In a radio interview, it is being reported that Flamingo headliner Marie Osmond appeared to come out in support of marriage equality, a hot topic in Vegas since Miss USA. This is in stark contrast to her brother, Donny Osmond, who on his official site, in response to a fan's questions about his views on gays who "consider themselves 'married,'" posted his church's official position (from 1995) insisting marriage is between a man and a woman.

In fact, Donny Osmond isn't reconciled to homosexuals at all unless they are about as uncoupled as could be. He adds his own note claiming to have gay friends and offering: "Well, I do support our Church leaders who say that we can accept those with gay tendencies in our church as long as they do not act upon their temptations." Wow, I bet the gay folk are grateful for Donny's acceptance in exchange for a lonely life of abstinence.

I need to get Donny and Marie and a digital tape recorder together soon and work through this issue.

photo sarah gerke

Last week, Donny & Marie's original contract at the Flamingo would have expired. But shortly after starting their show, the numbers convinced everyone to extend the run for two years. Interviewing Marie Osmond this weekend, I thought of the recently deceased John Updike, in an essay on writers, who noted of their career arc something certainly true in 2009 of Marie Osmond: "A career in writing begins with the sense that what has already been written, by others ... however revered, it lacks the latest information, the newest slant. For a while the careerist confidently surfs near the curling crest of technological and cultural change; his generation is the new wave. ... As he ages, the wave slips on, and he finds himself paddling in the foam-studded aftermath, indifferent to more and more fads and celebrities, failing to 'get' more and more." And, of course, a performer loses a lot with the passing of the first blush of fame too, but much is gained. Updike might not agree, but there is a lot to be said for paddling in calm waters. In the case of Maire Osmond, audiences know who you are and what you do, and they love you for still doing it.

Of course,  Marie Osmond was never a cutting-edge artist. Still, in the '70s, through television and records and ubiquitous marketing, in many ways, Donny & Marie brought variety entertainment to a new generation by adding their own spin. That spin created a bridge between the vaudeville generation of performers, and singers like Britney Spears (a former Donny & Marie guest) and shows like "American Idol."

As children, Osmond and her brother managed to find a  place for themselves in mainstream culture that made them household names. They were the first teen crush for many members of a certain generation. In fact, not being cool is its own form of cool, and the Osmonds demonstrated that. They were always comfortable  being themselves. Marie Osmond famously turned down a part in the blockbuster movie "Grease" as too raunchy for her.

In 2009,  her sincerity and her inner comfort with her way of doing things are still what Osmond radiates. This has always been part of the charm of Donny & Marie.

But sweet and unhip as she comes across, make no mistake, Marie Osmond is also a businesswoman and someone who has played in the hardball world of entertainment since she was a kid. The Flamingo show is hardly the capstone to her career, or even a comeback. She has a new talk show coming up, and a new book coming out, and her collections of dolls that she sells on QVC, she says, is doing great. Her tougher self can be glanced at. There is a serious expression she got when an assistant handed her a note and, after putting it in her purse, she offers: "Thank you, I will take care of it."  But even when taking care of business, sans the expansive warmth she radiates most of the time, Marie Osmond is always polite. She also works hard.

In the first few minutes of her arrival in her dressing room,  Osmond takes care of a little business, does an interview with me, greets the president of the Flamingo and chats with a few of her eight children (who are constantly around). They are all clean cut, look like they work out (no teenage obesity epidemic in the Osmond brood) and each child offers a handshakes and a broad smile.

I was overwhelmed, by the way, by how many of you e-mailed questions for Marie Osmond, more than any other interview that I have offered to take in questions from readers. Sadly, I did not even come close to getting all your questions answered during our 15-minute interview, but with the success the show is enjoying, I suspect I will be interviewing her again during Donny & Marie's Vegas residency:

Marie Osmond: Is this interview Donny and Marie or just Marie?

Richard Abowitz: Just you.

Osmond: (laughs) Good, I am much more interesting.

Abowitz: Do you Twitter?

Osmond: No. We are going to do Twittering on my TV show. I've got to find a location and get crews set up and all that for the television show. But there is also so much to do right now with the Flamingo show and all my crafts stuff. I've got to set up my website. But Twittering is coming.

Abowitz: Are you going to tape the television show in Vegas or fly to L.A.?

Osmond: Definitely, Las Vegas. I am a single mom. It is important I am with them in the morning to get them off to school. While they are in school, I will go do the show and be home when they get back. I can give them dinner and put them to bed and then head off to the Flamingo to do my show. So, we are sure it is Vegas, and we are looking at some places now.

Abowitz: Was it hard for you to set your family up and adjust your schedules for life in Vegas?

Osmond: I've been working since I was 3. I know how to adjust to things like that. We grew up in Las Vegas. I worked with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. We were taught by the old school when we were new school. You adjust to what is needed at a particular time. But where I live in Las Vegas, it feels more like Orange County than the Strip. It is a very nice family community. I checked out all those things before we agreed to do the show. I had to know this to be a great place for my children. Six of my kids still live at home, and my youngest is 6.

Abowitz: Can you talk a little about your book next month and how it will be different from "Smile," your last book?

Osmond: I was the first celebrity to write about postpartum depression. But this book is not on depression. This book is on laughing. "Might as Well Laugh About It" began when my house burned down (laughs). I know, laughing and my house burning down.  A lot of people say I have a crazy attitude by being so positive; I believe in that. I think you create what is around you. Long story short, I lost lots of precious things, everything of mine, including my journals. I've had all these life-changing epiphanies  I wanted  to write down for my children before I forgot them [without the journals]. So we put them down in a humorous way, all these things that meant something to me. Larry King read some of it and compared it to Erma Brombeck, and that was very flattering to me. I am hoping to do interviews and market it for Mother's Day.

Abowitz: Having written about postpartum depression, did you have any thoughts or insights on the controversy over remarks made by Tom Cruise about Brooke Shields use of medication to fight that?

Osmond: My book was way before that. For me, all I could do was get out of bed, wash my face and go back to bed. I think nutrition has a lot to do with depression. But I also believe if you can't get out of bed, if your life is darker than dark, you need something to help you through. So I can't say I agree with everything he said.

Abowitz: Do you feel you were pampered by your brothers as the only girl?

Osmond. Oh, please. There is my answer. There was only one mother, and she needed help.

Abowitz: What has surprised you about living in Vegas?

Osmond: I like being back here. It feels home to me. I love the schedule. The consistency is really good for my children.

Abowitz: How is being on stage every night with your brother?

Osmond: It is fun. We have a unique relationship. We have a meet and greet at the end of each show. And fans come from all over the world. And the women will come in and go, "Oh, Donny!" And their husbands will say, "Go ahead and hug him. You've loved him longer than you've known me." But being with my brother again works because we have the same work ethic. And we really wanted the show to be special, and it is a fun show. It shows the variety we can do. I love being with him and that consistency of the number of years we have been together. I am talking about four decades of this relationship.

Abowitz: Are you surprised by the longevity your career has enjoyed?

Osmond: I never really believed I would still be here at this age and re-launching again. It is awe striking. After all the time and experiences I have seen growing up in the entertainment world. I am not 16-years-old anymore, and there is something great about age because you become wiser in a lot of ways.  Also, as a woman in my 40s, at a certain age, you can't fake anything anymore, you go, "Get over it, this is me."

Photo: Sarah Gerke