News Segment

OZZY OSBOURNE ITCHING TO GET BACK IN THE STUDIO:

March 7, 2006

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Ozzy Osbourne has cut back on his Ozzfest performances, but the Prince of Darkness is still in work mode.

The singer for Black Sabbath, who will be inducted next Monday into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a New York ceremony, plans on returning to the recording studio this year.

“I’m gonna get with (guitarist) Zakk (Wylde) soon and start hopefully writing a new studio (album). I’ve gotta get a studio album this year,” Osbourne told Billboard.com. “I’m well overdue.”

The last time Wylde and Osbourne recorded a set of new material together was the 2001 Epic effort “Down to Earth.” When he hasn’t been performing with Osbourne, Wylde has toured and recorded with his own band, Black Label Society. His popularity as a solo musician was cemented in January when he received a star on Hollywood’s RockWalk.

Osbourne is also still involved in the musical “Rasputin,” which has been a work-in-progress for 10 years. He says there is “a lot of interest” in the project about the Russian monk who was notoriously difficult to kill.

Asked if the play would be an out-and-out musical, Osbourne replies, “I don’t know, because I’ve never done it before. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s gonna be drama, I suppose. Some f—ing guy says, ‘Oh yeah man, I can see it now: These silver things come out of the sky …’ I don’t want ‘Star Trek’ meets f—ing Russia. I want it kind of like authentic, like ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ meets f—ing ‘Phantom.”‘

Courtesy of www.billboard.com