About 170 supporters of the arts paid $95 a plate
to attend the Star Awards in Orem on Saturday evening. The second
annual black-tie gala fundraiser benefits the SCERA. As they
entered, guests walked a creme-colored carpet scattered with gold
rose petals and had their photos taken before gold-and-black drapes
and a suit of armor.
Waiters and waitresses wore medieval costumes.
Women in sparkling gowns and men in black bow
ties and tails dined on chicken with champignon sauce and
chocolate-caramel cheesecake before an auction. Alan Osmond and Orem
Mayor Jerry Washburn were among those in attendance.
More than 20 people were honored with Star
awards at the event. Here some of the individuals who received
awards.
The Osmond Brothers
The final award of the evening, the 2007 Star
of the Year, went to the Osmond Brothers, who for a time composed a
wildly popular American family pop group that sold more albums than
either the Beatles or Elvis Presley, according to SCERA officials.
Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay Osmond began
their careers almost 50 years ago as young boys, following a big
break at Disneyland. This led to regular television appearances on
"The Andy Williams Show" and a record deal with MGM in 1971,
according to SCERA officials. They were known for their talent and
wholesome lifestyles and their commitment to their religious faith.
With the opening of a studio in Orem in the
late '70s, the Osmonds brought Hollywood to Utah as they produced
"The Donny and Marie Show" at the base of the Wasatch Mountains.
They performed for 6,000 people at the inaugural concert of the
SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in 1984. Wayne, Jay and Merrill continue
to perform as The Osmond Brothers, with frequent appearances in
Branson, Mo., and the United Kingdom. Joining them is Jimmy -- and
occasionally Alan. This fall marks the 50th anniversary of The
Osmond Brothers.
