General Yuzuru Chat

[meoima]

1 hour ago, LadyLou said:

it makes sense. Probably to throw us a bone after yet another scoring robbery at WC

They can't let the season end with the wrong narrative, can they?

Hi, long time no see.  IMO this "awards" have always been aimed for the North Americans who have not many idea about figure skating. IMO they intended to make you-know-who 3 time WC like Patrick and throw tons of PR for the awards etc all for that Olympic momentum. But the pandemic blew up everything and now the bio and the awards look so out of place.

Let's not forget if WC 2020 happened, there would be a huge change for them to justify giving the MVP award to their chosen one given the way they have been scoring. But hey now everything starts from zero and we might not have a GP season at all if you look at how US is dealing with the virus. They had everything in plan to create a momentum for their favorite but the world stays still. 

[Geo1]

4 hours ago, Frenchkiss70 said:

Theory... YuRUzu is the clone chosen to represent Yuzu to the clownery 🤨

 

"Yuruzu" is the Bizarro World version of Yuzu.

 

Bizarro World is a fictional planet that was introduced in the DC "Superman" Comics in the early 1960s. It is a cube shaped planet where everything and everyone is the opposite of reality.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarro_World

 

As it states in Wikipedia, in popular culture, "Bizarro World" has come to mean a situation or setting which is weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations (reality).

 

In the Bizarro World of "Htrae" (which is Earth spelled backwards), society is ruled by the Bizarro Code which states:

 

"Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!"

[EisElle]

@meoima!!!!!!

nevermind me, I'm just happy to see you here

 

2 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

As far as the Awards show specifically goes, this is the most likely reason. When in doubt, follow the money, after all.  The other reasons probably factor in more in things like scoring issues and so on.

well, yes.

And of course many of those reasons can also apply to other skaters, but since Yuzuru has so much that speaks in his favour - achievements, character, and yes, popularity - ISU being so adamamant in pushing him away looks particularly uncomprehensible (and masochistic)

 

2 hours ago, SitTwizzle said:

I had read a hint about the agents problem but I haden't imagined the extent of it, and your explanation makes things show so logical!

And there, what are the links between IMG and Ari Zakarian?

 

mmm, I'm just reporting what others dug out so I can't help about this. I only know Ari works with Plushenko and produces his ice shows (and he has been with him to Japan, he has sometimes posted on IG short clips of FaOI) and now he represents Medvedeva too.

Plushenko is of course a huge household name in FS (also outside Russia*)  he has some political ties within Russia.

(*he's usually one of the big headliners of ice shows in Italy for example, together with Carolina. Thoug it might help that italian audience remembers him from Turin OWG)

As for link with IMG, well, I can only venture a guess

Spoiler

and think that, in the small word of FS, certain diverging economic interests are better solved agreeing to share a whole cake rather than fighting over the same slice

But that's just my speculation and I'm no expert of either FS internal dynamics or of marketing at arge

 

Worth noting that a IMG manager, Yuki Saegusa, tweeted agreeing to JW*ng perplexities about the wording of the Most Valuable Skater award. Idk what to make of it but hey, IMG obviously cares about the scam awards.

Also worth noting that awards are Ari's beloved creature and that Zhenya got her MoaG nominated as most entertainment program. Well, Zhenya has a big fandom so it is entirely possible that she got the nomination fair and square, even if I woulnd't call the program "entertaining" or particularly groudbreaking and original in itself. But, as I've said in the Russian skating thread, I'm second-guessing everything about Zhenya right now

 

 

[Paskud]

I also thought that MVS was created as a consolation prise for Zuzuru, but... yeah, these awards weren's created to reward, but to promote. Not only FS to American and maybe European audience, but also concrete skaters, choreographers and so on (whoever according to Ari/ISU jury deserves to be promoted). Look how Zakarian talked about them:

Quote

The first time I started talking about the Oscars really long ago - at the congress, which was held eight years ago. The idea came to mind a little earlier, when together with Alexander Ovechkin we arrived at the NHL Worlds in Las Vegas, where Sasha was awarded the prize of the most valuable player in the league (Most Valuable Player). In my opinion, it was 2009. I remember we walked along the street, people poked fingers at Sasha and chanted: MVP! MVP! That is, they did not even pronounce the name, so this title is self-sufficient in the eyes of the American public. Such things are very firmly stuck in the head.

(...)

By analogy with game sports, I would call it MVS. Most Valuable Skater. In this category, only one can win - it is not designed for the best in every type of program.

 

“I'm afraid that will make it extremely difficult to choose.”

 

- Not really. I’ll ask a question that I would ask for the first answer that comes to mind: which of the skaters, in your opinion, was the best last season?

 

- I would say that this is Nathan Chen.

 

- Absolutely right. Of the ten people I asked this question, all ten answered: "Chen." And two years ago it was Zhenya Medvedev. Three or four years ago - Papadakis and Sizeron. In the Olympic season - definitely Alena Savchenko. Of course, a person who wins such a title should receive certain benefits. Firstly, its price at demonstrations should be different. People who love figure skating should understand: in front of them is not just a world champion, but MVS. The best of the best. Such a nomination, it seems to me, will inevitably begin to stimulate each athlete to become brighter, stronger, to do everything possible to be among the applicants. I’ll give you a simple example: when a Hollywood actor passes away, no one remembers how many films a person has made, how much has earned. They say: the winner of the Oscar. Or a few Oscars. Our sport has been around for almost 130 years. And we, it turns out, do not have the opportunity to honor people who really made a huge contribution to the history of figure skating.

Well, and then, I reason purely from a business perspective. The emergence of such nominations as “Best Program” or “Best Costume” immediately stimulates a huge layer of industry. That is, both choreographers will have a different attitude to what they are doing, and tailors - to what they sew. Just imagine: someone's mother, who sews well, can instantly become a world famous figure skating designer. Even for people like Roberto Cavalli or Valentin Yudashkin, victory in such a nomination is a serious image component.

https://rsport.ria.ru/amp/20191028/1560262138.html

[Figure_Frenzy]

2 hours ago, LadyLou said:

of course being managed by IMG doesn't mean skaters get it easy by default. Mao was with IMG....and yet she was never treated (read: scored) as the Chosen One

 

...slightly OoT but

Spoiler

...to my understanding, it didn't seem like JSF backed Mao either during her competitive days? And this despite her coming from one of JSF axis of powers (Nagoya). I mean, I thought her (first) coach is placed at about as innermost as an inner circle could be??

 

Like I understand JSF being all yucky about Yuzu (as infuriating as that is), but not supporting Mao?? (Especially given where she came from??) Stupefying!

 

[Glory]

29 minutes ago, Paskud said:

I also thought that MVS was created as a consolation prise for Zuzuru, but... yeah, these awards weren's created to reward, but to promote. Not only FS to American and maybe European audience, but also concrete skaters, choreographers and so on (whoever according to Ari/ISU jury deserves to be promoted). Look how Zakarian talked about them:

ugh... they say they don't have a way to honor skaters. I thought it was called the Olympics. It's where the best of the best are honored. If you can handle the pressure. 

[SitTwizzle]

10 minutes ago, Paskud said:

I also thought that MVS was created as a consolation prise for Zuzuru, but... yeah, these awards weren's created to reward, but to promote. Not only FS to American and maybe European audience, but also concrete skaters, choreographers and so on (whoever according to Ari/ISU jury deserves to be promoted). Look how Zakarian talked about them:

 

That's another proof of bias and cheating in our hands, with the lying bio. Thank you! Quite enlightening.

 

Without even knowing Ari Zakarian's fantasy for Oscars (and having been rather a cinephile himself but never bothered by any sort of awards), when my husband saw me preoccupied (by the fuss we were making, me the first, about something so despicable) and I told him, he answered me it was doubly a scam :

1) it's like if you have bought a movie ticket but what's projected instead is Oscars ceremony you don't care about;

2) there is another sort of scam, like in any "artificial event creation", to try to provoke a short-lived peak of adrenaline and control us in a way or another. I was shocked when he told me how even the most commonplace things were made up into "events". And there, no way to believe Ari Zakarian have done so in the back of ISU, they bought it consciously.

I find it utterly stupid because figure skating is naturally full of rather real events (particularly whenever Yuzuru Hanyu is concerned) and we have so many adrenaline pikes with him (the famous roller-coaster), and their low-level mock Oscars look so insignificant comparatively.

[barbara]

50 minutes ago, Paskud said:

I also thought that MVS was created as a consolation prise for Zuzuru, but... yeah, these awards weren's created to reward, but to promote. Not only FS to American and maybe European audience, but also concrete skaters, choreographers and so on (whoever according to Ari/ISU jury deserves to be promoted). Look how Zakarian talked about them:

 

50 minutes ago, Paskud said:

I also thought that MVS was created as a consolation prise for Zuzuru, but... yeah, these awards weren's created to reward, but to promote. Not only FS to American and maybe European audience, but also concrete skaters, choreographers and so on (whoever according to Ari/ISU jury deserves to be promoted). Look how Zakarian talked about them:

 

18 minutes ago, SitTwizzle said:

 

That's another proof of bias and cheating in our hands, with the lying bio. Thank you! Quite enlightening.

 

Without even knowing Ari Zakarian's fantasy for Oscars (and having been rather a cinephile himself but never bothered by any sort of awards), when my husband saw me preoccupied (by the fuss we were making, me the first, about something so despicable) and I told him, he answered me it was doubly a scam :

1) it's like if you have bought a movie ticket but what's projected instead is Oscars ceremony you don't care about;

2) there is another sort of scam, like in any "artificial event creation", to try to provoke a short-lived peak of adrenaline and control us in a way or another. I was shocked when he told me how even the most commonplace things were made up into "events". And there, no way to believe Ari Zakarian have done so in the back of ISU, they bought it consciously.

I find it utterly stupid because figure skating is naturally full of rather real events (particularly whenever Yuzuru Hanyu is concerned) and we have so many adrenaline pikes with him (the famous roller-coaster), and their low-level mock Oscars look so insignificant comparatively.

First - everyone in the entertainment industry knows that the Oscars are very political, so if that's what Ari was shooting for, well done, Ari.  For what everyone has said since the descriptions of the "contenders" were released, I think it would be nice for ISU to remember this was for "most valuable" - ever, not who was having a pretty darn good season THIS year.  And I would also like to see their breakdown on how many votes from fans each skater got (in all categories), how many votes per skater were by ISU people, etc.., and what the weight of each of those has been in choosing their MVS.  I cannot imagine for a second that anyone came anywhere near Yuzu in public votes.  Globally.  And that should have had more weight that whatever else they are looking at.  You know, the ISU could turn our poor opinion of them around within a year if they give this to Yuzu (because he deserves it) and then judge him fairly while he is still skating competitively.  Because if they don't do that, they will have lost - and no amount of marketing and agents will turn that around.  I don't like to think of Yuzuru as anything beyond being the GOAT and a kind, sweet, hard-working man, but they should think of him as their cash-cow - and value him as such (since $ is their motivator).

[Flutterby]

1 hour ago, Glory said:

ugh... they say they don't have a way to honor skaters. I thought it was called the Olympics. It's where the best of the best are honored. If you can handle the pressure. 

Precisely.  We have the Olympics, Worlds, GPF, World Records, and World standings. And Yuzuru has won them all. We already know who's best of the best.

[makebelieveup]

So basically Yuzu is being used to bring in the hype for the "award show", which is intended to promote Chen, who is advertised as the one to bring in figure skating popularity 

[yuzuru_hanyu_is_an_angel]

25 minutes ago, makebelieveup said:

So basically Yuzu is being used to bring in the hype for the "award show", which is intended to promote Chen, who is advertised as the one to figure skating popularity 

that's hypocritical 

but most of the figure skating fandom on twitter's just like

so hopefully the ISU won't get what they want

 

[CaroSkate]

Whatever happens with the award, ice show producers know who is drawing the most audience, publishers know who sells books and magazines the best, sponsors know whose fans are moving the economy. They will pay the skaters according to their TRUE popularity.

 

[IULIANA]

14 hours ago, SitTwizzle said:

Nathan Chen has more a character of an excellent second, helpful, intelligent but needing somebody to tell him what to do. I hope he can survive this ordeal.

Then let him be well deservedly second, as he should.

[meoima]

5 hours ago, Figure_Frenzy said:

 

...slightly OoT but

  Reveal hidden contents

...to my understanding, it didn't seem like JSF backed Mao either during her competitive days? And this despite her coming from one of JSF axis of powers (Nagoya). I mean, I thought her (first) coach is placed at about as innermost as an inner circle could be??

 

Like I understand JSF being all yucky about Yuzu (as infuriating as that is), but not supporting Mao?? (Especially given where she came from??) Stupefying!

 

Well to be fair when Mao really got a change to go at the Olympic in 2010, there was a strong attack on her technique and the rule changes did not benefit her jump issues. In 2014, she did have a great momentum but that time they did not inflate PCS significantly yet and she had a very bad SP. After Olympics 2014, the PCS inflation started by the big feds so JSF was slow on that... the rest is history.

 

[IULIANA]

Hi, Meoima! I missed you!