• "The Portlandian" - March 7, 2017 edition

    From Terry Hall@21:1/5 to All on Sun Mar 12 22:27:28 2017
    XPost: alt.fan.tonya-harding, alt.skate.figure

    TTTTT H H EEEEE
    T H H E
    T HHHHH EEEEE
    T H H E
    T H H EEEEE

    PPPP OOOO RRRR TTTTT L A N N DDDD I A N N TM
    P P O O R R T L A A NN N D D I A A NN N
    PPPP O O RRRR T L AAAAA N N N D D I AAAAA N N N
    P O O R R T L A A N NN D D I A A N NN
    P OOOO R R T LLLLL A A N N DDDD I A A N N

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    The Portlandian, the Internet's premier source of Tonya News

    March 7, 2017 Edition
    (C) 2017 Portland Ice Skating Society
    http://www.pdxiss.org *****************************************************************

    Welcome to the first edition of The Portlandian for 2017. And
    it's a packed edition too, as the new movie starring Margot
    Robbie as our skating queen going into production has sparked a
    flurry of new Tonya-related reports and articles. So without
    further ado, let's get right into it:


    LIGHTS, CAMERA, TONYA!

    Since our last edition in November, there have been several
    important devlopments on the movie front, with many casting
    announcements. The complete list of the major cast members is as
    thus:

    Tonya Harding - Margot Robbie
    Jeff Gillooly - Sebastian Stan
    Shawn Eckardt - Paul Walter Hauser
    Diane Rawlinson - Julianne Nicholson
    Dody Teachman - Bojana Novakovic
    Nancy Kerrigan - Caitlin Carver
    Shane Stant - Ricky Russert
    Derrick Smith - Anthony Reynolds
    LaVona Harding - Allison Janney
    Al Harding - Jason Davis
    Young Tonya - Mckenna Grace

    Some of these casting decisions seem rather odd - for instance,
    while as Paul Walter Hauser will probably make a good Shawn once
    he's padded up properly, Caitlin Carver as Nancy seems a rather
    strange choice given the lack of physical resemblance of Ms
    Carver to Ms Kerrigan, but alot of people said the same about
    Margot Robbie & Tonya, so who can tell how the finished result
    will look?

    Meanwhile, photos have emerged of Margot as an 80's style Tonya
    and of Sebastian Stan in Gillooly garb - personally, I don't
    think the resemblance to Gillooly is that close either:

    https://www.yahoo.com/movies/new-photos-of-margot-robbie-as-figure-skater-tonya-harding-and-sebastian-stan-as-hardings-ex-husband-182527106.html

    http://www.laineygossip.com/Sebastian-Stans-tragic-facial-hair-on-set-of-I--Tonya/46016


    Deadline is also reporting that Miramax has acquired the U.S.
    distribution rights for the film:

    http://deadline.com/2016/12/margot-robbie-tonya-harding-i-tonya-miramax-craig-gillespie-olympic-skating-1201868935/

    Of course, if you prefer, you can read Variety's rehash of it
    here - at least this time they had the decency to acknowledge
    where they ripped off the news from:

    http://variety.com/2016/film/news/margot-robbie-tonya-harding-biopic-i-tonya-distribution-1201940053/


    Shooting commenced in mid-January in Atlanta, Georgia, and is
    scheduled to continue until March 16th. It's also being reported
    that some scenes were shot at the Macon Coliseum ice rink for
    several days at the end of January and early February, according
    to Macon Film Commission member Elliot Dunwody:

    http://www.macon.com/news/local/article128239549.html

    Macon businesses are benefitting, says this article:

    http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/movie-i-tonya-brings-more-business-downtown/395017094

    This local man describes his experience as an extra on the set in
    Macon:

    http://www.macon.com/news/local/article130196134.html

    Why Georgia, an area with no known connection to Tonya? Well,
    often filming locations have as much to do with tax dodges these
    days as authenticity. Or maybe they just think that Atlanta in
    2017 looks more like Portland in 1994 than Portland in 2017 does.


    MARGOT GETS HER SKATES ON

    Early January saw Margot heavily into practicing for her role, at
    the Pickwick Ice rink in Burbank, CA.:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4084600/FIRST-LOOK-Margot-Robbie-hits-ice-skating-rink-prepares-play-notorious-figure-skater-Tonya-Harding.html

    "So I'm really excited because I love acquiring a new skill for
    a role, it's one of the biggest treats of acting, and on the
    producing side of it - if I get an injury I'm scared I'm going
    to ruin everything so I'm nervous."

    This Margot fan site has more images from the session, and in
    higher quality:

    http://margoterobbie.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=605

    The Mail also reports she was spotted training in Brisbane in
    Australia, where she married her partner Tom Ackerley a couple of
    months ago:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4089056/Margot-Robbie-spied-training-role-Tonya-Harding-Brisbane.html

    Margot apparently has been noted to play ice hockey, so it's not
    the first time she's been on skates. TMZ also has a video of what
    it claims is Margot on the ice at the Pickwick rink as well
    (though I'm not convinced):

    http://www.tmz.com/2017/01/04/margot-robbie-ice-skating-tonya-harding-movie/


    By mid-January, the paps had their first shots of Margot dressed
    as Tonya on the movie set:

    http://www.tmz.com/2017/01/16/margot-robbie-tonya-harding-movie/

    She appears to have bulked up her upper body somehow, perhaps
    with some padding.

    This one from AOL has a clip of Tonya from 2014 and an eyewitness
    report about the Margot sighting:

    http://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2017/01/17/margot-robbie-looks-nearly-unrecognizable-as-tonya-harding-on-i/21656739/

    "The 26-year-old actress is portraying Harding in the biopic,
    I, Tonya, and was spotted on set in Atlanta, Georgia, wearing
    high-waisted jeans, a blue sweater and maroon ballet flats.
    '[Margot was filming] a flash forward scene where she is
    being interviewed about the event of the famous attack on
    Nancy Kerrigan,' an eyewitness told ET. 'Margot had visible
    padding on most of her body and was wearing a wig. She had a
    perm wig on that she wore all day.'

    "The eyewitness says Robbie was 'very positive and smiling'
    while on set and 'arrived to the production office at noon
    and filmed until around 5:30 p.m.' on Friday."

    I have to admit I was skeptical about Margot's ability to pull
    off a convincing Tonya given her lack of physical resemblance,
    but she doesn't look too bad here - amazing what a hair stylist
    and some makeup can do!

    Shortly after, leaked footage Margot actually skating as Tonya
    emerged:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/tvshowbiz/video-1404395/Harding-Robbie-Margot-Robbie-spotted-filming-Tonya.html

    The first part of the clip looks like it's replicating Tonya's
    Short Program at Albertville and it's a pretty good imitation of
    her look and moves:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-1CB8FTEqE

    The second part is more puzzling: while as the outfit and signage
    at the back match the 1986 Skate America Long Program:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJuZuqr8nXQ

    the music (ZZ Top) and movements are clearly from the 1991/92
    season LP - over five years later!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhGwWqRP4QI


    The apparent variation in the color of the costume is probably
    just due to the fact that the Tonya original was shot using the
    old NTSC TV system (the old standard definition US TV system)
    which was notorious for doing weird things to color. I think the
    purple one worn by Margot is probably closer to the correct
    shade. These clips from the 1987 NHK and 1989 US Nats Long
    Program are probably more accurate as to how it really looked:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlUUDmn0lvo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8obNbvUiBs0


    This other article has more photos and a description from an
    onlooker, who says Margot tried 20 takes to get one bit right,
    before giving up and turning the job over to her stunt double.
    Proof that it's not as easy as it looks (and it doesn't even look
    easy):

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4182220/EXCLUSIVE-VIDEO-Margot-Robbie-shows-skating-skills.html


    Here in this scene Margot, playing a frustrated Tonya, tells a
    skating judge to suck a part of her anatomy that she doesn't
    actually possess:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4189408/Margot-Robbie-screams-SUCK-D-Tonya-Harding.html

    Obviously this must have been leaked by a "Deep Throat"....

    Why have we never heard of this incident before? Because it
    probably never happened - I'm sure that if it had, we would have
    heard about it in '94 when the media were desperate to dig up
    anything negative about Tonya. We hope this isn't going to be
    typical of the way the movie is going to use "alternative facts"
    about Tonya's life.

    In the wake of the leak of the "suck my d..k" footage, the
    production company then obviously clamped down on security and
    the info coming out of the set since then has almost dried up.
    However we did see the emergence of more between-takes photos of
    Margot dressed as Tonya:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4241034/Margot-Robbie-completely-unrecognizable.html

    There is also this rather grainy footage of Margot (as Margot,
    not Tonya) letting her hair down in a redneck bar in Georgia with
    her co-star Paul Walter Hauser (Shawn). The invite, featuring a
    decidedly country & western-looking Tonya, looks cool too:

    http://www.tmz.com/2017/02/14/margot-robbie-dancing-georgia-bar/

    http://www.nme.com/news/film/margot-robbie-dancing-honky-tonk-bar-video-1975464


    CALLING ALL GEORGIA TONYAPHILES!

    Here's a chance for your wildest dream to come true!

    Well, okay, not *wildest* dream (that would be actually meeting
    Tonya) - but certainly second wildest: a chance to APPEAR in the
    "I, Tonya" movie!

    Central Casting's Georgia office are looking for large numbers of
    stand-ins and extras for various scenes over the next few days.
    You don't even have to be able to skate for many of these roles.
    For instance, if you have a car in the 1970s to early 1990s
    range, they'll pay you just to drive it around in the background
    to create that '90s retro atmosphere. And if you don't have a
    suitable vehicle, you might be able to wangle a place as a
    spectator at the recreation of one of Tonya's skating victories.
    Which is probably about as close as you'll be able to get to
    being there for real until somebody gets around to inventing a
    time machine:

    https://www.facebook.com/centralcastinggeorgia/

    Here's a chance to be involved in the biggest Tonya project ever,
    and get paid a few bucks for your trouble as well. When your
    grandkids ask you "what did you do when they were making the
    Tonya movie, grandpa?", you'll be able to tell them some cool
    stories instead of just making some lame-assed excuse for why you
    weren't there.

    Previous roles required have included skaters, choreographers,
    teachers, ballet dancers and skating judges (described as
    "upscale preppy Men and Women") and a topless waitress in a dive
    bar. With shooting carrying on into mid-March, there should be
    plenty of opportunities here. Who knows? If Margot or director
    Craig Gillespie spots you and likes the way you look, perhaps it
    could be "next stop - Hollywood...".

    And with all this swearing and nudity we can at least be certain
    it'll get a good, solid "R" rating, as a film about Tonya's life
    story deserves. None of this namby-pamby PG-13 rubbish for our
    Tonya.


    MUSEUM ON THE MOVE

    The Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan museum in Brooklyn, New York,
    has announced it's closing down its apartment hallway tribute to
    the famous skating pair. The good news is that it's because the
    hallway just isn't big enough anymore - they plan to expand their
    operations and will be reopening soon in a much bigger location!
    You can read more details about the move here on their Facebook
    page:

    https://www.facebook.com/events/1310373175707184/


    REELZ DOC SERVES UP TONYA'S OLD TRASH AS "NEWS"

    It's the awards season once again in Hollywood, so we thought
    it's probably time we dusted off one of our old favorites, the
    "Jayson" awards, which we dish out every few months for shoddy
    Tonya-related reporting. In case you're wondering, the name comes
    from Jayson Blair, a "reporter" for the New York Times who was
    fired for making up stories. And this time round we've got two
    glaringly obvious winners.

    On December 11 the REELZ Channel featured the 1994 incident on
    its "Scandal Made Me Famous" series:

    http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/nancy-kerrigans-violent-knee-attack-reenacted-on-scandal-w454977

    Later reports suggested that the show revealed shocking "new
    evidence" that has "never been seen before" that "proves" Tonya
    was in on it all:

    http://people.com/crime/tonya-harding-nancy-kerrigan-attack-new-evidence/

    And just what was this "new" evidence? Why, it was a note,
    allegedly in Tonya's handwriting, that was found in a dumpster
    outside a restaurant in 1994. Just one problem: this note, known
    as the "Tunee Can" note, was widely reported on at the time and
    is not remotely new at all.

    Yes, the "new" evidence mentioned in the "documentary" is a load
    of bollocks. Unless you fell asleep sometime in mid-January 1994
    and only woke up recently, it's old news to anybody with any
    interest in the case. The whole thing seems to have been aimed at
    those who weren't born at the time or were too young to remember
    it first hand and don't know any better.

    The "Tunee Can" note was widely reported on and reproduced at the
    time (albeit in inferior quality to the version shown here), and
    according to experts it contains the handwriting of three people:
    Tonya, Jeff Gillooly and an unknown third person. Tonya says that
    the only bit that is hers is her coach Diane Rawlinson's contact
    details, and nobody has ever proven otherwise. Likewise the photo
    of Jeff and Tonya leaving Shawn Eckardt's house has also been
    available for yonks - in fact, it was taken and published by the
    Oregonian at the time in their book "Fire on Ice" and elsewhere,
    and is the one the FBI used to fit her up with the "lying to
    investigators" charge. And while as the summary of evidence
    document may be something that has been unseen until now, the
    contents are certainly nothing new and do nothing to prove Tonya
    had any prior knowledge. It's all circumstantial, hearsay and
    contradictory junk, or the testimony of proven liars, which is
    why the DA didn't take it to trial.

    It's more of the same old, same old - shamelessly hauled out as
    "new" in the hope that nobody will remember it from the first
    time around. But instead of taking our word for it, we suggest
    you read this blog post by Oline Eaton who has done a much more
    thorough job of demolishing it:

    https://findingjackie.com/2016/12/11/th/

    Oline also has a few other posts about Tonya that are worth a
    look as well:

    https://findingjackie.com/2016/02/26/25-years-after-tonyas-triple-axel/

    https://findingjackie.com/2016/01/30/going-tonya-harding/

    https://findingjackie.com/2016/02/17/its-going-to-be-like-tonya-harding/


    Meanwhile, the Daily Fail once again lives up to its nickname: it
    has managed to track down Tonya and take a photograph of her
    sitting out in front of her house:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4156980/Tonya-Harding-smokes-cigarette-Mickey-Mouse-PJs.html

    http://comicbook.com/2017/01/27/tonya-harding-picture-surfaces/

    Now every nutjob in the area knows where she lives. Way to go,
    guys, Woodward & Bernstein must be green with envy. I guess they
    couldn't be bothered doing some real journalism like tracking
    down Donald Trump's tax returns. The accompanying article is just
    another rehash, with nothing new apart from the photos. As you'd
    expect from the Fail, it's riddled with mis-spellings and errors,
    including the name of Tonya's son (which is one error that is
    welcome). Definitely a shoe-in for this month's "Jayson".

    We don't know if Nancy Kerrigan fans have their own version of
    the Jaysons, but if they do, they'd probably want to give one to
    Tell Me Now for this article, headed "Nancy Kerrigan Reveals A
    Secret About The New Tonya Harding Movie". For a start, the
    "revelation" is actually just a link to a video clip from TMZ, so
    it's not even their own "scoop":

    https://www.tmn.today/2017/03/nancy-kerrigan-reveals-a-secret-about-the-new-tonya-harding-movie/:

    As you may be aware, Nancy will be appearing on the next season
    of "Dancing With The Stars", so naturally the press has
    inevitably brought up the movie in any interviews she's done.
    Nancy, however, has revealed that she was not approached by the
    film's producers and knows nothing more about it than what she's
    read in the media.

    Nancy's big "secret" revelation about the movie, in other words,
    is that she doesn't know any secret info about it at all! Talk
    about trying to make something out of nothing. Perhaps if the
    press now find themselves slammed as the "lamestream media" and
    accused of broadcasting "fake news", they have no-one to blame
    but themselves. The lack of respect people have for them now is
    the direct result of the tabloidization of their craft that began
    with their coverage of Tonya & Nancy, which they continue to this
    day.

    Unlike the Oscars(R) there's no limit to the number of Jaysons we
    can award - we can dish out as many as we like and there's more
    than enough to go around, so we don't have to worry about
    announcing the wrong winner like they did. Which brings us to one
    final note before we leave this topic: perhaps the Academy could
    solve this year's Best Picture cock-up by taking a leaf out of
    skating's book and simply hand out two Best Picture Oscars the
    same way that the ISU handed out two gold medals for the Pairs
    at Salt Lake City back in 2002.


    FRINK THE FINK SURFACES ON KATU

    Also taking the chance to rehash the whole affair is Portland's
    KATU, but at least they've come up with something new: an
    interview with Multnomah County prosecutor Norm Frink:

    http://katu.com/news/local/with-movie-set-to-be-released-a-look-back-at-the-tonya-harding-story

    http://katu.com/news/videos/interview-with-former-prosecutor-norm-frink-about-tonya-harding

    Direct link if you want to download it to watch off-line:

    http://static-10.sinclairstoryline.com/resources/mp4s/2a975eec-8780-4efb-9c11-5d6722f9df36-NormFinkInterviewedited.mp4

    Frink reveals his reason for negotiating a plea bargain with
    Tonya rather than taking the whole thing to trial, and it's quite
    startling: namely, no other jusridiction, either the FBI or the
    Detroit PD, wanted to touch it! He didn't want those involved to
    get off scott free, but he didn't want to waste taxpayer's money
    on something he regarded as a "soap opera" either - so he decided
    that a plea bargain was the best option.

    We have to wonder if Frink would describe this case as a "soap
    opera" if it involved, say, a male football player being
    assaulted instead of a female figure skater. It all tends to reek
    of sexism - "hey, it's not a real sport, and it's just a bunch of
    chicks and fags anyway, so it's no big deal". Or maybe he simply
    realized that his case against Tonya was crap and would be
    totally shredded by any decent defense attorney.

    Nevertheless, he does show some sympathy for Tonya near the end.


    TONYA ROCKS CHICAGO

    Back in December, the rock opera played to positive reviews in
    Chicago, a special Christmas treat for those in that city. Here's
    a sample of some of the reaction:


    "Hilarious and surprisingly savvy and nuanced"

    http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2016/12/09/tonya-and-nancy-rock-opera-review-underscore-theatre/


    "It's a fabulously weird and legitimately experimental musical
    presented in a time when they're too hard to come by."

    http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/tonya-and-nancy-the-rock-opera/Event?oid=24570263


    "Underscore Theatre Company delivers with a cast that sings their
    guts out, dances their pants off and gamely executes faux triple
    lutzes, penalties be damned."

    http://www.newcitystage.com/2016/12/02/a-real-knee-jerker/


    "Amanda Horvath plays Tonya to perfection."

    http://www.aroundthetownchicago.com/theatre-reviews/tonya-and-nancy-the-rock-opera-reviewed-by-carol-moore/


    More reviews can be found here:

    http://www.theatreinchicago.com/tonya-and-nancy-the-rock-opera/8649/


    Perhaps inspired by the Tonya Wheaties box item that was on TV
    recently, their FaceBook page even features some nice, fake
    Wheaties boxes:

    https://www.facebook.com/TonyandNancytherockopera

    https://www.facebook.com/underscoretheatre/photos/pcb.1270130626387888/1270130046387946/?type=3&theater


    NEW YORK PERFORMER TAKES SYMPATHETIC LOOK AT TONYA'S LIFE

    It seems that with a rock opera and a forthcoming movie in the
    news, everyone is jumping on the Tonya bandwagon. For instance,
    if you happened to be in New York recently, then having taken in
    the delights of the THNK Museum you could have then caught this
    act at the Frigid Festival:

    http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/The-2017-FRIGID-Festival-Presents-THE-LOVE-SONG-OF-TONYA-HARDING-20170120

    http://www.horsetrade.info/event/e5c7c7e2cacaef704ee6cfc653402efa

    http://nytheatreguide.com/2017/02/theatre-review-the-love-song-of-tonya-harding-at-under-st-marks/

    The work of New York-based theatre artist Clara Elser, "The Love
    Song of Tonya Harding" premiered at the Calgary Fringe Festival
    in Canada in 2015 and was also performed at the Tucson AZ Fringe
    Festival in mid January:

    https://squareup.com/store/tucsonfringe/item/the-love-song-of-tonya-harding

    The idea is simple: it's 2014 and Tonya needs to make a few
    bucks, so she takes on the job of MC at a Sochi Olympics viewing
    party at a bar. As the evening unfolds, Tonya reveals more about
    her life.

    Like the film, the 55 minute one-woman show claims to take a
    "darkly comic" tone - and from the descriptions, it appears to be
    pro-Tonya, taking a sympathetic look. As one review says, "the
    more Elser explores Harding's self-destruction, the more it
    becomes clear that Tonya Harding was less an evil, greedy,
    ambitious woman than she was an American who got dealt a bad hand
    by birth, and almost managed to dig her way out of arriving on
    the planet with two strikes against her".

    At this time, we don't know of any further planned performaces,
    but we certainly hope to see more.


    TONYA TURNS UP IN THE STRANGEST PLACES...

    Such as this promo for the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball
    team, who are promoting the fact that their home stadium is
    undergoing a renovation:

    http://www.citypages.com/news/this-timberwolves-target-center-promo-about-railings-is-completely-insane-video/414107383

    Did they pay Tonya for the use of her image in this? Yeah, sure
    they did. And if you believe that, I've got some real estate in
    the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans you might be interested in too.


    "TONYA" APPEARS AT PARTY WITH TRUMP

    Meanwhile, back in December "Tonya" made a surprise guest
    appearance at an event in Long Island called the "Villains &
    Heroes" ball, organized by the newly-elecetd President Trump as a
    thank-you to one of his wealthy donors. Okay, it obviously wasn't
    the real Tonya, but just a party guest (who it was isn't
    mentioned). Other costumes included Cruella De Vil, Supreme Court
    Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and 1930's gangsters. Tech
    entrepreneur Peter Thiel came dressed as Hulk Hogan and Kellyanne
    Conway as Superwoman.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-04/trump-takes-his-thank-you-tour-to-wealthy-donor-s-costume-ball

    Trump came dressed as himself - obviously he realized he
    qualified in both categories. And it's not stated which category
    Tonya was supposed to be in either.

    While on the topic of Trump, we see a chance for the new
    President to rectify a longstanding injustice: when all the other
    Olympians were invited to the White House in '94, the USFSA
    "forgot" to send an invitation to Tonya - despite the fact that
    President Clinton had previously voiced his support for Tonya
    being treated as innocent until proven guilty. As the new
    President has a well-known penchant for breaking with the
    practices of his predecessors, it would be great if he'd finally
    invite her and another way in which he can cement his anti-
    establishment credentials.

    Intriguingly, Sports Illustrated reported back in 1994 that
    "sources close to Harding say that Donald Trump is interested in
    'doing something with Tonya'". So it would not be the first
    connection between the two:

    http://www.si.com/vault/1994/03/28/130730/a-done-deal-tonya-harding-confessed-to-a-crime-but-avoided-jail

    And in light of the new President's reported trouble getting acts
    to perform at his inauguration, perhaps in return the Golden
    Blades could offer to re-form for the occasion of his second
    inauguration ceremony in 2021?

    *****************************************************************
    VISIT THESE GREAT TONYA WEB SITES:

    PortIce - http://www.pdxiss.org
    David House - http://www.tonyaharding.org
    Charlie Main - http://www.charliesweb.com/tonya/tonya.html
    Puppetboy - http://www.usapaul.net/tonya/
    Valerie Smith - http://www.olywa.net/radu/valerie/LilHam.html
    Swan Lake - http://members.tripod.com/~TonyaHarding/index.html
    Blades of Gold - http://members.tripod.com/tmhfan/index.html
    THNK1994 Museum - https://www.facebook.com/THNK1994/ *****************************************************************

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