OSBOURNE, ALI & JACK OFFER PROMISING TALK.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Television Critic

SHARON OSBOURNE says she is tailor-made for a talk show. After all, she shrugged at the opening of her initial episode on Monday, she's had a struggle with weight, she's had family issues, she's dealt with cancer and addiction.

``I'm in hock up to here and, most importantly, I'm 50!'' she gushed.

``The Sharon Osbourne Show'' is in some ways an extension of the MTV docu-mockery series of her home life with husband Ozzy. It co-stars her high-strung, bladder control-challenged dogs, and the set is filled with furniture from her home.

Osbourne curled up on the couch, jettisoned a clunky necklace that was annoying her and referred to herself more than once as ``the old tart.'' For viewers who never tuned in to the MTV show - and there will be many among the midday KTLA audience - it was clear this was not another quaint, housewifey show. That's not to say she won't appeal to a wide audience, though.

Osbourne had her awkward moments Monday, such as her gushy greeting that failed to rouse the house audience and her repeated mispronunciation of guest Wynonna Judd's name.

But she promised frank discussions, and she delivered when she confronted Wynonna about having labeled her actress sister, Ashley Judd, a diva when Wynonna is one herself. And she did it in a way that, rather than putting Wynonna on the defensive, elicited an interesting response.

Now if she can just get through listening to a guest's love song without getting weepy, she may have something there.

A look at ``Living It Up! With Ali & Jack'' on Tuesday, its second installment, brings to mind the best parts of ``Regis and Kelly'' without the most annoying elements.

Ali Wentworth and Jack Ford already have good chemistry, and their styles complement each other. Ford, a former attorney and newsman, is the low-key straight man to Wentworth's appealing, sometimes self-deprecating personality.

Shuffling through e-mails received from viewers after the first show, Ali pulled out one bluntly noting that she had bags under her eyes. She feigned a defensive response, then decided to show viewers some of the tricks TV personalities employ to look good, unpinning and pulling out a hairpiece boosting her own sandy blond layers.

A golf-putting contest between Ford and guest Cameron Mathison (``All My Children'') cut down on time that could have been better spent with later guest Jamie Kennedy, but overall the show was paced well.

The ``Mom of the Month'' segment - this time honoring a New Jersey mother who raises money for the hospital that cared for her newborn preemies - is a nice touch that will play well with viewers, even if it lacks originality. (It has its roots in ``Oprah,'' and even ``Queen for a Day.'')

The best improvement syndicator King World could make on ``Living It Up!'' is chucking that part of the show title sooner rather than later. Ali and Jack are well-paired and seem ready for the long haul.

LIVING IT UP! WITH ALI & JACK - Three stars

What: Ali Wentworth and Jack Ford try to make their guests live it up.

Where: KCBS (Channel 2).

When: 9 a.m. weekdays.

In a nutshell: Ali Wentworth and Jack Ford are the heirs apparent to Kelly and Regis, without the unpleasant parts, but they simply have to shake the show title that sounds like a self-improvement seminar.

SHARON OSBOURNE - Two and one half

What: Talk show by Ozzy's better half.

Where: KTLA (Channel 5).

When: 11 a.m. weekdays.

In a nutshell: Sharon Osbourne, no-nonsense wife of Ozzy, parlays her MTV fame into a talk-show gig that shows promise in terms of interview skills - if she can keep her tear ducts under control.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) ALI WENTWORTH and JACK FORD

(2) SHARON OSBOURNE

WireImage.com