VM lack the interest.
On his and Tessa's webpage (virtuemoir.com), he and Tessa published a statement to fans, assuring them that all of their support, expressed in well-wishes, videos, gifts, etc., "do not go unnoticed." Very nice. Is that the blanket "hey thanks!" for the rest of their eligible career? Happy birthday Scott! Then go to the webpage to be assured it doesn't go unnoticed. It's almost insulting. Oh hey, I know some of you gave us the benefit of the doubt and thought we were too busy to notice, but we noticed! We ignored you on purpose!
At Scott's age, 25 (younger, actually, as she didn't turn 25 til May 1996) Katia Gordeeva was a recent widow, a mom, a 2-time Olympic champion, and skated the excruciatingly heart-rending "Celebration of a Life" in front of fans and fellow skaters in February 1996. For her, I'm emphasizing her personal courage and willingness to be who she is at such a young age, despite her private nature.
At 25:
the frontal lobe (impulse control) is finally fully developed in most men.
blogger Eva Markvoort was sharing her life and losing battle with cystic fibrosis.
Orson Welles coscripted, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane.
Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly alone across the Atlantic*
Evan Lysacek was teased on the SOI bus for being a quarter of a century old.
In one way, Scott merits mention among the accomplished and courageous aged 25 and under, but one element doesn't fit. To pretend you're something you're not, out of cowardice at best and out of expedient, self-serving profiteering at worst, to live in a bubble despite the fact that outside the bubble is nothing more daunting than a syncophantic press and quasi high-school bitchery, to pretend you're not with the woman you love and you're not a dad, to pervert the definitions of honor and courage (and the meaning of role model), to turn values inside out, to forever weasel out of opportunities to present yourself honestly and maturely - these are not the hallmarks of people of honor aged 25 nor of honorable people much younger. It's just pathetic and evidences a self-absorption worthy of Jess Dube.
_______________________
*At age 21, Annie Sullivan met Helen Keller.
P.S. - I'm just tacking this next bit onto this post even though it's only very remotely related. It does go to out-of-touchery and faux sincerity masking a complete lack of "getting it".
A couple of years ago I saw some internet video of fans at an SOI autograph session. Cynthia Phaneuf, Jeff Buttle, VM, maybe Kurt Browning, can't recall. The fans got an autograph and Scott asked if they were coming to the show. The fans (who were young, and possibly students) looked a little uncomfortable and said they thought it might be sold out. Scott heartily said "Sold out? I don't think it's sold out!" and said more - pushing them to buy tickets, told them to call the box office. He really woke up for this. The fans looked even more uncomfortable and hedged even more.
You know what I think Scott? I think they couldn't afford to go and were embarrassed to admit they wanted to meet you guys and get an autograph despite not having the dollars to attend SOI.
You know what you should say when fans say they can't or aren't going? Say, thanks for coming here to see us! Thanks for the gift! Good to see you! (I think these fans gave VM a very nice gift but am not sure so won't mention what I think it was.)
And not to leave Tessa out of things; she very generously gave an interview to a Russian journalist after the 2009 TEB press conference. She mentioned that one benefit of training in Michigan was the shopping was better. The journalist said "Oh, is there more sales, better prices?" because bargains, especially in 2009, is where a lot of people's minds go when they hear the shopping is better. More importantly, it's obvious that's where this woman's reality was - what she thought of as better shopping. She was also thrilled and happy to be interviewing Tessa, and laughed a lot from what seemed to be both nervousness and excitement. Tessa said no, more things to buy. Bargain? What's that.
I just think they could be more clued in. A LOT more. They're already hurting feelings on purpose (lots of the sham nastiness). Don't do it by accident. What they do is a product of spending every single conversation thinking about yourself and not the other person. If she'd clued into the journalist's nerves and excitement, Tessa might have been more diplomatic about shopping. If the finances of your average student had occurred to Scott - and he has no excuse for it not to have - he wouldn't have pushed, would have understood what "think it's sold out" was about.
...VM aren't alone - I could call Meryl out as well. On twitter a couple of years ago, she reacted to the report that Detroit was the worst city in the USA to live by tweeting: "Have they never been to Ann Arbor?" Jesus Meryl. But to her credit, she does a lot more to balance that out (in public) than Tessa and Scott, so it's easy to give her a pass.
Basically if you want people to buy what you shill and you want people to spend scarce disposible income on figure skating, act like you see them as something other than a wallet with legs.
...When Gordeeva skated "Celebration of a Life" (to Mahler), Marina Zoueva, the choreographer, was watching in the wings. It's clear to me that Zoueva learned an enormous amount after her experience with G&G. I don't think she was in their business, but Gordeeva was super sensitive and that was an awareness Zoueva has obviously brought to her thriving relationship with VM and DW. It's hard though, not to wonder if she ever compares what VM are sensitive about to what Gordeeva went through, and if she wonders what has happened to make the newer generation such self-indulgent, self-obsessed babies. Or maybe that's not it. Maybe Scott and Tessa want to pretend they're "kids" as long as possible - maybe married and baby isn't marketable. Considering the attendance and revenue since they won gold in 2010, the massive amounts of revenue "we're in love but not" has brought in, they can't be as big a couple of idiots as that.
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| When this was created, the cartoonist was being satirical. |
That's pretty cynical but it matches my mood right now quite well. I feel like Scott's probably been dreading this day because he knows that he might actually have to acknowledge the fans.
ReplyDeleteIt's cynical but it's a mirror. The cynicism is in them. It's this curdled mess of cynicism and gross immaturity that's present in how they deal with their fans. Lord knows I bang on Jessica Dube for manifest immaturity, but Tessa and Scott's careless treatment of fans doesn't scream maturity. Maturity is a lot more than presentation. It's how you ACT, not just how you present, and there's a distinction. I know it's more than cleaning up, having nice public manners when you're where people can see you, writing out some perfectly mechanical perfect words to recite perfectly, then where people can't see you, showing what your actual opinion is by your real life behavior. Fans SEE this, they GET this, and it's just an unhappy thing.
DeleteI think it's worth mentioning that I don't know whom either Alex nor Maia Shibutani are dating or have dated. At Alex's age, Scott was shamming his face off, so it's not youth. At Maia's age, Tessa was shamming HER face off. When Maia and Alex twitter and go on youtube, they're not handing over the keys to the store. And, btw, I think the reality that, unlike the Shibs, Scott and Tessa skate together while being together in real life became an expedient excuse long before the sham (Jessica as a "current gf' ended). It was totally reversed - the sham became a rationale for a whole bunch of other stuff a bunch of people didn't want to lose, so they wanted to keep it up, and as Scott and Tessa had other priorities, why not. It's not as if the sham were about values that were important or anything. I think they don't need it, but coming clean is too much trouble. It's only a big lie told to a bunch of fans. What does that have to do with stuff they find interesting, like business? God they can be stupid.
Back to the Shibs - they obviously enjoy and have a talent for the fun videos they produce and show on youtube. But my God, how many times did Alex thank fans when the views went through the roof?
I've said this before - I think Scott and Tessa will be able to get away with it if they ever muster the class to come clean. Fans will forgive them and be glad to put it behind them. Fans will keep the sham in mind and bend over triple to show coming clean wasn't a mistake. And besides that, all the tough stuff is over and done outside of fan eyes - the romance (long since launched before many fans ever heard of VM), the baby, the life together.
BUT - I do think it's going to be some type of shackle for the remainder of their public life in any capacity. It's something that will be thrown in their face any time they criticize anything. They won't have a lot of leeway. Where their relationship is concerned, I think they'll be given all the respect, all the room they claimed they could never get if all were on the record. But where their individual integrity is concerned, all the manners, work ethic, smiles, and personal responsibilty won't compensate for the duration of the Big Lie they promoted while hiding behind everything they do that's real. It'll always be something they can be called out on. They fell into the classic trap of using real things to sell a hoax, and that's not something people forget. What ends up happening is the hoax tarnishes the real stuff, instead of the real stuff sanctifying the hoax. You'd think Tessa, student that she says she is, would realize this.
Yeah - dreading he might have to post "thanks for all the well wishes - hope everyone had a great weekend!" Poor Scott. What should he say and how should he say it. He can always get Barb to do it. I always figure it's Barb when something straight out of obnoxious promo-plug shows up on Scott's facebook. "Skating on the moon tomorrow! My favorite place! Who's going?"
DeleteLawd. Get some new catch phrases. That shit is just making an obnoxious display of how little you care.
I think this is all going to become even more glaring when the focus, as it inevitably will, shifts even more toward them with the upcoming Worlds at home and then Sochi.
DeleteI wish they could just -get- it. Even taking the sham out of the equation, they are totally shit at interacting with the fans. No mention from Scott at all of the two weeks spent doing two shows per day at the CNE. Apparently they were shaking hands and saying "thanks!" there but only for people seated in a VIP area. What exactly constitutes a VIP at a free show, anyway?
People whose spots are reserved? People who can benefit Scott and Tessa - hook them up with free stuff? Free outings? Business contacts? Show sponsors? Sponsor connections?
DeleteJust flat out them-and-us-it at a community show - such good p.r.
They're in a tight spot but they built it. On the one hand is coming clean makes fools out of them, instead of fools out of fans. They lose face. OMG. Better to have a second kid, send 'em to school, complete Sochi, and continue to pretend for the public record years on their real lives don't exist, real relationship doesn't exist, real kids don't exist. Much better than losing face and facing criticism.
The rationale for hiding is just eating itself alive.
And on the other hand, stay hidden and live that life - just to save face. That's the consideration of truly mature, courageous people of integrity. Saving face. Avoiding embarrassment. Too big to explain.
I don't know why Scott failed to mention CNE on facebook. The show was popular, so maybe as it didn't need the plug, and Scott and Tessa had proved their muscle as headliners, what's the point in mentioning what fun it was to skate in front of fans at this event, how thankful they are that so many fans show up for figure skating in the middle of the summer, what a great contribution the audience made to a great time at CNE. Barb? Scott? What?
The pure selfishness of the pr around Scott and Tessa is unsettling.
It does sort of underscore that Scott set up the fan facebook solely to deflect attention from the restriction and fan-friend deletion of his "personal" facebook (typically hurting feelings in the process with his transparent excuse-making and selective deletion policy, sort of flaunting his lack of sincerity) - and we know he restricted his 'personal' facebook to conceal their sham flogging and photo spamming now that it was being called out. So the facebooks are coming from a fake place anyway.
When was the last time Carol, family friends, Alma or others posted on Scott's 'fan' facebook?
I thought so. There's nothing in it for their side anymore, so what would be the point?
I know they've aged out of the excuse that all that they do and don't do is because they're young and need the protection. And not to mention that while you're going to these lengths to lie, it's probably best not to brag how easily you can go under the radar. That sort of pulls the rug out from under your excuses.
Skate Canada can't buy an audience for its big events - even if they could afford it, so the Greta Garbo + hoax act isn't to protect mega stars from rabid crowds. Plus Tessa and Scott love to show themselves if there's money in it.
There are other ways to manage the enthusiasm of a niche fan base, and the press is a pr tool that does as told, so what's the rationale for lying again? Saving face. That's what it is. So embarrassed. The truth is, nobody ever died of it (embarrassment) and in their case it's just the self-indulgence of immature, privileged people.
"Using the energy of other skaters and conscripting other outreach opportunities to promote the most arrogant, self-aggrandizing, ass-kissing, meanspirited, grandiose, self-obsessed fake romance EVER, while showing blatant disinterest in promising skaters who can't provide Debbi, Barb (and previously, Bill) with a self-aggrandizing quick fix?"
ReplyDeleteBringing this over from a comment in a previous entry - I've been wondering if the upcoming documentary will be more of the same. Basically using precious resources to prop up all the lies and present Scott and Tessa's fake stories as real. If I were a fellow Canadian competitor dying to get this kind of recognition, I'd be pissed.
I guess we should wish Scott a Happy Birthday. Can't wait to hear what he implies he did "separately" from Tessa this year (or even better, like last year, imply a celebration with a fake girlfriend). Or maybe his Mom can visit his public facebook page and leave some [[winkwink]] comments. That way Scott doesn't have to do the dirty work.
I do think they've made baby steps in stopping the "separately". A lot of their old sham patterns described in your comments have halted, Scott's quite embarrassing "hand-in-pockets" interview a few months ago notwithstanding (same interview where he was wearing a designer jacket given to him by a 'former' girlfriend. God, the coy in legit media (don't name the gf) coupled with the in-your-face of social media was so fucking rotten).
DeleteBeverly Smith's well-done article on VM and the Zoueva/Shpilband split had intention in every syllable, and her account of VM's vacation intentionally left open that they vacationed together and both attended the Langlois/Hay wedding. I think the 'separately' each may is stubborness, period. They're lying, but it's for them to call themselves out, not us. Who are we? Wallets with feet.
12:47
DeleteThat article was all kinds of ridiculous, but it is one of only four linked interviews on VM's official website (out of the hundreds of interviews, they chose that one to feature on their website?). I guess it's the closest they can come to putting an end to Scott's fraud "relationship."
And yet, today, on Scott's birthday, Jessica (or someone that's part of this hoax in the VM world) decides to put up a profile picture that blatantly references the pretend romantic beach trips with Scott. They're a bunch of idiots. They don't even try to have reasonable purposes. Who in their right mind "celebrates" on facebook their ex's birthday? Especially after all the Pinterest stuff attempting to portray someone who is "getting on with my life...Snif Snif... Poor me..." Geez. And I'd love to know what they think they're telling the fans.
I think Jess' new pic is from Jamaica...interesting that it's public. What about Tessa in Ottawa? I'd love to know the story behind that one.
Delete"I think Jess' new pic is from Jamaica"
DeleteYes, it might be from Jamaica. But Jessica chooses to share this publicly TODAY? She (and VM and Co.) know darn well the suggestions associated with switching it out today. She could have waited a freaking 24 hrs. I do think they intend some kind of message here. Any of you think they're trying to reinstate this sham?
"It's weird considering that training mates DW and now, especially, the Shibs, are state of the art role models for genuine fan engagement that's going to reap Kwan-esque benefits long term, but the lesson is either lost or VM lack the interest."
ReplyDeleteIf Tessa and Scott thought they could use the excuse of ignorance or simply being too busy to engage in excellent fan outreach, it won't wash. Not when Davis/White and the Shibs are part of their world and V/M can obviously see how it's done. And oh yeah, like you mention, the fans have no idea who Meryl or any of the Shibs are dating. Imagine that. Great PR (charming and sincere) + Privacy. Who would've thunk.
This is also responding to 6:56:
DeleteI wonder if when/IF the time comes VM will slough it all off on their advisors (hell, they'll probably come clean through a third party; they're not the face the music and dance sort off ice). As in perhaps they'll claim advisors in the business realm that so fascinates Tessa (older, more mature, more experienced, wealthier advisors) told them what they wanted to hear (keep lying) and so they did. They've clearly had nothing but excellent advice in the public relations arena so far, why not keep listening?
I can't help wondering what "business" connections are influencing them. Based on how they seem to prioritize, I figure the bigger the bank account, the more impressed Scott and Tessa are with advice they get on how to handle the little people. Who's more qualified than someone or someones with a lot of money?
You'd think they had values and simple human decency to refer to for this stuff (versus hiding behind advisors and enablers), and you'd think they'd have some stones. They're too old for the advisor excuse.
Scott and Tessa have taken to emphasizing that they'd like their public legacy to be that they were nice people. Nice is kind of a namby pamby word (you can be all kinds of rotten and still be "nice" if you have good manners). Maybe they've been with SC so long they're just engaging in a Debbi Wilksian belief that words trump reality. As to reality - they've got role models all over the place at their training center about how to leave a public legacy of having been truly "nice." I think VM have a way to go yet.
I think Scott may as well shut down his facebook fan page. After all, we've got www.virtuemoir.com where the photo of the month is sure to be updated every month or six or 12.
The occasional "Skating here! See you there?", "Who's going?" and other low-rent half-assery doesn't really sustain a fan page. The occasional links to stuff everybody's already seen and discussed doesn't either. Facebook is set up for pictures and if it's not scam span, Scott has no interest whatsoever in sharing any type of photos with fans.
Maybe he keeps up the fan page so he can front it wasn't created in the first place in reaction to the "personal" facebook sham shenanigans getting called out and to cover his restricting and deleting there. It's a fan page - really!
I almost wish Scott would just delete that page. He's not interested in using it and it just feels kinda like a slap in the face for the fans who do care enough to say something to him. Granted, some of the posts are a bit odd but he's a big boy now, he can deal with that.
DeleteI'm sick of him sharing week-old news that's already been discussed on every single VM outlet and whatever other lame ass things he comes up with.
Anon 8:21
Deleteimo as long as Camp VM has not come clean, they will want to have a place for the occasional "sharing" of sham/lies/dissembling. They've managed to get all the previously public personal pages shut down, they've been called out on the use of profile pictures on the pages of friends and family, but they still have Scott's public fan page. They're still running and hiding, still spinning for all they're worth. In their place, I'm sure it would be a consideration to maintain a quasi-legitimate social media place in case they decide to dump something on the fans.
Looking back, it's evident that when Scott set up this site it was with the intention, among other things, of it being the new place where Camp VM would continue with sham spam. Thank goodness the blogger called it out. Otherwise, I'm positive we would have been inundated with the same crap they had been "sharing" through the public pages of the Moirs and Jessica.
Scott set it up after declaring he'd reached his friends limit on his "own" page and didn't want to leave anyone out. My impression was it was simply a gambit to cover the restriction of his "own" fb page. He'd spent a few weeks practically hanging out on fb street corners sweeping people in to get reach the limit so he could announce he'd reached the limit. The whole episode illustrates how insensitive and careless they are with the "little" things, and how not much thought goes into how they deal with fans. Ater saying he was shutting down his old page so as not to leave anyone out, right in front of everyone's eyes, he spent days leaving people out. Fans who took him at face value when he made his announcement watched as he did it, saw themselves deleted, and wondered why they were singled out for exclusion while others remained. It wasn't only sham doubters who were deleted; plenty of regular, supportive fans got x'd.
DeleteScott also said he was shutting his "own" page down. Instead he switched his public profile shot to Jessica and continued shamming it up in front of fans he'd screened for credulity (not to mention a tendency to brag and share stuff on the down low).
I don't think there was a plan for it after that - look how half-assed he was. Look at the lousy photos - mocking the idea of a fan page.
After that? There it was. Unused. Public. A larger audience than the restricted page. How about some bait linked to what's going on with "Jessica's" profile picture? How about having family show up and hint around.
They were called out on their sham attempts in his "fan" facebook, and so what have we learned? That if fans can't be exploited, neither Scott nor Tessa have any use for them. Hundreds of fan happy birthdays on his facebook, and not even a surrogate shows up to say thanks. They have no problem with this. You'd think he hadn't created the page for fans, he acts like the page is something fans are pushing onto him. It's HIS freaking page!
Yet their latest song is they want to be remembered as nice people. Here's the sticking point. How can they insist they're nice people when they treat fans this way? The answer seems to be that this stuff doesn't count, because the people who are treated this way don't count. That's just ugly, but there's a legacy of this type of treatment. If I have an agenda, I'll jerk your chain. If I don't, your sincerity and support on MY fucking page, that *I* created, is a chore and not worth literally 2 seconds of my time.
Probably immediately, and i think it would be nice if he said thanks for the birthday shout outs. I think it's a shame that the absence of any acknowledgement of all the birthday wishes on his fan page only throws into relief that last year on his birthday he was setting fans up, using "scott posted!" as bait. So again, when there's nothing in it for them, ignore the fans. But not to worry, the well wishes are "noticed". He sees them. He's ignoring them on purpose.
ReplyDeleteI also can't imagine Alex and Maia skating for two weeks, twice a day at a fun regional exhibition as the star attraction, drawing packed crowds clearly there to see just THEM, and ignoring it all on facebook. Would he and Maia not say 'thanks you guys!" Would they not share a couple of photos with fans or fun times at the exhibition to show the good times were mutual and there was no noblesse oblige? Isn't the CNE basically the sort of event for which a fan facebook is intended? Scott can't throw up a photo?
All of this of course stands in contrast to the neverending spew of photo spam we got when the sham was active. It pretty much grinds in fans' faces exactly what they're worth to these to figure skaters, because you'd imagine simple human decency would prompt a "thanks for the b'day wishes!" or 'thanks for being such a great crowd at the CNE - Tessa and I were thrilled." Who cares what kind of needy or OTT response a basic courtesy post of Scott's would prompt - he can ignore that part. That's not an excuse.
P.S. - I totally look forward to Worlds in London and the launching of Scott and Tessa's 24-7 sanctimony about their great love and respect for Canadian fans.
ReplyDeleteThe way Team Virtue-Moir runs things, I wouldn't be surprised if the thinking is, since they announced the CNE shows on their official website nothing more is required. Job done.
ReplyDeleteUpdated photos of whatever is happening currently regarding skating/business? A facebook shout-out? A public statement thanking the fans who attended? Well, they've preemptively already taken care of that on the official website with their nice expression of gratitude (I'm not knocking it, it is nice).
But--I wonder if the website is intended to be the sole means of fan outreach and therefore any PR follow-up to the listed events is seen as superfluous. You know--the website has photos! A list of upcoming events! (Although Finlandia is still missing.) Statements from Scott and Tessa to the fans!
Maybe we're just supposed to be grateful there are no sham mentions on that website. Clearly, it's taken all their PR exertions to get it up and running.
"Scott set up the fan facebook solely to deflect attention from the restriction and fan-friend deletion of his "personal" facebook (typically hurting feelings in the process with his transparent excuse-making and selective deletion policy, sort of flaunting his lack of sincerity) - and we know he restricted his 'personal' facebook to conceal their sham flogging and photo spamming now that it was being called out. So the facebooks are coming from a fake place anyway."
ReplyDeleteSomething I find interesting - Scott shuts down personal page/deletes most fans/sets up fan page. The fans were treated badly. But what about Jessica? She didn't even bother creating some kind of fan page, she just cancelled her account outright and created a new personal page, where everyone was able to see the first people chosen to be friends were Moir family connections and of course SC execs, like Barb. She was no longer accepting any of those bothersome fans she was so eager to add to her first personal page. It's not like she didn't have plenty of her own fans that were grateful to be on her page and keep up with her own skating stuff. Talk about an attitude that completely dismissed her fans and showed contempt!
What is particularly astonishing about all of this is the thought that Skate Canada approves treating the fans this way. You could say the skaters are just clueless about appropriate PR (I don't really give the skaters a pass, but I suppose it's possible). Skate Canada comes out looking like classless, incompetent buffoons.
You don't need to know anything about pr to understand that SC's ideas simply don't pass the make sense test. So that's not an excuse. At the team skater level SC looks like every man/woman for him/herself to me, no matter what kind of grins they put on for photos. Every HPC, all the group photos look game-faced and nothing more. The more SC endeavors to show "what fun!" the sadder it all looks. Still, I'm excited to see what logo competitions Barb dreams up this year. Perhaps the team will be divided into groups and have to approximate the logo with their bodies, like the Rockettes.
DeleteAs far as making a plausible girlfriend for Scott Moir, nobody could have been a worse choice than Jessica. One season of her and I think how it played out could have been forseen by anyone with a working brain cell. If you find yourself making excuse after excuse for someone, it's time to ditch the excuses and call it by name. OTOH, what other figure skater would have been so enamored of the camera as Jessica, would have thrived in the fake for so long without a care that it was fake, without a care for her fake amoreux's distaste, just caring for the photos and attention (even if the logistics and off camera was a drag - there were perks to compensate). Only Jessica, whose self-image seems to approximate a real-life anime figure. (The cute! The coy! The girly! The pseudo-tough! The vanity!)
Jessica is a baffling one. She seems to thrive on attention from others, so it is surprising that she didn't also open a fan page. Although, how many were there out of interest of her and not just to creep Scott. Wait a second....
DeleteThe Moir family and friends aren't even showing up to "like" Jessica's new profile/cover photos. I'm pretty sure she's still friends with all of them.
"Although, how many were there out of interest of her and not just to creep Scott."
DeleteYou've got something there. It could be she was afraid if she started her own fan page no one would show up if it was only about her and no Scott.
OTOH, at the time this all went down the sham was firmly entrenched. She would have acquired lots of 'fans' if only to creep Scott. Which brings it all back to the question of why did she shut down that personal page full of fans fawning over her (so most of it was fake fawning for the sake of Scott, so what. It's still major attention and she's proven she eats that up). If she's now on her own and can no longer pretend to be in the Moir's business, now she's left with no public social media presence through which to keep her own fans updated about her skating, her life, etc. I'm sure she does have lots of fans of her own. Why ignore them?
They didn't show up back in the day either, except when a sham initiative was in full swing. You always knew a photo shoot or sham interlude was imminent when a Moir(s) would pop up on Jessica's page or vice versa. And after it was finished, Jessica could have cured cancer or Scott could have won an Oscar without a peep from either side, until the next.
DeleteI think Jessica doesn't have a fan page because there's too much she'd like to keep hidden. Her career so far requires lots of spin. If she'd had the success Tessa and Scott had - which is only possible if she'd put in the work they did - I think she'd have been delighted to open up a fan page and accept the accolades from fans. At the moment, a lot of the interest is, as you mention, due to her association with Scott. I'm sure she'd like more of it to be for her figure skating and general adorability.
To get back for a moment to how sporadic and self-serving Tessa and Scott are with public outreach such as promoting SOI or competitions held in Canada.
ReplyDeleteThe public instinctively gets if you're for real or it's noblesse oblige. The USFSA has decided on an inclusive message: the USFSA is for us as much as it's for the team skaters. While figure skating isn't a team sport, the US group communicates that they'd be a fun crowd to watch compete at a national event, a fun crowd to watch at a gala, and boy, are we welcome. If we check out icenetwork, there's always something going on. Skating is a real sport, people are interested, it's worth covering, the public wants to know and the USFSA knows the public has the right to expect a professionally run website. It's only courteous. If you want the public to be interested, make it worth their time.
Scott and Tessa will show up before Worlds and start banging the drum for Canadian fans and how fab to have Worlds in London. They'll promote the documentary. They'll unpack their rote sanctimony and pitch like it's practically a patriotic obligation to go, and nobody loves Canadian figure skating fans more than they do. The hypocrisy will peel your eyeballs because what they do the rest of the time communicates that they have no interest in the Canadian figure skating public, not even in their role as champion figure skaters.
They don't show up for the hundreds of fans wishing Scott well on his birthday when that would take literally no time (and not even Scott's time - the thank you could be posted by a surrogate speaking for him).
They neglect the basics. The message becomes as clear as the sham message. I take Scott at his word. Back at TEB 2009 he misinterpreted a question and said "we don't care about the rest of the world, we have each other, that's all we care about."
I think that's true, and fair enough. But don't then put the squeeze on the public if the basics of real public relations and event promotion and promotion of your sport is beneath you. As usual, they want the profit but not the responsibility.
Alex Shibutani and his sister have been showing up all summer. They were overseas where very few US fans would be paying for skating show tickets, but they let the fans at home in on the fun of the tour. His US teammates who were on tour with him joined in with enthusiasm. They don't just show up when they can't avoid it.
What Scott and Tessa do is not just show up for unavoidable obligations, they actually preach to us. It doesn't seem sincere and understandably fails to fire up potential ticket buyers. The semi-annual preaching from them, btw, is just nauseating.
The fact that they couldn't be less interested is obvious, fact that they care only about themselves (in the skating realm) is clear, and face it, it makes a lot of fans feel a little bad, because fans really really like them, and work really hard to cut them slack, but it can be tough.
And, I do think they need to stop approaching each interview as if they are so busy thinking of themselves they can't absorb what's going on or shake the assumption the reporter is as obsessed with them as they are with themselves. That approach leads to frustrating interviews like the one with the hapless London reporter, struggling mightily from every angle to get Tessa and Scott to say anything useful about London, while Tessa and Scott hemmed and hawed, apparently under the impression he was digging for relationship dirt. How they ended up at a London promotional event with that impression, the ages they are, the experience they have, is mystifying.
Hey do you know why Tessa was in Ottawa?
ReplyDeleteIs she still with that Ryan semple guy?
The blogger will tell you that she isn't with Semple because she's married to Scott. My answer, no idea. It does seem that visiting him would be the most likely reason for her to be in Ottawa.
DeleteShe's not with Semple and never was with Semple, and exactly why would visiting him in Ottawa be the "most likely" reason with all there is in Ottawa, including where the Dirctor of Communications for SC is based?
DeleteAnon 7:05
ReplyDeleteGood grief, you actually presume to "know" why someone would visit a certain city? There are countless possible reasons. Ottawa is where Skate Canada headquarters is located. Tessa could have tons of friends and family to visit. There could be business reasons....among many other things.
Tessa was seen ONCE with Semple, in the company of family. Based on that they're dating? I don't think so.
I didn't think she was dating him either but it just seems suspicious. There have been other little hints that they were/are dating or at the very least, good friends.
DeleteBut, consider me appropriately chastised, Anon 8:01.
What other little hints? His tweeting as a component of his participation in the stagecraft at Skate Canada? That's it. I hope nobody is putting anything said on fsu as evidence. Over there, they lie for sport.
Delete"the hapless London reporter, struggling mightily from every angle to get Tessa and Scott to say anything useful about London, while Tessa and Scott hemmed and hawed, apparently under the impression he was digging for relationship dirt."
ReplyDeleteIt's hilariously ironic. Tessa and Scott wanted so badly to hide and be secretive, which led to an enormous increase in people's interest in all that stuff they're trying (very unsuccessfully) to hide. Now they're in the position of having to spend the major part of their interviews focused on themselves (working hard at keeping all those lies in a row) and their grand scheme not only did not protect them from speculations, the self-absorption it created has probably majorly contributed to insensitivity and cluelessness when it comes to understanding what interviewers/the fans are saying.
This has been said before by many others, but it still shocks me that the adults (parents, Federation execs, etc) allowed Tessa and Scott to lie and live in a bubble beyond the early teen years. Not only allowed, but encouraged and participated. I'll never understand it. Exactly when did they think the transition to responsible adulthood should happen, in their 30's?
If they had just been truthful, it would be old news. The rest of their careers could be about skating and other things that are important to them. What a waste.
Oh but they're unique! They were a Canadian couple skating for gold with ALL Canada not just on the ice with them, but clamoring to get into their bedroom with them - or so Scott and Tessa had the reporters who interviewed them insist. Meantime Scott and Tessa would go in and out of these studios without stopping traffic. They wanted to create the impression of being super stars who had to run and hide. That wasn't their reality, but that's going to be their excuse. They'll pretend they were Lady Di married to Justin Beiber. Did we want them to have no life at all! That's why they wrote a book, went around to media outlets with the pre-interview setting up TMI questions about their relationship instead of their skating. That privacy they wanted; the breathing room.
DeleteAlso, Scott and Tessa walking around with some reporter who is tweeting every six seconds that he's walking around with Scott and Tessa - tweeting where he is and of course what time it is. Still, Scott shoves his hands in his pockets because if he bumps into somebody, that increases the chances he'll be recognized even though he already IS being recognized and gets nothing but side eye, so what's the problem if he has his hands out of his pockets, bumps into someone, and is recognized then? Automatically the fan will act differently? And since he and Tessa are with a reporter who tweeted in real time and for a week afterwards who he was with and where, why did they not want to be recognized in the company of a reporter? And how does that line up with their frequent statements that they can go under the radar - statements which are absolutely true - they can, for as long as they like and not hiding out, either.
It's so assy. They're ridiculous.
About the "former girlfriend" jacket comment. Why would a reporter need to know this information (where someone got a jacket)? Obviously staged. Also, if someone was really an ex I wouldn't want to be wearing their clothes - bad memories.
ReplyDeleteYeah, think about it. How did the topic of Scott's freaking "designer" jacket come up in the conversation all about their intimately platonic relationship. "So, let's switch it up - what about clothes? Snazzy jacket you're wearing. Scott? Does Tessa pick out your clothes?" "Thanks, it's designer but my former girlfriend picked it out."
DeleteYes,this must be what happened, in between Scott walking around with his hands jammed in his pockets lest people recognize him and Tessa in flagrante with a reporter (because that would be a problem how?), while the reporter eagerly tweets Scott and Tessa's location and where they're headed. It all adds up, as it always does with them.
^Above is my reply - wrote it not logged in, copied it and logged in, still posted as anon.
Delete