 Marie
Osmond has come a long way from the girl who recorded her
first country hit at the age of 12.
For one thing, those “Paper Roses” have stemmed
the tide and blossomed into a long-lasting 36-year career
for Osmond. And even with the occasional thorns she has encountered
in her life, her fans have stuck with her, evident in the
fact that she was one of the three finalists on 2007’s
“Dancing With The Stars,” thanks in large part
to the audience vote.
If there’s a lesson to be learned in all of this, it’s
that the theory that an entertainer will dry up and disappear
if he or she is not front and center on the performing scene
doesn’t hold water. In fact, Osmondmania is back in
full force with a brand new old theory in effect – that
is, that the family that plays together, stays together.
”I grew up with eight amazing reasons….to leave
home,” quips Osmond, whom I interviewed during a recent
taping at The Orleans of a PBS special to be aired in March
2008 honoring the family’s 50th year in show business
and who will be bringing her Christmas tour to the Suncoast
December 21-23. “I’m just kidding – it is
so much fun for me to see my brothers and have this celebration.
I think that the Osmondmania, as it’s called, stems
from the 70’’s era, coming out of the hippie era.
That was a time when families fell apart and girls didn’t
have moms or dads and families were so dysfunctional. I’m
kind of analytical and I watched as these girls latched on
to what they saw was safe and secure.”
“There was a joy in our family,” she continues.
“There was safety and we had our values and structure.
On top of all that, there were our parents. My mom was truly
one of the most amazing women I have ever known. She would
sit up and write newsletters and articles and girls all over
the world called her Mother Osmond. At first, it was, hey,
wait a minute, she’s MY mom, but looking out over the
sweet faces I’ve recognized over the years while filming
this special, I realized that these girls felt a sense of
belonging when they saw my brothers on stage. What you see
up there is not just my father, who taught them work ethic,
respect and to not dishonor my mother or other women, but
you see what a mother’s love did for all of them.”
These days, you’d be hard put not to see the Osmonds
being interviewed on some national TV show or catch Donny
as a correspondent on “Entertainment Tonight”
or Marie being interviewed about her “Dancing With The
Stars” gig. And, recently, all 122 members of the Osmond
clan were airlifted by Oprah and brought to her TV show. But
in many ways, it hasn’t been an easy year for Marie
or the rest of the Osmond family. Their 90-year-old father
(whom Osmond says was “her rock”) passed away
in November, the day before the Oprah taping; Marie is in
the midst of another divorce, this time from her husband of
20 years, and it was revealed, much to her surprise, by Larry
King on his show, that her 16-year-old son is in rehab. As
testimony to their familial relationship, Donny immediately
jumped to his sister’s defense in the later situation,,
accusing King of blindsiding her with that public admission,
then publicly apologized to King when it was revealed that
the tabloids were about to break the story the next day.
“Even though I’m the second youngest and the only
female out of nine siblings, I wasn’t pampered or spoiled,”
Osmond reveals. “I had to deliver just like they did
but my brothers loved me and were, and still are, very protective
of me. With my mom’s passing three years ago, I’m
now the mother. I kind of have to watch out over them but
I’ve always done that.”
“I never knew it any other way,” she adds. “I
would say that I’m kind of a guy chick because I can
hang out with the guys and have a great time. Guys get mad
at each other and get over it. Girls kind of make it linger
– it can be up to years. I kind of process the way a
guy does – I get it over with and I’m done and
I’m happy that it’s over. From my brothers, I’ve
learned to just go with the flow. I’m easy that way.
And I also learned their hard work ethic.”
Still, even in the world she grew up in where she was expected
to be like a guy, Osmond says that she cheishes what her mother
gave her – a love of womanhood, a love of the differences
between herself and the male sex and a love of what she intuitively
has that men don’t have. She notes that being the only
sister, her bothers treat her with great respect. Marie has
eight children of her own (some are adopted), four girls and
four boys, ranging in age from 4 to 24 (her eldest, Stephen,
sings on the PBS special).
Osmond not only got her education from home but also but also
by growing up in show business. She was only 14, and Donny
was 16, when they began their hit TV show, which Osmond says
garnered more viewers in one Friday night than the entire
run of the blockbuster movie “Jaws.” Osmond also
was fortunate in the fact that when the show ended, she never
stopped working, going on to record more #1 country hits then
ending up in theater on Broadway. Donny, on the other hand,
took some time off and then came back to fight his “goody
goody” image, also ending up on Broadway, a move that
legitimized him..
“During the process of performing on Broadway, I learned
many different singing styles,” Osmond notes. “On
top of that, I’m one of the top designers of dolls.
Me!—it’s crazy. I’m also a New York Times
bestselling author – what is that about? I was the first
to come put about post-partum depression and that book, which
came out in May 2001, continues to sell like crazy. Plus,
I’m still getting thousands of e-mails. I believe that
if you have a passion and you’re willing to be truthful,
you can help a lot of people."
A single mom, Osmond says that her children are her life and
that she is happy, which her children see. Her split from
her husband, however, has been difficult for her. She says
that, along with her brothers who are her support system through
it all, her kids are also very supportive. Performing again
has been a panacea as well. She and Donny are scheduled to
reunite at the MGM Grand July 17-23 for eight shows and it
was recently announced that the two siblings have met with
the Flamingo about taking over for Toni Braxton when she leaves
in February and doing a 44-week-a-year gig there. Then in
May, she will be touring the U.K. with all her singing brothers.
“I’ve started working again – I have eight
children to put through college,” Osmond smiles. “But
I’m only doing fun things.
“People ask me if it’s hard bringing up eight
kids,” she sums up. “I tell them, nah, after three,
you just put in another potato.”
ADDITIONAL
ARTICLES
BY
BOBBIE KATZ
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All
in the Family
