12/01/01
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne (L) poses with an unidentified fan during an in store appearance to mark the release of her new CD, 'Shut Up!,' at Tower Records in Los Angeles
November 30, 2002. The second season opener of MTV's hit reality series 'The Osbourne's,' which features Kelly, her brother Jack and their parents Ozzy and Sharon,
drew an average of 6.6 million viewers, making it the most watched cable TV program of the night, the network said November 26.
Photo by Jim Ruymen
11/29/02
Renewing Wedding Vows
Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne plan to make New Year's Eve a quiet night — with about 600 of their closest friends.
The couple is renewing their wedding vows in Beverly Hills, Calif., in honor of their 20th anniversary. They got married July 4, 1982, but delayed the celebration because of Sharon's battle with colon cancer.
"We'll write our own vows and have our marriage blessed again," the 50-year-old Osbourne family matriarch says in the Dec. 9 issue of People magazine. "It will be one New Year's we'll never forget."
Sharon has brought MTV's cameras along for chemotherapy sessions during the second season of "The Osbournes," which began this week. Her cancer is no longer detectable in blood tests,
and the chemotherapy, which had been scheduled until April, will end in February.
"It's getting easier not to allow dark thoughts to enter my mind," heavy-metal-singer Ozzy tells the magazine.
Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne
11/28/02
Return to TV - Most-Watched Show On Cable
'The Osbournes'
The Osbournes are back and America remains fascinated with its first family of dysfunction.
Tuesday's second season opener of MTV's hit reality series, which featured legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon at a White House dinner, drew an average of 6.6 million
viewers, making it the most-watched cable TV program of the night, the network said on Wednesday.
The episode, which also featured daughter Kelly singing the Madonna classic "Papa Don't Preach" at the June MTV Movie Awards, was hotly anticipated in part because the first season
of the series had brought the family cult celebrity status.
In between seasons, Sharon Osbourne was diagnosed with cancer. She later said in a television interview she regretted doing the series.
The reality show has spawned something of an Osbourne industry, including rumors of a talk show deal for Sharon, a DVD edition of the first season and even a line of miniature cars
modeled on those featured in the show.
MTV, which was quick to do a two-year, 20-episode deal with the family after the series took off, said Tuesday night's show was the highest-rated and most-watched program of the fourth
quarter on basic, advertising-supported cable.
Though year-over-year comparisons are difficult, since the hype around the show grew as its first season ran, the network said the second-season premiere was up 84 percent among audiences
ages 12 to 34 compared to the series premiere.
At its peak in May, the show was drawing close to 8 million viewers, on average, making it the highest-rated program on cable and a smash hit for the music and entertainment network.
MTV is a unit of MTV Networks, which is a division of Viacom Inc.
'The Osbournes'
11/27/02
Kelly & Jack Osbourne
Just as the much-anticipated second season of "The Osbournes" got underway last night, Kelly and Jack Osbourne say MTV staged several scenes of last season's hit reality show.
On yesterday's "Good Morning America," they mentioned two incidents as having been created for dramatic and comedic effect.
"The most fake thing about that show was that family meeting, because that was an MTV idea," Kelly said, alluding to a pivotal scene in which Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon sat down for a frank chat with their kids - with Jack ultimately storming out of the room.
"Yeah, the dog and the dog therapist, that was an MTV thing," Jack added.
In one of last season's more memorable episodes, Sharon called in a doggie shrink to deal with her brood of unruly pooches, who were pooping in the family's new Beverly Hills mansion.
"I put that, in my contract, I would not do anything like that f****** dog therapist," Kelly added. "Move on. It's retarded."
The claims that reality was enhanced by MTV was bound to raise the level of controversy surrounding the show - and it did.
Ozzy Osbourne's publicist told ABC: "Nothing is ever scripted or planned on 'The Osbournes.' Ozzy and Sharon would not have done it unless it were all real."
In other words, the kids' own father is apparently contradicting what they say.
And MTV wasn't pleased either by the revelations.
"You could not stage anything with that family," an MTV spokesman told The Post. "And that is the beauty of the show."
Kelly & Jack Osbourne
11/25/02
The Osbournes
The Osbourne family, from left, are Ozzy, his wife Sharon, daughter Kelly, and son, Jack (in headband) shown in this 2002 publicity photo for their MTV reality series, 'The Osbournes.' Above them at left on the stairway at their home in Los Angeles sits Robert Marcato, a family friend whose mother died of the same kind of cancer afflicting Sharon. `The Osbournes'' truly becomes a reality show this season, as Ozzy and the kids cope with matriarch Sharon Osbourne's colon cancer. Yet as the second seasonbegins Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002, MTV also is trying to maintain the wackiness and unpredictablility that made the show the network's biggest hit.
11/25/02
Second Season Starts Tonight
'The Osbournes'
"The Osbournes" becomes a reality show in the bleakest sense this season, as Ozzy and the kids cope with matriarch Sharon Osbourne's colon cancer.
Yet as the second batch of episodes begins Tuesday, MTV also is trying to maintain the wackiness that made the series the network's biggest hit.
The heavy-metal rocker, his wife and two of their three children are very different people than they were when they opened their home to us a year ago — and opened the floodgates to a slew of copycats.
They still spew plenty of profanities for the censors to bleep out. And Ozzy still shuffles around the house rambling incoherently about that tricky remote control.
But the Osbournes are no longer just a cuddly dysfunctional family: They're a multimedia empire, with everything from books to bobblehead dolls.
The change is obvious in the first episode, which airs at 10:30 p.m. EST.
Ozzy and Sharon fly to Washington for the annual White House Correspondents' dinner, where they're the guests of Fox News Channel's Greta van Susteren. (Ozzy even gets a shout-out from President Bush.)
Back home, 17-year-old son Jack turns the hose on fans who lurk on the Osbournes' front lawn, longing for a peek at the now-famous family and their ever-growing menagerie of dogs and cats.
And daughter Kelly, 18, rehearses for the MTV Movie Awards, where she'll perform her cover of Madonna (news - web sites)'s "Papa Don't Preach," the first single off her new album, which also comes out Tuesday.
"Things are kind of like so good right now," Sharon says as the episode ends, adding prophetically: "Everything is really great for us, that I think something's going to come and like, you know, knock us on the chin."
That something comes at the start of episode two: Sharon's diagnosis of colon cancer.
The 50-year-old is characteristically practical in discussing the disease, and even invites MTV's cameras along for her first chemotherapy treatment. But the show's tone — and the rest of the family — change irrevocably.
Ozzy alternates between boozing heavily and practicing yoga backstage during the Ozzfest tour, which Sharon invented. After a series of phone calls, he eventually collapses emotionally.
"I'm worried about him," Sharon says. "I don't know how he's going to last."
Ozzy admits, "My heart was breaking every night on stage."
But then the action goes back to Jack, surfing in Malibu with guys from the rock band Incubus and fracturing his elbow when he tries to show off by leaping from a pier.
The juxtaposition may seem awkward, but the show's producers have little choice but to document everything that happens in these people's lives if they're going to create authentic reality television.
"The heart and soul will continue to be this extraordinary family set in ordinary situations," said Lois Curren, MTV executive vice president of series and movie development, who helped plan "The Osbournes" from the beginning.
"It's all about their incredible love and respect for each other and protection for each other, and also the fact that they deal with situations so bravely and yet so magnificently absurdly," Curren said. "It's still a comedy."
Twenty episodes are planned for the second season, which is still being shot. Ten will air now, with the other 10 scheduled for 2003.
Despite the Osbournes' ubiquity, the world won't grow tired of them, says University of Florida professor James B. Twitchell, whose books on modern pop phenomena include "Carnival Culture." He admits he's as "addicted as anyone."
"This is not normal shame TV," he said. "Most of the modern reality TV is watching people do things that are shameful. This isn't. This is not a dysfunctional family. ... This is a family that has had to make its own way."
Twitchell compared "The Osbournes" to "An American Family," the 1973 PBS series that chronicled the daily activities of the Loud family.
"People kept saying, 'Well, we're going to get enough of this.' Some people like myself never got enough.
"There's a lot more to go because there's a lot more in this family," he said of the Osbournes. "We're getting an incredible dose of them but they're as interesting in the 15th episode as they are in the first."
'The Osbournes'
The Osbournes Web site
11/22/02
Jack Osbourne
Jack Osbourne seems to fraternize only with other rock star offspring. Ozzy's teenage son recently gawked at topless models sporting the Rolling Stones' lingerie line with
Keith Richards' daughters Theodora and Alexandra, Lizzy Jagger, Ron Wood's daughter Leah, Roy Orbison's son Alex and Rod Stewart's daughter Kimberly. Last night Osbourne
hosted a party in the Hollywood Hills hyping the Sims Online video game with Orbison, Bijou Phillips (daughter of John Phillips) and Nicole Richie (daughter of Lionel Richie).
Jack Osbourne
11/19/02
American Music Awards
Nominations
R&B newcomer Ashanti, whose singles "Foolish" and "Happy" transformed the 22-year-old singer into a soul sensation this year, received a leading five American Music Award nominations Tuesday.
Rap stars Eminem and Nelly, whose respective albums "The Eminem Show" and "Nellyville" competed throughout the summer for the top spot on the sales charts, had four nominations each,
including favorite album and male artist in both the pop and hip-hop categories.
The 20 awards will be presented during a three-hour special on ABC Jan. 13 during a ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The Osbourne family - rock-star dad Ozzy, wife Sharon, and kids Kelly and Jack - plan to step aside from their hit MTV reality show for a night to host the event.
Nominees:
POP/ROCK:
- Male Artist: Eminem, Enrique Iglesias, Nelly.
- Female Artist: Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, Pink.
- Band, Duo or Group: Creed, Linkin Park, Nickelback.
- Album: "Ashanti," Ashanti; "The Eminem Show," Eminem; "Nellyville," Nelly; "M!ssundaztood," Pink.
- New Artist: Ashanti, Kelly Clarkson, Puddle Of Mudd.
HIP-HOP/R&B:
- Male Artist: Eminem, Ja Rule, Nelly.
- Female Artist: Ashanti, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez.
- Band, Duo or Group: B2K, Nappy Roots, Outkast.
- Album: "Ashanti," Ashanti; "The Eminem Show," Eminem; "Word Of Mouf," Ludacris; "Nellyville," Nelly.
- New Artist: Ashanti, B2K, Nappy Roots.
COUNTRY:
- Male Artist: Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw.
- Female Artist: Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, Lee Ann Womack.
- Band, Duo or Group: Brooks & Dunn, Dixie Chicks, Lonestar.
- Album: "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," Kenny Chesney; "Home," Dixie Chicks; "Drive," Alan Jackson; "Unleashed," Toby Keith.
- New Artist: Kellie Coffey, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Tommy Shane Steiner.
ADULT CONTEMPORARY:
- Artist: Vanessa Carlton, Celine Dion, Five For Fighting.
LATIN MUSIC:
- Artist: Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira.
ALTERNATIVE MUSIC:
- Artist: Creed, Linkin Park, System of a Down.
CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL:
- Artist: Avalon, Jars Of Clay, P.O.D.
SOUNDTRACK:
"Lilo & Stitch," "The Scorpion King," "Spider-Man"
American Music Awards Nominations
11/07/02
Sharon Osbourne
Report: Sharon Osbourne signs TV talk show deal
Sharon Osbourne may regret her hit MTV series but she's still fond of television, reportedly signing up as host of a syndicated talk show.
The wife of rock star Ozzy Osbourne has reached a deal with Telepictures Productions for the show beginning in fall 2003, Electronic Media online reported Thursday.
A spokesman for Telepictures said the company doesn't comment on projects in development. Terms of the deal were unavailable, Electronic Media said.
Osbourne, in an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters that aired this week, said she wouldn't invite MTV's cameras into her home for "The Osbournes" if she had it to do over again.
Although she told Walters she wanted to call it quits after the upcoming 10-episode second season, she later issued a statement saying she would fulfill the contract with MTV that calls for 20 episodes total. The series returns Nov. 26.
Osbourne, who is fighting colon cancer, also told ABC the show has changed her family "so much," adding that her teenage children now have lawyers and business managers.
Sharon Osbourne
11/04/02
Sharon, Ozzy & Barbara
Television newswoman Barbara Walters(R) poses with Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in this undated publicity photograph. Sharon Osbourne, matriarch of MTV's first family, reportedly told Walters that the constant presence of cameras in their home is getting to her and she wants to call it quits at the end of the upcoming season. In the interview, set to air on ABC November 6, 2002, the wife and manager of British rocker Ozzy Osbourne also said she regrets putting her family on television in the first place.
11/04/02
Sharon Osbourne
If she had to do it over again, Sharon Osbourne says she wouldn't have invited MTV's cameras into her home.
The cancer-stricken matriarch of television's favorite dysfunctional family told ABC's Barbara Walters that she's calling it quits after an upcoming, 10-episode season is through.
"This is definitely the last year," Osbourne said in an interview that will be broadcast on "20/20" Wednesday. "We can't do it anymore."
MTV's second season of "The Osbournes" begins Nov. 26. The first set of episodes drew record ratings for the network this spring and made aging heavy-metal star
Ozzy Osbourne and his family household names.
Sharon Osbourne, who is fighting colon cancer, said the show has "changed us all so much." Her teenage children now have lawyers and business managers, she said.
"Because it's a moment in time, when we were innocent to it all, we went in feet first and you can't recreate that," she said. "Yes, now, this series, people will see what
the first series has done to our lives and it will take people to the next stage. But after that, it's over."
There was no immediate comment from MTV, which was airing a special, "Catching Up with the Osbournes," on Monday.
The family hasn't exactly shunned the spotlight. ABC said Monday that Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne will be hosts of the American Music Awards on Jan. 13.
Daughter Kelly has recorded her own CD that's due out soon.
Sharon said Ozzy has begun drinking again in response to her cancer.
"We agreed to do the show and so the cameras are here all the time," she said. "So it's a little bit invasive right now and we have no privacy. You know when you're sick,
you want to be on your own? I can't throw up on my own and Ozzy can't get drunk on his own."
Two of the Osbourne children, Kelly and Jack, participate in the series. An older daughter, Aimee, did not. She told Walters that she worries about what will happen
to her father if anything should happen to Sharon.
"I don't think he even wants to know what life will be like without her," Aimee Osbourne said. "And I don't think he would last more than a year without her."
Sharon Osbourne
11/04/02
American Music Awards
'The Osbournes'
The censors may have to stay on their toes when Ozzy Osbourne and his family host the 30th annual American Music Awards.
The three-hour special is scheduled to air live on ABC, starting at 8 p.m. EST Jan. 13.
"I can't wait to see what Ozzy and the rest of the family have in store for us, and I know the ABC-TV censor is already having dreams, or should I say nightmares, about
their live ad-libs," executive producer Dick Clark said Monday.
The heavy-metal icon, his wife, Sharon, and two of their three children are notorious for their profanity-laced misadventures on the reality show "The Osbournes." The second season of the MTV series begins Nov. 26.
The American Music Awards are given based on votes from the public in 21 categories, including favorite male and female artist, favorite soundtrack and Internet artist of the year.
'The Osbournes'
10/30/02
Returning 26 November
'The Osbournes'
They've met the Queen of England and resident Bush. They've won their first Emmy Award, battled cancer, taken in another teenager and more dogs. Now television's wildest family is ready again for prime time.
British rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his raucous, foul-mouthed clan will return to the tube on Nov. 26, kicking off a second season of MTV's highest-rated show, the Viacom Inc.-owned cable music network said on Tuesday.
The future of "The Osbournes," which became an overnight media sensation last season, was thrown into doubt after Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, was diagnosed with colon cancer over the summer.
But the family decided to pick up where they left off last spring with 10 new episodes chronicling their lives in Beverly Hills as they simultaneously adjust to heightened fame and Sharon Osbourne's illness.
"We are excited to invite the world into our home for another dose of Osbourne insanity," Sharon Osbourne said in a statement issued by MTV. "This season the show takes on a whole new meaning as we share the highs and lows of the last six months with our viewers. With the Osbournes, you never know what you're gonna get."
The first season followed the daily exploits of the 53-year-old heavy metal legend in his off-stage role as a befuddled father puttering around his house, forever cleaning up after his incontinent dogs, taking orders from his wife, and sparring with their teenage children, Kelly and Jack.
The bleep-filled series became MTV's biggest hit, earned an Emmy as television's best "reality" series and turned the family into instant pop culture figures.
Ozzy-mania even extended to Buckingham Palace, where rock's heavily tattooed "Prince of Darkness" was introduced to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month at the Golden Jubilee pop concert in her honor.
This season, the show will feature a new member of the clan, 18-year-old Robert Marcato, a family friend whose mother recently died of cancer and has moved in with the Osbournes. They are in the process of legally adopting him.
Melinda the nanny also will return, along with an ever-expanding collection of dogs and cats and various other characters who drift in and out of the Osbourne household.
The show also will incorporate scenes from Ozzy's touring schedule over the summer, a trip to Washington last May to dine with the president, and Kelly's bid to launch a recording career as a singer.
'The Osbournes'
10/26/02
Require Confidentiality Agreements
The Osbournes
Everyone working on Sharon Osbourne's birthday party on New Year's Eve at the Beverly Hills Hotel - where Sharon and Ozzy will also celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary
by renewing their vows - has been forced to sign a confidentiality agreement. New York magazine reports the two-plus-page document forbids talking about the family in any
way that "may harm, disparage, demean, or reflect negatively or poorly upon or cause injury to the reputation, character or career of any of the Osbourne parties."
The Osbournes
10/23/02
Could Return in November
'The Osbournes'
The Ozzy Osbourne clan could return to MTV as early as November with the second season of their hit reality show.
"The Osbournes" chronicles the lives of the heavy metal legend, his feisty wife, Sharon, and two of their teenage children — daughter Kelly, and son Jack.
MTV President Brian Graden says "all systems are go" for the show. However, the network may still decide to postpone the show, possibly to January, MTV spokeswoman Vanessa Reyes said.
The series became MTV's biggest hit ever last year, showcasing the offbeat antics of the family as Ozzy, a former drug abuser and self-proclaimed "Prince of (bleeping) Darkness," and his wife,
who's also his longtime manager, dealt with the complexities of parenthood.
Details on the upcoming shows were not released and the debut date was not specified Tuesday.
The season is expected to feature Sharon Osbourne's battle against cancer as she undergoes chemotherapy sessions. She was diagnosed with colorectal cancer July 1, after her husband urged
her to see a doctor for a long overdue checkup. Two days later, she had surgery; one of two lymph nodes that were removed tested positive for cancerous cells, indicating the disease had spread.
Meanwhile, Kelly Osbourne has tried to launch her own musical career this summer with her cover of the Madonna single "Papa Don't Preach." Jack Osbourne has made cameo appearances on
TV shows including "Dawson's Creek."
The family also has taken in a teenage friend of the family, Robert Marcato, whose mother died of the same type of cancer afflicting Sharon.
'The Osbournes'
"The Osbournes" Web site
10/22/02
Jack Osbourne
Jack Osbourne arrives for the premiere of the film 'Jackass: The Movie,' Monday, Oct. 21, 2002, in Los Angeles.
Photo by Rene Macura
10/21/02
Freaked Out Meeting Queen Elizabeth
Ozzy Osbourne
Rock's Wild Man Ozzy Osbourne freaked out when he met Queen Elizabeth and can't remember a word she said to him.
Osbourne, whose outrageous stunts have ranged from biting the head off a bat to urinating on the Alamo while dressed as a woman, was introduced to Queen Elizabeth at this year's
Golden Jubilee pop concert at Buckingham Palace.
He confessed to Britain's Radio Times: "I freaked out. I assumed I was the in-house joke. The queen spoke to me but I haven't a clue what she said. Look at photographs -- I'm in shock."
Of his nervous disposition he said: "I hyperventilate opening a box of chocolates. I'm the most nervous guy in the world, a frightened little man on red alert from when
I wake until I go to sleep. I was born with fear."
And the star of the expletive-filled MTV reality show about his zany family is fully aware how fleeting fame can be.
"I'm flavor of the month, hottest ticket in town, but eventually we'll be yesterday's news. Then I'll have serenity again," he said.
Ozzy Osbourne
10/11/02
Pat Boone Remembers
Ozzy's Neighbor
According to the Osbournes, Pat Boone is the best neighbor one could ever have.
Boone believes they feel that way about him because "I've visited with Ozzy and Sharon, and nights when they had loud music playing, they never heard any complaints from me."
He says as a fellow musician, he "expected to hear loud music coming from Ozzy's house. It wasn't him as much as it were his kids that were playing (loud) music, anyway."
Speaking of music, Boone says he was surprised to hear his rendition of "Crazy Train" used as their show's theme song. The singer says he's seen nearly every episode of "The Osbournes."
In recalling his three years as their neighbor, he said "his fondest memory ... was riding bikes with Sharon through Beverly Hills on the sidewalks, and she's towing Ozzy behind her in
a wagon because (of his) balance problem."
Boone has a new album of patriotic songs, called "American Glory."
Ozzy's Neighbor
10/10/02
'37th Most Powerful'
The Osbournes
Ozzy Osbourne, dapper in a pinstriped suit, stares from the cover of Entertainment Weekly's annual list of the 100 most powerful people in entertainment, which he and his wife, Sharon, made for the first time.
But others wield more clout.
For the first time in 13 years, the magazine split its annual list in two, with separate lists for stars and power brokers. Actor Tom Hanks topped one; the HBO executive team of Jeff Bewkes and Chris Albrecht led the other.
Bewkes, who was recently promoted to a bigger job at HBO parent AOL Time Warner, and Albrecht were credited for establishing critical and popular successes like "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City."
Rounding out the moguls' top five are John Calley & Amy Pascal, heads of the allied Sony and Columbia film studios; CBS president Leslie Moonves; Kaz Hirai, head of Sony's U.S. video game unit; and
Barry Meyer & Alan Horn, heads of the Warner Brothers film studio.
Following Hanks on the star list are filmmaker Steven Spielberg and actors Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts.
Reality TV's Osbournes were ranked No. 37.
The Osbournes
Musician Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon arrive for the 54th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles September 22, 2002.
Photo by Fred Prouser
Musician Ozzy Osbourne (L) arrives with his family for the 54th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles September 22, 2002. From left are Ozzy, wife Sharon and children Kelly, Robert and Jack.
Photo by Fred Prouser
The Osbourne family pose as they arrive at the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, Sept. 22, 2002, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. From left are Kelly, Ozzy, Sharon, Robert Marcato and Jack. Marcato is an 18-year-old friend of Kelly's who recently moved in with the family after his mother died of the same type of cancer afflicting Sharon.
Photo by Laura Rauch
Sharon Osbourne, second left, gets a kiss from her husband Ozzy as they are surrounded by their children Kelly, left, and Jack on the red carpet at the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, Sept. 22, 2002, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The Osbournes will be presenters at the Emmys.
Photo by Kim D. Johnson
Musician Ozzy Osbourne (R) plants a kiss on his wife Sharon as they arrive for the 54th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles September 22, 2002.
Photo by Mike Blake
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, center, along with son Jack, left, and daughter Kelly, right, present an award during the 54th annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, Sept. 22, 2002, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Photo by Kevork Djansezian
'The Golden Age of Grotesque'
Marilyn Manson
Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, infamous for ripping up Bibles and invoking Satan on stage, is showcasing another side of his twisted mind with a Hollywood art exhibit dubbed "The Golden Age of Grotesque."
Colorful watercolors of emaciated souls and grisly corpses greeted celebrities such as actor Nicolas Cage and his new wife, Lisa Marie Presley, at a launch party on Thursday.
Manson, 33, told Reuters he was proudest of a suite of four works called "Elizabeth Short as Snow White."
Short, known as the Black Dahlia, was chopped in half and left naked in a Los Angeles field 55 years ago in one of Los Angeles' great unsolved crimes.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea was impressed enough to spend $30,000 on a portrait of Short.
"I'm trying to bring back ... the excitement, the glamour, the decadence and take it as far as it can go." Another celebrity endorsement came from rock 'n' roll scion Jack Osbourne,
who was trailed by a film crew for his family's hit TV show "The Osbournes," as he spent $15,000 on a Mad Hatter painting titled "Harlequin Jack as the Absinthe Bunny."
Marilyn Manson
Marc Jacobs Spring 2003 Fashion Show
P. Diddy & Kelly
Singer P. Diddy (L) and Kelly Osbourne (R) arrive at the Marc Jacobs Spring, 2003 fashion show in New York. September 18, 2002.
Photo by Jeff Christensen
Flees 'Freaky Friday'
Annette Bening
Annette Bening has officially dropped out of Walt Disney's comedy remake of "Freaky Friday."
Reasons for the exit remain unclear, though sources indicated the project is still going forward. Bening was to play a widow who swaps personalities with her
tomboy teen ( Lindsay Lohan). Kelly Osbourne recently dropped out of the picture for personal reasons and was recently replaced by Christina Vidal. Osbourne's mother, Sharon Osbourne, has recently been treated for colon cancer.
"Friday" is being directed by Mark S. Waters ("The House of Yes") and was written by Heather Hach.
Annette Bening
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Kelly & Emmy
Sharon Osbourne, producer and wife of rock star Ozzy Osbourne, poses with the Emmy award she won for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) for MTV's "The Osbournes,"
at the 2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards September 14, 2002 in Los Angeles. Daughter Kelly (L) looks on. The reality television show features her husband, rock star
Ozzy Osbourne and their family. Sharon Osbourne recently underwent treatment for colon cancer. The Primetime Emmy awards will be presented September 22 in Los Angeles.
Photo by Fred Prouser
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Kelly & Emmy
Sharon Osbourne, producer and wife of rock star Ozzy Osbourne (L) poses with the Emmy award she won for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) for MTV's 'The Osbournes', at
the 2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, September 14, 2002 in Los Angeles, alongside her daughter Kelly. The reality television show features her husband, rock star Ozzy
Osbourne, and their family. Sharon Osbourne recently underwent treatment for colon cancer. The Primetime Emmy awards will be presented September 22 in Los Angeles.
Photo by Fred Prouser
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Emmy
Sharon Osbourne, producer and wife of rock star Ozzy Osbourne (L) poses with the Emmy award she won for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) for MTV's "The Osbournes", at the 2002
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, September 14, 2002 in Los Angeles. The reality television show features her husband, rock star Ozzy Osbourne, and their family. Sharon Osbourne
recently underwent treatment for colon cancer. The Primetime Emmy awards will be presented September 22 in Los Angeles.
Photo by Fred Prouser
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Emmy
Sharon Osbourne celebrates after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) for the show "The Osbournes" at the 2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy
Awards Saturday, Sept. 14, 2002, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Photo by Reed Saxon
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Kelly & Emmy
Sharon Osbourne, left, and her daughter Kelly celebrates winning an Emmy win for the show "The Osbournes" as Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) at the 2002 Primetime Creative
Arts Emmy Awards Saturday, Sept. 14, 2002, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Photo by Reed Saxon
09/15/02
Best Reality Show
'The Osbournes'
"The Osbournes," the hit expletive-filled MTV show about rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his family, won an Emmy on Saturday night for best "reality series."
The series was named the year's outstanding nonfiction reality program at the Creative Arts Emmys, which are mainly awards for technical achievements given out eight days in advance of the main Emmy awards, which are handed out on Sept. 22.
Osbourne's wife Sharon, one of the show's producers as well as one of its stars, accepted the award on behalf of her husband, saying, "Ozzy I love you."
Sharon Osbourne, who is recovering from colon cancer, was accompanied to the show by her teen-age daughter Kelly. Ozzy Osbourne was not in attendance.
NBC's presentation of the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City won six awards for technical work, the most of any program during the evening. It was followed by HBO's "Six Feet Under," which took five awards.
Although the main acting awards are not given out until Sept. 22, a handful of minor awards were presented at the Creative Arts Emmys, which is sponsored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Actor Charles S. Dutton was named best actor making a guest appearance on a dramatic show for his work on ABC's "The Practice." Patricia Clarkson won the best guest actress award for her appearance on HBO's "Six Feet Under."
The comedy guest appearance acting awards went to actress Cloris Leachman for her work on Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" and to Anthony LaPaglia for his work on NBC's "Frasier."
'The Osbournes'
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Kelly
Sharon Osbourne and her daughter, Kelly, arrive at the 2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Saturday, Sept. 14, 2002, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Photo by Reed Saxon
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon
Sharon Osbourne, wife of rock star Ozzy Osbourne, poses upon arrival for the 2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards show, September 14, 2002 in Los Angeles. Their reality television
show "The Osbournes", featuring rocker Ozzy Osbourne and family, is nominated for an Emmy award. Sharon Osbourne recently underwent treatment for colon cancer. The Primetime Emmy awards
will be presented September 22 in Los Angeles.
Photo by Fred Prouser
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Kelly
Sharon Osbourne (L) and her daughter Kelly joke upon their arrival for the 2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, September 14, 2002, in Los Angeles. Their reality television show "The Osbournes", featuring Ozzy Osbourne
and family, is nominated for an Emmy award. Sharon Osbourne recently underwent treatment for colon cancer. The Primetime Emmy awards will be presented September 22 in Los Angeles.
Photo by Fred Prouser
2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Sharon & Kelly
Sharon Osbourne (L) and her daughter Kelly pose upon arrival for the 2002 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, September 14, 2002, in Los Angeles. Their reality television show "The Osbournes", featuring Ozzy Osbourne and family, is nominated for an Emmy award. Sharon Osbourne recently underwent treatment for colon cancer. The Primetime Emmy awards will be presented September 22 in Los Angeles. REUTERS/Fred Prouser
Photo by
09/15/02
First Son
Louis Osbourne
He's the Osbourne that MTV forgot - but in-the-know nightclubbers will be bobbing their heads to Louis Osbourne when he deejays at Webster Hall this month. Sired by Ozzy during his first marriage, Louis, 26 - who headlines gigs
alongside the likes of Basement Jaxx - spins for a hipper-than-thou crowd of 5,000 clubland professionals at ClubNation, the first-ever national nightlife seminar, at Webster Hall from Sept. 29-Oct. 2.
Louis Osbourne
08/28/02
Snarky Rumor
Sharon Osbourne
The fight against cancer may not be going so well for Sharon Osbourne. Ozzy's wife/manager was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Aug. 23. A source told US weekly that Sharon, 49, who has been undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer, "lost about 20 pounds in two weeks and is white as a sheet." When Ozzy saw Sharon that day, he called an ambulance. At the hospital, Sharon was given an intravenous drip because she was suffering from "severe dehydration. Unfortunately, they've had to do this more than once," says the source. Sharon returned to the hospital Monday.
Sharon Osbourne
08/25/02
Quotes and Best Moments Website
The Osbournes
The Osbournes Quotes and Best Moments Website
08/23/02
Reality Challenges Osbournes
Producers of reality shows are used to dealing with the unexpected, but the problems MTV is facing with "The Osbournes" defy precedent.
Family matriarch Sharon Osbourne has colon cancer, introducing a host of potential complications, both for the Osbourne family and for the show's second and third seasons.
Her husband, rocker Ozzy Osbourne is understandably distraught over his wife's illness. He canceled concert dates to be with her, then rejoined the tour at her insistence.
"I'm not good at hearing that kind of news," the singer said in an interview airing this week on Fox News Channel. "I'm falling apart more than she is, and people say to me, 'Ozzy, you've got to be strong for Sharon.' I'm not Superman."
"The Osbournes" became the biggest hit in cable history -- and at times drew more adults 18-34 this spring than many network shows -- largely because of its unique ability to play as a real-life sitcom.
The challenge now is finding what's so funny about the reality of the family's situation. And the consensus is that everyone's up for the task.
"Our first concern is for Sharon's health and well-being," a spokeswoman for MTV said.
Added one insider: "In general, Sharon's not going to let this show not happen."
Shooting is under way on the second installment of the show, with cameras following each of the show's stars.
It's the production that's scheduled to take place next month, however, that is most likely to be included in future episodes.
That's when the clan will all be together under one Beverly Hills roof, with dad home from his concert tour, mom undergoing chemotherapy and the kids, daughter Kelly and son Jack, back from various summer endeavors.
"The show is them together, and they haven't been together this particular summer yet," the MTV spokeswoman said.
It's not clear when the second season of the show will be ready to air. When MTV confirmed that it ordered 20 more episodes, or two additional seasons, of the show, the network indicated it would be for a fall debut. A more likely scenario now is a winter debut, insiders suggest.
Reality Challenges Osbournes
08/23/02
Miramax
Miramax, following its success at buying the home video/DVD rights to "The Osbournes," has just acquired rights to E! network's "Anna Nicole Smith" show. "Miramax will produce and distribute the tapes for sale," said one E! insider. Miramax and E! are also in talks to team up on the Miramax cable channel. "E! has five channels they have access to and Miramax wants to have one for their own use," the spy continued. A rep for Miramax said "there are no formal negotiations going on."
Miramax
08/23/02
Ozzy Says
Fox News Channel has brushed aside a threat of legal action by Ozzy Osbourne's lawyer for airing an interview with the rocker.
Part of Osbourne's lengthy chat with Greta Van Susteren aired on the Fox network's "Pulse" newsmagazine Thursday and the rest was scheduled for Van Susteren's Fox News Channel show on Friday.
Osbourne's lawyer, Orin Snyder, said the rocker-turned-reality TV star sat down with Fox only because he was told the interview was for a special it was planning on the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death.
"It is particularly disturbing that Fox would employ such improper journalistic techniques to take advantage of Mr. Osbourne and his family in an effort to sensationalize Sharon Osbourne's
recent illness," Snyder wrote in a letter to Fox News Channel executives.
Ozzy's wife, Sharon, is fighting cancer.
Fox News Channel rejected the claim as without merit. The network said it never planned a Presley special.
Fox's lawyers pointed out that Osbourne, no stranger to reporters, spoke with Van Susteren on camera for an hour about a wide range of topics, including his wife's illness. The interview
was even taped by MTV for the second season of its reality show "The Osbournes."
No word on what this does to the budding friendship between Van Susteren and the Osbournes. The Fox News Channel host invited heavy metal's first couple as her guest this spring to
the White House Correspondent's dinner in Washington.
Sharon, in turn, gave Van Susteren a cat that she named "Ozzy," Fox lawyers said.
Ozzy Says
08/23/02
Ozzy & Fox
Ozzy Osbourne tried at the last minute last night to derail a two-part, exclusive interview he gave to Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren in which he anguishes over wife Sharon's cancer.
It appears the interview - the first part of which aired last night on Fox's newsmagazine "The Pulse" - conflicts with an upcoming "exclusive" with Barbara Walters.
Sources say Osbourne's wife, Sharon, had already promised an exclusive interview to ABC's Walters - meaning Ozzy broke the deal by talking to Van Susteren about Sharon's battle with colon cancer.
Fox refused to pull either last night's interview or Part 2, which is set to air tonight on Van Susteren's FNC show, "On the Record," at 10 p.m.
According to Internet columnist Matt Drudge, who broke the story, Osbourne's lawyers late yesterday threatened legal action against Fox if the interview aired.
Ozzy's lawyers claimed the Fox sitdown was conducted under "false pretenses."
Osbourne says he he was invited to talk about the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death.
But insiders say it was Ozzy himself who raised the subject of Sharon's cancer battle - and insisted on talking about it.
"This claim is without merit," Fox News Channel said yesterday in a statement. "We plan on running the interview on 'On the Record' in its entirety."
Excerpts of the interview released before it aired show a distraught Osbourne.
"It's like someone has taken my heart away," he told Van Susteren. "When I heard my wife had colon cancer, it was like somebody pushing a button on an atomic bomb in my head.
"I'm falling apart more than she is, and people say to me, 'Ozzy, you've got to be strong for Sharon," he said. "And I'm not Superman, you know."
Sharon Osbourne has said her chemotherapy treatments will be featured in the second season of MTV's "The Osbournes."
Representatives for Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne did not return a calls last night.
Ozzy & Fox
08/22/02
According To Drudge...
Ozzy PO'd
SHOWDOWN: OZZY ISSUES LEGAL THREAT; DEMANDS FOX NEWS PULL INTERVIEW SET FOR AIR
MTV starrocker John Michael Osbourne [p/k/a Ozzy Osbourne] has issued a dramatic legal threat trying to block an interview set for air on FOX NEWS tonight and tomorrow, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, claiming the network conducted the interview with Osbourne under "false" pretenses!
Osbourne's Fifth Avenue lawyers have fired off a legal warning to FOX -- claiming the network will be held to "substantial liability and damages" if the interview airs.
Osbourne claims he agreed to sit with FOX host Greta Van Susteren based on a "representation the interview was to be used, together with interviews by FOX of other public figures, solely in connection with a television show commemorating the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death."
Osbourne says he "never granted FOX permission to use the interview in any other manner and certainly did not authorize FOX to use it in segments or shows profiling him or his family, as an 'Exclusive.'"
The rocker's lawyers warn: "This interview was conducted under false pretenses, in violation of our clients' legal rights and contrary to established journalistic standards, and is being falsely advertised."
A network source told DRUDGE late Thursday: "This claim is without merit. We plan on running the interview in its entirety tomorrow night on FOX NEWS CHANNEL's On The Record with Greta Van Susteren."
In the interview Ozzy Osbourne talks little of Elvis, network sources say, rather he tells Greta how he's cried, prayed and feared for the future since his wife, Sharon, was diagnosed with colon cancer.
"I'm falling apart more than she is, and people say to me, 'Ozzy, you've got to be strong for Sharon.' And I'm not Superman, you know," Ozzy tells GRETA.
Industry sources suggest Ozzy took the dramatic legal move to block the interview after realizing the Osbournes are committed to an upcoming exclusive promised to ABC's Barbara Walters.
Ozzy is now asking for "injunctive relief" against FOX -- or warns he will demand "compensatory and punitive damages."
Ozzy PO'd
08/22/02
Listening To Dead People
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne was the guest of Greta Van Susteren last spring at the White House Correspondents Association gala. Now he's given her a two-part interview, airing tonight on "The Pulse" and
tomorrow on her own Fox News Channel show. "Believe it or not, Ozzy Osbourne is beginning to like Frank Sinatra. So that's a sign of my age," Ozzy confesses. "It wasn't hip or anything when
I was younger to like Frank Sinatra. His body of his work, is so vast - he must have made a record every day . . . my kids come to me and go 'Hey, you're weird, Dad. You only listen to dead people.' "
Ozzy Osbourne
08/21/02
Fights Despair Over Sick Wife
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne said he's cried, prayed and feared for the future since his wife, Sharon, was diagnosed with colon cancer.
"I'm falling apart more than she is, and people say to me, 'Ozzy, you've got to be strong for Sharon.' And I'm not Superman, you know," Osbourne said in a Fox News interview to air this week.
The rock star, whose unconventional family life is chronicled in the MTV hit reality series "The Osbournes," said he wept for weeks after finding out about his wife's illness.
"Shares in Kleenex must have gone up tenfold," said Osbourne, who initially decided to bow out of his Ozzfest concert tour to be with her.
"It lasted a week because I was getting on Sharon's nerves to the point where I'm going, 'Are you OK, baby, do you need anything?' and I'm crying 'Oh my baby.'"
His wife told him: "You're driving me nuts. Go back to where you belong," Osbourne recalled. But his concerts have been suffering because "my spirit's dead," he said.
He said he's trying to remain optimistic despite his fears. Sharon Osbourne is undergoing chemotherapy, which MTV plans to include in the show's second season.
Life was going so well before her diagnosis, Osbourne said, that he warned his wife: "This is too good right now. We're getting so much good stuff, nothing gets that high without coming down with a bang."
As for his TV fame, Osbourne calculates it is destined to run its course. "Everything comes to an end," he said.
The interview will air Thursday on the Fox newsmagazine "The Pulse" and on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" on Friday.
Ozzy Osbourne
08/15/02
'Baby' Osbourne
In an emotional deathbed vow, big-hearted rocker Ozzy Osbourne kissed a single mom stricken with cancer and told her he'd fund every need of her teenage son, family members said yesterday.
Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, made their dramatic promise exactly one week before the death of Reagan Erin Marcato, the mother of Osbourne family friend Robert Marcato, 18.
The woman's sister Russelle Marcato Westbrook, 39, dabbed away tears yesterday as she recounted to The Post the final days of Reagan, who succumbed to colon cancer on July 30 at age 36.
"She was a great, great sister," Westbrook said. "She was not ready to die. She fought like a tiger, like a champion."
Marcato gained comfort in her dying days, surrounded by family and friends and receiving regular visits from members of the Osbourne family.
Ozzy Osbourne leaned over Marcato as she lay dying, kissed her and guaranteed that her son will never have to worry about money or tuition, the mom's sister said.
"He said, 'Don't you worry about a thing; he's my son now,' " said Westbrook. "The family's grateful."
The Osbourne family grew particularly close to Marcato this summer when Sharon also was diagnosed with colon cancer.
In an exclusive interview with The Post on Tuesday, Sharon Osbourne said her family was going to make sure Robert - whom she called "Baby Osbourne" - goes to college or drama school.
"Sharon promised her that," an appreciative Westbrook said. "She said, 'Financially your son will never worry for anything. We're going to put him through college, even if Ozzy has to drive him there everyday himself.' "
The Osbournes are stars of their own profanity-laced reality TV show "The Osbournes" on MTV.
Robert Marcato was on vacation yesterday, courtesy of the Osbournes, and could not be reached for comment, family members said.
Reagan Marcato moved to Southern California from Mays Landing, N.J., around Christmas 1987 with her young son, Robert, looking for a new start to a life that had been complicated by a teenage pregnancy.
Marcato made her career in food service and was manager of a popular 1950s-style diner on Sunset Boulevard when she died, the family said.
Marcato's life revolved around her son, and she successfully battled Los Angeles school administrators to fund a special-education program for Robert, who is dyslexic. Robert Marcato met Osbourne children Aimee and Kelly in school and became close friends with them and the rest of the wacky rock clan.
'Baby' Osbourne
08/14/02
The Osbournes
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are opening their hearts and wallets to their daughters' best friend - who lost his mom to the same cancer Sharon is battling.
Robert Marcato's mom, Regan, died last week at 36 of colon cancer.
Now Ozzy and Sharon will "adopt" Robert, pay for his college education and feature him in the upcoming season of "The Osbournes."
"He wants to go to drama school, and we're sending him to the best drama school we can find," Sharon Osbourne told The Post exclusively yesterday.
"Right now, he wants to stay home in L.A. because he's a bit insecure because he doesn't have any family.
"We want to get him secure here, then we're going to take our time to pick the best college for him. Robert will be a part of the show as 'Baby Osbourne' - even though he's 18.
"We're moving him in as part of the family."
Marcato has already been featured in several episodes of MTV's hit show, "The Osbournes."
Sharon bonded very closely with his mother - and paid for her round-the-clock nursing care during her final days.
"When I look at somebody like Regan, who didn't have the resources I had, what the f- - - have I got to complain about?" Sharon said.
"She was the most amazing woman and was such a brilliant and strong woman. She left home when she was 18, put her baby in the car and drove from one end of the country to another."
Sharon said she got to know Regan through Robert, who is a friend of Osbourne daughters Kelly and Aimee.
"The kids had known her for six years and I first met her four years ago," she said.
"I used to see her at school. I knew Robert through Aimee and Kelly. He became Aimee's friend first, then he went down the line to Kelly," Sharon said, laughing.
When Regan got sick, Sharon took matters into her own hands.
"She had no medical care at home and she was beyond saving - they won't let you stay in the hospital and die, so you go to a hospice or go home," Sharon said.
"I had private nurses for her 24 hours a day for the last nine days of her life. Every day, the doctors would say, 'Maybe two more hours.' But she lived for nine days - she defied everybody."
As for her own cancer battle, Sharon said she's feeling fine.
"I'm doing OK, I'm fine," she said. "I'm so happy - three [chemo treatments] down and 22 to go. "I can kick anyone's ass right now!"
Last season, "The Osbournes" followed the lives of Sharon, Ozzy, Kelly and son Jack as they moved into a Beverly Hills mansion. Aimee was not part of the show.
The show became the highest-rated series in MTV history, attracting as many as 10 million viewers per episode.
The second season kicks off this fall - and will incorporate Sharon's chemotherapy treatments into the storyline.
The Osbournes
08/08/02
Guesting On 'Dawson's Creek'
Jack Osbourne
Jack Osbourne, the son of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and one of the stars of MTV's hit "The Osbournes," will film a cameo Friday for the more clean cut "Dawson's Creek."
The 16-year-old will be at Duke University to film the spot. Duke is the site of the fictional Worthington College, where actress Katie Holmes' character, Joey, attends school.
The show is based in Wilmington, but this will be the second year that it will film four or five times at Duke.
MTV and the entertainment news show "Access Hollywood" plan to send crews to cover Osbourne's cameo. He'll appear in the two-hour Oct. 2 premiere of the WB series' sixth season.
Jack Osbourne
08/08/02
Bandmates Sue
'The Osbournes'
Another day, another Ozzy lawsuit.
A trial date of Feb. 18 has been set for the lawsuit brought by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake against Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne over the deletion of their contributions to the albums "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman."
Epic Records reissued last month altered versions of the two Osbourne albums with the bassist and drummer's parts replaced by new recordings, thereby eliminating claims Daisley and Kerslake would have on mechanical royalties. Daisley wrote all the lyrics and co-wrote the music for "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman."
The current suit was filed in August 1998 against the Osbournes and their companies Blizzard Music and Monowise, and the labels that recently released the altered masters, Sony and Epic.
Tuesday, MTV and parent Viacom were sued by Threshold.tv for breach of contract related to the show. Last week, producer Gary Binkow sued the Osbournes claiming they stole his idea for their MTV series.
'The Osbournes'
08/07/02
Draws Second Lawsuit
'The Osbournes'
Whose life is it anyway? And who really came up with the warts-and-all concept of Ozzy Osbourne's life-in-the-raw reality hit show on MTV?
Nearly two weeks after a film producer sued the tattooed British rocker and his wife, claiming they stole his idea for a TV show about them, a Web-based entertainment company has brought a similar court action against the couple.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, his wife and longtime manager, and two of their teenage children, became instant pop culture stars this year thanks to MTV's reality hit, which chronicled the rambunctious clan's daily lives in Beverly Hills.
The latest lawsuit, filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, says the Osbournes' deal with MTV breaches an intellectual property rights agreement the couple signed in December 2000 with Threshold.TV Inc., formerly Threshold.com.
Representatives for the Osbournes and MTV declined comment on the suit.
The suit says that under its contract Threshold acquired exclusive rights to Ozzy Osbournes's "name, likeness, image, identity, persona, trademarks and right of publicity" for online works and non-Internet programming.
The agreement, signed for a term of three years and 90 days, expressly covered "live-action and animated programs ... or other off-line works, as well as the right to make sequels, remakes, spin-offs and derivative works," the suit said.
Revenue from such projects was to be equally divided between Threshold and the Osbournes, and all creative and business decisions pertaining to them "shall be subject to mutual agreement," the suit says.
The suit seeks unspecified damages and a court declaration that Threshold is owner of MTV's "The Osbournes" series, which recently was renewed for a second season.
Sharon Osbourne recently began chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer, throwing the future of the MTV series into doubt.
Threshold claims it originated the concept for such a show but that Sharon Osbourne rejected the idea of TV cameras in their house, the suit said.
"Following that conversation, the Osbourne interests negotiated with MTV exactly the TV show" that Threshold had first suggested, the suit said.
MTV and its parent company, Viacom Inc., which the plaintiff claims were aware of Threshold's exclusive deal, also are named as defendants.
In a separate suit filed late last month, Los Angeles-based film producer Gary Binkow claimed he developed the idea for a "real-life docu-sitcom" about the Osbournes that they ripped off after he had registered a treatment for the proposed series with the Writers Guild of America.
'The Osbournes'
08/05/02
Concert Plans Saved Miner
Ozzfest Saves!
A miner who didn't make the trip underground that left nine of his colleagues trapped for 77 hours thanks his love of rock and roll.
Roger Shaffer, 22, was at Ozzfest 2002, heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne's summer concert tour, on the day the nine miners became trapped after breaking through to an adjacent, flooded mine. The miners ended up stuck in a cramped and flooded shaft at the Quecreek Mine for 77 hours before they were rescued.
Shaffer, an apprentice miner, had used one of his few vacation days to go to the July 24 concert, which had been rescheduled because Osbourne's wife, Sharon Osbourne, had cancer surgery.
"I have to thank Ozzy and (his) family, because if the events in their life weren't going on, my events would have been a lot different," Shaffer said.
Shaffer learned what happened to his crew while returning home after the concert near Pittsburgh.
Shaffer drove to the site, but couldn't get in or learn much until daybreak. When he saw the thousands of gallons of water being pumped from the flooded mine, he doubted that his friends could have survived.
"They're all great guys, they'd do anything for me. I'd like to do the same for them," he said.
Crew leader Randy Fogle said Shaffer "drew the right card."
Shaffer sat glued to the television July 27 when the good news broke that his buddies were alive.
"Maybe if I was in there, I would have lost my life," Shaffer said. "I still do have an odd feeling now. I don't know what it is."
Unlike some of his fellow crew members, Shaffer said he plans to return underground if the mine reopens.
He said he sees few options. He can't afford school and is about a week away from taking a test to move up to a better pay scale.
Ozzfest Saves!
08/04/02
Teen Choice Awards
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne of the MTV reality series "The Osbourne's" carries her shoes backstage after the show won Choice TV Reality Show at the Teen Choice Awards August 4, 2002 in
Universal City, California. The show airs August 19 on Fox Television.
Photo by Robert Galbraith
08/04/02
Teen Choice Awards
Jack & Kelly Osbourne
Jack, left, and Kelly Osbourne, who co-star with their rock musician father, Ozzy Osbourne, in the MTV reality series "The Osbournes,'' and actor Tom Green, right, present
on stage at the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2002.
Photo by Lucy Nicholson
08/02/02
Video/DVD Rights To Miramax
'The Osbournes'
One reason Miramax was able to land the video/DVD rights to "The Osbournes" is that Harvey Weinstein has known the bizarre rock family since he was a college student in
Buffalo 25 years ago, promoting Black Sabbath concerts. Miramax edged out five competitors for worldwide rights to the hit MTV show with a $7 million downpayment. But
Ozzy and Sharon should pull in many more millions if sales are anywhere near the $75 million "The Sopranos" have pulled in. "It just had to be [bleep]ing Miramax,"
explained Sharon, who negotiates all of Ozzy's deals. The first DVD will hit stores by late November, just as the second season begins.
'The Osbournes'
08/02/02
Goes Back on Tour
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne's going back to Ozzfest sooner than expected.
Osbourne left the 2002 tour to be with his wife, Sharon, while she has chemotherapy treatments for cancer that she recently learned had spread beyond her colon. He had been expected to rejoin
the tour on Aug. 22 in Denver.
But after being with Sharon for her first treatment, he nearly passed out, Osbourne's publicist said Thursday. His wife decided he'd be better off on the road, so she's sending him back to Ozzfest.
Osbourne will rejoin the tour Wednesday in Clarkston, Mich.
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzfest
08/01/02
Sharon Osbourne
Sick Wife Sends Ozzy Osbourne Back to the Road
Biting the head off a live bat was evidently easier to do than watching his wife undergo chemotherapy.
Heavy metal maestro Ozzy Osbourne has canceled plans to take a three-week break from the road while his wife and manager of 20 years receives treatment for colon cancer, the couple's publicist said on Thursday.
"After attending his wife Sharon's first chemotherapy treatment, he nearly passed out and had to be taken to a recovery room," the publicist said in a statement. "Sharon now realizes that Ozzy is better off on the road so she's shipped him back out to finish OZZfest."
Osbourne, founding member of Black Sabbath, is headlining OZZfest, an annual road show of hard rock acts organized by his 49-year-old wife.
He will miss two OZZfest dates in Ohio -- Aug. 3rd in Columbus and Aug. 4 in Cleveland -- before resuming a month-long trek in Clarkston, Michigan on Aug. 7.
The Osbournes and two of their teenage children became instant pop culture celebrities this year thanks to MTV's reality TV hit "The Osbournes," which detailed the rambunctious clan's daily travails in Beverly Hills.
Ozzy Osbourne, 53, was already well known to millions of fans both for his dark music and for his peculiar exploits, such as biting the head off a live bat during a concert in Iowa 20 years ago.
Sharon Osbourne revealed two weeks ago that she would begin a three-month course of chemotherapy to combat cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.
In other Osbourne news, the couple's 17-year-old fuchsia-haired daughter, Kelly, will star in a remake of the Walt Disney Co. quirky comedy "Freaky Friday," Daily Variety reported Thursday.
MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc .
Sharon Osbourne
08/01/02
Kelly Osbourne
She won't bite the head off of a bat like papa Ozzy, but Kelly Osbourne will sing in Disney's update of the kiddie classic "Freaky Friday."
Kelly Osbourne is in negotiations to play the musically inclined best friend to the teen heroine in Walt Disney Pictures' quirky comedic remake of the 1976 picture.
The original featured Jodie Foster as a tomboyish teen who constantly quarrels with her mother (Barbara Harris). When mother and daughter reveal desires to escape their drudgery of their current lives, they suddenly and inexplicably exchange bodies.
Lindsay Lohan, who starred in Disney's remake of "The Parent Trap," will play the teen, while Annette Bening has been cast as her widowed mother. Osbourne is also expected to contribute at least one song to the picture's soundtrack, having covered Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" on the soundtrack to MTV's hit reality series "The Osbournes."
Kelly Osbourne
Reader Contribution
Useful Link
From Peggy A
www.getwellsharon.com
Thanks, Peggy!
07/26/02
Taking Break From Ozzfest
Ozzy
British rocker Ozzy Osbourne said on Friday he is taking a three-week break from headlining his annual Ozzfest concert tour to be with his wife, Sharon, while she begins chemotherapy treatments for cancer.
The lead singer for heavy metal group Black Sabbath will jump off the Ozzfest circuit following Sunday's show in Atlanta and plans to rejoin the tour in Denver on Aug. 22, according to a statement.
During Osbourne's absence, the band System Of A Down will move into the headlining slot on the main stage of what has become one of the marquee rock tours of the summer.
"This has been one of the hardest decisions I've had to make, and I'm hoping that my fans will understand," Osbourne said. "Ozzfest must continue with or without me since it's Sharon's baby. I want to thank all the bands on Ozzfest and my crew for all their love and support, especially System Of A Down."
Sharon Osbourne, 49, her husband's longtime manager and co-founder of Ozzfest, underwent surgery for colon cancer on July 3, and at the time was said to be expected to make a complete recovery. But she recently told People magazine that subsequent tests indicated the cancer had spread and that she would start a three-month course of chemotherapy at the end of July.
The rock star's spouse also said she planned to allow MTV to film her treatment when production resumes for the second season of "The Osbournes," the hit "reality" show that follows the chaotic daily lives of her foul-mouthed family.
A spokeswoman for MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc., said on Friday that plans were still in the works to bring the cable music channel's top-rated show back for a second season in the fall.
But she added, "Our primary concern is for Sharon's well-being, and we're going to take it one step at a time."
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles-based film producer, Gary Binkow, has filed suit against Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, claiming they stole his original idea for the show about them.
The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Binkow met repeatedly with the Osbournes in 2000 to discuss a "real-life docu-sitcom" about the couple, and that he registered a treatment of the proposed series with the Writers Guild of America.
But in the course of developing the show, the Osbournes "misappropriated" Binkow's concept without his knowledge or consent and without compensating him, and have continued to falsely deny him credit for originating the idea, the complaint says. The suit seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and fraud.
Binkow is executive producer of the upcoming film "Neverland," starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.
The MTV spokeswoman declined comment on the suit. Publicists for the Osbournes could not be reached for comment on the litigation.
The first season of "The Osbournes" followed the daily exploits of the 53-year-old rock star in his off-stage role as a befuddled father puttering around his Beverly Hills mansion, forever cleaning up after the family's incontinent dogs. The heavily bleeped show co-starred Sharon and two of their children -- rambunctious teens Jack and Kelly. Their eldest child Aimee did not participate in the show's first season.
Ozzy
07/26/02
Sued Over Show Idea
'The Osbournes'
A Los Angeles-based producer has sued Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, claiming that the couple stole his idea for their MTV hit "The Osbournes."
In the suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, plaintiff Gary Binkow says he met repeatedly with the couple and executives from Miramax TV in 1999-2000 to discuss "a real-life docu-sitcom" about the aging rocker and his family.
"In developing the show, (the Osbournes) misappropriated plaintiff's idea and concept without his knowledge and consent and without compensating" him, says the suit, which is seeking unspecified damages for breach of contract and fraud.
Lisa Vega, a spokeswoman for Sharon Osbourne, said previous published reports made it clear that Binkow was not the show's creator but otherwise declined comment. A spokeswoman for MTV -- which was not named in the suit -- said the network had no comment. Lawyers for Binkow did not return calls by press time.
The court papers include what Binkow says is a copy of his original treatment of the proposed series from January 2000, registered with the Writers Guild of America. The document says the show "will showcase the trials and tribulations of real-life rock star Ozzy Osbourne" and specifies that "the audience shouldn't really know if the show is scripted or not."
Binkow is executive producer of "Neverland," a feature starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet that is being shot in London.
"The Osbournes" has become one of the most talked-about shows on television since it debuted in the spring. But the fate of its second season has been unclear since it was revealed this month that Sharon Osbourne has cancer.
'The Osbournes'
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