Jimmy Osmond was the UK’s youngest number-one performer ever. You might think that fame, fortune, and millions of dollars followed that kind of success. And if the whole thing was happening today, there’s a chance that would have been the case. However, Jimmy didn’t see a red cent from the sales of that album. In case you didn’t know, show business is not fair. Not even to children, no matter how young or how talented.
He went further stating, “We sold 100 million records and the money we made on record sales is peanuts.” The money made, he said, was comparable to what you would make just selling merchandise now.
MJ and Donny at 17
The limelight gave The Osmonds several famous friends, the most famous of which is quite possibly Michael Jackson. Donny was good friends with Jackson and fondly reflects on the time they spent together.
The best memory he has of him was after the American Music Awards when Donny was 17 and little Michael was just 16 years old. Donny asked Michael Jackson if he was hungry, and obviously, the two teenage boys were in the mood for food. The two took Donny’s limo to get tacos and ate them hanging out of the sunroof whilst driving down Sunset Boulevard. What a sweet memory!
Changing the Lighting
Marie has her own set of requests and, well, demands when making TV appearances, but she doesn't want anything too crazy. It is not about blue M&Ms in her green room, ball-shaped water bottles, or rose quartz coffee machines. It has to do with the lighting, of all things.
Donny admitted that whenever the two do an interview, Marie asks for the lighting to be changed to make her look her best. While this might sound like borderline diva behavior, it is actually not a big deal. In fact, it is very common, and even down-to-earth stars make lighting demands.
Performance Fees
Luckily for Jimmy, he knew how to make money — $80 million. This fortune came from live appearances, movies, TV shows, and more. This money that the family members made has funded their ventures, fed their families, bought mansions and nice cars, and pretty much allowed them to live very comfortable lives.
It’s a shame that they barely made money from any of their record sales. It appears that having a talent for entertainment is not enough. Show business is, after all, a business. And one needs to know how to do business for this industry to be worth their while.
Diva Dressing Room
Marie has defied the pitfalls so many stars struggle with. One of them is becoming a diva. But, she did have a diva-like request (demand) before agreeing to perform at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. She wanted a larger dressing room.
However, the bigger dressing room was not for show or driven by some sort of ego. It was actually for the most wholesome reason you can imagine. She said the space was for all her kids to come to visit her. It is said that Marie constantly has 15 to 20 people in her dressing room along with her kids and dogs who occupy themselves by playing.