Articles and Celine Spotting

[Cheerfuljane]

New 30 minute interview will be aired on MNET this Thursday 7pm

 

In South Africa!!

[nate]

That was Nate and I having an sms conversation during the show

 

There was a lovely article in the Sunday times !!!

 

I will scan it tonight !

There is a pic of the front page on the right side of their website, and Celine has a big pic, on the front page!!!

http://www.thetimes.co.za/printedition/Default.aspx

[Duchess]

article from the mercury this morning.

 

underneath it says,

"multiple award-winning singer celine dion kept a capacity crowd spellbound on the fourth stop her south african tour at absa stadium, in durban, last night. the diva uttered zulu phrases and acknowledged that she was at the home of the sharks, prompting rapturous applause from thousands of ardent fans."

 

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/Duc...l/Scan10022.jpg

Edited February 21, 2008 at 12:03 PM by Duchess

[maxceline]

she has a different hair style in durban... more straight way

[Cheerfuljane]

It had to be because of the humidity.

[Duchess]

article from the "daily news", durban's evening paper.

 

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/Duc...l/Scan10025.jpg

[Cheerfuljane]

Did anybody get the interview that was just on?

 

I don't have MNET so didn't see it

[Thomas]

Thanks for the scans Shirley, that review was really nice!

[Thomas]

Scan by Jane of You Magazine's feature on the tour:

 

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/6767/youmagazineby3.jpg

[celinevegas]

Thanks for the scans!!!

[ahmed]

thanks for the scans and articles

[nate]

In South Africa, Celine is queen

Diva launches world tour with shows in Johannesburg, Cape Town

 

Maurice Podbrey, Canwest News Service

Published: Friday, February 29, 2008

 

 

CAPE TOWN -- South Africa's ubiquitous mini-bus taxi drivers may not rate on the tourist brochure with the Big Five of the animal kingdom, but they certainly rate on the highways. These are the modern-day pirates few visitors (or white South Africans) get to meet. They drive with scant attention to traffic lanes and terrify pedestrians and drivers alike.

 

I'm in one of them, en route to Khayalitsha, Cape Town's largest black township with its plentiful share of shanty town constructs, to bring a play by a young black playwright about youth gangs and police corruption to school audiences.

 

I'm also crushed against 13 weary fellow passengers. The fare is usually passed collectively from the back row to the front. Two rands are missing from someone's change and a string of Xhosa curses and English obscenities add heat to an already sweltering interior.

 

Shadrack, the driver, doesn't bother turning around to investigate the cause of the commotion. Instead, he pulls a CD out of the grimy console and pops it into the sound system. "Babybabybaby if you want me like thi-i-i-is. And if you need me like tha-a-at It's so hard to belie-e-e-eve, but it's all coming back to me."

 

The notes drown out the altercation and the vehicle's speakers shudder from the volume.

 

I lean forward and tap him on the shoulder. "That's Celine Dion -- she's from Canada. I used to live there," I tell him. He grins at me. "Serious? Celine, she is sharp; she and Whitney." He cranks the volume up still further a few notches, to maximum pitch. "Ja. Celine Dion is right up there."

 

I tell him the price range for Dion's show in Johannesburg was from 700 to as much as 6,000 rand, about $100 to $800. He tells me the average monthly salary of most of the people on the bus is about 1,500 rand.

 

"Don't you like her new releases better than this old stuff?" I ask. "Taking Chances?" Shadrack grimaces. "No way. Celine shouldn't try to sing rock. It doesn't work; it does not suit her. I prefer her the way she was before: Falling Into You is still my favourite."

 

Ms. Dion is on her way, kicking off her massive international tour in South Africa, no less. This is a big deal for a country happy to get recognition for things other than HIV/Aids.

 

Ms. Dion's cult status here has transcended many of the racial and cultural prejudices that cause black South Africans to disdain the likes of Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne and venture no further than rap and hip-hop.

 

While Celine does not command the same adulation as, say, Beyonce Knowles or local icons such as Mafikizolo and Freshlyground, she is, remarkably, listened to across the spectrum: from black students to white housewives, businessmen, and the gay community, who have come to regard her as the replacement for Barbra Streisand and Gloria Gaynor.

 

The reworked, house version of My Heart Will Go On has become an anthem at both gay and straight clubs, and revellers of all ages -- from teenyboppers to middle-aged church groups -- wait for the familiar opening bars of Because You Loved Me to snog into partners' necks.

 

The road to Khayalitsha is also the road to the Vergelegen Wine Estate at Somerset West, where two open-air concerts will be staged on successive nights. It's a small town near the more famous Stellenbosch and some 10 km along the A2, the road that leads past the refashioned international airport, the endless and grotesque array of "informal settlements" and -- eventually -- into the ravishing beauty of the Garden Route. This is a land of contrasts.

 

But first the downtown press conference. Diaphanous and elegant, Ms. Dion easily commands our attention. She's full of heartfelt praise and excitement at being here and, of course, her meeting with Mandela has been the highlight so far. He, apparently, made much of her seven-year-old son and Dion, in return, came up with something poetical for him:

 

"I know you have the soul of a child

 

The heart of a mother

 

The strength of a man."

 

Her simple beginnings in the Quebec hinterland, her 14 siblings, and her mother's presence here on tour with her son and husband are the emotional anchors of her life. And, certainly, from as far back as she can remember, her singing.

 

The night of the concert. Threatening clouds and blustering winds gave way in an instant to almost perfect skies. Sadly, the show turned out to be more problematic for me and my small party. A logistical nightmare descended on traffic, parking, seating and food arrangements and we, with our gold invitation cards held tightly in our sweaty palms, and perched on small bales of hay, were forced to view the proceedings with the help of the big screen. Not the visceral experience we had hoped for and too many thoughts left frustratingly unresolved.

 

The next day's papers are divided between the disgruntled who probably shared our hay bales and those lucky enough to be front and centre and able to surrender themselves to the Celine magic. To be on the outside of a Lourdes pilgrimage must be an equally lonely and envy-making place. We could see them, cheering and clapping and rising to their feet, we just couldn't get there.

 

News reports say the second concert went like clock-work.

 

Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel did themselves and us a great favour. Not only did they immerse themselves in the local music scene, but they collaborated with artists here to their mutual benefit. African music is a rich, challenging and transcending wellspring to the world. If only Celine Dion would return one day, give herself the time to pursue the same journey now, that's a gift to herself, Mandela and us that would make a difference.

 

Montreal Gazette

 

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=344175

[Cesdra]

honestly, if I were wearing short dresses like that being up there on stage, I'd be constantly scared about the view those first rowers are getting. LOL Edited February 29, 2008 at 08:08 PM by Cesdra

[venezia7]

i love those white boots she wears with the white dress they are so cool. infact love all the things she is wearing they are so amazing. i agree lol i too would be worried about the view some people would be getting lol

[Cheerfuljane]

I'm shocked that there is nothing in the national papers today