OSBOURNES: RELOADED – ON-SET NEWS AND SPOILERS!!!
That’s right, SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
It’s time for the fun stuff. The reason why I started HOLLYWOOD JUNKET in the first place.
I predict this show will do well enough for a two season run. During the last night of taping (January 7th), Jack Osbourne was heard verbally stating that he really hoped the show wouldn’t get picked-up for a full season, after numerous “holds”, or down time, during filming. Kelly expressed much aggravation from the same thing.
During the shows first taping, it was hard for Kelly Osbourne to step outside herself, and not pay attention to audience feedback. She responded to one audience member’s outburst in regards to Jack: “Make no mistake, he is still my brother and he will kick your ass”.
Aside from the foul language, the content of the show is on the vulgar side. In one prank, a young audience member, was confronted by her parents’ on-stage silhouettes, in bed simulating sex. A very successful attempt to get back at their daughter after they walked-in on her in “the act” with her boyfriend.
A regular skit on the show is of Ozzy as a ventriloquist with a mini-Ozzy puppet, named “Little Ozzy”. Ozzy reads to a group of children, but the he and the puppet uses such foul language and horrifying stories, that the children characters are frightened and traumatized. No doubt, Ozzy filmed his lines completely separate from the reaction shots and facial expressions of the children actors.
Other show high-jinks and stunts include, a woman putting her boyfriend on the spot by demanding he either marry her on the show the same night, or they’re finished. A really good one was when a man was tricked into coming onto the show by thinking it was game show related. He has gone to the “Price is Right” 150 times so far, but has never been asked to “come on down!”. Finally, the Osbournes asked him to “come on down!”. Then they had him confront a hefty number of his exes on-stage, and challenged him to state what their last names were!
The Osbournes game show that they play on-stage is called “Guess the Guest” with “Family Feud” host, John O’ Hurley playing as host. This requires the family to be blindfolded, then must guess who the celebrity guest is by asking him or her questions. The celebrity guests’ voice is electronically distorted. After 8 rounds of questioning, the family must huddle, then come-up with their best guess on the celebrity’s identity. Show celebrity guests included Miss Piggy, and Pam Anderson.
Check out “E!” reporter, Marc Malkin’s “uberblog” on an on-stage incident with celebrity guest, Pam Anderson, on a day that HOLLYWOOD JUNKET was not there:
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b73870_pam_anderson_mystery_guest_flashes_her.html
Though, unavoidable and reoccurring references to Ozzy as the “Prince of Darkness” , he is an amazing patriarch with a great stage presence. It’s evident that he enjoyed much of his pre-taped comedy skits and foam spraying finales more than all the other stuff in between. One thing that impressed me the most about Ozzy was, he did not proceed his reputation of not being verbally the easiest to understand. He was fairly well-spoken. But, when Ozzy had do one particular take. He received his line from his wife Sharon who whispered the line in his ear. He spoke this line with such confidence, and validity. The connection was evident. Immediately after that, he was given a re-take of that line on a teleprompter. He fell apart.
The filming of the episode before the Christmas holiday, had an off-camera celebrity guest in the audience. Dennis Miller was spotted sitting in the audience and behaving very well, doing all of the audience things — like, clapping, standing, waving flags, etc.. This time last year, he was filming as host of a game show with on-stage stunts, called “Amnesia” for NBC. Great to see Miller having a relaxing and fun time on the Osbournes set.
The show is of the raunchy nature, but so is the stuff you’ll never see aired. The off-camera stints from English warm-up host are abundant. A dance contest started by the warm-up host ended with two girls on stage “freaking” each other pretty hard. I think that the shows’ writers and producers could take a tip from these two girls and note how well real-life scenarios work themselves out when things are not so scripted. Even though the show is intended to have that sense.
Still, the show is much fun, and a great change of pace. We’ll see if the Osbournes effort to bring a bit of edgy “raw” English humor to network TV wrapped in a pretty package will be well taken by American audiences.
