Marie Osmond

I've gotta be honest. I've never been a big fan of the Osmonds. The whole variety show, the whole Mormon thing, the cheesy 70's factor - it just never worked for me. I grew up in the 70s, and when I look back at that error, there's a lot that makes me cringe (disco, bell bottoms... I could go on here). And when I heard that Donnie & Marie were headlining a show at the Flamingo, I was not enthused.

But recent events have made me respect Marie Osmond. Her adopted son, Michael Blosil, took his own life on February 26th after a long bout with depression. She was obviously devastated. But yesterday she returned to the stage with her brother and fought tears to complete the performance.

Guts. That's the only thing that comes to mind. Me? I would've crawled up into a ball and not come out for a long time. But many entertainers work through their pain, their tragedies just as they celebrate their triumphs and successes. It's part of their job.

Las Vegas plays a unique role in all of this. Most entertainers travel from place to place, night after night and try to make each show special for a specific city. They miss their kids' birthdays, their anniversaries, and the comforts of being home. But Las Vegas flips that dynamic. Audiences come from all over, and the entertainers stay in one place. It's where you go once you've "made it" and you're tired of trains, planes and tour buses.

Still, I can't imagine working through such a tragic event. Michael was only 18. 18. But Marie got up there and sang her heart out Tuesday night anyway. It's what she does. Now I'm not going to run out and buy every Donnie & Marie cd or download their songs to my iPod, but I have a lot of respect for Marie. And my heart goes out to her and her family.

Viva,
Mike