2002

5/25/02
5/24/02
H1 Divas Las Vegas: A Benefit Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation' Raises Over $1.4 Million to Support Music Education In Public Schools Across The U.S.
Ellen DeGeneres Hosted and Wayne Newton was the Announcer of Live All-Star
VH1 Divas' Concert Special Featuring Cher, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige,

The Dixie Chicks, and Shakira, Plus Special Guests Stevie Nicks,  Anastacia, and Cyndi Lauper.

Whitney Houston Brings Down the House With Mary J. Blige

For a Show Stopping Performance of 'Rainy Dayz'

NEW YORK, May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- "VH1 Divas Las Vegas: A Benefit Concert for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation" rocked the house last night with some of the biggest names in music while raising over $1.4 million for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music programs in America's public schools, and to raising awareness of the positive impact that music participation has on students.

Airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday, May 23 at 9:00 pm (ET/PT), the fifth annual "VH1 Divas" extravaganza was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, and Wayne Newton was the announcer of the show, featuring an all-star Diva lineup of Cher, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, The Dixie Chicks, and Shakira, plus special guests Stevie Nicks, Anastacia, Cyndi Lauper, and Whitney Houston performing with Mary J. Blige.

Continuing in the "Divas" tradition, "VH1 Divas Las Vegas" brought together some of the biggest names in music today for an exclusive, high-voltage night of unforgettable performances.  The evening opened with a duet of Celine and Anastacia on "Shook Me All Night Long."  Next, Cher pumped up the house with "A Song for the Lonely" and made them "Believe," then got together with Cyndi to "Turn Back Time."  The Dixie Chicks were spotlighted on their own for "Long Time Gone," followed by Shakira and her band rocking "Underneath Your Clothes."  And Mary J. took the solo spotlight for "No More Drama" -- then was joined by Whitney for a show-stopping "Rainy Dayz."

The acoustic Chicks came back with "Wide Open Spaces" and, with Stevie Nicks, the latter's "Landslide."  Anastacia gave the audience "One Day in Your Life," and Mary J. and Shakira formed an army of two for "Love Is a Battlefield," while new Vegas queen Celine took over with her hits "I'm Alive" and "A New Day Has Come."  At the end, music's hottest female voices were all over the songs of Elvis, with Anastacia, The Dixie Chicks, Shakira, Mary J., Stevie, Cher and Celine taking on "Jailhouse Rock," "That's Alright Mama," "Always on My Mind," "Blue Suede Shows" and a few more -- a finale befitting that special relationship between Vegas and The King.

VH1's annual "Divas" specials raise funds for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.  Through partnerships with affiliates and advocates, as well as corporate and national sponsors, VH1 Save The Music conducts awareness campaigns, musical instrument drives, and fundraising events in conjunction with public schools to help restore instrumental music programs.  Since VH1 Save The Music was created in 1997, more than $17 million worth of musical instruments has been donated to 750 public schools in 75 cities, improving the lives of more than 250,000 children.

"VH1 Divas Las Vegas" was sponsored by Hydrience by Clairol, Kodak, Crest Whitestrips, Neutrogena, Wendy's Intl., Listerine POCKETPAKS, Infusium 23, Skyy Blue, Visa USA, Diet Pepsi, Chrysler, Target Stores, and Cingular Wireless.

"VH1 Divas Las Vegas" is executive produced by Greg Sills and produced by Paul Flattery; executives in charge of production for VH1, Fred Graver and Lee Rolontz; set and lighting director, Roy Bennett; director, Louis J. Horvitz.

MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV2, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, and TNN, as well as The Digital Suite from MTV Networks, a package of thirteen digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks.  MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.
 SOURCE  VH1
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My thoughts on "VH1 Divas Las Vegas".

My overall rating for this "VH1 Divas Las Vegas" show: 4
My rating for Celine's performance during this "VH1 Divas Las Vegas" show: 10
My rating for Cher's performance during this "VH1 Divas Las Vegas" show: 8
(On a scale - "1-10")

In this big, Las Vegas Diva's show, I thought a few of the singer's and so-called diva's weren't very diva-like...vocally.
I also thought that the sound quality and some of the camera angles on the singers were very poor and very undiva-like. Not only
were many of the video shots from strange, distorted angles, they were from far, far away. This Las Vegas Diva's show was so far,
far away from the first "VH1 Diva's" show, with Celine as the "diva show-stopper", that the sight of "true vocal diva's" were quite faint
and far between the performances of Celine and Cher.   ...except for the peek-a-boo singing of  Diva Whitney.

The Dixie Chicks, M. Blige, Shakira, Anastacia , Cyndi Lauper:
I personally don't see them as vocal or star diva's...on the same level as Celine & Cher.

In my opinion, this "VH1 Diva's Las Vegas" was not better or bigger in a Las Vegas setting.

Celine and Anastacia (...a diva...cough, cough?) opened the show with the song,  "You Shook Me All Night Long". Celine also sang,
"I'm Alive" and "A New Day Has Come"...wonderfully.

For the grand finale, the singer's paid tribute to Elvis by singing his songs.
During this segment, I could almost imagine Elvis rolling over in his grave or shooting the TV screen with his pretend "finger-pistol"
as he listened to "Blue Suede Shoes", "Jailhouse Rock" & "You Were Always On My Mind" vocally, slaughtered in a "big, Las
Vegas way".
But, on the otherhand, I'd place a big, Las Vegas bet that Elvis was smiling from somewhere as Celine sang a powerhouse excerpt
of  "Can't Help Falling In Love(With You)"...with her own amazing, very distinctive, vocal emotion.

Celine's voice put the "grand" in this "Diva's-Elvis grand finale"....and the entire  "VH1 Diva's Las Vegas" show.
-Jan
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(May 22, 2002)
CELINE DION AND FRANCO DRAGONE ANNOUNCE FIRST ON-SALE DATES FOR TICKETS TO SPECTACULAR THEATRICAL PRESENTATION TO OPEN AT COLOSSEUM AT CAESARS PALACE, MARCH 2003
LAS VEGAS (May 22, 2002) – Chart-topping Sony Music recording artist Céline Dion and acclaimed theatrical innovator Franco Dragone today toured the new home of their unique stage spectacular for the first time, speaking with members of the international media, guests and partners on the stage of the rapidly rising Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

During the inspection tour of the 4,000-seat entertainment and event venue located at the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip, officials of Concerts West announced that tickets for the much-anticipated Dion-Dragone theatrical presentation will go on sale to the public this Thursday, May 23.

Opening in March 2003, Dion will star in a live, stage spectacular that will introduce a new form of entertainment to Las Vegas. Accompanied by a cast of 70 dancers, musicians, characters and artists, Dion will headline a performance that fuses song, performance art, theatrical innovation and state-of-the-art technology. Under the direction of Franco Dragone - the director and creator behind the critically acclaimed Cirque du Soleil™ productions – a team of highly skilled designers and artists have united to develop an entertainment experience unlike anything ever seen.

Designed to resemble its ancient namesake, the Colosseum will be the home for this unique production, starring Dion, created by DRAGONE and presented by Concerts West, an AEG Company. The engagement is scheduled to run for a minimum of three years with 200 performances per year in the venue that is being constructed specifically for the show.

Tickets Go On-Sale Thursday, May 23
Tickets for the first three months of performances (60 shows) will be available to the public for the first time beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 23, at 1 p.m. EDT, 10 a.m. PDT, via Ticketmaster’s charge-by-phone network (702-474-4000), online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Caesars Palace box office. In order to allow the greatest number of Céline Dion fans the opportunity to attend performances during the first three months of the engagement, a limit of eight (8) tickets per purchaser will be enforced for the first day of sale. Tickets are priced at $87.50, $127.50, $150, with a limited number of special VIP packages available.

Rehearsals to Begin
The creative process already has begun. Rehearsals with the cast start on June 24 in La Louvière, Belgium (where the DRAGONE company is based). Franco Dragone has begun to gather a who’s-who of internationally renowned multi-disciplined artists to develop the essence of the show. Over the coming months, he will discover their individual talents and bring them together to create new forms of expression. The artistic team, chosen for their unique qualities, not their physical profile or experience, are the true definers of this work in progress.

Creative ‘Dream Team’
An unprecedented alliance of creative partners has come together to create an incomparable stage experience. They include Dion, her husband René Angélil and their company, CDA Productions Inc., which will produce the show in association with Franco Dragone’s company DRAGONE. The show will be presented by Concerts West at Caesars Palace, a Park Place Entertainment resort. Dragone continues to assemble an all-star production team that includes Lighting Designer Yves Aucoin, Associate Director Pavel V. Brun, Set Designer Michel Crête, Projection Content Designer Dirk Decloedt, Musical Director Claude (Mégo) Lemay and Costume Designer Dominique Lemieux.

“When I met Céline and René in Florida nearly two years ago, I felt a certain magic. A new alchemy was formed that inspired us to develop a partnership to create a show for Céline,” Dragone commented. “Since then, we have been joined by a number of superb partners and together we are pooling our creativity and talents to bring this fabulous project to life.”

The deal truly began to take shape when AEG President Timothy J. Leiweke was approached by Angélil and Dion to discuss the creation of the show.

“It was not only our great admiration for Céline as a performer but our tremendous respect for her and René as the people they are that led us to this partnership,” said Leiweke. “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.”
-CELINE DION AND FRANCO DRAGONE ANNOUNCE FIRST ON-SALE DATES FOR TICKETS TO SPECTACULAR THEATRICAL PRESENTATION TO OPEN AT COLOSSEUM AT CAESARS PALACE, MARCH 2003
 CONTINUED...

“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 Céline 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.”

“The opening of the Colosseum next March will begin an exciting new chapter in the legendary story of Caesars Palace, the best known casino resort brand in the world,” said Park Place President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas E. Gallagher. “The Palace has a rich history of hosting the world’s most exciting talent. For that reason, it will be the perfect home to what is truly a ‘Dream Team’ of the performing arts. We’re very pleased that we’re able to accelerate the launch of ticket sales to accommodate all the requests that we’ve been receiving.”

Everyone involved with the project participated in the planning and design stages for the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Ultimately, theatre/entertainment design firm Scéno Plus, Inc. of Montreal was chosen to create the new structure with Perini Building Company of Las Vegas selected as the project’s general contractor.

“Our mandate from Céline was to bring her as close as possible to her fans,” said Colosseum designer Patrick Bergé, president of Scéno Plus. “Our mandate from Franco was to create a vast performance space. Intimacy and immensity in a single venue. The round building was the perfect solution, with the farthest seat only 120 feet from the stage. This distance compares to showrooms that have one-third or one-fourth of the Colosseum’s seating capacity. And the shape also enhances the acoustics, which will be amazing,” Bergé added.

About the Partners
For nearly 15 years, Franco Dragone directed the critically acclaimed shows produced by Cirque du Soleil. His reputation was built through the worldwide success of a range of shows that include: “O”, Mystère, La Nouba, Quidam, Alegría and Saltimbanco. In early 2000, Dragone decided to explore other opportunities to showcase his talent. This led to the creation of DRAGONE, an independent company designed to autonomously manage and create all aspects of a production. He chose to base the company in La Louvière, the small industrial town in Belgium he has called home since the age of 7.

Park Place Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: PPE) is the world's largest gaming company. Park Place Entertainment owns, manages or has an interest in 28 gaming properties around the world that operate under the Bally's, Caesars, Flamingo, Grand Casinos, Hilton and Paris brands with a total of two million square feet of gaming space, more than 28,000 hotel rooms and 55,000 employees.

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 an AEG Company.

AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, the London Arena, The 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, Colorado Rapids, New York/New Jersey Metrostars and DC United (MLS) and six hockey franchises operated in Europe; management of shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) owned by Philip Anschutz; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales, naming rights and consulting company; Spring Communications, devoted to creation and marketing of live events for pay-per-view and other electronic media; AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency; Creative Battery, producers of live entertainment for a variety of media and venues; Concerts West and Golden Voice, live-entertainment promotion and touring companies.

AEG is currently overseeing the development of L.A. Live, a proposed 4-million-square-foot development featuring a 7,000-seat state-of-the-art live theatre, a 1,200-room convention “headquarters” hotel along with entertainment, restaurant, residential and office space, all adjacent to STAPLES Center. In addition, AEG is spearheading the creation of a $120 million national training academy that will include major facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, basketball and other sports in Southern California. The company was recently selected to fully develop the 28-acre Millennium Dome and adjacent property located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River, and will create new arenas in both the Millennium Dome and on a 50-acre site in the heart of Berlin.
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eBay Teams Up With the VH1 Save The Music Foundation to Kick Off Fundraising Campaign; Bid, Buy or Donate to Help Restore Music Education Programs to Schools Nationwide

SAN JOSE, Calif. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2002--
 uxury Timepieces from Audemars Piguet Worn by Stars of "VH1 Divas

Las Vegas," Celebrity Signed Musical Instruments
and More Donated for the Cause
5/22/02
Celine Dion and Franco Dragone Announce First On-Sale Dates for Tickets to Spectacular Theatrical Presentation to Open at Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March 2003

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2002--Chart-topping Sony Music recording artist Celine Dion and acclaimed theatrical innovator Franco Dragone today for the first time toured the new home of their unique stage spectacular, speaking with members of the international media, guests and partners on the stage of the rapidly rising Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

During the inspection tour of the 4,000-seat entertainment and event venue located at the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip, officials of Concerts West announced that tickets for the much anticipated Dion-Dragone theatrical presentation will go on sale to the public this Thursday, May 23.

Opening in March 2003, Ms. Dion will star in a live, stage spectacular that will introduce a new form of entertainment to Las Vegas. Accompanied by a cast of 70 dancers, musicians, characters and artists, Ms. Dion will headline a performance that fuses song, performance art, theatrical innovation and state-of-the-art technology. Under the direction of Dragone - the creative spirit behind the critically acclaimed Cirque du Soleil(TM) productions - a team of highly skilled designers and artists have united to develop an entertainment experience unlike anything ever seen.

Designed to resemble its ancient namesake, the Colosseum will be the home for this unique production, starring Ms. Dion, directed by Franco Dragone and presented by Concerts West, an AEG Company. The engagement is scheduled to run for a minimum of three years with 200 performances per year in the venue that is being constructed specifically for the show. Caesars Palace is a Park Place Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:PPE) resort.

Tickets Go On-Sale Thursday, May 23

Tickets for the first three months of performances (60 shows) will be available to the public for the first time beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 23, at 1:00 PM EDT, 10:00 AM PDT via Ticketmaster's charge-by-phone network (702-474-4000), online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Caesars Palace box office. In order to allow the greatest number of Celine Dion fans the opportunity to attend performances during the first three months of the engagement, a limit of eight (8) tickets per purchaser will be enforced for the first day of sale. Tickets will be priced from $87.50, $127.50, $150.00 with a limited number of special VIP packages available.

Rehearsals to Begin

The creative process already has begun. Rehearsals with the cast start on June 24 in La Louviere, Belgium (where the DRAGONE company is based). Franco Dragone has begun to gather a who's-who of internationally renowned multi-disciplined artists to develop the essence of the show. Over the coming months, he will discover their individual talents and bring them together to create new forms of expression. The artistic team, chosen for their unique qualities, not their physical profile or experience, are the true definers of this work in progress.

Creative `Dream Team'

An unprecedented alliance of creative partners has come together to create an incomparable stage experience. They include Dion, her husband Rene Angelil and their company, CDA Productions Inc., which will produce the show in association with Franco Dragone's company, DRAGONE. The show will be presented by Concerts West at Caesars Palace. Dragone continues to assemble an all-star production team that includes lighting designer Yves Aucoin, associate director Pavel V. Brun, set designer Michel Crete, projection content designer Dirk Decloedt, musical director Claude (Mego) Lemay and costume designer Dominique Lemieux.

"When I met Celine and Rene in Florida nearly two years ago, I felt a certain magic. A new alchemy was formed that inspired us to develop a partnership to create a show for Celine," Dragone commented. "Since then, we have been joined by a number of superb partners and together we are pooling our creativity and talents to bring this fabulous project to life."

The deal truly began to take shape when AEG President Timothy J. Leiweke was approached by Angelil and Ms. Dion to discuss the creation of the show.

"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 Leiweke. "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."

"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."

"The opening of the Colosseum next March will begin an exciting new chapter in the legendary story of Caesars Palace, the best known casino resort brand in the world," said Park Place President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas E. Gallagher. "The Palace has a rich history of hosting the world's most exciting talent. For that reason, it will be the perfect home to what is truly a `Dream Team' of the performing arts. We're very pleased that we're able to accelerate the launch of ticket sales to accommodate all the requests that we've been receiving."

Everyone involved with the project participated in the planning and design stages for the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Ultimately, theatre/entertainment design firm Sceno Plus, Inc. of Montreal was chosen to create the new structure with Perini Building Company of Las Vegas selected as the project's general contractor.

"Our mandate from Celine was to bring her as close as possible to her fans," said Colosseum designer Patrick Berge, president of Sceno Plus. "Our mandate from Franco was to create a vast performance space. Intimacy and immensity in a single venue. The round building was the perfect solution, with the farthest seat only 120 feet from the stage. This distance compares to showrooms that have one-third or one-fourth of the Colosseum's seating capacity. And the shape also enhances the acoustics, which will be amazing," Berge added.

About the Partners

For nearly fifteen years, Franco Dragone directed the critically acclaimed shows produced by Cirque du Soleil. His reputation was built through the worldwide success of a range of shows that include: "O", "Mystere," "La Nouba," "Quidam" and "Saltimbanco." In early 2000, Franco Dragone decided to explore other opportunities to showcase his talent and inspired to handle all production aspects of his artistic works. This led to the creation of DRAGONE, an independent company designed to autonomously manage and create all aspects of a production. He chose to base the company in La Louviere, the small industrial town in Belgium he has called home since the age of seven.

Park Place Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:PPE) is the world's largest gaming company. Park Place Entertainment owns, manages or has an interest in 28 gaming properties around the world that operate under the Bally's, Caesars, Flamingo, Grand Casinos, Hilton and Paris brands with a total of two million square feet of gaming space, more than 28,000 hotel rooms and 55,000 employees.

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 an AEG Company.

AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, the London Arena, The 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, Colorado Rapids, New York/New Jersey Metrostars and DC United (MLS) and six hockey franchises operated in Europe; management of shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) owned by Philip Anschutz; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales, naming rights and consulting company; Spring Communications, devoted to creation and marketing of live events for pay-per-view and other electronic media; AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency; Creative Battery, producers of live entertainment for a variety of media and venues; Concerts West and Golden Voice, live entertainment promotion and touring companies.

AEG is currently overseeing the development of L.A. Live, a proposed 4 million square foot development featuring a 7000-seat state-of-the-art live theatre, a 1,200-room convention "headquarters" hotel along with entertainment, restaurant, residential and office space all adjacent to STAPLES Center. In addition, AEG is spearheading the creation of a $120 million national training academy that will include major facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, basketball and other sports in southern California. The company was recently selected to fully develop the 28-acre Millennium Dome and adjacent property located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River and will create new arenas in both within the Millennium Dome and on a 50-acre site in the heart of Berlin.
Including: Press kit and downloadable photos available at caesarspalacepr.com/celinedion.
Note: A Photo is available at URL: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.052202/bb7
CONTACT: Park Place Entertainment  - Deborah Munch, (702) 699-5008 0 - munchd@parkplace.com
or  Caesars Palace - Michael Coldwell, (702) 731-7330 - coldwellm@parkplace.com
or Concerts West / AEG - Michael Roth, (213) 742-7155 - mroth@aeg-la.com
or DRAGONE (North America) -Jennifer Dunne, 1 (702) 360 8700 - jennifer.dunne@dragone.be
DRAGONE (Europe) - Annick Denis, +32 64 312 631 - annick.denis@dragone.be
SOURCE: Park Place Entertainment
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VH1 Divas' Heads to Las Vegas

By ANGIE WAGNER
.c The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) - After four editions in which pop music's biggest female singers belted it out on New York stages, ``VH1 Divas'' needed a makeover. The solution? Move it to Vegas, throw in Wayne Newton and a show is reborn.

``I think if you keep doing the same kind of show every year, you run it into the ground,'' said Rick Krim, VH1 executive vice president. ``Having it in Vegas, I think it adds new energy.''

Mary J. Blige, Cher, the Dixie Chicks, Celine Dion and Shakira are part of the lineup for ``VH1 Divas Las Vegas,'' airing live from the MGM Grand on Thursday evening.

Ellen DeGeneres hosts the show and Newton is the announcer. Anastacia, Stevie Nicks and Cyndi Lauper appear as guest performers.

``I think to bring it here is the natural evolution for the show,'' Newton said, then added with a laugh, ``As long as they don't ask me to perform, because I can't pass the physical.''

``Divas'' began in 1998 as a benefit concert for VH1's Save the Music Foundation, which restores music programs in America's public schools.

Dion was part of that first show, held at New York's Beacon Theatre, along with Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain and Carole King.

With more shows came more divas - Cher, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Tina Turner, Faith Hill and more. Singers from previous shows - such as Franklin, Cher and Blige - were invited back for more.

There's no secret formula to choosing divas, Krim said. Whoever has a hot single or who can simply draw a big audience - like Cher - is chosen.

Anastacia, 29, is making her diva debut. The New Yorker, who has a powerful, soulful voice, is a sensation in Europe. But she is a relative newcomer in the United States - her album, ``Freak of Nature,'' is due out next month.

Anastacia hopes her diva appearance will help make her better known here.

``People are going, 'Who are you?' I think it's an honor. I think it says a lot about the feeling they have about me,'' she said.

But she wasn't so sure about being labeled a diva.

``I'm nervous about that name. Sometimes it's been a negative word describing artists. ... I open my own doors. I do my own laundry,'' she said.

In 2000, the show changed its format from a free-flowing diva-fest to a tribute, honoring Diana Ross. It followed that format again last year in honoring Franklin.

This year, the show goes back to its roots, celebrating many singers. But Krim says its been tweaked enough so that viewers won't feel like they're watching a repeat of past specials.

``You always need to be reinventing and rethinking,'' Krim said.

On the Net:
http://www.vh1.com

5/18/02
Subject: Honest, a Balky PC Is Not a Pop Star's Fault
From: mary ann mammaculos
Honest, a Balky PC Is Not a Pop Star's Fault
By JOHN SCHWARTZ

No, your computer has not become finicky, and it is not Celine Dion's
fault, whatever other artistic misdeeds she may have committed.

European fans of Ms. Dion have been discovering that her new CD, "A
New Day Has Come," incorporates technology to protect it against being
copied and prevents it from being played in personal computers.

It can actually crash PC's, and owners of iMac computers from Apple
Computer have found that they sometimes cannot eject the discs. Apple
has issued a warning on the Internet at kbase.info.apple.com, a
support site that requires registration. The notice offers tips on
opening the balky disk drive and explains that "Audio discs that
incorporate copyright protection technologies do not adhere to
published compact disc standards" that Apple follows. (Translation:
it's not our fault.)

A spokeswoman for Sony Music Entertainment said the discs did no
lasting damage to PC's and that the Dion disc and others like it are
part of a continuing industry effort to counter unauthorized copying.
Warnings that the discs do not play in computers can be found on the
front and back of the box and on the disc itself.

So far, the copy-protected discs have only been distributed in Europe,
but that could change, Sony said in a statement.

"In the U.S., the first tests with copy protection will begin
shortly," starting with the promotional discs that the company sends
to reviewers. The company said it was also working on an alternate
technology, called second session, which would place a separate music
track on each disc that computers can read, but which would limit the
ability of listeners to copy.

The Web site for Ms. Dion, the Canadian diva, does not mention the
controversy, unless the song titles themselves provide cryptic clues:
they include possibly, a reminder that the CD warning is "Right in
Front of You," and that the need to protect artists and the recording
industry from copyright infringement has compelled such actions — or,
as she put it, "Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)." Otherwise, how could she
and Sony enjoy "The Greatest Reward"?

5/18/02
From VH1 :VH1 will give you tantalizing tidbits from fashion writers, culture columnists, comedians and drag queens about todays hottest vocalists. Viva Diva! is a celebration of all divas - what made them the diva they are today and why we are addicted to watching them.
Step by step - VH1's Viva Diva will show you how to become a diva. Below are a few examples of what you will need...

MAJOR PIPES - You must be able to hit the high and super long note. -Reigning Diva: Aretha

GRAND HANDS - From Mariah's hand sweep to Celine's gun move, the more the better. -Reigning Diva: Celine

WONDER HAIR - The higher the better, more colors, short to long in half a day. -Reigning Diva: Cher

CATFIGHTS - You better be ready to scrap with anyone; even your fellow Divas. -Reigning Diva: Brandy

TABLOID TRAUMA - Be caught on camera. Divas are the perfect tabloid targets. Reigning Diva: Whitney

Additional footage from your favorite leading ladies including Tina Turner, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige & more!
For all the info visit the 'All Access : Viva Diva' Website on VH1.. They also have a poll .. Here's the question & results so far (presumably VH1will include the results during the presentation, and Celine is Dead Last with Madonna)....

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the biggest diva of them all?
Celine Dion
 1%
 Cher
 86%
 Madonna
 1%
 Diana Ross
 5%
 Whitney Houston
 7%
----Bryan

4/11/02
Soundscan: Celine Dion Fever
Wednesday April 10, 2002 @ 04:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
Edwin

Have you got Celine Dijon fever? Everyone’s got Celine Dijon fever!!! Not only were Canadians subjected to her vain TV special on Sunday Night on the CBC, Celine Dion In Concert: A Brand New Day Has Come, but they ran out and bought nearly 63,000 copies of her record this week to keep it atop Soundscan. And the added total so far from two weeks in stores — 214, 477 copies sold. And each minute the tally gets higher and higher. Time to move over your millions of pictures of Rene Charles to make room for your upcoming platinum records, Celine…
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celine stays on top, WWF debuts high
By PAUL CANTIN
Senior Reporter, JAM! Showbiz
 Despite a more than 50% drop-off in second-week sales, Celine Dion extended her "New Day" at the top of the Canadian album charts.

The Quebec-born chanteuse managed to sell 62,900 copies of her new album "A New Day Has Come" and secured the No. 1 position on the Canadian charts for a second consecutive week.

Last week, the album debuted in top spot on sales of more than 150,000 copies. Despite the steep decline in sales, Dion still managed to out-sell her competition by a wide margin. Shakira's "Laundry Service" held on to second place for a second consecutive week, but did so selling a comparatively modest 10,500 copies.

Diana Krall's "The Look Of Love" has been in stores for 29 weeks, but lately has made a return to the chart upper reaches, likely due to Krall's appearance as part of a TV ad campaign for a car manufacturer. "The Look Of Love" bumped up this week from five to three, selling 9,900 copies.

Canadian singer Remy Shand's "The Way I Feel" (7,150) moved up from sixth to fourth, while Nickelback's "Silver Side Up" (7,100) rose two to fifth. The soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (7,000) edged up two to sixth and Enrique Iglesias's "Escape" (6,200) likewise climbed two places to seventh.

"WWF Forceable Entry" (6,100) fell to eighth from third, while Pink's "Missundaztood" (5,900) rose from 11th to ninth. Ja Rule's "Pain Is Love" (5,600) rose four to 10th.

Canadian singer Edwin had the highest debut of the week with "Edwin & The Pressure," which premiered at No. 37. This week's JAM! Chart Battle pitted the former I Mother Earth singer against WWF's "Forceable Entry" collection, and a majority of JAM! readers -- 66% -- correctly picked the wrestling album to chart higher.

In the U.S., it was two female newcomers who were making waves. Ashanti's self-titled album debuted at No. 1 on sales of 502,600 (helped in part by an aggressively low selling price), while Tweet's "Southern Hummingbird" debuted at No. 3 with 195,000. Dion was sandwiched in the middle, falling to No. 2 on sales of 262,700. The "Now 9" collection (193,700) and the "O Brother" soundtrack (91,400) rounded out the top five.

1. CELINE DION -- "A NEW DAY HAS COME" (62,900)
2. SHAKIRA -- "LAUNDRY SERVICE" (10,500)
3. DIANA KRALL -- "THE LOOK OF LOVE" (9,900)
------
4/10/02
VH1's 'Divas' Show Heads to Vegas

he Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Diva Las Vegas!

VH1 is once again celebrating female power singers with its annual ``Divas'' concert, but this year, the live special will take place in Las Vegas instead of New York.

``Divas are defined by talent, style and attitude, and only Vegas can match the excitement and unpredictability of these divas,'' Rick Krim, executive vice president of talent and music programming at the network, said in a statement Wednesday.

This year's ``Divas'' lineup will seem familiar to fans of the special: Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion and Cher have been featured in past ``Divas'' concerts. Additional performers will be announced later.

Last year's ``Divas'' special, at Radio City Music Hall, was a tribute to Aretha Franklin.

This year's concert is scheduled to air live from the MGM Grand on May 23. Proceeds will benefit VH1's Save the Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to boosting music education in schools.
  04/10/02
=====
Angélil's accuser under fire
Woman suing Dion's husband target of charges
Sean Daly -Toronto Star

 CÉLINE DION: Stands by her husband René Angélil following sexual assault
accusation.
LOS ANGELES - As Las Vegas police continue to investigate rape allegations
brought last month against René Angélil, the husband and manager of Céline
Dion, new information raises questions about the alleged victim and the
events she says took place on March 19, 2000.

Yun Kyeong Sung Kwon, 46, is a habitual gambler who would make frequent
trips to Las Vegas and is still responsible for more than $500,000 (U.S.) in
casino debt, according to a published report which also cites her poor
credit record, her history of shoplifting and her stormy relationship with
her husband, Ae Ho Kwon, also named as a co-plaintiff.

"We would often hear yelling coming from their home," one former neighbour
in South Pasadena, Calif., told a U.S. publication. "We were often tempted
to call the police. The last time they had a huge fight, we actually
wondered if they got a divorce - or if he had killed her."

The Kwons filed a civil lawsuit against the millionaire record producer on
March 15 in Clark County District Court, despite having already agreed to an
out-of-court settlement.

The reason? According to their attorney, Joseph Hong, the couple was under
"extreme mental and emotional duress" when the agreement was reached
approximately 18 months ago. Further, the Kwons' written complaint alleges,
their previous attorneys - Gregory Smith of Los Angeles, Dana Y. Chong of
Texas, and Grace Kim of Los Angeles - were "afraid of the defendant and his
attorneys."

The Kwons contend their former lawyers coerced them into settling and
"repeatedly warned them about how easy it would be for Angélil to have
(them) killed."

"Not true," says Smith, who has previously represented high-profile clients
including Hollywood Madame Heidi Fleiss. "I have never backed down from a
case. I have never based my legal decisions on a fear factor. I have an idea
(why they would say this), but I am afraid of saying too much. Put two and
two together."

According to a story in the new issue of Us Weekly, "red flags are raising
everywhere" with Kwon's story.

According to her complaint, Mrs. Kwon, who identifies herself as an ordained
minister in the Full Gospel World Church, met Angélil around 1 a.m., March
19, 2000, while she was playing video poker alone at Caesars Palace casino.
After a brief exchange, Kwon gave her cellphone number to Angélil when he
promised to send her concert tickets in Los Angeles.

Mrs. Kwon then left the casino and began immediately receiving calls from
Angélil, who she claims told her: "I am following you and I like you."

Fearful for her safety, according to court papers, Kwon hurried across the
street to her hotel, the Imperial Palace (also named as a defendant in the
case), hoping to find security officers. When she was unable to do so, she
fled to the elevators, where Angélil is said to have caught up with her. He
began "touching and grabbing" her in the elevator before forcing his way
into her hotel room and raping her.

Afterward, Kwon alleges, he warned her: "If my wife finds out about this, I
will kill you."

Kwon's statement says she immediately phoned a hotel operator, but by the
time armed security officers arrived, Angélil was gone. Police were not
notified of the attack.

It would be "highly negligent" for the hotel not to notify Las Vegas police
when a sex crime takes place on premises, said John Sullivan, a private
security expert and former chief of detectives, who spent 34 years with Las
Vegas police.

He adds, "I have never seen a casino yet where there has not been a visible
presence of security close at hand. The State Gaming Control Board would
probably shut the doors on the casino if that was the case."

Imperial Palace officials, citing the fact that the hotel is named in Kwon's
suit, refuse to comment.

Sullivan also told The Star that in order for Angélil to walk from the front
door of the casino to Mrs. Kwon's guest room, he would have to pass by
"anywhere from 50 to 100" surveillance cameras.

According to the Us Weekly story, many questions remain unanswered: Why were
the police not called? Where is the videotape from the elevator? And would
Angélil have had the strength to pull off such a violent physical act at a
time when he was undergoing chemotherapy treatment?

Many details of this story may not be revealed for some time, as Las Vegas
Judge Allan Earl has issued a gag order barring all parties from talking to
the media. But Dion has made it clear she is standing by her man.

As she began her current concert tour in late March, the singer told
reporters: "Look into my eyes and tell me if you think I'm behind him."

Family and friends remain firmly in the star couple's corner.

"Rene is a gentleman in every sense of the word," says Lawrence Mammas, the
couple's former business partner in a Quebec-based restaurant chain. "It not
for even 10 seconds crossed my mind that these allegations were true at
all."

4/3/02
I want to read what you all think... here's my review...
Posted by Laura on 4/2/2002, 9:35 pm

1.I'm Alive- I like this song and the beat it fun. I don't like the instruments that start at about 1:27. They start before that but they aren't obvious until that point. I think they sound like a flaw in the recording. I give it 9/10 though.
2.Right In Front of You- I like this song too. It is upbeat and fun. If anything though, I think it is a little bit too much like a normal pop song by anyone. Still, I enjoy it. 8/10
3.Have You Ever Been In Love- I didn't like it when I heard her sing it at the T.V. Special taping and I still don't. It is too sappy and blah. It is my least favorite on the album. She should have skipped this one. 6/10

4.Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)- I don't know yet what I think... it is kinda weird. 7/10

5.A New Day Has Come (Radio Remix)- I love it! It is one of my favorites. 10/10

6.Ten Days- I love the guitar. This is my favorite song on this album by far! I love her funky songs always. I give it 20/10... no 10/10 really. This song is awesome when she performs it on her special!

7. Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)- I really like this song. It is emotional and real. I relate to it and I think of all her songs about love and emtions, this is the most real one yet. 9/10

8.Prayer- This is a nice ballad. It is typical Celine. 7/10

9.I Surrender- This is a typical Celine ballad also. I think this could be a single if she decides to release a ballad. 8/10

10.At Last-I loved it when she sang this live on the T.V. single. People loved it. She does a great job with it. 9/10

11.Sorry For Love- This is not my favorite but it is a good song. It reminds me of Cher, and that it is not a good thing. 8/10

12.Aun Existe Amor- It was good it French and it is again in Spanish. 9/10

13.The Greatest Reward- This seems to me like it could be a part of a movie soundtrack. It is a nice ballad. 8/10

14.When The Wrong One Loves You Right- This is another favorite of mine. I love it!! 10/10

15.A New Day Has Come- I love when this climaxes at about 4 mins.! Awesome! 10/10

16.Nature Boy- Love it! Wow! She ended the speical with this. It was amazing. We got to hear the beginning several times because she had to start over several times because of the speaking part. It was great. 10/10

I give the album a 9.5/10 as a whole. If she had skipped Have You Ever Been In Love, I would say it's a perfect 10 almost. The album is great as a whole. It is her best english album by far. I love the album cover, design, and insert pictures!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4/1/02
New Day, same old ways
Celine's latest CD full of bombast, melodrama and soaring ballads
By MIKE ROSS -- Edmonton Sun
A NEW DAY HAS COME
Celine Dion
(Columbia-Sony)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In stores today, A New Day Has Come picks up where Falling Into You left
off. In other words, the new album is a fully loaded Hindenburg of bombast,
melodrama and soaring love ballads indistinguishable from anything she's
ever done. Attempts at modernity are spotty, though welcome. Some of it
sounds like Destiny's Child outtakes. A track called Ten Days reveals her
rock 'n' roll side, such that it is, or maybe it's an Alannah Myles outtake.
She channels Cher in Sorry For Love while singing circles around same.

A couple of pop standards round out the collection. And there's even a bit
of Spanish frippery called Aun Existe Amor, which one can safely assume is
also about love.

Yes, at the heart of her heart that will always go on and on are the love
ballads. Celine is at her lovey-doveyest in Mutt Lange's Goodbye's (The
Saddest Word), helped by not one, but two soaring key changes in the same
song, which is then launched into a high Earth orbit of melodrama by an
orchestra that would make John Williams blush with envy. Nothing has
changed. Dion still falls into the breed of singers who use songs to show
off their voices, rather than voices to show off songs. Big difference. The
Streisand-in-waiting has magnificent pipes, of course, and is convincing in
her emotional declarations of undying love or lack thereof. She should get
an Oscar for some of these performances. One wonders if she's thinking of
Rene when she sings lines like "I'm not sorry for my touch, the way I made
your hands tremble and my heart rush."

Perhaps she just has an active imagination.

LOVE, BY THE NUMBERS: It's no fun slagging Celine Dion, who is, apart from
hype and enormous wealth, a genuinely nice person with a genuinely nice
voice. Besides, A New Day Has Come will sell oodles whether critics like it
or not. Here's the breakdown:

DANCE TUNES: 4

LIGHT POP: 2

ROCK 'N' ROLL SONGS: 1

LOVE BALLADS: 9

LOVE ITSELF: mentioned 66 times.

HEART: 16 references

ANGEL, SPIRIT, GOD, etc: invoked 31 times.

SONGS THAT COULD BE ABOUT MOTHERHOOD: 4

SOARING KEY CHANGES: 7 (including two in the same song).

SONGWRITERS, ARRANGERS and PRODUCERS: 53, including Corey Hart and Aldo
Nova. No David Foster!

PREVALENT NATIONALITY OF ABOVE: Swedish.

BACKGROUND VOCALISTS: 25, including Shania Twain, Chantal Kreviazuk and St.
Albert's own Roberta Michele.

TOUR: No tour yet, at least not until her three-year, 600-show contract in
Las Vegas is up.

TV: Airing April 7 will be the CBS special Celine Dion: A New Day Has Come,
whose taping was also beset by technical glitches that left this trouper
unflapped.

"What are you going to do?" Celine tells TV Guide. "Are you going to scream?
No. You have to wring the best out of those moments. It is often when you
are tired or you don't have your full voice or you have problems that the
best comes out of you." (More on Celine Dion).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 27, 2002

Celine's Hubby Leveled With Rape Accusations

There are marriages and then there are marriages. Check out this CNN story about the marital difficulties currently being encountered by Quebec pop star Celine Dion and her husband Rene Angelil. According to the report, Angelil is being sued for allegedly raping Yun Kyeong Sung Kwon, a Korean ordained minister of the Full Gospel World church in Los Angeles.

The twist in this story comes when several months after the alleged March 2000 incident, Angelil payed "a lot of money" to Kwon to settle this matter. Approximately two years after the occurrence, the Kwons apparently became disenchanted with the original settlement and are now looking for more payola.

According to Rene's attorney Marty Singer, he acknowledged Angelil paid "a lot of money" to settle the claims made by the Kwons, but said he only agreed to do so because "he wanted to protect the health of himself, his wife and his unborn child at a time when he was fighting cancer and his wife had finally become pregnant after struggling with the horrible physical and emotional strain of enduring protracted fertility treatments."

In response to Singer's comments, does his client make a habit of paying "a lot of money" to any opportunist who comes along and alleges wrongdoing against him? If you are in the clear, you pay your attorney to defend you, not some opportunist looking for a quick buck.

Celine stands by her man

These allegations come at a bad time for Celine and hubby Rene since Dion is currently releasing a new album and, considering the current pathetic state of the music industry, she can use all of the positive publicity she can get. In a predictible fashion, Dion has also stated that she stands behind Rene.

In addition, to show that life is still a bowl of cherries for Celine and Rene, Angelil walked onto the set of the Oprah show carrying their one year old child. Since a gag order has been placed on this case, it is unlikely main street and by the book Oprah asked Celine and Rene anything about the alleged rape.

Can a marriage counseling session between Celine, Rene, Oprah and Dr. Phil be in the works? Stay tuned...

Sphinx
"There's Only 1 Station"
 =============
 Civil suit contends Celine Dion's husband raped woman
March 26, 2002 Posted: 12:17 PM HKT (0417 GMT)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY ALBUM REVIEW OF "A NEW DAY HAS COME"
Posted by TIMMAH!!! on 3/30/2002, 2:46 pm
Here's what I thought of the new album:
1. I'm Alive- Very catchy and up-beat. I like it. (8.5/10)

2. Right In Front Of You- I like the chorus, and it is a pretty good song lyrically. (7/10)

3. Have You Ever Been In Love- Okay for a slow song. Not as powerful as some of her older music, but still pretty damn good. (7.5/10)

4. Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)- I admit, I too thought this song was a little corny, but I see it's point. I think it means that love is inevitable? Otherwise, this song is just kind of dumb. (6/10)

5. A New Day Has Come (Radio Remix)- I love this one. It's pretty good, I like it almost as much as I liked "That's The Way It Is." One of the best on this album. (9/10)

6. Ten Days- I, for one, LOVE this song. It has a blues-ish sound to it. I like it. (8.5/10)

7. Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)- I like it, and it is touching, but it has too much of a Shania Twain sound for me to love it. (6.5/10)

8. Prayer- I think this song is touching too, but it is a little too boring and monotonous. (7/10)

9. I Surrender- I think this is the best and most powerful song on the album. I love this one. It is my favorite of this album. (10/10)

10. At Last- I like this one, I liked the old version by Etta James and I think this one is even better. Very catchy. (9/10)

11. Sorry For Love- This song reminded me of Cher. I don't really like Cher, but the beat is good and Celine sings a lot better than Cher, so it's okay. (6.5/10)

12. Aun Existe Amor- I LOVE Spanish. I take it in school and I think this song is very beautiful. Very touching. I think the title mean something like "Since Love Exists" or something like that. Correct me if I'm wrong. (8.5/10)

13. The Greatest Reward- This song is very powerful and it also seems to be about Rene-Charles. It's like he is her Greatest Reward. (7.5/10)

14. When The Wrong One Loves You Right- This reminds me too much of "Everybody's Talkin' My Baby Down" from the album "The Colour of My Love." But it's okay, I guess. (7/10)

15. A New Day Has Come- Good, very touching. It sounds like a lullaby when sung slow. She should perform like this more often, versus the faster version. (8.5/10)

16. Nature Boy- This song is very soothing and has a great message. I love this one because it is like a mini story and the end message is very powerful. (8/10)

Overall, I give the CD a rating of 9/10. It has a little something for everyone, well, except rappers. But that's not Celine's style, I guess.  I think this is one of her BEST ALBUMS EVER though.

Feel free to tell me what you think of my review.
Timmah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
my review
Posted by guy on 3/28/2002, 10:02 am , in reply to "Re: My review on the new album"
the album is a good one but LTAL was alot better...
i am alive - 7/10 - uptempo song , a little bite boring with no high notes.....

right in front of u - 7/10 - uptempo song , better than i am alive but still it could be better...no high notes as well.....

have u ever been in love - 8/10 - beatiful ballad her voice is beatiful a classic celine ballad.

rain , tax - 3/10- the worst song celine ever recorded!!!!!!!!!!no voice just electronic sh##
very bad...

a new day has come(radio edit) - 7/10 - the other version is better but still nice song ....not enough for a first single....

ten days - 4/10 - very bad.......again no voice even britney sounds better...........

goodbyes the saddest word - 8/10 - very touching , beatiful voice , beatiful background vocals from shania still something extra is missing......

prayer - 8/10 - a beatiful ballad very emotional ...

i surrender -10+/10 - the best song celine ever recorded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!no doubt about that .....the lyrics the music.....perfect+ and her voice......wow.......very high notes at the end......her highest until now i think......

at last - 6/10 - natalie cole did that better , celine is whispering again and i want her screaming!!!!!!!

sorry for love - 10/10 - the bomb!!!! this should be one of the biggest club hits ever!!!
the music is great and her voice is perfect!!!!
very high notes !!!!!!!!

aun existe amor -6/10 - i dont like spanish so.....

the greatest reward - 10/10 - perfect ballad....one of her best...her voice is magical here.......

when the wrong one loves u right - 9/10 - a very good uptempo ballad . is the wrong one is rene????? i wonder.......a very good song however.....

a new day has come - 8/10 this is the album version very emotional , no high notes .....

nature boy - 9/10- no high notes but what a song....and celine sings perfectly....

superlove - 7/10 = good r&b song but not for our celine....u should stay where u belong with those great ballads.....

so , we have some trash over this album like rain , tax and ten days but we also have some of the best songs she ever recorded like i surrender the greatest reward sorry for love.............

the album is 8/10- a very good album.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subject: My Review after one week's listening:) Your thoughts?
From: tom.graham3@ntlworld.com  (Tom Graham)
Date: 3/31/02 6:27 PM Eastern Standard Time

I have listened to the new album dozens of times now, so I thought I'd
do my own concise little review of it.

Here goes...

"I'm Alive"

Good song, catchy. Ummm...I don't like it as much as I did when I
first heard it - but it's definitely a future single.

I think it's a good pop song, but nothing more. It doesn't measure up
to current pop smash hits such as "Whenever, Wherever" or "Murder on
the Dancefloor", if you see what I mean. It's not a great pop song. I
love the beat, but I think the words are a little repetitive and its
chorus dies away after a promising start. It should get more radio
airplay, though.

I'd give it an 8/10.

"Right Infront of You"

Well I like this song...it's grown on me, in contrast to "I'm Alive".
The violin sound is very nice, although the sombre start somehow
doesn't fit the remainder of the song - or maybe that's not such a bad
thing? I mean, I thought the trouble with "I'm Alive" is that it's too
mainstream - so RIOY being a little different may be not such a bad
thing.

This song is one of my favourites because her voice is used to its
maximum potential without being over done, considering the fact that
it's a fairly upbeat pop song.

I think I'd give this song an 8/10. It doesn't have "I'm Alive's"
catchy chorus or funky beat, but it's overall a much better song.
Unlikely to be a future single, though.

"Have You Ever Been in Love"

This is probably my second worst song on the album. Too soppy(although
why I'm not used to that being a Celine fan I don't know! LOL) and
seems to drift off in no real direction. To put it simply - it's dead
boring. I don't like the lyrics or the subject - I'm not really a
romantic LOL!

Celine's voice does salvage it somewhat, but I just don't think the
song should have been put on the album. It doesn't bring the best out
of Celine.

If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't give it a 5/10, but as I say, I
think Celine's voice does at least bring some life to it.

"Rain, Tax(it's inevitable)"

Ever since I first saw the song on the album's tracklisting, I was
curious to find out what it sounded like. I wasn't disappointed. It
took 2 or 3 listens to decide whether I thought it was great or crap,
but I soon decided that it's ironically one of my favourite songs on
the album. I say that it's ironic because this is the song that most
people are saying is the big let down of the album.

I think it's funky and cool in both its beat and its lyrics. It's new
ground for Celine, when most of this album - in fact, almost all of it
with the exception of this song - is ground that she has already
covered in the past with much better songs, or ground that has already
been covered by artists who are inferior to Celine - in a sense I
think she's lowered herself to become more contemporary.

Anyway...although I think it's unlikely - though not impossible - that
this song will be a single, I'd actually give it a 9/10. It's not one
of the great songs of her career, but it's one of the standout tracks
of the album, without a doubt. She's proved that she can accommodate
new styles with this song, without sounding too contemporary.

"A New Day Has Come"

Well after initially not liking the song, I now see why it was the
lead single. I actually DO now think that this song is one of her
greatest efforts. It's upbeat and positive, yet soulful at the same
time. Celine's strength in years gone by was that she could be soulful
whilst singing pop songs - something which is very difficult to
achieve. While I think a great deal of this album lacks that
particular skill, this song possesses it in droves. I would even go as
far as saying that this is one of her greatest ever vocal
performances. She reaches a crescendo without any notes lasting ten
seconds - something which I think spoils some of the ballads on the
album.

I'd give this a 9.5/10.

"Ten Days"

When I heard this was a rock ballad, I was naturally excited. One of
my favourite songs of all time - Cher's "If I could Turn Back Time" -
is a rock ballad, so naturally, with Celine's vocal ability, I was
intrigued to hear how it would sound - and I was pretty disappointed.

I know Celine's no rock chick, but I think they could have made it
louder and more dramatic than the final product. It's not a bad song,
and is a welcome break from the, at times, overwhelming theme of love,
but I just don't think it's as good as some people have rated it to
be.

Maybe I'll change my mind in years to come. I'd give this song a
6.5/10.

"Goodbye's(the saddest word)"

Well maybe if I was a mother, or a daughter who was particularly
enamoured by my mother, I would love this song. As it is, I think
"UGGGHHHH".

I think Celine sings this song wonderfully, but I just don't like the
song or the theme. How many times is the word "love" repeated? It's
far too sickly for me. There's very little else to say about it.

As her voice makes the song pleasant enough, and as I do recognise
that I'm biased, I'll give it a 6/10.

"Prayer"

I don't dislike this song, but I'm hardly mad about it, either. I
think Celine sings a poor song well. It's pretty boring - that's about
all I can say. Again, another song that makes me wonder what the
rejects for the album were like. Surely there were some better songs?

I'll give it a 5/10.

"I Surrender"

Now this is one of the better ballads in that it's loud and at least
slightly dramatic - when most of the other ones are completely
monotonous - but again, it's nothing special. It doesn't compare to
any of her old ballads. She holds the note at the end for far too
long, impressive though it is. It's embarrassing when I'm playing it
in Woolies - I feel like people's ear drums are going to pop! She ends
the song shouting and screaming her head off about nothing.

Still, though, it's a better song than the other ballads; it's more
dramatic and has better lyrics - I just don't think the dramatic
effect works anywhere near as well as in some of her earlier songs, if
at all.

I'd give this song a 7/10.

"At Last"

Well I think she sings this song beautifully - and if you like old
music, it's not half bad. There's no way it'll be released as single,
but it's one of the better moments of the album. I especially like it
as she sung it on Parkinson's.

The song is interesting the whole way through, without ending with her
screaming her head off OR having the no chorus at all.

I'd give it an 8/10

"Super Love"

Why oh why was this pile of crap put on the album? Maybe Celine can't
win - she tries to do something different and is criticised, but at
the same time she's accused of doing the same style of music over and
over again.

No, seriously, this song is the worst song on the album. I can't begin
to fathom how any of the rejects were this bad. If they were worse,
I'm worried about the amount of time she wasted during the winter when
she could have been at home looking after Rene or Rene-Charles.

Unlike "Rain, Tax", this song is not an enjoyable attempt at Celine
expanding her audience. It's horrible.

I give it a 3/10.

"Sorry For Love"

Well yes, this IS one of my favourite songs of the album, and I do
think it will be a future single - although I'm not so sure how it
will fare. I don't think it's great, but I think Celine manages, as in
TTWII, to make her outstanding voice shine through on a dance track.
Only, this is heavier dance than TTWII - which was a much better song,
in my opinion. I think the song is great in most parts, but is
spoiled, if ruined is too strong a word, at the end by the over
extended notes. There are also parts of the chorus where I think they
let the intensity die down, when it could have been made louder or
more catchy.

And yeah, it's got crap lyrics. Who cares, though - it's a Step-esque
song, and should win her some new fans. It's no "Believe", though, as
some people have been saying. It'll bring ridicule as well as credit.

I'll give this song an 8.5/10.

"Aun Existe Amor"

This is a great effort. If only her English songs had been like this
one. What else can I say about a song I don't even
understand?Ummmmm......well her voice sounds as exquisite as ever, and
the ballad is spot on.

I'll give this song an 8/10.

"The Greatest Reward"

Well there's no chance of this song being a single, but I actually
think it's not bad. Again, it's not outstanding, but I like the lyrics
and the way that she sings it. One of the better ballads of the album.
They should have put this song further up the tracklisting rather than
have those rather poor ballads stuck in the middle of what is a very
long album.

I'd give this song a 7.5/10.

"When The Wrong One Loves You Right"

Well this is an obvious pick for a single, although I have a funny
feeling it might be overlooked - I don't know why. I feel very much
the same about this song as I do "I'm Alive".

On first listening, I loved the beat, the lyrics and the catchiness of
the song. Now I feel it's just another good but not great pop song.
Still, it's one of the best tracks on the album and should win her new
fans. It's also a song capable of getting a lot of airplay - which is
obviously needed.

I'd give this song an 8/10.

"Nature Boy"

Well I'll just quickly say that she sings the song well and that it's
a good cover - not that I've heard the original many times. I can't
really say any more than that.

I'd give it a 7/10.

Conclusion...

Overall I feel the album is commercially sound, but Celine sacrifices
some of her strengths. It's not as polished as "Falling Into You" and
not as sophisticated as "Let's Talk About Love". Neither does it have
any of the standout tracks that "Colour of My Love" has, other than
ANDHC.

Overall, I'm disappointed, although I still love listening to it. Any
new material by Celine is better than nothing. I just think it was
perhaps a little rushed. Some better songs could have been chosen if
she'd waited another 3 or 4 months, maybe.

I'd give the album a 7/10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Album review from the UK newspaper "The Times"
She's the cream of the cheese

Celine Dion is so much more than an MOR muppet, says David Sinclair, but then he's heard her do AC/DC

It was travelling on a noisy 15-seater plane in the company of Celine Dion a few years ago which persuaded me that, contrary to what you might have heard, the woman is a treasure. For some reason, we got to talking about heavy metal music and she professed a secret passion for AC/DC. The next minute, amid the roar of the engines, she launched into an impromptu rendition of Thunderstruck, transforming her bell-like voice into a convincingly raucous approximation of Brian Johnson's screech.

The point is that Dion has the voice, the ear and the personality to have been any sort of singer she wanted to be. There is a song on her latest album, A New Day Has Come (Epic, out on Monday), which illustrates this perfectly. It is called Ten Days and was written by Aldo Nova, a Canadian heavy rocker from the 1980s. "Ten days have come and gone/Ten days and I'm all alone/And all that I can do is pray and pray," Dion sings in a low, bluesy drawl against a dry backbeat and a rising swell of slide guitars. If you added a middle-eight rap and stuck this number on an album by Eagle-Eye Cherry or Crazytown, you would have a pop-rock track as cool as they come.

Of course, Dion's album does not feature any guest rappers and the rest of the songs are a more familiar mix of power ballads, dancefloor throwdowns and traditional pop anthems. On I Surrender she hauls a typically glutinous lyric to the top of a mountainous chorus, whence she hurls it to the four winds -a performance that makes other merchants of bombast, from Meat Loaf to Shirley Bassey, seem timid.

Elsewhere she turns her hand to styles ranging from the almost up-to-date R&B feel of Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable) to a couple of old showtunes: Glenn Miller's At Last and the Nat King Cole hit Nature Boy.

If we must suffer death by MOR, then forget the pupae stars of Pop Idol with their well-rehearsed but emotionally vacant reprises of songs you have already heard a hundred times before. Dion is the real thing.
 

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

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A civil lawsuit claims Rene Angelil -- the husband and manager of pop diva Celine Dion -- raped a woman in her Las Vegas hotel room two years ago and threatened to kill her "if my wife finds out about this."

The suit, filed March 15 in Las Vegas by Yun Kyeong Sung Kwon and her husband, AE H. Kwon, seeks to set aside a settlement agreement between the couple and Angelil because he allegedly failed to offer an apology and get tested for HIV and hepatitis. The Kwons were given an undisclosed amount of money as part of the June 2000 settlement.

The suit seeks a minimum of $60,000 from Angelil and the Imperial Palace Casino in Las Vegas where the woman says she was raped in March 2000.

A police report was not filed at the time, but Las Vegas police told CNN a report has since been filed -- on March 19, two years to the day after the alleged incident.

Angelil, in a statement from his press agent before a gag order was issued in the case last Friday, vowed to fight the suit, calling it a "preposterous plot, specious and false."

"Anyone who knows Rene Angelil knows that these claims are ridiculous," Angelil's attorney Marty Singer said.

Singer acknowledged Angelil paid "a lot of money" to settle the claims made by the Kwons, but said he only agreed to do so because "he wanted to protect the health of himself, his wife and his unborn child at a time when he was fighting cancer and his wife had finally become pregnant after struggling with the horrible physical and emotional strain of enduring protracted fertility treatments." (Celine Dion gave birth to son, Rene-Charles Angelil, in January 2001.)

The statement goes on to call the claims "fabricated" and a "con game."

According to the suit, Angelil followed Mrs. Kwon -- a Korean who claims to be an ordained minister of the Full Gospel World church in Los Angeles -- from the Caesars Palace casino back to her room at the Imperial Palace.

The suit alleges that Angelil "pushed his way" into Mrs. Kwon's room, "tore off her clothing" and "forcibly raped her."

"In a quick, vicious and violent manner, Defendant Angelil sexually forced himself upon Plaintiff Mrs. Kwon as he fended off her attempts to protect herself," the suit alleges.

After Angelil dressed himself, according to the lawsuit, he turned to Mrs. Kwon and said, "If my wife finds out about this, I'll kill you!"

The suit claims that the Kwons were under duress when they entered into the settlement agreement they now seek to have put aside, and that their then-attorneys warned about "how easy and inexpensive it would be" for Angelil to have them killed if they didn't seek a settlement.

A judge in Las Vegas issued the gag order, banning discussions about the case with the news media until a hearing can be held.

A spokesman for the Canadian recording star's record label -- Epic Records -- told CNN that Dion's husband is "anxious" to respond to the allegations but can't now because of the gag order.

Celine Dion is currently in New York getting ready for the release of her new album Tuesday.

CNN attempted to get a comment from the attorney representing the Kwons. His office said he would not comment due to the gag order. CNN has been unable to locate the Kwons or the church Mrs. Kwon reportedly is attached to.

A lawyer representing Angelil did not return a call seeking comment.
---------------------------

Posted by Jerri on 3/30/2002, 1:21 am

Arts and Lifestyle - Music ...NY Daily News
Sunday, March 24, 2002
True Romance?
Dion sings sludgy love songs....

BY JIM FARBER

CELINE DION "A New Day Has Come" (Epic)

There's a drought in diva-land. With Mariah bouncing out of the booby hatch and trying to prove she's no sales pariah, Whitney seemingly shrinking into oblivion and Barbra too busy spooning with James Brolin to make a record that's more compelling than a dime-store greeting card, it's the perfect time for Celine Dion to end the shortest retirement in history and release a new album.

Fans who have come to rely on Dion's pathologically idealized views of love, shouted over the sappiest music this side of whatever David Foster just produced, have reason to stand up and cheer. Despite the title of Dion's latest album, you needn't worry about a new day coming in her music. This record says "yesterday" with a vengeance.

Four years have passed since the shrieky Canadian delivered music as wet as the "Titanic" theme, but Dion still hacks out the schmaltz like nobody's business.
In fact, Dion offers something no other modern diva can. She's the most old-fashioned of the breed, untouched by anything trendy or even particularly contemporary. Unlike Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey, there's no real R&B influence in Dion's music, no modern production effects. And hip-hop foes can rest assured there's no threat that Dion will ever perform a duet with Ja Rule.

The lyrical point of view in her songs is just as defiantly ancient, recalling a prefeminist world, where a woman is wholly defined by whatever man she can land. There's no value in self-reliance or assertion. You won't even find any "I Will Survive"-style declarations. Dion favors anthems of co-dependence, where a girl's life is entirely in the hands of the one who "rescues" her in love. It's a view of relationships that could only be
concocted by someone who has never actually been in one. Or by someone who thinks there's something to be gained by inflating them into something that resembles a child's view of the hereafter. Apparently, there's a worldwide market for this kind of thing.

Musically, Dion allowed a few minor fiddles with her ballad-heavy formula this time. The album's title track piggybacks cynically on the Enya gravy train, inserting some angelic, New Age coos into the chorus, while "Ten Days" is a "rock" song, in the Pat Benatar sense of the term. Dion also performs the most overcovered standard of late: Etta James' "At Last." Her version sounds even less heartfelt than last year's rendition by Christina
Aguilera, lacking that singer's excuse of youthful inexperience.

Comparing a singer like James to Dion gets to the heart of the problem with Canada's most successful export. While James is all about feeling, Dion expresses pure technique. There's a ruinous virtuosity to Dion's work, a belief that the sheer ability to sustain a note longer than anyone, or shout it louder, counts for all. The result reduces singing to lifting weights, making Dion's music less an artistic pursuit than an athletic one.
In the end, she's not so much a singer as a kind of circus attraction: the Woman with the Iron Lungs, a Guinness Book of World Records oddity to be hawked by barkers and, it seems, marveled over by millions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subject: Virgin.net's one star review
From: "D.E. & F."
Date: 3/29/02 3:04 PM Eastern Standard Time

By James Lamb,

Since the blockbusting film Titanic looks set to be repeated every
Christmas, Easter or Bank Holiday, it's unlikely we'll ever forget the
terrible tragedy that is Celine Dion's singing career. As a frozen Leo Di
Caprio sank to his doom, cool, classy Celine rose to superstardom warbling
My Heart Will Go On. Just in case anyone had started to forget the
big-voiced, little lady from Quebec, she's back with an album showcasing her
bombastic singing style.

Great singers - in the classic, perfectly modulated stage school sense -
rarely make great pop stars, and Dion is a case in point. Heavily
orchestrated, soaring love ballads are her trademark and she doesn't
disappoint her fans, who, let's face it, love what she does. They thrill to
the sudden key changes and the yearning lyrics belted out as if Celine's
life, rather than her huge bank balance depended on it.

But all this becomes tiresome if you don't like power ballads. At the
halfway mark of the album, you reach a song called Goodbye's (The Saddest
Word). Hopes rise, but studying the CD case reveals there are another nine
tracks to go. Read 'em and weep.

It's not all soaring but boring. She has a shot at rock 'n' roll with Ten
Days. Not a good move. Recognition that the world of music has moved on
since the Titanic sank comes with attempts at modernity that sound like
Destiny's Child outtakes. She even throws in some seemingly de rigueur - for
today's solo female artist at least - Spanish fluff called Aun Existe Amor.

None of this deflects from the fact that this is a bland confectionery of
saccharine emotion that will have you listening to Will Young's Evergreen
for something "edgy".

http://www.virgin.net/music/reviews/album?albumid=182405
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One-day sales: New Day dawns, and boy is it big
Celine Dion’s Bringing Home The Back Bacon for Epic ... Again
March 27, 2002

Is five years too long to wait for a new album from everybody’s favorite chest-thumping French-Canadian vocal stylist?

Not when that vocal stylist is Celine Dion, and not when that new album is on track to sell well over 500k in its first week, according to early reports from national accounts!

That’s right: The retirement’s over, Caesar’s is rolling out the red carpet for her, Epic is saluting her, and Dion’s new set, A New Day Has Come, will be a huge #1 on next week’s HITS Top 50 Albums chart.

New Day is Dion’s first studio effort since 1997’s Let’s Talk About Love, which, if you remember, was nothing to sneeze at. It’s first week came in at around 334k and was her biggest first week to date. Her All The Way: A Decade of Song greatest-hits compilation sold 302k in its first week in November of 2000.

But this is already blowing those titles away, which means it will upset the Now 9 compilation , which just made a big #1 bow on sales of over 430k and is expected to maintain that pace the rest of this week.

It also means Dion’s ability to draw a crowd will have the effect of pulling the rest of the market up with her, which is nothing but good news, especially for other albums hitting the street this week. Look for solid debuts from the latest in head-banging wrestling music, WWF: Forceable Entry on Columbia and Avant’s Ecstasy on MCA, both of which should score in the 100k range. The latest in head-banging soundtracks, The Scorpion King on Universal, should also approach 100k—a fine showing, considering the movie won’t hit theaters until mid-April.

To recap: Celine’s back, and she’s bigger than ever. And you thought Canadian hockey was exciting.
www.hitsdailydouble.com/
3/23/02
Date: 3/24/02 7
I'mSubj:  Celine album fan-review
To: celinescreen@aol.com

I bought the new Celine album last Friday and I've been listening to it
over and over again. I love it! Here is my own personal review:

A NEW DAY HAS COME / CELINE DION

1. I'm alive: the opening track is BRILLIANT! Co-written by Kristian
Lundin who also co-wrote Celine's other smash 'That's the way it is'. He
also wrote songs for Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and NSync. This
is fresh, powerful, up-tempo, pure pop. Really good! No wonder it is
going to be the second single and will released early June.

2. Right in front of you: Co-written and co-produced by Steve Morales. I
don't know him, but this song continues the fresh, pop, up-tempo style
of the opening track. It's good!

3. Have you ever been in love: The first ballad (one of the few!).
Co-written and co-produced by Anders Bagge (known for his work with 98
Degrees). A beautiful ballad. Celine like we know her.

4. Rain, Tax (it's inevitable): Produced by Christopher Neil (who worked
with Celine before on her 'Unison' album). This mid-tempo song has a bit
'strange/modern' kind of lyrics. It's okay, but not one of my favorite
songs on the album. It does perfectly blend with the style of this
album.

5. A new day has come (radio remix): Written by Aldo Nova (who worked
with Celine on her 'Unison' and 'Falling into you' albums). For this
remix Ric Wake and Richie Jones were brought into the studio. Ric Wake
is known for his production on the Celine's 'The colour of my love'
album (he produced four of the up-tempo tracks) and for up-tempo tracks
of Taylor Dayne and Mariah Carey (Someday, Prisoner). Richie Jones is
known for his dance remixes (like for 'My heart will go on'). Their
production gives this song that extra bit. Love it!

6. Ten days: Another song by Aldo Nova. Mid-tempo. Fits perfectly well
on this album. Good song, but not special.

7. Goodbye's (the saddest word): Written and produced by Mutt Lange (of
Michael Bolton and Shania Twain fame). Of course he also wrote 'If walls
could talk' on Celine's last album. I was never really taken by that
song, but is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! One of the highlights on this album. A
beautiful ballad with Mutt Lange and his wife, Shania Twain, singing the
backing-vocals. It seems to be especially written for Celine as the
lyrics are about 'a mother's love for her child'. It sounds a bit like
the big ballads Mutt Lange wrote for Bryan Adams. If this is to be a
single, I think it could be a BIG hit.

8. Prayer: Written by Corey Hart, who also wrote two songs on the 'Let's
talk about love' album. This ballad is produced by Walter Afanasieff
(who has produced many ballads for Celine for the last ten years). This
song is obviously about September 11th. It's beautiful, but not a
highlight. It can also be found on the maxi-cdsingle of 'A new day has
come'.

9. I surrender: Written by Louis Biancaniello. Heard his name before,
but can't remember where and when. Beautiful ballad. Celine like we
know. This builds up, big ballad.

10.At last: Original by Etta James in the 1940's. For the younger
generation it's best known by Christina Aguilera, who gives a stunning
performance of this song on both her DVD's: turning it into a gospel
classic, like we thought only Mariah could do. Celine turns it more into
a pop classic version. Her voice soars here. She sang it live at
Parkinson, yesterday night. This is very beautiful.

11.Super love: Back to the mid-tempo/up-tempo tracks. Written by Guy
Roche and Shelly Peiken, who wrote Celine's 'If I were you' (1992), but
more recently... 'What a girl wants' by Christina Aguilera. Still,
somehow this really sounds Celine goes Britney Spears. Very modern. I
really like this one. A pitty for the US-fans... it only appears on the
European version of the album.

12.Sorry for love: We are really going to dance now! Produced by Anders
Bagge. This is really awesome! Remember 'Little bit of love' from 'Let's
talk about love'? Similar beat. Really good!! Love it!

13.Aun existe amor: Just like on the 'Let's talk about love'-album,
there is one Spanish track on here. Not an original song though, but an
adaption of Celine's French hits 'L'amour existe encore' (from the 'Des
mots qui sonnent'-album). Celine sings it as beautifully as the French
version (back in 1991), but the music gets a Spanish latin flavour this
time, which works really well with the Spanish lyrics. BEAUTIFUL!

14.The greatest reward: Produced by Kristian Lundin. A beautiful ballad.
Typical Celine.

15.When the wrong one loves you right: Produced by Ric Wake and Richie
Jones. Yes, another really up-tempo track. Even better than 'Sorry for
love'! Can't sit during this one, just dance. :-)

16.A new day has come: this is the original album version and so it's
different than the version we hear on the radio. This is the ballad
version co-produced by ballads-master Walter Afanasieff (who also
co-wrote most of Mariah's ballads). This song works really well as a
ballad, but I prefer the radio version myself. It's great that both
versions are put on the album. This way you don't necessarily have to
buy the cdsingle (although the maxi does contain another extra remix).

17.Nature boy: this classic has sung by people as different as Shirley
Bassey to David Bowie (Moulin Rouge soundtrack). Although it's produced
by Walter Afanasieff, it's NOT a big ballad. This is really quiet, more
like 'Fly' (from the 'Falling into you' album). A beautiful and
surprising end to a pop album! (For the Dutch people out there: Pia Beck
has recorded this too with a very funny Dutch translation...)

Overall: a GREAT album. Definetly not 'just another' Celine album. This
is more pop orientated than any of her previous albums. This has so many
mid-tempo and up-tempo songs that when a ballad comes on, it's like:
"Oh! A ballad!" Before, it was always the other way round. Maybe Celine
wants to attract a new listening audience. Maybe she just wanted to do
something different. Maybe she just loved 'That's the way it is' so
much, that she decided to do a whole album in that genre. Whatever the
reason: I LOVE it! Way to go girl!

Ray
========================
From http://www.celinedion.com
Yesterday in London, England, Céline was presented with the most expensive disc ever in recognition of 15 million album and single sales in the UK. The disc is a one-off, designed and manufactured by the Queen's jewellers Asprey & Garrard. "I feel honoured to be receiving such a precious award. But, at the same time, I know that our children are the most important part of our lives. They bring out the good in the world and they give us hope. I'm thrilled that I can donate this award to 'Help A London Child' and I thank everyone involved with this charity," said Céline. The disc was presented to Céline on Thursday, March 21 by 95.8 Captial FM's Chris Tarrant, who is a patron of the charity. "I've always been a bit of a Céline fan, and to have something like this donated to Capital's 'Help A London Child' is just fabulous. If it can raise anything close up to £50,000 - then it'll help us help a lot of needy kids in London," said 95.8 Capital FM's Chris Tarrant. Set in solid silver, the disc features a full-length gold silhouette of Céline Dion, sprinkling 15 handcrafted individually cut diamonds across a black acrylic landscape frame - plus a diamond set Céline logo. Each diamond is mounted in a 5-point white-gold star, representing each of Céline's album and single sales in the UK. In total, the piece contains over 2.5 carats of diamonds. Following its presentation to Céline, the disc was delivered by 'special security' to HMV's flagship store at 150 Oxford Street, Oxford Circus in London, England. This will be displayed in their window until Wednesday, March 27. Whilst at HMV, the disc will be guarded by 24-hour security. "HMV are delighted to display this truly exceptional disc at our flagship store in Oxford Street, and we would encourage fans to see for themselves just how spectacular it is. We are sure that this will help raise a lot of money for the HALC charity." HMV Oxford Circus customers will be able to pick up details of the 'Help A London Child' charity auction along with information about making bids, via a special in-store leaflet. The disc will go on show at the 'star-studded' Capital Awards lunch @ the Royal Lancaster Hotel, on Wednesday, March 27, and put on display for invitees to place pre-bids. The disc, will then be delivered to Asprey & Garrard, Old Bond Street, W1 - where it will be displayed in their window, until it is auctioned 'live on Capital FM' on Sunday, March 31.
 

========================
3/23/02
The note is below that Celine wrote on her new album, as it is on sales in the Nertherlands right now.

I'm not the first one to say that life has changed,but I feel it just as strongly as everyone else does.While we were recording this album,there was a much different feeling from time before. With a renewed sense of family and commitment that has come upon us, it felt as if the producers,writers,musicians, and all those who were involed, were putting even more of their very own special love and tenderness into everything that they were doing. I'm forever grateful to all of them, for sharing their talent and emotions with me during the making of this album. I'm also grateful for all the love and support that I recieve from all of those who surround me...my husband, my parents, my brothers and sisters, my friends, the people I work with every day, ans Sony Music family trouhout the world.
As for how things have changed for me personally, I don't know where to begin. With the birth of Rene-Charles, everything has changed. Every parent knows what I'm talking about, but until I experienced it for myself, I could never have imagined how wonderful this precious gift of life could be. The goals that I thought were important before certainly don't mean as much to me as they used to. In the past I had big dream about acting, traveling the world for pleasure and learning new languages. I'd still like to do these things, but, now they're not nearly as important as they once were. Having a child has made all the difference. I think the childeren have all the secrets...the unlock the knowlegde in all of us...they bring out the good in the world...and they give us new hope for better days. A special thank you to all the fans who have been with René and I trough the years, and whose good wishes and prayers have helped our dream come true

Love
Céline
xx...

3/21/02
Celine Dion's husband sued over alleged assault

LAS VEGAS,  (Reuters) - Singer Celine Dion's husband and manager is being sued by a woman who claims he fondled her in the elevator of a Las Vegas casino two years ago and then sexually assaulted her in her hotel room.

A spokesman for Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, said on Thursday he had paid a confidential monetary settlement to keep the charges from becoming public but was now ready to fight a lawsuit he called "an absurd fabrication."

In a civil complaint filed March 16 in Clark County District Court, Yun Kyeong Sung Kwon, a Los Angeles resident and an ordained minister of the Full Gospel World Church, and her husband, Ae Kwon, charged Angelil with assaulting her during a Las Vegas trip in March 2000.

The suit seeks unspecified damages for assault, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment, according to court papers.

Angelil and his business are both named as defendants in the lawsuit, which asks to set aside a settlement agreement reached in June 2000.

Marty Singer, the Los Angeles-based lawyer for Angelil, confirmed that his client had agreed to pay "a lot of money" to settle the original claims because at the time they surfaced he was battling cancer and Dion was undergoing difficult fertility treatments.

A spokesman for Angelil said he was now ready to battle it out in court.

"The lawsuit is an absurd fabrication contrived by opportunistic people looking for a way to make money," the spokesman said in a statement. "The malicious claims are completely false and defamatory."

TRIED TO ESCAPE

The Canadian singer, in Paris for an album promotion, is scheduled to begin a three-year, 600-show engagement at Caesars Palace next year. Dion, best known for singing "My Heart Will Go On" from the movie "Titanic," moved to Las Vegas this year.

Joseph Hong, a Las Vegas attorney representing the Kwons had no comment on the lawsuit  Thursday.

According to the suit, on March 18, 2000, Kwon, who was staying at the Imperial Palace, left the hotel and went across the street to gamble at Caesars Palace. Kwon was playing video poker at about 11 p.m. when Angelil, with his bodyguard, approached Kwon and introduced himself.

As Kwon was leaving the casino an hour later, according to the lawsuit, Angelil approached her and offered her tickets to a concert. Angelil followed Kwon back to the Imperial Palace and into an elevator, where Angelil began fondling the woman, the suit alleges. Kwon tried to escape to her room, according to the complaint, but Angelil forced his way in.

"In a quick, vicious and violent manner, defendant Angelil sexually forced himself upon plaintiff Mrs. Kwon as he fended off her attempts to protect herself," the lawsuit alleges.

Kwon, in the suit, says she called the hotel operator and hotel security officers arrived, but Angelil was already gone. The alleged incident was not reported to police, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said  Thursday.

In a statement, Angelil pledged to fight the lawsuit, saying that he was confident he would be vindicated and that the Kwons would be forced to pay back all of the earlier settlement money they had received, which he pledged to give to charity.

The Imperial Palace resort, also named in the lawsuit, is being sued for negligence. A spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.

21:43 03-21-02

Copyright 2002 Reuters
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ CELINE DION Video & TV Appearances!
The new video for the title track from Celine Dion's forthcoming release, 'A New Day Has Come' just made its
premiere on VH1!  Look for it during 'Celine Dion's TV Moments' airing 3/22 @ 4pm 3/23 @ 9pm!  'A New Day Has Come" arrives in stores on March 26, and Celine will be celebrating with lots of TV appearances!  Get the details at: http://celinedionusa.com/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Celine Dion Not Afraid of Las Vegas
- The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - Singer Celine Dion says she's not afraid of moving to Las Vegas, where she will begin a three-year, 600-show engagement at Caesars Palace hotel next year.

Dion told a news conference Wednesday that her 1-year-old son, Rene-Charles, ``is not going to be raised between a craps table and a slot machine. He will not even be in school by the time we leave Las Vegas.''

The 33-year-old Canadian singer, who is from Quebec, said Las Vegas has become ``more family-oriented - like Disney World, it has everything, water, mountains and golf.''

Her husband-manager, Rene Angelil, said the Las Vegas show, involving some 70 other performers, will be ``like something you have never seen before ... a mix between a live show and a movie or a video.''

Asked whether being onstage five nights a week could be exhausting, Dion said, ``I'm like an athlete in show biz going for the Olympics, I want to give the best of me to the fans.''

Dion has sold more than 140 million albums. She is perhaps best known for ``My Heart Will Go On'' from the 1997 film ``Titanic.''

She is promoting her latest album, ``A New Day Has Come,'' which will be released by Sony Music next week. The title was inspired by the birth of her son and her own joy, she said.

Dion said her husband's battle with throat cancer had made her stronger. ``You have to see something positive out of something so negative,'' she said.

On the Net:

Celine Dion Web site: http://www.celineonline.com

3/18/02
From  Sony Music Taiwan's site:

DJs in Taiwan are  waiting anxiously for Celine's new album to come out.  And even more so after they've heard her first single.  A DJ said, "Love is very important for Celine, it's also a force that pushes her foward.  I believe her new songs will eliver a sense of peace, freedom and sacrifice to many people.  Nowadays, there are many music that have imported new technologies to make some  special effects, make it more "full", but may not be able to touch people.  However, for Celine, she uses her emotions and feeling to make those special effects.  Thus, you can hear it when someone has music and love."  Another DJ who attended the L.A taping said that despite of the size of the theatre and few thousands of people, Celine with her humor and generosity could make the whole thing so intimate, and everything was like happening in the family room.  Some other DJs said how they were blown by Celine's performance when they saw her live in concerts, and how beautiful her voice is.
3/14/02
Reader's Digest
Celine Dion: The Uncut Interview
-Interview by Ana Veciana-Suarez
(Complete PDF Article here)
First, you hear cooing coming from the kitchen, then giggles, and finally the soft patter of French. Celine Dion is doing what she enjoys most: hanging out with her year-old son, René-Charles. Minutes later, she appears with child in arms, wearing sneakers, white slacks (stained with chocolate and spinach from the baby's feeding) and a blue shirt with the tail untucked.

"He can take steps," she says. "But we are always carrying him, holding him close." Two years ago the 34-year-old chanteuse told fans she wanted to take a break from her music. She felt she needed time to be with her husband, and, as she put it, "to be bored."

And she wanted a baby. In 1994 Dion married her twice-divorced manager, René Angelil, 60, who has three grown children. The couple set about trying to start a family, but Dion was convinced the stress of relentless touring was preventing her from conceiving. She had sold nearly 130 million albums worldwide, won five Grammys, and collaborated with Barbra Streisand and Luciano Pavarotti. She had dominated the Billboard charts with the hit "My Heart Will Go On," from Titanic. But after a world tour that ended with a millennium concert in Montreal, she decided it was time to stick closer to home.

Her instincts were just right. She became pregnant via in vitro fertilization, recommended before her husband received treatment for throat cancer in 1999. She gave birth to René-Charles on January 25, 2001, and has spent the last year golfing, cooking and tending to her boy and his dad. This month she makes her return to music with the release of a new album, A New Day Has Come.

Writer Ana Veciana-Suarez sat down with Dion at the singer's Jupiter, Florida, estate to talk about motherhood and Dion's changing priorities.

READER'S DIGEST: I would like to start by talking about what it was like for you to take the last two years off.

CELINE DION: Crucial. It was very, very important. It's not about vacation, it's not about going on a cruise, and it has nothing to do with being home every day and just relaxing. You have to do what's healthy. I needed a balance. When you're in show business for twenty-something years...

READER'S DIGEST: All your life, nearly.

DION: Yes. At some point you need to take it easy and have a normal life. I needed to get away from show business. I think it was time for me to stop. It was just too much. After Beauty and the Beast and Titanic, and everything else, so many things are being said, too much publicity, TV, radio, big hits, too much, too much.

READER'S DIGEST: Maybe too much exposure.

DION: I didn't want people to say, "Oh, my God, her again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VH1 TV Moments:  Celine Dion
On Tuesday, March 19  -
Titanic is the best word to describe Celine Dion's career in music. The French-Canadian chanteuse began as a huge star in Quebec, France and Switzerland when she was a little girl, but in the early 90s she mastered English and conquered America-aided by a boatload of memorable appearances, concerts, specials and videos on TV.  TV Moments: Celine Dion focuses on the many memorable TV moments in the singer's career, from her debut on American television to the premiere of the video for the mega-smash Titanic, and beyond. In this special episode of TV Moments you will witness Celine gain confidence in front of American audiences, masters the art of the interview and take control of a gala appearance. Celine has had a momentous career and the proof is on the videotape!  With the help of rare interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, TV Moments: Celine Dion takes a second look at some of the most joyous -- and most moving -- televised moments in the career of this special chanteuse. (Premieres from 10-11p) http://www.vh1.com/insidevh1/shows/tvmoments/celine-dion/

The Quebec singer, who put her career on hold in order to have a child -- 13-month-old Rene-Charles -- officially ended her semi-retirement with a concert Sunday night at this new home of the Academy Awards in old Hollywood.

A limited number of tickets at $20 US went on sale to the public earlier last week, and the performance, with guests Destiny's Child and singer Brian McKnight, was recorded as part of Dion's TV special airing April 7 on CBS and CBC-TV.

Dressed in a burgundy lace top and black pants, Dion made her initial entrance descending some stairs on a gaudy stage festooned with marble and gold, Esther Williams-worthy clam shells, and a nine-piece band.

The ensuing standing ovation from the crowd of 3,500 caused her to raise both fists and mouth, "Yes!"

Apparently even a performer who has sold 130 million albums worldwide can still get insecure. She admitted off the top that she was feeling pressure, even with a teleprompter feeding her intros and song lyrics.

"Well -- where do I begin?" Dion said after launching the night with the title track from her new record, A New Day Has Come. "I'm a little bit nervous. I've got butterflies right now and my heart is pounding. I'm so excited to be back on stage."

The start-stop quality of the concert probably didn't help her. There were three wardrobe changes (including into a revealing gown that caused concern whenever Dion sat at the edge of the stage) and other technical requirements that had her singing one song over entirely and redoing another intro no fewer than four times.

Her voice was in good shape, even if her goofy stage banter -- she covered everything from her wacky Grammy dress that had a seat belt hanging off it to her habit of pounding her chest while singing -- had some eyes rolling, while others proclaimed her eternally cute.

In an uncharacteristically frank moment, she said of her son Rene-Charles: "He still s---s on me!" and joked of big-bellied husband Rene: "He got pregnant with me. He's still pregnant!" (Pictures of the family were later shown during the set-ending song, Nature Boy).

The 14-song performance included nine different songs from A New Day Has Come, which is a mixture of ballads, uptempos, covers of At Last and Nature Boy, and a Spanish language song Aux Existe Amor. It hits stores March 26.

Destiny's Child, who Dion referred to as "My girlfriends," added some sex appeal, joining her for the new uptempo song, When The Wrong One Loves You Right, and a cover of the Bee Gees' Emotion. The sartorially splendid McKnight left his seat in the audience to join Dion in a duet for Beauty And The Beast.

Other audience favourites were older hits, Because You Loved Me and My Heart Will Go On.

The only other show Dion has scheduled before she begins a three-year, 600-show engagement in March 2003 at a specially built "coliseum " at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, is on April 3 in Montreal at the Molson Centre.

"The last two years, we've been through a lot," said Dion, near tears, once the taping was finished. "I want you to know that we missed you and thank you for making this very special for me tonight." (More on Celine Dion)
  Vote:
Are you excited about Celine Dion coming out of retirement?
Yes, I am
No, please go away Celine
I don't care either way

3/5/02
CBS Special taping - MY REVIEW
Posted by OHH on 3/4/2002, 10:15 pm

I was lucky enough to be able to attend Celine's taping of her
upcoming CBS Special last night in Hollywood at the Kodak Theatre.
I've been a HUGE fan since 1996. Being able to be at
Celine's "welcome back"performance was just
amazing! I started typing out my experience, simply for my own sake
of remembering everything and then realized I should post it for
others to read. If you attended the taping last night and would like
to chat, feel free to e-mail me at nowanorris@hotmail.com . I'm
also interested in obtaining a recording or photos if anyone was able
to pull off obtaining either.
Ok, here we go...she sang 13 songs if my mind serves me right.
It'll be interesting to see how badly they chop the show up
though...I'm afraid they're going to cut some of it out.

Ok, here's what she sang, along with my little commentary. It's at
least CLOSE to the order she sang it in last night...but I have a
feeling they're going to switch the order around. She came out
wearing one thing, went back, did a wardrobe change, and then letter
in the show put the very first dress back on!

A NEW DAY HAS COME- We all know about this already.  She did sing
the radio edit version last night...very awesome! She was wearing a
burgundy, lace top with black pants. SO stinking cute and the whole
time I couldn't help but thinking how she had a baby and is still so
skinny! LOL She came out and started right into this song. I was
wondering whether she'd talk to us first and then start the taping, or
how that would all work. But I think she started right into the song
because they wanted to have on tape everyone's first "welcome back"
reaction.

I'M ALIVE - AWESOME...LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! Totally upbeat and
just great. Kinda one of those songs that is just SO good that it
should be released as a single, yet they won't just because it isn't
"Celine" enough in their mind. You know what I mean? Anyway, she was
dancing around all cute...I missed seeing that!

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE - First of all, she comes out wearing this
really sexy red and black dress...it looked awesome on her. It was
really long on one side and then it was as if she was missing the
other half of the dress or something! LOL And they asked her to start
the song by sitting down on the stage. That was one of the highlights
of the night...she was a riot...trying to figure out how she was going
to work sitting and standing back up in THAT dress! LOL So she sings
the whole song, a beautiful ballad and after every song they took a
two minute break to review and approve before moving on and after this
song they're all..."Uhhh...Celine, I'm really sorry, but we have to
redo that song. It wasn't you...it's just that...uhhhh". And
everyone started laughing and she busts out with "It was my dress,
wasn't it? When I stood up? I bet you got a little more on camera
than necessary!" And everyone starts laughing. So she asked if she
could just start from standing and not have to worry about sitting and
standing and they told her NO! LOL So she tried it again. And she
apologized to the audience over and over and over again for having to
sit through it. I was like...HELLO! We get to listen to this brand
new song AGAIN! I could sit through a million mistakes and
retakes...how could you get sick of that? So anyway...she did sit and
stand back up, VERY carefully...wait till you see the dress! LOL It
looked really funny when she stood up, even the second time, but I
have a feeling they probably just did more of a face shot when she was
getting up the second time. LOL

GOODBYE'S (THE SADDEST WORD) - SOOOOO sad. I cried! It's about a
mother dying and having to say goodbye...and the whole we'll meet up
again someday in heaven thing. Ack, eats at your heart. But it was
beautiful, OF COURSE!

AUN EXISTE AMOR - She really did talk to the audience A LOT! I was so
happy...I think she spent more time blabbering than she did singing.
Otherwise the taping would have been done pretty fast. Anyway, she
told us how over her two-year break she took Spanish classes and then
she sang this song. It's the Spanish version of L'amour Existe
Encore.

EMOTION - This is Destiny's Child's song and they all sang together.
Celine was wearing a SUPER SUPER SUPER short, gold, glittery dress and
Destiny's Child were all wearing black. They looked pretty spiffy. I
love the song, but they should have let Celine sing more with them.
LOL They've all got really strong voices though, so I think it was a
hard song to share.

Another song with Destiny's Child - Ok, they all did a fast song
together, but I don't know if it was a Destiny's Child song or a new
song off of Celine's album. It's driving me nuts, the one song that I
can't remember! SO annoying! LOL

WHEN THE WRONG ONE LOVES YOU RIGHT - great song, typical Celine
sounding. I wasn't like HOLY COW THIS IS GREAT though.

AT LAST - ok...some some guy comes out on stage with a voilin and I
was thinking..."What...why is she doing TLYM?" LOL So she starts
singing this song and everyone goes insane, cheering and stuff. It's
a remake, but I've never heard of it before. Apparantly most people
had though. LOL Maybe it was before my time.

TEN DAYS - she comes out with the mic stand and she says "Ok you
guys...you know what it means when I bring out the mic stand...I'm
about to get crazy." LOL But the really funny part was as she was
saying that, she was trying to put the mic in its clip and it slipped
from her hand and the stand wabbles and swings right into her face,
hitting her nose. She starts laughing and says..."or get a nose
injury." She was fine of course, otherwise we wouldn't have been
laughing. Anyway, this song rocked too!

Movie Song Melody - First she sang some of Because You Love Me then
she invited a special guest up to sing Beauty and the Beast with her,
it was Brian McKnight! And of course, she finished the melody up with
My Heart Will Go On...not surprising, right? LOL

NATURE BOY - The stage is set with a beautiful, CLEAR piano and then
Celine walks out wearing a simple and elegant red gown. This is the
last song of the show and for the actual special she has this little
bit she says, thanking her special guests, her musicians, the
fans/audience...then she gets really serious and explains how much her
family means to her - especially her new edition, Rene Charles. The
first attempt to tape this, she just got way too emotional when she
started talking about the love for her family that she had to stop and
compose herself, so they stopped recording. It was so precious. Then
she tried again...this time was more composed, but she kept getting
tongue tied at this certain part. Once again, RETAKE! LOL So then,
she starts getting even more tongue tied, messing up the words and
kinda laughs. She must have tried about six times before she finally
made it through! LOL At about the fifth time, you could tell the
audience was getting tense, like "Is she going to pull it off?" at the
part she kept getting tongue tied and then you'd start to hear little
giggles throughout the audience. She went on with her apologizing
again and finally had to really concentrate and made it through ok.
It was SO much fun! So anyway, back to the song...another remake and
in the background they showed slides of Rene Charles and several pics
with Celine and Rene holding him. One REALLY cute one of Rene asleep
with Rene Charles in his arms. And then that was how they closed out
the show, with this song and a beautiful photo of Rene Charles on the
screen. They stopped taping and she took her bows and everyone gave
her a SUPER long standing ovation. She thanked everyone once again and
then she was off...it was all over.
-Alicia-Alicia Norris
Re: CBS Special taping - MY REVIEW
Posted by OHH on 3/4/2002, 10:16 pm , in reply to "CBS Special taping - MY REVIEW"
 

*thinks* Yep, I think I covered all the songs!  Like I said
though...I don't know how they'd fit all of this into a one hour
special...and with commercials and everything that really means only
45 min or so of Celine. I don't know, maybe they'll pull it off. The
taping took 2 1/2 hours, so maybe it just seemed really long because
of all the retakes and wardrobe changes and stuff. Still though, 13
songs, do they usually fit that much into a television special?
Ok...let me try and think of all the little funny random things that
happened...

So like I said, they started right into Celine singing ANDHC..."Ladies
and gentleman, Celine Dion". Everyone went crazy and couldn't stop
screaming and applauding. I couldn't believe it was her, it was just
strange after two years. I had seen her in concert in 1996, 97 and 98
and then in December of 1999, got the opportunity to see and meet her
when she was on Jay Leno. Two years had now gone by and it was great
to know she was back. Our seats were pretty good too. Right in the
middle - better than any concert I had ever been too. The theatre
only held 3,500. The only time I was ever closer to her was at Leno.

She finishes ANDHC and they stop taping, she cries a little, thanks
everyone and says how wonderful it is to be back. Then she goes into
informing us that she has a new boss in her life. Tells us how
he's really young...so helpless, can't even tie his own
shoelaces and then she says the funniest thing..."and no matter how
much I do for him, he still sh*ts (yes, that's really the word
she used) on me!" I was like...WOW, CELINE! LOL It's even cute when
she cusses. LOL Of course, she was referring to Rene Charles and then
she said something like "in all seriousness...he's amazing, the love
of my life...yada yada".

Ummm...let's see. She goes to make her first wardrobe change and
during every wardrobe change they'd play one of her videos, which was
cool. Then, right before she was about to come back out (it took
about 5 or more min each time) this interesting looking, gray haired
man, would come out on stage with a long mop and go back and forth
sweeping. It was so funny though, because everyone decided they would
start cheering for the mop man! He'd wave while holding his mop. It
wasn't like an ordinary concert...there were a lot of quite
moments...as if time just stopped when there was a break. And there
really weren't many people compared to a concert...so the quiet was
sort of strange. LOL Usually, when the mop man came out...everyone
cheered...and then it was quite when he was making his second lap.
Someone yelled out "we love you mop man!" I guess you kinda had to be
there...it was just really fun.

So she comes back out wearing that sexy dress I was telling you
about...the one where half of it is missing. LOL She was trying to
sit down like they instructed her to do and it just WASN'T working.
She fiddled around for a good 30 seconds before she gave the ok to
start the taping. Just when she got into what she thought was a good
position, she goes..."nope, nope...wait...this isn't going to work
either...let me try the right butt cheek!", then shifts to the other
side. It was just little Celine comments like that, which made the
night so funny.

After she accomplished the sitting and standing song in that dress,
she goes on this tangent about fashion today. She was like..."Oooh, I
have to tell you guys my Grammy's story". I swear, the girl
apologized every time she talked, as if she was wasting our time or
something and we were bored. YEAH RIGHT...I didn't want it to
end!!!!! So you all saw her dress at the Grammy's, right? How it was
really short and it had that funky, belt looking thing hanging from
it? So she tells us that some lady approaches her and says, "Um, Ms.
Celine, I hate to embarrass you, but I'd assume you'd rather
know...can I point something out to you?" "Sure", says Celine.
"Uhh...there is something hanging out from the bottom of your dress!"
Celine was getting all in the moment and was telling us that she got
so panicked and thought to herself..."Oh my, my dress...my Christian
Dior, what could be wrong!" and you know what she told us her FIRST
thought was? You're not going to believe this! Celine said..."My
first thought was, OMG - my breast feeding pad,
no;nevermind, I'm not breast feeding anymore!" My mouth
just hung open and then I started cracking up. The things she says
behind the scenes! LOL And of course, once she realized what the lady
was talking about, she informed the lady that it was only PART OF HER
DRESS, it was just the style! How embarrassing is that???
Hahahahahahahahahaha!

As I mentioned before, there were a lot of really quiet
parts...especially when Celine had to go to the side and get
instruction from the producers and such. Several times people would
yell something out - you could even be heard if you were yelling
something from the VERY last row. EVERY time Celine would respond
which was nice. And then, there was this one guy, maybe about 25
years old who was just SOOOOO excited and sitting in the front row.
He could hardly sit still and after the first song Celine
goes..."Careful now, don't faint on me...we've hardly started!" LOL
So then in about the middle of the show, during yet another break, he
just goes "I LOVE YOU CELINE, I LOVE YOU!!!!!! and Celine just starts
laughing and says..."I love you too...why don't you come up here with
me for a second! Do you really think I'm different from anyone
else?...I'm just a person too!" So the guy runs onto the stage and
she gives him the biggest hug. I thought that was really cool for her
to do that for him.

Oh yeah, someone brought her a little stuffed frog. She was so
excited...said it was her first good luck frog since coming back. She
put it up on the stage next to the guitar player.

When she came out wearing the long, red gown she had on a GORGEOUS
diamond necklace. She of course had to tell us about how she freaked
the bodyguards out Oscar night when she was wearing the Titanic
necklace and did her chest pounding without thinking. She said there
were a ton of bodyguard there for the necklace alone! Could you
imagine? She informed us that the necklace she was wearing last night
came with bodyguards too, just not as many.

The red gown was SO long that even I wondered if she was even wearing
shoes underneath. LOL Not a second passed after I was thinking that
to myself when someone yelled out..."Let me see your shoes Celine!"
She said..."WHAT? (starts laughing) You think I'm wearing cowboy
boots underneath here or something?" She then paraded around the
stage like she was riding a horse. What a goofy girl!  She let us
see her shoes after that though, REALLY tall, strappy, red sandals.

She was about to start singing Nature Boy, when one of the stage guys
came out and whispered in her ear. She put her hand to her chest and
said "Awww...excuse me everyone, but I was just informed that my
husband wants to give me a quick kiss before I sing my last
song....don't worry, I'm not changing clothes, I'll litterally be
RIGHT back!" She runs back stage and in about 10 seconds was back
out. Guess he really did just want to get a kiss from her...how
stinking cute is that???????????????????????

Well, that's pretty much all I can remember now. Oh no, wait...she
was talking about being pregnant a little. Informing us how amazingly
HUGE she got. Said she made sure no pics of her last month being
pregnant were released to the media because they were so scary! LOL
LOL And then she goes..."Oh, and you know, Rene was pregnant with me
too, only difference is...he still is!" LOL She was referring to his
tummy...and then she went on to tell us how nice it is to travel with
him because she never has to worry about bringing a pillow! LOL

Ok, NOW I think that's all I remember. It was just an absolutely
AMAZING night! Her new songs kick major butt! I can't wait for
the cd to come out...only three weeks left of waiting! My
husband, who wasn't thrilled at the idea of going last night,
was just in amazement when we left, claiming "that woman has got
major talent!"

Well, I hope you enjoyed my review! That's all for now!

-Alicia-Alicia Norris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 (Thank you, Alicia)

3/4/04
Celine Dion celebrates return to stage in Hollywood
By Doug Young

LOS ANGELES, March 3 (Reuters) - Fresh from her appearance at last week's Grammy awards, pop diva Celine Dion took the stage on Sunday night in her first performance as a headliner since setting aside her meteoric career two years ago to start a family.

Dion, a French-Canadian who had a baby boy with husband-manager Rene Angelil, performed about a dozen tunes along with guests Destiny's Child and Brian McKnight at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, where the Academy Awards will be handed out later this month.

When she announced her temporary departure from the music scene at the end of 1999, Dion was the world's top selling singer.

She dedicated much of the performance to new beginnings, a reference to her return to the stage and her new baby, both in through a slew of new songs she introduced and in her talk with the audience during down time between numbers.

"I'm a little bit nervous, right?" she said after coming out to a packed house of cheering fans for her first number. "I've got some butterflies going on. But I'm so excited to be back on stage."

She then launched into the title track from her new album, "A New Day Has Come," which is due out March 25. The album's title track was released in North America last month.

The 33-year-old performer made numerous references between her musical numbers to her new son, Rene-Charles Angelil, born about a year ago.

A NEW BOSS

"I've got a new boss, a young boss," she said, joking that the new boss in her life made her get up early and couldn't even tie his own shoes. "No matter how hard I work, he still sh--- on me every chance he gets," she concluded.

Her songs also reflected an appreciation for new beginnings, with one an ode to mothers and another titled "I'm Alive" in addition to the "New Day" title track.

She was later joined on stage by Destiny's Child, performing a spirited rendition of the Samantha Sang song "Emotion" from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack.

Toward the end of the show, Dion also performed a number of old favorites, including "Beauty and the Beast" in a duet with McKnight and "My Heart Will Go On," from the "Titanic" movie sound track.

Before the Sunday night show, Dion, a five-time Grammy winner, was in Los Angeles last week where she performed and presented at the 44th annual Grammy Awards.

Her last studio album before her hiatus was 1997's "Let's Talk About Love," which has sold 28 million copies worldwide.

As part of her gradual return to performing, she sang in public in New York last year to raise funds for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

Dion has also agreed to a three-year stint as the headline act starting in March 2003 for a new 4,000-seat theater being built at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Sunday evening's show will be broadcast as an April 7 special on CBS.

Reuters/Variety
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 4, 2002
'Nervous' Celine Delivers Concert

STEPHEN M. SILVERMAN

Hollywood's Kodak Theater is getting hotter and hotter. The recently completed venue, which will bow as Oscar's new home come Academy Awards night on March 24, served as the backdrop Sunday night for Celine Dion's first performance as a headliner since she temporarily retired two years ago to start a family. Reuters reports that the pop diva, 33, performed about a dozen numbers along with guests Destiny's Child and Brian McKnight. "I'm a little bit nervous, right?" she said upon first facing the crowd, according to Reuters. "I've got some butterflies going on. But I'm so excited to be back on stage." As the show went on, she made reference to her son, Rene-Charles Angelil, whose first birthday was Jan. 25. "I've got a new boss, a young boss," she said, joking that he's got her hopping at all hours. "No matter how hard I work, he still sh--- on me every chance he gets." Musically, she delivered the title track from her new album, "A New Day Has Come," which is due out March 25. She also sang some of her hits, including the inevitable "My Heart Will Go On," from 1997's "Titanic." Sunday night's appearance is only part of Dion's gradual return to show business. (She helped present the record of the year award at last Wednesday's Grammys, an appearance that consisted of little more than kissing Stevie Wonder on the cheek.) Dion and her manager-husband, Rene Angelil, 60, have negotiated a lucrative three-year deal for her to headline the new 4,000-seat theater being built at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and set to open a year from now. Meanwhile, Sunday night's show from the Kodak Theater will be broadcast as a special on CBS on April 7.

3/1/02
Star-Studded Line-Up Scheduled to Attend 'Hope In Motion' Dinner To Benefit the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation

Gala and Live Auction to Raise Funds and Awareness For Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis

VAIL, Colo., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vail Valley Foundation will host the fourth annual "Hope In Motion," a star-studded dinner and auction to raise funds and awareness for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF), on Saturday, March 16, 2002 at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Vail, CO.  As the conclusion of the HARRISdirect American Ski Classic, the dinner will bring together legends from the world of entertainment, including Kelsey Grammer, Peri Gilpin (Roz Doyle from "Frasier), Cliff Robertson, Sharon Lawrence, designer Kenneth Cole, MISS USA 2002, Michael Badalucco, Lynn Herring, Wayne Northrop, James Avery, Stephanie Zimbalist, Linda Purl, Amy Tan, and Ian Ziering, as well as sports legends and Olympic medallists, including two-time Olympic silver medalist Eric Flaim, Olympic Champion Trent Dimas, two-time Olympic Gold medallist Steve Lundquist, Heisman trophy winner Gino Toretta, and many others.

Established in 1999, "Hope in Motion" has raised over $900,000 since its inception to support research leading to a cure for spinal cord injury paralysis.  The HARRISdirect American Ski Classic, hosted by President Gerald R. Ford, combines the thrill of athletic competition with a spectacular array of parties, concerts and special events.

"We are excited to once again partner with the Vail Valley Foundation for the American Ski Classic for this fantastic event, which focuses on the Foundation's goal to help those living with paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries and other central nervous system disorders, said Mitchell R. Stoller, President and CEO of CRPF.

Christopher Reeve had participated in the American Ski Classic as a competitor prior to the 1995 accident that left him paralyzed, and the partnership with the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation grew as a result of these friendships.  Reeve will be joining the festivities once again to bring focus to the work of his Foundation.

"We are proud to partner with Christopher Reeve and his work to help those who deal with catastrophic illness every day," said Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation.  "This is a wonderful way to come together to celebrate the twentieth year of the HARRISdirect American Ski Classic, while making a significant contribution to a most worthy cause."

Emceed by Harry Smith of A&E's "Travels with Harry," the benefit dinner and auction includes a star-studded guest list.  Auction items are always exciting, and this year feature the following:

-- Givenchy Haute Couture trip to Paris, including exclusive invitation to a private dinner at the famed private Jockey Club, two tickets to the Givenchy Haute Couture show, and a chance to design your own scent  with master perfumer Blaise Mautin.  Includes six nights accommodation in Paris and Provence and round trip business class air travel.

-- Two tickets to Christopher Reeve's star-studded 50th birthday bash in  New York City on September 25, 2002, including accommodation at the  Marriott Marquis and professional hair and makeup for the lucky  winner.

-- Two Tickets to the "Diva Live" concert, which has featured Celine Dion, The Supremes, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Faith Hill, and the  incomparable Aretha Franklin at past shows!  Includes a sexy evening dress by Bill Blass.

-- An exclusive British Isles Golf Cruise for two, donated by Kalos Golf.

The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation supports research to develop effective treatments and a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders.  Until effective treatments and cures are found, CRPF also provides quality of life grants to organizations providing assistance to people living with disabilities, particularly spinal cord injuries.  For more information, please visit www.paralysis.org.

The HARRISdirect American Ski Classic is a project of the Vail Valley Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the life of our community through athletic, cultural and educational events and programming.  For more information, please contact the Vail Valley Foundation at 970.949.1999, or visit www.vvf.org.

2002 HARRISdirect AMERICAN SKI CLASSIC

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, March 13

6:30 p.m.      Budweiser Street Beat Free Concert featuring

"Super Diamond" at Check Point Charlie in Vail Village

Thursday, March 14

11:00 a.m.     Hyundai Legends of Skiing Downhill Race

Hyundai Legends of Skiing Downhill Awards

Friday, March 15

8:00 a.m.      Ford Cup Race

1:45 p.m.      Legends Giant Slalom Race

Saturday, March 16

8:30 a.m.      Ford Cup Race

3:30 p.m.      Ford Cup Finals

Future Legends Race

Awards/Party

SOURCE  Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
 
 

2/22/02

More comments on ANDHC by radio directors:

 TOM MITCHELL, PD, 93Q, Syracuse
 "She has updated her sound and this will be a hit!"

 RICK VAUGHN, APD, KHTS, San Diego
 "She's baaaaaaack!!!"

 GARY ROBINSON, PD, KQAR, Little Rock
 "This will be a good midday record for us."

 BOBBY RAMOS, PD, KZII, Lubbock
 "This is a no-brainer midday record!"

 MARK 'The Shark' RICHARDS, APD, WBHV, State College, PA
 "We're adding this right away to all dayparts!"

 JIM ALLEN, APD/MD, WDJX, Louisville
 "The Celine Dion record we've all been waiting on has arrived. Fresh
 -sounding, with trademark Celine vocals - a sure thing!"

 KEVIN WALKER, MD, WHTS, Quad Cities
 "She's sold so many records and she's had so many hits. She sings the
 songs women want to hear!"

 TONY WAITEKUS, OM/PD, WHTS, Quad Cities
 "It looks like this may bring her back as a big Mainstream star just
 like she used to be!"

 DAVE B. GOODE, PD, WHZZ, Lansing
 "She's a core artist for our upper-demo and one of the biggest stars
 ever. Who doesn't like Celine Dion?"

 DYLAN MacKENZIE, PD, WILN, Panama City
 "It's Celine Dion! How can you go wrong?"

 RON PRITCHARD, PD, WKHQ, Northwest MI
 "We played this song today for the first time and it's almost like she
 never left. Celine sounds better than ever!"

 ROB WEAVER, PD, WKPK, Northwest MI
 "It's a must-play on this station!"

 BRIAN WILDE, MD, WKSE, Buffalo
 "This will be a big adult record!"

 STEVE SMITH, PD, WMGI, Terre Haute
 "Looks like Celine's back!"

 SHAUN VINCENT, MD, WMMX, Dayton
 "It's a gimme! And it's actually a good song!"

 JOE KELLY, APD/MD, WNCI, Columbus
 "Good at-work record for the upper-demos!"

 SHAWN MURPHY, APD/MD, WQGN, New London
 "This is a perfect at-work song!"

 STEW SCHANTZ, OM/PD, WSKS, Utica-Rome
 "Ya gotta play it! Quintessential Celine!"

 STORM BENNETT, MD, WVMX, Cincinnati
 "Huge!"

 WALLY B., PD, WWXM, Myrtle Beach
 "What can you say? We're going to do our best to get this on in the
 daytime."

 JONATHAN REED, MD, WZEE, Madison
 "Already on and getting massive daytime reaction!"

 JOE LIMARDI, PD, WZOK, Rockford
 "Don't let your audience wait for Celine Dion any longer. Put her on now!"

 PETE DeGRAAFF, APD/MD, XL106.7, Orlando
 "This is a relevant song for right now. Hopefully people will deal with
 sooner than later."
(from rhapsodion)

Celine Fans
Toronto's EZ Rock station FM 97.3 is having a contest. It's called EZ Rock $1000.00 Soft Rock Song of the Day contest. Basically at 7:20 AM each weekday morning they announce the Song of the Day. When you hear the song being played you call the station and if you are the 7th caller you win $1000.00 and are entered in the draw for the Grand prize.

This week, the Grand Prize is a one week trip to Los Angeles to see Celine Dion's live taping of her upcoming television special (this is the same show Team Celine is giving away tickets to). Anyway I think its a great idea and I hope other Radio Stations in the US and Canada (or even Europe) copy this idea. This way, there will be lots of people from all over at Celine's LA show taping. Has anyone else heard of a similar contest?    --- Hal North (MB post)

2/17/02
Billboard review of "A New Day Has Come"
By Chuck Taylor (paraphrased):

Celine Dion's first release in over two years, "A New Day Has Come"(her 8th English album) reveals a complimentary  new album for the refreshed, recent mother.  "A New Day Has Come"
seems to be a soft and gentle breath that sheilds our ears to the world's problems, through song as our country looks hopefully to a changed, but stronger future.

The lyrics were also written about the birth of her son a year ago:"The world thought I had it all / but I was waiting for a miracle to come."

Ric Wake's radio remix of "ANDHC" opens as an Enya-styled whispering as it moves into an  uptempo background of the song. It was written by Aldo Nova and Stephan Moccio in an up-tempo like a graceful dove flying everso gently upward.

This album edit comes in a beat that allows Dion's voice alone to fully reveal the song's underlying message.

On both of the "ANDHC" versions, Dion voice embraces a very subtle performance - as to  dramatically direct the track's real emotion, but still be delicate enough to offer a unique comfort to our listening ears.
This is such a divine beginning for the enduring Celine Dion to completely compliment her new album. The potential for this album is as bountiful as our new world. The March 26 release will surely bring a chart-topping debut to the Billboard 200 during the following week.
++++++++++
A 'NEW' HIT FOR CELINE
From Canoe Jam! Showbiz

After a two-year hiatus from the charts, Celine Dion returns with her latest single, "A New Day Has Come." The title track from her upcoming album enters at No. 21 on The Hits making it her 21st top 40 hit overall and her first chart single since "That's The Way It Is" hit No. 4 in February 2000. With that lofty new entry, it is tied with Nelly Furtado's "Hey Man" for having the highest debut of 2002 to date. However, Furtado's No. 21 debut has to be asterisked. "Hey Man" began its chart life belatedly due to a computational error, which prevented the Furtado single to chart despite it having enough airplay in its first few weeks of radio play. If you were to exclude "Hey Man," "New" becomes the highest new entry since June 2001 when *NSYNC's "Pop" opened at No. 21.

Adult Contemporary radio listeners across the country seem to be happy to have Celine Dion back. "A New Day Has Come" debuts all the way up at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart based on audience levels. That's not to be confused with the AC chart based on number of plays, where it enters at No. 7. That makes "New" the second single to enter at No. 1 on any AC chart in recent memory. The first, "Candle In The Wind 1997" by Elton John went to No. 1 in September 1997 at a time when the only AC chart issued was based on how many times a record was played.
++++++++++
 Celine's comment about the Olympic controversy were published in the New York Post newspaper:

"I find this situation devastating and unacceptable". "These athletes train all their lives for the chance to compete for the gold medal at the Olympics. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Regarding Gougne, Dion raged: "When you are an Olympic judge, you have the responsibility to be fair and act professionally. Nothing outside of the athletes' performance should influence your vote. As [husband] Rene [Angelil] and I watched our fellow Canadians compete that night, we were so moved by their performance. We were sure they had won and were devastated when the decision was announced.

"I am so proud of how [Sale and Pelletier] have handled the situation," Dion said. "These two incredible athletes demonstrated the true spirit of the Olympics as they stood there on the podium with their silver medals and bouquet of flowers. They had tears in their eyes and they knew in their hearts that they had won. And the whole world did, too."
http://www.nypost.com/gossip/

2/16/02

Subject: Chart Talk From Jam Showbiz
From: mtk719
Date: 2/16/02 8:06 AM Eastern Standard Time

I got this article dated Feb. 16th from Jam Showbiz.
Regards, Peg
A 'NEW' HIT FOR CELINE: After a two-year hiatus from the charts, Celine Dion returns with her latest single, "A New Day Has Come." The title track from her upcoming album enters at No. 21 on The Hits making it her 21st top 40 hit overall and her first chart single since "That's The Way It Is" hit No. 4 in February 2000. With that lofty new entry, it is tied with Nelly Furtado's "Hey
Man" for having the highest debut of 2002 to date. However, Furtado's No. 21 debut has to be asterisked. "Hey Man" began its chart life belatedly due to a computational error, which prevented the Furtado single to chart despite it having enough airplay in its first few weeks of radio play. If you were to exclude "Hey Man," "New" becomes the highest new entry since June 2001 when *NSYNC's "Pop" opened at No. 21.
Adult Contemporary radio listeners across the country seem to be happy to have Celine Dion back. "A New Day Has Come" debuts all the way up at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart based on audience levels. That's not to be confused with the AC chart based on number of plays, where it enters at No. 7. That makes "New" the second single to enter at No. 1 on any AC chart in recent
memory. The first, "Candle In The Wind 1997" by Elton John went to No. 1 in September 1997 at a time when the only AC chart issued was based on how many times a record was played.

Here's a list of what the program directors of some US radio stations have  had to  say:
 TOM MITCHELL, PD, 93Q, Syracuse
 - I love her new sound. Welcome back, Celine!

 JUST PLAIN DAVE, PD, KCHZ, Kansas City
 - I thought she promised she was retiring! What happened? But the chicks
 love her and she's got another tune that could possibly find a daytime
 home here at Z95.7.

 MR. ED LAMBERT, PD, Q100, Atlanta
 - Welcome home, Celine! This is a great record!

 MARK JACOBS, APD/MD, WAZO, Wilmington
 - What a pleasant surprise!

 JIM ALLEN, APD/MD, WDJX, Louisville
 - A true diva knows what time it is and when the 21st century came
 knockin', Celine was ready to answer the door!

 SUPER STEVE, APD, WFMF, Baton Rouge
 - You can't argue with the power of Celine Dion!

 DAVE B. GOODE, PD, WHZZ, Lansing
 - She's picking up where she left off! This will be another big time
 hit for Celine at all formats!

 JIM DAVIS, PD, WKEE, Huntington, W. VA
 - Looks like Celine is back. Did she really ever leave?

 RON PRITCHARD, PD, WKHQ, Northwest MI
 - She has totally updated her sound and she's still relevant after
 being gone for a while!

 HOLLY LOVE, MD, WLAN, Lancaster
 - I really, really like this...and I'm not lying to you!

 DEREK JAMES, MD, WLNK, Charlotte
 - An obvious smash! It's been a while since everyone had their Celine fix!

 SHAUN VINCENT, MD, WMMX, Dayton
 - This is surprisingly good! We played it yesterday and got a great
 response. It's definitely a MIX song...we can't get around it!

 TIM BALDWIN, PD, WMXB, Richmond
 - This will be a hit without a doubt. Don't even bother fighting it!

 DAVID EDGAR, PD, WNOU, Indianapolis
 - I was pleasantly surprised and I liked it.

 TONY MASCARO, MD, WPLJ, New York
 - Celine is back and what a smash!

 STEW SCHANTZ, OM/PD, WSKS, Utica-Rome
 - Quintessential Celine! You gotta throw it out there!

 BILL MICHAELS, PD, WVKS, Toledo
 - Another top 10 record!

 STORM BENNETT, MD, WVMX, Cincinnati
 - This is a smash! Get on it quick!

 JONATHAN REED, MD, WZEE, Madison
 - We're bangin' the crap out of this song during middays!

(From Celine Fall)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------

2/5/02
CELINE DION SET TO RELEASE NEW STUDIO ALBUM - A NEW DAY HAS COME
Worldwide release March 2002

Sony Music superstar Celine Dion will release her new album, A NEW DAY HAS COME, on March 25, 2002 internationally, and March 26, 2002 in North America. A NEW DAY HAS COME is the singer’s first release since her two year hiatus. This is also her first studio album since 1997’s LET’S TALK ABOUT LOVE, which has sold 28 million copies worldwide.

The first single, released to radio tomorrow February 6 will be the title track, “A New Day Has Come.” It was written by Aldo Nova and Stephan Moccio, and produced by longtime Dion collaborator Walter Afanasieff and Nova. The album will feature songs produced by Guy Roche, Christopher Neil, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Ric Wake, Anders Bagge, Kristian Lundin, Gérald De Palmas, Peer Astrom, and Humberto Gatica, among others. Dion fans will be swept away by the singer’s renditions of the Etta James classic, “At Last” and Nat King Cole’s “ Nature Boy.”

“The last two years have been among the best of my life, as my husband and I have started a family and enjoyed our time together. This has made going back into the studio a vehicle to express my growth both personally and artistically.” states Dion.

¨Celine is not only a world class artist and one of the best singers of all time… she is also one of the greatest people I know,¨ commented Thomas D. Mottola, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. ¨Throughout her extraordinary career, her talents have earned her legions of loyal fans in every single part of the world, making her the rarest of things -- a truly global superstar. Now, after a two year hiatus, Celine is back with a phenomenal new album that achieves unprecedented heights of artistic excellence.¨

¨The musical artistry and powerful emotion of A NEW DAY HAS COME, will surely deepen the magical relationship that Celine has with her fans and throughout the world.¨ says Denise Donlon, president of Sony Music Canada.

Dion, who has sold over 140 million albums worldwide, will perform songs from A NEW DAY HAS COME in a one hour CBS network special to air April 7. Fans will be able to see the new album come alive on Celine’s TV Special, “A New Day Has Come” on CBS at 8pm EST in the United States,and on CBC in Canada and globally in the weeks following.

In March 2003 Dion will begin her three year, 600 show engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The show will take place in the state of the art 4,000 seat, custom-made Caesars Palace Colosseum conceived and realised by a Canadian enterprise Sceno Plus. Celine will perform in a theatrical presentation directed by Franco Dragone (“O”, “Mystere”)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 25, 2002 (March 26, 2002 in North America) will mark the worldwide release of 'A New Day Has Come', Céline Dion’s eighth English-language album on Sony Music. Highlights include the title track produced by Walter Afanasieff and Aldo Nova; "I Surrender," produced by Simon Franglen; "I'm Alive," produced by Kristian Lundin; and "Sorry For Love," produced by Anders "BAG" Bagge, Peer Astrom and Arnthor. Also featured is a song originally recorded by Nat King Cole: "Nature Boy," produced by Walter Afanasieff; "At Last," first recorded by Glen Miller in 1941, now produced by Humberto Gatica and Guy Roche; and "Goodbye’s (The Saddest Word)," produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange.

Expect to hear the first single on radio around the world in February.

Céline will be actively promoting the album in Europe, North America, and the UK. An hour-long Céline Dion TV music special is scheduled to air worldwide shortly after the album is released. In addition, Céline will make appearances on North American morning shows and nighttime news and talk shows. When Céline travels to Europe, an additional TV special for French viewers will be filmed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/5/02
Celine Dion Set to Release New Studio Album, A New Day Has Come

Worldwide Release March 2002

NEW YORK, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Music superstar Celine Dion will release her new album, A NEW DAY HAS COME, on March 26, 2002. Outside the United States the album will be released on March 25, 2002.  A NEW DAY HAS COME is the singer's first release since her two year hiatus.  This is also her first studio album since 1997's LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE, which has sold 28 million copies worldwide.

The first single, released to radio Feb. 6 will be the title track, "A New Day Has Come."  It was written by Aldo Nova and Stephan Moccio, and produced by longtime Dion collaborator Walter Afanasieff and Nova. The album will feature songs produced by Guy Roche, Christopher Neil, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Ric Wake, Gerald De Palmas, Anders Bagge, Kristian Lundin, Peer Astrom, and Humberto Gatica, among others. Dion fans will be swept away by the singer's renditions of the Etta James classic, "At Last" and Nat King Cole's " Nature Boy."

"The last two years have been among the best of my life, as my husband and I have started a family and enjoyed our time together. This has made going back into the studio a vehicle to express my growth both personally and artistically." states Dion.

"Celine is not only a world class artist and one of the best singers of all time ... she is also one of the greatest people I know," commented Thomas D. Mottola, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment.  "Throughout her extraordinary career, her talents have earned her legions of loyal fans in every single part of the world, making her the rarest of things -- a truly global superstar. Now, after a two year hiatus, Celine is back with a phenomenal new album that achieves unprecedented heights of artistic excellence."

Epic Records President, Polly Anthony adds, "Celine has literally grown up in front of the world. These past two years out of the spotlight have been so important to her; as a woman, a wife, and now a mother.  With the release of A New Day Has Come we meet Celine in the next part of her life -- she is confident, exuberant, and as always vocally unmatched."

Dion, who has sold over 140 million albums worldwide, will perform songs from A NEW DAY HAS COME in an upcoming one hour CBS network special to air April 7. Fans will be able to see the new album come alive on Celine's TV Special, "A New Day Has Come" on CBS at 8pm EST in the United States, and globally in the weeks following.

In March 2003 Dion will begin her three year, 600 show engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  The show will take place in the state of the art 4,000 seat, custom-made Caesars Palace Coliseum.  The five time Grammy winner will perform in a theatrical presentation directed by Franco Dragone ("O", "Mystere")

Track Listing for A NEW DAY HAS COME

Song                 Writers                       Producers

I'm Alive           (Kristian Lundin/Andreas /   Kristian Lundin Carlsson)

Right In Front Of You    (Steven Morales/David Siegle,  Steven Morales)

           (Shep Soloman, Kara DioGuardi)

Have You Ever Been In Love     (Anders Bagge/Peer Astrom  /  Anders Bagge/Peer Astrom)

           (Tom Nichols/Darryl Hall)

Rain, Tax (Its Inevitable)  -  (Charley Dore/Terry Britten     Christopher Neil)

A New Day Has Come (radio remix)  (Aldo Nova/Stephan Moccio/  Ric Wake for W&R Group)
 

Ten Days   (Aldo Nova/(Gerald De Palmas Maxime Le Forestier/Gerald De Palmas

Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)     (Robert John "Mutt" Lange  /    Robert John "Mutt" Lange)

Prayer           (Corey Hart  /   Walter Afanasieff)

I Surrender    (Louis Biancaniello/  Simon Franglen   Sam Watters)

At Last (Mack Gordon/Harry Warren       Humberto Gatica/Guy Roche)

Sorry For Love (Anders Bagge/Peer Astrom/ Anders Bagge/Peer Arnthor Birgisson/   Arnthor Birgisson/ Kara DioGuardi )

Aun Existe Amor   (Richard Cocciante/Humberto Gatica/Luc Plamondon/ Ignacio  -  Vito Luprano  Ballesteros Dioz )

The Greatest Reward - (Pascal Obispo/ Andreas Kristian Carlsson/Jorgen Elofsson/ Lundin/Lionel Florence/ Andreas Carlsson Patrice Guirao)

When The Wrong OneLoves You Right ( Martin Briley / Ric Wake for/ Francis Galluccio   W&R Group  Marjorie Maye)

A New Day Has Come  (Aldo Nova/Stephan Moccio - Walter Afanasieff/Aldo Nova)

Nature Boy         ( Eden Ahbez  -   Walter Afanasieff )

SOURCE  Epic Records
CO:  Epic Records
ST:  New York
02/05/2002 14:58 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X68935930

2/1/02>>
some of celine's comeback articles
Posted by leela on 2/2/2002, 11:58 am
i can;t copy all of them here. -but u can check it out using these links:
>>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020201/re/leisure_dion_dc_1.html
>>http://www.nationalpost.com/artslife/story.html?f=/stories/20020201/1306769.html
>>http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/DailyNews/2020_celinedion_020201.html
>>http://www.starpolish.com/velvetrope/ubb/Forum1/HTML/008773.html
>>www.billboard.com/billboard/specialreport/celine/index.jsp
>>http://www.nypost.com/gossip/liz.htm
>>http://www.etonline.com/celebrity/a8820.htm
>>http://www.canoe.ca/JamColumnSlotek/jan31_slotek-sun.html
>>http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/columnists/ny-a2571542feb01.column?coll=ny-ny-columnists
>>http://entertainment.sympatico.ca/news/cpnews/e013035.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, February 2, 2002
Celine Dion ready to return to spotlight
By ANDREW FLYNN - Canadian Press

 TORONTO (CP) -- Celine Dion left her career at its peak two years ago to have a child and make a home life that was something like normal -- but she says she's ready to go back.

 In her first television interview in two years, the singer from Charlemagne, Que., who has sold 130 million albums spoke Friday night with Barbara Walters on ABC TV's 20/20.

 "I wanted a normal life at one point, I wanted to be home. I've never had a normal life," Dion told Walters of her decision to leave the international stage.

 Dion, 34, said she has accomplished that goal. She and husband and manager Rene Angelil, 60, had son Rene Charles 18 months ago after resorting to in vitro fertilization.

 "I know a lot of people went through experiences like us, wanting to have a child going through some test and in vitro and all that," Dion said.

 "I was fortunate enough -- I tried one time and it worked."

 But she also spoke of a trial that she and Angelil faced while she was trying to become pregnant -- Angelil was diagnosed with throat cancer.

 "Rene needed me with what he's been through and I felt good about it -- I can do something good, not only for music I can be a woman at home, I can be his wife," Dion told Walters.

 Angelil has since made a full recovery.

 When asked if Dion had reconsidered getting pregnant with a such threat to her husband's health, Dion said she hadn't.

 "I though of it, of course. But it made me want the baby even more. Because Rene Charles is the extension of the love we have for each other."

 "(Angelil is) the best father there is. And they love each other so much. For me to see the two men in my life loving each other like that it's the biggest reward."

 When Dion returns to the stage next year, it won't be on the circuit of arenas and stadiums she has toured in the past. Instead, she will appear five nights a week for three years at Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas. She has reportedly signed a $100 million US contract for the appearances and will sing in a specially built theatre, a replica of the Coliseum in Rome.

 She said she is looking forward to a job with no travelling where she can spend time with her family every day.

 When it's over, she and Angelil will likely try again to conceive a child with a second frozen embryo from their in vitro fertilization process.

 "We will definitely give it a try," Dion said. "Doesn't mean it will work, but we'll see."

 Dion denied reports in tabloid newspapers that Angelil has lost millions of dollars gambling.

 "The truth is that it's not true," Dion said. "Rene's a gambler, of course he is. And I'm glad he is. Just one reason I give you -- because he mortgaged his house to make me do my first album when I was 12 years old. That was a real big gamble," Dion said.

 "But losing 10 million, it's not true."

 She also said she was unfazed by criticism that she, a Canadian, was invited to perform God Bless America on the TV benefit A Tribute to Heroes shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

 "As a Canadian I didn't go through this experience any different than you," she told Walters. "It touched my heart as much. I had no choice, I had to go." (More on: Celine Dion).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2/202
Dion Says She's Ready for Comeback

The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) - Celine Dion left her career at its peak two years ago to have a child and live as normal a life as possible. Now, she says, she's ready to come back.

In her first television interview in two years, the singer from Charlemagne, Quebec, who has sold 130 million albums, spoke Friday night with Barbara Walters on ABC's ``20/20.''

``I wanted a normal life at one point, I wanted to be home. I've never had a normal life,'' Dion told Walters of her decision to leave the international stage.

Dion, 34, said she has accomplished that goal. She and husband and manager Rene Angelil, 60, had son Rene Charles 18 months ago after resorting to in vitro fertilization. She also said Angelil has made a full recovery from throat cancer.

Starting next year, Dion will appear five nights a week for three years at Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas for a reported $100 million.

When it's over, she and Angelil will likely try again to conceive a child by in vitro fertilization.

``We will definitely give it a try,'' Dion said. ``Doesn't mean it will work, but we'll see.''
AP-

2/1/02

Barbara Walters' interview
By Barbara Walters -Written by Alan B. Goldberg Life of a Legend
 

Two years ago, Celine Dion — who many believe has the most beautiful voice in the world — dropped a bombshell. At the height of her career, after selling 100 million albums, she was giving it all up for at least two years.

She wanted to have a normal life, and she desperately wanted to have a baby, she told me in an interview.

Well, just over a year ago, Dion and her husband, René Angelil, had a baby boy: René-Charles.

Now Dion, 33, is ready to go back to work — but with very different decisions about her future.
Her first new single is called "A New Day Has Come" — and what a new day it is for her.

Life of a Legend
There were people who said, "She's never going to stop." But Dion knew it was time. "I needed to stop. I needed a balance in my life," she told me in an interview conducted near her Florida home. "I wanted a normal life at one point. I wanted to be home."

But for most of her life, nothing has been normal for Dion. Her story is the stuff of legend. The youngest of 14 children, she grew up in a poor but loving French Canadian family. She wasn't pretty, but her voice, as they say, made angels weep.

When she was 12, Dion's mother took her to record producer Angelil, who took a gamble when he recognized her talent. He mortgaged his house to finance her career, and over the years transformed the awkward little girl with pointy teeth into an international superstar.

When Dion was only 20 and Angelil 46, the singer fell in love with her manager. A few years later they were married in a lavish, almost royal wedding televised across Canada.

When Dion learned English, her magnificent voice catapulted her into mega-stardom. Her fans adored her, and hit after hit followed, culminating in the 1997 blockbuster theme song from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On."

Triumph and Crisis
Then two years ago, Dion shocked the entertainment world when she announced she was suspending her career to try to have a child.
She conceived through in vitro fertilization. "I know a lot of people went probably through experiences like us, wanting to have a child, going through tests and in vitro and all that," said Dion, who was fortunate to become pregnant with just one try.
But while she was trying to have a baby, her husband was diagnosed with throat cancer. René needed me with what he's been through," said Dion. "And I felt good about it. I can do something good, not only through music, but I can be a woman at home. I can be his wife. I can make a difference in his life."

Though Dion had known Angelil as her manager for years, she wanted to get to know him as her husband — and caring for him during his cancer treatment made that happen. "I felt the difference very much so," she said, "because when he got sick and he came to me and he said … 'I love you, but now I need you.'"  It has almost been three years since Angelil was first diagnosed, and Dion said he is doing well. "He's fighting every day. But I think René-Charles is helping him a lot."

Their son, she said, "is the extension of the love we have for each other … René-Charles is everything that we have accomplished together."

She loves to watch her husband and son interact. "They love each other so much," she said. "And for me to see the two men in my life loving each other like that is the biggest reward."
Coming Back — On Her Terms
So why is she coming back now?
"Because I'm happiest now," she told me. "I think I'm a grown up a little more … What do you want me to do after the Titanic, and after the world tour and after doing the stadiums … I'm good with my nightgown and pajamas at home with René-Charles, playing with the toys. I feel great."

Now, she said, she has it all.
For almost 20 years, Dion toured the world, singing to as many as 90,000 fans. Now the artist will let the fans come to her: No more touring. In a deal that will net Dion close to $100 million, and allow her to be both a performer and mother, she recently signed an unprecedented three-year contract to sing five nights a week at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, starting next year.

"I can play with my child all day at home," she said. "Mommy's going to leave home around 6 at night and the show will be at 8:30."

It will be quite an extravaganza: 200 shows a year in a replica of the Roman Coliseum built especially for her.
And after her Vegas run, Dion and Angelil plan to have another baby, using a remaining frozen
embryo. "We will definitely give it a try. It doesn't mean it will work," she said. "We'll see."
Though her husband is 60, Dion said she's not concerned about his age. "What's important to us, it's happiness and quality time. I wouldn't change anything about René: his age, his skin, his heart, his past," she said.

Rumors and Resolve
But in Angelil's past, according to tabloid reports, he has lost millions of dollars gambling. Numerous stories allege that the problem is serious. "René's a gambler. Of course he is. And I'm glad he is .... Because he mortgaged his house to make me do my first album when I was 12 years old," said Dion. "That's probably the biggest gamble he's ever done." As for rumors that he has lost $10 million, Dion said, "The truth is, it's not true." "He's a gambler, but he's smarter," she added. And when they move to Las Vegas, she said,
"He's going to play. I would like him to enjoy himself. But we're going to organize ourselves. We're going to have the money to play. We're going to put this aside, and he's going to play that money … It's like me with the shopping."

In the meantime, she'll not only get back into the spotlight, but will also continue singing to her little boy — though it's not always so easy to please him.

"There's specific songs that I can sing to him, and other things that I can't because he cries," she said. "When I sing with all my heart and my soul lullabies, he cries."
    -http://abcnews.go.com

Some call it "Celinemania" in the USA because the United States is the biggest, most influential and most recognized entertainment market in the world! Because of Celine's voice, American's now are interested in listening to Quebec and French singers. But none have had the same voice or the same resulting "Celinemania" success as of yet.

By Canadian statistics, Celine is the 91st wealthiest person in the country with an estimated wealth of $295 million. On the otherhand, Rene Angelil says something like this, "it's success which gives power in the entertainment industry and not money." But Rene, the manager, still  denies having that same sort of power over the media.

Even with a two year break from the singing spotlight, Celine's voice is still as popular as ever. Her new album, "A New Day Has Come" will be released in the USA on March 26.

Celine will also live in Las Vegas while performing(with over 50 artists) on stage in a 4000-seat concert arena beginning in March of 2003.

This Las Vegas show is a new type of challenge and most likely another "Celinemania" USA success for Celine Dion's ongoing list of entertainment successes. (paraphrased from article)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 27, 2002

The International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) - the recording industry's most authoritative source of market research and information - announced on Sunday, January 20, 2002 that Céline Dion is by far Europe's top multi-million selling artist. Her eight album titles have achieved 33 Platinum Europe Awards over the past six years (a platinum award corresponds to the sale of one million copies). The announcement was made during the 36th annual MIDEM (Marché international du disque et de l'édition musicale) convention; a leading trade fair for the music industry

1/26/02
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dion -- About The New Album
http://www.celinedion.com

We know there's been a lot of talk and rumours surrounding the upcoming Céline Dion album, so here's some official info to satisfy your craving for knowledge:

March 25, 2002 (March 26, 2002 in North America) will mark the worldwide release of 'A New Day Has Come,' Céline Dion’s eighth English-language album on Sony Music. Highlights include the title track produced by Walter Afanasieff and Aldo Nova; "I Surrender," produced by Simon Franglen; "I'm Alive," produced by Kristian Lundin; and "Sorry For Love," produced by Anders "BAG" Bagge, Peer Astrom and Arnthor. Also featured is a song originally recorded by Nat King Cole: "Nature Boy," produced by Walter Afanasieff; "At Last," first recorded by Glen Miller in 1941, now produced by Humberto Gatica and Guy Roche; and "Goodbye’s (The Saddest Word)," produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange.

The first single will be serviced to radio this February.

Céline will be actively promoting the album in Europe, North America, and the UK. An hour-long Céline Dion TV music special is scheduled to air worldwide shortly after the album is released. In addition, she will make appearances on North American morning shows and nighttime news and talk shows. When Céline travels to Europe, an additional TV special for French viewers will be filmed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/20/02
Celine's A New Day Has Come

Superstar Diva Ends Her Two-Year Break With Album and Las Vegas Shows

With kleenex in her hand, Celine waves a winter cold off.
Celine Dion:
"I've had time to be sick for the first time in 18 years," she says. "There's been no worrying about schedules, no vocal training. I can let myself laugh without worrying about irritating my voice, and I can scream when I'm happy. It's my choice, but there's been nothing but discipline, discipline, discipline all my life." Dion pauses. "You know, it took me a long time to come down."

In the last two years, the world's best-selling female contemporary artist has had a break with time to breathe in some of life's more simple pleasures, along with exhale time too.   After her climb to the top from the '90s which resulted in five Grammys, including the 1996 "Falling Into You," 20 Juno Awards, two Oscars (one for "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic" in 1998) -- and worldwide sales opf almost 130 million, Dion said that it was time to disappear from the public music scene for at least two years to rest, enjoy on family, and take a deserved break from the business that had been all-consuming in her life her for almost 20 years.

Recently, Dion, 33, has taken on the job that she now considers the most important in her life: motherhood, with the birth of her first child, Rene-Charles, Jan. 25, 2001. She has performed publicly only a couple of times, including Sept. 21, 2001, when she sang an emotional live rendition of "God Bless America" at the "America: A Tribute to Heroes" telethon which honored victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and Sept. 28 for Montreal's fund-raiser, "A Show for Life." This is the first major interview Dion has given since her good-bye millennium concert on Dec. 31, 1999, in Montreal.

But now this spring, she will begin 'babying' her other love - show business - with the March 25 (March 26 in the U.S.)worldwide release of "A New Day Has Come," her eighth English album, on the Epic/Columbia Record label.

This album is supposed to be free of commercial gimmicks. There are no big superstar duets, or famous remakes, or '80s numbers. You won't hear Dion scat or be the rock-rapper of the day. The songs simply showcase a relaxed singer with a  magnificent voice, interpreting love ballads that are grand and understated, along with several upbeat, lighthearted pop songs and a couple of firework songs intended to display her obvious vocal gifts.

WITH A HELPING HAND

"I want this album to be soothing," Dion said. "If people need a partner, a helping hand, to cry, to dance, whatever it is, I want it to be like a little shoulder to lean on. As we all know, the world is going through a lot."

Husband Rene Angelil, who has guided Dion's career as her manager for 20 years, added, "Celine felt great singing this album. Our baby was always in the next room while she was recording, so she had a good feeling about the experience. To me, she has never sounded better; the quality of her voice is at its best."

The chairman/CEO of Sony Music Entertainment,Tommy Mottola, also adds, "I sense that Celine is more comfortable with her success and herself, which has given her a new freedom in her voice."  "I certainly consider her one of the greatest singers of all time and a consummate musician-that voice is an instrument-and this album offers such a wide range of listening options to her fans. Its potential is unlimited."

Sony is also planning a huge global marketing campaign to support the album, including a big wave wave of TV, print, and online exposure/appearances. One of the first is an hour-long network TV music special, which is scheduled to air the week of the album's release.

BIG RETURN
Celine Dion will begin promoting the album in Europe, followed by appearances in the U.S. and England; trips to Japan, Australia, South America, and Asia are undecided.

"This is my big return, for sure," Dion said. "Every time I do something, it is entirely my whole self or not at all. Of course I hope the album is going to be as successful for the record company as the one before. I'm certainly not going to give any less; if anything, I have more to give, because I have something new to talk about."

The album's title, "A New Day Has Come," acknowledges changes in Dion's life and in her career. But she was also  affected deeply by the events of Sept. 11th and wants the words to help as a reminder of that tragedy too.

"It represents my child, because I gave life, and that is beautiful," Dion said. "Obviously, it also marks my return with a new album. But a new day has also come in the lives of other people because something bad has happened, because we've lost lives, because there's a scar on our world now."

Celine was at her Montreal home when she saw the Sept. 11 events of on TV. With tears, she describes the sadness she felt that day: "I was watching this thing and thinking, 'It's not happening for real.' I honestly thought it was the end of the world. Rene-Charles was sleeping, and I rushed upstairs to his room and took him in my arms and said to my husband, 'How can we bring children into this world?' Thank God my baby is not aware of what's going on."

Celine struggled over an appropriate image cover for the album, feeling that a picture reflecting her good fortune was in poor taste: "What am I supposed to project to the lens?" she asked. "I'm happy and strong, but I couldn't commit myself to smile, as if to say, 'Who cares? She's happy, she has a child.' At the same time, I felt very weak and small with everything that's happened in the world ... and yet I didn't want to look down and be miserable, because we need something positive, to be able to look forward ..."

Celine Dion suggested to Sony that her picture not be included on the album cover. However, after much thought, in late December,the New York photographer Melvin Sokolsky shot a group of Dion pictures including several different angles of her face conveying various emotions.

Dion said, that the making of  "A New Day Has Come" was a enjoyable. Angelil, Dion, and the Sony family began searching for songs at the beginning of 2001, and on Aug. 28, she began recording the tracks for almost two-dozen songs at Montreal's Piccolo Studios.

Because Celine was unwilling to either leave her baby or travel around the world with him at only 7 months old, the album's collaborators flew to her, a move that few artists have the power to demand. All but one of the producershas worked with Celine before: David Foster ("The Power of Love," "Because You Loved Me," "All by Myself," among others), Walter Afanasieff ("My Heart Will Go On," "Beauty and the Beast," also among others), Kristian Lundin and Andreas Carlsson ("That's the Way It Is"), Christopher Neil ("Where Does My Heart Beat Now"), Guy Roche ("If You Asked Me To," "Water From the Moon"), Robert John "Mutt" Lange ("If Walls Could Talk"), Ric Wake ("Love Can Move Mountains"), and Humberto Gatica ("Pour que tu m'aimes Encore").

Anders Bagge is the new collaborator- as a top Swedish songwriter and producer who has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Sheryl Crow and many others.

Celine Dion sounds at relaxed and extremely confident throughout the album, whether flying  through the skyscraping ballad "Surrender"; jumping through the playful, upbeat "I'm Alive," "Coulda Woulda Shoulda," and dancesong rocket "Sorry for Love"; or softly singing the album's finale, "Nature Boy," a song recorded originally by Nat "King" Cole that features a jazz-like Dion accompanied only by piano. She also sings the gospel-styled "At Last" which was first recorded by Glenn Miller in 1941(Etta James).

It's TIME TO ENJOY
Dion, Angelil, and Rene'-Charles
"I didn't feel the pressure to try and outdo anything," Dion said of her studio time. "I proved myself before, so now I can enjoy. I was relaxed, I just let go. It was such a pleasure. I love these songs: They touch me, I'm happy, let me sing to you my joys and emotions. I've never felt more powerful."

Sony Music executives are counting on Dion's fans around the world to agree. Her two previous  albums, "Falling Into You" and "Let's Talk About Love," each sold more than 30 million copies  worldwide and 10.5 million and 9 million units, respectively, in the U.S. alone. A 1998 holiday set, "These Are Special Times," sold 4 million copies in the U.S., while her 1999 greatest-hits collection "All the Way ... A Decade of Song," with seven new songs, has sold 17 million worldwide.

Sony even called upon Dion's big-ticket, album attraction during her break to record and release at the end of 2000 "The Collector's Series Volume One," a songmix of years from old album tracks and foreign-language albums. It became platinum in the U.S. this month, without any promotion.

Polly Anthony, the president of the Epic Records Group, says, "She's the jewel in our crown, for God's sake. I was saying that when she was selling 500,000 albums, and now she is vocally stronger than ever. There's a new confidence about her and a different kind of fierceness about her. Our hopes are always to eclipse from where we last came, and we've got a tremendous global campaign to get the word out."

There is a press conference scheduled for the day of U.S. release in New York, where the album will be showcased and Dion will have interviews with a group of invited international medias in print and broadcast press. She will also make an in-store appearance at one of the city's major record stores.

THE COVER STORY
There will be cover stories in TV Guide and Redbook and appearances on at least one TV morning show and many nighttime  news and talk shows. When Celine travels to Europe, she will also  tape a separate TV special for French TV and will also meet with as many press agents as she can from across the continent . That's just part of the first 60 days after the album's is released.

Celine Dion's baby, who is now 1 year old, will accompany his mom and dad around the world. "I understand I have a career, but I didn't put a child on this earth to say, 'I wanted you, but now I have to sing, so you wait for mommy; that's the way it is,'" she said. "He's going with me everywhere, but instead of spending two days in Los Angeles doing 12 interviews a day, we'll spend four days doing six a day. It'll be just as good; we'll just have to organize ourselves a little differently."

Sony also plans toincrease Dion's online exposure with a revamped web site, after recently securing the domain celinedion.com. This destination greatly improves her previous official site, with a more comprehensive listing of Dion's past accomplishments, song and video clips, a photo gallery, and product merchandising.

"We want to give her fan base something new every day to keep them coming back," Epic U.S. VP of marketing Randy Irwin said. This will include contests and interactive chats with Celine Dion, along with likely tie-ins with some online service providers.

As in the past, different versions of the album will be released in various areas; with unique track listings likely for North America/Europe, Japan, France, and Latin America.

The first single, which is still to be deterined n, will be released worldwide during the first week of February.

Some Top 40 radio has moved away from pop with a heavier edge toward rock and urban/rap since Dion went on break, and that may remain tough for her label to top. But at adult contemporary radio, Dion still represents word "staple."  She has had 26 hits in 10 years at the format-10 of them No. 1's - with the most recent hit "God Bless America" in the top 15.

What if "A New Day Has Come" is a bit commercially disappointmenting? Celine Dion carefully says, "I'll do whatever I have to do. We'll make a big billboard with my big face on it to get everybody's attention. But I never expect too much. Let this album find its life. If it's a small life, it's still a quality life. Let's trust the people who have been following me who have liked what I have done. If they want to travel with this one, then let's do it together."

HER VISUAL EXPERIENCE

One main difference this time around is that Dion will also ask fans to travel to her. She will not be touring in support of "A New Day Has Come." Instead, in March 2003, she begins a three-year contract to appear five nights a week at the Caesars Palace Coliseum in Las Vegas, a three-tier, 4,000-seat arena designed and now being built just for her show.

The 90-minute show will be styled after the dazzling "O," a related show to "Cirque du Soleil." Dion and Angelil saw the show in Las Vegas and loved it so much that they asked its producer, Franco Dragone, to create a new spectacle for her that casts the same sort of high-tech circus and performance group concept as "O", but around Dion's music.

"I'll sing the songs people want to hear again, plus the album, and some surprises," Dion said. "But the big difference is that it will be a visual show, like theater. 'O' changed my life, and I said to Rene, 'There is no way I can come back onstage and not do something like this.' Every song can now become a visual experience, which I think puts it all on a higher scale. And it will be fun for me, something new."

It also allows Dion to balance career with the role of mother that she so cherishes. "Can you imagine? My son is going to be at home, I'll leave in the afternoon around 5, do my show five nights a week, come in and kiss my kid, and sleep in my own bed." She grins. "No travel. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah." Rehearsals for the show begin in October.

Celine Dion also revealed that she and Angelil hope to have a second child by the time her contract with Caesars ends in March 2006. (Angelil has a clean bill of health following radiation treatments for cancer in 1999.) In fact, she repeats her vision for much of the rest of the decade: "What I want now is three years in Vegas, another break, we try to have another child, we enjoy life. If the opportunity comes to do a really great movie, I would like that. By then, I'm almost 40 years old."

After that, "maybe we do some intimate shows here and there, something unplugged, something light," Dion continues. "Along the way, we'll have some good times together, the fans and I. Hopefully, there will be many more new days to come."
--This is a paraphrased excerpt from Billboardinterview with Celine Dion, which appears in the Jan. 26 issue.
1/20/02
Billboard Magazine article (Vol 114 Issue, Taylor, Chuck-Jan. 2002) highlights:

•  Included songs on Celine's upcoming album:

-"A New Day Has Come" : produced by Walter Afanasieff production - one of the most subtle, simplistic songs she's ever recorded.
-"I'm Alive" : an uplifting, upbeat song by the"That's The Way It Is" songwriters.
-"Sorry For Love" : This is a dance-song (written by the swedish team responsible for recent hits for Jennifer Lopez and others).
-"Nature Boy" : With only a piano and Celine's voice, this is a cover of a Nat King Cole hit.
-"Surrender" : This is a typical emotional Celine-style love ballad produced by David Foster.
-"Coulda Woulda Shoulda" : Sounds like an upbeat song.
-"Goodbye's The Hardest Word" : This is a sensitive,  emotional ballad about a mother's death. Celine decided to record it after 3 years and becoming a mother.
-"At Last" : this is a gospel-type song which was originally recorded by Glenn Miller and sung  by Etta James.
• There will be a press conference in New York City on the day of the North American release (March 26).
• Celine will also be making an appearances at some major record stores.
• There will be a TV special(1 hour) aired the week of the album's release.
• Celine will promote the album in USA, Europe and England.
• Celine will appear on the cover of Redbook and TV Guide.
• There may also be appearances on morning news entertainment show, a late-night talk show and a  news/interview show (Barbara Walters).
• Celine may decide to tape a TV special in French.

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Barbara Walters is known for competing ferociously for big interviews, but she said that's changed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

``Do I want to do the good stories? Yes,'' she said on Sunday. ``Do I die if I don't get them? ... No, I don't. And it's not that I care less about the program, but it just isn't that important to me. And since Sept. 11, it is much less important to me.''

The veteran ABC newswoman has filmed a New York City tourism commercial that jokingly depicts her trying out for a Broadway musical. She's slowly getting back into celebrity interviews, preparing a piece on singer Celine Dion. She also will do her annual interview show with actors before the Academy Awards.

But Walters said she can't believe there's anyone whose perspective about their job hasn't changed since Sept. 11.

``I've even sometimes said to (ABC News President) David (Westin), 'So what, we lost it.' I mean, it's a story. It's not the end of the world.''  (Jan. 2002)
12/20/01
It was the moment Celine Dion, 33, and her husband and manager, Rene Angelil, 59, had been waiting for. After enduring months of in vitro fertilization treatments, 18 hours of labor and a cesarean section, the singer's baby boy finally arrived -- three weeks early.
"This was their dream," friend and record producer David Foster told PEOPLE after the Jan. 25 birth of 6-lb. 8-oz. Rene-Charles. "It's bigger than any hit record, bigger than anything for them."

The couple had learned of Dion's long-awaited pregnancy the same day they found out Angelil's cancer was cured. It was a double dose of happy news for the five-time Grammy winner, who has been on an extended break from her singing career.

Although she is concentrating on being a mom, Dion, a Quebec native who now divides her time between Florida and Montreal, hasn't strayed too far from the limelight. She performed "God Bless America" on the star-studded telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes on Sept. 21 and headlined another benefit in Montreal for the Red Cross. Though for the near future her focus is on family, she has announced she'll perform in a musical in Las Vegas in 2003.

Little Rene-Charles may get spoiled in the meantime. Dion, who has sold more than 125 million records worldwide, is a bit of a shopaholic with a soft spot for kids. She picks up the tab at annual Christmas toy-shopping extravaganzas for her 32 nieces and nephews, and before her son's birth, she purchased about 200 pieces of clothing at a French baby boutique in Palm Beach, Fla.

What about siblings for this new arrival? Dion, herself the youngest of 14, has hinted she would like more children. The couple, who froze Angelil's sperm before he began chemotherapy treatments, has another frozen embryo waiting for them at a Manhattan fertility clinic. In the meantime, her fans will just have to wait and see.
(People magazine online)

12/5/2001
Celine
Celine Dion -- the singer who pledged that her heart would go on -- is about to get on with her career.
After dropping out of the music scene to start a family, the Quebec-born singer is ready to re-enter the fray, with a new album expected early in the new year.

Sony Music Canada has confirmed that the as-yet-untitled album is expected in record stores on March 5, 2002. It will be the singer's first album of all-new material since she dropped out of sight in 1999 to start a family with her manager-husband, Rene Angelil.

On June 9, 2000, Dion announced that she and Angelil had artificially conceived a child. On Jan. 25, 2001, little Rene-Charles was welcomed into the world.

Since her Dec. 31, 1999 "farewell concert" in Montreal, Dion has been largely out of the picture. Aside from a few charitable appearances and compilation contributions, her profile has been scaled down considerably from its late-'90s heights, which saw her sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.

In Canada, Dion has accumulated some impressive sales numbers. Her compilation "All The Way -- A Decade Of Song" was released in November 1999 and has sold over 782,000 copies. Her December 1996 release, "Falling Into You", has sold more than 800,000, and 1997's "Let's Talk About Love" has sold more than 1.4 million copies.

The debate within music circles is whether Dion's decision to drop out of the music business will help or hinder her comeback.

On one side, there is the theory that Dion had been flirting with overexposure, thanks to her parade of hits, videos, movie themes, and TV appearances, so laying low for a couple of years could leave her audience panting for new material.

In contrast to that, there are some who wonder whether an AWOL artist risks being forgotten by the increasingly fickle record-buying public.

Tim Baker, spokesman for the Sunrise Records chain, said Dion's career time-out may prove to have been a wise move.

"I think her respite from recording was a good idea," Baker said.

"Celine will have it easier (than other artists who drop out of sight). She is an MOR (middle-of-the-road) act, and there is not as much competition in that genre. The audience sticks with those artists."

One music-industry executive said that Dion's over-exposure prior to her hiatus was so intense, she could have easily taken a few more years off before her profile cooled down.

"I like (a new Celine Dion album) from a sales perspective. But as far as mucic goes, I'm not interested," the source said.

The difficulty for any artist with a lofty stature is surviving saturation media coverage, the source added, pointing to the once red-hot, now lukewarm Ricky Martin as an example of the perils of overexposure.

"Nobody is ever going to be as big as they were. The media wrings these things to death ... you can't re-create a phenomenon."

But Jasun Mark, purchasing supervisor for HMV in Toronto, said Dion long ago reached such exalted status that her fans will eagerly await any new release.

"When you are Celine, you are so big, it doesn't matter," Mark said, adding that artists such as Sarah McLachlan have survived lengthy stays out of the public eye.

"When your fans love you as much as (Dion's fans) do, (being away) doesn't matter."

The other big question mark surrounding Dion's career is her decision to abandon touring. Last May, word leaked out that Dion was planning to take up a residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

The spectacle, which is to launch in 2003, is to be staged inside a replica of the Roman Colosseum, in a show designed by Cirque Du Soleil's Franco Dragone. Instead of the endless touring -- which had helped drive Dion's earlier record sales -- the singer would perform 200 shows a year over three years at the resort hotel.

While she will almost certainly continue to draw an audience of tourists and fans to the hotel, it's open to question what kind of effect that decision will have on Dion's chart success. But HMV's Mark said he doubted the impact would be significant.

"That's the big difference between Celine and Aerosmith," he said, citing the latter as an act whose sales are boosted when the group hits the road.

"Celine's records have never stopped selling."
 -Posted by Hay

10/27/01

Michael Jackson completes work on charity single
 

LOS ANGELES(Reuters) - Pop singer Michael Jackson has completed studio recordings for his all-star charity single "What More Can I Give," which will benefit victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on America, a publicist for the project said Friday.

Boy band sensation 'N Sync was the last of nearly three dozen acts to record the song composed by Jackson for the single, a project reminiscent of his 1985 "We Are the World" effort that raised $65 million for African famine relief.

The Gloved One has said he hopes "What More Can I Give" will raise more than $50 million for the families, orphans and survivors of the suicide hijacking assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

He plans to issue the single in both English and Spanish,  but there was no word on a release date.

Recording stars who lent their talent to the project include Ricky Martin, Mariah Carey, Carlos Santana, Celine Dion, Tom Petty, Julio Iglesias, Reba McEntire, Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child, Hanson, Brian McKnight, Gloria Estefan, John Secada, Ruben Blades and Ziggy Marley.

Jackson, who also will be heard on the track, recorded each of the performers individually and planned to mix them together in the studio, according a spokeswoman. The song was performed by Jackson and others during the finale of a marathon Oct. 21 fund-raising concert at RFK Stadium in Washington.

The eccentric singer has made himself highly visible in recent weeks ahead of next week's release of his latest album, "Invincible," the first disc of all-new studio material from Jackson in six years. In September, he performed in two all-star shows at Madison Square Garden in New York, celebrating his 30 years as a solo artist.

Reuters/Variety
 
 
 

10/24/01
'God Bless America' CD Debuts on Top

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY
The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Americans are showing their patriotism in record stores.

``God Bless America,'' an album featuring Celine Dion's much-praised rendition of the song, is the nation's best-selling album, according to figures released Wednesday.

The disc, which Columbia Records touts as ``a collection of songs of hope, freedom and inspiration,'' also includes Frank Sinatra's ``America the Beautiful,'' Mariah Carey's ``Hero,'' Tramaine Hawkins' ``Amazing Grace'' and Pete Seeger's ``This Land Is Your Land.''

The album sold 180,984 copies in its first week to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's top 200 album charts.

And it's not the only patriotic hit on the charts.

The re-release of Whitney Houston's ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' is a best-selling single, and Lee Greenwood's ``American Patriot'' album sales have surged based on the popularity of his 17-year-old hit, ``God Bless the U.S.A.''

``It's hard to think of a time in the last 20 to 30 years where there has been such a wide embrace of patriotism,'' said Geoff Mayfield, charts director at Billboard magazine.

Not only has patriotic music surged in popularity, but also contemplative, inspirational tunes.

New Age singer Enya's ``Day Without Rain,'' which had been out for almost a year before the attacks and was No. 20 before Sept. 11, is now the nation's No. 2 album. The spike in sales has been fueled by the popularity of her ``Only Time,'' which some radio stations put in heavy rotation in the days after the attacks.

``It kind of became the song to soothe after all that ugliness,'' said Mayfield.

``If radio is doing what radio is supposed to do, it will reflect a change of mood,'' he added. ``And certainly there has been a change of mood as a result of what happened that day.''

Besides Enya, others who have seen their songs soar after the attacks include Enrique Iglesias (``Hero'') and Five For Fighting (``Superman'').

John Ondrasik, who constitutes the one-man act Five For Fighting, said even before the attacks, he saw that the song had been used by people going through their own particular crisis.

What has made the song particularly relevant now, he says, is that so many of us saw ``ordinary people that we walk by every day ... perform superhuman feats, so we saw the best in ourselves.

``So I think that's why people are using 'Superman' to pay tribute to these unbelievable people,'' said Ondrasik, whose debut album is titled ``America Town.''

Another song moving up the charts is ``What's Going On,'' an all-star remake of Marvin Gaye's classic that originally was intended to benefit Africa's famine victims, but now also is benefiting the terror attack victims.

More benefit albums are on the way - a double-disc set of last week's all-star Concert for New York, featuring Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, the Who, Billy Joel and others is scheduled for release next month.

Also on tap: Michael Jackson's ``What More Can I Give,'' a ``We Are the World''-type song. Jackson sang it last weekend at the United We Stand benefit in Washington.

Both the ``God Bless America'' disc and the Houston single have allocated some or all of their proceeds toward charities tied to the terrorist attacks. The Houston song has raised $1 million so far, an Arista Records spokeswoman said.

The renewed interest in the genre is encouraging to singer James Rogers, who has been singing such songs for years.

``Now, they seem to be more receptive, whereas before, they would play them on Fourth of July or Memorial Day or Veterans Day,'' said Rogers, whose new album is titled ``Red, White and Beautiful.''

Rogers hopes the interest won't be fleeting.

``I think it's a good thing that we're feeling proud of who we are and what we are,'' he said. ``But it is bad that it took a national tragedy for it to happen.''

 2001 The Associated Press.

 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.

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

LAS VEGAS, May 17 /PRNewswire

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