I think it's great that he wants to move beyond being the entertainer. The sense I got from reading his tweets from last season is that he wanted his career to be more than that he entertained a bunch of folks (though that will always be in his DNA, no doubt). Probably not making the FS at Worlds was a wakeup call.
I wish GS has a better search function that goes back a little longer so I could re-post a link to a video about Misha's grandfather, a famous Chinese artist with a very dramatic life journey. His beloved young Misha was featured, with blond hair and speaking native Chinese, talking about how he skated as a little kid. It was so cute.
His grandfather was half Russian and when he fell in love with the Gobi Desert, he changed his name to Ge (sounding like Keh) Sha, as in Ge Bi Sha Mo. Misha's father married a Russian like his grandfather (Misha's great grand dad) did and Misha was born in Russia and took up Chinese residency and citizenship when he was 9. In Chinese his name is Ge Mi Sha with Mi in the middle of his otherwise identical name as his grandfather's and Misha means bear cub in Russian.
According to Baidu (Chinese Wiki), Misha's father won second place in 1988 Chinese figure skating Nationals and then met his future wife while studying in a Sport academy in Moscow in 1989. Misha's mother was a Russian skater who medaled at the Nationals. The couple are friends with Plusenko whom Misha befriended and has idolized since he was very young.
I found this half hour film featuring Misha Ge's grandfather, an artist born in N E China of Russian mother. Watch Little Misha from 4:30 to 6:30! and at 27:41 till the end. Unlike his Grand Dad, Misha has great family support for his interests and talents. At 17, Grandfather literally ran away from home in the snow trying to get to Beijing to study arts. He made it there on foot. Misha's father appeared at 12:12 talking about being sent to study Arts in Russia, also at 17, by train, where he fell in love with Misha's Mom. He got his mother's blessing but without telling his father, married his Russian girlfriend at the Embassy. Misha's grandfather fell in love with the Gobi Desert and changed his ordinary Chinese name to Ge (Gobi) Sha (sand, shamo=desert). That's why Misha's family name is rather unusual, different from my guess. Quite an interesting life. Very touching about his reunion with his sister and mother after 33 years. At the end of the film, his biggest wish was to cheer on his grandson at 2008 Olympics when he would be 77 years old. (This film must have been made before the change of Winter Olympic years. Misha looked about 10.)
So as far as I can tell (from Wikipedia, anyway), Misha never has actually lived in Uzbekistan and he's of "Russian, Chinese and Korean descent." How did he come to represent Uzbekistan? Maybe it's answered on Baidu, but I can't read Chinese (super cute photos of young Misha there, though!).
Here you go.
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?36189-Men-s-LP&p=618038&viewfull=1#post618038
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTA1Mzc0MjA=.html
(Power google searching to the rescue!)
Now that we found it, is there a translation available?
So as far as I can tell (from Wikipedia, anyway), Misha never has actually lived in Uzbekistan and he's of "Russian, Chinese and Korean descent." How did he come to represent Uzbekistan? ...
Ahhh the cuteness is overwhelming
TMC? (Too Much Cuteness!)
Wow love this documentary... how many skaters can claim they were highlighted as a figure skater on Chinese National TV since age 5! His Chinese is surprising good, now I know why! I didn't know about his artist family background, now his flair for drama makes so much sense. Daring, bold, spirited, looks like his attitudes were unleashed like a resisting Dam breaking to relief a torrent of water when he finally decide to move on ice. Super cute.... and alot to live up to his Grandfather's legacy.
By the way, can someone confirm if his surname should be pronounced as 'Ge' as 'Guh' and not 'Gee' like how Eurosport and their never ending questionable pronunciation of foreign skater's surnames?
I would use Gee were I he....associations with Golly Gee, WOW are positive and unavoidable.
OTOH Goo is never positive, and in the US, Shah (Muslim ruler) might not be too popular these days either.