Posted on 06/19/2002 9:57:56 PM PDT by codebreaker
Bill Cosby who's hit NBC television sitcom idealized family life throughout the 1980's has some harsh words about America's favorite openly disfunctional family, 'The Osbornes.'
'First of all you media need to stop with this Ozzy Osbourne.
This is a sad, sad family; it is a sad case.
The children are sad and the parents are sad,' Cosby tells entertainment show 'Access Hollywood on Thursday, June 20.
'This is not entertainment.'
While many think audiences respond to the MTV series based on the misadventures of Ozzy and crew because it shows that even the rich and famous suffer the same complicate family dynamics as the hoi polloi, Cosby says that enjoying it is akin to 'laughing at Tiny Tim.'
I've known the kids in Pure Rubbish and their dad for over 5 years now. They got profiled in this week's Rolling Stone; their mom is on the road with them as they tour the Ozzfest again.
I haven't read the article but may drop in a library to do so.
My take on it was that the Cos considers Ozzy to be crippled like Tiny Tim (from Charles' Dickens A Christmas Carol) and that to laugh at him is to laugh at his poor condition.
They put themselves in their predicament but I have to wonder if they really knew what they were getting into.
Didn't he come down on Lisa Bonnet for things in her personal life? Nude scenes? Her relationship with Lenny Kravitz?
The endorsement deal with Jello was the cause of his moral downfall. You try to find some wholesome uses for all that free Jello your sponsor keeps giving you!
Cosby's No Fan
Of MTV's Ozzy
Comic says family is 'sad'
By STEPHEN BATTAGLIO
Daily News Staff Writer
Bill Cosby, who headed America's favorite family in the 1980s on "The Cosby Show," doesn't think much of today's wildly popular reality TV clan, "The Osbournes."
"All of you [media] need to stop with this Ozzy Osbourne," the legendary comedian said in an interview that airs tonight on "Access Hollywood" (WNBC/Ch. 4, 7:30). "This is a sad, sad family. It is a sad case. The children are sad and the parents are sad. And this is not entertainment."
"The Osbournes," which chronicles the home life of the addled heavy metal rocker, his wife and two of their children, became a surprise hit for MTV after its launch in March.
The Osbournes have since become regulars on talk shows, are heavily covered in magazines and have even been praised by conservative politicians who cite them as an example of a loving, united family. They are also guaranteed a $7 million payday from MTV for a second season of episodes.
But Cosby, who portrayed a funny but firm father on the NBC series that was the No. 1 prime-time show for four consecutive years, isn't impressed.
"I'm telling you that ["The Osbournes"] is a sad thing. It's like laughing at Tiny Tim," he said. "It is the kind of entertainment that you look at but wouldn't want in your home. And I don't like to look at things like that."
For those too young to remember, Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) was the ghoulish-looking singer and ukulele player who was briefly a TV fixture in the late '60s and had his wedding on "The Tonight Show."
An MTV spokesman had no response to Cosby's remarks.
Cosby is actually an extended member of the MTV family himself these days. Reruns of "The Cosby Show" air in prime time on Nick at Nite, which is part of MTV Networks. The series has become Nick at Nite's highest-rated program.
END NY DAILY NEWS REPORT
I think Cosby is right-on. The Osbourne family is a sad case. Certainly it's out of line to lionize these pathetic people.
Anyone who's seen an episode of Seinfeld can read the expression on Jerry's face:
"No no! Please don't photograph me with these two!"
If the show is closed-captioned, then they are already there...
Highly doubtful. Dickens' Tiny Tim was a cognitively normal kid with a physical disability. Tiny Tim with the ukelele was a space cadet with noticeable cognitive dysfunction, just like Ozzy Osbourne. Certainly Cosby was referring to the latter Tiny Tim.
If they could've postponed it until the fall, Viacom-MTV could've tied it in with Viacom-CBS's Victoria's Secret Thong Thanksgiving Special.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.