Johnny Weir: Reality star, goodwill ambassador and fashionista

I caught up with Johnny Weir (see right), 2008 World bronze medalist and three-time U.S. National champion, after a charity performance in New Jersey and during a benefit gala for Figure Skating in Harlem in New York. This guy gets around! We talked about his plans for the summer, what he thought skating teaches girls, fashion (of course) and his wish to become a goodwill ambassador. I've spoken to Johnny several times now and I actually think he's one of the rare people whom you can have a conversation about literally anything. Next time, I'm going to ask him how to best cook a turkey. I know he will have an opinion and it'll be well thought out and completely original.

How to have a baby and compete in Olympics at the same time

• Jeremy Abbott takes a well-deserved vacation to...Hawaii? Spain? Morocco? [GoldenSkate]

• Watch the finale of Festa on Ice featuring Abba and The Weather Girls. [YouTube]

• More secret shenanigans going on at the ISU. [globeandmail]

• Sk8 Jamz cancelled due to "scheduling conflict." Usually that's code for something else. [USFSA.org]

• iCarly's Miranda Cosgrove takes a break from filming by ice skating. [Just Jared Jr.]

• Yu-Na Kim looks angelic with Stephane Lambiel. [Korea Times]

• I watched Tonya Harding on Oprah last week. Her new theory on why ex-husband Jeff Gillooly decided to attack Nancy Kerrigan -- he thought he could get security detail work for him and cronies for people who needed protection. Huh? Don't try to understand it, Oprah didn't.

• Be Good Johnny Weir (at right) to be broadcast on the Sundance Channel. [Variety]

• Evan Lysacek and Kobe Bryant - together at last. [LA Times]

• 2008 World ice dance champion Isabelle Delobel expecting in September and YES, she will still compete in the Olympics. [icenetwork]

2009 Adult Nationals conclude in Grand Rapids, Michigan

The 2009 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships (or "Adult Nationals" as is commonly known) concluded this weekend at the Patterson Ice Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Due to scheduling conflicts, we couldn't make it this year to Grand Rapids (sniff) and I was so looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at the event. One thing you can say about the adult skating community -- no one's really a stranger for more than a few minutes. If anyone knows where next year's competition will be held, please drop me a comment so that I can plan ahead!

Complete results are now posted at icenetwork.com and I saw some familiar names from last year's Adult Nationals, which were held in Lake Placid, New York. In Championship Adult Pairs, Judy Sargent and Craig Joeright from the Troy Academy of Figure Skating defended their title for the second year. In Championship Adult Dance, Julie Keith and Michael Ricigliano from the St. Moritz ISC also defended their title, for the seventh straight year in a row. In Championship Masters Men, Larry Holliday from the Windy City FSC, who won bronze last year, won the gold this year. And in Championship Masters Ladies, Amy Entwistle from the Central Carolina SC, who won bronze last year, won the gold this year. If anyone has pictures they want to share, or show off, e-mail them to me at susan{AT]icedigitalmedia[DOT]net and we'll put a photo gallery together. Be sure to identify the category and your name.

NOTE: The 2010 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships were held in Bloomington, Minnesota. Click here for results from icenetwork.

Jeremy Abbott skates to Treat by Santana

Here's 2009 U.S. National champion Jeremy Abbott (see right) skating to Treat by Santana. Jeremy performed the  program on April 4 for a benefit in Little Falls, New Jersey. A little backstory: He thought he was performing just one number for the show and found out at the last minute that he would be skating to two. He quickly "unretired" Treat, which was his short program from last year. I'm not sure if the short time-frame to bring back the program affected his performance -- in a rare moment, Jeremy finishes before the music.

This is one of my favorite program of Jeremy's based on the footwork and choreography (by Canadian great Kurt Browning). I love the dance-quality of the piece that doesn't let up until the very end. Jeremy's second number was to Daniel Bedingfield's Gotta Get Thru This and this was a new show program that he was introducing to the audience (watch program here). Johnny Weir was also part of the benefit so the audience got to see quite the A-list of skaters that evening.

Stand Up for Life benefit to feature Oksana Baiul and JoJo Starbuck

On Saturday, May 2, at 7 p.m., I will be at the Richard J. Codey Arena at South Mountain, New Jersey, to support Stand Up for Life, a Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Benefit. Featuring Olympic champion Oksana Baiul and emcee JoJo Starbuck, this is a great opportunity to see past, present, and future figure skaters in action. The event will also honor local skating legend, breast cancer survivor, and 1984 Olympian Lisa Spitz. In addition to Oksana, Angela Maxwell, Scott Smith, Kristiene Gong, Tamar Katz and many others are scheduled to perform.

Proceeds from Stand Up for Life will go towards research as well as to the North Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to support community-based education, screening, and treatment programs for uninsured populations. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children. For those who would like to meet the stars, VIP tickets are only $75, with available on-ice seating to see them up close for $100 per ticket. You can purchase tickets here online or call (973) 731-3828 ext. 0. See you there!