Donny Gossip!

My A*** is in Whitechapel!

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:50:05 +0000

Ahh the joys of a family weekend away. Have just spent a delightful weekend in London with my younger brother and his family celebrating his graduation (he now has an engineering degree). Not being familiar with the London bus services I decided to walk the 800miles from the station (LOL) to the hotel, ah well got me in the right frame of mind for the Race for Life in July. My eldest niece picked me up and we decided to get the bus to the venue.
Now we got slightly sidetracked because of a protest in town (not us), and so we walked from Liverpool St to St Paul’s. Having smart phones of course we put in our destination and hoped we were being led in the right direction, well we did have a few false starts but we got there eventually. I must say my brother looked darn good in his cap and gown. Now we didn’t actually see him graduate as we were not able to go to the ceremony, but we did have a good butchers at the pictures. He looked very distinguished and professional.
On to Tabbay’s, a restaraunt in Whitechapel that is so popular that they queue around the block to get in, and that even with a prior booking. This place has three floors of seating and was utter mayhem. But the food was SO good, especially if you like curries. Getting there was another matter, a couple of buses (one of the older variety that caused much excitement for my nieces). Were we lost, of course not, we had in our possession that rare thing, a man who DOES ask for directions, and of course our smart phones. I have since rechristened the latter my smartarsed phone. Because it has a voice activated search engine, I used this function to get to “Tabbays in Whitechapel”…what did I get, yes that’s right the above title of this blog was what my incredibly stupid phone came up with. It might have been the accent, but you have to pronunciate very clearly for the sodding thing to work.
All in all a brilliant weekend, topped off by a trip home in my sis in laws convertible Merc Benz with the top down, (the cars not mine LOL), we even planned my 50th birthday party (along with my nieces 25th). Cant wait to see all of you again soon guys. I see a trip to Germany coming soon.
Happy mothering Sunday to all my Aussie and American friends
Suebird xxxx

We’re still gonna need them…forever more.

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:16:22 +0000

Brighton and Bournemouth were always going to be the most emotional of all the concerts. We knew it was coming to the end, but Saturday we also knew we had just one more night. And whilst there certainly were tears we still had Bournemouth to look forward to. But today, on a wet Bank Holiday Monday, we know it is finally over.
Bournemouth was akin to a massive FSG. We met people we had only spoken to on Facebook or on this site. To finally meet in the flesh was special and in some cases a tearful one. Finally the sun came out for the Boys, and on all days the final one. We managed to find our way to the concert, via most of Bournemouth (and our trusty map bearer). Si and his fiance were also out for a stroll enjoying the sunshine, so of course we said hello, I mean it would have been rude not to.
We were up in the balcony for this show, which was fine by us, if further away from the stage than we thought. But a bonus was there was no-one behind us and we could hang our banner, that the lovely Kitty made, over the balcony so all could see (especially the boys). It got quite a bit of attention that banner, not just from the stage, although I am not sure the poor man underneath it appreciated it rubbing against his head. I’m pretty sure it will make it onto the official video at some point too.
There were so many unexpected moments last night. We had country music, barbershop and even Merrill’s rendition of Sweet and Innocent , complete with wiggles from the three of them (not sure Donny would have approved, but it made us laugh). We had a new rendition of Through the Years, mostly because both Merrill and Jay forgot the words, and as Jimmy put it, “I’m not helping you”. Merrill visibly broke down during Let Me In, and Jimmy shed many tears through most of the show, causing most of the audience to do so too. The crowd was a sea of Orange, a constant reminder of Wayne, who is still recovering from his illness, but always in our thoughts. Im proud to say that we and the rest of the UK gave the Osmonds the loudest and proudest send off. It may not be the end, but we will miss them all the same.
Funniest onstage moment this weekend, the backstage guys dressed up as the Osmonds (circa 1970’s) , dancing to YoYo with the Boys. Offstage, the 6ft guy in Brighton dressed as a body part (seriously if you need to ask what body part you have led a very sheltered life and dont know me at all).
Stay in that Osmond Bubble
Suebird xx

“Do not weep for me”*

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:27:04 +0000

I know this is a couple of days late and I am sorry about that. But here is the report from the weekend. Hammersmith Apollo was amazing, despite the constant rain, and the buses LOL. Now you have all been to a concert I don’t need to edit as much. Of course the boys played all the favourite songs, as well as many of the new ones. although Jimmy still refuses to sing “Take me Home”, unless he thinks I am propositioning him, good grief Kitty would kill me LOL. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the audience aswell.
Of course we cant talk about this tour without mentioning the Dropouts. They are the support band, and they rock. I dont think they expected to get such a reaction from the fans, and each show they interact with the audience more and more. So thanks Si Roller, Scott Taylor, Gene Puckett and Steven Mason you have been brilliant.
Dartford was fun, silly, emotional and full of unexpected surprises. Jimmy showed us that he can still sing Opera, giving us a rendition of Volare (the audience joining in on the chorus), although I am not sure he knew that Jay and Merrill were “dancing” behind him at the time. Merrill showing us his Ballet routine. They came off the stage at one point to sing to an elderly wheelchair bound lady, reducing all to tears with a song they used to sing to their mother “I wouldn’t trade the silver in my mothers hair”. Merrill for some reason had a whistle which he kept blowing, mostly when Jay was trying to tell a joke. He must have also thought we were a bit warm as he then threw a bottle of water over the crowd. All of this was filmed, so get your DVD order in now (I think it may be available at Tescos).
The emotions are running very high now, both onstage and off, and I dread and yet long for next weekend and Bournemouth. All through these concerts there have been two constants. One is obviously the love that we all have for these three men, the other is sisterhood. Look around the crowd at any of these concerts and you will see the same thing. Groups of women who have become so close through the many years of The Osmonds, and some more recent friendships. Certain songs in the set stir up differing emotions in us all, but “Love Me For A Reason, I Believe, Through the Years, and the new Cant Get There Without You and Remember Me” , are 100% tearjerkers for many, with groups of women crying and hugging each other as they sway in time and sing along.
And when that final note is sung and we have each wiped away our tears, we will know we will have done Our Boys proud and given them the sendoff they so rightly deserve. See you all at Bournemouth.
Suebird xxxx

* Do not weep for me (Wilbur Skeels 1996)

A weighty issue.

admin — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:42:46 +0000

I must admit I have been enjoying myself alot lately, what with the concerts and my blossoming social life (those who know me can tell you I was on my way to becoming a hermit before I moved). I have been having so much fun that I haven’t given much thought to my eating habits and have let the weight creep back on. Last week at Woking I felt uncomfortable and fat, none of my clothes fit me and I wanted to hide behind Jay in my meet and greet photos. So this morning I climbed on the scales with a sense of trepidation, just how much weight have I put on. EEEEK 6lbs!!!! That is just over the course of these concerts so far, that’s 1lb in weight for each concert I have been to.
I tell myself that I have not overeaten, that I have made healthy choices all the time. But the drinks after the show, the regular bag of chips, cooked brekkies and milky Chai Lattes (mmm) well they have all added to the damage. Of course the other problem is that when I am relaxed and settled in my life, I eat….and when I am stressed I eat…and when I am unhappy I eat. Hmm there’s a pattern forming haha. The only time I didn’t eat was when I lived with a psychotic drug addicted hairdresser, I was too scared to eat, wonderful for the waistline but havoc on the mind (but thats another story).
The temptation is to let it slide until after the tour (well there are only 3 shows left for me), but the time to take action is NOW. After all there are only 6 months till Vegas. So I am putting it in writing, I am going to lose 3 stone before October, so no more milky Chai lattes, no alcohol, no post concert chips…and sorry Cathy no DO Balls either.So dont tempt me Angels. My Mantra- “I will not weigh more than Donny. I will not weigh more than Donny.”
Enjoy your Sunday roasts
Suebird
xxxx

Woking

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:27:58 +0000

Right today is the first chance I have had to write about Sundays concert at Woking. Yeah I can hear it now “Not another concert blog”, well yes, sort of. The thing is with these concerts, they are so different each time, oh not in the songs they sing (although the set does change at times), but the atmosphere varies from place to place.
Sunday was wonderful for me. I was with two very special ladies, and we had a surprise from the lovely Kitty who decided to take a trip to Woking just to see the Boys off the bus (which she did and got a hug from each and a pic). Loved your phone-call Kitty whilst we were travelling “Hey gals look behind you” LOL.
Whilst the meet and greet was fun as always, meeting Marcus and chatting to Jackie, the real special moments came during the show. Watching Jay enjoy his Crazy Horses dance from such a close viewpoint was, as Jimmy is wont to say, AWESOME. We had a clear view from 3 rows back, as there was a “parting of the waves” in front that gave uninterrupted eye contact between us and them Boys. Wearing rather distinctive t-shirts I guess they couldn’t help but notice us. Merrill certainly gave us a giggle, he was having a whale of a time larking around behind Jimmy, Alison had to ask him just what he thought he was doing (No idea apparently). It was good to know that the Boys have learnt the new routine/dance to Goin Home, although they looked a bit concerned when singing “Through the Years” and spotted Wendy and Alison crying. I did say to them both…”Im Not Avin It”. LOL
Ah well I suppose it was a Had To Be There Moment. Thanks Gals.
Suebird xxxx

Happy Birthday Jimmy Osmond

admin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:53:12 +0000

If I may veer off the Final Tour topic/new CD/whas-his-name in Vegas, just for a little bit. Monday marks Jimmy Osmonds 49th birthday (yes he is a few months younger than me ). But how can that be? How can Jimmy be nearly (cough cough) 50?. How many of us still remember him as the precocious 9 year old singing LHLFL on TOTPs, just like we remember Donny as the cutie at age 14 asking us to help him help him, please.
Its a funny thing when your Idols get older, cos then we have to admit that we are aging along with them. As much as we still like to believe that we are indeed forever 10, there comes a time when it just isnt right to have poster of Donny Osmond on the wall (especially if you are married hahaha). Now I have to say I never really appreciated Jimmy’s erm, talents when he was younger. At the risk of offending Kitty, he was a tad annoying at age 9, come on admit it you all think so too. But listening to him singing now and watching him performing with his brothers, I have a new admiration for the man (and those blue eyes). He is such a delight to meet and talk to (as they all are really), he takes real interest in what you have to say to him, and genuinely seems to remember you each time you meet.
So happy birthday to the baby of the Osmond family, may you have a wonderful day, eat lots of cake and enjoy loads of birthday hugs. And I will see you on my 50th LOL
Suebird xxxx

Remember Me.

admin — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:52:29 +0000

Back home again after a wonderful road trip to Sheffield and York. Two very different shows (not from the Osmonds but the audience). Whilst Sheffield was rocking and everyone was on their feet, York was rather subdued. Our half of the audience (not us obviously) sat on their hands during the show, only standing for brief periods to clap and sing. Some even left their seat to get drinks whilst the Dropouts were on, very rude indeed. Of course the advantage of being the only four ladies standing and singing for the support act is…we got noticed, and the smile on Si’s face was priceless.
York is a great town and we had an added bonus whilst dining at an Italian place, looking out the window we spotted, Jimmy Osmond (plus Scott and Steve from the Dropouts), carrying a Nandos takeout bag strolling back to the Barbican. We sent Julie into the street (cos we were still eating) and she called Jimmy’s name and waved to him (yes he did wave back).
Sheffield was amazing on so many levels. The meet and greet, where I dared to kiss Jimmy (on the cheek sorry Kitty), asked Merrill to draw devil horns on Donnys photo (cruel but funny), and had a Jay hug. Front row seats meant I got some awesome pictures (see my fb page), one of which has replaced Donny on my phone as wallpaper (sorry Puppy Boy). There was a marvelous flashback to Jimmy as a 9 year old when he decided to burst one of the huge balloons by sitting on it, and wow did he hit the deck HARD. Once Jay and Merrill got over the shock, they all had a good laugh at Jimmy’s expense. By the look on his face, the poor man certainly must have felt some pain.
This final tour is turning out to be an emotional roller coaster and not just for the fans. Its very obvious that some of the songs stir up memories for the brothers too. Jimmy looked lost in thought at some points, and whilst Merrill insists that they don’t deserve this adoration, the fans are just as insistent that they do.
So now it is back to reality, well for another week anyway.
Suebird xx

At Last!!!!!

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:58:20 +0000

I couldnt resist a brief post about the new Osmond CD. It arrived today in this household, and facebook is filled with comments about the songs and how much everyone is enjoying it. Now often when you get a new album/cd there are only a few songs you like or you buy it because you like the lead track. Very rarely can you say that you listen to each and every song.
Now I am not a music critic but I know what I like. Yes I love the Osmonds but that doesnt mean I will buy anything by them. I am not a great country music fan so the last few albums held no appeal for me. But going to the concerts gave me taste for what this album has to offer. Fans who are hoping that Donny figures prominently on this will be disappointed, but I’m not. I have a new appreciation for Jimmy’s vocals, in fact he gets quite raunchy on a few tracks, “Take Me Home” in particular. And there are certain boyband overtones in “I Need You” and “Take me home”, you can see where modern groups have taken their influence. Of course anyone who has seen the UK tour so far will know “Cant get there without you”, and no doubt shed a few tears for “Remember Me”.
So thankyou Jimmy Osmond, Jay Osmond and Merrill Osmond you have made alot of people very happy today.
Sueird xxx

Donny Osmond MIA?

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:19:33 +0000

Hmmm a week without an Osmond Concert , AND another week to go till the next one. This leaves me with a problem, what do I write about this week. Oh there are loads of topics I COULD talk about, but Im trying not to be too controversial at the moment LOL. So this week, and inspired by an April fools joke, (see inspiration comes from out of the blue, ta Cathy) I am making Donny Osmond this weeks topic…cue the deep longing sighs, LOL.
Whilst any Osmond news is welcomed, especially tours, there is a certain buzz of excitement when it comes to Donny. We as fans tend to be quite gullible and believe almost anything (as this morning goes to show) when it comes to the Divine One. I have been trying to figure out just why that is. Yes he’s gorgeous, talented and is the cause of many a missed heartbeat, but what is it about the man, or even news of the man that sends us into a complete tizz?
After all he always disappoints us, he cancels shows, he promises us that he will be coming back to the UK soon, then he signs for more years at the Flamingo (which is exciting as it means more trips stateside) leaving us wondering if we have been forgotten in Blighty. But if he turned up at the airport tomorrow, or started performing a concert in the Outer Hebrides, you know we’d all be there. WHY? He’s not getting any younger, he’s about to be a grandfather for the 4th time, he’s married, he has wrinkles, crows feet and greying hair (underneath all the hair dye LOL), and one day he will be in his 70’s and performing Puppy Love to residents in a retirement home (not to self, must book him now for my residents).
So don’t leave it too long Donny Osmond, to visit these shores, we love you we do but we might forget what you look like soon. In the meantime we will continue to enjoy this amazing final tour your (mostly) older brothers are wowing the UK with.
Suebird xxx

Nom Nom Nom

admin — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:33:15 +0000

Another awesome night at Southend with the Brothers. Have to say they were on fine form again, got to hear 5 of the songs from the new CD. Judging by the calibre of these five songs the rest of the cd should be amazing. Got some wonderful hugs from all the brothers, and I must say I do a very good Marie impersonation (no not THAT one), which kept the line entertained. Cathy and Pixie had their Osmond moment, albeit by phone tonight.
One of the best moments (outside the concert) was meeting a lovely lady called Gita, she is wheelchair bound, not that it stopped her going to Vegas to see Donny last year, and several other times judging by her poster. She got Jays drum solo dedicated to her and met them backstage after the show tonight. She doesnt let her disability get in the way of having a darn good time, and a devoted Osmond fan to boot.
Of course we waited outside to see the boys after the show, and despite the weather being so warm during the day, believe me it was not so warm by the time the show ended. Waiting at the end of the fence in the cold, we struck up a conversation with a young security guard. Well I say conversation, we did most of the talking, he was desperately trying to be serious about his job. he was 20, called Eddie and came from Lithuania. The only time we saw him crack a smile was when Kitty told him she wanted to squish his cheeks (on his face). Poor boy, hes probably permanently scarred now, having to deal with Osmond fans.
Right I am off to bed, dont forget to put your clocks forward.
Suebird xx