Sharon Osbourne seems to be doing well following her first session of chemotherapy Monday, with husband Ozzy by her side.
She’s in “very good spirits – she’s very upbeat,” the Osbournes’ spokesperson told USA Today.
Sharon’s three-month chemo prescription is treating the cancer that was initially thought to be confined to her colon, but following an operation, was found to have spread. She was first diagnosed with the disease earlier this month.
After postponing the first two dates of Ozzfest when the diagnosis became public, Ozzy persevered on the annual trek without his wife and manager, who masterminds the annual hard rock tour. He withdrew from the trek two-and-a-half weeks later, after Sunday’s show in Atlanta to accompany his wife during what can sometimes be a taxing treatment. He’s expected to return to the road August 22 in Denver. Main-stage act System of a Down have assumed Ozzy’s headlining set time in his absence.
In other Osbourne family news, the first season of “The Osbournes” is being released on DVD this fall, according to a Buena Vista Home Video spokesperson. For those interested in hearing the foul-mouthed family speak in vocabulary too vulgar for TV, censored and uncensored versions will be available. The DVD’s release will coincide with the second season of the reality series, which is expected to document Sharon’s cancer ordeal. Buena Vista Home Video is also contracted to issue the second season on DVD.
“The Osbournes” DVD won’t be the only way fans can take the charming clan home. Next month store shelves will be stocked with Osbourne family tchotchkes, including key chains, bendables, snowglobes and “The Osbournes Phone Pal,” a telephone peripheral that commands, “Pick up the phone!” with each ring.
Musically, if Ozzy’s latest release, Live at Budokan, is a little too recent for some old-school Oz-heads, Ozzy, when more than a quarter-century younger, can be heard backed by Black Sabbath on Past Lives, the band’s first live album released domestically with the original lineup, which also includes bassist Geezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. (Sabbath’s Stateside live debut came courtesy of 1982’s Live Evil, on which the band was fronted by Ozzy’s replacement Ronnie James Dio.)
The first of two discs comprising Past Lives was initially issued in the U.K. as Live at Last in 1980, but the sound quality – not to mention uninspired artwork and liner notes that misspelled Osbourne’s first name as “Ossie” – was rejected by the band and, subsequently, many of its fans.
Remastered and with new cover art and liner notes, Past Lives, set for release August 20, features such Sabbath favorites as “Sweet Leaf,” “War Pigs” and “Paranoid,” along with gems like a 19-minute, improvised version of “Wicked World.”
Track list for Past Lives, according to the album’s publicist:
Disc 1
- "Tomorrow’s Dream"
- "Sweet Leaf"
- "Killing Yourself to Live"
- "Cornucopia"
- "Snowblind"
- "Children of the Grave"
- "War Pigs"
- "Wicked World"
- "Paranoid"
Disc 2
- "Hand of Doom"
- "Hole in the Sky"
- "Symptom of the Universe"
- "Megalomania"
- "Iron Man"
- "Black Sabbath"
- "N.I.B."
- "Behind the Wall"
- "Fairies Wear Boots"