Show biz connoisseur and pop legend, Donny Osmond, is to bring the classic word association game show Pyramid, across the pond to the UK exclusively to Challenge! Pyramid, is a hilarious game show in which players are paired with celebrities to compete in an energetic word game for cash prizes. Confirmed celebrities who will be appearing on the show include Ingrid Tarrant, Tony Blackburn, Carol Smilie and Anne Charleston (best known as Madge in Neighbours)Pyramid features two teams, composed of a famous face and a contestant, who try to guess a series of words or phrases within a 30 second time limit based on descriptions given to them by their partner.

A contender can win £1000 if they complete a winner's circle and £3000 if they complete two in the same show. Contestants can defend their place as Pyramid Champions for up to five shows and can win up to £15,000! Top prizes will also be up for grabs such as TV's, Home Cinema Systems and weekend breaks.Pyramid’s game show host, Donny, has been in the entertainment business since the age of 5, when he and his brothers debuted on The Andy Williams Show. He has over 30 gold and platinum records to his credit and has hosted TV variety, talk, and game shows. His recent autobiography entered the UK bestseller chart at #1, and he just finished a sold-out 4-month run on Broadway as Gaston in “Beauty & The Beast”. FemaleFirst were able to speak to the much loved 49 year old icon at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Find out what he had to say in our chat below:Do you think your vocation is still dissimilar in the UK to what it is across the Atlantic?Well it’s slightly different. I have done a lot of television presenting in the United States so I guess I’m more of a recording artist here in this country than over here. It’s so diversified you never get bored.

I’ve done some directing in the past, producing – I haven’t really done that much producing because you can really get into a lot of trouble if you don’t know what you’re doing. You want the pros to be able to come in and do what they do best.

You’ve been in the music business for so long. What’s changed for the better and for the worse over the years?

I think for the better - there are so many different mediums to be seen now and I think the great part about that is you can become an immediate star. But that’s also the worst part of the business. (Laughs) Sometimes I think some of these instant celebrities think “Oh I’ve made it now, I’m a Star.” No you’re not. There’s a big difference between being a star and being popular. Maybe that’s what we do – maybe that’s the two extremes. So you just become popular, but one thing is when you’ve had your fifteen minutes in the spot light, that’s when the work really starts. That’s when you really have to prove that you deserve the spotlight.

Your latest album – “Love Songs of the Seventies” has just been released and is your 55th collection of songs. Do you have a favourite album that you've personally recorded?

Oh that’s a tough one. I think probably the Plan that I did with my brothers. I think that’s one of the best albums that we did as a band.

Crazy Horses is in fact about pollution - do any of your other tracks have veiled connotations?

Yeah – it is. (Laughs) It’s an ecological song. The whole Plan album is a concept album but not very many people picked up on that fact. But lots of songs have hidden meanings.

Do you still keep in touch with Michael Jackson – have you managed to speak to him since his much-publicised trial finished?

Not since he moved to India but every once in a while we touch base. Not too often lately though.

What was your opinion of Andrew Lloyd Webber when you played the title role in the musical, Jason and his Technicolor Dream Coat?

Well obviously you do the best that you possibly can, because you’re dealing with Andrew. I remember doing a show – it was a Royal Variety Show – and I didn’t sing his music exactly quite right during the rehearsal. He let me know it (Laughs) and he corrected me. During the live performance what do you know I blew it again? But we had a good laugh about it afterwards.

You turned down the Phantom of the Opera to do other stuff at one point in your career….

That’s true. Andrew asked me if I wanted to do it and I said absolutely but the timing didn’t work out very well and I had to turn it down. That’s something that I’d love to do in the future.

You’re a father of five – what’s the most surprising thing that you’ve learnt as a dad?

How closely your kids watch you! They really pick up on everything you do. So be the example as the best teacher.

You’ve also worked with Gary Barlow in the past – what do you think about his band Take That reforming again?

Oh yeah, I’ve heard their music. I think their new album is fantastic. I was over at his house a couple of nights ago and told him my favourite stuff and he thinks that’s good for the next single – I won’t tell you which one it is, but I told him my favourite song on the record. As a matter of fact his kids call me “Uncle Donny.”

Louis Walsh is leaving the X Factor. Would you consider stepping into his shoes or becoming a judge on another talent contest like that one? There are persistent rumours of you helping to find a new Joseph in a BBC production…..

Absolutely. As a matter of fact Simon (Simon Cowell) and I have talked previously in the past about possibly doing something together.

You’re doing a “Donny Comes Home” concert in Wales shortly. Tell us more about the historical information that you found, about your relations who once lived there?

The concert is June 30th. It’s where a lot of my ancestors come from out in Merthyr. It’s going to be such a fun show because I’m going to be throwing in everything from Puppy Love to Crazy Horses and everything in between. (laughs) The family tree is one of my hobbies, I’ve been able to find some pretty interesting things – it’s cool. I’ve traced my line back to the nine hundreds something like that. There’s an interesting website that I go to that helps called onegreatfamily.com and you can just click your name and information in and some of your ancestors and if the work has already been done, you don’t have to do it anymore – it just pops up and that’s how I’ve traced it back.

You’ve been married for a long time (29 years) –what’s the secret to making a relationship successful do you think?

(Donny Laughs) Whenever there is an argument or a dispute my wife is always right. Its fixes it all the time. One hundred percent of the time (Laughs Again)

What’s the strangest location that you’ve ever heard one of your songs?

In the loo (He laughs) I just remembered another one. It’s not as funny as in the loo, cos you know how they play music in restaurants and things like that. But during this run of playing in Beauty and Beast this past fall I’m walking down Time Square and this lady’s walking towards me and she’s got her iPod on and she’s listening to music. She looks and me and stops and grabs me with the most startling look on her face. She pulls the headphones off and goes “You’re never going to believe this.” She put the headphones on my head and it’s my music (Laughs) She was listening to me and I was walking right towards her.

You’re preparing to participate in a new show called Dream Vote for ABC in the States. Have you ever has any of your own dreams crushed?

The Great American Dream Vote yeah. Whatever the dream is, if they can appeal to the audience and convince them that they deserve their dream – we narrow it down from eight contestants initially down to two – with the studio audience and then I turn it over to America for the week. They vote, and whoever wins, ABC writes the cheque and they get their dream – for whatever it might be.

I remember my first crush on a girl. I had that dream crushed a couple of times and a broken heart (Laughs) All the little typical crush dreams of kids – yeah I had those experiences too.

What do you make of the Donny Osmond doll that legions of your female fans have?

It’s freaky. It’s absolutely spooky and then they start putting pins in them. (Laughs)

How are Jimmy, Marie and the rest of the family right now?

They all fine. Jimmy did very well on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Everyone thought he was going to win.

What else have you got in the pipeline?

I’m in the process of writing a novel, which I’m finding fascinating. It’s a spy novel that hopefully will come out next year maybe. But I’m enjoying the process.

Do you have a title in mind for it yet?

No I don’t. It’s a working title but I’m going to keep that under wraps.

Thanks Donny

Pyramid will air primetime on Challenge from May 7th 2007.

Tagged in