Jack Osbourne need not proceed; Spheeris had Ozzy covered

Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack tells Rolling Stone that he's knee-deep in making a documentary about his father, citing -- in part -- displeasure at the portrayal of Ozzy in the MTV unscripted sitcom "The Osbournes."

"I'm trying to paint a realistic picture of who my father is. I think 'The Osbournes,' to a degree, tarnished the public's perception of my dad as a bit of a senile, funny, bumbling guy," the younger Osbourne told the magazine. "Yeah, my dad can be that guy, but it's not him."

But Jack need not bother proceeding.

There already exists a documentary that portrays Ozzy as human, warts and all, and it was filmed way back in the pre-"Osbournes" era of 1999. Too bad few may ever see it.

"We Sold Our Souls to Rock 'n' Roll," directed by Penelope Spheeris ("The Decline of Western Civilization"), remains a fascinating look at Ozzy, the music business and life as part of the traveling circus that used to be Ozzfest. (In 2008, Ozzfest was a single-date affair in Texas.)

The film has long been held up by what has been publicly reported as "music copyright issues," and news and information on Spheeris' doc are hard to come by. It lacks so much as a Wikipedia page; clips don't seem to exist on YouTube; and Spheeris said at a screening years back that she was allowed to show it only at film festivals at which she was present.

Today, Spheeris said, she's not even allowed to show the documentary at film festivals. When asked if "Sold Our Souls" may ever be released, Spheeris said, "I don't know. I think that's more a question for Sharon Osbourne." (Extended Play has put a call and e-mail out to reps for the Osbournes and is awaiting a response.)

Spheeris, who said the film's rights belonged with the Osbournes, said she spent 3 1/2 years filming and working on "Sold Our Souls," bits of which she said had surfaced in Ozzy-related TV and promotional specials. She said that a week before the movie was to be released, she received a call from a lawyer who said the music had not been cleared, as the bands performing on Ozzfest had not signed any agreements to be used in her documentary. 

Said the "Wayne's World" director, "The good news is that I became an expert on music clearance."

For a while, she hoped the film would eventually see the light of day, but today Spheeris seems resigned to the fact that it may never be shown in the form she intended.

"I woke up literally for a couple years and opened my eyes and tears just came streaming down.... [Sharon] basically asked me to stop showing. I'm not going to go up against Sharon," Spheeris said.

For "We Sold Our Souls," Spheeris' crew hit 28 cities on the Ozzfest trek and captured candid moments with Ozzy and family backstage and on flights. Because it's been about six years since I've seen it, I unfortunately have to refrain from providing specific details about the film, but I remember wanting to see it again, immediately, being taken by how Spheeris was able to balance the fandom with the machinery behind such a massive business endeavor.

Jack's certainly right, in that "The Osbournes" probably changed the public perception of his father and his family, turning them into a sort of live-action cartoon. But an honest portrait of his father already exists on film -- a shame few may ever get to see it.

When told that it's been reported that Jack is filming a documentary about Ozzy, Spheeris laughed and said, "If Jack uses part of my film in his movie, that's when I'm going to stand up and start screaming."

Photo: Getty Images

Mariah Carey gets efficient on Hollywood Boulevard

Mariah Carey may now largely avoid the daring vocal acrobatics that marked the beginning of what would become one of the most successful music careers of the last two decades. Hitting the high notes, therefore, wasn't much of a concern Thursday night in Hollywood. Instead, the singer faced other challenges.

Chief among them: Can one of the most recognizable divas in the world emerge from what looked to be a giant plastic mascara box -- one that's placed upon a stage in the middle of a shopping mall -- with grace? And do so while ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is coming back from a commercial break?

But Carey's every stride comes equipped with a happy elegance that would shame beauty pageants the world over. Indeed, while she was performing a free five-song mini-set at Hollywood & Highland's outdoor mall, which was taped for ABC's late-night show, Carey might as well have been on a moving parade float, as nary a verse or a chorus was sung without a wave, a nod or a wink to a fan.

That's not to say Thursday evening went off without a hitch. It was a little more than an hour before the 8:30 p.m. show time, and a crisis was brewing. A podium for photographers had been placed stage left, but this would fail to capture Carey's good side. It must, those working the show bustled, be moved to frame Carey's right side at once.

By the time Kimmel introduced Carey, everything was in its right place, and the singer offered a swift medley of current single "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" and "E=MC2's" runaway hit "Touch My Body." A few minutes later, the singer even stopped to let the crowd photograph her. "Let me pose," she said, asking the audience to shoot her "at the angle I prefer."

A crowd estimate wasn't available from on-site security, but earlier Kimmel's music booker, Scott Igoe, said about 1,000 people would be allowed on the ground floor and an additional 1,000-plus around the upper levels. Some, such as 21-year-old L.A.-resident Stephanie De La Cruz, had been there as early as 9 a.m., and she said she would have been there 24 hours before that had her mother let her.

What they witnessed was a brief but professional showing and an unbilled appearance from Southern rapper Young Jeezy. He joined Carey on "Side Effects," his gruff intonations providing a surprisingly effective counterbalance to Carey's pleasantly light phrasing.

Since her career rebirth with 2005's "The Emancipation of Mimi," Carey has abandoned the wild vocal wailing that gave rise to "American Idol" and has emerged a thinner-voiced, but far more efficient, singer. Check "I'm That Chick," where the lyrics are embarrassing drivel (Carey compares herself to ice cream), but she was able to somehow pull it off by letting her voice sway with the song's rhythmic R&B shuffle.

The concert was the latest from Kimmel's show to be performed out on the streets of Hollywood, which launched in 2003 with an appearance by Coldplay on Hollywood Boulevard. Although most Kimmel performances happen inside the studio across from the Hollywood & Highland complex, or on the outdoor stage behind the studio, that wasn't the original intention.

"We had this grandiose idea when the show started that we'd be doing these concerts every Friday night on Hollywood Boulevard," Igoe said. "Then they saw the price tag. 'Oh, $250,000 every Friday night? Don't think so.' "

Now, the happenings are largely contingent on sponsors or record labels chipping in to defray costs, and Carey's performance was part of a national summer concert series from electronics company Samsung. Although Kimmel didn't have to close Hollywood Boulevard to have Carey perform, Igoe put the production costs as "probably about $250,000," noting that Carey doesn't come cheap. "There was a financial contribution Samsung had to make on top of the production to get her out here," he said.

To those who had spent their day getting sunburned waiting for Carey, it was money well spent. When a group of fans was asked why it was worth 12 hours of standing in the Los Angeles heat to see a five-song set, this reporter was booed by the crowd for suggesting such a negative question.

Other notes:

A diva becomes human: Carey is a pro, and her between-song banter consists of pointing out audience member T-shirts and reading aloud their signs. One female fan caught her eye, holding a placard that declared that she had left her 14 children at home to see Carey perform. Said Carey, "You left your 14 kids for me? Seriously? Wow." A moment later a member of Carey's team came onstage to help the singer get ready for the next song. Said Carey to her staffer, "That literally said she left her 14 kids...."

The sentence trailed off when it was pointed out to Carey that the microphone was on. She smiled, turned to the crowd, and said, "It happens."

Up next: Igoe says Kimmel hopes to have an outdoor show on Hollywood Boulevard the night before Thanksgiving. As for who it will be? "We don’t know. The Jonas Brothers, the Killers, a big rock act. It'll come down to money again."

So what was in the bag? Before Carey disappeared offstage for a commercial break, she teased the crowd with this: "I haven't forgotten to bring my bag of festivities with me, so I'll be distributing that in a second." A bag of festivities? Joy! Yet when Carey returned, she carried no bag.

-- Reporting and images by Todd Martens