919/01
Subject: Jean Chretien, Celine Dion, Paul Martin receive letters containing white powd
From: "Kurt Vermeerbergen"
Date: 10/19/01 8:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time

 A man has been charged with uttering death threats against Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Finance Minister Paul Martin and singer Celine Dion afterletters containing a white powder were addressed to the three public figures.
The letters for Chretien and Martin never left Montmagny, located about 50 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.

Postal employees alerted police after seeing white powder spilling out of one envelope.

Quebec provincial police said they know a letter was sent to Dion but not
whether she received it.

Paul Couture, 57, of Montmagny, was arraigned Thursday on charges of
threatening to injure or kill Chretien, Martin and Dion.

Couture, who has also been charged with mischief and bail violation, was
arrested Wednesday. He will stay in prison at least until his next scheduled
court appearance in November.

The letters to Dion, Chretien and Martin were all handled by the same post
office in Montmagny.

The envelopes contained salt and powder likely intended to resemble anthrax,
police said.

Provincial police Const. Richard Gagne said police searched an apartment and
found a list of names that they allege was part of a plan to target about a
dozen politicians and celebrities with similar letters,

Gagne refused to speculate on what was behind the letter-writer's actions.

"We have a good idea what his motive was but we'll save it for the
courtroom," he said.

Couture, who addressed reporters as he was led in handcuffs to a waiting
police car on Wednesday, said he wanted to make people "think about Quebec."

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, police
forces have been dealing with many reports of envelopes containing what has
been feared to be anthrax but none has been found in Canada.

/9/29/01   "Telethon 'Heroes' to Waive Royalties From Live Album

A CD featuring music from Friday night's historic telethon will be out in a
matter of weeks.

The album will be released by Interscope Music in the United States and Sony
Music will distribute it internationally. It was Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine
who lined up Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Celine Dion, Limp
Bizkit and the others who performed on the two-hour telecast.

The album's price tag has not been set, but the artists have waived royalty
fees and the record companies will absorb the manufacturing and distribution
expenses so that all proceeds go to the September 11th Telethon Fund.
Music-industry insiders are predicting that the record will sell from 10
million to 15 million copies.

Dreamworks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, who has been credited with getting
Hollywood mainstays such as Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Cameron
Diaz and Jack Nicholson to participate, is also responsible for the title,
"America: A Tribute to Heroes."

The telethon turned into a simulcast on all four major networks after NBC
and CBS, which had been planning separate events, decided to hook up rather
than compete. The result was an unforgettable broadcast that struck the
right tone during this very complex and emotional time."

*********
9/26/01  All-star telethon spinning off benefit CD

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Building on the success of last week's all-star telethon for victims of the Sept. 11 air attacks, musical performances from the show will be packaged as a benefit album to raise additional relief dollars, organizers said Wednesday.

Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, is overseeing efforts to obtain rights for the companion CD from the recording artists who appeared on the show, insiders told Reuters. Interscope is a unit of Vivendi Universal.

Iovine played a key role in booking musical acts for the telethon, dubbed "America: A Tribute to Heroes," which featured such stars as Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, the Dixie Chicks, U2, Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, Wyclef Jean and Sting.

The only rights initially obtained from performers were for the show itself, according to spokeswoman for the telethon.

The commercial-free event was simulcast on 35 U.S. broadcast and cable networks, some 8,000 radio stations and the Internet. It also was beamed to TV outlets in more than 210 countries around the globe.

The two-hour show raised more than $150 million in pledges for a special relief fund established for victims of the aerial attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. That is nearly three times the amount raised by the latest 21-hour Labor Day telethon hosted by Jerry Lewis for muscular dystrophy.

Meanwhile, the governing body of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars, has voted to donate $1 million to aid victims of the Sept. 11 tragedies.

As with the telethon, 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of the benefit album will go to the relief fund, said Barbara Brogliatti, a spokeswoman for the telethon.

"It's being done as soon as possible. They're working on it as fast as humanly possible," she said.

Asked about reports that some stars who wanted to perform on the show were snubbed, most notably pop star Michael Jackson, Brogliatti said, "No one was turned down because we didn't want them there. There were a lot of logistical reasons why a lot of people ... couldn't be there."

Some artists were left out due to a limited number of performance slots, which were booked up in 24 hours, she said.

Jackson had been invited to perform on the show, a spokeswoman said, but she said she did not know why the Gloved One ultimately did not make an appearance.

Jackson, meanwhile, spent a second week working on his own charity project, an all-star recording of a new song, "What More Can I Give," composed by the pop star. Among the artists joining him in the studio since last week were Destiny's Child, Reba McEntire, Tom Petty, Brian McNight, Seal and Boyz II Men, a spokeswoman said.

Jackson, who also plans to sing on the track, is recording each of the performers individually and will mix them together in the studio, she said.

Reuters/Variety
 

9/25/01    Celine Dion to sing for U.S. attack victims

MONTREAL,(Reuters) - French-Canadian pop diva Celine Dion will headline a five-hour show in Montreal later this week to raise money for victims of the Sept. 11 suicide attacks in the United States, her agent said Tuesday.

Dion, who emerged from an extended hiatus to sing "God Bless America" on last week's televised special "America: A Tribute to Heroes" on all major networks, will appear in the show on Friday to sing her hit song "L'amour existe encore (Love still exists)."

About 200 Quebec artists, including members of the famed Cirque du Soleil, are slated to take part in the "Quebec-New York" benefit at the Molson Centre, home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens.

Proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross to help families of the nearly 7,000 people killed or missing in the attacks by hijacked airliners on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington.

Dion, 33, is on a three-year sabbatical from show business to take care of her 8-month-old son Rene-Charles. The singer, who is married to her manager Rene Angelil, said she will make a comeback in a musical in Las Vegas in 2003.

Reuters/Variety
 

9/22/01
Stars Pay Tribute to Attack Victims

By DAVID BAUDER
The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Hollywood's finest paid tribute to real-life heroes during an extraordinary benefit for victims of the terrorist attacks that was hard to miss on the television dial.

The telethon was televised Friday night on more than 30 networks, including the six biggest broadcasters - ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and the WB.

From Tom Hanks to Julia Roberts, actors made understated appeals for donations, telling stories of innocent people killed and heroic acts. They alternated short speeches with singers such as Willie Nelson and Wyclef Jean, who performed on sets decorated by hundreds of burning candles.

``We are not healers,'' Hanks said. ``We are not protectors of this great nation. We are merely artists, entertainers, here to raise spirits and, we hope, a great deal of money.''

Nelson wrapped up the two-hour benefit by leading an all-star version of ``America the Beautiful'' with Stevie Wonder on harmonica. He followed Canadian singer Celine Dion's version of ``God Bless America.''

Paul Simon, wearing an ``FDNY'' cap, sang a spooky version of his venerable hit, ``Bridge Over Troubled Water.'' Mariah Carey sang ``Hero'' in one of her first public appearances since her breakdown.

``America: A Tribute to Heroes'' was reminiscent of the Live Aid concerts for famine relief in 1985, but that wasn't available across such a wide spectrum of networks.

Organizers said it may be next week before they have an estimate of how much money was raised.

Within the first 15 minutes of Friday night's telethon, Bruce Springsteen, Wonder and the rock band U2 performed on stages in New York, Los Angeles and London.

``This is a prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters,'' Springsteen said opening the telecast, before singing one of his newer songs, ``My City of Ruins.''

Wonder condemned hatred in the name of religion before singing ``Love's in Need of Love Today.'' Neil Young performed the late John Lennon's hit, ``Imagine.'' Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played their defiant, ``I Won't Back Down.'' Jean, dressed in stars and stripes, sang Bob Marley's ``Redemption Song.''

With such stars as Tom Cruise, Roberts and Jim Carrey and a two-hour limit, it was hard to fit in everybody. Meg Ryan, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone and other celebrities were relegated to the phone bank, answering contributors' calls.

A phone number, 1-866-TO-UNITE, and Web site, www.tributetoheroes.org, flashed across the screen for donations.

The special, pulled together in less than a week with artists donating their time, was telecast live without an audience and went off with barely a hitch.

Actor Will Smith appeared with the boxer he's portraying in an upcoming movie, Muhammad Ali, to remind viewers not to target all Muslims in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

``I wouldn't be here representing Islam if it were terrorist,'' Ali said. ``I think all people should know the truth, come to recognize the truth. Islam is peace.''

``Frasier'' star Kelsey Grammer, dressed in black and fighting for his composure, talked about John F. Kennedy. His show's executive producer, David Angell, was killed in one of the hijacked planes that crashed into the World Trade Center.

Roberts saluted people who saved lives at the Pentagon, which also was struck by a hijacked jetliner.

``Life is so precious. Please, please, let's love one another,'' the actress said. ``Reach out to each other. Be kind to each other. Peace be with you. God is great.''

When Long Island native Billy Joel sang ``New York State of Mind,'' a New York City firefighter's hat sat on his piano.

AP-NY-09-22-01 1049EDT
 
 

9/20/01
Celine to sing 'God Bless America' on U.S. telethon

By JOHN MCKAY
Canadian Press
 TORONTO -- CTV, Global and other TV and radio services in Canada plan to carry Friday night's American celebrity benefit for victims of last week's terrorist attacks.

The hastily assembled TV special, America: A Tribute to Heroes, is to air commercial-free from 9 to 11 p.m. ET from Los Angeles and New York on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox TV, PBS, UPN and the WB, as well as MTV, TNN, CMT, BET, Discovery and TLC.

Stars scheduled to perform include Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen, Julia Roberts, Jim Carrey, Stevie Wonder, George Clooney, Will Smith and Billy Joel. And Celine Dion has also agreed to sing God Bless America from New York City.

All were asked to dress casual and not to bring along their makeup artists or hairdressers. There will be no live audience.

Star, the showbiz specialty channel, will also carry the star-studded special, as well as a pre-show special from E, the American entertainment channel. CTV's Talktv channel will not only carry the benefit but also a four-hour pre-show of its own entitled A National Conversation, which will include political, show business and charity representatives.

And Broadcast News, a division of The Canadian Press, says it will distribute the feed to close to 400 radio stations across Canada. Thousands of American radio stations will also broadcast the tribute.

Some confusion remains about which 1-800 number will be used. Canadian television simulcasts will have a separate number superimposed onscreen for donations in this country. Global TV says money raised will go to the United Way 911 Emergency Fund. Proceeds from the U.S. telecast will go to United Way's September 11 Fund.

Meanwhile, MuchMusic plans a separate radio-TV benefit concert of its own to air Sunday night in lieu of the planned annual MuchMusic Video Awards.

Music Without Borders is billed as a national benefit concert and discussion forum, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET. Viewers and listeners will be able to make donations to the Canadian Red Cross by calling a special toll-free number.

Celebrities will include Nelly Furtado, Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan, as well as sports stars like Toronto Raptor Morris Peterson.

It will be seen on MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic, MuchUSA, Star, CP24, Canadian Learning Television, CourtTV Canada, APTN, and a network of radio stations. There will also be a Webcast on muchmusic.com.

In addition to music, an interactive segment will focus on the emotions, issues and questions surrounding the Sept. 11 tragedy.

*Thanks to MTK719

9/19/01
Celine To Participate in Relief Effort Telethon
Sept. 19, 2001

Members of the entertainment industry are joining forces for a two-hour TV
Special, 'America: A Tribute To Heroes.' The commercial-free telethon will
air live on Friday, September 21 at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern and Central time
zones). The four major US networks - ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC - are
broadcasting the show and also very generously bearing the costs for the
program. The special will be broadcast on tape delay in the Mountain and
Pacific time zones and will be video streamed on the Internet as well as
simulcast on radio stations. Cable networks and along with all of the other
broadcast networks are also being invited to participate.

Pledges will be taken during the telethon to raise funds for the thousands
of people who suffered losses as a result of the tragic events on September
11 in America.

The telethon will feature appearances and performances by the following
entertainers, among others: Bon Jovi, Amy Brenneman, Jim Carrey, George
Clooney, Sheryl Crow, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, CELINE DION, The Dixie
Chicks, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Calista Flockhart, Dennis Franz,
Kelsey Grammer, Tom Hanks, Faith Hill, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Conan
O'Brien, Tom Petty, Ray Romano, Julia Roberts, Paul Simon, Will Smith, Bruce
Springsteen, Sela Ward, Robin Williams, Steve Wonder, Neil Young.

Celine Dion's baby baptized in Montreal
 

MONTREAL (Reuters) - French Canadian pop diva Celine Dion baptized her six-month-old "prince," Rene-Charles, Wednesday at a sober Catholic ceremony preceded by a publicity frenzy with all the glitter of a Hollywood premiere.

Dion and husband Rene Angelil, Quebec's equivalent of a royal family, arrived in a limousine at Notre-Dame Basilica, in an event broadcast on national television.

Some 250 friends and members of the family gathered inside Montreal's landmark church while a hoard of photographers and more than 1,500 excited onlookers cheered a radiant Dion, known for a string of hits including the theme song from the movie "Titanic."

Dion's infant son was baptized under the rite of the Catholic Greek Melchite faith, shared by Angelil, which means that he also received the sacrament of the confirmation and first communion as well as the baptism.

Montreal officials closed off the streets in the city's historic district and rolled out a blue carpet at the entrance to the church chapel.

A lavish but private party with guests was held later at Dion and Angelil's residence in Laval, north of Montreal.

Dion, 33, is on a three-year sabbatical from show business as she takes care of her young son. The popular singer has said she will make a comeback in a musical in Las Vegas in 2003.

The Quebec-born artist, who began her career singing in French, is famous for the hit as "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic".

The child, born on Jan. 25, was conceived through in vitro fertilization in New York.

The singer was recently named the world's best-selling female artist, with fans around the world snapping up more than 125 million albums in the 1990s.

Dion and Angelil, who is also her manager, were married in in Montreal in 1994. He has managed Dion's career since she began singing as a teenager in the town of Charlemagne near Montreal.

Reuters/Variety
 
 
 

Celine Dion's Son Is Baptized

The Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) - Singer Celine Dion's infant son made a fuss during his baptism - to be expected of a 6-month-old - in front of about 250 family members and guests Wednesday.

``Little Rene-Charles wasn't cut out for a big ceremony like that because he cried quite a bit,'' said Michel Jasmin, a Quebec television host and family friend.

The boy had to be undressed to be immersed in the baptismal font and then dressed again, Jasmin told RDI, Radio Canada's all-news network.

The service at a chapel adjoining the Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal took place exactly six months after the birth of Rene-Charles.

The baptism followed the rites of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church, in keeping with the faith of his father, Rene Angelil. Melkite Christians follow Orthodox rites but are loyal to the pope.

While the 40-minute ceremony was long for the baby, Jasmin said it was touching to watch his parents comfort him. He said Dion took him in her arms and ``almost instantly he stopped crying.''

Hundreds of onlookers gathered outside the chapel for a glimpse of the family as they arrived for the service.

Dion wore a gray pant suit with pearls, and Angelil carried Rene-Charles, who was dressed in a white gown and cap.

 The Associated Press.
++++++++++++++++

Celine Dion's baby baptized in Montreal
 

MONTREAL (Reuters) - French Canadian pop diva Celine Dion baptized her 6-month-old son Rene-Charles Wednesday in Montreal at a private Catholic ceremony that was preceded by a publicity frenzy that had all the glitter of a Hollywood premiere.

Dion and husband Rene Angelil's arrival by limousine at Notre-Dame Basilica was broadcast on national television after several guests were brought in in minibuses.

Some 250 friends and members of the family gathered inside Montreal's landmark church while a hoard of photographers and excited onlookers gathered to watch her arrival.

Montreal officials had to close off the streets in the city's historic district, clean them and roll out a blue carpet at the entrance to the church chapel.

Dion, 33, is currently on a three-year sabbatical from show business as she takes care of her infant son, born six months ago. The popular singer has said she will make a comeback in a musical in Las Vegas in 2003.

The Quebec-born artist is famous for such hits as "My Heart Will Go On" from the movie "Titanic".

She gave birth to her first child on Jan. 25. The baby was conceived through in vitro fertilization in New York.

The singer was recently named the world's best-selling female artist, with fans around the world snapping up more than 125 million albums worldwide in the 1990s.

Dion and Angelil, who is also her manager, were married in a striking ceremony in Montreal in 1994. He has managed Dion's career since she began singing as a teenager in the town of Charlemagne near Montreal.

Reuters/Variety.

The exclusive engagement will begin in March 2003 and Dion will perform 200 nights per year. The show is scheduled to run at least three years, says Los Angeles-based Concerts West.

The 33-year-old Dion, who took a break from her international career to start a family, gave birth to her first child on Jan. 25. Her last concert was in Montreal on Dec. 31, 1999.

Her show will be produced by husband Rene Angelil's CDA Productions in association with Creations du Dragone. It is being designed by Franco Dragone, creator of three Cirque du soleil shows.
The $65-million amphitheatre is being built to replace the hotel-casino's famed 1,000-seat

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-The career singer, India.Arie most like to have is ``something like Celine Dion's,'' she says. ``I wouldn't want to be that big, but I'd like to have a person attached to my destiny the way her husband is to hers.'

VH1 All Access' Examines the Precarious State Of The Struggling Singer/Songwriter' in Latest Episode of Hit Series, Premiering Thursday, June 28 at 10:00 P.M. (ET/PT)

NEW YORK, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- These are tough times for the singer/songwriter.  In a market full of highly-calculated, carefully-produced entertainment, pop music's unique voices are finding it much harder to compete.  Fact is, of the 82 albums to reach number-one from 1997-2000, only two were by solo singer/songwriters.

"VH1 All Access: The Struggling Singer/Songwriter" takes an in-depth look at the music of personal expression -- and the poets of pop who find themselves straining to buck the bubble-gum trend of made-for-TV bands and polished pop songs. This latest episode of VH1's hit weekly series premieres Thursday, June 28 at 10:00 p.m. (ET.

VH1 News' Rebecca Rankin conducts in-depth interviews with superstar Billy Joel, starmaker Lou Pearlman, top songwriter Dianne Warren, best-selling artist David Gray and Oscar-nominated maverick Aimee Mann. "VH1 All Access: The Struggling Singer/Songwriter" examines the precarious state of the singer/songwriter and questions whether this long-time musical icon is a victim of an industry that's pushing aside independent voices in favor of prefab boy bands like *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, song-and-dance teen queens like Britney and Christina, and aggressive rock bands like Limp Bizkit.

By interviewing industry players and showing how the music business operates, "VH1 All Access: The Struggling Singer/Songwriter" sheds light on the obstacles that singer/songwriters must face -- and on the prospects for their future success.  Interview footage also features artists Dave Matthews, Joan Osborne, Melissa Etheridge, Stevie Nicks, Black Crowes' Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson, Alanis Morissette, James Taylor, Elton John, Brian McKnight, O-Town, Celine Dion, Duncan Sheik, Faith Hill, Rob Thomas and Pete Yorn, plus music journalist Bruce Haring, Universal Records president Monte Lipman, USA Today pop music critic Elysa Gardner, manager Michael Hausman, Atlantic Records vice president Ron Shapiro, ATO Records' co-founders Michael McDonald and Chris Tetzeli, and "Magnolia" director Paul Thomas Anderson, among others.

Highlighting "VH1 All Access:  The Struggling Singer/Songwriter":
Highlighting "VH1 All Access:  The Struggling Singer/Songwriter":
-- Billy Joel, superstar singer-songwriter since the heydays of the 1970s:  "During the '60s and '70s, if you were unusual looking, it was  okay, but now you have to be more photogenic ...  Would you say I was  one of the most photogenic people you've seen?  I've said this many
times, I signed on to be a piano player, not a damn movie star."
-- Lou Pearlman, the man behind such pop phenoms as N'SYNC and Backstreet  Boys, and producer of TV's "Making the Band":  "The goal is to become famous.  That's the goal.  Because if you're not famous, then nobody is going to buy your records."

-- Dianne Warren, the music world's hottest songwriter, owner of 81 Top Ten hits and 28 Number One smashes for megastars like Cher, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, and even Aerosmith:  "I write a song, and I think of an artist that the song's good for -- It's kind of unconscious, it's kind of magical.  The right songs with the right singer and the right everything, you can't hold it back ...  I mean, I want the songs to be great, I want them all to be hits."
-- David Gray, this year's surprise star, whose million-selling album  "White Ladder" followed three previous releases with total sales of  only 61,000:  "The f***ing music speaks for itself at the end of the  day -- it's there on a disk, you can go and buy it or you can come and
see a concert.  And the bottom line is that's what I actually do. This [publicity] is all surplus, it comes with the territory." -- Aimee Mann, former Til Tuesday singer and solo artist, now   Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter who decided to leave her record   label and start one of her own:  "I don't even think the Beatles could  get a record deal now."

VH1 sets aside every Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. for "VH1 All Access," debuting some of the network's most diverse and popular shows.  Upcoming shows include "Breakups and Shakeups" (July 5), "Dynamic Duets" (July 19) and "Rock Solid" (July 26).

"VH1 All Access: The Struggling Singer/Songwriter" is a production of VH1; the supervising producer is Brad Abramson; the executive producers are Shelly Tatro and Bill Brand.

Revealed projects of Celine. Since the birth of Rene-Charles, the rumours on the professional future of Celine are numerous. Here thus a summary of the future projects of Celine establishes with the sure assistance of sources. The new album of Celine has just been to finish, he reveals a Celine a little more different. A Celine plus That' S the way it is but it is so much better because it still shows us the diversity of the talent of Celine. But some beautiful ballades nevertheless there are found as Céline can do them. The official output will take place at the end of November of this year. The return of Celine will take place in March 2003 and not on 31 December 2002 bus the new room of Las Vegas would not have was completely ready for this occasion. But Céline goes will occur parallel to that abroad. Not during the first year but in the third. The Stage of France(Paris) would be already reserved for year 2004. What will make Céline during her 3 years? Celine will not rest a whole during the 3 years in Las Vegas, it is true that it is about a 90 minutes show each evening thus that badly does not leave him time in front of her to see growing her child but there is other thing which hides behind all that. The spectacle is at the English base, it is a spectacle mixing theatre, dance and music conceived for the first world language: the English. But the wish of Celine is to make of this spectacle a French version to take it along everywhere to Quebec, France, Belgium, Switzerland...thus it will work with large French lyric writers with this adaptation. Just as Jean-Jacques Goldman has a very new album for Céline as one will see appearing the next year, to see in two years great maxima bus Céline dreams to also return in French and does not leave us not fallen.
xx

Celine Dion to Headline 'One-of-a-Kind' Theatrical Musical Spectacular at Caesars Palace

Music Superstar Joins with Franco Dragone, Sony Music and Concerts West  To Form 'Dream Team' Alliance in Creation of Long-Running Musical Production

LAS VEGAS, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of an unprecedented alliance, Sony Music recording artist Celine Dion has accepted an offer to perform in an exclusive, extended engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  The unique production, which will be presented by Concerts West, will debut in March, 2003.

Ms. Dion's performance will be the centerpiece of a spectacular theatrical presentation directed by Franco Dragone, creator of the enormously successful "Quidam," "O" and  "Mystere."  A brand-new 4,000-seat theatre, designed to resemble the Colosseum in Rome, is being constructed specifically for this concert engagement which is scheduled to run for a minimum of three years.

Ms. Dion, who gave birth to her first child on January 25th, was recently named the world's best selling female artist, selling more than 125 million albums worldwide over the past decade.

Ms. Dion and her husband Rene Angelil's company, CDA Productions Inc., will produce the show, in association with Franco Dragone's company, Creations du Dragon* (cq).  Concerts West, an Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) company, will present the show.

"Concerts West is dedicated to creating this type of 'one-of-a-kind' production for audiences worldwide," said John Meglen, Co-CEO of Concerts West.  "We are excited to team with Caesars Palace, which has a long history of hosting internationally renowned entertainment and events.  We are so privileged to be associated with Celine Dion, Rene Angelil and Franco Dragone; three individuals we consider not only to be among the most talented in their fields but the most honorable partners any organization could have."

"This alliance brings together an entertainment 'Dream Team' in Celine Dion, Rene Angelil, Sony Music, Franco Dragone, Concerts West and Caesars Palace," said Thomas E. Gallagher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Park Place Entertainment Corporation, the parent company of Caesars Palace. "We have had a long and wonderful friendship with Celine and Rene.  We are delighted to join them in this all-star coalition to create an extraordinary show that will combine the best in music and the best in theatre.  We are particularly proud that the home for this remarkable experience will be at Caesars Palace.

"It was not only our great admiration for Celine as a performer but our tremendous respect for her and Rene as the people they are that led us to this partnership," said Timothy J. Leiweke, President of the Anschutz Entertainment Group.  "Under the leadership of Concerts West, this "one-of-a-kind" production will show how the synergies of the AEG affiliated companies create tremendous opportunities for our organizations and those we do business with."

Information will be available beginning Tuesday, May 22, at (877) CELINE-4 (877-235-4634) and online at www.caesars.com.  An on-sale date and public ticket information will be announced at a later time.

Park Place Entertainment Corporation is the world's largest gaming company and owns, manages or has an interest in 28 gaming properties operating under the Caesars, Bally's, Hilton, Grand and Flamingo brand names, with a total of 2 million square feet of gaming space, more than 28,000 hotel rooms and 57,000 employees worldwide.

Based in Los Angeles, Concerts West, Ltd. is one of the world's largest producers and promoters of live music events and tours.  Run by veteran tour promoters John Meglen and Paul Gongaware, the company's primary focus is indoor arenas, which allows for an extension of artists' tours and increased revenue by eliminating seasonality.  Concerts West is and AEG Company.

The Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc. (AEG) is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world.  AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, the London Arena, the Great Western Forum (as exclusive booking agent for sports and entertainment programming), HealthSouth Training Center and the Kodak Theater (as operator); sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Redding Royals (ECHL), Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids (MLS), five hockey franchises operated in Europe and portions of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA); Envision, a naming rights and sponsorship company; Spring Communications, devoted to creation and marketing of live events for pay-per-view and other electronic media; Turnstyle Marketing, a full-service marketing and advertising agency; and Concerts West, a live entertainment promotion and touring company.

AEG is currently overseeing the development of the L.A. Sports and Entertainment District, a proposed 4 million square foot development featuring LA Live, a state-of-the-art live theatre, a 1,200-room convention "headquarters" hotel along with entertainment, restaurant and office space all adjacent to STAPLES Center.  In addition, AEG is spearheading the creation of a national training academy that will include major facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, basketball and other sports in southern California.

http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X75514352

SOURCE  Concerts West/AEG

CO:  Concerts West/AEG; CDA Productions Inc.; Sony Music; Franco Dragone;      Caesars Palace; Park Place Entertainment

ST:  Nevada

05/17/2001 05:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

NEW YORK, May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 and TV Guide team up again to take a look back at the most admirable and regrettable musical moments from the past six months in "Cheers & Jeers 2," the latest edition of "VH1 All Access," premiering Thursday, May 31 at 10:00 p.m.

A musical twist on the popular column seen in TV Guide(R) magazine every week, VH1's "Cheers & Jeers 2" is an irreverent look at the best and worst of pop culture, featuring performance footage, news clips, TV commercials and more, plus commentary from journalists like Lisa Bernhard and Greg Evans of TV Guide, Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly, Emil Wilbekin of Vibe, Joe Levy of Rolling Stone, and Alan Light of Spin, as well as stylist Matthew Van Leeuwen and comedians Ana Gasteyer and Lizz Winstead.

Highlighting "Cheers & Jeers 2":

*  Cheers:  Paul Simon and Bob Dylan have both turned 60 years old -- but

they're still rockin' with an intensity that would shame many artists

half their age.  Dylan won an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and played

more than 100 concerts around the world; Simon was inducted into the

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, and his latest release was

also nominated for a Best Album Grammy.

"They've done what few rockers of their generation have done, which is

to get up on the stage and make great music and not look really silly

doing it."

-- Greg Evans, TV Guide

*  Jeers:  Superstar singer Toni Braxton perhaps revealed a bit too much

of her sultry beauty at this year's Grammy Awards telecast in a

breathtaking, headline-making outfit that might best be described as

two very small pieces of white fabric strategically secured to her

body by lots of double-sided tape.

"She looked like she got mugged and the guy made off with half of her

outfit and left her, like, a little belt to cover up her booty."

-- Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly

*  Cheers:  With her husband undergoing treatment for cancer, and her own

difficulty getting pregnant, Celine Dion went out on a limb and

announced to the world that she wanted to have a family -- then put

her monster career on hold to actually achieve it.

"She's an artist who really sets goals for herself, then goes after

those goals.  It's like she gets something in her head -- 'Okay, now I

want to do this, now I want to have kids."

-- Lisa Bernhard, TV Guide

*  Jeers:  Guns N' Roses is back.  Or at least Axl Rose is.  The other

guys in the band are ... who knows?  But it's not the same band that

once grabbed the world by the ears and wouldn't let go.

"It's just not the same thing without Slash.  It's not the same thing

without Izzy or the other guys either.  I don't know, I'm a little

uncomfortable calling them Guns N' Roses."

-- Alan Light, Spin

*  Cheers:  The Beatles' "1" album was released.  A collection of their

U.S. chart-topping singles, "1" also debuted at #1 and stayed there

for seven weeks.  It also hit the top of the charts in 28 countries.

And with 12 million sold in the first 12 weeks alone, it is the

fastest-selling album in rock history -- and it may be on its way to

becoming the biggest-selling album of all time.

"However much you could possibly cheer the Beatles, cheer even more

than that.  It was absolutely the right project at the right moment,

and it was so brilliant in its simplicity."

-- Alan Light, Spin

*  Jeers:  Wayne Newton, Marilyn McCoo, Brooks and Dunn, Ricky Martin.

Let's face it, with First Rocker Bill Clinton leaving office after two

terms, there was going to be a musical-energy void at President George

W. Bush's inauguration festivities in January.  And the aforementioned

parties filled it, to the despair of rock fans everywhere.

"We saw the President of the United States attempt to dance, and gave

up all hope of it being a funky four years."

-- Joe Levy, Rolling Stone

TV Guide(R) magazine included an all-music TV Guide "Cheers & Jeers" in the May 26 issue focusing on the recent high and low notes of TV and music. "Cheers" were given to Paul McCartney's two-hour documentary "Wingspan," and "Jeers" to the broadcast networks for not identifying songs the way feature films do -- in the end credits.

VH1 sets aside every Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. for "VH1 All Access," debuting some of the network's most diverse and popular shows.  Upcoming shows include "Rock and Religion" (June 7), "Rock & Roll Life" (June 14) and "Struggling Singer-Songwriters" (June 28).

VH1 produces and programs a wide variety of music-based series, specials, live events and acquisition-based programming that keep viewers in touch with the music they love.  VH1 is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc.  MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV 2: Music Television, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land and VH1 as well as The Suite from MTV Networks, a package of ten digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks.  MTV Networks also has joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.

SOURCE  VH1
CO:  VH1; TV Guide; MTV Networks; Viacom Inc.
ST:  New York

Concerts? Hmmm. Not in a long time...

Lest you thought your heart couldn't go on without her, Celine Dion has just announced she will tour again.

The 33-year-old singer is making an Elvis-like comeback: She will return to the stage in 2003, headlining a 4,000-seat amphitheater at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace.

Dion's performance will be the centerpiece of a spectacular theatrical presentation directed by Franco Dragone, creator of the Cirque du Soleil shows Quidam, O and Mystère. A brand-new 4,000-seat theatre, designed to resemble the Roman Colosseum, is being built specifically for Celine's extravaganza.

"To open it with Celine is about the best you could ever imagine," said Tom Gallagher, president and chief executive officer of Park Place Entertainment, which owns Caesars Palace. "We are delighted to join them in this all-star coalition to create an extraordinary show that will combine the best in music and the best in theatre."

The exclusive engagement will begin in March 2003, with the French-Canadian chanteuse belting it out 200 nights a year.

Dion stopped performing last year to start a family with her manager-husband, Rene Angelil. She gave birth to her first child, Rene Jr., on January 25. She also wanted to spend time with her husband, who is recovering from throat cancer. Her brief absence didn't hurt her popularity, as she was recently named the world's best-selling female artist, with more than 125 million albums sold worldwide over the past decade.

The $65 million amphitheater is being built to replace the hotel-casino's famed 1,000-seat Circus Maximus showroom, which was demolished in September. Located in the center of the Colosseum will be a 22,000-square-foot stage. The Colosseum, near the entrance to the Forum Shops at Caesars, is part of Park Place's plans to expand Caesars Palace.

More information will be available beginning Tuesday at 877-CELINE-4 (877-235-4634) and online at www.caesars.com. An on-sale date and public ticket information will be announced at a later date.
======================
 
 

Thursday May 17 07:17 PM EDT
Celine Dion to Return With 600 Vegas Shows
"My Heart Will Go On" singer Celine Dion will also go on … and on … and on. The French-Canadian chart-topper has committed to performing 600 shows over three years at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
She's not exactly being thrust into a smoky lounge like a singer on the backside of her career, however — the Las Vegas hotel and casino is building a 4,000-seat venue, specially constructed for her show, which will look like the Roman Coliseum, according to The Associated Press.

The pop singer will be a part of a theater presentation directed by Cirque du Soleil mastermind Franco Dragone. CDA Productions, a company run by Dion and her husband, René Angelil, are producing the project along with the director's Creations du Dragon.

Dion, who went on hiatus last year in order to have her first child, will have a bit more time off before the new show gets rolling. The new $65 million theater (replacing the recently destroyed Circus Maximus showroom) won't be ready until March 2003.

"To open it with Celine is about the best you could ever imagine," Tom Gallagher, president-CEO of Caesar's Palace owner Park Place Entertainment Inc., told the AP.

Dion has said that her sabbatical, which began after a New Year's Eve performance at the end of 1999, will last three years — so the planned Caesar's Palace gigs appear to be her return to action.

The singer gave birth to her first child, René-Charles, on Jan 25. She also has said that she has a second in vitro fertilized embryo stored at a New York fertility clinic — a "twin" to her son — which she hopes to give birth to some day.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From Team Celine:

Official Press Release
CELINE DION TO HEADLINE ‘ONE-OF-A-KIND’ THEATRICAL MUSICAL SPECTACULAR AT
CAESARS PALACE

Music Superstar Joins with Franco Dragone, Sony Music and Concerts West to Form
‘Dream Team’ Alliance in Creation of Long-Running Musical Production

LAS VEGAS (May 17, 2001) As part of an unprecedented alliance, Sony Music
recording artist Celine Dion has accepted an offer to perform in an exclusive,
extended engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The unique production,
which will be presented by Concerts West, will debut in March, 2003.

Ms. Dion’s performance will be the centerpiece of a spectacular theatrical
presentation directed by Franco Dragone, creator of the enormously successful
"Quidam," "O" and "Mystère." A brand-new 4,000-seat theatre, designed to
resemble the Colosseum in Rome, is being constructed specifically for this
concert engagement which is scheduled to run for a minimum of three years.

Ms. Dion, who gave birth to her first child on January 25th, was recently named
the world’s best selling female artist, selling more than 125 million albums
worldwide over the past decade.

Ms. Dion and her husband René Angélil’s company, CDA Productions Inc., will
produce the show, in association with Franco Dragone’s company, Créations du
Dragon (cq). Concerts West, an Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) company, will
present the show.

"Concerts West is dedicated to creating this type of ‘one-of-a-kind’
production for audiences worldwide," said John Meglen, Co-CEO of Concerts West.
"We are excited to team with Caesars Palace, which has a long history of
hosting internationally renowned entertainment and events. We are so privileged
to be associated with Celine Dion, René Angélil and Franco Dragone; three
individuals we consider not only to be among the most talented in their fields
but the most honorable partners any organization could have."

"This alliance brings together an entertainment ‘Dream Team’ in Celine
Dion, René Angélil, Sony Music, Franco Dragone, Concerts West and Caesars
Palace," said Thomas E. Gallagher, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Park Place Entertainment Corporation, the parent company of Caesars Palace. "We
have had a long and wonderful friendship with Celine and René. We are
delighted to join them in this all-star coalition to create an extraordinary
show that will combine the best in music and the best in theatre. We are
particularly proud that the home for this remarkable experience will be at
Caesars Palace."

"It was not only our great admiration for Celine as a performer but our
tremendous respect for her and René as the people they are that led us to this
partnership," said Timothy J. Leiweke, President of the Anschutz Entertainment
Group. "Under the leadership of Concerts West, this ‘one-of-a-kind’
production will show how the synergies of the AEG affiliated companies create
tremendous opportunities for our organizations and those we do business with."

Information will be available beginning Tuesday, May 22, at (877) CELINE-4
(877-235-4634) and online at www.caesars.com. An on-sale date and public ticket
information will be announced at a later time.

Park Place Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest gaming company
and owns, manages or has an interest in 28 gaming properties operating under
the Caesars, Bally’s, Hilton, Grand and Flamingo brand names, with a total of
2 million square feet of gaming space, more than 28,000 hotel rooms and 57,000
employees worldwide.

Based in Los Angeles, Concerts West, Ltd. is one of the world’s largest
producers and promoters of live music events and tours. Run by veteran tour
promoters John Meglen and Paul Gongaware, the company’s primary focus is
indoor arenas, which allows for an extension of artists’ tours and increased
revenue by eliminating seasonality. Concerts West is and AEG Company.

The Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc. (AEG) is one of the leading sports and
entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The
Anschutz Corporation, owns a collection of companies including facilities such
as STAPLES Center, the London Arena, the Great Western Forum (as exclusive
booking agent for sports and entertainment programming), HealthSouth Training
Center and the Kodak Theater (as operator); sports franchises including the Los
Angeles Kings (NHL), the Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Redding Royals (ECHL), Los
Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids (MLS), five hockey franchises
operated in Europe and portions of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles
Sparks (WNBA); Envision, a naming rights and sponsorship company; Spring
Communications, devoted to creation and marketing of live events for
pay-per-view and other electronic media; Turnstyle Marketing, a full-service
marketing and advertising agency; and Concerts West, a live entertainment
promotion and touring company.

AEG is currently overseeing the development of the L.A. Sports and
Entertainment District, a proposed 4 million square foot development featuring
LA Live, a state-of-the-art live theatre, a 1,200-room convention
“headquarters” hotel along with entertainment, restaurant and office space
all adjacent to STAPLES Center. In addition, AEG is spearheading the creation
of a national training academy that will include major facilities for soccer,
tennis, track & field, cycling, basketball and other sports in southern
California.

"LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Celine Dion's hiatus from the
music business is over. The Epic Records Group artist has accepted a
three-year contract to perform at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas starting
in March 2003 and is in the studio recording a new album. The show will
be presented by Concerts West, and true to grand Las Vegas style, a $65
million, 4,000-seat theater is being constructed at Ceasars especially
for Dion's show.

Under the deal, Dion is expected to net more than $100 million, sources
said.

The show will feature Dion surrounded by a theatrical presentation
directed by Franco Dragone, who mounted Cirque du Soleil's extravagant
productions "Quidam," "O" and "Mystere."

The show will be produced by Dion and husband Rene Angelil's company CDA
Productions Inc. in association with Dragone's company Creation du
Dragon and Concerts West.

"We are committed to being an artist-friendly company," Concerts West
co-CEO John Meglen said. "This is creating a new genre of live
entertainment for a performance artist. ... This is representative of
the kinds of commitments we want to make. We want to get with an artist
and really (understand) what's in their heart and their soul with how to
do it."

Last year, Dion and Angelil said they wanted to take time out from the
business and focus on family life. The two became parents in January.
While Dion will perform five nights a week, 40 weeks a year during her
initial three-year Vegas stint, insiders close to the couple said Dion
and Angelil agree that the immobility of the show will be more conducive
to child-rearing than an on-the-road tour. In fact, Dion is already
laying out what her dressing room/nursery at the venue will look like,
Meglen said.

Concert tickets will range from $85-$150, Meglen said.
Concerts West is part of the Anschutz Entertainment Group."

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Celine Dion's hiatus from the music business is over. The Epic Records Group artist has accepted a three-year contract to perform at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas starting in March 2003 and is in the studio recording a new album. The show will be presented by Concerts West, and true to grand Las Vegas style, a $65 million, 4,000-seat theater is being constructed at Ceasars especially for Dion's show.

Under the deal, Dion is expected to net more than $100 million, sources said.

The show will feature Dion surrounded by a theatrical presentation directed by Franco Dragone, who mounted Cirque du Soleil's extravagant productions "Quidam," "O" and "Mystere."
 

The show will be produced by Dion and husband Rene Angelil's company CDA Productions Inc. in association with Dragone's company Creation du Dragon and Concerts West.

"We are committed to being an artist-friendly company," Concerts West co-CEO John Meglen said. "This is creating a new genre of live entertainment for a performance artist. ... This is representative of the kinds of commitments we want to make. We want to get with an artist and really (understand) what's in their heart and their soul with how to do it."
Last year, Dion and Angelil said they wanted to take time out from the business and focus on family life. The two became parents in January. While Dion will perform five nights a week, 40 weeks a year during her initial three-year Vegas stint, insiders close to the couple said Dion and Angelil agree that the immobility of the show will be more conducive to child-rearing than an on-the-road tour. In fact, Dion is already laying out what her dressing room/nursery at the venue will look like, Meglen said.

Concert tickets will range from $85-$150, Meglen said.
Concerts West is part of the Anschutz Entertainment Group.
More entertainment industry news at The Hollywood Reporter Online

By JEFF LEEDS, Times Staff Writer
   Certain entertainers embody Las Vegas' glitz: Elvis Presley. Frank Sinatra. And now, Celine Dion.
     The Canadian singer has signed a contract to perform five nights a week at Caesars Palace hotel-casino for three years beginning in 2003. It's unprecedented for a pop superstar to agree to be anchored to one venue for such a length of time.
     The deal, which sources say will pay the 33-year-old entertainer an estimated $45 million over the term of the contract, rivals the sum she could earn from a 40-date world tour before expenses. But it allows her, instead, to stay at home to care for her new child, born in January.
     Analysts said the Caesars deal could spark interest in other unconventional live-concert deals at a time when record sales are essentially flat and record conglomerates are under fire for squeezing artists' royalties.
     "Going forward, the value in music is probably going to come more from playing in live venues than from selling albums," said Michael Nathanson, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. "Harkening back to the Grateful Dead, they had a pretty cool model. They said, 'We don't have to sell a ton of records. We can tour like crazy, build a fan base and make money a different way.' I think it's intriguing."
     But few musicians have the mega-wattage star power needed to draw a large enough audience to turn a profit on such a deal. Concerts West, a concert promotion firm owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz, is counting on Dion's global sales and Las Vegas' international tourism business to deliver constant sell-outs.
     Caesars expects to spend $65 million to erect a 4,000-seat theater to house the production. Plans call for the promoter to price the tickets from $85 to $150, hauling in ticket sales of as much as $300 million over the contract. Dion will be prohibited from performing in any other concerts during the period.
    "This is a new genre of live entertainment for an artist," said Concerts West co-Chairman John Meglen. "Everybody loves to go to Las Vegas. They can book their vacation around this thing."
     The Caesars deal also marks an unusual experiment in marketing: Dion plans to release her next album on Sony's Epic label one year before her appearances at the casino, but she probably won't mount a major tour to promote it. Instead, the songs will be incorporated into the theatrical production supervised by Cirque du Soleil Director Franco Dragone.
     Representatives of the singer, who has sold more than 37 million albums in the United States alone, said they doubt that would handicap record sales. "The Beatles haven't toured that much [lately] but they're still selling records," said Dion's husband and business partner, Rene Angelil.
     Angelil said the singer would perform in a theatrical production in the style of such Las Vegas shows as "O" and "Mystere." He said Sony Music Chairman Thomas D. Mottola approved Dion's Las Vegas deal after seeing "O."
     The deal also comes at a time when signing headliners is back in fashion among casino executives. Singer Wayne Newton signed a reported $250-million deal two years ago to perform exclusively at the Stardust Hotel and Casino for 10 years.

  Los Angeles Times

Canadian crooner Celine Dion's new deal with Caesars Palace has some
entertainment insiders scratching their heads. The puzzler isn't why Dion
decided on Vegas for a comeback (well, it worked for Elvis.) The real
question is how she plans to fill 4,000 seats 200 nights a year.

"It's virtually impossible that (Dion) will pack that place," scoffed one
insider, who manages a popular Strip act. "There's just no way in a space
that size."

Caesars' Colosseum-styled theater is scheduled to open in 2003.

Another source was skeptical about the production's ticket price, which
will reportedly end up in the $100 range -- same neighborhood as "Siegfried
& Roy" and " O."

"If (Caesars) goes with those kinds of numbers, they'll be shooting
themselves in the foot," the source said. "America isn't ready to pay big
bucks to hear the 'Titanic' song over and over again." I might have to
agree with that one.

One insider is concerned that Park Place Entertainment Corp. is putting all
of its entertainment hopes into the Dion deal. The source said Dion's
concerts are a risky venture for a property that has been out of the big
entertainment game since the demolition of Circus Maximus in September.

"The Caesars deal also marks an unusual experiment in marketing: Dion
plans to release her next album on Sony's Epic label one year before her
appearances at the casino, but she probably won't mount a major tour to
promote it. Instead, the songs will be incorporated into the theatrical
production supervised by Cirque du Soleil Director Franco Dragone.

Representatives of the singer, who has sold more than 37 million albums
in the United States alone, said they doubt that would handicap record
sales. 'The Beatles haven't toured that much [lately] but they're still
selling records,' said Dion's husband and business partner, Rene
Angelil.

Angelil said the singer would perform in a theatrical production in the
style of such Las Vegas shows as 'O' and 'Mystere'. He said Sony Music
Chairman Thomas D. Mottola approved Dion's Las Vegas deal after seeing
'O'."

COSTLY NUDE DIP

"SINGER Celine Dion has splashed out just to go naked. Celine checked
into 7,500 Pounds-a-night Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and asked if the
pool could be screened off so she could go for naked swims. It cost her
an extra 3,000 Pounds."  (unconfirmed)
 

Canadian singer Celine Dion is bigger than Michael Jackson, according to their record company Sony.

Company insiders say that executives of the major label rate the French-Canadian singer as the premier artist on their books.

"Everyone's always really surprised," claimed a source, "but Celine is regarded as the most important act by the suits in the company."

Dion also ranks above top selling artist Mariah Carey, who has recently left the label.
-dotmusic.com

Infant emperor Angelil

First photos show Celine Dion's baby boy rules superstar family
LYNN MOORE
The Gazette; CP contributed to this report

GERARD SCHACHMES, HELLO / Photographs of Rene Angelil and Celine Dion with their son, Rene-Charles, were released this week by a European magazine that made the couple "an extremely interesting" offer.
 

It's a world where Mama is a pop superstar known the world over and Papa is a canny businessman who can make money by simply selling his son's photographs.

And it is a world that Rene-Charles, the month-old son of Celine Dion and Rene Angelil rules.

Totally.

"The baby is clearly the centrepiece of that family," Carole Dobrich, a Montreal health professional who has assessed thousands of new parents, said yesterday.

"Oh, he's a little prince, that's for sure," said Dobrich, a lactation consultant and registered nurse who conducts a postpartum support group at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital.

A mother of four boys, Dobrich, made her assessment after studying the 21-page spread of glossy photographs and text that was published this week in the Spanish, French and English editions of a celebrity magazine based in Madrid.

In the French Oh La! article, Dion describes how she nurses Rene-Charles every three hours during the night and how she knows by changes in his breathing that he is ready for a feeding. He doesn't cry, she is quoted as saying.

"She is very connected with her baby. That's wonderful," Dobrich said.

The article also discloses that 32-year-old Dion - shown wearing stiletto heels and outfits with plunging necklines - is to become a grandmother, a step-grandmother, that is, this year. Anne-Marie, 59-year-old Angelil's youngest daughter with former girlfriend Anne-Renee Kirouac, is to give birth in six months.

"My son! What wonderful words!"

Dion says in Oh La! that she doesn't regret her hiatus from show business. As well, she is coy about when she will undergo another in-vitro procedure for a second embryo that is being stored.

Dobrich said she could see that Dion is wrapped up in motherhood.

"You look at her eyes and you see that this is a completion for her," she said.

Dobrich was full of praise for Dion's decision to nurse her son, to have him spend the night in their room, to hold him at every opportunity and for the reported decision to place him at the head of the table during dinner parties.

"That's a wonderful role model for all young families out there," Dobrich said.

Of course, not every family's dinner table has a centrepiece of fresh roses and place settings of three crystal glasses, a nest of china, silver cutlery and lace placemats.

Nor do most babies' rooms have a 12-foot ceiling, a massive crystal chandelier and the sort of wallpaper that one might associate with overpriced and pretentious European hotels.

"It's good that he sleeps with his parents; he'd be rather lonely in there all by himself," Dobrich remarked as she viewed the photo of the nursery.

Although the photographer, Angelil's friend Gerard Schachmes, and the Oh La! writer spent two days with the young family, not one photograph features Rene-Charles with his eyes open. Dobrich said that's not surprising given his age.

Angelil's publicist in Montreal, Francine Chaloult, insisted the baby's eyes were visible in one shot but added that, in any event, they all have blue eyes at that age.

The magazine, whose British-based edition, Hello, is normally available in Canada, was chosen to present Rene-Charles to the world because it made "an extremely interesting" offer to Angelil, Chaloult said.

Was a large amount of money involved? "Of course," said Chaloult, who wouldn't say more on the subject.

In the spread, Dion - who looks prettier and healthier than she has in years - doesn't hold anything back as she sings the praises of her baby.

"My son! What wonderful words! I get goosebumps every time I say them," she says in the article which is replete with exclamation points.

The magazine spread, whose photographs suggest that Rene-Charles's world is one of new money and questionable taste, provides the first good look the public has gotten of the 10-bedroom home located in Jupiter, Fla.

Interview: Phil Hall
 

Welcome to parenthood, Celine!
By JIM SLOTEK
Toronto Sun

Dear Celine,

Congratulations and a hearty "Salut!" to the new maman. Et pere, bien sur, but we all know who did all the heavy lifting. Good job 'coaching,' Dad.

A lot of us have been itching to send our best wishes for some time now, but considering that you and Rene sued The National Enquirer for jumping the gun and saying you were pregnant when you weren't yet ... Well, you can't blame us for waiting until the birth was 100% official.

Not that we're blaming you for being a tad grouchy. As a father of two, I know there's enough pressure to begin with when you're trying to get pregnant. Bad enough you've got Tante Sylvie from the Gaspe trying to sell you on the fertility-inducing properties of a poutine poultice, without all your relatives reading The Enquirer and discovering that not only are you having twins, but they're grey-skinned alien-hybrids!

Happily, baby Rene Jr. was born with 10 fingers and 10 toes and no antennae. Thus begins a marvellous adventure for you, Rene Sr. and the nanny.

I know you've read a lot of books on child-rearing, what with the time you've freed up with your retirement from showbiz and all. But believe me, there are a great many things books can't prepare you for.

There are, of course, some measures I assume you've already taken. Y'know, the usual, stocking up on diapers, wet-naps and tissues, and having the property on your Florida manse dredged for alligators. Those big lizards may turn up their nostrils at you, your fat content being so wonderfully low even during pregnancy, but a chubby baby is another thing altogether.

Yes, chubby. That's what babies look like. Not to worry.

Another thing, that chest-slamming you do when you sing My Heart Will Go On? Stop that right now! You'll bruise the milk.

What you've got at the moment may seem like a crying, puking, defecating bundle of joy. Soon, however, the child will be mobile, scooting around on all fours, going through your clothes and jewelry and eating the shiniest stuff. Again, the fat content in diamonds is very low. Please don't be over-protective.

Later, he'll learn to talk and you'll begin hearing things you're not used to. Words like "NO!" Just remember, he can't be fired.

Moreover, you'll find, "Don't you know who I am? I am Celine!" doesn't cut much slack with screaming toddlers. They are natural-born divas.

Another phrase you may not be prepared for is, "I HATE YOU!!" Sure, the odd dyspeptic music critic has said as much, but these people are clearly deranged. Rest assured when a tantrum-prone two-year-old says it, he is not criticizing your music. That'll come when he's a teenager.

This is a boy we're talking about, invariably born with testosterone poisoning, which only gets worse as time goes on. As fits of exasperation become more and more frequent, you may find yourself less inclined to go to the freezer and thaw out those other pre-fertilized eggs than you might have imagined earlier.

But as long as you have any intention of having more children, then you should cook up that next omelette before many more years pass.

Two kids is a whole other lecture, but trust me on this. You don't want little Rene getting too big an upper hand on his brother or sister

Why we have no Celine baby photos
Current variation on an old joke: What's the difference between Celine Dion and an onion?

Nobody cries when you cut up Celine Dion.

Nor do very many eyes well up when when the blade is applied - metaphorically, of course - to Rene Angelil, Dion's husband and manager.

The knives are being sharpened this week because a Spanish celebrity magazine has published exclusive photos of Rene-Charles, firstborn boy-child of Dion and Angelil. Oh La! (which the Journal de Montreal misidentified yesterday as Ho La!, which I think is a Harlem-based publication) paid major money and gave Angelil, a notoriously thin-skinned control freak, final approval of picture selection and editorial content.

The Gazette did not bid for the baby pictures. The newspaper is reassessing its editorial budget in the wake of my expense-account lunch with Tommy Schnurmacher, Terry DiMonte and the Great Antonio. We didn't stand a chance anyway. Angelil, who does not number this newspaper among his favoured publications, would have let his smouldering resentments trump the opportunity to reach hundreds of thousands of Montrealers, many of whom slept with each other 30 years ago after five tequila shooters at the Boiler Room.

It might be fun - scalpel, please - to imagine the editorial guidelines Angelil laid down to Oh La!

The instructions would have included a list of adjectives and phrases that are PAR (Pre-Approved by Rene) for the course in describing Celine a month after the birth of her first child:

- Breathtakingly beautiful.

- The three Rs: Ravishing, radiant and rich.

- The quintessence of style and sophistication.

- A goddess among mere mortals.

- Makes Michelle Pfeiffer look like Deborah Gray.

- Makes Kate Hudson look like Golda Meir.

- Makes Julia Roberts look like the late Bob Geary.

The guidelines also might suggest phrases that must not be used to describe the proud new mom: "could eat an apple through a fence," "a bejeweled two-bagger" and "so skinny she looks like a Pez dispenser."

And while they are proud supporters of agriculture and count those who till the soil among their dearest friends, Celine and Rene are not to be described as "nouveau riche &%#@ing farmers."

One more caveat: Ix-nay on the camel jokes. Rene and Celine have come to realize that their re-wedding ceremony was vulgar, even by the standards of Las Vegas, and references to the tent show will not be tolerated.

Moreover, there is absolutely no truth to the rumour that the planning of Rene-Charles's christening has been entrusted to the wrangler who worked on Lawrence of Arabia.
- - -

The People You Encounter When You Don't Have Your Gun (second in a series):

The setting: Ticket booth, Georges Vanier metro station, just before

8 yesterday morning.

I had a $20 bill, a loony, a toony and five dimes. Tickets are six for $8.50.

I slip the bill and all the change into the slot and request tickets. I want to unload my change and get a $10 bill and a $5.

The metro guy stares at the money and looks at me like I'd just exposed myself. He takes the dimes and the $20, leaves the $1 and $2 coins and announces, "Les billets, ca c'est mon

affaire," then slides me a $10 and another toony, so I can have three coins jangling in my pocket.

Subtracting $8.50 from $23.50 generally doesn't require E-mailing Steven Hawking at Cambridge.

Later, at the post office, I picked up a parcel on which I owed $8.98 duty.

I gave the clerk a $10 bill and two $2 coins.

He was able to hand me a $5 bill without consulting a supervisor. Wow!

And postal workers tend to be friendly - or at least friendlier than they used to be. Metro attendants, on the other hand, seem about as happy in their glass booths as Eichmann was in Jerusalem.

They may have flunked high-school math, but those metro guys made the honour roll for Surliness 101.

His job is boring and claustrophobic. And because he's not a park ranger at Banff, the paying customers must be made to suffer.

I really have to stop leaving the Glock in my desk drawer.
MIKE BOONE

Twenty pages of photos and text show the adoring couple with their son, who appears to be asleep in many of the snaps. The photos were taken at the couple's palatial home in Jupiter, Fla.

"My son," exclaimed Dion in the interview in the magazine's French edition, Oh La!, available in Quebec.

"What wonderful words. I get goosebumps every time I say them."

The baby was born on Jan. 25, three weeks ahead of his Feb. 14 due date. He weighed six pounds eight ounces. The baby was conceived last spring after treatments at a New York fertility clinic.

The magazine's British-based edition, Hello, is normally available in Canada. The Spanish edition goes by the name Hola.

The photos show dark-haired Rene-Charles, always dressed in little white outfits, in the comfort of his mother or father's arms, in his bassinet or surrounded by extended family.

The infant was photographed in his bassinet with his parents by his side in a regal-looking nursery, complete with a crystal chandelier and white and gold wallpaper. The room also has a wooden rocking horse, a giant blue, plush teddy bear on a white settee and a rack of white and blue outfits.

Dion, 32, and Angelil, 59, had made no secret of their desire to have a child. Dion took a break from her international career to start a family.

The magazine says Dion believes her greatest legacy won't be her music, which includes such hits as The Power of Love and Where Does My Heart Beat Now. It says her son and the second child she would like to one day have will be her proudest achievements.

Dion said she's hardly sleeping but isn't feeling tired.

"I am so happy, so excited. I love looking at him stretch, looking at his little hands come out from the covers."

One particularly charming photo of little Rene-Charles, wearing white booties, is of him fast asleep and propped up on several large pillows.

Chris Laffaille, publisher of Oh La!, said Angelil picked the photos and read the text for approval.

He told RDI, Radio- Canada's all-news network, that he didn't know how much money was paid for the photos, taken by a French photographer.

"He's a photographer based in Paris who's a very good friend of Mr. Angelil's," Laffaille said, adding the photographer has taken pictures of Dion on other occasions, such as her wedding.
Posted by M.G

The baby is beautiful.  He resembles an advertizing of Gap mislaid in the continuation of Louis XIV in Versailles.  Not surprising that
his/her parents Rene and Céline make circulate the photographs of his home to the whole world.  Some are indignant some.  Me not.  With the country of rich and famous people, it is not only current currency, it is the standard.

You point out the photographs of hospital of the Holy Trinity which Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and their kid formed.  You recall Sharon Stone, with naked half on the bed, the eyes in grease of bine, the inflated virtual milk centres, playing the parturient with a
baby who it came in fact to adopt.  Rene and Céline do not invent anything.  Such an amount of better if, in the passing, they made a foot of nose with People, Paris Match or Echoes High-speed motorboats in their preferring a British holding which publishes in three languages.  The choice was judicious and a maximum of visibility and leading control ensured them.  How theirs to reproach?

In all this business, there are only two tricks which emmerdent me.
Initially the Caesarean.

At the following day of the birth of Rene-Charles, Gilles Proulx announced on the waves of TQS that the baby had been born by
Caesarean.  He was immediately taxed, by the relationnist of Celine, stove setter, liar and fouilleux of shit.  However what learns one as  of the second page from Ho There!    That Céline was confined by Caesarean.  One thus lied us and by the same occasion taken for imbeciles.

Second trick which me emmerde:  the abundance of the photographs of the happy parents and their baby.  The official figure is 26.  Me I would lean rather towards 350.  Rene and Céline were not miserly.

In my eyes however, they are not generous parents as well as junkies.  The media are their hard drug.  Even rich to crack, happy and into sabbatical, they insist to nourish the media monster.  Or to nourish theirself through him.

Times, I want to say to them:  Rene and Céline, a life without the  media exists.  I know it.  I met it.  I am in a hurry that you do as
much of it.

By Robert Evans
 

GENEV (Reuters) - Canadian pop singer Celine Dion, U.S. corporate giant General Electric and Spanish soccer club Real Madrid all have triumphed over "cybersquatters" who used their names on Web sites.

The United Nations copyright agency WIPO said Friday these were among a raft of new cases decided over the past two weeks by its arbitrators -- who already have saved such stars as Julia Roberts and Madonna from misrepresentation on the Internet.

Other big names and firms who won the right to have offending, sometimes bogus, sites transferred to them were Japan's Sony Corp., France's Figaro media company, Delta Airlines and British budget airline EasyJet.

The Celine Dion case was brought against a Canadian, Jeff Burgar, who admitted to arbitrators for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that he had registered Web sites using some 75 famous names.

His site for the singer was celinedion.com, and he had registered it as representing a fan club. He lost and the site was ordered transferred to the singer.

Last year Burgar also lost the rights to use the name of U.S. rock star Bruce Springsteen on a site.

In the latest case, Burgar denied assertions that he earlier had told Dion's representatives that he would be willing to "negotiate" a deal to give up the site, and the arbitrators found this had not been proven.

General Electric won its case against Stephen Harper of Agoura Hills, California, who had registered 35 sites starting with the company's initials GE.

WIPO MAIN ARBITRATOR

The Geneva-based WIPO is the largest of four firms or organizations offering arbitration services. Under global rules, anyone registering a site on the Internet must agree to accept arbitrators' rulings as final.

All proceedings are conducted over the Internet.

The U.N. agency's service at present only covers the so-called generic top-level domain names -- or gTLDs -- that end in codes such as .com, .org or .net.

But earlier this week WIPO said it was launching a push, at the request of several governments, for an agreement to extend this into the area of country code domains or ccTLDs -- such as .fr for France, .jp for Japan and .ru for Russia.

In the latest cases, Real Madrid challenged a company based only a few hundred yards from its stadium in the Spanish capital that had registered realmadrid.org. The arbitrators found for the club.

In the Easyjet case, in which Marie Claire of Ranelagh, Ireland had registered easyjet.com, the ticketless airline that takes most of its reservations on the Internet showed that it had been offered the site for sale.

The price demanded was $1,500, whereas registration normally costs only $50.

The Paris Societe de Figaro won a figaromagazine.com site -- a title identical to that of its glossy weekly -- from a company in Belize, while Sony won sonysonpo.com from a man living in Hiroshima.

But a losing complainant was Brazil's O Globo corporation, and its widely popular Radio Globo station, which took a San Francisco, California-based company to WIPO for registering a site called radioglobo.net.

Although the company, Paradigm Corp., did not defend itself, the arbitrator found that both radio and globo, or globe, were common words in several languages and the site was unlikely to be confused with the Rio de Janeiro station.

Reuters/Variety

21:36 02-23-01

Overdose Michele Ouimet the Press

Celine Dion enclosure, Celine Dion who is confined, the ovule frozen in New York, baby Rene-Charles who has " the chin of his mother and the ears of his father ", " Dion grandmamma who is in a hurry well to rock her grandson "....  The Help |!

After having had the nose plunged in the gynaecological intimacy of Celine Dion at the time of the long - very long - interview which it granted to the unutterable Michel Jasmin, Québécois, not to say whole planet, are entitled now to the least sudden start of the small Rene-Charles.  The whole of it learnedly orchestrated by the husband-impresario-father Rene Angélil, whom nothing escapes.

An example?  When Celine Dion, draped in her lilac dress and closed to the public ears, gave an interview to Michel Jasmin and  meticulously described(with all the stages)the in-vitro fertilization. The  review in 7 Jours, which had obtained for exclusivity in the private conversation, read:  " My son has already a twin ".  Shocked, Rene Angélil succeeded in making  the magazine circulation withdraw 200000 specimens of the magazine.

The medias Québécois is supposedly shown reserved all the same if one compares them with a certain British press which fall into hysteria as soon as a scandal arises in the royal family.  Do not prevent.  The phenomenon Dion-Angélil fascine.  Even the intellectuals put themselves at it.  A sociologist of the University of Montreal prepares a research project on the famous couple.  "It is a little our princely family in Quebec ", they explained this week to the Newspaper of Montreal.

Yes, its Céline Dion, yes, she has talent, but should she be a large echo vedettes to really be followed in all of her little movements?  With the first wail of Rene-Charles, the first colic, the first tooth?  This media tidal wave is all the more aggravating that it carries the approval seal of Rene Angélil, who takes care of everything like a care maniac when about the public image of his wife.  Overdose, overdose....
(translated).lapress
 

Pity poor Celine Dion.

I know, I know, what's there to pity?

She his hextraordinarily famous, fabulously wealt'y, 'as a brand new bebe and halways tell hus 'ow 'appy she his. Hindeed, she his dee greatest singer hin dee 'ole world!

Hand she 'as such ha cute haccent. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Yes, Quebec's favourite daughter has a powerful set of pipes -- and truckloads of trophies to prove it. And there's no doubt she's accomplished an awful lot in her 32 years. She's gone from youngest of 14 children from small-town Quebec to glamorous superstar, with a face as familiar in Tokyo as in Chicoutimi.

One would expect, then, that Dion has a lot to say -- recollections of her travels around the world, her thoughts on fame, advice for other girls who dream big, a look back on her struggles and her triumphs. My Life, My Dream -- "written in collaboration with Georges-Hebert Germain" -- does deliver these things. But it does so in such superficial fashion that one can only conclude that while Celine Dion is one of the most famous people in the world, she is also one of the most shallow.

Oh, bring on the letters, but I'm not saying that maliciously -- My Life, My Dream made me feel sorry for her.

I've never been a fan of Dion's, but her talent has always been impossible to deny, even when she was an awkward teen pop star unknown outside of French Canada. But her biography confirms that something crucial is missing -- artistry.

Dion is a drama queen extraordinaire. How many times have we heard her gush, while accepting yet another award, "Rene, you know hi love you," or, "Growing hup, we did not 'ave much, but we 'ad musique -- hand we 'ad love"?

But in spite of this excess of emotion, her singing, while technically superb, lacks soul -- or whatever you call that crucial quality that elevates performance to a spiritual level.

Maybe that's because Dion's entire career has been as calculated as a tax return, fired not by creativity but by ambition -- her mother's and Rene Angelil's, that is.

Poor Celine seems to have spent her life pursuing goals they set. "I carried a fully formed dream inside me," she writes. "It was a dream that I hadn't created; I'd inherited it at birth. It had been conceived and carried by my mother and father, by my 13 brothers and sisters." She may have loved singing, but would Dion have traded in her childhood for a career if she wasn't carrying all her family's hopes on her thin shoulders?

Career plan

Her mother's hopes were the highest: "By the time I was 12 years old, Maman already had big plans for me. She wanted to make me into the kind of singer who could pack Place des Arts in Montreal for three weeks in a row ... She wanted me to be like Ginette Reno." Maman "had revealed the career she had mapped out for me."

First, that required writing some songs for the girl and finding her an agent. The first didn't work out -- he was "culturally incompatible with our family," that is, "He was astonished, not to say horrified, by our bohemian, artistic lifestyle" and "shocked that I so often missed school without anyone at home being bothered by it."

Superagent Rene Angelil was somewhat less concerned about the 12-year-old with the huge voice getting an education. His top act -- Ginette Reno, ironically -- was ditching him, so he was happy to take over the reins. And the word "reins" is appropriate here. He rode that girl from Montreal to Paris to Tokyo, selling that voice to anyone who would listen.

Not surprisingly, Angelil has been called a Svengali, a label confirmed for many by his 1994 marriage to his protege. At 52, he had been the dominant male presence in her life for 14 of her 26 years, and she looked up to him -- and still does -- as a demigod, awed by his confidence and sophistication.

Dion indulges in gooey descriptions -- already much reported when the original French edition of the book was published -- of falling asleep with his photograph pressed to her cheek. She wore out the picture with her kisses and dreamed nightly that "he would come to my bed to get me and take me away to a desert island where we made love."

As anyone who has ever been 16 can attest, that excruciating pain teenagers call love tends to dissipate pretty quickly in the harsh light of adulthood. That Dion became infatuated with the only man she knew is not surprising. When kids her age were hanging out in the schoolyard or necking at the movies, she was with Angelil.

That she never outgrew this puppy love is sad.

To his credit, Angelil fought off her advances until she was 19. But it's hard not to imagine that where she felt cupid's arrow, he saw dollar signs and treated her as a commodity.

Heart attack

He insisted the show must go on when he had a heart attack and when he was later diagnosed with cancer. Tellingly, he'd rather she continue touring -- and making money -- than be at his side in those critical times. Someone has to pay the bills.

Dion insists money doesn't really matter: "It isn't material comfort and riches that create happiness, but what comes from inside you." Yet she mentions their growing wealth several times, and proudly describes planning an obscenely expensive wedding: "We were already selling millions of records and were rich, but what I was planning ... was going to cost a lot." Her elaborate dress, topped with a white mink bolero, cost a fortune, and she also paid a high price for beauty.

"Sometimes you have to suffer to be beautiful," Dion writes, relating this exchange with her hairdresser:

" 'It's too heavy. It'll hurt your head," he said.'

" 'I don't give a damn. Even if you have to stick pins in my scalp, I want to wear that tiara.' "

The wedding reception featured "a salon that reminded you of Aladdin ... a Parisian bistro, a sushi bar, a Wild West saloon, and a Spanish tapas bar. There was a flood of champagne and flowers everywhere. Magicians, musicians, a string quartet in one room, a rock band in another. And of course a casino, with blackjack and roulette tables."

Of course a casino? At a wedding? Well, yes, considering Angelil's passion for gambling.

While she's buying shoes by the dozen and haute-couture clothes by the closet-full, he's probably in Las Vegas.

Gambling

Dion has long been aware his gambling may be a problem. She writes about his financial troubles when she was still a teen: "He gambled a lot. His numerous trips to Las Vegas and Atlantic City were sometimes disastrous, sometimes great successes. He won a lot of money. And he squandered his money as if it were an inexhaustible resource."

Luckily for them, money is an inexhaustible resource now, which means she can treat her husband's gambling habit as a little hobby she's happy to indulge. While decorating their new home in Jupiter, Fla., she "added things that I thought would please Rene. I know his tastes. Or rather the places that he likes, like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I wanted him to have the ambience of that hotel in our future house."

Friday, Montreal's La Presse newspaper published a rumour that Dion will come out of retirement with a show in Las Vegas on Dec. 31, 2020, and Quebec TV network TVA said she'll spend two years performing in her own Vegas venue, possibly at Caesar's Palace.

Dion has travelled the globe many times over, but her world is miniscule. She cannot see past her husband, worships him, obsesses over him. She expends more ink describing such things as Angelil's first subway ride and his favourite drink (Diet Coke with lots of ice) than she does on telling us about their audience with the Pope or dinner with Princess Diana.

Plumbing problems

Never mind the way-too-detailed descriptions of her personal plumbing, from cringe-inducing efforts to become pregnant to the fact that she stops ovulating when she's on tour.

Throughout, despite descriptions of recurring health problems, insecurity about her appearance, exhaustion, sulking and petty fights with Angelil, she reminds us how happy she is. Her insistence is like a beauty queen's forced smile.

I was reminded of a piece John Diamond, suffering from terminal cancer, recently wrote for The Observer. He notes that people who seek out alternative therapies tend to suffer from nebulous, non-lethal ailments more likely caused by discontent rather than any real physical threat:

"They are the illnesses which result from overexpectation, from the belief that we can feel happy, comfortable, positive, motivated all the time. But to feel that good that often you have to be pretty stupid in that way that stupidity so often manifests itself, as a lack of imagination."

leela-me again!

The news came out sooner than expected in Belgium: Celine Dion will be
back on stage December 31 2002 in Las Vegas with an exhuberant show.
The leak was linked to Belgian stage director, Franco Dragone.

Three years after her last concert at the Molson Center in Montreal,
Celine would then get back on stage for a period of 24 months. That is
what Mr. Dragone announced during a press conference in Belgium. Well
known for his work with "Le Cirque Du Soleil", he confirmed Celine
would inaugurate a 4000-seats arena in Las Vegas, that has yet to be
built. It is to believed that the Ceaser's Palace Hotel and Resort
will go ahead with the construction plans. There had been rumours
lately surrounding Celine's "permanent" stay at the luxurious hotel;
there were no comments given from the famous casino's management team.

Mr. Dragone has given his press conference sooner than expected. To
announce to the media his projects of building a new studio in La
Louviere is just fine. But to give explicit details regarding Celine's
plans to return on satge is a differnet story. Francine Chalout,
Celine's public relation guru, wasn't happy about the situation. She
had also received a copy of the Belgian newspaper "Le Soir" reporting
M.r Dragone's news, which she qualified of being 'prematured and
incomplete'. Ms. Chalout mentionned that all the details would be
officially released soon.

Last January, Celine & Rene saw an incredible show. 'A show that
changed my life' said Celine Dion on a video that was shown during the
press conference Mr. Dragone gave last Wednesday in Namur.

That is because the couple had recorded a little piece of interview
for the Belgian public to support Mr. Dragone's projects. It looks
like there had been confusion on the dates when the video should've
been used.

According to Olivier Collot, the 'Le Soir' journalist reporting the
news, Celine Dion recorded a few words from her home in Florida, just
before giving birth. He said the singer, who was radiant, only had
praise towards Dragone 'She told Rene that he was the best director in
the world and that she had to work with Dragone. Rene had to work this
out', he said from Belgium.

The stage director will permanently set up his studio in La Louviere
where he would rehearse all of his shows, including Celine's.

According to the daily newspaper 'Le Soir', Celine's new concert would
last 90 minutes and several artist would be on stage with her.
Obviously, it wasn't possible to confirm this information with Ms.
Chalout, who said there will be an official worldwide press-release
regarding Celine's return in s few days. Would Celine and Rene take
the opportunity to introduce to the world their little son,
René-Charles?
 

People magazine puts Celine Dion on cover, but no photos of baby Rene-Charles

Canadian Press

TORONTO (CP) - The birth of Celine Dion's baby made the cover of People magazine Friday, but the article giving details of her labour and hospital stay doesn't include any photos of little Rene-Charles.

However, the six-page magazine spread does relate a conversation between the Quebec diva and her mother after the Jan. 25 birth. "He has Rene's little feet, Rene's toes and the little ears of Rene," Dion told her mother, Therese Dion, over the phone. "He has my chin, though, and my hair colour." The report says Dion had been relaxing at her mansion in Jupiter, Fla., when contractions began in the afternoon of Jan. 24.

She and husband-manager Rene Angelil packed their black Mercedes and drove to Palms West Hospital 40 minutes away in Loxahatchee, Fla.

At one point, her doctors tried to induce the birth chemically, but to no avail.

"They gave it every chance to be a vaginal delivery," maternity nurse Helene Schilian, told the magazine. "But at some point the baby just seemed to say, 'I'm tired, let me out.' "

Doctors became concerned that the umbilical cord was in a position to damage the child and performed a caesarean.

Over the next couple of days, the magazine reports, Dion never left the birthing suite, which had a bathroom, dining table and two foldout beds that were used by Angelil and Dion's sister Linda.

"She took to nursing the baby like she'd had 12 others," Schilian told the magazine. "She handled that baby like a pro."

The article also says Dion hopes to travel to Quebec this June with the baby.

Dion and Angelil had made no secret of their desire to have a child, and the singer was on hiatus from her career to focus on starting a family. The baby was conceived last spring after treatments at a New York fertility clinic.

She has revealed that another frozen embryo remains at the Manhattan clinic. People magazine reports that as Dion left the Florida hospital with Rene-Charles, she said farewell to staff of the maternity wing and added: "See you next year!"
 

2/2/01
Céline Dion of fine return on scene 2002 in Las Vegas
Stéphanie Bérubé - LaPress

Celine Dion soon will return news to Belgium is earlier than envisioned:  Céline Dion will be back on scene on December 31, 2002 in Las Vegas in a spectacle which is already announced with the height of the legendary exubérance of the Dion-Angélil couple.  With the setting in scene of this ostentation spectacle, Dragon, Belgian of his state, which is at the origin of the escape.

This is thus three years to the day after her last concert in the Molson Center. Céline Dion will start a series of shows which must last two years.  It is what Mr. Dragone affirmed in front of the Belgian press.  The director, whom one knows well for his work with the Circus du Soleil, confirmed that Céline will inaugurate a room of 4000 seats which is to be built remains in Las Vegas.  Any entrance to believe that it is the luxurious hotel Caesar'S Palace, where Céline and Rene are accustomed, who will build the amphitheatre.  The rumor of the hotel residence of Celine has been known already for some time. Yesterday, the management of Caesar's Palace however refused to confirm the arrival of the new mom with no comment.

It is that Mr. Dragone made his press conference earlier than envisaged.  That it convenes the medias to announce to them the construction of his new work of production, a massive investment in its birthplace of Louvière, extremely well.  But from there to reveal the details of the return of early product Celine, there is a whole margin.  Francine Chaloult, which deals with the relations of press of Celine Dion, did not trépignait joy yesterday.  She also had obtained a specimen of the article of the daily newspaper of Brussels the Evening which reported the remarks of Mr. Dragone and qualified this output of " premature and incomplete ".  Mrs. Chaloult specified that all information would be contained in an official advertisement " on a worldwide scale " which should not delay.

In Celine Dion, January 2000 and her husband Rene Angélil saw an extraordinary spectacle.  " a spectacle which changed my life ", said Céline Dion on a videotape presented at the time of the conference of Dragone which took place Wednesday in Namur.

Because the couple had recorded a small end of interview intended for the Belgian public to support the advertisement of Dragone.  It seems that there was confusion as for the dates on which one could diffuse the invaluable cassette.

According to Olivier Collot, the journalist who signed the article of the Evening, Céline Dion recorded her message in her Florida residence , right before her childbirth.  According to the journalist, the singer was radiant and was dithyrambic with regard to Dragone.  " She said to Rene that he was the best manager of the world and that she wanted absolutely to work with Dragone.  That it was necessary that he arranges that with him ", she told, from Belgium.

The director will permanently install his office shops in Louvière and it is from there that he will prepare all her settings in scene, which will be done just for Céline Dion.

According to the daily newspaper The Evening, the next spectacle of the diva will last 90 minutes and several artists will accompany her on scene.  Obviously, it was impossible to confirm this information near Mrs. Chaloult who specified that the world advertisement of the return of Celine, the official version, will be made from here a few days at most.  Will Celine and Rene benefit from it to present to us the face of their small Rene-Charles?

 As wake-up calls go, the one that went to René-Charles Angélil's grandma was a hard one to beat, reports PEOPLE magazine in its new cover story. Thérèse Dion was asleep in her room at the five-star Hotel Le Bristol in Paris, where she had gone to film episodes of the cooking show she hosts on Canadian TV, when the phone rang at 7 a.m. on Jan. 25. On the line, more than 4,500 miles away at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, Fla., the youngest of her 14 children, pop diva Celine Dion, was 18 hours into labor and literally seconds from giving birth. "I heard the baby's first cry live on the telephone," an elated Thérèse, 73, told PEOPLE. She spoke to her daughter only briefly at the time of the call. "Celine told me, 'The baby is in good health, but the mother, she is tired.' " As well she might have been. After years of publicly wishing for a child -- and enduring an intensive round of in vitro fertilization treatments to conceive -- Dion, 32, and her husband-manager, René Angélil, 59, finally welcomed 6-lb. 8-oz. René-Charles three weeks before his Valentine's Day due date. "Everybody was just crying tears of joy," says Dion's obstetrician Dr. Ronald Ackerman, 48, who assisted in the cesarean section delivery performed by his partner Dr. Steven Pliskow, 37. "Nurses, doctors, experienced people -- there was not a dry eye in the room." Least of all those of the proud parents (who declined to release pictures of the newborn). "This was their dream," says record producer David Foster, a longtime friend. "It's bigger than any hit record, bigger than anything for them." Dion had been relaxing at the couple's 10-bedroom mansion in nearby Jupiter when contractions began on Wednesday afternoon. After consulting Ackerman, reports PEOPLE, the singer and her husband packed their black Mercedes 500 and drove to the hospital 40 minutes away. But the baby for whom they had waited so long wasn't ready to take the stage just yet. At one point Ackerman and Pliskow tried to induce the birth chemically, to no avail. "They gave it every chance to be a vaginal delivery," says maternity nurse Helene Schilian, who cared for Dion during her three-day hospital stay. "But at some point the baby just seemed to say, 'I'm tired, let me out.' " By 1 a.m. Thursday (up to 24 hours of labor is not unusual for a first-time birth), the doctors became concerned that the umbilical cord was in a position to damage the child and performed a cesarean section. Throughout the birth Dion was "focused and calm," says Ackerman. Adds Pliskow: "This is a lady with extreme focus and fortitude."

For more, pick up the February 12, 2001, issue of PEOPLE.

------------
Subject: In National Enquirer
From: magyardm@com  (Magyardm)
Date: 2/2/01 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
 

I know, it's trash, but they mentionned the baby arrived at 1:23am. And no
Caesarean section.

Je sais, ce sont des ordures, mais il y est mentionné que le bébé est arrivé à
1h23. Sans césarienne.

CELINE GIVES BIRTH

It's a boy for Celine Dion!

 ew mom Celine Dion
The singing sensation gave birth to her much- awaited child at 1:23 a.m. on
Jan. 25.

The infant, named Rene Charles, weighed in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces, despite being
born three weeks ahead of Celine's due date -- spoiling the Canadian
superstar's dream of having a Valentine's Day baby.

The new mom was in labor for nearly 12 hours at Palms West Hospital in
Loxahatchee, Fl. before Dr. Steven Pliskow decided to deliver the baby by
Caesarean section.

"The doctor thought it was best to perform a Caesarean. But everything turned
out just fine."

Present at the birth were Celine's husband Rene, her parents and one of her
sisters, who flew in by private jet from their homes in Canada.

Celine's announced her pregnancy last summer after she underwent an in-vitro
fertilization process.

Celine and her husband Rene opted for the procedure after he was diagnosed with
cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy treatments.

She recently revealed that she has a second embryo in frozen storage in New
York and hopes one day to have another child.

-------------
Celine on cover of the new People mag
Wednesday, 31-Jan-01 20:12:59

I just saw on Access Hollywood that Celine is on the cover of the new People mag (US) out on Friday. It supposedly has details on her birth, and they said she was in labor for 18 hours and there was trouble with the baby's umbilical cord, so she had a c-section, and that Liette is the baby's godmother. They also said she had an expensive shopping spree on baby clothes white with gold trim, also buying $50 sweaters, and the baby's carriage cost over $4,000. And remember- she's gonna be on the cover of Redbook too!
 

Grandmaman chats about 'petit prince'

ALAN HUSTAK
The Gazette

Grandma Dion: Heard first cries on phone.
 

Celine Dion's mother, Therese-Tanguay Dion, went online for an hour to answer questions about the birth of her celebrated grandson yesterday.

Grandmaman Dion, who is at the Hotel Bristol in Paris shooting episodes of her television cooking show with French celebrities, went on the Canoe chat line at noon local time yesterday to talk with fans.

She said she has not yet seen a picture of the infant who was born on Thursday, but heard his first cries over the phone.

"I haven't seen him. Celine told me that he looks a bit like both of them. With a mix like that, I am sure that he's the most beautiful baby in the world."

She said she would prefer to wait and see the baby rather than get pictures sent to her online.

"I can't wait to get to hug him. I have some gifts for the baby, but those are personal. I am going to give him lots of love."

Grandmaman Dion said she was on the Internet to reply to questions because she was too busy to respond to all the requests for interviews. However, she was selective about which questions she answered. She claimed not to know five doctors were present, and that the baby was delivered by caesarean section. She also declined to reply when asked what she thought of reports the first picture of Rene-Charles could fetch as much as $200,000 U.S.

Dion said she will fly to Montreal on Thursday to repack her bags, then join her daughter in Florida on Friday.

The family has already nicknamed Rene-Charles "le petit prince." The infant is her 33rd grandchild, and she also has seven great grandchildren.

The child will probably be sent to schools in both Quebec and the U.S., she said.

She wasn't at all concerned the boy might be spoiled or isolated in an environment that shelters him from the real world. "His parents are open and intelligent, so I am sure they will want to give their son the best education he can get. I don't see anything artificial about that."

She also expects her daughter will return to her singing career.

"She adores singing. It is what she does. I can't give you an exact date. I don't know when, but I am certain she will resume her career."

Asked if she planned to teach the boy how to cook, she quipped: "If he wants me to. If I am still around."
 

INGRID PERITZ

Friday, January 26, 2001

MONTREAL -- The most talked-about baby in  Canada was born to celebrity songstress Celine Dion yesterday, and despite the singer's penchant for strict schedules, this production was beyond her control: The boy, René-Charles, came three weeks
early.

His arrival topped the news in the singer's home province of Quebec, where he was instantly heralded as "the little prince" to Canada's ruling queen of pop.

"It's a miracle baby," said Ms. Dion's physician, Ronald Ackerman, who began helping the singer to become pregnant four years ago, directing her to in-vitro-fertilization treatment in New York.

"She's the happiest she's ever been," he said in an interview from the baby's birthplace of West Palm Beach, Fla.

The celebrity birth follows one of the most highly publicized pregnancies in the world.

Ms. Dion not only announced to one and all that she was taking a hiatus from her career to start a family ("I want to discover the woman in me," she said), her intimate disclosures about swollen ovaries, pregnancy-related acne and a frozen embryo squirrelled away in a New York fertilization lab were fodder for news organizations around the planet.

Yesterday, however, baby René-Charles momentarily eclipsed his mother's fame. On newscasts, his birth pushed aside the flap over the Canadian flag and made Quebec's beleaguered Deputy Premier, Bernard Landry, the second-happiest man to receive the news.

The happiest man appears to be Ms. Dion's manager and husband, René Angélil. He was by his wife's side throughout her 14-hour labour at Palms West Hospital.

"It was unbelievably touching," Dr. Ackerman said. "René is just beside himself."

The birth is the latest episode in the fairy-tale, at times melodramatic, script that is Ms. Dion's life.

The youngest of 14 children in a working-class family from Charlemagne, Que., she fell in love with the much-older Mr. Angélil when she was still a teenager, and went to bed stroking his photo against her cheek as she fell asleep.

They married in a glittering Hollywood-style  wedding in Montreal's magnificent Notre Dame Basilica. Then, last year, while her husband struggled with cancer, they persevered with in-vitro-fertilization treatments to begin a family.

Christian Dufour, a Montreal university professor who has written extensively about Ms. Dion, said the child's arrival is a "continuation of the saga."

"Ms. Dion is part of the Quebec family. She is the darling of Quebec(the USA and the whole world). We watched her grow up," he said.

"Now it's like [the baby] will be the little (American) son of all Quebec." : )

There may be some pitfalls that come with being the scion of celebrity parents, however.

"To be so eagerly awaited and desired by two such  well-known personalities won't make it easy," Mr.  Dufour said. "I wouldn't want to be in his shoes."

René-Charles, who weighed in at 6 pounds 8 ounces, is the first baby for 32-year-old Ms. Dion  and the fourth for 59-year-old Mr. Angélil, who has three grown children from two previous marriages. He is also expecting his first grandchild this year.

Because Ms. Dion, who often extols her small-town  Quebec roots, had the baby in Florida, he will have dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship. The second part of his name, Charles, comes from Ms. Dion's paternal grandfather.

Ms. Dion's sister, Claudette, said the Dion clan is thrilled, especially in light of her sister's widely known efforts to have a child.

"Concern had set in -- we said to ourselves, 'My goodness, she is wishing for this so badly.' So now that it's happened, it's an extraordinary moment," she told Quebec broadcaster TVA.
 

Celine Dion's heart, and the rest of her genes, will go on.

The once fertility-challenged pop singer gave birth to a baby boy, weighing six pounds and three ounces, Thursday morning in Palm Beach, Florida. Dion's publicist says the mom and her new bundle of joy, named Rene Charles (after the singer's manager-husband), are doing well.

"Celine Dion and Rene Angelil have the great joy of announcing to you that their son was born during the night of January 25 at 1 a.m. [ET]. The mother and the baby are doing just great and are in perfect health."

Dion, 32, and Angelil, 59, had been trying for some time to have a child together, a point well documented in the tabloids. Early last year, the French-Canadian singer sued the National Enquirer for $20 million over a false story that claimed she was pregnant with twins. The tab later retracted the story and apologized.

Last May, Dion underwent in-vitro fertilization, and the procedure worked: The singer initially expected to give birth around Valentine's Day.

Dion, the voice behind tunes like "My Heart Will Go On" and "Beauty and the Beast," also said in a televised interview that a second kid may be in the couple's future. Dion said she has another embryo conceived with Angelil in storage at a New York clinic.

"So, I have a twin," she said, "...a laboratory twin." The singer explained that while the two embryos are technically called twins, it doesn't mean identical twins, only that they were "conceived at the same time."

A year before her pregnancy, Dion announced she was semi-retiring from the music biz to raise a family and spend time with Angelil, who was recovering from throat cancer. Angelil, who has managed Dion's career since she was a teenager, married her in 1994.  - Eonline

Celine Dion has baby boy
By MICHELLE MACAFEE
Canadian Press
 MONTREAL (CP) -- Pop diva Celine Dion delivered the greatest hit of her illustrious career Thursday -- a six-pound, eight-ounce son born in a Florida hospital.

 And though just hours old, little Rene-Charles was already attracting as much attention, both internationally and in the superstar's home province of Quebec, as any of her many Grammy awards, platinum albums or two flashy weddings.

 One of the doctors who helped deliver the baby early Thursday morning said he is "gorgeous" and looks like Dion and Rene Angelil -- the child's father and Dion's husband-manager.

 "Oh my God, he's perfect," an excited Dr. Ronald Ackerman said in an interview from his office in West Palm Beach, Fla.

 "Mother's doing stupendous. She's tired but looks fabulous and is doing great. Rene is as excited as I have ever seen him in four years."

 Ackerman joked the baby was turning over already. "I swear that I saw him do that."

 Baby Rene-Charles was named after his father -- Rene -- and Dion's paternal grandfather, Charles.

 Dion was in labour for about 14 hours, Dr. Steven Pitkow, who also assisted in the delivery, said in an interview with the TVA television network.

 Word of the birth was one of the top stories on French and English newscasts throughout the day in Quebec as newsrooms scrambled for details and interviews with family members.

 Dion's mother, Therese, who was in Paris at the time of the birth, said her daughter phoned her immediately afterwards to share the good news.

 "She called me five minutes after the delivery, when it was finished, I could hear the baby's cries," she told TVA.

 Many Quebecers have followed Dion's career and personal life with an almost protective interest and pride since she rose to stardom from her small-town roots in Charlemagne, Que.

 In the United States, tabloids and other entertainment publications immediately went on the hunt for exclusive information and photos.

 "It's certainly a top-shelf story for us," said Chris Wessling, a general editor with the National Enquirer.

 "She's a well-known worldwide celebrity having her first child and her desire to have a child is well-known."

 Depending on what is uncovered, the story has a good chance of ending up on the tabloid's front page next week, Wessling added.

 However, it's doubtful Dion will co-operate with the paper since she withdrew a $20-million lawsuit against the Enquirer last year after it agreed to apologize for a false story saying she was pregnant with twins.

 Ackerman was one of five doctors who helped Dion deliver the infant. Angelil, and one of her sisters, Linda, also were present.

 Ackerman, who has been Dion's doctor for four years, said the baby arrived three weeks ahead of the Valentine's Day due date.

 He said he was responsible for the in vitro fertilization treatments that Dion, 32, received at a New York clinic. The successful treatments brought a happy ending to her much-publicized struggle to have a child.

 The couple turned to medical science to help conceive because Angelil had been diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and had been treated with radiation and chemotherapy after having a tumour removed from his neck.

 As a result of Dion's treatment, it's likely Rene-Charles could one day have a brother or sister.

 One other egg was fertilized during the procedure and remains at the clinic, where it was frozen five days after conception.

 Freezing extra embryos gives couples an additional opportunity to conceive without going through another stimulation cycle and egg retrieval.

 "I'll go get it, that's for sure," Dion said in a recent interview published in Sept Jours, a popular Quebec magazine.

 She also suggested the embryo could be like a "twin" for her son.

 However, that word choice sparked controversy when Angelil pressured the magazine to destroy 200,000 copies of an unreleased issue it published under the front-page headline, My Son Already Has a Twin.

 After obtaining an advance copy of the issue, Angelil angrily charged that Dion's revelation was sensationalized and twisted out of context.

 The magazine was reprinted and released with the new headline, Celine Opens Her Heart.

 Dion cited having a child as one of the main reasons she opted to retire for two years amid much fanfare following a farewell concert in Montreal on New Year's Eve 1999.

 But for more than a year, Dion's publicity machine -- driven by Angelil, whom she met nearly 20 years ago and first married in 1994 -- ensured the chanteuse wouldn't be forgotten.

 Her infertility was the subject of a cover story in People magazine, she released an intimate autobiography, made an impromptu performance at a golf tournament and renewed her wedding vows with Angelil in Las Vegas shortly after her last concert.

 The ceremony attracted headlines everywhere with its Arabian Nights theme, which featured the couple entering the reception atop camels.

 It was a marked contrast in style, but not flair, to the couple's original wedding in Montreal's ornate Notre-Dame Basilica. For that ceremony, Dion had an enormous headpiece sewn into her hair.

 It was not clear Thursday when the public might get its first peek at the baby.

 "It's definitely not going to happen in the next week," said Ackerman. "Definitely not at the hospital."

 Claude Lemay, Dion's musical director, said he spoke briefly to Angelil, who described his newborn son as a "beautiful baby."

 "You could hear the joy in his voice," Lemay told RDI, Radio-Canada's all-news channel.

 Some of Dion's fans were thrilled to hear her good news.

 "I wish her the same success as a mother that she had as a singer -- as an international superstar," said Paul Giroux, a cab driver in Quebec City.

 "I urge them to remain positive in the face of all the attention they will receive."

 Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard was expected to send a personal note to the couple, but a spokesperson said the contents would not be released.

 News of the baby's birth was first released to the media through Dion's publicist, Francine Chaloult.

 An assistant in Chaloult's office said no other details would be released.

 When asked why Dion chose to have the baby in the United States, she would only say that it was likely because the couple's doctor was there.

 Under citizenship laws in both Canada and the United States, Rene-Charles will hold both Canadian and U.S. citizenship.

 Ackerman didn't name the hospital where the baby was born. The couple has a home in Jupiter, Fla., as well as a mansion in Laval, just outside Montreal.

 Ackerman replied tongue-in-cheek when asked whether the baby is singing yet.

 "Not yet, but I think he's going to have a great golf swing," he said, referring to Dion's recent interest in the sport.

QUICKFACTS

Facts about the baby born to singer Celine Dion and her husband, Rene Angelil:

Name: Rene-Charles.

Weight: Six pounds, eight ounces.

Sex: Male.

Place of birth: West Palm Beach, Fla.

Date of birth: Jan. 25, 2001.

Time of birth: 1 a.m. EST.

Hair and eye colour: Not immediately available.

Quote: "Oh my God, he's perfect." -- Dr. Ronald Ackerman, who helped deliver the infant.

Welcome to parenthood, Celine!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Celine Wants A Normal Life,' Says Bandmember

NEW YORK, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Never before seen photos of a very pregnant superstar , Celine Dion grace the new (March) issue of Redbook magazine.  Beautiful pictures of Dion, whose baby is due February 14th, posing with husband Rene Angelil at their home in Miami, as well as photos of the gorgeous diva showing off her new haircut and womanly figure, adorn the issue. The incredible article includes new information on the songstress from her closest friends and confidants.

(Photo):  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010126/NYF034 )

"Celine wants a normal life," says Claude Lemay, Dion's bandleader for the past 14 years.  "That's what she told everybody when she left the stage. She wants to go home and do some cooking and live a normal life, and you can't have the spotlight around you and have a normal life."

Georges-Hebert Germain, a family friend and confidant of Dion's, explains his thoughts on what she will be like after the child is born: "I've seen her with children very often and I think she'll be strict."  Germain goes on to add, "She has been waiting so long, and you know, the way she got pregnant, it wasn't very fun.  It's been very technical.  It was sometimes humiliating.  It wasn't making love with her husband.  She had to be with doctors."

Germain, who has chronicled many aspects and time periods in Dion's life, also reveals what Dion told him about how she really felt in the in the beginning of her relationship with Angelil.  At the time it was all a secret. "It looks like I was very, very unhappy at that time," she told him.  "But I was in love with Rene and we were making love together. So I was happy."

Dion who has been performing since the age of 12, has many high-profile friends, as well as fans. "She's extraordinarily likable without ever being overbearing," says CNN's Larry King, who has known her for years.  He also adds, "When she talks about her love for her husband and he's out in the audience, that can be sentimental or maybe a little soap-opera-ish. But it just never is with her. I don't know why, but I never feel like, 'Oh, stop with this already.' That's her.  She loves her husband.  She lets you know it."

King is not only a big fan of Dion's music, but also of her philanthropic generosity.  He highlights how impressed he was by Dion's performance at a 1998 benefit for his heart disease foundation, stating, "She was a knockout. She came with all these people, and never let us pay her expenses."  King goes on to say how Dion is always there for her fans: "People kept coming over, so we asked if she wanted security.  And she said 'no, this is what she dreamed of all her life, to have people come by her table and say, 'I like your work.'"

Many notice the strong bond between Dion and Angelil and ask what will happen to Dion if Angelil loses his battle to cancer. "If he died nobody really knows what would become of Celine," says Alan Hustak, an arts reporter for the Montreal Gazette and professional Dion watcher.  For now, until she goes back to work as a singer or comes back for the second embryo she has stored in New York, Dion will continue to stay at home, care for her child and take care of her husband.

SOURCE  Redbook
 
 

Let's talk and talk and talk about babies

MIKE BOONE
The Gazette

Were you awake when the blessed event transpired?

The Baby of the Year arrived early - 1 a.m. yesterday, less than a
month into 2001 and three weeks before Celine Dion's due date.

As you may have heard, Dion had a 6-pound, 8-ounce boy.

Mother and child are fine. And they're ready for their closeups, Mr.
Deux Milles ($3,000 Canadian).

Yes, we'll get to see the baby pictures real soon.

Dion and the proud papa, husband/manager Rene Angelil, won't wait to
place a mug shot of little Rene-Charles in one of those late December
photo spreads, where he'd have to share newspaper space with lesser
mortals.

R-C has not been born into the world's most publicity-shy family. By
about 1:15, 1:30 at the latest - when it was established that mother
and baby were well - Dion's "people" doubtless began planning how to
maximize publicity.

Not that it's a great challenge. We're not talking damage control for
Bernie Landry here.

The story spins itself: after years of disappointment, the world's
favourite pop singer has finally succeeded in giving birth.

It is a legitimately joyous occasion. But Celine being Celine, Rene
being Rene and the appetite for tabloid entertainment "news" being an
insatiable maw that requires round-the-clock feeding, we'll be sick of
the kid before he takes his first steps.

There's newspaper circulation to be boosted, TV ratings to be pumped,
compact discs to be sold. The great All Celine, all-the-time perpetual-
motion promotion machine must have its oil changed on a regular basis.

There is always work to be done - and the baby has to earn his keep.

I'm hoping against hope that they will wait a decent interval before
launching the inevitable publicity blitz. Pity the poor swaddling babe
if the first face he can bring into clear focus is Michel Jasmin's.

Jasmin and other reliably obsequious homeboys will get the exclusives
for the first month or so. Tuning into TVA and reading Sept Jours
(Angelil is already planning the cover art), we will learn Celine's
thoughts on breast-feeding and share her valiant struggle to adapt to
the baby's sleep patterns.

We may even get a few shots of Angelil changing Rene-Charles's diapers -
 notwithstanding the fact that he's a few decades out of practice. Dad
will love these newfangled disposables (note to merchandising division:
the used ones likely can be sold on eBay).

Once the baby can handle television-studio lighting, Dion will begin
working the afternoon talk-show circuit:

She and Rosie O'Donnell, who has three adopted children and a foster
baby, will compare notes on child care. Rosie will tell a delightful
anecdote about being peed on. Dion will join the studio audience in
riotous guffaws.

Celine will tell Oprah that giving birth was the most beautiful
experience of her life, rivaled only by singing at the Oscars and
getting remarried in Las Vegas. As the main camera zooms in, Oprah will
tear up, embrace Dion, hold the baby - and hand it off the moment they
cut to commercials.

These interviews will feature brief appearances by Angelil. As always,
the media-savvy-but-publicity-shy patriarch will look like a camel
caught in the headlights.

Eventually, we'll get the three-generation special on Maman Dion's TVA
cooking show. Sharpen your pencils to jot down pablum recipes.

Autumn will bring the release of Celine's Lullabies. First cut for
radio play: Go to Sleep My Little Cabbage (Mommy Has a Pedicure
Appointment).

Rene-Charles's First Christmas will be a television special, with an
accompanying DVD out in time for holiday giving. While the program will
contain a few atmospheric scenes of snowbound rural Quebec, most of it
will be shot at the Florida mansion. Nothing says Christmas quite like
a baby's first dip in the pool.

Then there will be the pay-per-view comeback concert. The timetable for
Dion resuming her career is being worked out in consultation with child
psychologists and Sony music executives.

Can she begin touring before Rene-Charles has been weaned?

Possibly. But Celine, whose stagecraft has never been up to the
standard of her great pipes, has to be careful during My Heart Will Go
On.

That bizarre chest-thumping move shouldn't be tried if she's nursing.

NICOLAS VAN PRAET and ALAN HUSTAK
 

Celine Dion, the Quebec pop superstar who was herself an unwanted child at irst, has given birth to her first baby, a son named Rene-Charles Angelil.

The baby arrived three weeks prematurely at 1 a.m. yesterday, and was delivered by caesarean section.

Dion was given a police escort to the Palms West Hospital, a half-hour car  trip from her home in Jupiter, Fla.

"Oh my God, he's perfect," said Dion's physician of four years, Ronald Ackerman. "Mother's doing stupendous. She's tired but looks fabulous and is doing great. (Her husband) is as excited as I have ever seen him in four years."

Ackerman, one of five doctors who helped Dion deliver the infant, joked the aby was turning over already. "I swear that I saw him do that."

The singer's husband-manager, Rene Angelil, and one of her sisters, Linda, also were present.

The baby looks like both of his parents, Ackerman said. Dr. Steven Pitkow, who also assisted in the delivery, told the TVA
television network that Dion was in labour for about 14 hours.

Amid tight security, Angelil returned to the modern four-storey hospital late last night carrying a black bag. He looked every bit like an exhausted new father.

It had been a long wait for the diva and her husband. The couple used in vitro fertilization to have the child.

"She deserves it," said Joelle Gonzalez, a Florida mother who had brought her daughter Gabrielle to the hospital with the flu. "She's a big star. We love her here. We wish her all the best."

For years, Dion has dreamed of having a child of her own, just like the tykes crashing about the playblocks in the emergency room here - normal, healthy and, most of all, just hers.

Celine's sister Claudette Dion-Gaudet, who was in Florida three weeks ago, told The Gazette in a telephone interview from Terrebonne that "all three are extremely happy - papa, mama and the little boy."

"Celine never thought she would ever be able to have children, so that's why  the family is so thrilled, so happy for her," Claudette said. "It's like a miracle."

According to Ackerman, the success rate for in vitro fertilization, by whatever method, is less than 25 per cent.

Ackerman said confidentiality rules prevented him from giving precise  details of the birth. He refused to say if Dion would be breastfeeding the child. "She's doing everything a mother would normally do with a newborn," Ackerman
said.

Dion's mother, Therese Tanguay-Dion, was in Paris when her 36th grandchild was born. She said her daughter phoned her immediately afterward to share the good news.

"She called me five minutes after the delivery, when it was finished, I could hear the baby's cries," she told TVA.

Tanguay-Dion has reportedly left for Florida to be with her daughter.

The child has been named after his father, Rene, and Dion's paternal grandfather, Charles. Because the baby was born in Florida, he is automatically a U.S. citizen. If he is to be a Canadian, Angelil and Dion  will have to apply to the Canadian consulate to have him registered as a dual citizen.

Details as to when and where the infant will be baptized were not forthcoming.

"We aren't giving out any more information for the moment," said Caroline Proulx, a spokesman for Dion's Montreal press office. "There will nothing further said, no further statements, no interviews given to anyone."

U.S. tabloids and other entertainment publications immediately went on the hunt for exclusive information and photos.

"It's certainly a top-shelf story for us," said Chris Wessling, a general editor with the National Enquirer.

"She's a well-known worldwide celebrity having her first child and her desire to have a child is well-known."

Dion withdrew a $20-million lawsuit against the Enquirer last year after it agreed to apologize for a false story saying she was pregnant with twins.

Rene-Charles is Dion's first child and Angelil's fourth. He and his first wife, Denise Duquette, have a son, Patrick, 33. A second son, Jean-Pierre, born to Angelil's former girlfriend, singer Anne-Renee Kirouac, will be 27 in March. Angelil's daughter with Kirouac, Anne-Marie, is 23.

Dion, 32, and Angelil, 59, were determined to have a child in spite of cancer treatments that might have left Angelil unable to father children. He had his sperm frozen before he underwent chemotherapy treatment in spring 1999.

In order to have the baby, Dion was first injected with anti-estrogen to regulate and control ovulation, then given hormone treatments to stimulate superovulation. Several individual sperm were isolated and injected with small needles into Dion's ova. When the ova reached maturity last May 24, they were removed from her body, placed in a test tube, and reimplanted three days later. A second fertilized embryo is being stored.

"My child will grow with me, will follow me everywhere, will adapt to my rhythm of life," Dion said several years ago. "I don't want to deprive myself of singing and I want to have kids. I grew up with parents who did shows. I slept on restaurant benches, and I'm not worse for wear because of it."

Becoming pregnant was a dream come true for Dion. And it surely took on added significance, given that she has admitted that she herself was an unwanted child.

The youngest of 14 siblings, Dion said recently that she owes her life to a priest who convinced her mother not to abort during pregnancy.

Therese Tanguay-Dion was devastated when she discovered that she was pregnant with Celine because, said Dion, "for more than 20 years, she'd been locked into a hellish cycle of washing, ironing and housework, 365 days a year. She'd thought, rightly, she'd done her duty."

Once the priest convinced her to have Celine, her mother loved her as much as her other children, Dion said.

No doubt this baby will be loved, too.

Dion is expected to take her son home today or tomorrow.

``Oh my God, he's perfect,'' Dr. Ronald Ackerman said by phone from  his office in West Palm Beach.

``He's even turning over, already,'' he joked. ``I swear that I saw him do that.''

Ackerman was one of five doctors who on Thursday helped the Quebec singer deliver the infant, who weighed in at six pounds eight ounces.

Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, and one of her sisters, Linda, also were present.

Ackerman, who has been Dion's doctor for four years, said the baby arrived three weeks ahead of the Valentine's Day due date.

He said he was responsible for the in vitro fertilization treatments that the 32-year-old Dion received at a New York clinic.
Confidentiality rules prevented him from saying how long Dion was in labor or giving precise details of the birth.

He couldn't even say if she would be breast-feeding the child.

``She's doing everything a mother would normally do with a newborn,'' Ackerman said.

Claude Lemay, Dion's musical director, said he spoke briefly to Angelil, who described his newborn son as a ``beautiful baby.''

``You could hear the joy in his voice,'' Lemay told Radio-Canada's all-news channel, RDI.

Lemay also said he spoke to Dion recently and that she told him her pregnancy was ``progressing normally.''
 

Singer Celine Dion gives birth to a boy

By Patrick White
 

MONTREAL(Reuters) - Canadian pop diva Celine Dion gave birth to a son early Thursday morning and issued a statement saying she and the baby, Rene-Charles, were well.

The baby, which was due on Valentine's Day and was conceived through in vitro fertilization, was born in Palm Beach, Florida, where Dion, 32, has a home.

In a one-paragraph statement, Dion's press secretary Francine Chaloult said: "Celine Dion and (husband-manager) Rene Angelil have the great joy of announcing to you that their son was born during the night of Jan. 25 at 1 a.m. (0600 GMT). The mother and the baby, which weights 6 pounds and 3 ounces, are doing just great and are in perfect health."

Dion, who is married to her manager, Rene-Angelil, had been trying to have a baby for many years and underwent in vitro fertilization last year.

"It is extraordinary. She is doing great," one of Dion's sisters, Claudette, told Canada's French-language RDI all-news channel.

The Quebec-born star is famous for such hits as "My Heart Will Go On" from the movie "Titanic".

Last month, Dion said in a 90-minute interview in French on Quebec's TVA television network that she had a second in vitro fertilized embryo stored at a New York fertility clinic and said she hopes to give her soon-to-be-born son a "twin."

Dion is on a three-year sabbatical from her career to have a child. She underwent two small operations last May to improve her chances of becoming pregnant.

Dion and Angelil were married in Montreal in 1994. Angelil has managed Dion's career since she began singing as a teenager in the rural town of Charlemagne near Montreal.

Dion has said she could take up to four years before coming back to show business but has said she might record another album in English and in French in a year or so.

Reuters/Variety

======

THE DREAM IS NOW A REALITY. GOD BLESS CELINE, RENE, AND RENE CHARLES.
 

Celine Dion Has Baby Boy

The Associated Press
 

MONTREAL (AP) - Singer Celine Dion gave birth to a boy early Thursday, three
weeks ahead of her due date, and mother and son were both reported ``in perfect
health.''

A statement from the office of Francine Chaloult, Dion's spokeswoman, said the
baby - named Rene Charles - weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was born in Florida.
It was the first child for Dion and her husband-manager, Rene Angelil.

Both the 32-year-old mother and child were ``doing marvelously well and are in
perfect health,'' the statement issued by Dion's spokeswoman said.

Claude Lemay, Dion's musical director, said he spoke briefly to Angelil, who
described his newborn son as a ``beautiful baby.''

``You could hear the joy in his voice,'' Lemay told Radio-Canada's all-news
channel, RDI.

One of the singer's sisters, Linda, and Angelil were at the birth.

Dion, recently named favorite adult contemporary artist at the American Music
Awards show, announced her pregnancy last June after taking a break from
performing due to difficulty in conceiving.

She had been undergoing fertility treatments in New York, forcing her to turn
down an offer to sing at the Montreal funeral of Canadian hockey legend Maurice
Richard last year.

Her pregnancy was achieved through in vitro fertilization.

In December, Dion revealed she had a second embryo stored at a New York
fertility clinic.

``It doesn't mean they're identical twins but they were conceived at the same
time,'' the Quebec pop diva said in a television interview.

Asked whether she planned more children, Dion replied: ``Another child? Yes,
because we already have another child waiting for us in New York, making a
stopover at this time. I surely couldn't live knowing that child is there.''
=======
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/2001-01-25-celine-dion-baby.htm

01/25/2001 - Updated 11:56 AM ET

Celine Dion has baby boy

MONTREAL (AP) - Singer Celine Dion gave birth to a boy early Thursday, three
weeks ahead of her due date.

A statement from the office of Francine Chaloult, Dion's spokeswoman, said
the baby - named Rene Charles - weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was born in
Florida. Dion's doctor has an office in West Palm Beach.

Both the 32-year-old mother and child were "doing marvelously well and are
in perfect health," the statement said.

Dion, recently named favorite adult contemporary artist at the American
Music Awards show, announced her pregnancy last June after taking a break
from performing due difficulty in conceiving.

She had been undergoing fertility treatments in New York, forcing her to
turn down an offer to sing at the Montreal funeral of Canadian hockey legend
Maurice Richard last year.

Her pregnancy was achieved through in vitro fertilization with her
husband-manager, Rene Angelil.

In December, Dion revealed she had a second embryo stored at a New York
fertility clinic.

"It doesn't mean they're identical twins but they were conceived at the same
time," the Quebec pop diva said in a television interview.

Asked whether she planned more children, Dion replied: "Another child? Yes,
because we already have another child waiting for us in New York, making a
stopover at this time. I surely couldn't live knowing that child is there.

=========
Dion-Angelil Baby Born
 

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2001--Celine Dion and Rene Angelil are thrilled to announce the birth of their son Rene-Charles this morning, Thursday, January 25th, at 1:00a.m. Both mother and child, who weighed in at 6pounds, 8ounces, are doing marvelously well and are in perfect health.

Celine Dion has gone very quiet indeed. A year ago she ducked out of the public eye altogether, announcing that she was taking a break from her meteoric singing career, which had just reached its zenith with the top-selling record of all time, My Heart Will Go On, the theme song of the film Titanic.
The reasons were that she desperately needed a break, she wanted to spend more time with her husband and manager Rene Angelil, 59, who had been battling cancer, and they were determined to try for a baby.
Since then, we’ve had brief glimpses of the songbird, relaxing on the golf course, for example, and we knew that she was pregnant. But that was all. Here, we find a radiant Celine, 32, pictured in the seclusion of her fabulous home in Jupiter, Florida, happily awaiting the arrival – scheduled for Valentine’s Day! – of her baby boy.
“I’ve felt like a different person almost from the start of my sabbatical,” beams the Canadian songbird from her Florida home. “I really was in quite a state, so first of all, I had to get rid of all the stress and stage fright that had built up in my system, and, for the first time, just forget about my voice, which I’d been dependent on for half my life. Once I’d managed that, I let myself gently slide into a kind of lethargy.
“Out went the singing exercises, suddenly I was free. No planning, no planes, no jetlag, no crowds and no concerts. I used to hate mornings and would always get up late, but suddenly I was springing out of bed early, smelling the flowers and listening to the birds.”
Celine has made no secret of her and Rene’s desire to have a baby, and her face glows as she remembers finding out that she was pregnant.
“I re-live that moment every day when I feel my little boy move,” she recalls. “It was June 8, 2000, and Dr Ackerman came to my house. I wasn’t expecting him that day. Rene joined us in the kitchen. On the other end of the phone line was my other doctor, Dr Rosenwaks. Together, the two doctors said, ‘Congratulations, lovebirds!’. Rene and I held each other for a long time, laughing and crying.
“Two weeks later, we saw our baby’s heart beat for the first time, at 142 beats a minute. Three months later, his little heart was going stronger, at 162 beats per minute. We made a recording which we listened to every night before going to sleep. We knew that whatever happened, life had already triumphed.”
But what everyone wants to know is: Will Celine return to performing after the birth of her son? “I haven’t done singing exercises for 12 months,” she laughs. “I know that in a year, I’ll be back, with a new album, with film projects, but also with a little boy who’ll perhaps be called Rene... and nothing in my life will be the same again.”

Celine Dion has gone very quiet indeed. A year ago she ducked out of the public eye altogether, announcing that she was taking a break from her meteoric singing career, which had just reached its zenith with the top-selling record of all time, My Heart Will Go On, the theme song of the film Titanic.
The reasons were that she desperately needed a break, she wanted to spend more time with her husband and manager Rene Angelil, 59, who had been battling cancer, and they were determined to try for a baby.
Since then, we’ve had brief glimpses of the songbird, relaxing on the golf course, for example, and we knew that she was pregnant. But that was all. Here, we find a radiant Celine, 32, pictured in the seclusion of her fabulous home in Jupiter, Florida, happily awaiting the arrival – scheduled for Valentine’s Day! – of her baby boy.
“I’ve felt like a different person almost from the start of my sabbatical,” beams the Canadian songbird from her Florida home. “I really was in quite a state, so first of all, I had to get rid of all the stress and stage fright that had built up in my system, and, for the first time, just forget about my voice, which I’d been dependent on for half my life. Once I’d managed that, I let myself gently slide into a kind of lethargy.
“Out went the singing exercises, suddenly I was free. No planning, no planes, no jetlag, no crowds and no concerts. I used to hate mornings and would always get up late, but suddenly I was springing out of bed early, smelling the flowers and listening to the birds.”
Celine has made no secret of her and Rene’s desire to have a baby, and her face glows as she remembers finding out that she was pregnant.
“I re-live that moment every day when I feel my little boy move,” she recalls. “It was June 8, 2000, and Dr Ackerman came to my house. I wasn’t expecting him that day. Rene joined us in the kitchen. On the other end of the phone line was my other doctor, Dr Rosenwaks. Together, the two doctors said, ‘Congratulations, lovebirds!’. Rene and I held each other for a long time, laughing and crying.
“Two weeks later, we saw our baby’s heart beat for the first time, at 142 beats a minute. Three months later, his little heart was going stronger, at 162 beats per minute. We made a recording which we listened to every night before going to sleep. We knew that whatever happened, life had already triumphed.”
But what everyone wants to know is: Will Celine return to performing after the birth of her son? “I haven’t done singing exercises for 12 months,” she laughs. “I know that in a year, I’ll be back, with a new album, with film projects, but also with a little boy who’ll perhaps be called Rene... and nothing in my life will be the same again.”

Vegas hotel offers 40-week stint to dion, report says

Tony Lofaro
Ottawa Citizen
Celine Dion is reported to be considering an offer that would see her return to the stage in about 15 months in Las Vegas.

The singer, who is expecting her first child next month, is understood to have been sent a contract involving 40 weeks at a newly built 4,000-seat theatre at Caesar's Palace. The singer would perform over a two-year period with tickets expected to reach $125.

A spokeswoman for the Las Vegas hotel said Ms. Dion had not responded to the contract offer.

"As far as I know, we do not have a completed contract. We expect it to happen, but we don't have it in," said Margaret Kurtz.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Dion's office in Montreal denied the report, which first appeared in the Las Vegas Sun. The New York Post also reported yesterday that Ms. Dion was about to sign a major deal with the hotel.

"We've never heard of that here, but I can't give you more information for now," said spokeswoman Murielle Blondeau.

M.G

(PC) - Celine Dion, which awaits a child whose birth is scheduled for February 14, would have entrusted to a London weekly magazine that it owed her own life to the priest who had convinced his mother not to stop his quatorzième pregnancy.  " He said to him that it did not have the right to go against nature.  In a certain way, one could say that I owe the life to this priest ", would have explained the singer with the magazine " Hello!",  devoted to the life of the celebrities.

The interview, published in the edition of January 16 of the magazine, tells that Thérèse Dion was catastrophée by learning that it was pregnant of her quatorzième child.

" My mother had already raised 13 children.  For more than 20 years, it had been taken in an infernal cycle of washing, sharpening and domestic tasks, 365 days per year.  It believed, with reason, that it had made its duty.

" His/her two younger children, the Paul twins and Pauline, were to begin the school and it was going to have a finally little spare time (..    And here that it was found again pregnant.  It was discouraged so much that it went to see the priest of the parish to ask him consulting."

But " she liked me as passionately as his/her other children ", adds the singer.  Mrs. Dion would have chosen the first name of Celine in the honor of a popular song at the time of her pregnancy.

" I adore my mother.  For me, it is the star of the family, known as Céline.  I will never forget that it is it which went to strike the first with the gate of Rene Angélil.  I was only one child.  She wrote my first song.  I owe him all."

Céline Dion awaits the birth of her first child, a boy, with her Jupiter villa, in Florida.

" I have commencD from the very start of my sabbatical leave, would have explained the singer with " Hello!".  I initially had to remove me from all the stress and of the trac accumulated in my system and, for the first time, I ceased thinking of my voice, which had worried me during half of my life (..

" Finished planning, planes, the time shift, crowd and concerts.  Whereas I hated the mornings and that I rose always late, I suddenly started to raise me early, to feel the perfume of the flowers and to listen to the song of the birds."

- A pregnant Celine Dion has revealed she has a second fertilized egg stored at a New York fertility clinic.

"It doesn't mean they're identical twins but they were conceived at the same time," the Quebec pop diva said in an interview scheduled to air Sunday on TVA, Quebec's largest private
television network.

Dion is seven months pregnant. It will be her first child, a son conceived with husband Rene Angelil through in vitro fertilization at the same clinic.

Dion underwent hormone injections earlier this year which helped her produce 22 eggs, of which 14 were fertilized.

Three of those eggs were implanted in her uterus and the lone surviving one is scheduled to be born on Valentine's Day.

However, one other egg was fertilized and remains at the clinic, where it was frozen five days after conception, Dion revealed in the interview with longtime acquaintance Michel Jasmin.

Dion said in the interview that an increased number of fertilized eggs gives her a greater chance of becoming pregnant.

She was asked whether she planned more children.

"Another child? Yes, because we already have another child waiting for us in New York, making a stopover at this time. I surely couldn't live knowing that child is there."

Freezing extra embryos gives couples an additional opportunity to conceive without going through another stimulation cycle and egg retrieval.

The news of the second fertilized egg has already sparked controvesy.

Sept Jours, a popular Quebec magazine that belongs to TVA, destroyed 200,000 copies of an unreleased issue it published under the front-page headline, My Son Already Has a Twin.
 

After obtaining an advance copy of the issue, Angelil angrily charged that Dion's revelation was sensationalized and twisted out of context.

The magazine was scheduled to appear Friday but has now been reprinted to appear Saturday under the headline, Celine Opens Her Heart. posted by Hal 12/23/00

TU THANH HA

Saturday, December 16, 2000
 

MONTREAL -- The strange story of Celine Dion's life just got a little stranger with revelations about a frozen embryo and the destruction of 200,000 copies of a magazine after her husband deemed them unfit.

"We have a little baby in our belly and one at the lab," a beaming Ms. Dion says in a coming television interview for the TVA network.

Ms. Dion, who became pregnant through in-vitro fertilization earlier this year, says a second embryo has been placed in frozen storage in New York. She hopes one day to have the other egg implanted into her for a second pregnancy, and has promised her mother that she will.

"Mom told me: 'You are going to go get him, right?' and I told her: 'Of course, mom, I will go get him, for sure.' "

The disclosure -- from the same star who a few months ago gave the world details of her pursuit of the much older René Angelil, now her husband, her in-vitro treatment and even her pregnancy-related acne -- was made amidst tightly controlled media conditions.

TVA had planned to publish an article about the interview in one of its celebrity magazines this weekend, only to have the edition recalled before it hit the stands, amid rumours that Mr. Angelil saw an advance copy and didn't like the cover.

The problem was a title in quotation marks on the cover: My Son Already Has A Twin. The magazine's publisher, Trustar Ltd., denied it had caved in to Mr. Angelil and insisted it made the decision on its own.
"We agreed with René that maybe the headline didn't live up to the article," Trustar spokeswoman Renée-Claude Menard told a TVA reporter.

And at an advance screening of the interview for the media yesterday, the couple's handlers initially did not want reporters to tape Ms. Dion's comments, even for note-taking purposes.

Also, a photo from the interview was provided but takers had to sign a waiver agreeing not to crop the photo or use it in another context.

The revelation about the frozen embryo is sure to increase the buzz around the Quebec-born singer, who stunned observers earlier this year when she wrote in her autobiography that she fell in love as a teenager with Mr. Angelil, and used calculating tactics to snare him.

Other parts of the romance have also been played out on the public stage. They married in 1994 in a lavish ceremony at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, the traditional site of state funerals in the city.

The couple, who have a $7.8-million chateau outside Montreal, renewed their marriage vows earlier this year in an Arabian-Nights-style ceremony in Las Vegas, followed several months later by the announcement that Ms. Dion was pregnant.

The latest interview took place at the couple's Palm Beach house, in a pillared foyer, amidst gilded chairs and a marble table.

Mr. Angelil said Ms. Dion gave the interview to broadcaster Michel Jasmin because he was the first to promote her on television, when she was 13.

She told him that, on New Year's Day 2000, when she began a sabbatical from performing, she felt so burnt out she was on the edge of tears. "I was at the end of my tether."

Now, she said, "I sing all the time at home, in the shower . . . I sing to my son."

The interview's stunner was the revelation that, of all the eggs fertilized during Ms. Dion's in-vitro treatment, one, at a five-day-development stage, has been frozen in storage.

Because of that, Ms. Dion told Mr. Jasmin, she wants to have another child. "We have another child awaiting in New York, like in transit. I certainly couldn't live knowing of that child there."

She said she was heartened when her doctor told her that one client in a similar situation came back three years later and became pregnant again with the second embryo. "They're called lab twins. Technically it's a twin. It doesn't mean he's necessarily an identical twin but he was conceived at the same moment."

When Ms. Dion turned to in-vitro fertilization, some medical experts expressed hope that her public profile would help debunk myths about infertile couples.

Ms. Dion won't disappoint them. The interview provided detailed, frank information about the procedures she underwent.

She explained that, for a month, she had to inject herself with medication to regulate, then boost, her ovaries' egg production. Then, at the New York clinic, doctors harvested 22 eggs from her.

"I was proud of myself, I had bested my mother!" said Ms. Dion, the youngest of 14 children. "I called mom and told her : 'I have 22 eggs!' "

Of the 22 eggs, 14 were healthy enough to undergo the in-vitro fertilization. When she came back to have the fertilized eggs implanted, Ms. Dion had to make a difficult choice.

The more eggs she would take into her womb, the more chances she would have to become pregnant, but the riskier it would be too.

"It was a big shock when I was asked how many I wanted. I wasn't expecting that, at all. I always wanted a child and now I was asked how many I wanted. It was a bit odd."

She opted to have three eggs implanted, one of which fully developed.

Ms. Dion is expecting in mid-February and, although the boy's name hasn't been settled upon, she said she thought one of the first names should be René.

"It would be the legacy of René's love."

=========

The humanity!

RICK MONETTE

Monday, December 18, 2000
 

Toronto -- Celine Dion's penchant for divulging information that is definitely not meant for the public domain, (On The Celine Front, Things Get Even Stranger -- Dec. 16), is starting to resemble a serious automobile accident -- you know you shouldn't even look but you just have to slow down and take a quick peak.

Celine Dion Reveals Baby-in-Waiting
 

Celine Dion's efforts to conceive a child were much publicized in the media — and now that she's carrying a baby due this winter, she's revealed that another of her fertilized eggs is waiting to be born.
In a 90-minute interview in French on Quebec television Sunday night, the 32-year-old star said she expects to deliver her son on Valentine's Day. She also said that another egg was fertilized and remains at a New York clinic, where it was frozen five days after conception.

The unborn baby and the other embryo were conceived with manager and husband René Angelil through in vitro fertilization.

"So, I have a twin. It is called a laboratory twin. Technically, it is called a twin. It does not mean they are identical twins, but they were conceived at the same time," Dion said in an interview at her home in Palm Beach, Florida, with Quebec broadcaster Michel Jasmin.

"I do not know if it is good forever, but I think it lasts for a very long time. I will go get it, that's for sure. I told my mother," a relaxed and smiling Dion told Quebec's largest private television network, TVA.

Dion's interview was her first since she took a three-year sabbatical from her career to have a child. She made her final public performance on Dec. 31 in Montreal. She underwent two small operations last May to improve her chances of becoming pregnant. Dion had been treated at a New York City fertility clinic so she could have a child with her husband, whose throat cancer is in remission.

Asked whether she wanted another child, the Quebec-born singer said, "Another child? Yes, because we already have another child waiting for us in New York, making a stopover at this time. I surely could not live knowing that this child is there."

Dion said that she felt emotionally fulfilled by her pregnancy and that a name had not been chosen yet for her son, though they are considering "René."

In a controversial move blasted by the Canadian media, Angelil on Friday forced popular Quebec magazine 7 Jours to destroy 200,000 copies of an unreleased issue that it published under the front-page headline "My Son Already Has a Twin." An angry Angelil asserted that Dion's interview was sensationalized.

The couple married in Montreal in 1994. Angelil has managed Dion's career since she began singing as a teenager in the rural town of Charlemagne, near Montreal.

Dion said she could take up to four years before coming back to show business but said she might record another album in English and in French one year after her son is born.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Celine Dion " the small heart of my baby beats with 162 pulsations per minute.  We made a recording which we listen to every evening, before sleeping " Celine Dion.  [ Laughter. ]  You all the same will not address as vous me, you who took to me by the hand on the plate of " Fields-Elysées " when I was a girl which did not dare to face your cameras!  On the other hand, that you called me " Mrs. Angelil " makes me an immense pleasure.  It is the first time that one addresses oneself to me by quoting that of which I bear the name.  One tends to forget that I am also  the woman/wife of a man who has been in my life for more than fifteen years and which, in a few weeks, will be also and especially the father of my little boy.

M.d.  I find you more open, changed.  I had left you there one year and half in the sides in this magical concert of the Stade of France, mean, the long hair.  I find you pregnant eight month, with another glance, another hairstyle, in a house which resembles a palac of Thousand and One Nights.  I have the impression that there were more changes in your life during this sabbatical year than in twenty years of the music scene...

C.d.  It is true.  Never I would have imagined that I would live as many transformations in such a  little time.  In the first months of this semi-retirement, I was not any more the same person.  I, certainly, was distressed, I was going to have to detoxicate myself of stress, get on track, to forget my voice on which I had been dependent during more half of my young life.  And then, I let myself slip gently into a form of lethargy/relaxation.  Finished with the singing exercises, I was suddenly free, without planning, plane, time shift, crowd, concert.  Me who hated the mornings and who arose late, I suddenly rose early, looking at the flowers and listening to the song of the birds.  At the end of three months, where I had promised myself to be with the placement of new lifestyle, I listened to almost no music, neither mine nor that of the others.  I passed the whole evenings looking at the one television , which I had never done of my life.  I even became accustomed with the teams of the national League of hockey.

M.d.  You  had, undoubtedly, needed to forget as did your husband, Rene, about him having been seriously sick...

C.d.  This happiness, I never had this much or knew it more than in this winter of 2000.  I had just lived the most terrible moments of my life.  He was re-examined one year earlier, on the aircraft between Minneapolis and Dallas.  I had just discovered, by chance the lump in the neck of my husband, a hard one on the right side, in the hollow of his ear, hard and large mass like an egg.  Immediately I thought that it was serious.  Such a prominent lump, which comes in a few hours, did not seem to me to be able to be benign.  Twenty-four hours later, after a biopsy, I found myself in a private clinic, comforting the man of my life, which, in tears, came to learn that he had a cancer.  It was on March 30, 1999, the day of my 31 years.  The operation took place the following day.  The continuation resembles the life of all those which, in the world, were struck by this terrible evil.  Hope, chimio, discouragement, chimio, hope, immense tiredness, etc.

M.d.  Did you want to stop singing at this time then?

C.d. Rene had guessed that I wanted to cancel all my shows signed in the four corners of the world.  I will always remember that, a few minutes before leaving for the operating room and effect of the sedatives, he asked me not to cancel the concerts, which I had already done two years earlier when a heart attack had embanked it in Los Angeles.  At the time, he had said to me:  " If you stopped, I will die twice... "  The following day evening, I sang in Houston, like a robot.  I must acknowledge today that all the concerts which I gave in those months which followed, I often did them in a second robot state , thinking only of one thing, the cure of my husband.

M.d.  Before this maintenance, Rene made me visit the projection room from where he spoke to you by satellite, during all your European concerts.  I suppose that this magic wire which connected you to him  helped you much...

C.d.  I had the impression to be in a science fiction film.  During the two concerts of the Stage of France, do you know that I made him small signs of which it was the only one to know the significance?  All the three or four songs, I tapped the nose with the index, which meant that I thought of him.  And him, about our house of Palm Beach, spoke to me in an auricle to say to me that I had never as well sung.  The intensity of our love, I more measure it with the passing.  It is also the case for many episodes of my life.  I have sung for twenty years, and I have the feeling to have lived several existences.  I too quickly have also the impression to have made certain things.

M.d.  What for example?

C.d.  I crossed the world without seeing it.  I furrowed the continents on board private aircrafts, energy of the airport to the hotel, the hotel at a stage or a room of spectacles, setting out again in middle of the night.  I did not see anything of Tokyo, Melbourne, of Stockholm, of Seoul.  One day, when my boy is taller, I hope to return with his father on the spot of my successes to visit the museums, to see the country, far from the paparazzis and crowd.

M.d.  While listening to you to speak, I have the impression that it was time that you stopped...

C.d.  I think that, whatever the passion that one can have for his trade, one moment ago when one has an urgent need to renew his oxygen.  I had lived extraordinary moments certainly, I had been loved, applauded, cherished.  I had known each day of more enormous crowd, of the increasingly large stages, but I had become true a junkie stress.  I needed my daily amount.  Each time I stopped, I was in lack, badly in my skin, distressed.  It appears that the marathonians that a wound prevents from running are prone to nauseas, with dizzy spells, that they do not have any more the same metabolism.  You who liked the bicycle, one says that a cyclist who has just finished the Turn of France need has to continue to roll, to always roll still and.

M.d.  You said to me that, among the tests which were hardest to surmount despite everything these successes, to hide your connection with that which became your husband was one of most painful...

C.d.  I suffered indeed much to be able to live at the great day this passion.  To love a man much older than oneself, to be displayed with him at the great day is a test that many women lived.  And they will know what I want to say.  When they are two public characters, the challenge is even more complex.  I had very early smelled that Rene Angelil was the man of my life.  He discovered it much later.  My situation was at the same time simple and complex.  I wanted to like it at the great day, to marry it.  I had very quickly been charmed by his glance, his softness very Eastern.  Rene is of Lebanese and Syrian origin.  That it has vingt-six years more than me had ever been a problem.  Other famous couples that separated fifteen or twenty years from age had lived happy.  Charlie Chaplin and Oona O' Neill had known passion during thirty years and had even founded a family.

Did M.d. Rene fight against this reality?

C.d.  It me has told one day that, when he realized that he was in love with me in his turn, he had tried to forget it.  During those time, it left for Las Vegas.  One day, it had even gone to Paris to meet Eddy Marnay (the author of the most beautiful songs of my beginnings).  Rene had always regarded it a little as his father.  When Rene acknowledged to him that he really liked me, Eddy answered him:  " If you liked it, you do not have anything to fear, you will not be able to make him of evil... "  But Rene thought much of my career and did not want that this situation is a handicap.  It is by love which I agreed to conceal to me so a long time.  Too much a long time.  And then there was my mother, who had sent one day a very violent letter to Rene, insistent on our difference in age, saying to him that it had betrayed his confidence and that it wanted a prince for his princess and not a man twice divorced and twice and half older than his/her daughter.  But, at the same time, mom is a noble-hearted woman.  She knew me to understand that I would never drop.  I wanted to become a large singer, I wanted also this man in my life.  I was going to put at it as much obstinacy and of force that for the song.  I will remember a long time the happiness of my mother at the time of my marriage, December 17, 1994, when I entered the cathedral of Montreal, in this beautiful dress which had been inspired to me by those that I had seen in two films, " Valmont ", of Milos Forman, and " the time of innocence ", Martin Scorsese.  Thérèse Dion, mother of fourteen children, having grown with Charlemagne, popular suburbs of Montreal, was that day happiest of the mothers.  I wonder whether it is not with its tower in love with her son-in-law.  [ Laughter. ]  M.d.  Child, you had two dreams, to become a star of the song and to know the great love.  In two months, you will add to these two dreams, already carried out, a third:  a child...  Before telling me what was your maternity, it should be said that you were not a desired child...

C.d.  The destiny is indeed sometimes disconcerting.  My mother had already raised thirteen children.  During more than twenty years, it had dealt with the house with this infernal cycle:  detergents, household, sharpening, meal, 365 days per annum.  It estimated with reason to have achieved its duty.  Its small last, the Paul twins and Pauline, were going to enter to the school, it would be finally free of its time.  It could finally come out and see the world.  Perhaps it would travel with my father to re-examine the sea and its Gaspésie native.  They had passed their childhood there both and were not gone back there since their marriage.  And here that it was again pregnant.  It was so ploughed up that it went to see the priest of the parish to ask to him whether he could " prevent the family ", as one said in time, i.e. to have a contraception.  The priests then had in Quebec a great authority.  It made him the lesson, says to him that it did not have the right to oppose nature.  It should me be admitted that in a certain way I owe the life to this priest.  Disappointment passed, my mother was not apitoyée a long time on its fate, it liked me passionately, as the small last is liked.  It called me Céline in homage to Hugues Aufray whose song had been an enormous tube in Quebec, the year of its last pregnancy.  I love my mother.  She is for me the star of the family.  I will never forget that it is it which went to knock on the gate of Rene Angelil.  I was still a child.  It is it which wrote my first song to me, " It was only one dream ".  I owe him all.

M.d.  Taking into account the problems of health of your husband, to have a child under standard conditions was not obvious.

C.d.  Indeed, at the moment of the cancer of Rene, the doctors had spoken to us about the side effects of chemotherapy.  Among them, there was the danger which my husband is sterile during a more or less long time.  One of my doctors, Dr. Ronald Ackerman, considered gynaecologist, had lengthily informed us on the techniques of in vitro fertilization, while entrusting to us that the rate of success was only approximately 25%.  I had answered to the doctor with humour that the good old woman natural method was never sure to 100 %. the solution which was proposed to me was infinitely less pleasant.  I was initially to prepare my body by injecting me a drug anti-oestrogens, which was going to make it possible to regularize and control ovulation.  During more than two months, I be entitled to progesterone amounts to ensure the maintenance of the pregnancy.  All these operations did not have anything romantic.  It was technical, very cold.  Nothing to see with this act so beautiful that is natural fecundation.  The visit of Rene, before his chimio, at the bank of sperm did not have anything very poetic either.  We followed together each stage of ovulation and of fecundation, it had become our dearer project.  We spoke about it freely with our friends.  We had never hidden our problems to have a child.

M.d.  I suppose that you will remember all your existence the moment when your doctor announced to you that you were pregnant and that you would have a normal pregnancy.

C.d.  I reconsider at this moment each day when I feel to move my little boy.  It was on June 8 2000, Dr. Ronald Ackerman passed at home, in Jupiter Island.  It had regularly visited me for a month.  That day, I did not await it.  It had come the day before to auscultate to me, to take my tension, and had made me a blood test.  It had left while saying that one would know in two or three days if I were really pregnant.  I felt at this moment that it occurred something.  Rene joined us in the kitchen.  I made pretence be distracted and calm.  Rene did not suspect nothing.  He did not even know that with the other end of the wire there was the other doctor who followed me, Dr. Rosenwaks.  Together, they exclaimed:  " Congratulations the in love ones!"  We remained, Rene and me, intertwined very a long time, the wet eyes.  Two weeks later, we saw beating the heart of our child:  142 beats at the minute.  The doctor was happy.  He made a rapid calculation and said to us that I should be confined on February 14!  Later, after three months of pregnancy, the small heart beat this time very strong, with 162 pulsations.  We made of it a recording which we listen to every evening before sleeping.  We knew that no matter what it arrives the life had already gained.

M.d.  Before thanking you and finding you on January 21 in " Highly Sunday ", I realize that we spoke very little about your career.

C.d.  I have not made singing exercises for twelve months.  In one year, I know that I will return with a new disc.  With cinematographic projects, but also with a little boy whom we will perhaps call Rene...  And nothing in my life will be any more like front.
-end Drucker
====
I was certain that Nathalie Petroswski was going to speak about the business!  It was only one question of time.  For those which do not know it, it one is coloured chroniqueuse, leader-writer since years in Quebec.

Los Angélil Nathalie Petrowski
La Press

A new city was born the last week.  It gathers Montreal, all its suburbs, all the cities of the areas and Group VAT Like this city does not have yet a name, I propose that it is called Los Angélil in homage to Rene Angélil, a man who does not need to be elected to control nor to be press baron to control the medias.

Although Los Angélil is the fruit of my imagination, I had the certainty which this city existed really last Friday when I learned that 200 000 specimens of the magazine 7Jours had been just scrapped to please Rene Angélil and especially not mess up accessability.
froisser its susceptibility.

As you undoubtedly know Rene didn't appreciate 7 Jours captions to the photograph of his young wife ..calling it a title too sensationnalist in his eyes.  It does not matter if Celine in substance had said " My son has already a twin ", Rene did not want to see the famous twin flickering like neon on the cover page of 7Jours .  He asked that the cover be remade.  One obeyed him as formerly one obéssive/obediant with the Leger cardinal.

I understand that with Rene it was not content that he tried to exert his pressures.  After all, a guy has the right to test himself.  What I conclude/understand more from him is the aplaventrism whice Group VAT gave proof.

Imagine one moment that Raynald Brière, the business leader by interim of VAT, said to Rene, afflicted my old man, but it is out of question that I ruin  200,000 specimens of my magazine and I throw $100000 of the money of my shareholders to please to you.  You are liked, one  does not want, one will be eternally grateful to you to have made us gift of your pregnant wife even if it has limits/strings with our gratitude.

What would have happened, according to you?

A continuation?  Impossible.  Technically, the title in cover conformed with the reality spoken by Céline in her interview with the TV show.  There was no lie, no manufactured or falsification of the facts.  Angélil could have continued for the form, but the least which one can say is that his cause leaves something to be desired.

What of the other?  Does the end long and fertilization business connection?  Yes and not insofar as it is not a chance if VAT, 7Jours and Angélil make deal since so long a time.  They are made  for one another.  They are natural and inseparable allies.  Rene was nevertheless not going to threaten VAT to sell the first photographs of his baby with the Duty nor to grant the first interview of Celine after his childbirth to Denise Bombardier.

What then?  Could Rene have threatened to pull the plug on the TV Show on Sunday?  Technically, the show was produced by VAT which holds the rights of them.  But morally it is true that Angélil was a little the father and the obstetrician of the company.  Without its blessing, there would never have been 'Exclusively Celine'.  Still VAT did not need his permission to continue the show.

All that for saying that when the crisis burst, in fact Rene Angélil did not have any room yo manuever and any reality capacity of negotiation.

Actually, he had all the control/capacities.  Especially capacity of persuasion.  He was not blocked from making of it without same offering compensation for the losses for several thousands for dollars that 7Jours would be condemned to absorb.

Why didn't someone stop him and his head?  Why was his hand kissed  and the rings while kneeling?  Why did his desire become the reality of the commands?

Because he is the mayor of 'Los Angélil', a city which is not amalgamated but enfused and is close-knitted tight....a city for which Céline Dion is always the largest singer in the world.  It does not matter if he is on holiday, in exile or on maternity leave, to have his news, certain inhabitants of Los Angélil are ready with all their lownesses, including crawling in front of her manager.

Technically, it was synergy

It there has a little more than one year, Daniel Lamarre, ex- the big shot of VAT, was all to trust to announce the acquisition of Trustar for the moderate sum of 40 million.  Trustar they was 7Jours Dernière, Monday and Woman of today.

At the time, the transaction had been greeted like a natural marriage between kings, Trustar dominating the market of the popular magazines and VAT, that of the dimensions of listening.  The idea that this too strong media concentration can make problem had been evoked, without more.

Since this royal marriage, the chance mishaps multiplied with a disconcerting constancy.  There initially was the installation with residence of the 7Jours logo in the decoration of the emission Jet 7.  Such an amount of and so that today when one looks at Jet 7, one does not know if one looks at an emission of tele animated by Charles Lafortune or the prolongation with the 7 Day old screen.  What passes to the emission done the one of the magazine and what makes one of the magazine is found invariably with the emission.  It is the principle of synergy.

Except that there are synergy and synergy.  Last October, when Éric Lapointe wanted to reduce out of paper a journalist of VAT which poireautait on the step of its gate, the images of the dispute filmed of the beginning to the end were not diffused complete.

The direction of information called upon the right to the private life of Éric Lapointe.  In the facts, it is the synergy which was once more with work.  To show Lapointe under one day unfavourable with the news, it was to run the risk which he does not want to make any more the 7Jours old cover to any end of field and which he does not take part any more in the beautiful commercial synergy.

To resist the pressures of Rene Angélil was the same water but with the power hundred times over.  When I think that Daniel Lamarre was all to trust and to announce the acquisition of Trustar by VAT Obviously he did not conclude/understand that day which it had just bought a package of problems.
-translated

A new city was born the last week.  It gathers Montreal, all its suburbs, all the cities of the areas and Group VAT Like this city does not have yet a name, I propose that it is called Los Angélil in homage to Rene Angélil, a man who does not need to be elected to control nor to be press baron to control the medias.

Although Los Angélil is the fruit of my imagination, I had the certainty which this city existed really last Friday when I learned that 200 000 specimens of the magazine 7Jours had been just scrapped to please Rene Angélil and especially not mess up accessability.
froisser its susceptibility.

As you undoubtedly know Rene didn't appreciate 7 Jours captions to the photograph of his young wife ..calling it a title too sensationnalist in his eyes.  It does not matter if Celine in substance had said " My son has already a twin ", Rene did not want to see the famous twin flickering like neon on the cover page of 7Jours .  He asked that the cover be remade.  One obeyed him as formerly one obéssive/obediant with the Leger cardinal.

I understand that with Rene it was not content that he tried to exert his pressures.  After all, a guy has the right to test himself.  What I conclude/understand more from him is the aplaventrism whice Group VAT gave proof.

Imagine one moment that Raynald Brière, the business leader by interim of VAT, said to Rene, afflicted my old man, but it is out of question that I ruin  200,000 specimens of my magazine and I throw $100000 of the money of my shareholders to please to you.  You are liked, one  does not want, one will be eternally grateful to you to have made us gift of your pregnant wife even if it has limits/strings with our gratitude.

What would have happened, according to you?

A continuation?  Impossible.  Technically, the title in cover conformed with the reality spoken by Céline in her interview with the TV show.  There was no lie, no manufactured or falsification of the facts.  Angélil could have continued for the form, but the least which one can say is that his cause leaves something to be desired.

What of the other?  Does the end long and fertilization business connection?  Yes and not insofar as it is not a chance if VAT, 7Jours and Angélil make deal since so long a time.  They are made  for one another.  They are natural and inseparable allies.  Rene was nevertheless not going to threaten VAT to sell the first photographs of his baby with the Duty nor to grant the first interview of Celine after his childbirth to Denise Bombardier.

What then?  Could Rene have threatened to pull the plug on the TV Show on Sunday?  Technically, the show was produced by VAT which holds the rights of them.  But morally it is true that Angélil was a little the father and the obstetrician of the company.  Without its blessing, there would never have been 'Exclusively Celine'.  Still VAT did not need his permission to continue the show.

All that for saying that when the crisis burst, in fact Rene Angélil did not have any room yo manuever and any reality capacity of negotiation.

Actually, he had all the control/capacities.  Especially capacity of persuasion.  He was not blocked from making of it without same offering compensation for the losses for several thousands for dollars that 7Jours would be condemned to absorb.

Why didn't someone stop him and his head?  Why was his hand kissed  and the rings while kneeling?  Why did his desire become the reality of the commands?

Because he is the mayor of 'Los Angélil', a city which is not amalgamated but enfused and is close-knitted tight....a city for which Céline Dion is always the largest singer in the world.  It does not matter if he is on holiday, in exile or on maternity leave, to have his news, certain inhabitants of Los Angélil are ready with all their lownesses, including crawling in front of her manager.

Technically, it was synergy

It there has a little more than one year, Daniel Lamarre, ex- the big shot of VAT, was all to trust to announce the acquisition of Trustar for the moderate sum of 40 million.  Trustar they was 7Jours Dernière, Monday and Woman of today.

At the time, the transaction had been greeted like a natural marriage between kings, Trustar dominating the market of the popular magazines and VAT, that of the dimensions of listening.  The idea that this too strong media concentration can make problem had been evoked, without more.

Since this royal marriage, the chance mishaps multiplied with a disconcerting constancy.  There initially was the installation with residence of the 7Jours logo in the decoration of the emission Jet 7.  Such an amount of and so that today when one looks at Jet 7, one does not know if one looks at an emission of tele animated by Charles Lafortune or the prolongation with the 7 Day old screen.  What passes to the emission done the one of the magazine and what makes one of the magazine is found invariably with the emission.  It is the principle of synergy.

Except that there are synergy and synergy.  Last October, when Éric Lapointe wanted to reduce out of paper a journalist of VAT which poireautait on the step of its gate, the images of the dispute filmed of the beginning to the end were not diffused complete.

The direction of information called upon the right to the private life of Éric Lapointe.  In the facts, it is the synergy which was once more with work.  To show Lapointe under one day unfavourable with the news, it was to run the risk which he does not want to make any more the 7Jours old cover to any end of field and which he does not take part any more in the beautiful commercial synergy.

To resist the pressures of Rene Angélil was the same water but with the power hundred times over.  When I think that Daniel Lamarre was all to trust and to announce the acquisition of Trustar by VAT Obviously he did not conclude/understand that day which it had just bought a package of problems.
(translated & paraphrased)

Michel Jasmin (Jasmin-) opens the show  by stressing that it's been six years day for day was necessary the marriage of the star.  Jasmin- greets Ceéline Dion .  Celine says that everyone is well...   mom, dad and the baby.  She adds that they live one extraordinary moment.

Jasmin- offers to make a 6 last years overflight, particularly of the last.  She asks him which were the three more beautiful moments of these 6 years.

About the child, pregnancy.

The marriage, the man of her life which it wished a long time.

Pregnancy of Anne-Marie, the daughter of Rene Angelil.

One sees images of the first marriage and Celine:comments on them.  Today, it sees they are seeing things in another eye/way.  She does not criticize any more these images but realizes with it not her had chances.  Over the images, it cries.  She says that Eddy Marnay taught her that those which cry are blessed people and her since, she does not shed tears in spite of criticisms that they brought to him.

Jasmin- inquire of her which were the two worse moments of these 6 years.

The disease of Rene who made them both grow.

The death of Karine.  A difficult loss but also a relief (for her pain).

Jasmin- says that the sabbatical has lasted already for one year.  Celine:says that she hates to believe it(too soon).  Any master key too quickly.

Jasmin- asks to her whether she still sings.  She says that yes, in the shower.  Jasmin- says to her that she does not sing only in the shower because he intended her to sing in the house before the interview.  She is astonished.  She didn't know that.  She sings but it is not involved.

Jasmin- asks of her to speak about the house.  In front of them, there is the principal input of the residence.  Behind, there is a show of tea.  On the left, the dining room formal and the room with lunching(kitchen).  On the right, private apartments of the couple.  They are in the heart of the house.  One sees in top, around them the second stage where the bedrooms are located.

Jasmin- " It is you who decorated that " She does not want to take all the credit.  She had the ideas (part of her dream) and of people of her team help with all parts.

Jasmin- announces an advertising pause.  With the return, they will speak about the very first dream.

Return with an story of the first television appearance of Celine where she sings "It was only one dream" and then an extract of the interview is shown which they had then granted to Jasmin- in 1981.

Celine:"It is not possible!"

Jasmin- had asked of her in 1981 what was her ultimate ambition.  She replies and acknowledges to him today that she had not included/understood the direction of the question and that for this reason she did not have answers.  They laugh at it both.

Before this question, Jasmin- had asked her whether she intended to follow courses of song.  She had said that not(no)!  She explains her answer now to him.  At the time everyone said to him that she was good...  Her family, her manager, her village...  She was thus sour of her.  In her head of a 13 year old girl, she was sure and obvious that she did not need any.  Today, she finds that this girl has the air of a snob but it was not the case...

Jasmin- speaks to him about dream.

Celine:says that to make her emission in 1981, she was to carry out a great dream and today still, the dream continues.  Then she speaks about the art/life of the showbizness.  She says that it is the true/real life which is significant.  True things...  She is happy to have had both but most significant, it is NOT the showbizness.  She says that the disease of Rene made him reveal and carry out large things.  Her true richness, is in her family / entourage.

Jasmin- says to her that she will lose all those which she loves because they are older than her.  That does not frighten her because he is the life.  She knows that they will have to leave.  At 32 years, it carries out how lucky she is to  still have her parents.

Jasmin- says to her that she received hundreds of mail(questions-comments) following the advertisement of this interview.  The most frequent question: Was she bored at least three minutes of the life she lives now.  Celine:says that not even if she made a concert deprived in the shower. She was returned by its he end with living on..physically and psychologically.  She even adds that she did not feel at 100% with the concert of December 31, 1999.  Even her voice was not at full capacity.  She finds that damaging for the public.

Clips of this concert are seen.  Jasmin- says to her that nobody perceived it like that.  The video extract they watch making singing exercises, to be given to full.

Jasmin- inquires of her 'what she is afraid of'.

She is afraid that she did too much of it, to be too present/exposed and that people have too much of her.

She is afraid to be sad/depression...about not having more pleasure while singing because she has the dream of her family on her mind/self.

Jasmin- speaks to her about her state when she was on the aircraft after her last concert in Montreal.  She says that she was at the edge of the tears.  He asks her what Rene said to her at this time.  She does not remember.

Jasmin- knows because  Rene told him...  Rene left a paper for her to speak about her diary...

Celine:remembers now.  They laugh.  She says that Rene made his trade at the end, giving him even her planning to the beginning of her sabbatical.

Jasmin- asks of her how long that took to her to realize that she did not have any more engagements to fulfill.

Celine:still can't believe that.

Jasmin- thinks that she is there.

Celine:reconsiders the fact that the year passed so quickly.  Jasmin- requires of her why it feels its been so quick? She says to him that she already projects that she will return on music scene soon.  She speaks about an English album and another in French.  They work already... on something which it never did, something extraordinary.  But she wants to wait initially until his/her son is one year old.  She wants to live the first year of his life with him.  She seems to find that two years are sufficient and that the timing will be good for her return.

Jasmin- asks her whether she is afraid to raise a child in a so wealthy /artificial context.

Celine:answers that her greater richness is to have lived in a very small house without great means.  She cknows the true value of the things.  She wants to teach that to her child.  She will be high(wealth) with the cashmere but she does not want that he take important things in life for granted...to be more important than the acquired things.  She wants to show him the true values of the life. He will be the greatest challenge of her life.  She will look for a  happy medium.  The child will not await the bus to go to the school but he will not go there with bodyguards.

Jasmin- says that there remains two months with her pregnancy.

Celine: sighs.  She  finds that goes too quickly.  She finds that to carry him is a great moment.  She does not want the stages to go by too quickly.

Jasmin- says that she will speak about the insimination after the front pause but, she asks to him whether she has chosen a first name.  She did not choose one yet.  She has a long list.  He  gives her a list nevertheless even if she is not decided.  She wants the baby to have name  Rene in part of the name..so far.

On the return images of the 20th official reception of the ADISQ with Celine.  She imitates the  popular chaRene-cter of the tele québécoise, moman, dRene-wn from the sitcom the small life.

Celine:laughs.

Jasmin- asks of her which moment life she had the desire to be a mother.  Like all the small girls, I played house then that passed.  I believe that the desire came at a the time when I realized that Rene was the man of her life.

Jasmin- asks of her what moment did she fall in love with Rene.  Celine:says that as of her childhood, she has an impression of it.  With time, they developed a great friendship.  Then one day, to the beginning of her life of a woman, she realized that her feelings evolved/changed.  That frightened her because Rene was not the charming prince desired by her mother for her.  The love arrived in Dublin when she was 20 years old.  For her, that was magic.  They speak again of this moment already told in its biogRene-phy.  She wanted that he is the first and only.  It was considered.  It says that this evening there, it gained the man of its life what passes well before the prize of Eurovision(singing for the Swiss and Europeans).

Jasmin- speaks to her of the the 5 years of silence which followed(..about her love).

Celine says that was difficult.  Her mother  suffered and Rene was afRene-id of the reaction of the public.  The was the worst for Celine, that she could not even share her happiness, not even with her mother.

Celine says that the evening when she made the public news of her love with Rene on the music scene of Métropolis in Montreal was a true relief.

Return with an clip of the last concert where she wishes peace, justice, freedom and love in the whole world.

Celine realizes today, with the time passing and the pregnancy, the power of these words.

Jasmin- asks to her whether she tried the method conventional to have a child.

Celine:  " Of course."

Jasmin- asks of her with which moment did she decide to try medical technical assistance.  She answers him that they made this choice at the beginning of the sabbatical first year.

Celine: explains the process.  She has two doctors who follow it.  One in Florida and another in Montreal.  She also had access to a specialist in New York.

She initially gave injections to herself to control her hormone system and to stimulate her ovaries to produce many ovules.  She had a daily follow-up.  Rene made a deposit at the sperm bank.  Celine:adds that this subject should not be taboo.  At the right time, when all was ready, she was anesthisized.  The doctor removed ovules ..whatever amount was nature made of them.  Usually, he take 5 or 6 of them.  He withdrew 22 from them!  She was proud, she beat the 14 of her mother.  Jasmin- laughs.  She explains then why they injected a spermatozoïde in each ovule which was good (14 out of 22).  When she is turned over at the hospital she had a shock.  He  asked him how many eggs she wanted to implant in her.  Putting in more than one gives a better/good chances of pregnancy.  One can put 5 or 6 of them then and then withdRene-w some if there is too many which survives.  She was not at ease with this idea.  She asked the doctor how much children, according to his morphology, she could carry at the same time.  Three.  She then had three of them injected into her.

At the end of two weeks, one doctor said to her that she was pregnant.  She passed an examination to determine the number - by palpitation.  There was one of them.  She was happy and tRene-nsmitted the news to her family.  Tehn she was very happy to have one of them, people were disappointed that she didn't have two there and only one.

Then she explained why a fertilized ovule remained in New York.  It is frozen.  ssShe explained the principle of twins in the laboRene-tory.  " I have a jum... ".

She says that her pregnancy is easy.  She took easy with no cRene-vings but does have a little acne(on the back) in pregnancy.  That is all.  No nausea.  Not sickness.  No depression of pregnancy.  No the ice cream and pickles.

Jasmin- asks of her to explain before the break  why she lived this pregnancy in withdRene-wal before break to the pause and why she waited at this time for it to be shown publicly.

Celine asks to him whether he wants to speak about it immediately or if he prefers to wait until Rene is with them.  They are appropriate to speak about it to three, not to four, after the break.

Return with clips in the concert at the Stage of FRene-nce where Céline announces that Rene is well.

Rene- who is now with Celine:and Jasmin-, cries with warm tears.  Jasmin- asks him what effect it has on him to see these concert clips.  Rene- says that this support largely helped.  He thanks the support of the public throughout the world that he has destroyed the disease.

Rene- says he is a lucky man.  and that the disease showed a strong Celine to him.

Jasmin- asks of Celine:to explain the signals that it made him cry/laugh the concert at the Stade of FRene-nce when she directed them to him via satellite.

Jasmin- asks Rene- how his health is.  It is good.

Jasmin- considers the motivations which the couple had to live with this pregnancy in withdRene-wal from her public/career.

Rene- says that he did not want that it becomes a circus.  It says that the newspapers invent incredible stories.  He says that even in Quebec, the newspapers are now disrespectful.  However, things were different before.

Celine: tells that it passed the first 3 months and half in Quebec, at the house, while thinking she would be freer there.  Then a newspaper said that a photograph of pregnant Celine was worth $50,000.  That hurt Celine.

Rene- says that the public supported Céline since she was 12 years old.  For this reason they decided to gRene-nt two interviews...for the fans.  They chose Jasim and Drucker to thank them for having given a chance to Céline.

Jasmin- thanks her and thanks Celine for a beautiful moment lived with her right before the TV show recording. He touched the belly of Celine and felt the baby to move.  Jasmin- called to those which doubt the veRene-city of this pregnancy that he can testify that she is real.  One sees clips of Jasmin- touching the belly of Celine:in the garden of the house.

Jasmin- asks Rene- if he works much.

Rene- says that he does not.  He supervises the career of Garou, but he does it with a good and large team.  It does not work much.

Jasmin- thanks Rene- and wishes him a good health and happiness.  He reserves the end of the show for Céline.

Jasmin- stresses that the child is to arrive February 14 and request with Celine:if she anticipates the childbirth.  Celine:says she does not think of it and it will come when that time will arrive and Celine gives the performance of her life for it.  For the moment, she concentRene-tes on her pregnancy.

Jasmin- asks her whether the labor pains frighten her.  Celine:says that it will be the "most serious/important moment of her life.  They will be painful, but it is the greatest miRene-cle of the world.

Jasmin- asks to him whether his  return will be really when his/her son is 1 year.  He says that they think of it already and that it will be about this moment in a year.  She still has dreams to realize with an English album, another in French, movies...

Jasmin- asks him whether there will be another.  Celine:says that it does not imagine to live knowing that the child would remain frozen in New York forever.

Jasmin- asks her whether there is a life after the dreams.  Celine:says what is to feed a new life? She dreamed much and she now has met the life.  It gave much, but she did not live yet.  Shec wants to live a happy life.  Jasmin- says to her thank you in the name of all those who like her..  Celine called to Jasmin- that she likes him and thanks it.  Joyeses festivals!  So long...

The more time passes and the more the value of Celine Dion goes up to the prize list of media covetousness.  In this context, there nothing surprising so that the husband and manager of the Echo Vedette stopped the distribution of the edition of the magazine 7Jours presenting a photograph of Celine on cover page, capped title " My son has already a twin ".  Rene Angelil is a crafty one like a fox and he wants  to have all control.  For an agent, it is normal.  What is more worrying, is the degree of success which he knows he can seriously control the content in a context of area property of the medias.

The publications which make their bread and their butter by the life of the magazine need these last to live.  7Jours frequently negotiates with the agent of such or such star the contents of a cover page devoted to its customer.  You given me photographs and pewters on your life and I give you publicity which will make sell your discs.

This time, the history presents several new elements, to start with the fact that VAT and Trustar do nothing any more but one.  It is not thus any more Trustar but the direction of VAT, which wants to keep its good relations with the famous couple, which depends on the conditions of the manager.  VAT thus kills, such as required, the one 7Jours.  But Angelil wants some more.  Thus, when the journalists present themselves to VAT for a viewing of the interview that Céline granted to the organizer Michel Jasmin, VAT prohibited the journalists from recording the interview on cassette and prevents that the photograph that one distributes to them for their newspapers of Saturday should not be recorded.  And what still?

From time immemorial, the world of the show /spectacle (and up to a certain point that of the sport) had its rules, different from those of political journalism.  A Prime Minister who would require that one change the one of a daily newspaper which would not be favorable for him would break the rules governing the relations between the political community and the medias.  Protests would rise, with reason.

But what will come when Quebecor becomes officially owner of VAT, as envisioned? It will happen that Rene Angelil will be able to extend his conditions to a media empire even more imposingly.  Moreover, didn't Quebecor accept, three years ago, to kill the biography of Celine who it had ordered from a freelance journalist, at the request of Rene Angelil who preferred that another biography of his star, is released at the same time and to fill all media space?  Quebecor, to start with the Newspaper of Montreal, wanted to maintain its good relations with Angelil.  In any case, Quebecor did not lose anything since the authorized biography appeared with the editions Free expression, property to 50 % of Quebecor, which control also the chain of Archambault record dealers...  And Céline lives!  In is conclusion, need to advance the assumption that the chances to see Céline Dion exclusiveness in Radio-Canada are from now on null? (translated from- ledevoir.com)

December 16, 2000

MONTREAL -- The strange story of Celine Dion's life just got a little
stranger with revelations about a frozen embryo and the destruction of
200,000 copies of a magazine after her husband deemed them unfit.

"We have a little baby in our belly and one at the lab," a beaming Ms. Dion
says in a coming television interview for the TVA network.

Ms. Dion, who became pregnant through in-vitro fertilization earlier this
year, says a second embryo has been placed in frozen storage in New York.
She hopes one day to have the other egg implanted into her for a second
pregnancy, and has promised her mother that she will.

"Mom told me: 'You are going to go get him, right?' and I told her: 'Of
course, mom, I will go get him, for sure.' "

The disclosure -- from the same star who a few months ago gave the world
details of her pursuit of the much older René Angelil, now her husband, her
in-vitro treatment and even her pregnancy-related acne -- was made amidst
tightly controlled media conditions.

TVA had planned to publish an article about the interview in one of its
celebrity magazines this weekend, only to have the edition recalled before
it hit the stands, amid rumours that Mr. Angelil saw an advance copy and
didn't like the cover.

The problem was a title in quotation marks on the cover: My Son Already Has
A Twin. The magazine's publisher, Trustar Ltd., denied it had caved in to
Mr. Angelil and insisted it made the decision on its own.
"We agreed with René that maybe the headline didn't live up to the article,"
Trustar spokeswoman Renée-Claude Menard told a TVA reporter.

And at an advance screening of the interview for the media yesterday, the
couple's handlers initially did not want reporters to tape Ms. Dion's
comments, even for note-taking purposes.

Also, a photo from the interview was provided but takers had to sign a
waiver agreeing not to crop the photo or use it in another context.

The revelation about the frozen embryo is sure to increase the buzz around
the Quebec-born singer, who stunned observers earlier this year when she
wrote in her autobiography that she fell in love as a teenager with Mr.
Angelil, and used calculating tactics to snare him.

Other parts of the romance have also been played out on the public stage.
They married in 1994 in a lavish ceremony at Notre-Dame Basilica in
Montreal, the traditional site of state funerals in the city.

The couple, who have a $7.8-million chateau outside Montreal, renewed their
marriage vows earlier this year in an Arabian-Nights-style ceremony in Las
Vegas, followed several months later by the announcement that Ms. Dion was
pregnant.

The latest interview took place at the couple's Palm Beach house, in a
pillared foyer, amidst gilded chairs and a marble table.

Mr. Angelil said Ms. Dion gave the interview to broadcaster Michel Jasmin
because he was the first to promote her on television, when she was 13.

She told him that, on New Year's Day 2000, when she began a sabbatical from
performing, she felt so burnt out she was on the edge of tears. "I was at
the end of my tether."

Now, she said, "I sing all the time at home, in the shower . . . I sing to
my son."

The interview's stunner was the revelation that, of all the eggs fertilized
during Ms. Dion's in-vitro treatment, one, at a five-day-development stage,
has been frozen in storage.

Because of that, Ms. Dion told Mr. Jasmin, she wants to have another child.
"We have another child awaiting in New York, like in transit. I certainly
couldn't live knowing of that child there."

She said she was heartened when her doctor told her that one client in a
similar situation came back three years later and became pregnant again with
the second embryo. "They're called lab twins. Technically it's a twin. It
doesn't mean he's necessarily an identical twin but he was conceived at the
same moment."

When Ms. Dion turned to in-vitro fertilization, some medical experts
expressed hope that her public profile would help debunk myths about
infertile couples.

Ms. Dion won't disappoint them. The interview provided detailed, frank
information about the procedures she underwent.

She explained that, for a month, she had to inject herself with medication
to regulate, then boost, her ovaries' egg production. Then, at the New York
clinic, doctors harvested 22 eggs from her.

"I was proud of myself, I had bested my mother!" said Ms. Dion, the youngest
of 14 children. "I called mom and told her : 'I have 22 eggs!' "

Of the 22 eggs, 14 were healthy enough to undergo the in-vitro
fertilization. When she came back to have the fertilized eggs implanted, Ms.
Dion had to make a difficult choice.

The more eggs she would take into her womb, the more chances she would have
to become pregnant, but the riskier it would be too.

"It was a big shock when I was asked how many I wanted. I wasn't expecting
that, at all. I always wanted a child and now I was asked how many I wanted.
It was a bit odd."

She opted to have three eggs implanted, one of which fully developed.

Ms. Dion is expecting in mid-February and, although the boy's name hasn't
been settled upon, she said she thought one of the first names should be
René.

"It would be the legacy of René's love."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

MONTREAL - French-Canadian mega-star Celine Dion is glowing for two reasons this season: she's seven months pregnant with her first child and her second is waiting in a fertility clinic in New York.

Dion revealed details about her invitro fertilization in an interview with TVA, Quebec's largest private television network.

Earlier this year at a clinic in New York, 14 of Dion's eggs were fertilized. Of three that were implanted into her uterus, one has developed into a boy that is expected to be delivered on Valentine's Day.

Another egg that was successfully fertilized was frozen five days after conception and saved for future use. Because the two eggs were fertilized at the same time, they are technically twins, called "laboratory twins."

The process of freezing extra embryos gives couples, such as Dion and husband Rene Angelil, an opportunity to conceive without going through another stimulation cycle and egg retrieval.

----------------------------
i think this is the best article about this story so far because it's the only one of those that i've read that explains what "laboratory twins" means so everybody can understand what Celine was trying to explain.
M.G

" the newspapers tell anything on us " Rene Angélil justifies his inopportune intervention against a magazine André Duchesne the Press

Very dissatisfied with the first version of the magazine 7 Days which had titrated:  " Celine:  " My son has already a twin ", Rene Angélil accentuated his criticisms yesterday, showing the newspapers to say anything on the couple which it forms with the popular singer.

" nothing in the content is controlled.  The proof, it is that the newspapers, the journalists say anything on us.  Not only here, but everywhere in the world ", it has says in interview on the waves of VAT.

It answered a question about the news published in the daily newspapers of yesterday according to which it had the capacity on the leading contents of certain medias.

All this history burst following the interview granted by Céline Dion, enclosure seven month old of a boy, in Michel Jasmin and who will be diffused this evening with network VAT Inspired of this interview, a report was envisaged in the magazine 7 Days which belongs to...  VAT.  However, having received earlier this week a specimen of the magazine to its Jupiter residence, in Florida, Angélil, dissatisfied of the title, communicated with the owners of VAT Result, the distribution of 200000 specimens was stopped for reprinting.  The title of was replaced by:  Celine in open heart.

In interview, the singer entrusted to Michel Jasmin:  " I have a jum...  One calls that a twin of laboratory.  That does not want to say that it is an identical twin, but it was conceived at the same time ".

Rene Angélil did not like and estimated that there was strong odor of sensationnalism.  " I do not include/understand why a magazine as 7 Days which had an exclusiveness (...) chose to play the sensationnalism.  I found that it was bad taste, except context.  It is press with scandal, straightforwardly."

It adds to have been surprised to note that the magazine did not consult it before for the titration of the one.  " Certain time, the magazine or the journalist will consult then one will agree for a title...  I do not know why one did not do it in that case.  Probably that the person found that it was a title with feeling and that it knew extremely well that if it us it suggested, that one would not agree with that.

Pernicious effect of the concentration?Or, in general, the journalists and the medias savagely defend their independence vis-a-vis with the people whom they interview and refuse that they have right of glance on the contents of their reports.

" If one embarks in it, one will not report any more the events just as it is but only to the light, under lighting whom people concerned want to give them ", Helene Pichette indicates, president of the professional Federation of the journalists of Quebec (FPJQ).

The latter fears to see in all this history a pernicious effect of the concentration of the medias.  " As VAT is 7 Day old owner, one can wonder whether there is not a link between the two ", it has says concerning the change of title and the diffusion of the emission the following day (this evening).

The president of the FPJQ is all the more shocked that nobody gives in doubt the contents of the report.  " Imagine if a politician, dissatisfied title of an article, made it change.  Everyone would go up to the barricades."

It is not the first time that the Dion-Angélil couple has contentions with medias québécois on questions having relents of control of information.  At the time of their marriage, December 17, 1994 with the basilica Our-Lady, it had gotten along with the magazine 7 Days (property of Trustar at the time) ensuring to him the exclusiveness in the photographs taken during the wedding and with the reception realising a sum of 200 000$.

The Quebecor Group as well as the owners of the newspaper Hello-High-speed motorboats had tried to obtain an injunction of the higher Court to have access inside the basilica, in vain.  The lawyers of Quebecor then put forward that a marriage is a public ceremony in a public place and that people had the right to choose their source of information, a right which proved ridiculed in the circumstances.

The lawyers of Trustar supported on their side which the couple had thus taken measurements necessary so that the wedding proceeds into private and that the photographs taken with the marriage are approved. -LaPresse  12/17/00

Graeme Hamilton
National Post

Gerard Schachmes, Regards
 

CELINE DISCUSSES HER OVARIES AND ACNE ON QUEBEC TV -- TASTEFULLY, OF COURSE: The songbird reveals much about her pregnancy on a broadcast tomorrow evening. The goal, said her husband, is to counteract the province's gossip magazines -- "We did not want it to become a circus." Dion is shown above with interviewer Michel Jasmin, who told her he loves her.:

 MONTREAL - In a television interview to be broadcast tomorrow, Celine Dion eagerly shares details about her menstrual cycle, the swelling of her ovaries, husband René Angélil's "deposit" at the sperm bank and the little fertilized egg -- the "twin" of the unborn son she is now carrying-- sitting frozen in a New York laboratory.

But the couple last seen renewing marriage vows in a Las Vegas ceremony that featured live camels and jugglers has insisted that the pop queen's revelations be reported in good taste.

The popular Quebec celebrity magazine Sept Jours was forced yesterday to destroy 200,000 copies of an issue with Ms. Dion on the cover after Mr. Angélil complained that the headline, My Son Already Has a Twin, was in "bad taste" and sensationalist. The new edition, to be published today, will carry the headline, Celine Opens Her Heart.

Mr. Angélil, who has managed Ms. Dion's career since she was 13, joined her briefly during the interview and chastised Quebec gossip magazines for descending to the level of U.S. and European tabloids.

"We did not want it to become a circus," he said, explaining why up to now the press has not been allowed glimpses of Quebec's most famous expectant mother.

The interview, to be broadcast at 7 p.m. Eastern on TVA, Quebec's largest private broadcaster, is the first Ms. Dion has granted since becoming pregnant through in vitro fertilization about seven months ago.

Francine Chalout, a press aide to Ms. Dion, said Mr. Angélil was "really, really shocked" when he saw a copy of Sept Jours Thursday. He immediately contacted Raynald Brière, a senior executive with TVA, which also publishes the magazine.

In inviting TVA's Michel Jasmin, the talk-show host who gave her her first break in 1981, to visit her in Florida, Ms. Dion knew she was not risking too many tough questions.

At one point during the interview, she reaches out and puts her hand over Mr. Jasmin's. There is a shot of him lovingly caressing her bulging belly as the two of them walk outside her home, and he confides to viewers that he felt the baby kick. And as the interview ends, he says, "I love you," to which she responds, "I love you, too."

In an apparent nod to Mr. Jasmin, the only photo released to the media shows Ms. Dion standing beside Mr. Jasmin in front of a Christmas tree. Media wishing to publish the photo were asked to sign a release promising the picture would not be used "out of its context" and that it would not be cut to show only Ms. Dion.

The phrase that landed Sept Jours in trouble was not a direct quote from the interview. But during a segment in which she gives a detailed account of the conception of her child, she referred to the frozen embryo as a "twin" because they were conceived at the same moment.

Ms. Dion said she has not experienced the food cravings or mood swings sometimes brought on by pregnancy, but she has developed some acne on her back. The solution, she said is to wear clothing with low necklines instead of low backs: "My husband likes both."

She said she does not know how long the embryo is "good" for, but she said she will definitely carry it as well. "We already have another child waiting for us in New York, making a stopover at this time. I surely couldn't live knowing that child is there," she said

 The couple expects "appalling" exaggerations about them to appear in
international tabloids but not in Quebec, Rene Angelil said.

 "We feel at home in Quebec and for people here to involve us in a scandal,
that shocked me," he said in a television interview with RDI, the CBC's French
all-news network.

 "There are things written about us everywhere in the world -- look at American
and French tabloids. They say anything they want and it's appalling what they
say."

 The controversy started when Dion, seven months pregnant through in vitro
fertilization, made the surprise admission that she has a second fertilized egg
stored at a New York City fertility clinic.

 In a French-language TV interview to air Sunday, Dion said she wants to
someday carry the egg and suggested it might be like a twin for her unborn son,
the couple's first child.

 The popular magazine 7 Jours (Seven Days) is owned by TVA, the television
network that will broadcast Sunday's extremely personal 90-minute program.

 The weekly magazine's current issue was scheduled to hit newsstands Friday
with the headline, Celine: My Son Already Has a Twin.

 However, Angelil saw an advance copy on Thursday, called a TVA executive and
the company destroyed its 200,000 copies. The issue was finally released
Saturday under the new headline, Celine Opens Her Heart.

 The original headline was "sensationalist, done in poor taste, out of
context," Angelil said. "To me, it was strictly yellow journalism."

 Dion never actually called the embryo a twin during her TVA interview.

 However, she did suggest that the second embryo could be like a twin for her
son. She recounted a story, told to her by a doctor, about a woman who
underwent the same procedure.

 "Three or four years later she went to get the other one and it was an
identical twin. So I have a twi . . . It's called a laboratory twin.
Technically it's called a twin."

 Angelil said 7 Jours -- similar to the American celebrity magazine People --
changed its headline without any prodding.

 Renee-Claude Menard, a marketing vice-president at TVA, said the company
agreed the cover was in poor taste and decided not to release it.

 "We agreed with Mr. Angelil that it was not appropriate to present the article
under that angle," Menard said after a public screening of the interview
Friday.

 It wasn't the first time an article about Dion has drawn an angry reaction
from the superstar singer or her entourage.

 It was announced last month that the National Enquirer will publish an apology
to Dion after she launched a $20-million US lawsuit over a February story that
claimed she was pregnant with twins.

 Angelil was also upset this week that 7 Jours' original cover claimed to have
an exclusive photo of the visibly pregnant Dion.

 In fact, the photo was distributed to all media under the condition that it
not be cropped to remove journalist Michel Jasmin, a Dion acquaintance who
conducted the TVA interview.

 Jasmin also conducted Dion's first television interview in 1981.

 Sunday's program will be the only North American TV appearance by Dion during
her pregnancy.

 Jasmin is seen touching Dion's belly and at, the end of the interview, he
holds her hand and says, "I love you."

 In the interview, Dion discusses a wide range of personal issues: burnout from
performing, acne, Angelil's struggle to recover from cancer, possible names for
her son and her intention to return from a sabbatical as soon as early 2002.
-JamMusic

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