AllThereBoutique.com

What could possibly make holiday shopping more enjoyable than a boutique that comes to you! Or, you can shop on the website at allthereboutique.com. All items are in stock. Free same day delivery if items are ordered before 5 p.m.

The Center of Balance

Welcome to the beginning of a new you or a wonderful gift for someone you love. The Center of Balance provides a safe, pleasant, and comfortable environment to collectively expand your consciousness. They offer Primordial Sound Meditation, or PSM, a healing practice that allows you to experience inner calm and deep relaxation; and the Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique®, which involves guiding a person into a relaxed state in order to access a part of you that some people refer to as the Subconscious, Higher Self, or Universal Mind. Located at 273 NJ-34 in Colts Neck, visit thecenterofbalancenj.com, or call 732.740.6171.

Circus Wines, Beer & Spirits

One stop shopping for all your holiday beverage needs! The company has two large brick and mortar stores, under the name Spirits Unlimited of Red Bank (56 Newman Springs Road) and Middletown (853 State Highway 35), with a third location in Sea Girt. The family-owned business specializes in hand-picked selections of the best wine, spirits, and beer on the market. They pride themselves on offering true deep discount pricing on the highest quality products, with the goal to save you money and have you coming back for more. A lesson taught from their grandparents, they will jump through hoops to help you find what you are looking for. If it’s out there and available, Circus will find it! Visit CircusWines.com for Weekly Specials and Season Selections.

Colts Neck Pharmacy – The Gift Boutique

Unique gifts for every person on your holiday list, from babies to brides, hostess to best friend. Custom made baskets and gifts, with free wrapping and decoration. If you’re looking for specialty chocolates and jewelry, look no further. Need a quick gift, stop in! Planning for every person on your list? The Gift Boutique can help with that also. Local delivery available. Ask about their loyalty reward program when visiting at 420 Highway 34 Suite 309 in Colts Neck, visit ColtsNeckPharmacy.com.

Count Basie Center for the Arts

The gift of entertainment is always a hit and never goes out of style. There are performances for every age and every taste at this world class center for performances, culture and education. Choose among the many concerts, plays, children’s shows, dance, and comedy. Some feature national and international stars; other productions showcase local talent. And if you can’t decide, opt for a gift certificate. For a chance to win tickets, visit woobox.com/dfiweq. 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, 732.842.9000, thebasie.org

Dearborn Market

Dearborn Market’s gift baskets make a delicious and beautiful hostess or holiday gift this season!  Dearborn uses only the freshest fruits and high-quality gourmet specialty items with a range of products from Italy to local New Jersey companies. There’s a wide variety of baskets to choose from and you can also customize to your liking. Local delivery and shipping nationwide is available. Visit Dearbornmarket.com for a complete list or call 732.264.0256 to order yours today!

Kids Bedroom Gallery

Holiday special of 10% off your entire purchase to all CM readers! (Does not include Natart Furniture). This is the time for parents and grandparents to order for a holiday delivery! This is the store where grown-ups don’t pay retail with a showroom of more than 65 cribs, kids beds, and teen lofts on display. Visit at 282 Route 18 North in East Brunswick, call 732.210.4811, or visit kidsbedroomgallery.com.

L.A. Dance NJ PAC

It’s time to dance! The brand new location in Colts Neck is a great place for all ages and all levels. The location is new, but this is the 15th season in New Jersey. Owner Angela not only offers dance, but has brought in amazing vocal, acting, and piano coaches to prepare those pursuing a career in the arts, or for those who want to practice for a particular local play or school event. The arts make a special holiday gift and if you enroll in December, you will receive gifts, a dance bag, and a $10 gift card for in-stock L.A. Dance merchandise. Colts Neck Shopping Center, 420 Route 34S, 732.637.8181, ladancenjpac.com 

Majestic Exteriors

Start the holiday season with home improvements. Why not treat yourself to sprucing up windows, doors, curb appeal or tackling that long awaited repair? Majestic is an award winning company, family- owned and operated, with more than 21 years of experience and thousands of satisfied customers. It offers extended workmanship warranties to guarantee coverage long after the work is completed. Majestic provides the experience and results that you demand and deserve for your investment and will work with you to achieve the right solutions to bring lasting comfort to your valued home. Colts Neck Shopping Plaza, 420 Rt 34, 732.577.9813, majesticrenovations.com.

Nails Plus

The latest trend from Hollywood arrives in Colts Neck~ the Korean-Style Luxury Full Body Scrub. Lasting 75 minutes, the treatment begins with a soak under the water jets from EIGHT Vichy shower heads (from France), simultaneously prepping skin and massaging the body. Next enjoy a scrub from the neck to the feet with textured gloves to eliminate impurities, a shampoo, scalp massage, and a Swedish body massage with oils. (CBD cream available as an add-on). The tradition of Korean body scrubs has been around for centuries, and has countless health and beauty benefits including skin rejuvenation, reduction of cellulite, weight loss, lymphatic drainage, chronic pain relief, and stress reduction. Free regular mani/pedi with purchase. 732.410.4651, 340 Route 34 S, Colts Neck (near Perkins)

FEATURED PHOTO: Donny & Debbie Osmond at home in Utah.

But for the past seven years, Donny Osmond and his wife Debbie have been running Donny Osmond Home, a home collection of casual, comfortable premier quality furniture and products. What seems like a reinvention of his brand is in fact a fusion of all that has come before. Donny Osmond Home is symbolic of everything that matters to Donny Osmond the man, as well as to the teen idol, musician, actor, author, and Vegas performer. His offerings are personal, often signed, and tell stories of his life. Accustomed to traveling long hours and being on the road, he has always found a way to stay connected to his family. His wife and five sons are the most important aspect of his life. Donny and Debbie create products to encourage people “to make home and family priority number one.” Something that has grounded the man who has achieved legendary status in the field of entertainment.

The line of home décor continues to gain rave reviews and has made its way to Monmouth County. Local designers are finding his products well-constructed, on trend, and at a price point that conveys quality without imposing punishment. Peggy Marchese, owner of Upstaged, LLC of Rumson and Red Bank, uses many of Osmond’s offerings when she renovates homes or stages them for sale.

“Most recently I used Donny Osmond Home in Colts Neck, Rumson, and Spring Lake,” says Marchese. “The homes were gorgeous and stately, and the pieces I chose were the perfect ones for the job. In the Rumson house, which is entirely custom built, we used a dining set that I just love. The chairs are linen with antique bronze nail heads and washed wood legs. Lovely. While in the Colts Neck house I used a bench in the entry foyer. It’s my favorite bench. I love the elegant lines and natural linen fabric. It is versatile and works just as well in a bedroom or dining room. I find their furniture well-made and just beautiful.”

But Donny’s connection to our area goes deeper than finding his furnishings in local homes. One of the many times he performed in Red Bank brought with it a life-changing event. “There are certain moments in our lives that determine the direction we take and the decisions we make,” says Donny. “One of those moments for me happened right at the loading dock of the Count Basie Theater back in 1989 during the Soldier of Love Tour.”

Hoping to shake his teen idol image, Donny was often reluctant to perform his earliest songs, in particular Go Away Little Girl and Puppy Love. While standing on the loading docks outside the Basie, a fan who had attended his show earlier that night came up to him angry. She was upset that he had made a derogatory remark about Puppy Love during the show. The song had important meaning to her, and him putting it down hurt her deeply. Donny admits at first, he dismissed the woman, saying it was his song and he could do with it as he liked. But after a moment of reflection, and seeing the woman’s sincere pain, he came to understand the songs didn’t just belong to him but to all who listened to them and had them as part of their lives.

CM: What made you and Debbie want to start a Home Décor business?

Donny: This is something my wife, Debbie, and I started talking about when we got married almost 40 years ago now. When we travel the world we see certain things, and people do this all the time, they purchase things not just because they look good but because they remind them of a moment. And that’s what you should decorate your home with. Our furniture is conversational pieces, yes, they look good and they enhance your home, but they also invoke emotion. We realized this is something we can do the rest of our lives, I don’t know how long I’ll be on stage, but this is something we can do in our sunset years. It’s more than just a hobby, it’s something that I do with my wife as my business partner.

CM: Who is your target market?

Donny: We try to have something for everyone. We found it can be very expensive out there and we tried to find a price point for everyone. It’s easy to put out expensive furniture, and we don’t want to put out cheap stuff, so it’s been a learning curve over the last seven years. And it’s fun. We want people to buy these items, whether it reminds them of the old Donny and Marie days or they just happen to like it. I just ran into a lady at one of the meet and greets after one of the shows in Vegas. And she told me she had one of the pictures and she told me which one she had. And then she said, “Oh I just love that picture because of the story you told (on Evine).” And right there in that moment it solidified the philosophy I go by works, it all comes down to emotion. And she said, “Every time I see this picture I’m reminded of the story.” That’s why I spend hours and hours signing every piece of artwork we sell on Evine.

CM: Do you get involved in the design of the pieces?

Donny: Most definitely. There’s a lot of celebrities out there that just slap their name on it and it’s a money grab and it lasts for a couple of years and just fades. So we’ve already passed that point, because people are starting to realize this is not just me slapping my name on. I do get involved in the selection, in the design, in the color schemes…which is quite interesting. Do you know what the Pantone color is this year? Purple. It’s different shades of purple.

CM: Do you have a favorite piece you’ve created or worked on?

Donny: That’s like picking a favorite child, come on. (Laughs) I would have to say, well there are some that are my least favorites, but that’s because I really try to keep a low price point on some things. But, some of the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. The outdoor furniture, which is not going to be ready this year, that’s probably going to be my favorite next year. But right now, probably the lighting.

CM: What is it like working with Debbie? You’ve worked your whole life with your sister and your brothers.

Donny: I’ll be very honest…I don’t have the eye that she’s got. She studied interior design. She’s got the taste, although our styles are very, very similar, when it comes to certain…say our rugs…oh that’s another one that’s going to be unbelievable, they’re coming out later this year…picking out the pile and the color pattern, when it comes to that I really acquiesce to Debbie because she really knows what she’s talking about. At times I can get a little blingish. With my showbiz background, I just love things that sparkle, and she tones me down. Other times we prove that I’m right because we’ll test it and we’ll show people and immediately they’ll go to the bling. And right now, if it’s the right kind of bling…wait until you see the pillows coming out…

CM: Do you decorate your home in Utah and your home in Vegas with your pieces?

Donny: Of course, absolutely. Now we can’t use all of it, we have over a thousand SKUs and we can’t use them all. But most of it we absolutely use.

CM: Do you take inspiration from the look of Utah?

Donny: No, it’s not rustic like that. We have some pieces which are, but no. It’s midcentury modern.

CM: Do any of your five sons work in the business?

Donny: No, just Debbie and myself.

CM: You’re up to 10 grandchildren now? How do you like being a grandfather?

Donny: Oh, I love it. I wish you could start with the grandkids first. You spoil them and send them home.

CM: You’ve been in showbiz for five decades. How did you get started?

Donny: I was three years old when I started singing because I saw my brothers on the Andy Williams Show. One thing led to another, and I had rehearsed some songs, and I debuted at five-years-old. Joined the group officially when I was seven and had my first hit record when I was twelve.

CM: How did it go from the Osmond Brothers to just you and Marie?

Donny: It was about 1973, we were headlining in Las Vegas at Caesars and as a little novelty act Marie came on and she and I did Where is the Love by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, and one thing led to another and she got a recording contract. She recorded Paper Roses at thirteen and Freddy Silverman, who was President of ABC, saw us on The Mike Douglas Show and he called us up and said he had an idea for The Donny and Marie Show. We did a pilot, and by the end of 1975 we had a show that ran for four seasons, went sky high, world-wide, and that was the first of Donny and Marie.

CM: Why can’t we buy the Donny and Marie Show on DVD?

Donny: I own the show. It wouldn’t work on television today, in my opinion. The problem is, our show, unlike so many other shows, was more music than anything. And because of the restrictions of the Guild, it would trigger like a nine or ten-million-dollar residual. And it just doesn’t make sense financially. It’s financially not viable at this moment.

CM: That’s disappointing. There are those of us who would love to see the show again.

Donny: The little kids now-a-days don’t know anything about those shows. They know me from Joseph or Mulan. When I sing Mulan in Vegas, I’ll Make a Man Out of You, the teenagers who come are like, “You’re kidding, that’s you!” It’s really funny. (Donny played Joseph in the stage production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoatnd the . Creator Andrew Lloyd Webber chose him for the 1999 film adaptation. In Disney’s Mulan, he is the singing voice of Shang.)

CM: Is there a moment in your career that stands out to you?

Donny: Well, that’s hard, because I’ve had so many different kinds of careers because I started so young. Most everyone starts their career in their late teens or whatever and has one transition into adulthood. Last I counted I’ve had six different careers. I was with my brothers on The Andy Williams Show; and then we had our career with One Bad Apple as a recording band. Then I had my own separate career when I released Go Away Little Girl and Puppy Love. And then the Donny and Marie career started. Then I had the Broadway career, and prior to that was Soldier of Love, which was a reinvention of me. It’s difficult to answer the question.

CM: You started in Vegas and now you’re back in Vegas going on your 11th year, is that right?

Donny: It’s our 10th year and it was supposed to be six weeks. We moved over to the Flamingo and I thought, and I called Marie, and I said you have to come see this. It reminded me of the original Las Vegas we started in. Just the right size, almost 1000 people. We can do this for six weeks and then go do what we want to do, Broadway, whatever, touring. Those plans got thrown out the window. (Laughing). Ten years later we’re still doing it.

CM: Dancing with the Stars…

Donny: I’m still recovering.

CM: Is it as physically grueling as they say?

Donny: I had a conversation with Jerry Rice a few years ago, and he was on season one, I believe. He said something I’ll never forget, he said it was harder than the NFL. And I was doing Las Vegas at the same time as Dancing with the Stars. I’d do a show at night and then rehearse all day.

CM: How exciting was it to win Dancing with the Stars after everything else you’ve achieved?

Donny: I don’t even have words how euphoric it was. It was just pure elation. And I remember the first thing I did when I heard the announcement, I mean I hugged Kim because we had worked so hard together, and then I ran over to my wife and I picked her up out of the audience and carried her on stage because she went through a lot watching her husband dance with another woman with almost nothing on. It was tough on her. But I got the trophy, baby, I got it! It’s one of the biggest highlights of my career because I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder for an accolade than I did on Dancing with the Stars. (Donny and partner Kim Johnson won the 2009 season of the hit show.)

CM: Anyone you’ve met through your career that stands out the most?

Donny: Well there’s one that I have to meet, that I haven’t met, and that’s Elon Musk. He’s my hero.

CM: You have the Tesla, don’t you?

Donny: Yes, I do, I’ve had that about 10 years now. And I just think he’s amazing. It was a magical moment when I met my musical hero Stevie Wonder. It was kind of cool, it was the Grammy Awards. And when we met he started singing Go Away Little Girl to me, and here’s my hero singing my song to me. It was an amazing moment.

CM: You’ve really met and performed with some phenomenal people.

Donny: When I look back on my life in the third person, I’m a little bit amazed at the people I’ve been able to call my peers. Whether it’s Bob Hope or Groucho Marx or Ronald Reagan. (Despite remaining outside politics, Donny and Marie were asked to perform at Reagan’s second inaugural.) Did you ever hear the story about the moon?

CM: No…

Donny: I was nine, when the moon landing took place, when Neil Armstrong landed and I was just dumbfounded. I was bowled over that somebody was walking on the moon. So, after it was all over on TV, I went outside and was lying in the grass in the backyard looking up at the moon. It was a little kid’s dream; someday I want to be one of the first singers on the face of the moon. (Laughs). Right? Dream on. I think Buzz Aldrin told me this story when I met him. He said that on one of the Apollo missions they took up with them a tape of music, and one of the songs was Andy Williams singing Aquarius. I’m singing background on that song. They left the tape on the moon, and my voice is sitting up on the moon. So when I think back at the life that I’ve led, it’s kind of surprising even to me. In our Vegas show one of the last songs we do is a highlight of all the people we’ve worked with, and we’ve been doing this for ten years since we started there. And every time I look at the video I’m kind of taken back by all these people I’ve known over the years.

CM: Is there someone who most inspired you in show biz?

Donny: That’s an interesting question. I can’t point to one. I’d like to glean the best from everybody. I think of the time I auditioned for Gene Kelly, and the way he pushed me real hard. I didn’t get the gig, but he pushed me hard in that audition. When I was working with Lucille Ball on The Lucy Show and she was teaching me the timing of comedy. Or Jerry Lewis taught me how to do a prat fall when I was maybe seven or eight. The training I got from all these amazing pros is priceless. You can’t learn it out of a book or in a university. It’s on the job training. So I gleaned little bits from everyone here and there. Even today, I love Bruno Mars.

CM: Do you think you’ve stayed relevant all these years because of how you’ve lived your lives? I have always admired you and your sister.

Donny: I’d like to think so. We’ve taken a lot of shots from hard-core mainstreamers because they say we’re not really that cool. But I’d rather live my kind of lifestyle. It works for me, it may not work for you. I say live and let live, baby! (Laughs).

CM: What’s next for Donny Osmond?

Donny: Summer tour is going to be happening. Vegas keeps me pretty busy. There is something coming out in May that is really kind of fun from American Greeting, I think I can tell you that much. I’m not allowed to announce anything until May. But, yeah, go ahead and say that. (Laughs). I’m just grateful for being in this business that’s so fickle for so long. Yeah, I’ve worked hard, but without the fans I wouldn’t be able to do what I love to do. Despite the fact I work hard, a lot of people in the business work hard, but it always goes back to the fans. In fact, Elvis Presley told me that when I was talking to him one time. He said, “If I ever had to do it over again I’d get closer to my fans.” And at fourteen that kind of made a big impact on me.

Some of Donny’s Favorite Things:

Favorite song that he sings: My favorite that I ever wrote was Whenever You’re in Trouble. My third son was in Scotland and I was recording an album at the time. I had forgotten to turn my phone off. Right during a vocal my phone goes off and starts ringing. Ruined a perfect take. I was just about to shut it off when something inside me said to read this one, it was a text. It was from Brandon and all it said was, “Are you out there, I need your help.” When your child says that, you’re like hold on. So I said “Hi, I’m here, what do you need?” and we started to text back and forth. And then all of a sudden he sends this text that says, “Okay Dad, I’m fine now, I’ll see you later.” And I immediately texted back, “Why the change, why did you change so quickly?” Then he said something, “I just needed to know you were there any time I needed you.” And I looked at my producers and said, “Guys, I have to go write a song.” And so many parents have come up to me and said that that song has helped them with their children so much.

Favorite song in general: Uptown Funk

Favorite singer: Ed Sheeran. Stevie (Wonder) takes me back to the day and I’ll always love him. But Ed Sheeran’s writing and producing. I’m just a big Ed Sheeran fan. Sam Smith’s song Latch, does it get any better than that?

Favorite meal: Italian food lover. I love that. I’ve also acquired a taste for Indian food spending so much time over in London. I love Tandoori chicken and naan bread. I could eat that all day.

Favorite city or location: I absolutely love New Zealand. I just went for my 60th birthday. I went to my three favorite places. I started out in Bora Bora, then New Zealand, and then Hawaii. Just Debbie and myself, that’s all I wanted.

Favorite local spot: I love to go to Sundance. That’s like 20 minutes from where we live. I’m not a Black Diamond skier anymore, but I love going there because we have so many memories of dating there.

Favorite passions or hobbies: I’m a real tech geek. The Google Pixel 2, it’s worth it.

Favorite quote: My mom, whenever times got rough she’d say, “This too shall pass.” I’m going to give two though. One for my mom and one for my dad. This too shall pass gave me the patience to just hang in there and it’s true. And my dad would say, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” A lot of wisdom in those two statements.

Favorite movie: Well, I love Spartacus. My favorite movie now is The Greatest Showman. For drama I always go back to The Fugitive.