And The Winner Is... Donny Osmond!

During the decade of the 70s there was a sort of a perceived rivalry by many between Donny Osmond and Michael Jackson. Donny, Michael and myself are contemporaries. I am 11 months older than Donny and 19 months older than Michael. So I had the opportunity to observe of both of their careers and draw comparisons. When it comes to sheer talent, there is no question in my mind that Michael far surpassed Donny. Michael won more Grammys and sold more records than Donny could ever dream of. And, Michael had a much broader fan base and had a farther reaching influence on pop music.

As is the case with any area of life, talent is not everything and Michael’s death only proved that. So what does Donny have? Well, for starters, he is STILL ALIVE. Michael may have had more talent than Donny when he was alive, but Donny was a better steward of his talent than Michael was of his, and Donny is still able to use his talent. The bad choices that Michael made over the course of his life put him on a path of self-destruction. So much so, that Michael’s talent could not even save him from the consequences of his bad choices.

I am not privy to Donny’s financial situation, but if I were to venture a guess, I would say that Donny is far more financially solvent than Michael was. Although Michael made more money, his obsessive and compulsive spending habits left his estate more than 400 million dollars in debt when he died. Donny may have had his ups and downs since his hay days in the 70s. In spite of that, I would contend that proportionately, Donny has done more with less. There is no doubt the Michael was a great entertainer. However, he failed in the areas of life that mattered the most. So, as for the so-called, “rivalry” between Michael and Donny, I officially declare Donny the winner by default.

MEMO TO DONNY:

Donny, in the event that you read this, I would just like to say that even though I do not know you personally. I think I know you well enough to know that you do not take any pleasure in winning this so-called, “rivalry” with Michael. Also, you don’t strike me as the type of guy who would have begrudged the fame and success that he achieved. I think we would agree that we would have preferred that Michael would have made better choices and put his life on a more constructive path.

If I may, I would like to offer you some words of encouragement. We are both still in our early 50s. Even though we have crossed the halfway point in our lives, we still have some productive years ahead of us. Whatever you do, don’t stop working in show business. You have a God given gift. Remain a good steward of your talent and God will reward you for it. Keep on working your projects. If one fails, don’t worry about it. Just get back on your horse and move on to the next one. You have a broad enough fan base and are well respected and loved enough that an occasional failed project will not kill your career. It is important that you keep working and get your projects in. This way, people will be able to judge you based on your entire body of work.

Take a look at Melissa Gilbert. You two have something in common insofar as both of you started in show business when both of you were a child. Melissa is at a point in her career where she realizes that she will probably not get the big blockbuster projects. She has resigned herself to the fact that she may not get all the millions and the Oscars. However, she has set her sights on getting the Life Time Achievement Award. Although most of her projects were not blockbuster hits, they were successful enough for her to put food on the table and hopefully money in the bank before moving on to the next project.

My advice to you is to take a similar approach to what Melissa is doing. As the old adage goes, “How you finish is far more important than how you start.” If you take this approach, I think you will leave a good legacy that you and your family can be proud of. See ya at the finish line.