The Hatter
Alice character
The Hatter as depicted by Sir John Tenniel, reciting his nonsensical poem, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat"
First appearance	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Last appearance	Through the Looking Glass
Created by	Lewis Carroll
Information
Aliases	Mad Hatter Hatta
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Occupation	Hatter/messenger
Significant other(s)	March Hare Dormouse
Nationality	Wonderland/Looking-Glass Land

Hatta, the Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll. The phrase "mad as a hatter" pre-dates Carroll's works and the characters the Hatter and the March Hare are initially referred to as "both mad" by the Cheshire Cat, with both first appearing in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in the seventh chapter titled "A Mad Tea-Party".

[edit] Appearances in the Alice books

The Hatter and March Hare try to put the dormouse in a teapot

The Hatter explains to Alice that he and the March Hare are always having tea because, when he tried to sing for the Queen of Hearts at her celebration, she sentenced him to death for "murdering the time," but he escapes decapitation. In retaliation, Time (referred to as a "Him") halts himself in respect to the Hatter, keeping him and the March Hare stuck at 6:00 forever. As such, he exclaims "Tea Time!" at random occasions. The tea party, when Alice arrives, is characterized by switching places on the table at any given time, making short, personal remarks, asking unanswerable riddles and reciting nonsensical poetry, all of which eventually drive Alice away. He appears again as a witness at the Knave of Hearts' trial, where the Queen appears to recognize him as the singer she sentenced to death, and the King also cautions him not to be nervous "or I'll have you executed on the spot."

When the character makes his appearance as "Hatta" in Through the Looking-Glass, he is in trouble with the law once again. This time, however, he is not necessarily guilty: the White Queen explains that quite often subjects are punished before they commit a crime, rather than after, and sometimes they do not even commit it at all. He is also mentioned as being one of the White King's messengers, and the March Hare appears as well as "Haigha", since the King explains that he needs two messengers: "one to come, and one to go." Sir John Tenniel's illustration also depicts him as sipping from a teacup as he did in the original novel, adding weight to Carroll's hint that the two characters are very much the same.

Mad as a hatter[link]

Although the name "Mad Hatter" was clearly done and inspired by the phrase "as mad as a hatter", there is some uncertainty as to the origins of this phrase. Mercury was used in the process of curing felt used in some hats, making it impossible for hatters to avoid inhaling the mercury fumes given off during the hat making process; hatters and mill workers thus often suffered mercury poisoning, causing neurological damage, including confused speech and distorted vision. Hat making was the main trade in Stockport, near where Carroll grew up, and it was not unusual then for hatters to appear disturbed or confused; many died early as a result of mercury poisoning. However, the Hatter does not exhibit the symptoms of mercury poisoning, which include "excessive timidity, diffidence, increasing shyness, loss of self-confidence, anxiety, and a desire to remain unobserved and unobtrusive."^[1] The Hatter and the March Hare are initially referred to as "both mad" by the Cheshire Cat, and both first appear in the seventh chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which is titled "A Mad Tea-Party".^[2]

Model[link]

The Hatter's character may have been inspired by Theophilus Carter, an eccentric furniture dealer. Carter was supposedly at one time a servitor at Christ Church, one of the University of Oxford's colleges. He invented an alarm clock bed, exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851, that tipped sleepers out to wake them up. He later owned a furniture shop, and became known as "the Mad Hatter" from his habit of standing in the door of his shop wearing a top hat. Sir John Tenniel is reported to have come to Oxford especially to sketch him for his illustrations.^[1]

The March Hare's tea party with Alice, the March Hare, the Dormouse, and the Hatter.

10/6[link]

The card or label on the Hatter's hat reads "In this style 10/6", which refers to 10 shillings and six pence (or a half guinea), the price of the hat in pre-decimalized British money. The figure acts as a visual indication of the hatter's trade.^[3]

The Hatter's riddle[link]

In the chapter "A Mad Tea Party", the Hatter asks a notable riddle: "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" When Alice gives up, the Hatter admits he does not have an answer himself. Lewis Carroll originally intended the riddle to be just a riddle without an answer, but after many requests from readers, he and others, including puzzle expert Sam Loyd, thought up possible answers to the riddle. In the preface to the 1896 edition, Carroll wrote:

Enquiries have been so often addressed to me, as to whether any answer to the Hatter’s Riddle can be imagined, that I may as well put on record here what seems to me to be a fairly appropriate answer,: "Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!". This, however, is merely an afterthought; the riddle as originally invented, had no answer at all".^[4]

Note that "nevar" is "raven" "with the wrong end in front" (backwards). Loyd proposed a number of alternative solutions to the riddle, including "Because Poe wrote on both" and "because the notes for which they are noted are not noted for being musical notes".^[5]

Adaptations[link]

The Hatter has been featured in nearly every adaptation of Alice in Wonderland to date. The character has been portrayed in film by Edward Everett Horton, Sir Robert Helpmann, Martin Short, Peter Cook, Anthony Newley, Ed Wynn, Andrew-Lee Potts, and Johnny Depp. In music videos, the Hatter has been portrayed by Tom Petty and Steven Tyler. He has also been portrayed on stage by Nikki Snelson and Katherine Shindle, and on television by John Robert Hoffman and Sebastian Stan. In ballet adaptations, Steven McRae also portrayed him as a mad 'Tapper'.

Batman[link]

The Mad Hatter (a.k.a.: Jervis Tetch) is a supervillain and enemy of the Batman in DC comic books, making his first appearance in October 1948 (Batman #49). The Hatter has gone through many changes in physical appearance over the years, but his basic look remains the same—short with large teeth, almost invariably wearing a large hat. While the Mad Hatter has no inherent superpowers, he is portrayed as a brilliant neurotechnician with considerable knowledge in how to dominate and control the human mind, either through hypnosis or direct technological means. In addition to comic books, the Mad Hatter has appeared in the Batman television series, animated series and various video games.

Disney[link]

1951[link]

The Mad Hatter in Disney's 1951 film.

In the 1951 Disney animated feature Alice in Wonderland, the Hatter appears as a short, hyperactive man with gray hair, a large nose and a comical voice. He was voiced by Ed Wynn in 1951, and by Corey Burton in his later appearances (Bonkers, House of Mouse). Alice stumbles upon the Hatter and the March Hare having an "un-birthday" party for themselves. She sits at the table and they both run toward her, telling her "it's very very rude to sit down without being invited", although they immediately forgive her after she compliments their singing. Alice asks what an "un-birthday" is and they explain that "there are 364 days of the year that aren't your birthday; those are un-birthdays." They throw Alice a small un-birthday party. They ask Alice where she came from but they never give Alice a chance to answer. The Hatter and the Hare offer Alice tea several times but each time she is unable to even take a sip (they move to another seat at the table whenever the Hatter or the Hare find a clean cup). The Hatter asks her the infamous riddle "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" but when she tries to answer, the Hatter denies asking her the riddle. The White Rabbit then bursts in exclaiming that he is late. The Hatter and the Hare (unwittingly) vandalize his watch by putting numerous food items into it (claiming the watch is two days slow). The Hatter and the March Hare then kick the rabbit out and Alice follows him, as the Hatter and the Hare begin singing the un-birthday song yet again. Later in the film, the Queen of Hearts calls the March Hare, the Hatter, and the Dormouse to Alice's trial. She asks them what they know of the disaster during the croquet game. Instead of answering, they throw the Queen an un-birthday party that cheers her up.

Throughout the course of the film, the Hatter pulls numerous items out of his hat, such as cake and smaller hats. He and the Hare also break the laws of physics more than once; they pour tea cups and plates out of tea kettles, and the Hatter is seen eating plates and other inedible items at the tea party, also the March Hare asks the Hatter for half a cup of tea, and the Hatter cuts his tea cup in half and pours him the tea. His personality is that of a child: he is angry one second but happy the next. He also takes an immediate liking to Alice after she tells him she's a fan of his singing.

The Hatter and March Hare make a cameo appearance in a painting in the Tea Party Garden in the Kingdom Hearts video game, and the Hatter is also a greetable character at the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland. This version of the character was also a semi-regular on the Disney Afternoon series Bonkers and one of the guests in House of Mouse, where he even made a cameo appearance in one of the featured cartoon shorts.

2010[link]

In Tim Burton's 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, the Hatter is portrayed by Johnny Depp. He is very brave and loyal to the White Queen, and becomes very emotionally attached to Alice and goes to great lengths to protect her. In this version, his full name is Tarrant Hightopp. Burton explained that Depp "tried to find a grounding to the character, something that you feel, as opposed to just being mad. In a lot of versions it’s a very one-note kind of character and you know his goal was to try and bring out a human side to the strangeness of the character."^[6] The orange hair is an allusion to the mercury poisoning suffered by many hatters who used mercury to cure pelts. According to Depp: "I think he was poisoned, very, very poisoned, and it was coming out through his hair, through his fingernails and eyes."^[7] In an interview, Depp stated his experience was "A dream come true" and that the Hatter is like "A mood ring, his emotions are very close to the surface".^[8]

[edit] Wonderland

Frank Wildhorne composed the music to and co-wrote the music to Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure. In this adaption the Hatter is portrayed as the villain of the story, and Alice's alter-ego. Unlike most other adaptations, which portray the character, traditionally, as a male, the character in the show is instead a mad woman who longs to be Queen.

[edit] SyFy miniseries Alice

In the Syfy miniseries Alice, The Hatter, played by Andrew-Lee Potts, sells human emotions like drugs, with the Dormouse in his services. He helps Alice in her misadventure through Wonderland. All the time, she refuses to trust him at any length; she even refuses to tell him her plans, even though they are on the same side. After Hatter is tortured by Mad March (the March Hare reimagined an assassin) and Dr.s Dee and Dum (Tweedledum and Tweedledee reimagined as sadists who pry information from prisoners) after trying to rescue her, Alice realizes that he truly is worthy of her trust. The two grow very close after Hatter helps Alice with her fear of heights, and eventually fall in love. Alice even turns down Jack, the man she had been trying to find all through the first episode, to be with Hatter, and he eventually goes into the human world to be with her.

[edit] American McGee's Alice

In the videogame American McGee's Alice, The Mad Hatter is portrayed as psychotic, literally gone "mad" and obsessed with time and clockworks, and considers himself to be a genius. He invents mechanical devices, often evidently using the bodies of living organisms for the base of his inventions, as he plans to do to all of Wonderland's inhabitants. His victims include the March Hare, the Dormouse, and countless insane children. This interpretation of the Mad Hatter has green skin, wears a loosened straitjacket, and has a large gear protruding out of his back. He wields a cane, and his hat is covered in astrological symbols. He appears in "Alice: Madness Returns" in the same appearance, although this time, he requests Alice's help in retrieving his lost limbs from his former compatriots the March Hare and Dormouse.

In an interview, American McGee has stated that the Mad Hatter is the embodiment of Alice's emotional state, which explains why he is psychotic in the first game, yet more preserved in the sequel.

[edit] The Looking Glass Wars

A spin-off of the traditional Alice in Wonderland story, Frank Beddor's The Looking Glass Wars features a character named Hatter Madigan. He has knives attached to his gloves that he uses for fighting and protection of Princess Alyss of Wonderland. He is based on and in many ways resembles the Hatter but with a twist, most notably that his well-known hat is able to flatten into three S-shaped boomerang blades. He acts as the bodyguard of the rightful Queen, Genevieve of Hearts (not to be confused with her sister, the evil usurper Queen Redd) and as guide/guardian to the protagonist, Alyss Heart.

[edit] Alice in the Country of Hearts

The Japanese manga Alice in the Country of Hearts has been translated into English, and has been recently sold in the United States. In this interpretation, the Hatter role is played by Blood Dupre, a crime boss and leader of a street gang called The Hatters, which controls one of the four territories of Wonderland.

The Famous Charisma Label[link]

Sir John Tenniel's drawing of the Hatter, combined with a montage of other images from Alice in Wonderland, were used as a logo by Charisma Records from 1972 onwards.

Pandora Hearts[link]

The Mad Hatter in Pandora Hearts is a chain (creature from the abyss) that was contracted by Xerxes Break. The hatter basically looks like a large top hat with flowery decorations (Similar to Break's top hat).When summoned, it can destroy all chains and objects from the Abyss within a large area.It is possible that Mad Hatter also possess teleportation skills, because Xerxes often appears out of thin air (e.g. under the bed, he disappeared after entering the cupboard) It resembles the Alice in Wonderland character of the same name but gives off a more sinister feel. The character of Break himself, in fact, seems to be a melding of both the Mad Hatter and the White Knight.

Futurama[link]

The T.V. series Futurama has a robot named Mad Hatterbot who is based off the Hatter. Seen only in the HAL Institute (an asylum for criminally insane robots) the Mad Hatterbot only says one line: "Change places!", which all in the room comply with when spoken.

A minor character, he has been in the episodes "Insane in the Mainframe" and "Follow the Reader" as well as the movie Bender's Game.

Once Upon A Time[link]

The character was featured in the season one episode of Once Upon A Time "Hat Trick." Portrayed by Sebastian Stan, the character was a dual role of a man named Jefferson in one world and an out of work Hatter in the other. He is aware of the Dark Curse used by the Evil Queen, and Emma's role in destroying it. In his debut episode he takes Emma and Mary Margaret hostage to make Emma build a magical hat for him to use to retrieve his daughter and take her back to the Enchanted Forest. Jefferson is defeated when Emma fakes believing in the Dark Curse, fighting Jefferson after he lowers his guard. He is knocked out a window, but vanishes when Emma and Mary Margaret investigate, implying that Emma did build a magical hat. His origin is also revealed in the episode, having worked for the Evil Queen to help her go to Wonderland in exchange for giving his daughter a life of ease. The Queen betrays him after revealing her plan; retrieving her father from the Queen of Hearts, and abandons him in Wonderland for the Queen of Hearts' forces to capture. He reappeared in Storybrooke in the final two episodes of the season, helping Regina retrieve a magic apple that Regina would use on Emma Swan from the Enchanted Forest in exchange for losing his memories of his life as the Hatter. While the apple is retrieved successfully, the apple is instead eaten by Regina's adopted son to prove to Emma that Regina was the Evil Queen, which worked. Because it was eaten by the wrong person, Regina saw no reason to uphold her end of the bargain. Furious, Jefferson frees Belle from her room beneath the hospital and tells her to go to Mr. Gold and tell him that Regina had locked her up.

References[link]

Notes

Further reading

• Heavens to Betsy! and Other Curious Sayings, Charles Earle Funk. HarperCollins Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-06-051331-4

External links[link]

• The Hatter at the Internet Movie Database
• Media related to The Mad Hatter at Wikimedia Commons

Johnny Weir
Weir at the 2010 GLAAD Media Awards
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	(1984-07-02) July 2, 1984 (age 27) Coatesville, PA
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Coach	Galina Zmievskaya, Viktor Petrenko
Former coach	Priscilla Hill
Choreographer	David Wilson, Nina Petrenko
Former choreographer	Natalia Linichuk, Tatiana Tarasova, Shanetta Folle, Denis Petukhov, Priscilla Hill, Evgeny Platov, Marina Anissina, Maya Usova, Faye Kitarieva, Michelle Poley, Carolanne Leone, Giuseppe Arena, Anjelika Krylova and Yuri Sergeyev
Skating club	SC of New York
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	238.87 2010 Winter Olympics
Short program	84.60 2009–2010 GPF
Free skate	156.77 2010 Winter Olympics
Medal record Competitor for United States Men’s Figure skating World Championships Bronze 2008 Gothenburgh Men's singles Grand Prix Final Bronze 2009–2010 Tokyo Men's singles Bronze 2008–2009 Goyang Men's singles World Junior Championships Gold 2001 Budapest Men's singles

John Garvin "Johnny" Weir-Voronov^[1] (born July 2, 1984) is an American figure skater. He is a three-time U.S. National Champion (2004–2006), the 2008 Worlds bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and the 2001 World Junior Champion. Weir did not skate competitively in the 2010–11 or 2011-12 seasons.^[2] In January 2012, he announced he would return to competition in the 2012-13 season.^[3]

Life[link]

Weir at a party in 2010

Weir was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, to John and Patti Weir. He is of Norwegian heritage.^[4] He has a brother, Brian, who is four years younger.^[5][6] Weir was raised in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, a town in southern Lancaster County.^[7] As a child, he was a successful equestrian, competing with his pony, My Blue Shadow, an Arabian-Shetland cross.^[8][9]

Soon after Weir began skating at the age of 12, his family moved to Newark, Delaware so he could be near his training rink and coach.^[10] In the summer of 2007, he moved to Lyndhurst, New Jersey, and began training in nearby Wayne.^[11] Weir was an honor roll student at Newark High School and studied linguistics part-time at the University of Delaware before dropping out to concentrate on his skating.^[10][12] He is a self-proclaimed Russophile who admires the skating style and culture of Russia^[13] and taught himself to speak and read the language. He also speaks some French.^[14]

In July 2008, the United States Figure Skating Association and Skating Magazine announced Weir as the winner of the 2008 Reader's Choice Award for Skater of the Year, an annual trophy voted upon by skating fans and awarded to the American skater or skating team whose achievements were of the highest merit in the previous season.^[15] In 2010, Weir won this award again.^[16]

Weir has two pet chihuahuas named Bon-Bon and Vanya, and is a collector of Russian Cheburashka memorabilia.^[17] He has an interest in fashion design and, in addition to designing some of his own skating costumes, has designed ice dancing costumes for Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov,^[18] show costumes for Oksana Baiul^[19] and Yuzuru Hanyu's costume for his free program of 2010-2011 season.^[20]

He is Roman Catholic and open to other belief systems, including practicing Kabbalah, stating, "I believe in anything good, and anything that can teach love".^[21][22]

During the 2010 Olympics two Canadian broadcasters commented on Weir's flamboyant demeanor, made derogatory comments of his sexuality, and questioned his gender.^[23][24]

Weir's sexual orientation was long the subject of media speculation; however, when asked about his sexuality, Weir responded "...it's not part of my sport and it's private. I can sleep with whomever I choose and it doesn't affect what I'm doing on the ice."^[25] In his memoir Welcome to My World, published January 2011, Weir officially came out as gay, citing a string of gay youth suicides as one reason for his decision: "With people killing themselves and being scared into the closet, I hope that even just one person can gain strength from my story."^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

In 2010 a main-belt asteroid, discovered in 1995 by T. V. Kryachko, was officially named after the skater, at the suggestion of his Russian fans.^[31]

Weir married Victor Voronov – a 28-year-old Georgetown Law graduate of Russian Jewish descent^[32][33] – in a December 2011 civil ceremony on New Year's Eve in New York City.^[34][35] Weir said, the "wedding [will be] in the summer, but all the official stuff is done now!"^[36] Weir's representative said, "The couple has taken the new surname, Weir-Voronov, but professionally, Johnny will continue to be known as Johnny Weir."^[35] In February 2012, Weir stated that he was considering converting to Judaism.^[37]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

Weir became interested in figure skating at the age of eleven while watching Oksana Baiul win her 1994 Olympic gold medal. He taught himself how to jump on roller skates in his basement. His parents eventually bought him a pair of used figure skates, and he practiced on a frozen cornfield behind his family home.^[14][38] His parents then purchased group lessons for him at the University of Delaware, where coach Priscilla Hill soon noticed his talent and took him on as a private student.^[9]

Although he began skating at the relatively late age of 12, Weir progressed quickly through the ranks. He performed an Axel jump in his first week on skates.^[9] His parents could not afford to support both his figure skating and his equestrian pursuits, so Weir gave up his pony, My Blue Shadow, and turned his focus completely to figure skating. He competed in pair skating with Jodi Rudden on the juvenile and intermediate levels, but gave it up to concentrate on single skating.^[9]

Weir's first major victory came in 2001 when, at the age of 16, he skated three clean programs at the World Junior Championships and won the gold medal ahead of fellow American Evan Lysacek.^[39] This was the first time since 1987 that the U.S. had placed first and second on the World Junior podium.^[40] Weir also placed sixth that year in his debut at the senior U.S. Championships.^[14]

At the 2003 U.S. Championships, he literally hit the wall during his long program. He restarted the program, but immediately injured his knee on a failed triple axel landing. This time he was too injured to restart, so he withdrew from the competition.^[41] Shortly after this competition, he switched club affiliation from the University of Delaware FSC to the Skating Club of New York, which he still represents.^[42]

2003–2004 season[link]

Weir competing at the 2004 NHK Trophy

The 2003–2004 season was the turning point for Weir. He qualified for the U.S. Nationals by winning his regional and sectional championships. He received the first 6.0 of his career during his long program at 2004 U.S. Championships, winning the gold over Michael Weiss and Matthew Savoie.^[43] He then competed at the World Championships and placed fifth.^[14]

2004–2005 season[link]

In the 2004–2005 season Weir won his first two Grand Prix titles. He won the first at the 2004 NHK Trophy in Japan and the second at 2004 Trophée Eric Bompard in France.^[14] Only two Grand Prix events per season can count toward a skater's point totals under ISU rules,^[44] but Weir also skated at the 2004 Cup of Russia for no official points and took the silver medal behind reigning world champion Evgeni Plushenko.^[45]

At the 2005 U.S. Championships, he earned five 6.0's for presentation with his free skate to Otonal and successfully defended his national title.^[46]

He went on to compete at the 2005 World Championships with a landing foot injury and placed fourth.^[47]

2005–2006 season[link]

The 2005–2006 Olympic season proved difficult for Weir. He came in seventh at Skate Canada after spraining his ankle on a jump landing at the start of the free skate and struggling through the rest of the program,^[48] and third at Cup of Russia.^[14]

In December 2005 he won the men's competition at the 2005 Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge, in which results were determined live by call-in votes and texts from viewers, in the final round over Michael Weiss with 64% of the vote.^[49]

At the 2006 U.S. Championships, he won his third consecutive title and, as the national champion, was automatically named to the U.S. Olympics and World teams.^[50]

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Weir skated a personal best short program and was in second place behind Evgeni Plushenko in that segment. However, Weir omitted some of his planned jumps in the free skate, and finished off of the podium in fifth place.^[51]

At the 2006 World Championships, Weir finished seventh, fighting a nagging back injury.^[52]

2006–2007 season[link]

Weir began the 2006–2007 competitive season at Skate Canada, where he placed third, then went on to Cup of Russia and won the silver medal, his third consecutive medal at that event.^[14] He placed second at the 2006 Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge with his performance to The Swan, an exhibition version of his Olympic program, and Weir's signature piece.^[53]

Weir withdrew from the 2006–2007 Grand Prix Final before the free skate due to a hip injury he sustained in a freak fall during the short program.^[54] At the 2007 U.S. Championships, Weir was in second place after the short program, less than a point behind Evan Lysacek. In the free program, he was unable to complete his triple axel combination, fell on a triple loop and doubled several of his planned combinations. He attempted a quadruple toe loop but it was heavily two-footed on the landing. Weir lost his national title and finished in third place.^[55] At the 2007 World Championships, Weir placed eighth.^[14]

2007–2008 season[link]

Weir at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships

After the disappointments of the 2006–2007 season, Weir made the decision to shake up his training regimen by leaving the only coach he had ever had, Priscilla Hill, moving out of his family home and moving on his own to New Jersey to train with Ukrainian coach Galina Zmievskaya.^[56] He subsequently had a great start to his 2007–2008 season at the Cup of China where he skated two clean and strong programs, achieving new personal best scores for both his free skate and overall score and winning the gold medal over fellow American Evan Lysacek.^[57] He then went on to Cup of Russia and took the gold medal there, as well.^[5] The two first place finishes secured him a spot at the 2007–2008 Grand Prix Final, where Weir competed with a recurring injury in his landing foot and stumbled in both his short and long programs but still managed to place 4th overall.^[5]

At the 2008 U.S. Championships, Weir won the short program over Evan Lysacek by 1.35 points but Lysacek won the long program by exactly the same amount, resulting in a tie. Weir completed a slightly two-footed quadruple toe loop in his long program and scored more points on his jumps and in the program components than Lysacek but Lysacek scored more points for his spins and footwork.^[58] Under ISU rules, in the event of a tie the winner of the long program is awarded the gold medal,^[44] so Weir received the silver.^{[59][60][61][62][63]}

At the 2008 World Championships, the United States had failed to medal in every other discipline when the men took the ice last. Weir skated a short program that received a career-best score and put him in second place. In the free program, he skated steadily but tentatively, eliminating the second jump from his first planned combination and doubling a planned triple jump on another combination. However, the program was strong enough for Weir to win his first World medal – a bronze – and kept the United States from being shut out of the medals at a World Championship for the first time since 1994.^[64]

2008–2009 season[link]

Weir began the 2008–2009 season by winning the silver medal at Skate America in October 2008.^[65] He then went on to the NHK Trophy in late November, where he competed while suffering from a severe cold but still managed to win his second silver medal of the season.^[66] These two finishes qualified him for the 2008-2009 Grand Prix Final, where he won the bronze medal in December 2008.^[67]

During the 2008 Christmas holiday Weir traveled to South Korea to perform in a charity skating show. While there, he contracted a severe stomach virus that landed him in the hospital and caused him to lose eight pounds in a single day. He was unable to regain all of the weight or train at full capacity before the 2009 U.S. Championships in January 2009, where he singled the planned triple axel in both his short and long programs and also fell on the triple lutz in the long, resulting in a fifth-place finish. It was the first time since 2003 that he had been off the podium at Nationals.^[68] He was subsequently not named to the U.S. team for the World Championships.

2009–2010 season[link]

In preparation for the 2009–2010 season Weir went to top skating choreographer David Wilson to create his competitive programs. On September 26, 2009, he debuted his short program, which was set to music by Raúl di Blasio, at a benefit to commemorate 9/11.^[69]

In the 2009 Grand Prix season Weir finished a disappointing fourth at Cup of Russia after doubling several of the triple jumps in both his short and long programs, but two weeks later rallied to win silver at the NHK Trophy, while suffering from a cold and sinus infection.^[70] This qualified Weir for the 2009-2010 Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, Japan, where he won the bronze medal.^[71]

Weir won the bronze medal at the 2010 U.S. Championships in Spokane, Washington and was subsequently named to the U.S. team for the Olympics. He became the center of an animal rights controversy by wearing fox fur on his skating costume at that event. He received protests from the animal rights groups Friends of Animals and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).^[72][73] When the protests escalated to threats of violence against him, Weir announced he would remove the fur from his costume, although he continued to defend wearing fur as a "personal choice."^[74] Death threats from animal rights activists also forced Weir to alter his housing arrangements for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He had intended to stay in a Vancouver hotel, but for security reasons, chose to stay at the secure Olympic Village, sharing a suite with fellow American figure skater Tanith Belbin.^[75][76]

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Weir finished sixth overall, with a new personal-best combined score of 238.87.^[77]

2010-2012[link]

Weir did not compete during the 2010–2011 season and confirmed in June 2011 that he would also miss the 2011–2012 season, while suggesting a competitive return was still possible.^[78] Weir indicated that he hopes to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, "even though I'll [he'll] be old".^[79]

2012-13 season[link]

In January 2012, Weir stated his intention to return to competition in the 2012-2013 season^[3][80][81] He said that he would continue to work with Galina Zmievskaya, Viktor Petrenko and Nina Petrenko at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey.^[81] In May 2012, Weir was assigned to two 2012 Grand Prix events, the 2012 Rostelecom Cup and the 2012 Trophee Eric Bompard.^[82]

Coaching changes[link]

Weir and Zmievskaya during the 2008 Grand Prix Final

From the beginning of his career at age twelve, Weir trained under coach Priscilla Hill. They worked together first at the University of Delaware in Newark and after the 2002/2003 season moved to the Pond Ice Arena, also in Newark. Weir also spent part of each summer between 2003 and 2005 working with Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, Connecticut.^[83]

He changed coaches in the summer of 2007 when he moved to the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, New Jersey and began working with Galina Zmievskaya, who previously coached Weir's idol Oksana Baiul.^[84][85] Zmievskaya's son-in-law and Olympic gold medallist Viktor Petrenko acts as Weir's assistant coach, and her daughter Nina Petrenko is one of his choreographers.^[5]

Skating techniques[link]

Unlike most figure skaters, he is a clockwise spinner and jumper.^[54]

Celebrity and popular culture career[link]

Ice shows[link]

Weir skated with the Champions on Ice touring ice show every spring from 2004 until 2007, their last season before going out of business.^[86][87]

He has also performed in Russia, Japan, China and South Korea.

Documentary and TV series[link]

Pop Star on Ice, a documentary about Weir and his career by filmmakers James Pellerito and David Barba, was filmed between 2006 and Spring 2008. It premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 24, 2009 and was scheduled to show at film festivals across the United States in the Spring and Summer of 2009 before airing on the Sundance Channel on December 24, 2009.^[88] The filmmakers are also making a multiple-episode TV series entitled Be Good Johnny Weir, that is set to air on the Sundance Channel in early 2010.^[89]

Other television appearances[link]

After 2006 Winter Olympics, He taught Kathy Griffin how to skate in the season two finale of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.^[90] In 2010, Weir appeared in an episode of When I Was 17 on the MTV network, describing his experiences in high school.^[91] After 2010 Winter Olympics, he appeared many talk shows and skating shows.

In season 3 of The Rachel Zoe Project, Weir was dressed by Rachel and her assistant Brad Goreski to an event.

He was a judge on the U.S. reality show Skating with the Stars.^[92]

He was also a guest judge on the Logo reality series RuPaul's Drag Race season 3 upon which he was kissed by Carmen Carrera.

Musical career[link]

In addition to his skating career, Weir has also recorded a pop song produced by Lucian Piane titled "Dirty Love". It was recorded in April 2010, and released as a single worldwide on January 11, 2011.

Fashion[link]

Off the ice, he has appeared in a fashion spread in BlackBook magazine^[93] (including a shot of him in a wrap-around mini skirt),^[94] Vanity fair, Vogue Japan^[95] and others. He also modeled in runway shows for the fashion label Heatherette.^[96]

Promotions[link]

Charity[link]

He serves on the Board of Governors of nPlay, a nonprofit organization devoted to fighting childhood obesity and promoting a healthy lifestyle for young people.^[97]

Johnny Weir at the Los Angeles LGBT pride parade in 2011

Weir collaborated with Traver Rains to raise money for The Trevor Project in 2010.

Advertisements[link]

Weir has been featured in ads for M.A.C. 2011 holiday collection Glitter and Ice .^[98]

Programs[link]

Weir performing his exhibition "Poker Face" at the 2009 Festa On Ice

Competitive highlights[link]

The men's podium at the 2008 World Championships
From left: Johnny Weir (3rd), Jeffrey Buttle (1st), Brian Joubert (2nd)

Senior results[link]

Pre-2001 results[link]

References[link]