Featured Artist

Celine Dion

Vegas Community Online is honored to acknowledge this super star as VCO's

Featured Artist of the month

Born in Charlemagne (a small town 30 miles east of Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Céline is the youngest of 14 children of a highly musical family.

Her parents, both musicians, operated a small club, and on weekends, the entire family performed and entertained the local population. From the tender age of five, Céline sang with her siblings and quickly acquired the ability to perform live. At the age of 12, together with her mother and one of her brothers, Céline composed a French song which would forever alter the course of her life.

The demo tape containing the song was brought to the attention of René Angélil, a well respected personal manager. In January 1981, René was so taken by the voice of the young Céline, that he became determined to make her an internationally known talent - he even mortgaged his house to finance the recording of Céline's debut album!

Céline began to receive recognition for her talent in 1982, winning the Gold Medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo, along with the coveted Musician's Award for Top Performer. In 1983, she became the first Canadian ever to receive a Gold Record in France.

In September, 1990 Céline released 'Unison' - her first English-language album and her first for Sony Music - and scored a breakthrough US hit with the Top 5 single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now".

Céline's international breakthrough came when she recorded the title track for the soundtrack to the animated Disney hit movie 'Beauty and the Beast.' The song went to number one and garnered an Academy Award and a Grammy Award. "Beauty and the Beast" formed the cornerstone for Céline's second English language album, called simply 'Céline Dion.' That album produced four more hit singles including "Love Can Move Mountains," "Water From The Moon," "If You Asked Me To" and "Did You Give Enough Love." In Canada, the album went six times platinum and set the stage for an incredible streak of Juno Awards.

On December 17, 1994, Céline Dion and René Angélil were married at Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal.

Released in March 1996, 'Falling Into You' became the best-selling album released that year; topped the charts in 11 countries, and was voted Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 39th annual Grammy Awards ceremony. The album has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

'Let's Talk About Love' was released on the same day as the soundtrack of the motion picture 'Titanic'. Both albums featured the much-loved Titanic movie's theme song, "My Heart Will Go On," written by James Horner and produced by James Horner and Walter Afanasieff. "My Heart Will Go On" quickly became the wedding song of choice for Céline's fans.

In a stunning back-to-back achievement, 'Let's Talk About Love' went on to match the 27 million worldwide sales of its predecessor; 'Titanic' also sold over 27 million copies worldwide. It is the all-time best-selling orchestral soundtrack in recording history. Céline sang "My Heart Will Go On" on the worldwide telecast of the 70th Annual Academy Awards, live from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song -- the second Oscar for a song sung by Céline Dion, following "Beauty And The Beast."

Also, in 1998, Dundurn Press released the much anticipated biography: Céline...The Authorized Biography. After travelling with Céline and her entourage for over a year and spending hours in one-on-one conversions with the star, Georges-Hébert Germain recounts the story of one of the world's best loved vocal artists. Céline and Georges-Hébert Germain later collaborated once again on Céline Dion...My Story, My Dream. Released in 2000, Céline recounts her story in her own words and straight from her heart. The autobiography is an exquisitely detailed portrait of Céline backstage, on the road, and in the recording studio.

'All The Way...A Decade Of Song' is a collection of Céline's greatest hits, including her chart-topping hit singles "The Power Of Love," "Because You Loved Me," "I'm Your Angel," and the Grammy and Academy Award-winning classic "My Heart Will Go On." Also included are "Beauty And The Beast," "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"; and "If You Asked Me To."

Seven brand-new songs, were recorded specifically for this collection, including the title song "All The Way," a respectful and loving tribute to one of Céline's all-time favourite singers, the late Frank Sinatra.

On New Year's Eve 1999, in Montreal, Céline Dion gave her last public performance before beginning a temporary hiatus from show business to enjoy her private life... and improve her golf game!

During Céline's hiatus, a compilation album, 'The Collector's Series...Volume One,' was released in October 2000. Among Céline's greatest hits and best-loved recordings, the album also includes "The Power of the Dream" which Céline performed at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games as well as a Spanish version of "All By Myself."


		But the greatest joy for Céline and René came with the birth of their son René-Charles Angélil, born January 25, 2001 at 1:00 AM, weighing 6 lbs, 8 oz. He was baptized six months later on July 25, 2001, in Montreal's grand Notre-Dame Basilica.

A new peak in Céline's spectacular career was reached when she released her new album 'A New Day Has Come' in March 2002, which ended her two-year hiatus. The album entered number one in more than 17 countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States within two weeks of its debut. It features new tracks that range from pure 21st century pop, "A New Day Has Come" to dramatic ballads "Have You Ever Been In Love" and "I Surrender," from breathtaking dance music "Sorry For Love" to a pair of pre-rock classics "At Last;" and "Nature Boy." Other highlights include "I'm Alive," "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)," and "Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)."


		The release of the album was accompanied by a blitz of TV specials, appearances on talk shows and magazine interviews all over the world.


			In March 2003, Céline began a three-year commitment to appear five nights a week at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, a 4000-seat arena designed for her show. A 90-minute event, A New Day... introduces a new form of entertainment, a fusion of song, performance art, theatrical innovation and state-of-the-art technology. The show was created by Dragone Productions, a team led by Franco Dragone, the creative spirit behind ten of the critically acclaimed productions by Cirque du Soleil. On March 25, to coincide with the opening of A New Day..., Céline released 'One Heart,' a brand new album featuring an upbeat cover of Roy Orbison's classic "I Drove All Night" as its first single. The album also includes songs produced by Ric Wake, Anders Bagge, Kristian Lundin, Peer Astrom, Max Martin, Mark Taylor, Erick Benzi et Humberto Gatica.


			In the following year on June 15, 2004, Celine released her wildly anticipated live CD, 'A New Day...Live in Las Vegas.' This album featured two previously unreleased studio tracks, "You And I" and "Ain't Gonna Look The Other Way" and 13 live tracks from Celine's incredibly successful Las Vegas show, *A New Day...* Fans cherish the live album as it gives them the opportunity to re-live the energy from *A New Day...* over and over again.


				Celine teamed up with famed baby photographer Anne Geddes for one of the most incredible artistic collaborations of all time…the Miracle project. ‘Miracle’ was released in October 2004. Celine and Anne worked together for many months to produce a stunning collection of images and powerful songs celebrating the bond of love between mother and child. The body of work touched the hearts of people throughout the world. The Miracle CD includes the all-new title track plus 12 other new and time-honoured classics such as “Beautiful Boy” and “What A Wonderful World”. The Miracle CD/DVD box set includes a 60-page version of the Miracle book and a “making-of-the-CD” DVD. The 180-page Miracle book, which includes the CD and “making-of-the-book” DVD reached the New York Times Best-Seller List.

October 2005 also marked the release of a truly unique book project encompassing Celine's life in words and pictures. 'Celine Dion: For Keeps' is an intimate look into Celine's personal and professional life from her childhood days though to her spectacular show in Vegas.

On Sunday, May 7, 2006, Celine Dion and cast celebrated the 500th performance of A New Day..., created by DRAGONE and presented by Chrysler at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. Celine Dion and her partners Dragone and AEG Live marked this special milestone by donating show proceeds totaling $1,027,450 to The Celine Dion Foundation to benefit ten Las Vegas charities.

"We do a special show every night, we go on every night, but tonight is more than going on stage, it's more than doing a show. It's about making a difference," said Celine Dion.

The ten organizations that were selected by a committee of business and community leaders using a variety of criteria as beneficiaries included:

* Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) - The oldest and largest AIDS service organization in the state of Nevada. Provides direct client service programs, food programs, prevention and education programs, and community outreach
* The Animal Foundation - Provides a safe, clean and caring refuge for the animals of the community
* Center for Independent Living - Assists homeless youth toward independent living through housing, mentoring, education and job placement
* FIT for an Independent Tomorrow - Empowers motivated unemployed and underemployed Nevadans to obtain the skills necessary for self-sufficient employment
* "I Have A Dream" Foundation - Helps at-risk children from low-income families become productive citizens by providing a long-term program of mentoring, tutoring and enrichment, with the assured opportunity for higher education
* Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth - Provides assistance to eliminate homelessness among Nevada's youth
* New Vista Ranch - Provides a home-like environment for adults with disabilities and enables them to live the most independent and self-determined life possible
* Project REACH - Provides aid to seniors in Southern Nevada who have fallen behind in their electric utility payments due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances
* Project Sunshine of Nevada - Provides financial, material and volunteer support to organized non-profit camping programs in Nevada for children with critical or life-altering illnesses and/or situations
* The Rape Crisis Center - Offers crisis intervention, advocacy, support and education to victims of sexual violence, as well as to friends and families of those harmed

All guests at the 500th performance received a commemorative souvenir, and three lucky audience members who were randomly selected in a drawing won special grand prizes that included a Chrysler Crossfire Roadster Limited courtesy of DaimlerChrysler, a two-night VIP stay at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, including dinner with Celine Dion, and two round-trip first class tickets anywhere in the world courtesy of Air Canada.

Kudos to you Celine!! You're a class act!

Photos courtesy of www.celinedion.com