The World's 1st *Reality* Sitcom...The Osbournes!
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Grooch | Tuesday, May 28, 2002 - 08:20 am     The woman who tamed Ozzy (Filed: 24/05/2002) When Sharon Osbourne, wife of the rock star Ozzy, invited cameras into her home she turned her family life into a sitcom worth millions. David Thomas meets her When Sharon Osbourne, wife of the rock star Ozzy, invited cameras into her home she turned her family life into a sitcom worth millions. Ozzy has been exposed as a pussycat; but, once, she says, she was 'very, very frightened of him' Curious subject: Sharon Osbourne A few months ago Ozzy Osbourne, the 53-year-old former lead singer of Black Sabbath, told me: "I run on fear, I always have. I wake up looking for trouble. All I do is rush through the day so that I can get to sleep and be out of it. But I need medication, just to get to sleep." Now, I ask you: imagine you were Ozzy's wife. Imagine you were not only this man's spouse, but also his manager. Would you let television cameras into your home? Sharon Osbourne did. For six whole months, she turned her house and family over to MTV. The Osbournes' daily life was transformed into a true-life weekly sitcom. And it was the most canny decision she ever made. The Osbournes has become the most talked-about programme on American television. It has even been credited with launching a new genre - the "docu-sitcom". President Bush, an avid viewer, invited Ozzy to the White House. Fans recite whole chunks of it, verbatim. Such as the moment when a shirtless Ozzy, his flabby torso covered with tattoos, tells his misfit 17-year-old son Jack: "I love you all. I love you more than life itself. But you're all mad." Or his retort to his stroppy, pink-haired daughter Kelly, 16, when she accuses him of not listening to her: "Darling, let me explain. I've been standing in front of 30 billion decibels for the past 35 years. Write me a note." Ozzy is a real-life Homer Simpson, a self-indulgent derelict who is redeemed by his essentially sweet nature and his unlimited love for his family. Which means Sharon - who, like her husband, is English - must be Marge. She giggles when I make the comparison and then reaches up to where, if she were Marge Simpson, her pile of blue hair might be. In fact, there is nothing but a short, aubergine-coloured crop. When we meet in a suite at a smart London hotel, Sharon - who is 49 - is wearing the Osbourne family uniform of black T-shirt and trousers. On her feet she has a pair of lacy black boots, with precipitous stiletto heels. Around her wrist is a leather thong strung with two silver hearts. Between them are four silver cubes on which are engraved the letters O-Z-Z-Y. She can get a new one now: M-O-N-E-Y. Originally due to be transmitted on British television tonight, The Osbournes has been delayed here for up to two weeks because of what MTV calls "contractual difficulties" - which are believed to concern the fees Sharon and her husband are demanding. Meanwhile the Osbournes have already been signed up by MTV for two more series, for a rumoured $20 million. "The real figures are more," says Sharon, swapping her giggle for a much more characteristic filthy chuckle. Surely, though, she and Ozzy don't need money? He is still a huge attraction in the US. Every album he has ever made has sold at least a million copies. His annual Ozzfest summer tour regularly pulls in at least $20 million in ticket sales. Sharon shakes her head. "Everybody always needs more money," she says, in her London-Jewish accent, overlaid with California, like a heavy-metal Maureen Lipman. "We've always done well, but we've never been offered millions by anyone before. And I spend like a mother----er. My philosophy is, I don't want to be the richest person in the graveyard. I don't want to regret anything. I don't want to wait. I want to taste it, live it, f--- it, eat it all now." Sharon Osbourne was approached by MTV a year ago, after a one-off programme about the Osbournes made as part of a series on rock-star homes proved to be a huge hit. The network wondered what more they could do. She suggested an entire series. "First of all," she tells me, "we have nothing to hide. Our lives have been open books from day one, both Ozzy's and mine. And I just thought it would be ground-breaking for a celebrity to allow the cameras into the house and to do it properly. Certain celebrities have tried to do DVDs where it's, 'This is us, really. But it's bullshit and it hasn't worked. "Did you see Mick Jagger's film, Being Mick? I loved it because I loved looking round his houses and seeing his paintings and the whole shit. But the man in the street can't relate to that. Whether you like his music or not, he comes across to the man in the street as a precocious little prick. But Ozzy is the real thing. Kids relate to him because he's a working-class hero." Certainly the key to the appeal of The Osbournes seems to be that underneath all the rock'n'roll madness is a surprisingly conventional family. Ozzy begs his children, somewhat incongruously, not to drink, smoke or take drugs, and there is a strict curfew - admittedly, 2.30am. There are countless scenes that parents everywhere will recognise. At one point, for example, Ozzy and Sharon are having a cuddle after Ozzy has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Kelly is disgusted and begs them to stop. Ozzy cries out, "What's the matter? We're married!" "But you're so old!" squeals Kelly. The couple's other daughter, Aimee, was the only one of their three children to refuse to appear on the programme. According to Sharon, "Aimee said, 'No way. I want my privacy. I don't want a camera in my bedroom.' Aimee is a very private person and it would just be a total invasion in her life. She just couldn't cope with it. She's the most sane one. And she was very worried about how the world would take her dad. But it's a lesson that she's learned, too. His vulnerability and his loveliness come through. You can't help but fall in love with him." So Aimee, who is 18, moved out - which, Sharon assures me, she was going to do anyway - and the television crew moved in. Neither the family, nor the network, however, were ready for the scale and speed of The Osbournes' success. "It aired on a Tuesday. On the Saturday I took the kids to Venice Beach with a couple of the dogs. We got out of the car and within five minutes we were deluged by people. It was an instant phenomenon. We couldn't go out in the street. People were parking outside our house. We were offered all these chat shows, front covers. It was unbelievable." And Sharon loved it. To many, the price of having their life turned into showbiz might be too high. But not for Sharon Osbourne: showbiz is all she has ever known. Her father is Don Arden, a manager and promoter whose - how can one put this? - no-nonsense business methods are a record industry legend. "I'm definitely my father's daughter," cackles Sharon. "I got my dad's balls." Her childhood was inseparable from her father's business. "My dad had started out as a Black and White Minstrel and my mum was a dancer. We grew up with only showbiz people around. We didn't mix with anyone else. "Dad used to do the end of the pier at Blackpool, and he took shows round all the US bases in Europe to entertain the troops. Then variety died and it was rock music. My father used to organise the European tours of American artists. "I can remember being at Victoria Station at midnight, putting Bill Haley on a train to Europe, when I was five. Gene Vincent taught me and my brother to swim. It was just an unbelievable upbringing, and you grew up very quickly. I wasn't brought up having little birthday parties, or having so and so over for play-day. Shit like that didn't exist in our house." By the time she was 15, Sharon was working for her father as a receptionist. By her early twenties in the 1970s, she was touring with groups such as the Electric Light Orchestra, doing their day-to-day management. On the road in America in 1976, she got to know Black Sabbath and their lead singer, Ozzy Osbourne. Three years later, Osbourne had quit the band and was trying to make it as a solo artist. Sharon went out to Los Angeles to help him get started. And that's how their relationship began. "We were working together every day. We bonded. And one thing led to another. We were in each other's lives 24 hours a day, and that's how we fell in love." So what was it that attracted 26-year-old Sharon Arden to multi-millionaire rock star Ozzy Osbourne? "He's adorable," she says, her face softening and her voice becoming suddenly gentle, as much maternal as wifely. "Ozzy was so honest. He couldn't lie at all. He's incapable of being anything other than he is. I thought, 'Oh my God, this guy is so vulnerable. He's a teddy bear. He wasn't one of these rockers that wanted to act the big star. I'd been so used to these people going, 'Bring me, fetch me, wipe my arse.' But he wasn't like that at all. Also . . . [and here a big grin crosses her face] he was gorgeous-looking. He had the best smile, and I couldn't help but fall in love with him." So off they went together, as man-and-wife and manager-and-client. Osbourne was already a drug-taking alcoholic. Beer, brandy, dope, cocaine: he took them all to excess. Sharon soon joined him. "I was a quaalude [tranquilliser] freak. That was my excuse for f---ing up everything. Ozzy and I were turning into Sid and Nancy. So I quit. It was a case of waking up one morning and realising that unless one of us stopped, we would both end up in the gutter. It was that bad." Ozzy, however, kept going. He would go off on benders for days at a time. He became abusive and violent. "There were a lot of times when I was very, very frightened of him," Sharon says. "I was a beaten woman. When women are abused and they go back, I know how they feel. You have no self-esteem, no self-respect, you're worthless." "In the mornings he'd wake up and be the Ozzy that I love. He'd be sweet and he'd be sorry for his behaviour the night before, and loving, and gorgeous. And then by 10pm at night he'd be gone again. It was those few hours of the day that kept me there. Also we had children. And I did not want my children to come from a broken home. I couldn't think of anything worse. I had three babies, a husband that I loved, but who was a lunatic. What do you do? You stay and you try to work through it." Eventually, in 1989, Ozzy went too far. One day, he woke up from a drunken stupor to find himself in a police cell, accused of his wife's attempted murder. Out of his mind on drink and drugs, he had wrapped his hands around her throat. He was given three months in a psychiatric unit. When he came out, things had changed. "It was the best thing that ever happened," says Sharon. "Because, during those three months, the tables turned. I regained my strength as a person. I could answer back. It changed our relationship, because it wasn't him saying, 'Oh, you're lucky to have me. Look at you. Nobody else wanted you. Without me you're nothing.' When he got out, he was very low-key, very timid, very apologetic. Like a child." And that, more or less, is how he has stayed. On-stage, Ozzy plays the rock star, clad in black, bedecked with crucifixes, Lucifer with a microphone. But at home, he's just a big kid. And that suits Sharon fine. "It's always appealing when you know that somebody really does need you, and really loves you, and you make them feel good. That's the ultimate thing, when you really know that your presence makes somebody feel good. That's irresistible." |
Seamonkey | Tuesday, May 28, 2002 - 11:05 am     Her honesty is frightening and endearing as well. Thanks, Grooch!! |
Soeur | Tuesday, May 28, 2002 - 04:33 pm     Incredible article. Thanks Grooch. |
Soeur | Wednesday, May 29, 2002 - 08:09 pm     The deal has been inked and it seems that the negotiating process was as unique as the family that signed it... Down to Raucous Wire, Osbournes in MTV Deal "The Osbournes, stars of the most surprising success on television this year, agreed to terms of a new contract with MTV yesterday that will extend for at least 20 more episodes the real-life adventures of the raucous, crude-talking family headed by the longtime rocker Ozzy Osbourne. But the deal did not come easily. In fact, the negotiations over "The Osbournes," MTV's biggest hit series ever, turned out to be every bit as bizarre as the series itself, featuring such plot developments as demands by the Osbournes for a new house and lifetime psychotherapy for the family's herd of cats and dogs; promises by the Osbournes to sign the contracts in blood; and offers from competing networks looking to steal the show away from MTV. In the end, the deal, the biggest for a series in MTV's history, is being valued at $5 million to $7 million by MTV and more than $20 million by agents representing the Osbournes. It left all parties satisfied that they will be able to cash in on the latest reality television show to redefine what success means for a television network. The new episodes will begin in the fall. Over several months of negotiations, the Osbournes and their representatives played a game of hardball — combined with elements of three-card monte — that MTV executives said no one at the network had seen before, even with MTV's long experience dealing with unconventional talent. MTV executives said the Osbourne camp changed the terms of the deal almost daily. Different representatives appeared on several occasions, all claiming to speak for the Osbournes. "We had three different sets of negotiations going on at various times," one senior MTV executive said. The network's executives were so exasperated at some points that even the show's spectacular success seemed to have a downside. A month ago, at a lunch meeting of MTV executives in Miami, an aide delivered the best ratings news of the show's first year. More than eight million viewers had seen the eighth episode of "The Osbournes," the biggest audience for a cable show this year. But when the eye-popping figures were placed in front of one senior MTV executive, he responded with a single word: "Ugh.""...... [the article continues at the link, above] |
Wink | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 09:06 am     Sis have you been able to find out anything about the Osbournes being broadcast in Canada? |
Seamonkey | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 10:15 am     Soeur, you beat me to that article.. I was wondering if you'd be likely to get the show in Canada since apparently it may be aired in England (or, I assume all of GB) |
Seamonkey | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 10:29 am     Here's the end of the article for those who don't love links Thrilled as they were with the show's success, the executives knew that the huge ratings would only create more leverage for the Osbournes. The battle for leverage led MTV to respond in some unusual ways, at one point blocking the show from beginning its run on MTV's outlet in Britain and thus preventing Mr. Osbourne from gaining publicity when he was about to embark on a concert tour there. MTV insisted later that until a new deal was signed, it would not begin playing a music video by the Osbournes' teenage daughter, Kelly, in which she sings a slickly produced version of the Madonna song "Papa Don't Preach." The ban on the video was meant to send a message to Sharon Osbourne, the family matriarch and business manager, who had set a goal of creating a music career for Kelly. The message, as explained by one MTV executive, was: "She has to sign the deal." Indeed, securing a signature from Ms. Osbourne, by all accounts a master of unpredictable brinkmanship — and extraordinary chutzpah — throughout the negotiations, became an almost quixotic quest for MTV executives. The reason was understandable: MTV relied on what it called an agreement but never actually had a signed deal with the Osbournes for the first season, leaving the network open to bigger demands during the recent negotiations because of the show's unanticipated success. Almost daily, Ms. Osbourne promised to sign a deal for next season but repeatedly put off doing so. "I don't think she's ever going to sign," one executive said last week. Van Toffler, the president of MTV, made it clear that she would have to. "I told her: `Sharon, I love you, but we're not doing handshakes anymore,' " he said. He added that when he pressed Ms. Osbourne, she playfully replied that she would indeed come through. "She told me she was going to sign in blood," Mr. Toffler said. Several executives said they thought for a time that there might not be a second season of "The Osbournes." One executive said of the talks, "I did fear the world would not see any more episodes because it would just at some point self-destruct." MTV faced a changing roster of Osbourne representatives. Creative Artists Agency, which had handled the Osbournes in the first season, began the negotiations for the second season. In the midst of those talks, Ms. Osbourne told MTV she was sending in Colin Newman, her longtime British accountant. Then things changed again as the family's lawyers took over. Finally, Ariel Emanuel, the head of the Endeavor Agency in Hollywood, called MTV to say that he was taking over the deal. Mr. Toffler said before the deal was finished: "It was confusing because of the bevy of representatives who were all declaring that they knew what Sharon wanted. At this point we don't know which end is up." Mr. Emanuel, one of the most aggressive agents in Hollywood, said that Ms. Osbourne had called him and that he told her he could make a "precedent-setting deal." A short time later, MTV got word that the next season of "The Osbournes" was being shopped around to the broadcast networks. "We contacted every network," Mr. Emanuel said. "They were all interested." At least two broadcast networks were interested enough to commission extensive research into how "The Osbournes" would play as a weekly prime-time series. One network was convinced. "It would have been huge," a senior executive there said. "We were definitely bidding on it. We were led to believe it was available. We had a real plan for how we would put it on." One plan the Osbourne side suggested would have allowed MTV to run episodes after they had first run on a network. Infuriated, MTV's lawyers responded with a letter to the networks saying it held the legal rights to the show and would sue to keep them if the networks persisted. MTV agreed that the ultimate card the Osbournes held was to stop production on the series; according to the initial agreement, they always had the right to do that, if, for example, the family thought that the children were being upset in some way. But no one really wanted the show to stop production, not with MTV getting its biggest price ever from advertisers on the show and the Osbournes looking at what some people were telling them was an opportunity to become "the MTV version of the Cosby family." Mr. Emanuel said he intended to create a new economic model, with the Osbournes becoming the equivalent of a studio in controlling all rights to their show. He called for MTV to allow the show to go up for sale in syndication almost immediately, years before a television series normally would. In fact, the deal struck yesterday will permit the Osbournes to begin selling episodes to local stations for first use in the fall of 2004. But the show made only 10 episodes last season and only 20 more are guaranteed so far for the next. Syndication typically requires 88 to 100 episodes. The Osbourne camp won the novel right, however, to carve out new episodes from outtakes. MTV agreed to that arrangement, convinced that the real value of the show is in the initial broadcast of the episodes. Reality shows typically do not do well in syndication because the intense interest in them wears out quickly. Even with the syndication issue mostly resolved, the deal was still hung up for weeks as new wrinkles emerged. Earlier, the network had turned down the demand for pet therapy. But the Osbournes suddenly asked to be able to appear three times a year on shows on other networks. MTV resisted because any show in which the Osbournes appeared as themselves would compete with the MTV show. Mr. Toffler admitted to be being "at wits' end" on several of these occasions. Still, he never lost his affection for the woman at the center of the talks. "You've got to love Sharon," he said. "There's something very lovable about her. She has several sides of her brain going at once." Lovable to an extent. Last week, in negotiations over breakfast at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan, Ms. Osbourne, who is no fan of delicate language, unleashed enough colorful and loud invective that she drove all other patrons out of the restaurant, one customer said. Ms. Osbourne was in England yesterday and her press representative did not respond to requests to speak with her. In her official comment on the settlement as quoted in a MTV release, Ms. Osbourne said, "It's been absolutely bleeping amazing." And she did in fact finally sign the new deal, Mr. Toffler said, along with the other members of the family, including Ozzy, who used his real name, John Michael Osbourne. "But it's a faxed copy of the deal," Mr. Toffler said. "So I can't tell if it's signed in blood." ========= You know.. Nicole would be a great chef for them.. |
Seamonkey | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 11:18 am     Little blurb from the People feature of the Entertainment section of my paper: Mrs Osbourne will host concert for the queen VH1 has picked Sharon Osbourne, the foul-mouthed matriarch of the Osbourne clan, tohelp pay tribute to a royal matriarch - {Queen Elizabeth II}. Osbourne will be the host of VH1's broadcast of the all-star concert celebrating the queen's Golden Jubilee. Osbourne's husband, Ozzy, will perform at the June 3 concert, along with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin and Paul McCartney. A taped performance by Elton John, who will be on tour, will be shown. VH1 is scheduled to air highlights from the concert June 9. The pop concert will be held in the garden of Buckingham Palace as part of a weekend of festivities to mark the queen's 50 years on the throne. Sharon Osbourne has become a household name since this year's debut of her family's wacky hit reality show, "the Osbournes," on MTV, VH1's sister network. |
Seamonkey | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 11:34 am     jeez, turn the page and find this one: 'The Osbournes' set for second season on MTV} TV - The clan will reportedly get $5 million for more of the wildly popular reality show. by David Bauder, AP Ozzy Osbourne and his family, who swifty became cultural icons in MTV's most popular series ever, will open their home life to the cameras once again. MTV announced a second season for "the Osbournes" on Wednesday in a lucrative deal that threatens to turn the network into "OzTV." The reality show that depicted the addled rock star; his wife, Sharon; daughter, Kelly; and son, Jack, alternatingly swearing at and showing their love for one another drew nearly 8 million viewers at its peak last month - unprecedented numbers for the cable network. "It's proven to be a seminal show for MTV," network President Van Toffler said. "Part of the charm is that is that it was so unexpected, and I believe the reason it works is the juxtaposition of the freakiest, weirdest human on the planet in the most traditional of situations." The first season consisted of only 10 episodes. Wednesday's deal is for 20 episodes that will begin filming next month and air in the fall. MTV wouldn't comment on the financial terms. it is believed the Osbourne family will receive $5 million for the coming season, with the potential to make much more if the ratings stay high, if the show is sold internationally and if there's wide interest in ancillary products. I hope the Osbournes get incredibly wealthy on this show and it works well for both of us," Toffler said. Representatives for the Osbournes did not immediately return a call for comment. Sharon Osbourne was quoted in MTV's news release as calling the experience "absolutely )expletive) amazing." The deal has been long rumored, with Sharon and Kelly saying weeks ago that the family had agreed to continue the show, but MTV insisted that the complex contract wasn't finalized until this week. |
Grooch | Friday, May 31, 2002 - 11:48 am     People: Kelly Osbourne gets chance to sing at MTV Movie Awards sun-sentinel.com wires Posted May 31 2002 NEW YORK -- Following in her father's footsteps, Kelly Osbourne will sing for the first time on stage during the MTV Movie Awards. The pink-haired, 17-year-old daughter of Ozzy Osbourne will perform her cover of Madonna's ``Papa Don't Preach'' during the awards show Saturday at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. The show is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. EDT June 6, with Jack Black and Sarah Michelle Gellar as hosts. Eminem and The White Stripes are scheduled to perform, with presenters including Ben Affleck, Bow Wow, Eve, Ewan McGregor, Winona Ryder and Charlize Theron. ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' has the most nominations with six. Kelly Osbourne recorded a version of Madonna's defiant 1986 hit for ``The Osbourne Family Album,'' which comes out June 11. Her younger brother, Jack, helped produce the track, and members of Incubus backed her up. MTV announced this week that it will begin airing in the fall a second season of ``The Osbournes,'' its most popular series ever, which chronicles the heavy metal icon's home life. |
Angelnikki | Friday, May 31, 2002 - 04:44 pm     i heard her version and she sounds pretty good actually |
Kaili | Friday, May 31, 2002 - 07:37 pm     I agree- I was surprised at how good she sounded. I was impressed. |
Seamonkey | Monday, June 03, 2002 - 05:39 pm     Kelly was added to the list of performers for Wango Tango at the RoseBowl, I hear.. |
Seamonkey | Tuesday, June 04, 2002 - 12:17 am     Happened to look up during the news were they had brief coverage of the Queen's Jubilee concerts and saw Ozzy patting her on the shoulder!! It looked like he might have gotten rid of the red part of his hair.. well not the hair, just the red. |
Grooch | Wednesday, June 05, 2002 - 11:32 am     Some info in this story about upcoming stuff: Everything's Osbourne June 5, 2002 BY PHIL ROSENTHAL TELEVISION CRITIC As part of our campaign to fully sate interest in MTV's "The Osbournes" long before a second season begins with Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly, we relay the following important bulletins concerning everyone's favorite foul-mouthed family: *Get ready for Osbournes underwear, action figures, backpacks, notebooks, caps, wallets, hosiery, lounge wear, stickers, dart boards, bandannas, cigarette lighters, TV trays and beach towels with expletives on them. In fact, anything that can be sold with an Osbournes connection to it probably will be through a new licensing agreement with San Francisco's Signatures Network, according to the New York Post. Signature CEO Dell Furano, who has worked with Ozzy for years, expects the deal negotiated by wife Sharon to gross around $200 million in retail sales this year, which would mean about $10 million to $15 million for the family. "We've kind of hit a target, but I don't want to mess with Sharon and give you the wrong numbers," Furano told the paper. "She'll kill me." *Sharon's hard-line negotiating failed to yield a new house or a pet psychologist for the clan's incontinent animal friends, but she still drove a hard bargain. "What you see on television, that's the way Sharon is," MTV president Van Toffler says in the current issue of Newsweek. "She is affectionate and loving one moment, and the next she's calling you every name under the sun. It was the most trying negotiation we've been through." Among the things being discussed for next season, along with taping at least some of the shows at the Osbournes' British retreat and spending quality time in the bedroom with Ozzy and Sharon, is an episode with the bleep-happy kin that's shown live. "Many of us will probably lose our jobs the following day, but it's worth it," Toffler said. "Who doesn't want to see that train wreck?" *Across the ocean, Brits are going gaga over Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly. The overseas debut of the verite comedy on MTV UK drew 10 times the normal viewership of the satellite channel. Critics are swooning, too. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Guardian called "The Osbournes" "absolutely inspired," the Observer dubbed it "fantastic" and the Mirror's TV guru said Ozzy's house "is the only place you want to be this summer." And then there was the serious-minded BBC show "Newsnight," which gushed that it's "perhaps the greatest program in the entire history of TV ... 'King Lear' meets 'The Simpsons.' " *Never mind Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Ray Davies, Ricky Martin, Shirley Bassey, Annie Lennox and the other musical royalty performing in Monday's London salute to Queen Elizabeth II to help mark her 50th anniversary on the throne. The biggest applause went to Ozzy, with the New York Daily News noting that only the queen herself got a bigger ovation. More impressive, Ozzy managed to behave during the show, not swearing once. Sharon will host VH1's special on the event at 8 p.m. Sunday. *Kelly Osbourne makes her public singing debut on the MTV Movie Awards, which was taped over the weekend before a star-studded crowd and makes its debut at 8 p.m. Thursday. She'll be doing her cover version of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach." If you don't get cable, you can catch her doing the song on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on June 14, as part of that show's summer garage concert series. But if you don't get cable, you probably wonder what all the fuss about "The Osbournes" is about. |
Seamonkey | Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 10:43 pm     MTV movie awards.. Kelly did some of the preshow interviews, Sharon was interviewed.. Kelly just did her set.. she did great!! Earlier Jack told her not to fall down the stairs.. LOL, she did fine.. They showed Ozzy.. by video from London.. Introduced him as "Ozzy Osbourne the <bleeped> Prince of Darkness!!" Ozzy didn't say much (one bleep) and intro'd Kelly. Sharon looked SO nervous when it started.. Jack jumped into an aisle and was taking digital videos or whatever the whole time.. At the end Sharon dashed backstage and gave Kelly a big hug. It really was funny when they'd show Sharon.. she looked like a mom holding her breath for her kid in the school talent show. Kelly has a nice low voice.. so nice not to hear a heavily produced "chipmunk" voice like Brittney Spears.. It really IS funny.. I felt "motherly" about Kelly too |
Seamonkey | Friday, June 07, 2002 - 01:38 pm     The Osbourne Family Album.. cd.. release date 6/11/2002 Reviews Barnes & Noble While its title might suggest an album by one of television's perennial favorite families -- the Partridges, that is -- this 13-song compilation isn't exactly an extension of the Osbournes' reality show. Yes, there are contributions from Papa Ozzy (including a pair of ballads, "Dreamer" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home") and daughter Kelly (her much-discussed take on Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach," on which she's backed by the guys in Incubus). But a good bit of this Family Album is actually devoted to tunes that the brood allegedly spins in its own listening hours -- a playlist diverse enough to include the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." The disc is rounded out by some rather interesting interpretations of tunes from the former Black Sabbath frontman's past, ranging from System of a Down's spasmodic version of "Snowblind" to crooner Pat Boone's Vegas-ized version of "Crazy Train," which even Lawrence Welk could love. Family-penned liner notes and short snippets of dialogue from the TV show bring the sass and color of your favorite Osbournes front and center, lending the album almost as much personality as Ozzy's brood. David Sprague Track List DISC 1 1. Dialogue 1 2. Crazy Train by Pat Boone 3. Dialogue 2 4. Dreamer by Ozzy Osbourne 5. Dialogue 3 6. Papa Don't Preach by Kelly Osbourne 7. Dialogue 4 8. You Really Got Me by Kinks 9. Dialogue 5 10. Snowblind by System of a Down 11. Dialogue 6 12. Imagine by John Lennon 13. Dialogue 7 14. Drive by Cars 15. Dialogue 8 16. Good Souls by Starsailor 17. Dialogue 9 18. Mirror Image by Dillusion 19. Dialogue 10 20. Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton 21. Dialogue 11 22. Mama, I'm Coming Home by Ozzy Osbourne 23. Dialogue 12 24. Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne 25. Dialogue 13 26. Family System by Chevelle 27. Dialogue 14 You can order the regular version, with the snippets from the show interspersed, or a "clean" version ====== And a sort of "review" in my paper, by Ben Wener. Actually it was a list of 10 songs he reviewed.. * "Pappa Don't Preach," Kelly Osbourne (2002) - The standout from "The Osbourne Family Album," due Tuesday, and the big surprise is that it's not bad at all. Silly, sure, but as novelties go it's far better than passable, and the turbocharged backing (reportedly by most of Incubus) races along with thrashy glee. Who knows how much work had to go into tweaking the production, but it seems Kelly, she of the amzing Technicolor hair, is a natural, as full-throated as ... oh, I don't know ... Lita Ford? Interesting, too, that she has leapt into the singing spotlight on the wings of her family's MTV juggernaut when her sister, Aimee, refused to participate in the series because she didn't want her fledgling career to be branded by nepotism. As if her name alone wouldn't have done that. Pat Boone's swingin' rendition of "Crazy Train" (the show's theme song) opens the set, while Ozzy's original closes it, assuming you click off before Chevelle's useless bonus bit. Ozzy's "Dreamer" is included as a tribute to its inspiration, John Lennon - and Lennon's "Imagine," sttangely Ozzy and Sharon's song from their dating days, also sneaks on, courtesy of Yoko's generosity. Also representative of their long love affair: Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," which the liner notes say Ozzy used to play when Sharon would ready herself for an evening out. Sharon adds that just a few months ago she heard this, which she considers the greatest love song ever written, for the first time in 20 years. Pardon my doubt, but I'd like to know how she's avoided it all this time. I sure haven't been able to. Other tunes: System of a Down redoing Sabbath's "Snowblind"; the Cars' "Drive," one of Aimee's childhood faves; the Kinks' "you Really Got Me," an early influence on the Ozzman; a live take on "Good Souls" from Starsailor, Kelly's pet band; "Mirror Image," from some hack-rock thing called dillusion that Jack is developing for epic Records; and Ozzy's "Mamma I'm Coming Home," written for Sharon. Buy the explicit edition for the unbleeped bits of dialogue between the songs, since you probably have most of the songs already. |
Seamonkey | Wednesday, June 12, 2002 - 12:14 am     MTV featured Kelly on Making the Video tonight and then premiered her video.. I was impressed. She's so confident, sassy, assertive.. and I love that she's not rail thin.. It turns out that they had asked Aimee to do a track on the Osbourne Family Album and she refused.. then it was Aimee who suggested that Kelly should do it and suggested Pappa Don't Preach for the song.. Sharon said that she was amazed, didn't realize Kelly could sing like that and Kelly had like a week to pull it together. Kelly was laughing cuz her mom was crying when they first started making the video, but says her dad has been wanting her to record/perform. Also they ran an ad for the cd .. ad is pretty funny. |
Seamonkey | Wednesday, June 12, 2002 - 03:57 pm     Well I ordered the cd.. I figure I've had SO much enjoyment from the show, I wanted to be supportive. |
Grooch | Thursday, June 13, 2002 - 07:41 am     From the NY Post BAD BREAK FOR KELLY: SHE'S OFF LENO By MICHAEL STARR June 11, 2002 -- KELLY Osbourne has bailed on her much-anticipated "Tonight Show" appearance this Friday - saying she'd broken her hand and was exhausted. "Kelly has been doing a lot of traveling the last few weeks and is absolutely exhausted," said Lisa Vega, Osbourne's publicist, by way of explanation. "Plus, she broke her hand falling down some stairs." Some people close to the TV family earlier said that the young Osbourne daughter canceled on the "Tonight Show" because she had to travel to England for MTV to publicize "The Osbournes" over there. "There had been some talk [of her going to England] but nothing was absolutely confirmed," Vega said. Osbourne was booked to sing her new single - a remake of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" - on Friday's "Tonight Show" as part of its "Lincoln Garage Concert" series. Kelly performed "Papa Don't Preach" - to mixed reviews - on MTV's movie awards show last week and has made video version of the song that has yet to air. The "Tonight Show" said in a press release that Osbourne "had a scheduling conflict." A show spokeswoman said Osbourne's appearance will be rescheduled for a later date. Kelly Osbourne, her brother Jack and parents Sharon and Ozzy have previously appeared on the "Tonight Show." During one of Ozzy and Sharon's visits last month, Ozzy uttered the f-word - which the show failed to bleep. Kelly Osbourne will be replaced this Friday by crooner Chris Isaak, who recently traveled abroad with "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno. |
__Tera | Saturday, June 22, 2002 - 03:43 pm     Funny Osbourne's interactive cartoon: http://www.mtv.co.uk/mtv.co.uk/en/dynamo/the_osbournes/microsite.htm |
Grooch | Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 12:21 pm     People: Ozzy Osbourne's wife undergoes cancer treatment LOS ANGELES - Sharon Osbourne, the wife and manager of rock star-turned-reality TV hero Ozzy Osbourne, has been diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer and will undergo surgery Wednesday, the couple's publicist said. A statement issued Tuesday said she was expected to make a full recovery. The type of cancer was not specified, and a spokeswoman was not immediately available. ``She has the loving support of her husband and three children who are by her side at this time,'' the statement said. Along with her family, the matronly Osbourne has become a pop culture sensation in recent months thanks to the smash MTV reality series ``The Osbournes,'' massive media coverage, and an avalanche of merchandising deals. The show follows the daily exploits of the foul-mouthed but loving clan: befuddled Ozzy, plain-spoken Sharon, and two of their children, rambunctious teenagers Jack and Kelly. Eldest child Aimee did not participate in the show's first season. Sharon Osbourne, the estranged daughter of veteran English showbiz promoter Don Arden, is credited with reviving her husband's career after he was fired from heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath in 1979. They were married in Maui in 1982. The union has been a seemingly happy one apart from a 1989 brawl where a drunken Ozzy tried to strangle Sharon and subsequently spent three months in rehab. In addition to managing her husband, the so-called ``Prince of Darkness,'' Sharon Osbourne oversees the hugely successful annual Ozzfest rock festival. The first two stops of this year's incarnation, July 6th in Bristow, VA. and July 7th in Pittsburgh, PA. have been postponed. Osbourne, who once matched her husband's drink-and-drugs excess, underwent a gastric bypass operation and lost 90 pounds. She reportedly had weighed as much as 224 pounds. |
Seamonkey | Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 01:58 pm     I saw this on a crawler on Fox news this morning.. I certainly hope she makes a swift and complete recovery. I wouldn't describe her as "matronly".. perhaps the matriarch of the clan.. |
Seamonkey | Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 08:22 pm     OZZY OSBOURNE NEWSLETTER - July 3, 2002 __________________________________________ Sharon Osbourne has been diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer. Mrs. Osbourne underwent surgery this afternoon and is expected to make a full recovery. She has the loving support of her husband and three children who are by her side at this time. As a result, the first two dates of Ozzfest 2002: July 6th in Bristow, VA and July 7th in Burgettstown, PA have been postponed. Details on the re-scheduling of these dates will follow shortly. Well-wishers may send their thoughts to Sharon via the Osbourne's P.O. Box: Ozzy Osbourne P.O. Box 5249 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 _________________________________________ http://www.ozzy.com http://www.ozzfest.com |
Seamonkey | Sunday, August 18, 2002 - 08:51 am     Well, I'm sure we all know that Sharon's started her chemotherapy, that Ozzy cancelled some tour spots to be with her, but fainted at her first chemo session, so Sharon sent him back out on tour Jack will be in the first episode of Dawson's Creek this season. And the Osbourne's have "adopted" one of Aimee and Kelly's friends Robert Mercato. Robert's mom, Regan, had the same type of cancer that Sharon is now battling and she recently died. After Regan died, the Osbournes moved Robert in with them as part of the family. The Osbournes paid for 'round-the-clock medical care for Regan Marcato during the final months of her illness. Robert was seen in some of last season's episodes. <and I pray that they don't adopt Dill> So, just an update.. |
Webkitty | Sunday, August 18, 2002 - 09:39 am     Thanks for the update Seamonkey (I'm not following you around the board, I swear!) I hope they don't adopt Dill either That guy is just yucky.. It seems the Osbourne family have caring hearts. I really think this is a genuine trait in them. I also think this is one of reasons why they are so popular, it comes through I hope Sharon will be ok! The little story about Ozzy fainting at her first chemo session and her sending him back out on tour is cute/funny and a little heartbreaking all at the same time. This is why I watch, they are real  |
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