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Jackson 5 Meeting the Osmonds

“Osmonds and J5 Meet Face to Face”

After two months on the road, traveling from coast to coast, the Osmonds arrived in Toronto, Canada, on Monday, August 30th, for the final show of their summer concert tour at the Canadian National Exhibition. The Osmond brothers--and that includes Donny, Jay, Merrill, Wayne, and Alan, as well as eight-year-old Jimmy, who travels and appears as a special treat in all of the Osmonds' “in person” concerts--were really excited about this show. It was their first Canadian concert and the boys were thrilled with the fantastic turn-out. In fact, the Osmonds broke all previous attendance records for the annual fair. More than 25,000 fans had come to see their show!

While Donny, Jay, Merrill, Wayne, and Alan were on stage doing their thing and making thousands of people happy with their music--little did they know that some very special guests were watching from the wings and waiting to greet them backstage. Yup--you guessed it! The Jackson 5 were right there in Toronto and this would be the memorable day both groups would finally get to meet! The J5 were set to appear at the Canadian National Exhibition the very next day and they had arrived in Toronto a day early so that they could get together with the Osmonds!

When Donny, Jay, Merrill, Wayne, and Alan came off the stage and into their dressing room, Mr. Osmond told his sons he had a surprise for them. Before the boys could ask, “What is it?"--there was a knock at the door--and when they opened it, they knew the answer! The surprise was a visit from none other than Michael, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie, accompanied by their proud father, Joe Jackson. After a few minutes of exchanging friendly "hellos" and shaking hands, everyone realized that it was too crowded, noisy, and hectic backstage to really talk. Mr. Jackson came up with a groovy idea and invited the Osmonds to the nearby hotel where the Jacksons were staying, so that the two groups could really get to visit--and talk. And that’s just what they did!

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

Once they all arrived at the hotel, the boys had the opportunity to get to know each other. In fact, both groups found they had even more in common than they ever guessed. Alan and Jackie, the two oldest members of each group, hit it off immediately and discussed the business aspect of their careers. Both of these boys are interested in getting involved in the “behind the scenes" production as well as in continuing to perform. Wayne and Tito were delighted to discover that they shared an interest in mechanics, so they compared notes about cars. Jackie has a brand new orange Datsun and Wayne hopes to get a Chevy Stingray he can convert into a hotrod! The two middle brothers of each group, Merrill and Jermaine, learned that in addition to singing and playing bass guitar--they both love to write songs. Next in line, Jay and Marlon exchanged jokes as well as stories about sports--something both groups enjoy watching as well as participating in. And last but not least--Donny and Michael became fast friends and even posed for a picture together. The photographer was little Jimmy Osmond, who borrowed Michael Jackson's Polaroid camera to snap a picture--just for you!

The Osmonds were flattered to learn that the J5 used to watch them on The Andy Williams Show years ago--and also that Michael, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie had seen their TV special, “The Osmond Brothers Show--He's My Brother!”, when it was aired last March. Donny, Jay, Merrill, Wayne, and Alan asked the J5 when their TV spec would be on the air and said they'd be sure to tune in and watch it. Of course, by the time you read this, the Jackson 5 special “Going Back To Indiana will already have been aired and, as promised, the Osmonds did watch it and truly enjoyed it!

SHARING SECRETS

As you can see, the boys didn't even discuss those awful, un- true rumors about the so-called feud. There was no need to--since neither group cares about cheap gossip and they knew it was all lies. Instead, they spent a wonderful, enjoyable evening talking with new friends! The boys got together and shared secrets and stories about how they first got started in show business, recording, touring, and so on. They even talked about school--and girls--before they had to call it a night. However, before the Osmonds and the J5 said "goodbye" to one another, they made a pact to get together again in Los Angeles sometime soon. It seems as though this surprise meeting between the Osmonds and the J5 was just the start of a long friendship. And it also looks like they want to continue that discussion about girls-- a subject both groups have on their minds even more than music!!