Ann Moses

I hadn’t done a real interview for more than half a century.

Here I was, in Donny Osmond’s Harrah’s dressing room in Las Vegas. I was nervous as we waited for the videographer to get set up. But Donny was being Donny. He told me there was no reason to be nervous. And just like that, I was Ann Moses, editor of Tiger Beat, feeling confident in a oh-so-groovy pantsuit my mom had made for me. I had done this job day after day for many years—only now it was all these years later, and my mom hadn’t made my pantsuit. I’d been lucky to find an outfit that looked like “me” when Tony and I were in Venice last July.

Once the videographer was ready, we ended our friendly chat and “got down to business.” Oh, my goodness, it felt so good. Even as I was asking my questions and Donny was coming back with truthful, heartfelt answers, I was stunned at the feelings inside me. I was remembering what it had felt like, all those years ago, to interview all the faves and the someday-faves. It came back to me that I had always been at ease as I’d listened carefully to their answers and asked follow-up questions that brought out the “rest of the story.” It felt incredible. I was filled with pride.

I’d watched Donny on The View and The Today Show, sharing his delight at the new part of his show—which he’d worked on for two years—where he performed “Puppy Love” with his 14-year-old self. I’d see it for the first time myself, a bit later that night at his show, but meanwhile I understood how he felt, going back in time to 1972, just as we were doing now. It was overwhelming to “feel” exactly as I had, all those years ago. I never dreamed I’d have that experience again in my life.

There was no way I could improve upon the joyous feelings inside me. Oh, wait, turns out I could. Something I never expected: Donny complimented me several times when he said, “great question!” and then took time to think about his answer. For a journalist, this is such a powerful validation. When he joked, “You should do this for a living,” his joke was bittersweet. I’d only written for a living during my Tiger Beat years and hadn’t since.

Back then, I’d been encouraged by my first husband to leave the life I had been living in Hollywood for “something else.” In hindsight, I was vulnerable and succumbed to his incredible jealousy of my work, my bigger paycheck, and what he perceived as my notoriety.

I can remember quite clearly interviewing Donny in the 70s. At the time I was impressed with his command of the English language (at 12 years old!) and how his answers seemed beyond his years at the time. Then, every question was answered with information I was learning for the first time. This time, I was so fascinated to hear Donny answer my questions with the perspective of his 50-plus-year career and life experiences.

 So, what began in 2024 as my reunion with Donny and my asking him if we could do a “Tiger Beat-style” contest with prizes, had turned into so much more than I’d imagined back then. When I had suggested to Donny that we could give away a signed album, he’d replied, “No! Let’s make it two tickets to my show and the VIP event for the winner.” And you know how it all turned out, with so many adds-on to make our special Tiger Beat event so beyond belief. Quite magnificent for me, for Donny and for all of YOU who made that night so extraordinary.

The interview is dropping tomorrow on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPCu0BbAkQck2ECWDLr_TAA

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