2/9

Michelle will be a a Special Correspondent covering the Olympics for Good Morning America on ABC! She will provide commentary & analysis on the skating, as well as cover other news stories at the games. Her first report will air Friday, February 12! Don't miss it! For more information, check out the press release.

I posted this article from the Boston Globe earlier, but if you checked it out as soon as I posted it, be sure to click the link again. They've added this beautiful picture of Michelle! The paper also has a picture of Michelle on her computer in their gallery of stars who have gone back to school.

Michelle, as Michelle Kwanzelberry, will appear on Wow, Wow, Wubbzy on February 21 on Nick Jr at 7pm. From the press release:

Kwan voices “Michelle Kwanzelberry,” the greatest WuzzOlympian in WuzzOlympic Games history, who coaches all of the participants.

"I knew I had to say yes when I was asked to guest star as Michelle Kwanzelberry in a special episode of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!,” said Michelle Kwan. “My nieces, Olivia and Sophia, love the show and are so impressed that I actually got to meet Wubbzy. The positive message about working hard and being a good friend is perfect and I had a great time working with creator Bob Boyle and the Wubb-crew."

In the new episode entitled “Run for Fun,” everyone in Wuzzleburg is so excited that the WuzzOlympic Games are coming to town – especially because this year’s official coach is none other than the record-shattering Michelle Kwanzelberry (Kwan). Wubbzy and his pals get geared up to compete in the big sporting event, the Wuzzleburg Wacky Dash, and Michelle advises them to prepare, practice and have fun. While Wubbzy, Widget and Walden all devise shortcuts so they can reach the finish line the fastest, Daizy follows Michelle’s direction and helps her friends and young viewers learn that slow and steady wins the race!


2/3

Check out this great article about Michelle from the Boston Globe, Kwan puts skating career on ice.

1/31

I appologize for the delay in updates! Hopefully I'm caught up now!

I wrote earlier that Michelle hosted Skate For the Heart with Peggy Fleming. Don't forget that it airs today, January 31, on NBC at 4pm EST!

If you missed Michelle in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade earlier this month, here are some great pictures of Michelle on the float!

And some behind the scenes videos from youtube:

Michelle went to Korea for her 5th trip as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy from January 3-9. The first day's events were postponed due to a massive snow storm in Korea, but the rest of the trip went well! She visited Seoul, Pyeongchang and Goyang & participated in a roundtable discussion with university students, visited several schools, conducted skating clinics, participated in a Special Olympics program and met with U.S. Forces Korea on the Yongsan Military Garrison.

Rather than post all the pics & links here (since I'm so behind, that would be a ton!), just check out the official MK Forum thread from the trip. There are tons of pics, articles, and vidoes, along with translations to keep you occupied for a while! Also, you can check out the special Michelle Kwan Visits South Korea page on the State Department's site. They list articles, videos, and pics of Michelle on the trip, also, including this photo gallery that gives a quick review of her trip. The Korea Times had this great article, Michelle Kwan Finds New Mission on Ice.

It looks like Michelle has a new endorsement! Michelle is one of the AT&T Team USA athletes that will be blogging on their Fan Zone! As of today, she has 2 blogs up, "My Favorite Olympic Moment" & "Family." Check it out!.

A couple of random Michelle mentions:

Check out this cute youtube video of Michelle Kwanzelberry lighting the torch at the Wuzzlympic Games (thanks skatefan20)

On the January 20 Colbert Show, he was talking about the money NBC is going to lose during these Olympics & showed a clip from MSNBC (from 12/16) where they discussed this. In the clip, what do they show but Michelle jumping during Bolero at '05 Nats. Check it out!

On January 21, the $3,000 question on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" was "At the age of 23, which of these prominent Asian-Americans became a fashion editor at Vogue." One of the 4 possible answers was Michelle. (The answer was Vera Wang, so kind of Michelle related there, too
12/28

Don't miss the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade! Michelle will be on the Anheuser-Busch float "Quest for the Best," float #71, which will feature U.S. Winter Olympic legends and hopefuls. Bonnie Blair & Dan Jansen are the other legends on the float. The theme of the parade this year is "A Cut Above the Rest" (how perfect is that for Michelle!?) The Rose Parade will be broadcast on New Years Day from 11am-1pm EST on ABC, NBC, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, Travel Channel, The Learning Channel, Univision, RFD-TV, and KTLA (local LA station & syndicated via Tribune). I always love watching this parade & jump all over the various stations since they all have different angles. Some might talk to stars on the float, while others don't. So, keep that remote handy just in case! :)

Oreo posted the following on the MK Forum:

Right now the Anhauser/Busch float is #71 out of 92 entries. The parade starts at 8am (PST) and will start passing by the TV cameras at about 8:05 (PST). I think if you turn on the TV by about 9:15 (PST), you'll have plenty of time to catch the float. But in any case, check to see if the entry order hasn't changed.

Check out the press release for more information.

Michelle posted on the MK Forum on December 24! Check out her thread, Happy Holidays MKF!! xoxo MK, and respond! Here is what she wrote:

Hi MKF,
I hope you’re all ready for the holidays! I finally finished my last minute Christmas shopping for my friends and family. I didn’t have much time to prepare for the holidays since I was busy studying and writing papers for grad school. I didn’t finish my last final until Monday morning! And trust me I was very relieved when I finished my Econ final! I was a studious student and finished my U.S.-East Asia and Public Diplomacy paper early because I knew that the Econ exam would take all the brainpower that I needed to do OK. I absolutely love living in Boston and going to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The Fletcher community consists of people from all walks of life, each contributing their knowledge and experience to our school, and together we try to prepare ourselves to address key issues that we might face in the future…well, at least I think we all hope that we can make the world a better place: )
I am really happy to be home. For one thing, I get to watch Lakers games (I was there last night, when they beat Oklahoma City). And it’s also nice not having to put on 10 layers of clothing just to walk outside. Now I know why my sister Karen told me to buy a really really really good winter coat (she went to Boston University and has dealt with the chilly Boston weather).

In addition to my busy schedule at school, I’ve been able to pack in some really fun excursions. I was selected to be one of the Godmother’s of “Oasis of the Seas,” the greatest Royal Caribbean cruise ship (it even has an ice rink!). I was on the cruise ship for one night, where we launched off at Fort Lauderdale and sailed overnight. It was an absolutely incredible experience.

And before school even started I skated with Yu-Na Kim (current World
Champ) in Korea. I got a little emotional stepping back on the ice… I can’t believe it has been 3 years since I last performed in front of an audience. It reaffirmed everything that I love about figure skating…And I definitely look forward to performing in front of the U.S. audience again soon; )

On top of everything, I am also very committed to working with the State Department as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy. There “might” be an announcement soon about my next State Department trip (hint hint: ).
Well, it’s way past my bed…My family and I are headed out tomorrow to Hawaii for a small family vacation, R&R, and a close friend’s wedding. I hope all of you have an incredible Christmas and a Happy New Year! I wish all of you the best. I hope to see you all soon!
Take care! Hugs ,
MK

12/2

Michelle was one of the seven celebrity godmothers for the new Oasis of the Seas cruise ship. From the press release, "Putting a new twist on one of maritime’s longest standing traditions, the global cruise line had not one, but seven celebrity godmothers – Gloria Estefan, Daisy Fuentes, Shawn Johnson, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Michelle Kwan, Jane Seymour and Dara Torres – preside over the festivities. The celebration took place throughout the seven signature neighborhoods onboard Oasis of the Seas, culminating with the traditional Champagne bottle breaking ceremony followed by a fireworks display in the AquaTheater, the ship’s dazzling oceanfront theater." Michelle's neighborhood is "Entertainment Place." The naming ceremony took place on in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 30.

After the naming ceremony, Royal Caribbean hosted a charity Gala for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Along with Michelle and the other godmothers, celebrities in attendence were Michael Jordan, Corbin Bleu, and Karina Smirnoff.

You can watch a video of the naming ceremony with Michelle on the Oasis of the Seas main site (also found in this article, if the other site is giving you problems.) The site also has lots of pictures of from the naming ceremony. There's also a short clip on youtube, though Michelle is sort of blocked from view. ;)

Check out some more pictures and articles from this event:

10/14

Michelle attended the Women's Sports Foundation Gala on October 13 in New York. She was interviewed on the red carpet by ice network. She said that Karen choreographed Winter Song and how much both enjoyed it, that the comeback skate was emotional, that her hip is healthy & she's back on the ice, and how much she's enjoying classes at Tufts. Be sure to read the full interview! Also, check out a picture of Michelle on the red carpet (courtesy of Lois Elfman), and a picture of Michelle with other female athletes at the awards.

9/26

Michelle co-hosted Skate for the Heart on September 19 with Peggy Fleming. She only hosted, no skating. :( Check out this youtube video of Michelle meeting Charice & Jordin Sparks during rehearsals, and you can hear her introducing Charice at the beginning of this youtube clip. Check out the following pics from the show:
8/29

Michelle will be co-hosting Skate for the Heart on September 19 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois! So far, it doesn't look like she will be skating in the show. The show airs on January 31, check out my TV Schedule for more info! Also, check out the article from Ice Network.

Some more pics & videos from the final shows of the Ice All Stars show in Korea:

kwanwingsahn_fan posted on the MK Forum that she saw this East West ad with Michelle in her local paper. Check it out! (Thanks kwanwingsahn_fan!)

IceSkates98 posted on the MK Forum that the September/October 2009 issue of IFS has an article about Michelle. IceSkates98 posted a scan of the article, check it out! (Thanks IceSkates98!)
8/15

The first Ice All Stars show in Korea took place Friday, and Michelle looked fantastic! Her programs were wonderful, well worth the wait!! The commentators apparently said that Carmina Burana was going to be her short program if she competed this season (which is really obvious to see, and what an amazing short that would have been!) & that Winter Song was choreographed by Karen Kwan.

I have tons of pics & video from the show to post, so I'll just jump right to it!

I've also added a bunch more press conference pics to the Ice Allstars Show (Korea) part of the Links to Other Photo Pages section.

8/14

Lots more pics & videos from Ice All Stars show in Korea! Don't forget, you can watch the show live online. It starts 8:45pm local time on Friday, which is 7:45am EST (same time Saturday through Monday.) You can see a list of sites to watch the show in this post on the MK Forum. (Thanks SamChez!)

The practice video I linked to on youtube in my last update has changed, you can watch it now here.

Videos (all except the last listed are from youtube) & pictures from Michelle's last two days in Korea:

Aug 12 videos:

Aug 13 videos:

Press Conference pictures:


8/12

Michelle has arrived in Korea, and there has already been tons of media coverage! Two pieces of info before I post the many pics and videos! From the show's site, check out the official program for the show. Michelle's second program will be Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. You can hear the song on youtube. From the program, it looks like Moonlight Sonata, which ends the first half, might not be a duet with YuNa, but a group number.

In an interview after arriving in Korea, YuNa & David Wilson (the choreographer) had some nice things to say about Michelle (as posted on the Ice All Stars show Twitter page, which is not the official show twitter page, but from a fan compiling the info from the Korean media):

"Kwan returns a long time after she left the ice. The fact that she is now with Yu-Na on ice makes me speechless. This is good for Yu-Na since Kwan is a special skater who has always inspired Yu-Na. Kwan is like a symbol of figure skating. am really glad to work with them together" says David Wilson at the interview.
"I met Kwan twice. It's my first time to practice with her on ice. I am honored to go on the same stage with a skater I admired since I was young. I was amazed by her excellent skills. Although she left ice for a long time, she seems always ready She hasn't lost her shape. I was really my dream just to watch her skating." says Yu-Na at the interview.

OK, onto the media (first 3 vids from youtube)! First, check out this video of Michelle skating during practice! This is the first time we've seen her skate in 3 years, how exciting! Also, there was lots of media at the airport when Michelle arrived in Korea. Check out this video of Michelle arriving at the airport and another short interview clip at the airport. I can't seem to get this interview clip to work on my computer, so I don't know if it's different than the youtube video, but in case it is, I'm posting it! :) This video also from a Korean news site, and it takes forever to load, but there's footage of Michelle & YuNa practicing in there!

There have already been TONS of pics, just from the first practice alone! There have been more pics from this practice (65 at last count!) than some competitions Michelle has been in over the years! Hopefully this continues for the actual show! :) Enjoy!

8/9

Some updates on what music Michelle will using at YuNa's show in Korea, from the Ice All Stars show Twitter page (eta, this is not the official page, a fan is posting the info)! Michelle will be skating to Carmina Burana for one of her gala programs. Also, Michelle will skate with Yu-Na to Moonlight Sonata with an orchestra.

MichellianeKwanjuez posted the following on the MKF Forum, from Korean articles:

All the performers, NBC, and Asahi TV crews will arrive in Korea on the 11th of August. Michelle and Yu-Na will have a duet performance together at least three times throughout the show and ‘Moonlight Sonata’ could be used either in the show’s opening or in the closing.

The show is just a week away, now! Can't wait to see Michelle skate!!

8/1

Michelle has announced that she will not be competiting this season. She will instead attend graduate school full time at Tufts University's Fletcher School this fall, where she will pursue a master's degree in international affairs. About the decision, from the USFSA article, Michelle said:

“Skating will always be a part of me. But, in the bigger picture of my life, I have always wanted to find a career that will allow me to make a positive contribution and difference in the world. Representing the United States as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy the past three years has been very rewarding, and I want to do more. Furthering my education will bring me closer to that goal, and I don't want to wait any longer to continue the journey.”

The article also says that Michelle will continue in her capacity as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy for the U.S. State Department and a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In addition, she will perform in skating exhibitions, work as a television commentator, serve as a corporate spokesperson and be involved in special projects as her school schedule permits.

Selfishly I'm sad, lol, but hopefully she will do some shows so we can continue to watch her skate.

Good luck with grad school, Michelle! :)

YuNa's Ice All Stars 2009 show in Korea from August 14-16 that Michelle will skate in will not air in the US. However, I'm sure her performances will end up online, and I'll be sure to post them as soon as they go up! I can't wait to watch her skate again!!

Also, here's another option. visaliakid posted the following on the MK Forum:

Korea's SBS TV will telecast Ice All Stars 2009, staring Kim Yu Na and featuring guest performances by Michelle Kwan on Thursday, Aug. 14 starting at 20:50 local time. That's 04:50 a.m. PDT and 07:50 a.m. EDT on the morning of Friday, August 14. This information is reported today by a Korean poster at Kim Yu Na's Forum. The SBS telecast can be viewed on the free TVAnts program. Get it here...

http://www.tvants.com/

MichellianeKwanjuez posted some articles about the show in the same thread on the MK Forum. YuNa said the following about Michelle, “The first time I saw Michelle Kwan was in the ‘98 Nagano Olympics. Ever since then, each of her performance made a great impression on me and she became my favorite athlete. I was ecstatic to have a short encounter with her last March. I am honored to be performing in the same show with the athlete I have always admired since I was very young. As a fan of Michelle, it’s going to be very special to see her return on ice after three years of wait. Just the fact that I’ll be standing on the same ice with her itself is a great honor.” (Thanks visaliakid and MichellianeKwanjuez!)


I recently found video on YouTube of Michelle's speech at the Committee of 100 11th mentoring event from May 2, 2009 in DC:

Also, here are some pictures of Michelle from the event (Thanks Grace!)

7/7

Happy birthday Michelle! Michelle is 29 years old today, July 7, 2009. Check out my birthday page for Michelle

7/4

Michelle's appearance at the Korean ice show has been confirmed! In the AP article, Michelle's agent, Shep Goldberg, said, "Michelle has turned down other invitations, but she and Yu-na have a mutual admiration society going. Michelle is feeling healthy and has her abilities up to the standards she sets for herself, which are very high standards." Later in the article, he says, "The timing was a factor. She is skating at the standards she demands of herself to perform in front of an audience." The article also says that she hasn't decided yet about trying for another Olympics.

A couple of recent Michelle clips I found on YouTube today.

 
7/2

Finally! Some Michelle skating news!!! Michelle will be skating 2 programs from August 14-16 at YuNa Kim's show, Ice All Stars 2009, in Korea! The article is in Korean, but greengal5874 posted a google translation on the MK Forum.

IB Sports, Yu-Na's management agency just announced that MK is visiting Korea to skate on ice from August 14-16 at Ice All Stars 2009. She will prepare two gala programs for this show.
"I am really glad to skate at Ice All Stars 2009 in Korea. I am really excited to appear on this special stage with talented skaters. I am really looking forward to skate with Yu-Na in her home country, Korea." said MK through IB Sports.
After hearing this news, Yu-Na excitedly said "I have admired Kwan since I was young. It's really an honor for me to skate with her on the same stage".

SO exciting!!!!

6/7

Congratulations Michelle for graduating from the University of Denver on Saturday, June 7. She received a BA in International Studies.

A couple of quotes from a great article on DU's site:

Kwan came to DU in 2006 to pursue an international studies degree from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. She minored in political science. “It was a turning point in my life when I came to DU,” says Kwan. “From seventh grade on I had tutors while I was training and competing, and it was a big transition to go from full-time skating to full-time student.” She recalls spending the first few weeks at DU on crutches following hip surgery. 

<snip>

There are no plans for Kwan to stop traveling on behalf of the U.S. Recently, she met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss continuing her role with the State Department.  However, Kwan will still have tests waiting for her when she returns from each trip. She has been accepted to the graduate international affairs program at Tufts University’s Fletcher School.

Kwan won nine U.S. skating championships, five world championships and two Olympic medals. She is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. But despite all she’s done in her life, participating in Commencement is something she looked forward to for a long time. “I am so excited,” she says.

Another congrats for being accepted to Tufts grad school!

Check out this video of Michelle receiving her diploma from the local Denver CBS news!

Check out the following pics & screencaps of Michelle during the commencement ceremony

In possible comeback news, there was speculation about Michelle competiting at Skate America. The Grand Prix assignments were announced at the end of May, and some felt if a "To Be Announced" was posted for one of the ladies USA spots, then it's possible Michelle could be added later. Well, a TBA was listed for Skate America! So...who knows!

I know I still have lots of pics and such from the last few months to post. Michelle has been busy in the public eye, including attending the American Idol finale, and a Lakers playoff game, among others. I just wanted to quickly post about Michelle's graduation. :)

Check out past news from Dec 07 to Mar 09 , Sept 06 to Dec 07, Feb 06 to July 06, June 05 to Jan 06, Jan 05 to May 05, April 04 to Dec 04, Sept 03 to March 04, April 03 to Aug 03, and older
Last Updated February 9, 2010

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