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Journalism of Courage
Celine Dion is going to try to sing. She8217;s had a viral infection and cancelled four performances at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, sending home 16,000 brokenhearted Celine-deprived fans. Backstage, before tonight8217;s show, she poses for photographs with a few of her devotees, sniffling between camera flashes. 8220;I8217;m having a hard time,8221; she confesses. A man tells her to stop shaking hands. He turns to her fans. 8220;Don8217;t touch her!8221; he says. Who the hell is he? 8220;I8217;m her gynaecologist.8221;
Just for the record, the doctor is not here to examine her. He wants to see the concert.
That8217;s one way to stay young. Or you could also start imitating the young ones, which is one thing she does on the new album. Taking Chances is a ridiculously diverse collection of songs, with more edge. 8220;Oh yes, I8217;m a rocker,8221; Celine says without a hint of irony. The album8217;s third track, Eyes on Me, even transforms her into a pop/Bollywood singer. 8220;It8217;s my Shakira song,8221; Celine says. On This Time, she sings about being a battered woman, which is the last thing you8217;d expect to hear from delightfully sappy Celine.
Chances probably won8217;t win over her critics. But for her fans, it8217;s a nice step up, with echoes of Janis Joplin. She8217;s even upgraded her look. She8217;s on the album cover wearing a heavy gold chain, flashing some cleavage.
In February, she8217;ll begin an international tour. Then she plans on settling down in Florida, where she8217;ll see if she can turn herself into a movie star her dream project is a biopic of the Greek singer Maria Callas and have a second child. 8220;If it doesn8217;t happen, it8217;s because life and destiny have decided that. You can8217;t be greedy.8221; How very un-Vegas of her.
-Ramin Setoodeh Newsweek
