Let me acknowledge up front that I’m only a casual viewer of the Olympics’ various ice competitions and need help distinguishing a salchow from a lutz.
I don’t really understand the scoring of figure skating, although I’ve spent too many hours in recent nights as a vicarious judge on the couch along with 25 million other viewers.
And I can’t, in the case of Johnny Weir, confidently echo what his fans are saying about his sixth-place finish (“Johnny Be Robbed!” the blogosphere cries).
But I can chide the mocking and subtly derogatory comments heaped on the guy by TV commentators.
The worst offenders were the Australian and French Canadian announcers. One said that the flashy Weir hurts figure skating’s image, and another said Weir should be made to take a gender test.
They’ve since issued apologies and, in Canada’s case, made up by drawing Weir in as a guest commentator for the duration of the Games. (Closing ceremonies are Sunday, locally at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 9.)
But NBC didn’t score any medals in the open-mindedness category, either.
NBC analysts Scott Hamilton and Sandra Bezic were dismissive and downright disdainful of Weir, based on his personal, “eccentric” style more than any turn of the skates.
About the best they could muster for the accomplished skater, a three-time U.S. National Champion, was a backhanded compliment (“As controversial as he is . . . his technique is fine.”) He seemed to lose points in their estimation before he entered the rink.
Viewers couldn’t miss the fact that Weir somehow unnerves the broadcasters’ middle-of-the-road sensibilities in his flamboyant costumes and with his dishy, irreverent quotes, knowingly tossed like raw meat to the press corps.
In its push to make figure skating more accessible to young male viewers, NBC let subtle prejudice spill onto the air. The skaters themselves routinely note that they are athletes, working and training hard, in spite of any misinterpretation of their sparkles, feathers and frills.
It wasn’t by accident that NBC left Weir out of the many feature stories about American figure skaters. His style (a pink-ribboned corset caught the announcers’ attention) apparently is too much for prime time, except on cable.
Almost simultaneously with the NBC sports talkers mocking Weir’s “different” style off the ice, viewers were seeing ads for Weir’s show on the Sundance Channel, “Be Good Johnny Weir.” There, he gets some respect as he is shown joking, shopping, posing for fashion shoots, mimicking his coach and occasionally even donning ice skates.
Happily, four episodes remain in the eight-part run. Episodes 3 and 4 repeat at 8 and 8:30 tonight; the series replays from the beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, and new episodes launch Mondays at 11:30 p.m. through March 29.
Who knows? Weir may have a longer, bigger run as a fashion/reality TV celebrity than he’s had as a skater.
Indie film awards.
Two days before the Academy Awards, independent filmmakers will have their own big night. The 25th Independent Spirit Awards will air on IFC, for the first time in prime time, live at 9 p.m. March 5. Eddie Izzard will serve as host. Nominated films include “Precious,” “Crazy Heart,” “(500) Days of Summer” and “Paranormal Activity.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
