Las Vegas Weekly

January 30, 2012 · 6 PM

The latest dish: Martha Stewart out, Marie Osmond in for the Hallmark Channel

By John Katsilometes

Donny and Marie Osmond's 2011 "Christmas in Chicago."

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/HarrisonPhotos.com

It is news that might make fans of Marie Osmond feel a little faint.

According to published reports, Osmond is in line to supplant "The Martha Stewart Show" on the Hallmark Channel with a new daily show carrying the befitting title “Marie.”

Expected to debut in September, “Marie” seems to be shaping up as a typical TV talker, the atypical ingredient being the wildly popular Marie Osmond. The show will reportedly showcase segments centered on cooking and celebrity interviews. We anticipate some singing and dancing, too.

Osmond has not been a fixture on national television since the winter of 2007, when she competed in “Dancing With the Stars,” overcoming a famed fainting spell to place third in a competition her brother Donny later won.

The New York Post, which was first to report that Hallmark was planning to cancel Stewart’s show after this season, said Los Angeles-based ITI is closed to finalizing a deal with Hallmark to produce the show.

“While we’re still in discussions with Marie, we’re extremely excited about the prospect of Marie Osmond joining the Hallmark family,” a Hallmark spokeswoman told the Post. “We think she’s perfect for our brand, and we’ll share more news when we have a deal.”

Osmond’s friend, assistant and spokeswoman Darla Sperry said she “knows nothing” of the imminent deal. Her husband, Greg, also an Osmond family friend and associate, did not return a call today for comment.

Lest we forget, Donny & Marie Osmond share a rich TV history. In the late 1970s, they co-hosted the indefatigably cheery variety show bearing their names. They also co-hosted a daytime talk show from 1998-2000. In 2008, a talk show with Marie Osmond as host was reported to be in the works but never materialized.

Donny & Marie remain headliners at Flamingo Las Vegas, where they are under contract through the end of the year. The brother-sister production has been one of the Strip’s most successful shows since opening in September 2008.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.

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