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The Portlandian, the Internet's premier source of Tonya News
April 9, 2015 Edition - POST EASTER EDITION
(C) 2015 Portland Ice Skating Society
http://www.pdxiss.org
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Welcome to the first issue of The Portlandian for 2015. We hope
all our readers had a great Easter.
Last year Tonya moved back to Washington state, as a result of
her husband taking up a new job. Our sources at Team Tonya tell
us that she and her family are doing great, with Tonya and her
husband keeping busy, building a fence, a gate and a chicken
coop. They have two grown chickens who are already laying eggs,
and also a couple of baby chicks. So it's safe to say they had no
shortage of Easter eggs over the past few days!
TONYA/NANCY MUSEUM TO OPEN IN NEW YORK
The year kicked off with what has got to be one of the strangest
projects ever seen on Kickstarter, but one that's long overdue:
two New Yorkers have decided to create a Tonya/Nancy museum in
the hallway of their Brooklyn apartment. Their initial goal was a
modest $75, but by the time the fundraising closed in early March
they had raised $2036 from 150 backers, over 27 times the amount
that was originally sought:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1682672553/the-tonya-harding-and-nancy-kerrigan-1994-museum
The pair behind the museum, Matt Harkins & Viviana Olen, are
comedians, who met at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, which
also did a Tonya musical several months ago. But they say they
are deadly serious about this project, telling the Huffington
Post "We are fully prepared to take this to the limit." "I want
to make it clear, we're not making fun of the event," Olen told
radio station 1010 WINS. "If we're making fun of anything we're
making fun of ourselves, you know, that we're that interested in
it."
"We're coming into this with the utmost respect," Olen told the
Washington Post. "We're not really focusing on the attack. We
want to focus on these athletes, and the culture of reaction and
gender stereotypes and how this defined so much of 1994 and so
much of our consciousness."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/04/nancy-kerrigan-tonya-harding-museum_n_6615088.html
Their initial inspiration for the museum came after watching
Nanette Burstein's 30 for 30 documentary, "The Price Of Gold" on
Netflix. "If you were growing up you had this idea of Nancy as
this princess and Tonya as, like, Satan. That's how they were
painted in the media," Viviana explained in an interview with
Brooklyn Magazine. "So watching the documentary is so fascinating
because you get to really learn about where Tonya came from and
all of these things you would have never thought about if you
were growing up with it."
http://www.bkmag.com/2015/03/09/a-visit-to-the-tonya-harding-and-nancy-kerrigan-museum-in-williamsburg/
Apart from raising far more cash than expected, the pair were
also deluged with unexpected media coverage. In addition to the
aforementioned interviews, they've also been the subject of
articles and news items by ABC, CBS, CBC in Canada, Sports
Illustrated, ESPN, Fox Sports, the "Boston Herald" and even some
site in France. They also got a write up in a local news site,
Timeout, in which we are described as a "hardcore Tonya Harding
fan site from New Zealand" - about the highest praise possible!
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/blog/these-comedians-are-creating-a-tonya-harding-nancy-kerrigan-museum-in-their-apartment
They've also given us a shout-out in a recent update:
The most exciting news however is we were contacted by some
good folks in New Zealand who run a very dedicated Tonya
Harding fan club who say they've passed our info on to Tonya's
agent, so keep your fingers crossed! We would love to meet
Tonya and buy her a really nice dinner at the restaurant of
her choosing. http://www.tonyaphiles.org.nz/ Stay tuned!
You can check it all out on their media page here:
http://www.thnk1994.com/press.html
This one has a nice shot of Tonya on the podium at 1991 Nats:
http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/harding-kerrigan-hallway-museum-kickstarter-vivian-olen-matt-harkins/
One of the museum curator's theories is that everyone is either a
"Tonya" or a "Nancy", but they say that if you're thinking about
it, you're a Tonya, and that if you immediately thought you were
a Nancy, you are most definitely a Tonya. They claim that "the
only real way to be a Nancy is to have very long lines in your
body. If you thought you were an Oksana Baiul, well, aren't you
just perfect, WE SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU." To reinforce this they
have buttons emblazoned with "Team Tonya" and "Team Nancy"
available to visitors, but stress that the museum is a
celebration of both skaters.
And what will the museum look like? Originally the plan was to
simply blow up some photos and stick them on the hallway wall,
but with the unexpected influx of extra funding the pair have
upped the ante with more gradiose plans: "It will be visual, we
also will have an audio element, we're going to have some iPads
in the walls that show the figure skating routines, we're
actually going to make the lighting really good so it has an
experience walking through," Viviana told 1010 WINS. Matt, who
actually works at a museum, is painting the walls black to "make
it feel more authentic". "We want it to be an experience because
it's a long hallway, but you can still walk through it in like
eight seconds", he said.
The publicity has also resulted in several genuine artifacts of
the era and plenty of fan art being donated. Journalist Lois
Elfman who was present at the 1994 Nationals has donated photos,
several magazines, a commemorative pin and protocol sheets from
the 1994 U.S. Championships and a ticket stub and backstage pass
from the 1994 Champions on Ice tour. She also gave them the
chance to talk to an insider who was present at the time.
Other items received include a diorama of Tonya performing her
triple axel (more on that later), screenplays, comic books,
embroidery, and some particularly bizarre stuff that you can see
on the museum's Facebook page (like a spooky drawing of the two
skaters that make them look like those creepy kids from "The
Shining"):
http://facebook.com/THNK1994
We have donated two items to the museum: scans of a Tonya bumper sticker and a business card for Shawn Eckardt's infamous "World Bodyguard Services".
Of course, all this deserves a gala opening, which will take
place at the Standard Toykraft theater
(http://www.standardtoykraft.org), on April 18th at 9pm. Although
Tonya herself will unfortunately not be present for family
reasons, we are informed that she thinks it's a "cool idea", and
is "really happy that so many people seem to be interested in
her", and Lynn Harris who was the premiere Tonya Harding
impersonator circa 1994 will be making an appearance instead.
There will be a cash bar, cupcakes, swag bags, a temporary tattoo
station and "a kick ass Kristi Yama-dance-now 90's playlist" as
well.
As you can imagine, this museum is not like a regular museum,
being in somebody's apartment. For this reason, access will be by
appointment only, being arranged like "online dates". "Basically,
you email us and we can verify who you are online, and that
you're not gonna hurt us, then you can come in" Viviana says. The
plan is that the museum will stay in place for at least a year
until their lease expires. Then there is the possibility it could
be taken on tour, perhaps even to Portland. And Matt & Viviana
say that "Price of Gold" director Nanette Burstein wants to stop
by to see the finished collection, which kind of brings things
back where they started.
To keep up with this exciting project, be sure to visit its
official web site at:
http://www.thnk1994.com/
It's all just more proof that interest in Tonya is still strong
over twenty years later.
TONYA STILL KICKS ASS IN DIORAMA CONTEST
Brittany Powell of Portland recently made this splendid diorama
of Tonya to commemorate her landing of the Triple Axel in 1991.
As you can see, it shows Tonya's buildup for the jump, the
execution and that "yessss - I've nailed it!!!" reaction from
her at the end:
http://lowcommitmentprojects.com/2015/01/19/tonya-harding-1st-u-s-woman-to-complete-a-triple-axel-in-competition/
http://www.brittanypowell.com/what-im-working-on/low-commitment-projects-tonya-harding-1st-u-s-woman-to-complete-a-triple-axel-in-competition/attachment/tonya10/
It was created for a contest run to promote Oregon history by a
group called Kick Ass Oregon History (www.orhistory.com) who
produce a regular internet podcast. According to the KAOH site,
entries in the annual event, the fourth held so far, are judged
on four categories, each worth ten points, namely:
1) Kick Ass-ness
2) Oregon Historical Significance
3) Originality
4) Ass Kicken-ness!
with the winner being announced at their February 14th History
Night show at The Merry Time Bar in Astoria. Entrants could also
get five bonus points by bringing their diorama along to the
Merry Time Bar for the judging.
Well, if there's two things Tonya is certainly qualified in
(apart from skating) it's Oregon-ness and kick-assedness, so this
looked like it should be a shoe-in, particularly given that there
were only five other entries, depicting in turn the Roseburg
Blast, the Rajneeshees sect, Erickson's Saloon from its early
days, the Exploding Whale and Ice Skating on the Columbia (making
a total of two out of the six with a skating theme).
Unfortunately it didn't win (that honor went to Heather Arndt
Anderson with her depiction of the Roseburg Blast), probably
because Brittany didn't turn up with it to the judging, thereby
missing out on the bonus points. Or perhaps someone simply bribed
off the French judge. Competition was described as being tough,
with the top three dioramas finishing within 4 points of each
other. Three of the contestants, including the winner, brought
their creations to the show.
However, you'll be pleased to know that Brittany's efforts were
not wasted, because she's donated it to Matt & Viviana's museum.
It may be worth noting that in an unofficial poll by the
Oregonian, the Tonya diorama scored third place behind the
exploding whale & Rajneeshpuram entries. Their article also shows
some of the other entries:
http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/02/tonya_harding_or_rajneeshpuram.html
Here's some more reports of the show:
http://orhistory.com/archives/4893
http://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2015/02/16/oregon-history-diorama-winner-announcedplus-a-francine-sighting
MORE BIG APPLE TONYA
Last issue we reported on a sudden unexplained outburst of fake
Tonya sightings. Well, it's still continuing.
Not satisfied with the fact their city will soon have its very
own Tonya/Nancy museum in Brooklyn, a couple of artists in New
York's Bowery district have painted a mural of Tonya and that
other skater on the front of a shop, 90's nostalgia boutique La
Petite Mort. Well, at least it's a step up from Taylor Swift,
which was what was there before:
http://www.boweryboogie.com/2015/02/nancy-kerrigan-tonya-harding-mural-replaces-taylor-swift-la-petite-mort-orchard-street/
The article reveals that it is the work of Centre-fuge artists
Danielle Mastrion and Lexi Bella. The artwork is part of a
promotion for an art show on the topic "Scandal! The SPPPorts
Edition". Certainly the coolest thing to come out of the Bowery
since CBGB's shut down.
And doesn't it make you feel old to know that there are now 90's
nostlagia boutiques?
"TONYA" TAKES THE PLUNGE IN OHIO
But then a few days later more impersonators of skating's
infamous twosome also started popping up in Ohio, at something
called the "Polar Plunge" at the Columbus Zoo. Is this wee girl
the cutest "Tonya" lookalike you've ever seen?
http://www.dispatch.com/content/graphics/2015/02/21/polar-plunge-003.jpg
It was all part of a fundraising exercise for the Special
Olympics (one of Tonya's favorite charitable causes, by the way),
where over 400 people, many in fancy dress, signed up to jump
into a pool full of freezing water. The "Tonya" this time was
played by 10-year-old Alison Lonsbrough, a Special Olympics
athlete:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/02/22/leap-into-slushy-water-stunningly-satisfying.html
Alison was accompanied by her friend Mary Kate Gebhart, 11,
playing the part of Nancy. They were part of a team dressed up as
various Olympians, including a "Michael Phelps" clone and a
Jamaican bobsledder. Others who made the jump included people
dressed as popsicles, Santa Claus, characters from "Alice In
Wonderland" and four members of a local roller derby team, the
Ohio Rollergirls.
But it was clearly Alison who was the real star, raising $2,500
for the event, third most among individuals. Her team also won a
trophy for the best team costume for their Olympians theme.
YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING
Then we had this Tonya/Nancy influenced dance routine that turned
up on Lifetime's "Dance Moms" a few weeks ago:
http://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2015/dance-moms-recap-22415-season-5-episode-8-wild-wild-west-coast-part-2/
There's some clips here - seem to be two versions - kind of like
a Short Program and a Long Program:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15InW1WFRcs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RjooC1ARog
To us it mostly looked like a load of arty-farty running and
rolling around - I think we'll stick to figure skating. But at
least there were no retractable batons on display in this one.
For some years there has been a campaign to get dance as a sport
in the Summer Olympics. Which means that one day we could
actually have the bizarre sight of something like this - a dance
routine based on an Olympic scandal - being performed at the
Olympics itself. Of course, they'd have to have same-sex dance
pairs first.
A NEW TONYA COMIC
Rounding out our Tonya appearances is a new Tonya comic (with an
interesting interpretation of Jeff as a wolf). It's the work of
artist Katie Skelly:
http://www.katieskellycomics.com
The comic, which is 13 pages and entitled simply "Tonya", can be
purchased for $2 on Gumroad as a PDF file. At this stage there
are no plans for a printed version.
https://gumroad.com/l/XxQc
These interviews and reviews suggest it's not terribly accurate,
but it's billed as a figure skating fantasy, and it seems to take
a sympathetic point of view of Tonya. The implication is that the
violence done to Nancy is a result of the wolf-like people
surrounding Tonya forcing her into a desperate situation.
Here's an interview with the artist:
http://www.sequentialstate.com/post/111200186090/interview-katie-skelly-on-her-new-comic-tonya
"Her physical frame was maybe, what, 2 or 3 inches off of what
was considered ideal for women's figure skating, and she
suffered for it. I looked at these Muybridge-type breakdowns
of the triple axel and it should be physically impossible.
Anyone who can compete on her level is an incredible athlete."
"That's a really great point about the skating boom. Tonya was
already the black sheep of skating for daring to be less than
6 feet and skating to rock music. I think it was all too easy
to cast her out after the scandal."
"I don't think there could have been a satisfying ending for
Tonya. All of her self-worth was based in external things,
like getting the impossible approval of her mother and husband
and a committee of judges. The cycle never really ends when
you're living like that. There would always be another
competition, another enemy, another threat. Tonya's survival
was in skating and in order to ensure that survival she had to
be the best at it. I don't think she's the type of person who
could just kick their feet up and enjoy a nap on a Tuesday
afternoon. I relate to that."
And a review:
http://thisisinfamous.com/tonya-comic-book-review-pipe-dreams-shea-hennum/
"Transforming Gillooly into a wolf has the same effect. At
only 13 pages, Skelly doesn't give herself a lot of space to
work with, so she has to pack in as much visual information as
she can. Gillooly is unqualifiedly a piece of trash, but
instead of detailing his sins, Skelly literally shows instead
of tells—he's a wolf, literally. It tells you everything you
need to know about that character, and these traits are
underscored by the chunks of flesh missing from Harding's
body. We see her undressing after a practice, and bite marks
score her arms and legs. The implication is clear."
"Harding is quite a controversial figure and one vilified in
the news. The story that surrounded Nancy Kerrigan's beating
painted Harding as evil, but Skelly takes it on herself to
humanize the skater. She's not an angel, and you never get the
sense that Skelly wants you to think she is. But Katie does
illustrate Harding as someone more complex than the agreed-
upon narrative would have you believe. Skelly depicts moments
of childhood emotional abuse and draws a direct link between
the chiding of her mother and the motivation Harding feels as
an adult to be the best—at all times. There's a pathos to the
way Harding feels and it doesn't spring forth from a vacuum of
directionless rage."
"BELIEVER" TONYA ARTICLE WINS AWARD
One of the high points of last year, "Remote Control", Sarah
Marshall's well-received pro-Tonya article in "The Believer",
continues even now to make people re-evaluate their opinion of
Tonya and is still making waves. Recently this was selected by
Longform as one of their best sports articles of the year:
http://longform.org/lists/best-of-2014#sports
We've no idea what "Longform" actually is, but it sounds like
something important, and that's what counts.
Sarah was also recently interviewed for the Portland Mercury,
which described her as "Portland's foremost Tonya Harding
expert", with the article accompanied by a photo of Sarah wearing
a genuine '94 era Tonya t-shirt:
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/not-that-sarah-marshall/Content?oid=15066270
One of the comments on the article sums it up nicely:
"When Harding was at the top of her game, flawless and confident,
she was most definitely beautiful to watch. Check out the '91
Nationals. She didn't have a model's body, but she did things no
one with a model's body could do."
NEW ALTERNATIVE WEBSITE ADDRESS
And "just one more thing" (as Columbo would say).
We would like to announce that we now have an alternative domain
name. In addition to still being reachable by our current domain
of www.pdxiss.org, we now also have a .nz domain name. It is:
http://www.tonyaphiles.org.nz
This has been made possible by the generous donation of this
domain by long-time Tonyaphile Paul Dizadji, best known for his
operation of the former "Puppetland" Tonya site. We would like to
thank Paul for this Christmas present to us and for his continued
support of Tonya. Although his Tonya site is no longer actively
updated he does continue to maintain an archive of his Tonya
pages which contain much in the way of useful historical
information, and which can be accessed at www.usapaul.net/tonya/
- so check it out.
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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
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