The Salt Lake Tribune
Monday, May 11, 2009
Marie KO'd by sushi
Donny and Marie had to cancel Friday night's performance of their Las Vegas show, after Marie Osmond had an allergic reaction to some sushi.

According to "Entertainment Tonight," Marie stopped at a sushi before Friday's show, and what she ate tripped one of her allergies (she's allergic to peanuts and shrimp).

Marie was back onstage with her brother for Saturday's show at the Flamingo Las Vegas. It was the first cancellation since the duo premiered their show there in September.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Marie supports her daughter
The rumor mill has been running overtime lately about Marie Osmond and her daughter Jessica - after the British tabloid, The Sun, reported that Jessica is a lesbian.

Marie got on the radio Tuesday - an interview with L.A. station KOST-FM - and confirmed the rumors about Jessica, and said (according to The Advocate) they were no big deal:

"You know, on those types of things I'm very supportive. When it comes to marriage, I think that civil rights need to be for all. ... When you start mixing religion into that and beliefs, you know, I do believe in the Bible. My daughter understands my beliefs. And, you know, God said to be married and be productive with your children and, you know, replenish the earth or whatever. She understands those things. My daughter is sharp. And we have a great relationship and I think she would tell you that."

Marie's open-mindedness seems to be a bit at odds with the views of her brother, Donny, who issued a statement opposing gay marriage last December.

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Monday, April 6, 2009
Best band name ever!
Ladies and gentlemen, I present: LeE HARVeY OsMOND!

They're kind of a country-blues band from Ontario, Canada - founded by Tom Wilson and his former Junkhouse bandmate Ray Farrugia, along with some members of Cowboy Junkies and Skydiggers.

Check them out - and remember, no actual Osmonds were harmed in the making of this video:

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
So, what did I miss?
I'm back on the culture prowl, after two-plus weeks' vacation (gotta thank George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for arranging that extra day off). In that time, I missed the following:
  • News that all of Utah's TV stations wouldn't be switching to digital TV today.
  • Two Utahns - Megan Corkery of Sandy and Taylor Vaifanua of Hurricane - making the round of 36 on "American Idol."
  • A bad stretch for the Osmond clan: Young David (son of Alan) missing the cut in the Hollywood round of "American Idol," while his famous uncle Donny was not among those picked for "Dancing With the Stars" - despite hinting loudly that he would be.
  • Utah's own singing heartthrob David Archuleta making his acting debut on Nickelodeon's tweener sitcom "iCarly" - portraying, in a stretch worthy of Olivier, a singer (named David Archuleta) competing on a TV talent show.
  • Heber resident Tyson Apostol competing on the new season of "Survivor."
  • Huka Bar waitress Kelsey Lee still hanging tough with the other skanks on "Rock of Love Bus."
  • The Beehive State's newest congressman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Publicity Stunt) having his daily routine videotaped for a CNN series, "Freshman Year." (Chaffetz has charmed D.C. media - an easily charmed bunch, apparently - by sleeping on a cot in his office. This is in marked contrast to his predecessor, Chris Cannon, who during the Clinton impeachment sacked out on a cot in the Fox News Channel's green room.)
I did have my own bit of celebrity spotting last week. My wife and I had a pre-Valentine's lunch at a downtown SLC sushi restaurant, and sitting at the next table was actor Frankie Muniz ("Malcolm in the Middle") and a good-sized entourage.

Even on vacation, I can't get away from this stuff.

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Donny on gay marriage
The world's most famous Mormon, Donny Osmond, has weighed in on his opinion of gay marriage.

Unsurprisingly, he's against it.

In answer to a fan's question on his website, Donny.com, Osmond quotes the LDS Church's 1995 statement "The Family - A Proclamation To The World," which says, "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

He then trots out the "some of my best friends are gay" line, adding that "I do support our Church leaders who say that we can accept those with gay tendencies in our church as long as they do not act upon their temptations."

Of course, the issue of Mormons and gay marriage has been all the talk since California voters passed Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage, after a bruising campaign that was in large part bankrolled by Mormons following the wishes of the LDS Church leadership. As a result, gay activists have picketed LDS temples nationwide and urged a boycott of Mormon-owned businesses and the entire state of Utah.

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Monday, December 1, 2008
A Christmas visitor
Fans of the Osmonds 2nd Generation got a surprise at the group's Christmas concert Saturday at Salt Lake City's Capitol Theatre: A visit from one of Santa's elves.


Oh, wait, that's not an elf - that's David Archuleta.

The "American Idol" also-ran from Murray joined Alan Osmond's brood for three songs: "O Holy Night," "Mary Did You Know" and "Amazing Grace."

Archuleta certainly gets around. He put in his SLC cameo just two days after appearing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

This may not be the only Archuleta/Osmond connection. According to the "Idol"-obsessed MJ's Big Blog, the rumor is that David Osmond - lead singer of Osmonds 2nd Generation - auditioned for "American Idol" and made it as far as the Hollywood round.

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Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Donny heading to the jungle?
Marie did it, and so did Jimmy. Now it appears Donny Osmond may follow his siblings' path into reality TV.

Britain's Daily Star tabloid is reporting that Donny is close to signing a deal to join the British series "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" The show throws a group of B-list and C-list celebs into an Australian jungle, to see if "they cancope without the trappings of fame."

Brother Jimmy appeared on the same show in 2005, and Marie had her memorable run last year on "Dancing With the Stars."

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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Dance or diet?
Marie Osmond's ubiquitous TV ads for NutriSystem are getting on the nerves of New York Post pop-culture blogger Jarett Wieselman:

Every time I turn on the television - and that's a lot - I am confronted with a Marie Osmond fronted ad for Nutrisystem. "I lost 40 pounds!" Marie shouts, except there's one problem: Does she think we've forgotten her tenure on "Dancing with the Stars"?

Wieselman points out that the dance workouts the "Dancing with the Stars" performers did could burn a lot of calories, which may account for Osmond's weight loss as much as her diet plan.

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