[allhitradio]

Originally Posted by Dancing Girl

Really? The Osmonds are mormons (Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!) and to my knowledge never dated anyone outside their faith.. I remember there was a big stink when one of the Bee Gee brothers rather fancied Marie Osmond ( I think it was the younger one who died of a heart attack suddnely) and the family were frantic. They have all married Mormons.

I adored the Carpenters and was very sad when Karen died. It was shocking. I think, if I remember correctly, that in the movie it was sort of hinted that her Mum was very critical and demanding but who really knows what the cause was. She had a short marriage which failed which I am sure did not help. Karen may have had it all, from the outside looking in, but there was something terribly sad and lonely about her!

She definitely did date Alan Osmond for a short time. He was interviewed in one of the many documentaries made about her life. Plus I have seen some home movie footage of the two of them at her parents house.

I met her a few times and she always had a sort of wise cracking, jokey, public face and a much darker and depressive private one. She seemed to be constantly worrying about things being perfect. Apparently, she got that from her Mother who also had issues - borderline OCD and a total control freak.

The Little Girl Blue book is pretty good, although a little one sided and I'm sure she wouldn't have been happy to see her Mother and Brother 'demonised' in quite the way they are in the book.

The Karen Carpenter Story TV movie is OK for what it is. It skips over/omits a lot of events and sanitises others, as it was heavily controlled by her family. They demanded many rewrites of the script. On the other hand, they allowed scene to be filmed at the family home and even had the lead actress Cynthia Gibb, wearing Karen's own clothes and even her makeup! So in some senses it has a great deal of authenticity. Worth a look if you haven't seen it.

[Black Velvet]

Originally Posted by allhitradio

She definitely did date Alan Osmond for a short time. He was interviewed in one of the many documentaries made about her life. Plus I have seen some home movie footage of the two of them at her parents house.

I met her a few times and she always had a sort of wise cracking, jokey, public face and a much darker and depressive private one. She seemed to be constantly worrying about things being perfect. Apparently, she got that from her Mother who also had issues - borderline OCD and a total control freak.

The Little Girl Blue book is pretty good, although a little one sided and I'm sure she wouldn't have been happy to see her Mother and Brother 'demonised' in quite the way they are in the book.

The Karen Carpenter Story TV movie is OK for what it is. It skips over/omits a lot of events and sanitises others, as it was heavily controlled by her family. They demanded many rewrites of the script. On the other hand, they allowed scene to be filmed at the family home and even had the lead actress Cynthia Gibb, wearing Karen's own clothes and even her makeup! So in some senses it has a great deal of authenticity. Worth a look if you haven't seen it.

I think I remember at the time when she was dating Alan Osmond there was talk that they had became engaged and then the next news was that Alan's mother said that a marriage could not go ahead because Karen wasn't a Mormon. Now I don't know if I have got all this right or not?

[Dancing Girl]

WOW Allhitradio, how wonderful to have actually met Karen. Well, I stand corrected about her dating Alan Osmond. He now suffers from MS and has been married for over twenty-five years or is it thirty to a Bingham Young University student from Provo called Suzanne, of course, a fellow Mormon!! Anyway, I adored the Carpenters and have seen the movie on TV about Karen's life. We never know what is really going on behind closed doors, do we?!! I remember reading "Dear Fatty" by Dawn French and she wrote how her parents made her feel beautiful, intelligent and quite wonderful and how that carried her through life. It is a wonderful gift to be truly unconditionally loved by a parent. How sad for Karen that she was so easily hurt by criticism in the media etc. She was beautiful, talented and yet so unhappy.

[Dancing Girl]

Originally Posted by Black Velvet

I think I remember at the time when she was dating Alan Osmond there was talk that they had became engaged and then the next news was that Alan's mother said that a marriage could not go ahead because Karen wasn't a Mormon. Now I don't know if I have got all this right or not?

Sounds right. Every single one of the Osmonds married Mormons. Not one married outside of their church. Although Maria has married three times (twice to the same man!) but they were all Mormons too!!!!! I think the parents ruled that group with an iron hand, after reading the book from Donny Osmond about his life Like the Carpenters, a lot of stuff was going on behind the constant smiles. I believe Richard married his cousin!!.

[katmobile]

Originally Posted by Viridiana

I agree with you, I do not doubt at all she had a good voice, but Beyonce or Mariah Carey also have good voices and for me their songs are something that must be played at the gates of hell.

The Carpenters music is simply excruciatingly corny.

I'm a rocker and an indie chick mostly but like Abba the Carpenters are classic even if they are mostly not the type of music you listen to - I used to live with a Machinehead fan and I have happy memories of us dancing joyfully to her Abba Gold CD together. You should never dismiss an entire genre of music - there gold and rubbish in all of them.

That said if Celene Dion is playing when in the afterlife then I'll know I seriously messed badly somehow.

[katmobile]

Originally Posted by Dancing Girl

Sounds right. Every single one of the Osmonds married Mormons. Not one married outside of their church. Although Maria has married three times (twice to the same man!) but they were all Mormons too!!!!! I think the parents ruled that group with an iron hand, after reading the book from Donny Osmond about his life Like the Carpenters, a lot of stuff was going on behind the constant smiles. I believe Richard married his cousin!!.

I've always found the Osmonds creepy - except for Donny who seems like a nice man - but a lot of them their jealously of Donny is obvious in interviews and it doesn't say much about them.

[scone]

Originally Posted by Dancing Girl

Sounds right. Every single one of the Osmonds married Mormons. Not one married outside of their church. Although Maria has married three times (twice to the same man!) but they were all Mormons too!!!!! I think the parents ruled that group with an iron hand, after reading the book from Donny Osmond about his life Like the Carpenters, a lot of stuff was going on behind the constant smiles. I believe Richard married his cousin!!.

Marie Osmond pissed herself onstage, something I can't ever imagine Karen Carpenter doing.

The book Marie is supposed to be releasing sounds interesting though, apparently it is going to blow the Osmonds apart filled with secrets they wouldn't want us to know, doubtful she will ever release it, after all she is making a good living out of her musical partnership with her brother at the moment

[katmobile]

Originally Posted by Bellagio

Duh ! Ever wished you'd not said something ?

Feel i should make one thing clear - I'm a huge fan of The Carpenters' music (if anyone here has the 1998 Complete Guide To the Music Of The Carpenters by John Tobler, I did the basic text for that, which entailed listening to everything they'd released by then) and especially Karen's voice: not trying to run them down in any way, but when I was in LA during the late 80s doing interviews for my Beach Boys researches, I met a good many folk in the music industry, and we didn't talk BB all the time.

Could you PM me too - I'm curious to hear what it is you heard said. I've read somewhere that a few people think that Karen's husband looked a bit like Richard and she may have had a bit of a complex in that regard.

[Honestweegie]

Originally Posted by Dancing Girl

I believe Richard married his cousin!!.

Not quite ... but they are related somehow

[allhitradio]

Originally Posted by Honestweegie

Not quite ... but they are related somehow

He DID marry his cousin. They began dating in 1976 when she was only about 18 or so. The family really disapproved at first, but they stuck together and married in 1984/5. They have five children and here's a photo from a few years ago http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=15xoe4o&s=6

[cyril-furr]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT7tb...ayer_embedded#!
Here is a link to a US Carpenters Christmas show, I've never seen this before.

[Deb Arkle]

Originally Posted by cyril-furr

The Karen Carpenter story is being shown on the Sony movie channel at the moment, next repeat Monday 3.30 PM

Thanks for this post Cyril - I love The Carpenters, and enjoyed watching the film again. I wouldn't have known it was on if you hadn't posted.

[cyril-furr]

Originally Posted by Deb Arkle

Thanks for this post Cyril - I love The Carpenters, and enjoyed watching the film again. I wouldn't have known it was on if you hadn't posted.

Yes, I enjoyed it too, it seems that the interiors of the homes & Karen's clothes were all the real thing, creepy but it added a touch of realism to it.
It is very sad that such a voice was cut down in it's prime.

[cyril-furr]

Originally Posted by Flukie

I watched that film years ago. A lot of it has stuck in mind.
Particularly the bit where she read in a music paper that she was described as chubby when she wasn't - and that was what started her off wanting to lose weight.

Her mother was a horrible, cold woman.

Karen had an absolutely beautiful voice with a wide range.

I love so many songs she sang.
'For all we know' is the one that instantly jumps to mind that shows her range. Just gorgeous
'Because we are in Love' is poignant cos I believe that was about her wedding. That's gorgeous as wel, but so many songs are cos her voice was.

She had the kind of voice, had she lived, it would probably be just as good now.
Incredible that it's 30 years since she died.

Yes, I agree with every word of that!
I have several favs, ones like I need to be in love, bless the beasts & the children & Trying to get the feeling again (the lost song) come to mind.
Unlike most modern music - you can hear every word & almost feel Karen's emotion that she put into her singing.

She died at a time in when I was having health "issues" of my own, I think what happend to Karen, might have woke me up & face up to & solve my own problems at the time.

So thank you sweet Karen for that

[Sweet FA]

BBC4 showed a documentary on her (and the family) last year and her mum was definitely instrumental in her issues of low self-esteem: she would pointedly withhold praise from her, instead heaping it on Richard even when it was her who had accomplished something. Horrible, hurtful woman - obviously had issues of her own.

Karen had an incredible voice; clear as a bell...

[Honestweegie]

It wasnt the newspaper article that said she was chubby... she had asked a designer to dress her and he told her to come back once she'd lost 20 pounds

Maybe a newspaper did say that, but according to Richard and some band mates its was a designer

[ianradioian]

Her voice was like honey. I love the Carpenters records, still listen to them today