I represent the first generation who, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson.
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Wayne Osmond was the second-oldest of the original Osmond Brothers singers and the fourth oldest of the nine Osmond children. Starting in 1958, Wayne and three of his brothers (Alan,Merrill, andJayin their respective age orders) began singing as abarbershop quartet. They were later discovered in 1961 by Jay Emerson Williams, the father ofAndy Williams, at a performance atDisneylandwhich was being filmed for theDisneyland After Darkepisode ofWalt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. In 1962, the four Osmonds were cast over a seven-year period onNBC'sThe Andy Williams Show, a musical variety program. Each of these four Osmond brothers were also cast in nine episodes of the 1963–1964ABCWestern series,The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, with Wayne in the role of young Leviticus Kissel.
In the band's rock formation, Wayne played guitarand occasionally drums,among many other instruments, with Wayne recalling shortly before his death that he learned to play eight instruments during his time with the band.Wayne was found to haveperfect pitch.His last intended appearance with the Osmonds was October 13, 2018, although he made an additional appearance with his brothers a year later as a birthday present to their sister,Marie.
The story about me, apocryphal or not, is that I could sing before I spoke.
My parents went into bedroom one day and there I was standing in the crib singing God Bless America
-Linda Lavin
Linda Lavin October 15, 1937 – December 29, 2024
In 1967, Linda Lavin made an appearance as Gloria Thorpe in atelevision versionof the baseball musicalDamn YankeeswithPhil Silvers.In 1969, Lavin married actorRon Leibman,and by 1973, the couple had arrived inHollywood, California. After various guest appearances on episodic television series such asThe Nurses,Rhoda,Harry O, andKaz, Lavin landed a recurring role as Detective Janice Wentworth onBarney Millerduring the first and second seasons (1975–1976).
She leftBarney Millerto star in the lead role inAlice, which was a sitcom success that ran from 1976 to 1985 thru theCBSnetwork. The series was based on theMartin Scorsese–directedEllen BurstynfilmAlice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Lavin portrayed Alice Hyatt, a waitress and singer, the character that Burstyn had played. Lavin performed the series' theme song, "There's a New Girl in Town," which was written byDavid ShireandAlan and Marilyn Bergmanand was updated for each of the first six seasons. During the series' nine-season run, Lavin earned twoGolden Globe Awardsand aPrimetime Emmy Awardnomination,[10]and gained experience directing, especially during the later seasons. Lavin also played a dual role inAlice, as Debbie Walden, the wizened and former landlady of the character Vera Louise Gorman-Novak.[11]Lavin also made numerous television appearances outside ofAlice, including hosting her own holiday special for CBS,Linda in Wonderland(1980). She acted in two sitcoms,Room for Two(1992–93)and 1998'sConrad Bloom.[12]InRoom for Two, she played a mother who moved in with her daughter, played byPatricia Heaton, who has a show on a local television station. The daughter gives Lavin's character her own segment, called "Just a Thought", at the end of her program.
She also appeared in many telefilms between 1967 and 1998, including: Damn Yankees!, Sadbird, The Morning After, Jerry, Like Mom, Like Me, The $5.20 an Hour Dream, Another Woman's Child, Maricela, Lena: My 100 Children, Whitewash, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story, Stolen Memories: Secrets from the Rose Garden, For the Future: The Irvine Fertility Scandal, The Ring, and Best Friends for Life. Lavin produced and starred in A Matter of Life and Death, the 1981 telefilm based on the work of nurse thanatologistJoy Ufema.[14] She directed the 1990 telefilm Flour Babies.
After working in theater for many years, Lavin was cast in the NBC television sitcom Sean Saves the World (2013–14) playing Sean Hayes' pushy, meddling mother Lorna. The Los Angeles Times interviewer noted: "A highlight of the show is the wonderful chemistry between Lavin and Hayes, who exchange repartee and quips with breezy ease. And the cast seems smitten with her."
In 2015, Lavin guest starred as a judge approached to stop an execution in the episode of Bones titled "The Verdict in the Victims."Actress Emily Deschanel said "Lavin was particularly fun to have on" the show.
Like Alice, 9JKL deals with family relationships–except it's a more sophisticated and edgier show. The people are more privileged and on a higher economic level than Alice. I love to go to work every day. I feel very grateful and fortunate for this role, the quality of work and good people at this stage of my life. Fun and creative are the operative words for me. I'm very committed to participating in projects where I can bring and exchange those qualities with like-minded people.
