Marie Osmond has finally snagged her long-elusive talk show.
Osmond, who was shopped around the syndication circuit back in 2008 following her “Dancing With the Stars” appearance — no one bit — will host “Marie!” for Hallmark Channel, one of several new projects the network announced yesterday in a burst of activity.
(In January, The Post broke the story that Hallmark was cancelling “The Martha Stewart Show,” which will cease production next month, making room for “Marie!”)
The thrice-married Osmond, 52, is no stranger to the talk show genre, having hosted the syndicated talk show “Donny And Marie” with brother Donny Osmond for two seasons starting in 1998. The hour-long “Marie!” is slated to air weekday afternoons and to premiere in the fourth quarter as “an inspirational journey to help people make a difference in their own lives,” according to Hallmark, which notes that production on the show has already begun.
It hasn’t yet been decided if “Marie!” will be taped in LA or in Las Vegas (where Donny and Marie do a stage show at the Flamingo Hotel). “It will be contingent on Marie’s schedule,” a network spokeswoman told me yesterday. The show will be produced by ATI (Associated Television International).
Osmond is no stranger to headlines and heartache, having chronicled her very public battle with post-partum depression. In 2010, her son, Michael — who suffered from depression — committed suicide in LA.
Elsewhere on the Hallmark front, the network also announced another daytime talk show, “Home & Family,” produced by industry vet Woody Fraser (“The Home Show,” “Home & Family,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” “Della”). It’s described as a “lifestyle series,” will originate from a fully functioning house on the Universal Studios lot in LA and is also targeted for a fourth quarter premiere (hosts to be announced later).
Hallmark also said it will launch two pilots, “Cedar Cove” — adapted from the Debbie Macomber books — and “When Calls the Heart,” adapted from Janette Oke’s best-seller. They’re “back door” pilots, meaning they’ll air as movies (and will likely be picked up as regular series if they perform strongly enough).
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Last, but not least:
* The Grammy winning family group, Clannad (Celtic music) will be featured on “Clannad Live at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin,” premiering Saturday (St. Patrick’s Day) on Ch. 21 at 3 p.m. (repeating at 10 p.m.). Susan Hellman smiles knowingly . . . “River Monsters” star Jeremy Wade will be in town the week of March 26 . . . The fifth season of ’70s sitcom hit “Laverne & Shirley” is out on DVD April 10. Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams headlined the show, which aired on ABC.