My biggest complaint when I watch skating on television? I never hear from the skaters! Whether it's time constraint or lack of interest from the media, we only have time to watch the skaters skate, get off, sit down in the Kiss and Cry area, wave to the crowd, and walk off. I think NBC tried to remedy that at Nationals with the "Truth Booth" but I'm still unsure if that's the way to go. It's either really effective or really annoying -- fine line. I have an idea NBC -- hire ME to have real conversations with them so that we get to know the skaters beyond the ice! Just a thought...
Anyway, here's my real conversation with 2009 U.S. champ Jeremy Abbott (see right). He was in town last weekend to host a skating seminar in New Jersey and to perform at a fundraiser that evening (see photos of event here) where he debuted his new show program -- Daniel Bedingfield's Gotta Get Thru This. We covered topics ranging from his wins, his losses (or as he described Worlds, "I didn't skate poorly, it just wasn't...good."), expectations from the public and himself, the story behind Bobby the Puppet, family life, the Olympics and a whole host of other topics. Afterwards, my friends asked, "How was he? How was he?" I really thought about that question and obviously it's difficult to capture someone in a few words, but I would say that Jeremy is the quintessential "nice young man" and "earnest."
Wow! I love this interview! I think it is the best interview I've ever seen! I love the questions and the editing looks like it was well thought out. Thank you, Susan, for an excellent interview!
Posted by: hk | Apr 17, 2009 at 03:44 PM
Great interview! Thank you for asking interesting questions and letting JA answer them completely. I don't think I've ever seen him really interviewed before.
Posted by: dg | Apr 18, 2009 at 05:27 PM
Awww, Jeremy seems so sweet, like a really nice, good looking guy you can take home to mom. I wish him the very best in this upcoming Olympic season. I hope all of his dreams can come true! I absolutely love everything about his skating!
Thanks for sharing this Jeremazing interview, Susan, terrific job! :-D
Posted by: krm | Apr 21, 2009 at 03:15 PM