One of the most anticipated new daytime talk shows of the year is "Donny & Marie," the reteaming of the Osmond siblings. And there probably isn't anyplace in America where their new series is a bigger deal than right here in Utah.
"And probably not another market with a bigger magnifying glass," Donny Osmond said with a laugh.But these two veteran performers aren't intimated by the challenge of moving into a venue where they'll be competing against the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O'Donnell, not to mention Jenny Jones and Jerry Springer. To all appearances, they're having a great time as they get ready for the Monday launch of the all-new "Donny & Marie."
(It will air weekdays at 11 a.m. on Ch. 13.)
"When I started `Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolor Dream-coat') my director gave me some great advice and turned my whole philosophy around in the way I entertain and present myself on stage," Donny said. "Growing up, I was taught you turn the key on, you go out there and entertain. It's your job to entertain the audience. And I've got to make you smile and clap.
"And he said, `It's completely different. You go out there and you have fun in your little world, and they just happen to be there looking into your world.' So you take that philosophy and you just do your show the best way you can - and not worry that Salt Lake is going to have a magnifying glass on us. I just think we go out there and have a good time and be ourselves."
And, while Marie loves nothing better than to poke fun at her brother on the air, she's in complete agreement on this point.
"My philosophy always is that if you try to please everyone you please no one," Marie said. "So you might as well please yourself. . . . You enjoy the ride. Too many people don't enjoy the ride.
"And I'm at the point in my life that I want to enjoy what I do. I do this because it's fun."
Fans tuning in expecting to see something like the old "Donny & Marie" variety show that aired from 1976-79 are going to be surprised, however. Clips from practice programs show a pair of funny,glib, witty people enjoying both each other and their guests.
"It's all about having fun with your guests because you want them to come back," Donny said. "You want them to have a great time. Because if you're having a good time, the audience is going to have a great time, and they're going to come back the next day."
"We've sat in that other seat," Marie said. "We know what (the guests) feel like."
And, she added, their focus is on "making this a fun hour that people can sit down, laugh, get serious, enjoy, learn, experience."
Lots of people who've seen that presentation tape have been surprised - from station executives to TV critics.
"People say, `Oh, Donny and Marie. We know that show. We saw that show.' They have no idea where we are now," Marie said.
"I also don't think people want to see you get older because in some way it validates the fact that they're getting older," she added with a laugh.
The new "Donny & Marie" is considerably more sophisticated than the old "Donny & Marie."
"It's not going to be some happy-talk, sugary thing," said executive producer Marilyn Wilson. "It will have more depth than that."
Well, perhaps not too much depth. The focus is on entertainment, albeit considerably less juvenile than the old variety show.
"We're a different Donny and Marie," Marie said. "You cannot not change in 20 years. But certain things never change - love, talent, respect. . . . It's a comfortable relationship. Moreso than, maybe, a married couple of two co-hosts.
"The relationship we have is much more of respect, I think, because we have our own respective lives and our familes. And that will bring an interesting twist on our relationship and the show."
Marie, her husband and their six children (three boys, three girls) will be living in Southern California. Donny will commute between the Utah home he shares with his wife and four of their five boys. (The oldest will be on an LDS mis-sion.)
And you can be certain their families will be a topic of conversation from time to time.
"We're going to be talking about Cody every day," Donny deadpanned (a reference to Kathie Lee Gif-ford). "No, children are a big part of our lives. But I don't think we'll talk about them every day."
"He's lying. He's going to talk about them every day," Marie joked.
"People might be interested in our families. . . . But we're not going to use our show as a platform to talk about our children," Donny said.
"Oh, he's lying again," Marie said, breaking into laughter.
"I am not!" Donny exclaimed.
Another thing you can be sure to see is a certain self-deprecation - not to mention a good deal of kidding between the brother and sister.
"You have to laugh at youself," Marie said. "That's part of life. We have very long careers, so that's part of the fun we have with that, too."
"That's something I learned a number of years ago - to laugh at yourself," said Donny - who none-the-less still responds with, "Ouch!" when someone refers to him as a "former teen idol."
"I went through a period of time when I really tried to change my image," he said. "Yes, I wore purple socks. Yes, I sang `Puppy Love' and all that kind of stuff, and it was great for the time. So this show is kind of timely because Marie and I have basically come of age to where it's OK for us to acknowledge all that stuff."
(He turned 40 earlier this year; she'll turn 39 next month.)
But how much they're going to be singing remains a rather closely guarded secret - not to mention the topic of ongoing discussions within the production staff. Ratings of other talk shows indicate viewers tend to switch channels during musical numbers.
"I think you have to be very careful how you produce music in daytime and sometimes in late-night," said Wilson. "The click factor is very strong when people are watching musical performances. . . . No, we're not going to eliminate music. Yes, we are going to have it. But we're going to try to find new ways to produce music for daytime talk."
Still, the ever-enthusiastic Osmonds seem especially enthusiastic about their latest foray into television. And neither of them seem at all surprised that it's happening.
Marie called her reteaming with Donny "inevitable." But they certainly didn't jump at the first chance.
"It was talked about ever since the old `Donny & Marie' show," Donny said. "People were sending ideas, whether they were specials or different series."
"I had been approached on five different occasions to do talk shows over the last 20 years," Marie said
"I was even auditioning other co-hosts about four years ago," Donny said.
"Really? I didn't know that," Marie said.
(Would you believe Moon Zappa was one of his potential co-hosts back then?)
But neither Osmond was ready for the reunion - until now.
"It just didn't feel right to us because we both wanted to pursue our own careers, which is what we've done," Donny said. "And it just feels right to come back together now."
"It's a great time," Marie concurred, "because we don't have to get back together. We're doing it because we want to. We're doing it because it feels like a good time in our lives to be doing something like this."