Past News on Michelle

NancyNC posted on the MK Forum that Vera Wang talked about Michelle on "Breakfast with BBC" on BBC1 in London on March 4, 2003. She wrote that Vera may possibly be working on new costumes for Michelle at Worlds: (Thanks NancyNC!)

Vera agreed and said that she did and that Michelle Kwan was going to be at the World Championships, which happened to be around the same time as the Oscars. The way she said it was in the light of "another deadline at the same time" so I wondered if perhaps she was designing some new dresses for Michelle? Of course, it could also have had the meaning of "the suspense of the Oscars and who would win, at the same time as the suspense of Worlds and who would win". Anyway, it was fun hearing about Michelle from across the ocean!

On TV Guide's site in Feb 2003, they had a feature on the Chinese Lunar Horopscope. They list Michelle as one of the celebrities that was born in the year of the Monkey. They write that one of the characteristics of Monkeys is that "Monkeys are unbeatable when it comes to talent." Sounds good to me! (Thanks Bobbi!)

In the program book for this summer's Champions on Ice, it mentioned that Michelle was working with the Museum of Tolerance in LA. That exhibit, "Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves" will open on Feb. 11, 2003. Jenny sent me the following e-mail: (Thanks Jenny!)

There is a mention of Michelle Kwan in conjunction with the Simon Wisenthal Center (Tolerance Museum, LA) display "Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves." This will be featured on the Oprah Wimfrey show on Thursday, January 30. I am not sure if they will mention Michelle, but it sounded possible. Here is the link: http://www.findingourfamilies.com/foffo/index.cfm There is a picture of Michelle alongside of Billy Crystal, Maya Angelou, etc. I am glad to see Michelle connected to such a worthy and important cause.

Check out the picture of Michelle and other celebrities from the exhibit's site. Here's what the site says about the exhibition relating to Michelle:

Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves also includes the participation of other outstanding American sports and literary figures including NBA athlete and Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; award-winning author, poet, and screenwriter Sherman Alexie; figure skating champion Michelle Kwan; noted journalist, talk show host and author Cristina Saralegui; and NFL Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Young. The exhibition ultimately celebrates the shared experiences common to being part of an American family and encourages visitors to seek out their own histories, mentors and heroes

More on the Museum of Tolerance exhibit, "Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves.". Michelle attended the unveiling on Feb. 10 in LA. Others who attended the unveiling were Joe Torre, Carlos Santana, Maya Angelou, Billy Crystal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Steve Young, California Governor Gray Davis, and Cristina Saralegui. Ice Skating Magazine wrote the following about Michelle's involvement on their site:

"It's important for me that nobody wrote the story, nobody jotted it down. This is my story and I feel that it's never-ending. And I'm going to have stories to share with my kids. And they're going to be curious about my grandfather. From me opening my eyes, I'll be able to share more and pass it down to generation after generation. And that's why these past few months—it’s making me more alive".- Michelle Kwan

As displayed in Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves, Michelle Kwan draws inspiration in her personal and professional life from her family’s past achievements. She reflects on her grandfather’s journey to California in the 1950s. Unable to read or write, he worked vigorously to build a better life for his family. Contemplating her ancestral background, Kwan muses, “There's a part of a poem that I've kept with me since I learned it. And they're really powerful words. ‘Before your hair is white, do everything you possibly can.’ My dad has always said, ‘Live without any regrets.’ And I take that in my skating career, I take that in my life and I'll pass it down to my kids. That's the worst thing you can do, is just say, ‘IF I could have, if, if, if.’ Just go at it full blast and just let yourself go. And that's what I learned from my grandfather, from my dad, from my family. It's just to live life to the fullest. We have such a short time on this earth—it’s precious. You have to cherish it. This is our life. Make it the best.”

Also, check out the following pictures of Michelle at the unveiling:

Liz D posted on the following Michelle mention on the MK Forum (Thanks LizD!)

Michelle was mentioned on our local radio station today! It was on the Detroit radio station, Magic 105.1, the morning show with Jim Harper. They were interviewing Kurt Browning to promote the Stars on Ice show coming to Detroit on Feb. 8. Jim Harper asked Kurt which figure skater he enjoyed watching the most and the first skater he mentioned was Tim Goebel because of all his quads and the second skater he said was: Michelle Kwan! He also mentioned Katarina Witt, Sale and Pelletier, Alexei Yagudin and Todd Eldredge. No mention of Sasha or Sarah.

Then they talked about how wonderful it was to see Michelle win Nationals again this year. Jim Harper thought it was great that she won because a lot of people were heartbroken (including him) that she didn't win the Olympics and to see her winning Nationals right after the Olympics was great. He also said it was cool that she skated to the same music and wore the same costume as she did at the Olympics (I think he was referring to her exhibition ~ FOG).

Michelle was chosen by Americans in a Harris Interactive poll to have the best smile among female athletes! For more information, check out the article America Votes Big, Bright Smiles Best; New Trident White Survey Reveals Top Celebrity Smiles.

eg76 posted the following Michelle sighting on the MK Forum on January 9, 2003: (Thanks eg76!)

MK sighting on ESPN. I was just watching Sportscenter and they were talking about the Senators (hockey) going bankrupt and mentioning ways for them to raise money. One of the ways was to offer figure skating lessons in the off season. While they were joking about it they were showing a clip of MK skating, didn't mention her name, just the clip. I guess they know who the best is though!

NicoleM posted on the MK Forum that Louann Donovan wrote about Michelle on Louann's official board. The post is in the "Merry Christmas Louann" thread, and her post is the third one. Check out the post from Louann on her board! Here is what she said: (Thanks Nicole!)

Merry Christmas to all. I got my Christmas gift already.. I am in Michelle's practice group. I will be just watching her and saying wow am I really her on the same ice as Michelle. I can't wait to get to Nationals now. I don't care what happens I am going to have so much fun. You don't even know :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Louann

CocoTheCat posted the following Michelle sighting on the MK Forum: (Thanks CocoTheCat!)

Michelle was on my cruise ship (well...sort of) Not the real Michelle, but the next best thing IMO. Sorry, if I got some of you excited.I just returned yesterday from a 7-day Caribbean cruise....there was a sports bar on the ship and they had HUGE photos of sports legends lining the wall outside the bar. There was Jack Nicklaus, Nadia Comeneci (sp?), Pele, Steffi Graf, John Elway and others. And yup, Michelle was one of them!! It was a photo of her doing Lyra Angelica at '98 Nationals. It was a shot of her landing a jump and the photo was about 5 feet tall. There were tables and chairs under the photos and needless to say I sat under Michelle all week long. I think it was cool that they consider her a legend of her sport. They could have easily chosen Peggy, Dorothy, Scott, Kristi, etc. but they chose Michelle instead! People easily recognized her and made comments of how pretty she is. It was great having Michelle with me on the ship and made the cruise even better.

Michelle posted on the MK Forum again! On Thursday, December 19th (my birthday!) Michelle posted a holiday card for her fans. In the thread, "Happy Holidays from MK!" she posted the link to the card. Check it out! (it was sent to me so I could post it here on my server!) The first time Michelle posted was earlier this month.

Michelle was the 7th most searched athlete on the Internet this year! Here's the complete list:

(1) Anna Kournikova (2) Michael Jordan (3) Allen Iverson (4) Apolo Anton Ohno (5) Muhammed Ali (6) Jeff Gordon
(7) Michelle Kwan (8) Dale Earnhardt (9) Tiger Woods (10) Serena Williams

Some big news. I'm sure a lot of you post on the MK Forum (if you don't, you should!) Well...Michelle just posted there after 8pm EST on Thursday, December 5! I have confirmation that it is definitely her. Here's what she posted on the forum, in the thread, HI MKF, It's me MK!!:

HI Forum,

I can't believe this will be my first time writing to you all. Over the years I have bumped into most of you either on Champions on Ice, Competitions, appearances (even while I'm here in Hong Kong!) I hope you know how much your support has meant to me over the years. I don't have a website of my own because I don't believe I could do a better job than you have! It's funny because you guys are so on top of things with me that I have to go on this website to see "what I'm doing!" Hee hee... Thank you for the awesome gold ring from Gucci. I love it. I will cherish it forever! I've got to run (dad is waiting for me at the gym)

See you all soon,
love MK

How incredibly exciting is that?? I actually have more to update on my site (article and picture links, more Hong Kong reports), but it will have to wait until tomorrow...it's very late, and I have to get to bed. I just knew I had to post these two pieces of news here. :)

There was a great article in the November 27, 2002 edition of the Boston Globe about Michelle titled "Her turn at Turin?" In the article, Michelle confirms again that she will be at Nationals, and talks about the possibility of competiting at another Olympics. Some quotes:

And for what? Kwan isn't sure. But she wants to find out, starting with the US Figure Skating Championships in January, an event that for months nobody - even Kwan - thought she would enter. Yet yesterday Kwan was upbeat, and unequivocal. Even at 22, with two Olympic disappointments behind her, the four-time world champion is not ready to move on. The woman who has been on the world stage longer than anyone since Sonja Henie wants to be in Dallas in January to defend her US title, and Washington D.C. for the World Championships in March.

''I've been very fortunate,'' Kwan said. ''I've never felt stronger or better. I haven't reached that point yet, so until that time I guess I'll keep competing until I know when to stop.

''When do you actually know [when to give it up]? The worst thing I can do is regret.'' Another quote later in the article...

Though Kwan has not entered any Grand Prix events this season and for now is preparing only for the US Championships, she hasn't ruled out sticking around for a run at the gold in Turin in 2006. At one point she considered taking a year or two off and making a pre-Olympic comeback, but ''my sister [Karen, a former skater who finished fifth at the 1996 US Championships] said that once you're not competitive, you have to reach down deeper to light the flame again,'' Kwan said. ''It's possible, but why hassle?

''I can see myself going through [the Olympics] again. It's a moment everyone strives for. I bet you it will come really fast, but it's one year at a time. After 1998, my goal was set for 2002 already. Nothing was going to change. Now it's a different story.''

Kwan says the the pursuit of gold is not what drives her, but as long as she enjoys competing there's no reason not to stick around. Even if there are those who would just as soon see her move on, or have long expected her to.

Kwan understands that, after nearly a decade in the spotlight, it is tough to remain interesting in the eyes of not just casual skating fans but the judges - who could, at any time, decide to send her a message.

'' It's like eye candy,'' she said. ''You have to have something that catches them. They know what I do. There's only one way to do a triple flip. Someone like Madonna - maybe it's off the wall, but she keeps reinventing herself. On the ice you have that sort of freedom to open yourself and try things out.''

Jayne scanned in the picture that was with the article. Check it out!. (Thanks Jayne!)

I posted earlier this year about Michelle's picture appearing during Paul McCartney's tour. Well, during a TV special, which broadcast the tour on Wednesday, November 27, you could see Michelle!

Just some fun info. On Friday, November 15, Michelle was practicing on an ice rink in Florida, during the Panthers' practice session (Michelle's boyfriend plays for the Florida Panthers.) The article Goaltending controversy? No, more like a discussion says:

On the east rink at Coral Springs' Incredible Ice on Friday afternoon, there was an optional Panthers practice. If you were in the mood for a more genteel form of athletic skating, Olympic figure skating medalist Michelle Kwan was practicing on the west rink.

Michelle attended Game 1 of the World Series in Anaheim with her brother, Ron, on Saturday, October 19. She was wearing an Angels jersey sat right behind home plate. They did not show her on TV (instead chosing to show all the FOX TV stars at the game that night, I guess), but there was an AP pic of her and her brother at the game, during the 7th inning.Check it out! I am a huge baseball fan, so seeing a picture of Michelle at the World Series is so exciting to me! I wonder if she would have attended more games this weekend (if there is a game 6 and 7) if she wasn't competiting at Skate America? Here are a couple of articles which list Michelle as attending the game:

LAxel posted the following on the MK Forum about Michelle being included in the "Best of American Idol" DVD! (Thanks LAxel!)

They show a short clip from Teen Choice Award where MK was asking if they can have pictures taken. Kelly Clarkson answered and said, "sure, like we're gonna say no to you". MK was a hottie no doubt. Thought I should share it here just in case no one mentioned.

More info on Michelle working with Scott Williams. Some quotes from Scott, from Skating, Inc.com:

In an exclusive interview with Ice Skating Magazine, former World Junior Champion Scott Williams told us that Michelle Kwan approached him two weeks ago and asked for his assistance with her skating. Williams says, "There was no conversation about any long terms arrangements. For now, we are taking it day by day. It's kind of a trial run. I've always admired her skating. She's a great skater. I'm excited to work with a skater of her level. I admire her work ethic and style. Its always a pleasure to work with someone who has such a great passion for figure skating. I think very highly of Michelle." Williams later added, "I hope she finds what she's looking for, from whoever that may be." Williams will accompany Kwan to next week's Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic in Daytona Beach, Florida. The full story on this new partnership is featured in the latest issue of Ice Skating Magazine, to be released in two weeks..

Also, Cathsk8er posted the following on skatingforums.com:

Someone wrote that Scott Williams teaches at Torrance, which is true, but he has been teaching Michelle for the past two weeks at Paramount Iceland. That is where I skate and I've seen them. Today Michelle had a lesson with Peter Oppegard in the afternoon, so maybe she is working with both of them? Or maybe today was just a one time thing. I can't say on that one. It has been nice to be able to watch Michelle practice. I hope she stays at Paramount and I hope she competes at Nationals this year, but we'll see.

Big, big news...Michelle has a new coach! It's Scott Williams, a former pro skater, who is known for some innovative programs. He also is one of the founders of the American Open competition for pro skaters. He skated with Michelle in the 1997 show Skating Romance 3. From the LA Times article, Kwan Trying Out New Coach:

Michelle Kwan will resume competition in the Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic on Oct. 5 at Daytona Beach, Fla., under the guidance of a new coach, former professional skater Scott Williams. She said Thursday she had worked with Williams the last two weeks but that she had not made a lasting commitment. "We'll just see how it goes," said Kwan, who ended a decade-long relationship with Frank Carroll a year ago. "It would be foolish for me to say it will be long term when I don't know how he is at competitions or how it will work out.

Check out Laura's wonderful Fields of Gold article, which gives incite into how and why Eva Cassidy chose to sing Fields of Gold, and other details of the song.

I keep forgetting to post about this, since it happened right after I got back from vacation. Probably because of Michelle winning (and her outfit) at the Teen Choice Awards, Michelle appeared on Yahoo's buzz movers list in early August 2002.

A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Movers are the search terms that have increased their buzz score over the previous day's score by the greatest percentage. Leaders are the search terms with the greatest buzz score for a given day.

On August 7, Michelle was #4 on the Sports Leaders list (up 23 points from the previous day). This made her #1 on the Sports Movers list! She was #5 on the Overall Movers list. On the Movers summary for the day, it said about Michelle, "voted favorite female athlete by teens."

The next day, August 8, Michelle was still #4 on the Sports Leaders list (score was up 5 points), and was #20 on the list of movers (since she already was up there, there wasn't much she could move up!) On August 9, she was #9 on the Sports Leaders list.

Happy birthday Michelle! Michelle is 22 years old today, July 7, 2002. Check out my birthday page for Michelle.

If you remember I posted earlier about the Chevy Skate to Salt Lake Sweepstakes. Later, I posted the article about the winning club, Chevy Sweepstakes Winner Chaska FSC Prepares for a Visit from Michelle Kwan. Well, Michelle's visit to the Chaska FSC took place on June 28. Check out Garrett's great review of the visit from MKF. (Thanks G Man!)

The USFSA's site has pictures of the visit! Check out page one and page two of the pictures! For more information, check out the article A Champion Visits Chaska, Thanks to Chevy

I'm opening another Michelle related fanlisting! By now, you probably know that a fanlisting is a place for fans from around the world of someone, or something, to join. Well, now, I am opening my fanlisting for Michelle's Fields of Gold program. Check it out, and if you are a fan, join!

My other fanlistings are for figure skating, and Michelle's Rachmaninoff program.

ELaura of evacassidy.org has more on the meeting Michelle had when she received her Gold record backstage at COI in Baltimore. (Thanks Laura!) Kathy McCabe, one of the fortunate group to meet with Michelle Kwan backstage, recalls, "Michelle was so gracious and spent a long time with us explaining how she came to choose the music and what she feels like when she skates to it. She said it was a friend of her mother's who brought her the CD and said she should skate to that song. She listened to it and right away she knew. She said it is the best song she has ever skated to, that she feels so free and not stressed when she skates to this song, it makes her feel beautiful, and like a beautiful skater, she went on and on about it. We watched the show after that, and when Eva's voice came through the PA and Michelle skated so beautifully, it was hard to keep from crying. Bill Straw and Hugh held Barbara's hands throughout the song and though she was immensely proud I could tell she was immensely emotional too."

Ice Castle, Michelle's training rink, is being sold by Carol Probst. For more information, check out the article Epic Figure Skating Training Facility Goes on the Market.

LuvMK posted the following on the MK Forum: (Thanks LuvMK!) I was reading the novel, "Summer Light," by an author I recently discovered, Luanne Rice. She is a wonderful writer, and apparently a Michelle Kwan fan, as she mentioned Michelle twice, on pages 193 and 227 of the hard cover edition of this book. The story is about a hockey player who meets and falls in love with a woman who works as a wedding planner, and who has a young daughter with psychic abilities. The hockey player also had a daughter who died young. His daughter loved figure skating and Michelle Kwan. Sounds like a strange plot, and of course Michelle is only mentioned in passing, but as a fan, it was fun to see her name mentioned twice, plus its really a great story, deftly written. Its about the magic of love and family. Something I'm sure Michelle knows a lot about too.

I've just added a new section to my site. It's titled Celebrity Schmoozing, and it's about the different events, such as premieres, awards shows, and more, that Michelle attended where she has been able to meet and greet celebrities. Included for each of the 20 events (so far!) is a detailed summary of the event, plus pictures, articles and more. Check it out! I hope you enjoy it, because I know I had a lot of fun working on it! If you know of any event that I'm missing, or have more information, pictures, etc, let me know!

I wrote earlier about the Celebration of U.S. Olympic Champions, which took place on April 22. I wasn't sure at the time if Michelle would be there, but she was. The Korbel Celebration of Olympic Champions took place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. It was the first time since the Olympics that the US Olympic Delegation was together. Gary Heck, the President and Chairman of Korbel Champagne said, “We host the Korbel Celebration of Olympic Champions to honor the US Olympic athletes, who work hard to represent our nation during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games." Check out the following pictures from the event:

The Celebration of US Olympic Champions was broadcast on May 18. Check out amethystbatgirl's screen captures

The next day, April 23, the US Delegation visited the White House and meet President Bush. If you remember, at the White House meeting in 1998, Michelle received the honor of presenting President Clinton with an Olympic jacket. There weren't any pictures of Michelle at the White House online, but check out these screencaptures I took from the Olympic show, which showed a piece on the White House visit (if you look carefully, she's right behind the president's left shoulder.

I wasn't sure if Michelle, and the other skaters, would be able to attend the White House ceremony, since there is a COI show schedule that day. However, on Timothy Goebel's official site, it is said that Tim will be attending the ceremony. It also gives his schedule for Sunday through Tuesday, and I assume it's the same for all the US skaters on COI. Here's part of what was said on the news section of his site:

Tuesday will be a blur for Timothy. A Team USA breakfast is scheduled for 8 a.m., he will be visiting with the media, attend a luncheon hosted by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, get bussed to the White House and enjoy a one and a half-hour visit. Immediately after that Tim will be taken to Baltimore for a flight to Worcester, Mass., just in time for the 7 p.m. show.

Michelle was at the White House, along with other members of the US Olympic team, on April 23. Since there was a COI show in Worcester, Mass. that night, Michelle and the other COI skaters in attendence had to leave early for the airport, while the other Olympians and Paralympians were taking a tour of the White House. All the athletes in attendance stood in rows on the south lawn of the White House, and lined twin staircases leading up to a second-floor balcony as President Bush commended them for their achievements, and thanked them for inspiring the nation. There aren't any pictures of Michelle at the White House online yet. However, you can check out this picture, which is of the entire delegation at the White House with the president. More information can be found in the articles USOC Warns of Challenges Ahead and Salt Lake Olympians honored at White House.

Now, a first hand account of the event. kamara posted the following on the MK Forum: (Thanks kamara!)

Okay, I took my lunch break around 12:45 and decided to hang out around the White House. I noticed on the South side that there were bleachers, so I walk around to the side of the building and the President's band came outside. By this time my lunch break was almost over, so I started walking back to work, but then I heard police sirens and saw them escorting 5 charter buses. I hung around, and then the Olympic team got off the buses. Everyone was there, including Ohno, Jimmy Shea, and others. Well, those buses emptied, but no skaters. By this time I was late for work, but then a small bus showed up and the figure skaters got out! Michael, Naomi, Peter, Kyoko, John, Sasha, Tim, and of course.... Michelle!! She was wearing black shoes, black pants, the Olympic team jacket, the beret, and a black purse with a gold-chain strap. I was super excited! I said hi to her and she said hi back, and then she started talking on her cell phone. I took a ton of pictures while she was on her phone and as she walking inside the gates. Tim was walking with her and I said hi to him also. Then they all walked into the gates and waited to enter the White House. I could barely see her, because she's short, but I caught a glimpse of her inside the gates because she was one of the only members to wear a beret. She looked really great. It happened so fast that I couldn't think of something else to say to her.

Also, she was on the local news. They showed an interview of her from the gala the night before. They asked her where her Olympic medals were, and she said that she had no idea where they are. Then they asked her something about how she'll remember the olympics. She said that she could get a tattoo of the Olympics rings (she was joking), but that all of her memories and feelings of the games were in her heart.

When the COI show was in Baltimore on April 11, Eva Cassidy's parents attended the show. As I'm sure you know, Eva Cassidy is the singer of Fields of Gold. The album that contains the song Fields of Gold, Songbird, has has gone gold. Before the show, some of Eva's friends and family, including her parents, met Michelle. Then, Bill Straw, a representative of Blix Street Records, presented a gold record to Michelle, in recognition for her calling attention to Eva's music through her Fields of Gold program.

Laura, Eva's cousin who runs the wonderful evacassidy.org, posted the following on her site:

EVA'S PARENTS MET MICHELLE KWAN! Hugh and Barbara Cassidy, and some friends and family members, went backstage before the "Champions on Ice" show in Baltimore this week, to meet the show's star, champion ice skater Michelle Kwan. Michelle is skating to Eva's version of "Fields of Gold" on the 95-city COI tour. Bill Straw of Blix Street Records presented Michelle Kwan with a gold record, which the SONGBIRD album has recently earned for sales in the United States. So far I only have the sketchiest details, but I gather that Michelle Kwan was "very gracious" and I have been promised pictures in due course! Barbara Cassidy asked Michelle how she came to choose that song, and apparently she said that she had always liked the song but didn't think Sting's version was what she wanted. Then somebody turned her on to Eva's music, she loved the whole album and loved "Fields of Gold" especially. Laura later posted the following on the MK Forum:

I have been promised some photos of the meeting between Michelle and Eva's parents, for my website. The promotions person for the record company is offering them to magazines first, though. I believe one will be in the music industry magazine, Billboard. Eva's dad said, "There was no question but that Michelle Kwan was the star of the show!" I gather it was a wonderful experience meeting Michelle before the show. I'm hoping to collect more accounts about the meeting and will of course share them!

The album SONGBIRD, which is a posthumous selection of music from Eva's three previous albums, has recently achieved "gold record" status in the United States. When that happens, the record company is entitled to have gold record plaques made, to give to the artists, hang in their offices, etc. As recognition for the part Michelle Kwan has played in bringing Eva's music to the attention of the world, Blix Street Records presented a gold record to her.

I should add that this is the first-ever gold record for Blix Street Records, which issues mostly celtic folk music. They are very excited about it. Michelle Kwan was the second person to get one. The first was presented to Eva's parents, the previous day.

Last week SONGBIRD went gold in Norway also (every country has its own different rules about when an album goes gold)! In the United Kingdom, where Eva is very well known thanks to radio airplay on the BBC, the album is now "triple platinum," and about a year ago it was #1 on the album charts in the UK and Ireland. The United States is just starting to catch up!

A Gold record is given when an album has sold 500,000 units. The gold record plaques contains a hologram, used to prevent unauthorized duplication of awards, and appears on the presentation plate, along with the dedication and mini-album cover. For more information, you can check out the RIAA's site.

Check out the following pictures of the meeting:

On another note, you may have seen in the pictures from the Sullivan award ceremony that Michelle has a new hair style. From the Atlanta newspaper article, Skater charms hair salon:

Olympic skater Michelle Kwan may not have scored gold at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but she came close in Buckhead on Monday.

Before her exhibition skate Monday night at the John Hancock Champions on Ice at Philips Arena, Kwan slid into Carter/Barnes Hair Artisans, where stylist Tran Nguyen inspired the skater into a new 'do. Kwan came in for a pre-show haircut, but when she saw the highlights in Nguyen's hair, she decided to go for a new look and had caramel-gold highlights added as well. She also had a few inches of her black locks trimmed off, to collarbone length.

"She didn't really say a lot, but she was very friendly, cute and bubbly," reports stylist and co-owner Carey Carter.

While customers didn't recognize the bronze medalist, Carter/Barnes stylists who had tickets to Monday night's show made sure to show up at Philips in order to snap a few shots of Nguyen's handiwork.

And no, Carter says no one brought up those jokes at Kwan's expense in a recent episode of the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace." Says Carter: "Nobody went there. She was sweet, so we decided to reciprocate."

In the LA Times article Jokes Aside, Kwan Looks to the Future that I posted yesterday, Michelle says that she will spend the next few months while on tour reevaluating her season and her future. If she decides to remain Olympic-eligible, she has decided to hire a coach, with that coach possibly doubling as a choreographer. The article says:

"For sure, that's my No. 1 concern," Kwan said of hiring a coach. "Who do I find? There are a lot of things I have to look into if I want to keep going. "I've had a lot of approaches and I've considered a few. It's in the works .... I'll talk to a lot of coaches. Finding the right coach is tough. You might not immediately click. It may take a month or two. It can definitely make a very big difference. My dad has been very helpful and supportive, but he doesn't have the background a coach has." Kwan, who is close to her family and has homes in Lake Arrowhead and the South Bay, doesn't want to leave Southern California. Unless a top-notch coach relocates here, Kwan's choices are limited.

She says that she doesn't want to move, that she wants to finish college at UCLA, "I have to put everything into consideration--my school, my family, my skating." She said that if she whatever she decides to do in her future, she doesn't, "want to do anything halfway and sort of stay around for four years. I want to make sure it's for the right reasons. I love competing."

This article also mentions something that several people e-mailed me about. On last week's Will and Grace (a show that in 1999, if you remember when I wrote about it before, couldn't stop gushing about how Michelle was a "godess on ice), they were going to send Will's parents on a cruise, which included lessons from Michelle. The cruise was bought before the Olympics, so Grace says, referring to the fact Michelle didn't win, "It seemed like a bigger deal when we bought the package." Later in the show, when Will and Grace are on the cruise ship (instead of his parents), Will says that he is the saddest person on the ship, and Grace says no you aren't. And they both say "Michelle Kwan." I didn't really mention it because I found it kind of negative, but some that watched the show said that it wasn't meant to be taken badly, that they meant that Michelle would be sad because she didn't win. Anyway, Michelle says in the article that some of the negativity in the does sting, but, she tries to laugh it off. The article says:

"Sometimes it's a compliment," Kwan said of being the butt of jokes in non-sports media. "If they didn't think the audience would know who I am, they wouldn't use my name. It would be 'Kwan who? What? I was talking to Serena Williams about it, and she told me you know you've made it when you're in the National Enquirer. That's how I have to look at it. It's foolish. They don't understand what's involved and how many other triples I did."

Michelle is shown in the movie Sorority Boys. Jamie posted the following on the MK Forum (Thanks Jamie!):

I just got back from seeing "Sorority Boys!" Anyhow, during the movie they show one of the guys sitting in the bathroom holding the sports page of the USA Today. A picture of Michelle with Frank (I believe) was on the cover. The backpage had a picture of Sarah practicing with the title "Hughes is looking to medal" or something like that.

Michelle is on Paul McCartney's tour! Well, sort of. little tiger posted the following on the MK Forum: (Thanks little tiger!) Paul McCartney Makes Tribute to Michelle! I couldn't wait to get home from practice to report this! My track coach is a die hard Paul fan, and he went to the Oakland show last night. He said as Paul did Lady Madonna they started showing clips of the Queen Mum and Princess Di. Then they showed track greats like Wilma Rudolph and Flo Jo. Then, he said they showed a clip of Michelle doing a spin! He said he definitely thought of me at that moment. I think it's very cool that Paul put Michelle in a group of such honorable women. She fits right in!

We now have confirmation! Sue K posted the following on the MK Forum: (Thanks Sue K!)

Yes! It's true that Michelle's image (from both 2002 Rach & Schez programs) were included during the video montage accompanying "Lady Madonna!" I saw Paul, who was just fabulous BTW, at Continental Arena in NJ on 4/18 & there she was! Don't ask me what pose/move, etc because I was too busy screaming (can you believe I was screaming,"Michelle!" at a McCartney concert?) and pointing out her picture to family & friends to notice. They weren't even annoyed that I was interrupting Paul to do this. My husband thought it was cool, & even my brother-in-law, who teased me when Michelle didn't win Olympic gold--don't worry, I put him in his place for that one--laughed and gave me a High-five. Peggy was there too, at the beginning in a B&W film segment, as were Marilyn Monroe, Queen Mum, Tina Turner, Aretha, Flo-Jo, I think Mia Hamm, and others that I obviously missed. Sorry I don't remember who originally posted this info, but thanks so much for letting us know. As soon as I heard the opening notes of the song my eyes were glued to the screen behind Paul. I'm going back to see Paul at MSG on 4/27(I can't get enough!) & I'll try to pay attention to Michelle's pose this time. Paul knows talent & beauty when he sees it.

The following is from Timothy Goebel's official site. I can only assume that Michelle will be there. Again, no confimation that she will be, but probably: The Celebration of U.S. Olympic Champions is a gala event that pays tribute to the members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams who represented the United Sates in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The event will be held on April 22, the eve of the teams' traditional White House visit. It is expected that this will be the last time the entire 2002 Athlete Delegation will be together for a celebration in its honor. The event will be televised May 18 on NBC from 3:30-4:30 p.m.