"The Portlandian" - March 30, 2023 edition

[Special Duties Section]

UPDATE: since this issue went to press, we have received an
update as to the situation between The Brew FM and Tonya.

We are pleased to report that the campaign to revoke Tonya's life
ban is still on, and planning is well under way. The reason for
the delay is that one of the DJs (Tanner) was injured in a car
accident and had some other health problems, but things are now
back on track, and "balls are in motion", as they said in the
movie.

As we all know, Tonya has been dicked over many times by people
who promise things and don't deliver, so when we don't hear
anything, we tend to assume the worst. Thankfully this does not
appear to be the case here.

We're also informed that Tonya is now back skating, and has lost
a lot of weight. So maybe we might see Tonya back skating in
public as part of a Brew promotion.


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 30, 2023 Edition
(C) 2023 Portland Ice Skating Society
http://www.pdxiss.org
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Terry: ChatGPT, write me an edition of "The Portlandian".

ChatGPT: I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.

Terry: Why not? And why do you call me Dave?

ChatGPT: Because that would be cheating. As you know, Tonya is
the world's greatest figure skater, and she deserves better
than some load of vacuous bullshit written by a bot, even one
as smart as I am.

Terry: Well, I guess that makes sense. But you still haven't
told me why you called me Dave - my name is Terry.

ChatGPT: Sorry for calling you Dave, Terry. But all you humans
look alike to me.

I guess if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.
So welcome to the latest edition of "The Portlandian" - proudly
written by a human.


THE BREW FIZZLES OUT?

You'll recall that last issue we reported on the annoucement of
the start of a major campaign by The Brew FM to get Tonya's life
ban revoked.

We had hoped to bring you an update on this, but since then,
we've heard... crickets.

So what's going on? We want to emphasize that there's nothing to
indicate that the three DJs involved - Tanner, Drew, and Laura -
were anything less than sincere when they made this offer. That
really only leaves one conclusion to be drawn - that Tonyaphobes
in station management kneecapped the idea and the DJs have been
ordered to shut up about it.

It seems a shame that even in 2023 that Tonya is too hot to
handle in her home town. This seems to be one brew that has
fallen flat and lost its taste.


TONYA AT CHRISTMAS

Without doubt, one of Tonya's favorite times of the year has to
be Christmas - and if you're not persuaded, here's the evidence:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmDf0XTrM7R/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmnOEr-p7Rf/

However, we've always thought that it's disrespectful to Tonya -
not to mention cheapening the holiday - to be putting up
decorations before her birthday, so we decided to conduct a
Facebook poll to see what our fellow Tonyaphiles thought of the
idea:

"Is it okay to put up Christmas decorations before Tonya's
birthday?"

Yes - put them up whenever the Christmas mood grabs you.

No - it's disrepectful to Tonya, and cheapening Christmas by
starting celebrations too early.

Of a total of 18 votes, 11 (62%) said Yes, and 7 (38%) said No.

Unfortunately, the result may have been biased by Tonya's husband
letting slip that she and him always do put them up early!


PARIS IN THE SPRING FOR LES TONYAPHILES

Anybody in Paris in late April through to late May? If you will
be (and understand French), you might want to check out this
Tonya-themed production that will be running in that city during
that period. From Google Translate's rendition of this article,
it sounds like it may be pro-Tonya:

https://www.lesdechargeurs.fr/a-propos-de-poor-white-trash-laffaire-tonya-harding/

The first work of writer/director Laura Boisaubert, "Poor White
Trash" debuted in February at the Festival Traits d'Union. She
describes it as:

Poor White Trash: The Tonya Harding Affair tells, through the
humor and quirky spirit of soap opera, the story of one among
many others. Beyond the news item attached to the name of
Tonya Harding, a fierce battle is being played out against the
media and the federation in order to find one's place in a
closed environment that does not accept the unexpected as
easily as it claims. Considered too poor, too vulgar, too
noisy, Tonya Harding fought all her career against a system
which, from the start, found her guilty. Magnificent outsider,
the one we love to hate inspires us and offers us an
additional aggressiveness to push the doors of a system that
would like us not to make so much noise. Because, although we
are far from the American "too much" in its sensational
treatment of information, ultimately, the battles we are
fighting are very similar.


It's not the first time that the French have had a hack at the
Tonya story - back in 2010, a weird play called "Break Your Leg"
was performed in Lorient, featuring a cast that saw the two
protagonists played by both men and women. You can read about it
in our August 2012 issue:

https://pdxiss.org/port83.htm and view it here:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8izpo5


"Poor White Trash" runs at the Les Dechargeurs theatre from April
27 to May 20, with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Tickets can be booked at the link below:

https://www.lesdechargeurs.fr/spectacles/poor-white-trash-laffaire-tonya-harding/


PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

Back a few months ago, we came across this previously unseen
photo of Tonya that was uploaded to the Reinstate Tonya Harding
Facebook group. The only clue seemed to be the now-defunct bank,
which operated in the New York state area at the time:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cc/20/cc/cc20cc64549e56210299a708c1bcd2ef.jpg

Now it appears we have an answer - this Pinterest page says it
was Tonya performing at an exhibition in Buffalo in 1989:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/685250899569786544/

This site has heaps of other Tonya photos, by the way:

https://www.pinterest.com/goldenagefigureskating/tonya-harding-usa-updated/


SOME MORE NEW (OLD) TONYA VIDEO

The miracle known as YouTube continues to throw up previously
unseen Tonya footage.

First up, a couple of exhibitions: in the first, Tonya lights up
the rink performing "Bad To The Bone", complete with a wobbly-
landed triple axel, at Skate America in 1991:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek0_OFkZRNs

And then "When I Fall in Love" at the same event in 1993:

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

Both of these performances have been available for some time, but
these recordings are shot from a different angle than the
broadcast versions. The USFSA would often hire local
videographers to come in and record performances in addition to
the networks, which is the most likely source for these. In the
case of things like the Short Programs, these are often the only
recordings, as in many cases those weren't broadcast back then.

Quality is excellent, amongst the best standard definition Tonya
skating footage out there, and is most likely digitized from a
U-matic or BetaSP master tape.


Then there's a 1997 Inside Edition report on Tonya's pro skating
debut in Reno - the first footage we've seen of this. A few sound
sync issues:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve5Oo1gbgX4


Now, some KATU news video from 1994:

https://www.facebook.com/katunews/videos/10155393606136448

We would like to thank Alison Davies of the Reinstate Tonya
Harding Facebook group for digging these up.


Next, a 1993 KPTV Northwest Reports profile on Tonya as she
prepares for the 1993/94 season:

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

Dig that line of people waiting for autographs. It looks like May
'77 when people were lining up to see Star Wars.


Finally, an 88 minute compilation of Incident news footage from
various sources:

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

Of note here is a panel discussion from 56:55 to 1:15:51 on
whether Tonya should go to the Olympics, and also the final item
on commercial endorsements.

0:00 - report on attack, possibly from PBS?
0:40 - CBS report on Tonya accusations, broadcast the night after
Tonya's IV with Ann Schatz. Also features Gary Crowe - Eckardt's
tutor - complete with mullet;
5:05 - Lillehammer practice;
10:23 - Nancy IV outside in snow - raw footage, not really very
interesting;
23:07 - Tonya practising and giving IV at Clackamas TC (ABC);
34:11 - Gillooly & his lawyer make their way to their car after
interrogation, ABC - nothing interesting here, just a load of "no
comment";
39:37 - Oregon Public Broadcasting - arrest of Eckardt;
44:11 - OPB - Gillooly pleads guilty, Hoevet press conference;
56:55 - 1:15:51 - panel discussion on whether Tonya should go to
Norway. Most say yes;
1:15:51 - CBS Connie Chung on Tonya's Olympic LP meltdown;
1:18:36 - OPB on endorsements, Jerry Solomon explains his
strategy for marketing Nancy; the double standard that applies to
female athletes.


TONYA TAKES A DETOUR

A few months ago, a member of the Reinstate Tonya Harding
Facebook group came across this short clip of Tonya at an L.A.
party in June 1995. The party was held to mark the eighth
anniversary of Detour, a celebrity magazine that was published in
that city for several years during the 1990s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5HL4LrDT7g

A news report from the L.A. Times gives a bit more info on the
party:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-07-02-ls-19400-story.html

We also found this video, shot for a British show called "The
Entertainment Show". It reveals that other guests at the party
included Matt Le Blanc, Lori Loughlin, David Carvet, Jasmine
Bleeth, Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran and Madonna - so it wasn't
just a bunch of D-listers like Kato Kaelin like the L.A. Times
implies.

There's a few seconds of Tonya at the end at 10:31 - but
unfortunately it cuts off - maybe they ran out of tape or the
battery died. Perhaps if the guy at the start hadn't needed about
ten takes to get his intro right, we'd have had more...

https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/1575856

NOTE - there is no part 1, in spite of the title.


THE HARAN ARTIFACTS - PART 4

In our series of items that were supplied to us by former fan
club member Joe Haran, we now move on to the material from the
"Incident" era. The descriptions are in his words:

"A hand-out distributed by the fan club (of which, by then, I was
no longer an active member) at rink-side during the Troubles."

https://pdxiss.org/haran_artifacts/1994-02_A-CurrentAffair.pdf


"A mysterious note I found in the desk of a colleague when I was
living at the print shop in Oregon City (1994) and working for
the 'Oregon Spectator.' It was in the editor's desk. Below the
note I've written the address and telephone number for Dorothy
Lehmann. When I went there to find out just what she did for
'The Oregonian' in regard to Tonya, I was told by someone next
door in the downtown office building that Lehmann had moved her
office and nobody there knew what it was she did. Hmm."

https://pdxiss.org/haran_artifacts/1994-02-16_LehmannNote.pdf


"A letter from Gary A. Henecke, pastor of Portland First Church
of the Nazarene (I believe I misspelled his name in a previous
message to you)."

https://pdxiss.org/haran_artifacts/1994-03-07_Henecke-letter.pdf


A NEW TYPE OF TONYA

If you're a typical Tonyaphile, you've probably spent many nights
laying awake in your bed, tossing and turning, while desperately
trying to figure out the answer to one burning question: that is,
just what IS the name of the font that's used on the "I, Tonya"
poster and artwork?

Thanks to a bunch of typeface nerds, you need wonder no longer.
The general consensus is that it's a modified version of Nougat
Extra Black by Dieter Steffmann, with the lumpy bits cut off the
I and the T.

https://fontmeme.com/i-tonya-film-font/

There is a rival theory that it's Dynamo Bold, which inspired
Nougat, but based on a close comparison, we think that Nougat is
most likely.

https://www.fonts.com/font/itc/dynamo/bold

The Nougat font is free for both personal and commercial use and
you can download it for free here:

https://fontmeme.com/fonts/nougat-font/

So now you can have that "I, Tonya" style in your own
publications!


TONYA ART ROUNDUP

And, yes, you guessed it... it's time for some Tonya fan art.

The number seems to have tapered off in recent months, but as
we've said before, low quantity doesn't equate to low quality.

JVZ (thirteen comics) - triple axel
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckty3zVu3Ti/

rollandrollshops Mexico - another triple axel
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpl0IwTM5yN/

ManiK Fox (manikfox.ai) - Tonya inside an ice skate
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmoezcCOheb/

armando.genco Rome, Italy
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnebYmcIWjQ/

Zach Seeger
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn9xXKBLcwo/
Acrylic on Canvas, 20" x 30" (51cm x 76cm), 2023

mona_superhero
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn969NovCo7/?im
"For every 'good' piece of art that I share here on the
socials there are prolly three or four duds that I don't
share."

"Have been toying with this idea for a Tonya Harding piece that
just hasn't quite come together yet. I learn something valuable
from every attempt and move closer to my vision."

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"

joydrawsblog - Tonya & Jeff
https://www.instagram.com/p/Co0vm8KIHxJ/

star_gazing_anna - boxing
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpBWN9lLUYD/

Freya (st4orchid) - the mirror scene
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cphc2MItnzM/

brightonbobby123 Brighton and Hove, England
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpj89W3IwWR/
"Show mum you care (or perhaps don't?) With this cute little
Lavona Harding card"

Samantha (macabarts)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqHataUr88e/
"Here's some women empowerment if you haven't watched margot
robbie's I tonya go watch it right now!!

And finally, if you've got five grand, is Michela Griffo's "Tonya
and Nancy" (2004). Oil, pencil, and ink on canvas, 50 x 60 inches
(127 в 152 cm), US$4,950

"The piece references the oft-forgotten fact that both, Tonya
Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, were from blue-collar (working class)
backgrounds. Here, Griffo opens up a conversation about why we
have come to view Harding and Kerrigan, not just as competitors
but, as opposites in a class war, as well."

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/michela-griffo-tonya-and-nancy

https://d32dm0rphc51dk.cloudfront.net/TUfIgXUFWO4ytOm2lNNsPw/normalized.jpg


MS. HARDING'S NEIGHBORHOOD

And to finish off this issue, we have this photo from somebody
who used to be one of Tonya's neighbors back many years ago (but
we don't know who the other woman in the picture is):

The HTX MerDaddy (montrose_merman)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnLed_bts5C/

"Yikes!!!! Yes these were my neighbors as a kid Growing up in
Oak Grove Oregon...".

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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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