Las Vegas Weekly

November 5, 2008 · 9:21 AM

Marie Osmond feels at home in community — ‘We really love Vegas’

By Robin Leach

Donnie & Marie, backstage at the Flamingo.

Photo: TVT

“I finally feel I’m home,” said Marie Osmond when she talked to me for the first time about her new extended contract to headline at the Flamingo. She confirmed Luxe Life’s recent exclusive that big brother Donny let slip that they will probably be here for at least four years with the option renewals.

“Now I’m really a Vegan,” she continued. “We really love Vegas. We live here in a lovely home in Henderson. The kids go to school here, and the entire family is happy to have made the move. We’re in the community, and we’re here to support and take part in it.“

Marie explained that as part of the extended Flamingo contract, she will now be able to produce her new daytime talk show from the Strip next year. Pre-production will get under way in June, with the first tapings scheduled for August and a September start date. “It was part of the renegotiation, and we think Vegas audiences will be great for the TV show,” Marie said. “There are lots of things for us to do in Vegas with the show.

“Vegas is just as exciting -- even theaterwise -- without New York’s high prices or New York’s traffic. We’re in the desert, and we’ve got lots of room instead of being on top of each other.”

The Donny & Marie show has been a nightly phenomenon since its September start. Marie told me: “We’re packed every night -- it’s even unbelievable to us. Every night after each show, we’ll meet and greet the audience, sign autographs and pose for photos for 30 to 45 minutes. We find some of the fans have traveled from as far away as Australia and England just to come see us. That’s amazing to us!”

Marie turned up with her daughter and other family members to watch the new Criss Angel Believe magic show at the Luxor, where she quipped: “If only I could get him to make my alimony payments disappear!”

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