Who is Donny|Marie|theOsmonds

Biography - The Osmonds: Pure and Simple

Amazon Price: $1.99 (as of 02/17/2012)

Suffice it to say that the stories related in A&E's Osmonds: Pure and Simple are all but squeaky clean. There are no secret drug problems, no criminal activities, and no one-night-stands with groupies. In fact, there's nothing the least bit scandalous to be found in the entire 50-minute program (except perhaps, those horrendous '70s outfits). What there is, however, are tales of spirit, growth, and triumph, all of which occur while the spotlight shines on one of the most popular families in show biz. Four decades are covered, and the story begins, of course, with the marriage of the Osmond parents, who raised nine children in Salt Lake City's Mormon community. It was on a family trip to Yellowstone that the boys discovered their distinctive harmony and decided to form a quartet. Their parents opted not to pressure the boys into using their talents but allowed the group to make its own decisions--they decided to be entertainers. The program provides a well-written history of the group's rise from Disneyland Barbershop Quartet to their seven-year run on The Andy Williams Show in the mid-1960's, and through the pop chart successes that provided a launch pad for the solo careers of both Donny and Marie. It's probably obvious that there's a happy ending to the program, which is filled with interviews featuring every member of the joyful clan and provides a fairly broad overview of this show business force. There's also plenty of clips from The Donny and Marie Show (both the 1970s and 1990s versions), which allow us to revel in this nostalgia along with the family that created it.

Life is Just What You Make It: My Story So Far

by: Donny Osmond, Patricia Romanowski

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 02/17/2012)

"Change your name. Your name is poison," advised Michael Jackson when Donny Osmond was trying to forge an adult singing career in 1983. Osmond's name was not always a punch line. At the age of five, he joined his four older siblings as the pop group The Osmonds. Barely in his teens, Donny became a solo artist, cutting more than 20 gold records by the mid-'70s. From 1976 to 1979, he and his sister starred in the popular, campy TV variety series The Donny & Marie Show. But his toothy, wholesome image and his strict religious beliefs as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were at odds with the harder-edged rock of that era. This, and the fact that the Osmond entertainment empire was located in distant Utah, fostered the impression that he was a has-been by age 22. Osmond's emotionally raw and startlingly candid autobiography is a difficult tightrope act: a triumph-of-the-spirit tale that avoids homilies or bitterness. Taught to ignore his own feelings in favor of the interest of the family, Osmond was a child star under enormous pressure to be "perfect." His debilitating panic attacks (which plagued his five-year run in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and his efforts to find emotional peace through psychotherapy are recounted with bracing honesty, and he provides keen insights into the music business, especially the behind-the-scenes politics that govern radio airtime. By the end of his story (so far), Osmond's long-sought inner peace includes the understanding that he can't control how he is perceived by the public. Writing this book may have been the best form of therapy for Osmond, but it will prove a revelation to readers as well. © 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Behind the Smile: My Journey out of Postpartum Depression

by: Marie Osmond, Marcia Wilkie, Judith Moore

Amazon Price: $10.98 (as of 02/17/2012)

While the famous Osmond smile beamed for the camera, no one, not even Marie, fully realized the emptiness that loomed behind the smile. Marie is not alone; more than one out of ten new mothers experiences post-partum de-pression (PPD) after childbirth. The mother of seven, Marie became increasingly depressed after the birth of her youngest child. One night, she got in her car, leaving her family and husband, and drove north-with no intention of returning until she felt she had resolved this crisis. After she went public with her own experiences with PPD on Oprah and Larry King Live, the response was overwhelming. Now, Marie shares the fear and darkness of the depression she overcame, and with the doctor who helped her through her ordeal, offers the methods she learned for treating PPD.

Might As Well Laugh About It Now

by: Marie Osmond, Marcia Wilkie

Amazon Price: $2.41 (as of 02/17/2012)

When the Donny and Marie show ended its award-winning run on ABC in 1979, 19-year-old Marie was ready to leave the stage lights for a secretary's life-she had prepared to say "goodbye" to fleeting fame by studying shorthand and typing! Clearly, life took a different turn. Now, decades later and still a beloved superstar, Marie opens the door to her thoughts on many of her milestones and missteps, both the public and the personal. In a life brimming with a mixture of charm and chaos, blessings and hilarious bungles, victory and vulnerability, Marie recounts for her "family of fans" her greatest successes as well as her most crushing disappointments, career pressures and expectations, marriage and divorce, depression, weight issues, tough choices, honors and awards, and the incredible joys and challenges of raising children. Through it all, Marie has bounced back time and again with unstoppable enthusiasm, resilience, and an unbeatably healthy and positive outlook on life. In Might as Well Laugh About It Now, she imparts her insights on surviving all of life's roadblocks and detours in a collection of friendly musings and heartening advice about learning to survive- and moving forward-with humor and optimism.