Jermaine: Michael’s Kids are Huge DWTS Fans

October 21st, 2009 1:20 am / Author: OK! Staff

After a very special tribute to the late Michael Jackson on Tuesday’s Dancing with the Stars, his brother Jermaine told OK! the singing legend’s three children are doing well, watching the ABC show, and have picked their favorite celebrity competitor!

“They watch the show with my mother, religiously,” Jermaine revealed to OK!, and added that the kids and the entire Jackson clan was rooting for Donny Osmond, as the Jackson and Osmond families have been friends for years. “We all love Donny. We go way back. He’s a pro”

When asked if he’d like to see Donny win DWTS, Jermaine was emphatic: “Yes, I do. This is his world. He is going to win. Watch.”

Jermaine was basking in the glow backstage after the show’s pro dancers performed a well-received dance medley to Michael’s hit songs.

“The tribute was wonderful because the dancers did a great job; they were very confident and entertaining. We were watching for all of those things,” said Jermaine, who sat in the audience to watch the performance with mom Katherine, sister LaToya, and other Jackson relatives. “The dancers understood what it takes to do Michael Jackson and they did it. We were watching to see if they just weren’t dancing by numbers, but really feeling it. They were feeling it. It’s all about the feeling. He achieved that, and to watch these dancers tonight shows you what the influence can be.”

When asked if he thought Michael was looking down and smiling, Jermaine said, “Yeah, because he used to watch this show all the time. He was in the room while they were doing the routine.”

The DWTS pros, such as Maks Chmerkovskiy, who choreographed the “Man in the Mirror” portion of the tribute medley, hailed Michael as an inspiration to them, a fact that makes Jermaine very proud. “It feels great because Michael worked so hard, wanting to be the best. When you work hard, you achieve, you influence others.”

As previously announced, Jermaine is currently working on an A & E reality show, set to air in December, about the Jackson brothers’ families. He told OK! Michael’s children definitely won’t be a part of the show and that had never been planned.

Meanwhile, a couple of the DWTS celebrities who had a close connection to Michael spoke to OK! about it after the show.

Donny, who dances with OK! blogger Kym Johnson said, for him, the TV dance tribute was “kind of bittersweet. It was a tribute to a genius, but what made it bitter was that the family was sitting right there and he wasn’t with us. We certainly miss him.”

And Aaron Carter said Michael “taught me the Moonwalk in 2003. It was amazing the time I spent with him in the studio. He was teaching me how to sing! He invited a bunch of people to be part of the charity song for him, ‘What More Can I Give,’ and he hand-picked everybody he felt deserved to be on it, and I was one of those people. He was a great friend of mine and I haven’t spoken about him [until] now.”

Aaron told OK! he keeps in touch with Michael’s children: “They’re really great, a little confused, but for the most part they’re okay. If I could say anything, [it would be] that he loved his kids very much. He worked hard to get them. He worked really hard to go through his life, all the pressures, to be able to have his own children.”

The singer, who dances with partner Karina Smirnoff, said he doesn’t personally think Michael’s kids should go into show business, but added, “they should pursue what[ever] their heart’s passion is.”

Marie Osmond Remembers Michael Jackson

Marie Osmond talks to ET about the loss of Michael Jackson, recounting a special moment between the Osmond family and the Jacksons!

Marie spoke candidly about the loss of the King of Pop -- and she reveals what part of his public memorial touched her the most.

"I think what touched me the most about Michael's funeral was when his daughter stepped forward and said that he was such a good daddy," Marie says. "The saddest thing to me is that the people that I grew up with in this business, the people that I love, they're gone. I know what loss is, I know what that means to lose your parents. To lose him so young I know is going to be very hard for those kids. So hopefully they have that support that they need to get through this difficult time."

The iconic member of the famed Osmond family also tells ET about one of her memories with the late Farrah Fawcett, describing a time when Farrah appeared on the "Donny and Marie" show.

Marie, who, at the time we interviewed her, was in Atlanta launching her new collection of giftware and tabletop items by Giftcraft, tells ET that her collection of bags, home décor items and jewelry will hit stores in 2009. Her line of stationary, giftware, and home fragrances is set to launch in 2010.

Watch the video for more on Marie's thoughts about the death of Michael Jackson -- and find out more about the launch of her giftware products.

ETONLINE

Osmonds in Layton for rare Utah show; Jimmy Osmond reflects on friend Michael Jackson

In light of recent events, Jimmy Osmond feels especially blessed to be performing with brothers Merrill, Wayne and Jay at Layton's Kenley Centennial Amphitheater this weekend.

As it so happened, he spoke to the Standard-Examiner the day after Michael Jackson's death.

Osmond can't help but see many similarities in the Jacksons and the Osmonds, especially during their glory years as teen idols in the '70s.

"I also used to work for Michael," Osmond said, speaking from his home in Provo. Among his many businesses, the youngest Osmond brother owns theaters and manages tour productions. It was through the latter enterprise that Osmond got to know Jackson well.

"Michael and I got an opportunity to be more than just 'hi-'bye' guys. I actually brokered his Asian tours when he did his 'Bad' album, and we stayed in touch after that. He was a friend and I will miss him. It is quite a shock.

"And I know how important his family was to him -- like mine is to me. His family was there for him during some tough times. Frankly, I think the Jacksons are a lot more intact than people give them credit for."

MORE: Standard Examiner

Summer Song Favorite: 'One Bad Apple'

Watch The Osmonds Perform "One Bad Apple"

Redferns/Getty Images

Watch The Video

Watch The Osmonds Perform "One Bad Apple"

All Things Considered, July 2, 2009 - For the second in a series of summer songs, All Things Considered host Melissa Block spoke to author Ann Patchett, who wrote The Patron Saint of Liars, Bel Canto and Run, among others. Patchett shares what she calls "a deeply humiliating story" about the song she thinks of when she thinks of summer.

At a neighborhood party last weekend, as everyone was talking about favorite Michael Jackson songs, Patchett slipped up and named "One Bad Apple," which she thought was recorded by the Jackson 5.

But, no. That's The Osmonds, doing their best to imitate the Jacksons. Patchett says she has probably spent her whole adult life fooling herself into thinking she was cool back then, but her rural Tennessee upbringing almost surely means she and her friends only listened to the squeaky-clean Mormon brothers. "We worshipped them," says Patchett.

She remembers spending the summer of 1971 on a farm in Ashland City, Tenn., with her sister Heather and her two stepsisters, Tina and Angie. They didn't have a record player, so they spent most of their time dialing the local radio station, enduring the busy signal until they could finally get through to request "One Bad Apple," over and over again.

NPR

Donny Osmond recalls old friend

Their last conversation was about 18 months ago. Close friends throughout their iconic careers, Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond stayed in touch by telephone over the years.

"We met when we were about 13," Osmond recalled Friday, a few hours before taking the stage for the Donny & Marie Show at the Flamingo Las Vegas.
The teen idols bonded over an uncanny number of coincidences: Both were members of famous musical families before they reached their teen years. Both were from families with nine children. Both were the seventh child.

"Our mothers were even born on the same day," said Osmond, "and our fathers were both extreme disciplinarians, although my father was not a Joe Jackson."

At 14, Jackson had his first No. 1, "Ben," in 1972. It was written for Osmond, but he was later told they couldn't reach him because he was touring.

That made 'em even. "One Bad Apple," The Osmond family's' No. 1 hit in 1971 (when Donny was 14) "was written for Michael."

The similarities continued. Donny and Marie had a TV show. So did Michael and Janet, briefly.

"Michael said he hated every second of it," said Osmond.

Jackson was living in Las Vegas when they last talked.

During that last conversation, Osmond remembers asking Jackson, "Where are you?

"I can't tell you," said Jackson.

"You can't tell me?" said Osmond, gently chiding his longtime friend.

"Please don't tell anyone," said Jackson.

"I rented a motor home and I'm down in Arizona. I just want to hide. I want to get away from people," said Jackson.

Osmond invited him to drive up to Utah. Jackson said, 'I'm going to take you up on that."

But that was it. "He shut it down after that," said Osmond. "He isolated himself after that. His life was in shambles," from financial setbacks and scandal.

Jackson, 50, died of cardiac arrest Thursday at home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.

"It's been a tough day," Osmond said Friday. It was audible in his voice. In a matter of days, three show business people he knew had died. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Jackson.

He recalled another telephone call, maybe three or four years ago. This one came from Stevie Wonder, who invited Osmond over to his recording studio.

When he got there, they chatted, and Wonder cut to the chase.

"What I really wanted you here for is to get closer to Michael because he really needs some help," Wonder told him.

Osmond did a cover of Wonder's 1976 No. 1 hit "I Wish" and took it to Jackson's Neverland Ranch to play it for him. That was the kind of friendship they had.

When Jackson's megahit "Thriller" came out in 1984, "I went to see him to see if he could help me get my career back on track.

"I asked him, 'How do I get back on the charts?"

"Change your image," said Jackson, "and your name."

SOURCE: Las Vegas Review

Osmond family reacts to Michael Jackson's death

SOURCE: ABC 4 Utah

OREM, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Despite all his problems and pain, the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" is getting a lot of credit for his impact on the music world. Alan Osmond, a member of the Osmond family tells ABC 4 that Jackson's troubles won't diminish his legacy.

Osmond says his death is sudden, shocking and most of all sad, especially since Jackson was only 50 years old. "I admire Michael for the way he handled his life as far as an entertainer," says Osmond.

More

Jimmy Osmond recalls friendship with Jackson

Deseret News

As they rose through the various stages of stardom in the '70s, the Osmonds and the Jacksons were often seen as competitors. But Provo native Jimmy Osmond says the two families were "always friendly."

"It's a huge loss for every one of us," he said regarding the Thursday death of Michael Jackson.

Osmond said his only regret is not keeping in contact with Jackson after the 2005 court trial in which Jackson was acquitted of various sex abuse allegations. "But I relish the days I did have an association with him."

After their first introduction at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, the two families of singers — which showcased much the same dynamic then — vied for the hearts of music lovers everywhere. Osmond said "One Bad Apple," one of the greatest hits of his brother, Donny Osmond, was actually a tune that the Jackson family passed on. But Donny still grew to be good friends with Michael Jackson, sharing a stage with him at the fist American Music Awards created by Dick Clark in 1973.

Over the years, Jimmy Osmond, now 46, said his family kept in touch with Jackson, who occasionally offered them professional advice, but always respected them and their own track to fame.

"Michael reached a whole different level of celebrity," Jimmy Osmond said. "He did things that were so revolutionary and so on the edge. We've never gone there."

The youngest Osmond brother recalls playing soccer with the Jackson Five "in the halls of a hotel, while 5,000 girls were outside screaming in hysteria." He remembers going swimming at the Jackson home in California decades ago, and remembers the King of Pop as having a "huge heart."

"The entertainment business can be such a phony, fake business, but as a human being, he was wonderful," he said.

Jackson later accepted one of Osmond's brokering deals when his album "Bad" was released overseas in 1987. The move bolstered the relatively young broker's career, giving him even more opportunity than he believes he would have had without working with such a popular man or event.

"Because he took a shot with me in the past, and took a couple of my deals, he really blessed my personal life," Osmond said. "He opened up a whole world of credibility for me, not only being a performer but brokering other high-end deals for performers."

Osmond said he would often defend his showbiz friend when others would criticize various actions or habits lit up by the media. He always believed Jackson was "severely misunderstood."

"He is a good person," he said. "He was in a weird business where sometimes you've got to create something unique to get attention for a specific project. Michael was just who he was. He was a media magnet, and he knew how to do things that were fun for him but yet were so out of the ordinary that he created such a stir. But he had the talent to back it up."

Osmond, who just finished a long run of theatrical performances in England, said Jackson's career epitomized the "perfect combination" of being media-savvy, talented and having the ability to move and also to see a trend and go with it.

"He just had it all."

Alan Osmond on the Death of Michael Jackson

I was shocked to hear that Michael Jackson passed away so quickly! We will miss him. My condolences go out to Michael and to his family!

The Osmond family got to know the Jackson Family as we grew up in the entertainment business at the same time. There were 5 brothers in the Jackson 5 and 5 brothers in the Osmond Brothers. Michael and Donny were the only two unchanged voices on the radio at the same time.

Dick Clark promoted both of our groups and tour dates. We would often pass each other on the road and in the airports. We¹d call each other on the phone and try to get together, but it was difficult. Michael and Donny phoned each other quite often and we older brothers got to know each other and even challenged each other to a basketball game. We decided to make it football so we stood a chance of winning! Ha!

Our music had a lot of harmonies, and we both even had 1 sister, Marie and Janet. (The Jacksons had other sisters, but they weren't touring at that time like Marie was with ours.)

The Teen Magazines detailed our lives so much that we would laugh about them and how similar our lives were with theirs.

Michael stood out as a great entertainer! A Master of dance and song, he commanded the stage. Michael was a perfectionist, hard working, creative master entertainer.

Even in visiting with friend, Elvis Presley, we had some conversations where we talked about Michael¹s talents.

My heart goes out to the Jackson Family because of the love that families have!

Michael was a kind and generous person and like Elvis, had very little privacy.

We are better people for having known him and his family.

Our prayers are with them.

We will see him again, someday!

Alan Osmond