10 Questions with ... Donny Osmond

Contact:

CONTACT: Mike McVay - McVay Syndication - 440-933-0440 or McVayMedia@aol.com

Affiliate Contact Maureen Lesourd Maureen.lesourd@citcomm.com 972-448-3369

1) Congratulations on recently being crowned the recent Champion on "Dancing With The Stars." Tell us a little bit about this journey and the challenges you faced each day. Now that you're on top, what are your career plans for the future?

"Dancing On The Stars" was a great challenge, but we really had a lot of fun. When I jump into something I really commit myself 100%.

Regarding my plans for the future, "The Donny & Marie Show" at The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas will continue through 2012, but my main focus at this time is on my new syndicated radio show.

2) The Donny Osmond Show will be launched through McVay Syndication for Citadel Media with 60 affiliates on January 18th. Tell us about this new syndicated radio program?

I have wanted to do something like this for a long time. Radio has been a big part of my life since the Osmonds released "One Bad Apple" in the 70's.

The show will target Mainstream AC and Classic Hits radio. We will also be able to customize the show for various formats.

3) What can we expect to hear on a typical day on your radio show?

We want to create an atmosphere that gets you through the day. Even though being a celebrity keeps me busy with my career, I'm also a father and a husband. I believe there will be a lot of interesting stories to share with our audience. The attraction is that our show will be based on real life experiences. We want to let people see behind the curtains.

We also want to make sure all of the stations running the show have what they need. We want to customize local promotions, and do tie-ins so that all stations have that local touch.

4) You began your career in the music business at a very young age. How do you balance all the demands of your career and still try to lead a normal life?

There's a running joke with my neighbors. One day I'm performing for an audience of 35 million on "Dancing With The Stars," or performing for the Queen of England. The next day I'll be out mowing my lawn. Yes, I have had many celebrity experiences, but I'm looking forward to translating those experiences to the AC audience in a real and relative way. We are bringing some great stories together and I'm looking forward to an interesting show with several anecdotes.

5) How did you feel the first time you heard your music on the radio?

It was the same thrill just like the last time I heard it!

It's always been a thrill to hear my music on the radio whether it was the first time I heard "One Bad Apple" in the 70's, or during my comeback in the 80's. One time, I cranked the radio up and someone asked, "Haven't you heard yourself on the radio before?" Yes of course, but hearing the on-air processing, the pre-announce, and back-sell is just a thrill! I've really learned to appreciate the power of radio.

6) Most people know you from your music and television career. But you also had a role as an actor in the Canadian production of "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." How did this role come about?

My father used to say, "Prepare yourself and the opportunity will come." So I decided to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles. One day out of blue, I got a call from my agent and he said he wanted to set up the audition.

So after class I stopped by the Tower Records store on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and I bought the soundtrack so I could learn the songs. I had planned to memorize the lyrics on the plane on the way to the audition, but I fell asleep and I wasn't prepared.

When I got to the audition, it was like something out of the movies. I stepped on stage in this very dark room and I heard a voice say, "Sing us a song kid." I ended up reading the lyrics right off the album cover.

But I got the job right on the spot! It was such an honor when Andrew Lloyd Webber told me he wanted me to be the one to immortalize this show on film. I had no idea that "Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat" would be such a big part of career. I recently met a woman at one of my book signings that said her four-year old son was my biggest fan and that he had collected everything he could find related to the show.

7) You and your sister Marie are currently performing a variety show in Las Vegas. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

Marie and I have wanted to do something together for years, and we were very excited when this opportunity came up. This has proved to be an amazing gig for us. We just wrapped up one-year anniversary!

Performing at the Flamingo reminded us of the good old days of Las Vegas. We fell in love with the room, and we had a lot of fun putting the show together. We recently signed a deal to extend the show until 2012.

Marie and I have one segment in our show with three huge screens behind us that highlight all of the artists that we've worked with over the years including Paul McCartney, Britney Spears, Boy George, Groucho and others. It's a lot of fun to see all the diversity of the talented people we have worked with.

8) What's been the most significant change in the business since you began your career?

It seems that today it's all about the song instead of the artist. These days its' all about marketing and image. Today's audience gets tired of an artist quickly when they are overexposed.

Sometimes we lose sight of the song when we focus too much on the production and marketing. We've all become very cynical about artists instead of enjoying the music. It's great to go back to some of the great songwriters like The Beatles or James Taylor and listen to that great music.

9) Who is the most memorable artist you ever met?

The most memorable artist I ever met was Paul McCartney. I was staying at a hotel in Paris and one day there was a knock on my door. When I opened the door, I saw Paul McCartney and he wanted an autograph for his daughter Ann.

Years later I was doing a recording session and Paul was working in the studio next door. I stopped by and asked him if that had really happened, or if I was just dreaming. Paul said it was one of the few autographs he'd ever asked for.

Another memorable moment was a conversation that I had with Ozzy Osbourne back stage on "Dancing With The Stars" when his daughter Kelly was performing. It was like an out of body experience! During Kelly's performance Ozzy was nearly in tears. I commented, "Even the Prince of Darkness is in heaven right now."

10) Did you have a friendship with Michael Jackson?

Michael and I were very good friends. It is still difficult for me to talk about it now. After Michael died, I received a call from The Larry King Show requesting an interview, but I decided to decline. It is still difficult to discuss.

There was a special bond between the Jackson and the Osmond families. Michael and I had a very good relationship and we would often talk on the phone about the similarities between our two families. There were nine children in each of our families. Michael and I were both the seventh child, and our mothers had the same birthday. Michael's mom played clarinet, and my mom played sax. We also talked a lot about our sisters as they developed their careers.

Michael and I discussed collaborating at one point. We wanted to do our own version of Stevie Wonder's song "I Wish," but unfortunately that never happened.

We lost a genius. That genius is now being realized. Michael was a very good friend, and he was a kind, caring, and loving person. He will be missed.

1) You have performed or recorded with a very wide range of other musicians ranging from Peter Gabriel, Dweezil Zappa, Jeff Beck, Gary Barlow of Take That, Luis Cardenas, and others. Who were some of your musical influences?

I like a wide range of music from Pop, to Rhythmic, to Country. One of my biggest influences in the 70's was Stevie Wonder. On the other end of the spectrum, Metallica is also one of my favorite groups.

My kids recently got the new Beatles X-Box for Christmas and I've been enjoying going back and listening to all those great melodies. They just wrote great songs!

2) Who are some of the artists we might find on your iPod?

I really like to listen to all types of music. Some of the new artists that I like listening to range from Muse, Maroon 5, and John Mayer, to Beyonce and Rihanna. On the Country side, I like Faith Hill and Alan Jackson. Marie and I do a version of Alan Jackson's song "Remember When" in our Las Vegas show.