Tensions between Vito Luprano and Celine/René

[ryba]

A word of warning about the book itself: I confess I had mixed feelings after reading it. On the one hand, it's a book written with a claw, the opposite of the cloned, sugary, nauseating Céline "biographies", and the authors are quite effective as journalists (for example, it's is in front of them that Claudette - for the first time? - stops playing her sister's favorite confidante and confesses, around autumn 2022, that she's not in direct contact with her and doesn't know much about her condition). On the other hand, the aggressive, gossipy tone seriously prevented me from enjoying the book (for example, Scott Roeben's speculations on Céline's psychological health, despite their apparent benevolence, verge on the ignominious; I hope he regretted these confidences after December 8).

 

As for Luprano, in his comments there are more bitter judgments than details. If you're interested, I'll add an anecdote about "A new day":

 

“Céline had taken time off to get pregnant and look after her baby," he recalls. When the time came to make her comeback, I was preparing a new English album for her, called A New Day. I came up with the title because it meant that after becoming a mother, Céline was starting afresh. When I was working on this album - which became a big success - René came to see me in the recording studio with a rather disgruntled look on his face. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that René and Céline very rarely appeared in the recording studio. I was the one who prepared everything beforehand and was present when the songs were mixed. Since they were never there, I had to be there to approve everything," Vito tackles. So, that day, René arrives at the studio, sulking. I ask him what's going on, and he suggests I go and have dinner with him at Dic Ann's Hamburgers. That's when he tells me he's not happy with the title A New Day... I explain to him that most celebrities who perform in Las Vegas do so because they're at the end of their careers, which is not at all the case with Céline! I tell him: "This title would show, on the contrary, that it's a new f****** start! - I'm not sure, man!" he replies, and then, suddenly, he has a smile on his face. I feel he's finally happy again, but he doesn't say anything to me and leaves! Later," he says, "we meet again to promote the album in Paris, where Céline is to do a show with Michel Drucker. He calls me in the morning to tell me that Céline has a sore throat and that before going on the show they're going to see a doctor. I said, "Okay, I'll meet you there. Then he calls me back and says, "Vito, I'm on the speakerphone and Céline is with me. I just had an idea. I think we're going to call our Las Vegas show A New Day!" - What did you answer him?" we ask Vito. - What do you want me to say? "Bravo René, that's a great idea, it's the same title as the album!" " Vito doesn't beat about the bush because he considers himself "well treated financially" but, he adds, "you can't imagine the number of times that, as Céline Dion's executive producer, I've had to make sure that certain choices didn't give her a cheesy image. If René had done things his way, there are a lot of choices that would have been really bad for her. Looking back, Vito, whose idea it was to have Céline sing a duet with Luciano Pavarotti, is proud of what he has achieved. But, like a number of forgotten legends, he would like to be back in the picture.”

 

(automatic translation from French)

this is very interesing indeed! Do you have more?

[Zofia]

They released the album ANDHC in March 2002 and the Drucker show in Paris was in April 2002. The Vegas Show A New Day was promoted in October 2002.

The first name of the show was Muse. The band Muse sued Celine, because of the same name. So sth. is not right here.

 

You're correcting what the authors should have said to Luprano, had they been better prepared for the job

 

BTW, this inaccuracy doesn't surprise me; great emotion often disfigures our memories (unless he's not confabulating on purpose, after all who knows).

[Chantemoi]

 

 

They released the album ANDHC in March 2002 and the Drucker show in Paris was in April 2002. The Vegas Show A New Day was promoted in October 2002.

The first name of the show was Muse. The band Muse sued Celine, because of the same name. So sth. is not right here.

 

Céline was in France during October of 2002 to record 1F4T, to shoot the music video for GTSW, to make a few promotional appearances (À Tout Prix, Star Académie), and attend Luc Plamondon’s “Cindy” première … and she went shopping - naturally! I distinctly remember a picture of her walking the streets of Paris that autumn, looking very chic with a crocheted handbag!

 

So to make a point, it fits perfectly with Vito’s timeline. He originally suggested the name for her album/residency, and René vetoed it. But after the band Muse wouldn’t accept his monetary offer to disappear, he went with Vito’s suggestion. We can’t know if René ever mentioned that fact to anyone else, but I trust Vito’s account. He would know firsthand what the “vibe” was between them, and I can’t see him making this story up if there’s wasn’t truth behind it.

 

As for the suggestion that René purposely kept Céline away from the influence of people who might give her ideas other than what René wanted her to have, I can also believe that since both of them said as much, albeit in softer language that implied he was doing her a favor.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 at 03:45 PM by Chantemoi

[ryba]

Why was Vito Luprano fired?

[comingback]

 

 

Vito Luprano spoke to Laurence Pieau and Hervé Tropéa, authors of the book « Céline Dion - La Vraie histoire. Les secrets d’une idole fragile ». It was obvious that he was motivated by deep resentment, but I was surprised by the violence and virulence of his attacks on René. That's why, in my opinion, he should be taken with a grain of salt (and I say this without ever being "team René").

 

Luprano recounts the beginning of their collaboration, the circumstances under which René fired him, the moment when he proposed the title and concept of "A new day", which René then presents as his own... To believe him, during the funeral ceremony in January 2016 ("the only way to get close to her") he begs Céline to reconnect with him :

 

"Call me, Celine," he almost implores, a second time. What he wants to tell her? That she's never been so badly looked after! That in the three years she's spent playing nurse, things have happened that she hasn't seen. After all... All the professionals know that those around her are nothing but second knives! Good showbiz technicians, yes, but not visionaries. Which Vito knows, because he recruited them! "Denis Savage, who is now his manager, was a sound engineer. I hired him, as did Dave Platel. In fact, René used to quarrel with me, blaming me for the recruitment. He complained because he thought he had... big eyes," he recalls, realizing the ridiculousness of the remark. I don't really have any contact with them anymore," he continues, "because for me, they're 'yes men'. They say yes to everything Céline demands and have no critical spirit." It makes you wonder, Vito wonders, if he hasn't purposely put people in place - managers - who are incapable of replacing him. "I don't understand why Céline can't see that she hasn't made any hits since she left me. It's been seven years since Vito was ousted... ousted by René.

 

"After Taking Chances, I never worked with Céline again. René did everything he could - in vain - to make Taking Chances not work. He didn't talk to me the same way, then he didn't talk to me at all... Look at the result: since I left, she's released two albums in French, two albums in English, but not a single hit!"

 

“I blame René, not Céline," he continues. I've come to think that René took advantage of me. In front of Céline, he used my artistic side to his advantage. Everything I'm telling you I've never said. For me, it's a story with a sad ending, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.”

 

“He always wanted Céline to believe that everything came from him," says the executive producer. For me, it was all the more of a problem because no one could talk to Céline without first talking to him! He'd been behaving that way with her since she was 14." Vito, who has already confided that he didn't think René had a musical ear, says he found himself "in some really tricky situations". Often," he explains, "René would want me to play music just for him and not for Céline. If he refused, I really had to find a way for Céline to hear it too. Most of the time, when I did, she loved it and wanted to sing the music!"

 

"You can't imagine how many times, as Céline Dion's executive producer, I had to make sure that certain choices didn't make her look cheesy. If René had done things his way, there are a lot of choices that would have been really bad for her.”

 

"In all honesty," he assures us, "all the decisions that were made about her hits and many decisions made in her career in general came from me, not René. I can tell you that he took credit for them, just as he took credit for many other things, when almost everything came from me!""

 

(automatic translation from the original French)

 

Wow, in the interview,producer Vito L. is very harsh and aggressive against Rene. Was it a real interview? Are there more facts about Rene in the book?

[Zofia]

this is very interesing indeed! Do you have more?

Wow, in the interview,producer Vito L. is very harsh and aggressive against Rene. Was it a real interview? Are there more facts about Rene in the book?

 

I have the ebook in the Kindle version, which unfortunately limits the number of pages you can copy into Word... But if you're interested in Luprano's thread, here's practically the rest of it :

 

On the start of their collaboration:

 

"Her career was plummeting, stores were returning her records, she sang too much with her nose." When he thinks of the Céline of 1986, Vito Luprano is not tender. And when he thinks back to René Angélil, it's even worse. History has forgotten Vito Luprano - we've seen him - and yet, when we investigate Céline Dion and interview people in the business, they all ask this same question: "Have you spoken to Vito?" The former head of Sony BMG in Canada was, in fact, the executive producer of twenty-three Céline Dion albums, from Incognito to Taking Chances. When René Angélil met Vito, he was certainly a charismatic, authoritative and respected impresario, an old-fashioned manager who managed everything for his artist. He is said to be gifted and loyal in friendship, and to keep his word, which is rare. He wants the best for Céline, whom he sincerely believes will become "the greatest singer in the world". But René Angélil is not yet "the kind of manager that doesn't exist anymore", says Gilbert Coullier. (...) Is a good impresario a lucky one? A few days after his discussion with Céline, René Angélil ran into Bill Rotary, CBS Canada's manager at Dic Ann's, a burger joint in the Montreal suburb of Laval. René told him: "I'm looking for a label," recalls Vito Luprano. Are you interested in working with Céline?" Then Bill came back to the office where I had just arrived as director of A&R, Artiste et Répertoire, for Quebec. He said, 'Would you mind seeing René Angélil and thinking about what we can and can't do with Céline? Vito wasn't keen, to say the least. "I said to Bill, 'Look, I'm not sure... Her career is going downhill, she started singing at 14, she's had a bit of success but people don't believe in it anymore." How can a 14-year-old think about love in such an old-fashioned way?" Luprano resists, even though his wife at the time, Lisa Richards, who works at the Transcanada Music record label, can't stop talking to him about Céline. I used to tell her I didn't like Céline either," he continues. I didn't think she had much of an international future, not only because she didn't speak English, but also because she sang too much with her nose, and I didn't like her image. But Bill came back and said, "Please, do it for me." I said, "OK, I'll meet her, but if I get involved with her and René, everything has to change!"" René finally got an appointment with the "young guy who counts in the business". In Vito's office in Ville-Saint-Laurent, some fifteen kilometers from Montreal, the two men went through a series of banalities before Angélil jumped in and exercised his implacable sense of persuasion. At first, we were like two dogs sniffing each other out; we didn't really talk," Vito recalls. We just looked at each other and then, at some point, he said: 'I've heard a lot about you. I know you're young and fashionable. Céline absolutely wants to be with CBS because it's her idol Michael Jackson's record company. And she wants to be with you! If René succeeds in convincing Luprano, the latter lays down his conditions. First and foremost, he wanted to unringardise her: "I told him, 'If you want us to work together, Céline has to stop doing her usual love songs. She's young, 17, so she has to look young and produce things for young people while keeping her older fans. So we have to find the right balance." He gave me his consent and promised to be ready to make this change, so our adventure began." Before leaving René Angélil, Vito has one very last question: "By the way, does Céline speak English?" "René answered 'no', so I told him it was going to be a bit complicated," laughs Luprano again. In fact, Angélil doesn't need convincing. He's already convinced that Céline needs to be bilingual. He's told her: to rise to the level of a Michael Jackson, you have to speak perfect English. The impresario is all the more convinced of this since, in the 1970s, he tried to launch an artist on the American scene and failed miserably for this reason. The young René Simard, who had only the vaguest notion of English at the time, was invited to appear on American TV. Although René had asked to read the questions in advance and was able to prepare Simard's answers, which he soon learned by heart, on the day the presenter got the order of the questions wrong, and both the singer and his mentor made fools of themselves and had to say goodbye to the American market. So René is going to ask Céline to learn the language. And quickly. Two months of total immersion at Berlitz. Willing as always, the singer chose the most demanding program: nine hours a day, five days a week. She wants to impress her manager and be the equal of divas like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole, singers with voices that are all over the charts. René, who knows how hard she works, is certain of her success. Vito is too, but not for the same reasons... " I noticed that Céline really had a gift for imitation," he recalls. She could imitate voices and accents extremely well, and she had a very good ear. That was the key to her success. A few months after René and Vito's first interview, Céline Dion released Incognito, written in part by Luc Plamondon. CBS wanted to make sure she could sell," Vito recalls. We first signed for a first album in French. Which broke records, selling over three hundred thousand copies in Quebec alone, whereas previously Céline hadn't even sold ten thousand copies! CBS, extremely happy with the result, therefore agreed to give him a chance and offer him the opportunity to record an album in English."

 

On recording "Where Does My Heart Beat Now":

 

"It's true that she blew director Christopher Neil away. Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was recorded in just one take. In fact, because she works so hard on her voice and her songs before a recording, studying every intonation, mastering every volume, muscling and remuscling her vocal cords, the young woman is already used to recording in a single take. A singer who arrives in the studio so prepared and so quickly understands the director's requirements, how to lay down her voice, how to make it sexier, how to tone down a particular tic... it's uncommon. While she's recording with Christopher Neil, René and Vito are playing billiards - René even persuaded the A&R director to bet on the game! When they heard the first take with Céline, they both danced and jumped like kids, letting their joy explode. It's... magical! As usual, René cries, convinced that the future "greatest singer in the world" has just recorded the "best song in the world". Yet, according to Vito, René wasn't initially too keen: "I was the one who had control over Céline's songs," he explains today. Where Does My Heart Beat Now came from this English producer called Chris Neil, who was in the process of being fired from his record label in England. When I heard the song, I knew right away that it had to be for Céline, but René didn't want it. He thought it was too rock'n'roll. I said to him, "Are you kidding, René? We're going to make it a little more pop, but you can't pass it up!" I played it to Céline, who immediately loved it, and it became a worldwide hit. And Chris Neil got rich!”

 

“There's one other thing Vito can now confess: he always thought René didn't have a musical ear... "That's the only thing that disappointed me in my long collaboration with them. That's the only thing that disappointed me in my long collaboration with them," he confesses. René was a strong, intelligent man, but all the artistic direction of Céline's career was done by me. You can't imagine how many songs René didn't want, at first! He really didn't have a good ear. He was very intelligent and certainly a good businessman, but he had no sense of when a tune could be a hit... or not!"

 

On meeting Mottola:

 

"CBS-Sony management was delighted, so much so that Tommy Mottola, Sony's big boss and Mariah Carey's estranged husband, agreed to talk to René. At the time, Mottola was one of the biggest and toughest men in showbiz. Tommy Mottola decided to meet Céline Dion only after we had recorded our first album in English," explains Vito. I'll never forget that meeting, which I attended. He came up to René and me and simply said: "You two are going to be very, very rich! [Céline isn't very, very rich yet (she will be), but she's very, very much in demand. One song completes her American success. It's the title track from Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991. Vito enthuses at the mention of this huge hit: "Beauty and the Beast was our first number 1 in the charts all over the world, and won an Oscar for Best Original Song.”

 

On the end of their collaboration:

 

"Does she remember the day that signed Vito's death warrant? A memorable day for him, since it was the first time Céline had thanked him for all his hard work. It was at the end of a period when she was depressed, just like René," Vito recalls. We were coming off the huge success of the A New Day album. We had to make a new album, and the three of us were in New York with a representative from our record company to talk about it. And then... nobody knew what to do. I was tired, we were all tired! After a week of cogitating, I said to them: "I've got an idea! The previous album being A New Day, let's do an album called Taking Chances, which will tell the story that, from now on, Céline does what she wants: rock, dance, pop...". Céline and René loved the idea." Shortly afterwards, the three of them were in Vegas, at the Palm studio, recording a track for Taking Chances: "As Céline and René were leaving the studio," Vito continues, "I went out for a cigarette with a sound engineer. Suddenly, I see them turn back. I say to myself, 's***, what's going on? Vito then saw the impressive sedan stop right in front of him: "The window of the car on Céline's side was down, René was on the opposite side. Céline leaned out the window. She simply came back and said to me: 'Vito, if it hadn't been for you, we'd never have been able to make this album. It's really thanks to you!" After twenty albums, for the first time in our long years of collaboration, she recognized that this twenty-first album had been made thanks to me! Before, every time a new album was finished, she'd say, "We've got it, we've got it!", but it was always thanks to René. Now, for the first time, she was facing the truth: "Vito made this album! I'll never forget the look on René's face... He was really unhappy. I understood very quickly that something was going to happen and that nothing would ever be the same again."

 

On his plans:

 

"Vito, who still hopes she'll phone him "before he's in a wheelchair". He'd like to make one last album with Céline, convinced that it will be a hit. "I've got an idea for her," he says, "and I think she could come back through the front door and really make a comeback like Tina Turner did.

 

The authors' interview with Vito Luprano took place, according to them, on August 5, 2022.

[comingback]

I have the ebook in the Kindle version, which unfortunately limits the number of pages you can copy into Word... But if you're interested in Luprano's thread, here's practically the rest of it :

 

On the start of their collaboration:

 

"Her career was plummeting, stores were returning her records, she sang too much with her nose." When he thinks of the Céline of 1986, Vito Luprano is not tender. And when he thinks back to René Angélil, it's even worse. History has forgotten Vito Luprano - we've seen him - and yet, when we investigate Céline Dion and interview people in the business, they all ask this same question: "Have you spoken to Vito?" The former head of Sony BMG in Canada was, in fact, the executive producer of twenty-three Céline Dion albums, from Incognito to Taking Chances. When René Angélil met Vito, he was certainly a charismatic, authoritative and respected impresario, an old-fashioned manager who managed everything for his artist. He is said to be gifted and loyal in friendship, and to keep his word, which is rare. He wants the best for Céline, whom he sincerely believes will become "the greatest singer in the world". But René Angélil is not yet "the kind of manager that doesn't exist anymore", says Gilbert Coullier. (...) Is a good impresario a lucky one? A few days after his discussion with Céline, René Angélil ran into Bill Rotary, CBS Canada's manager at Dic Ann's, a burger joint in the Montreal suburb of Laval. René told him: "I'm looking for a label," recalls Vito Luprano. Are you interested in working with Céline?" Then Bill came back to the office where I had just arrived as director of A&R, Artiste et Répertoire, for Quebec. He said, 'Would you mind seeing René Angélil and thinking about what we can and can't do with Céline? Vito wasn't keen, to say the least. "I said to Bill, 'Look, I'm not sure... Her career is going downhill, she started singing at 14, she's had a bit of success but people don't believe in it anymore." How can a 14-year-old think about love in such an old-fashioned way?" Luprano resists, even though his wife at the time, Lisa Richards, who works at the Transcanada Music record label, can't stop talking to him about Céline. I used to tell her I didn't like Céline either," he continues. I didn't think she had much of an international future, not only because she didn't speak English, but also because she sang too much with her nose, and I didn't like her image. But Bill came back and said, "Please, do it for me." I said, "OK, I'll meet her, but if I get involved with her and René, everything has to change!"" René finally got an appointment with the "young guy who counts in the business". In Vito's office in Ville-Saint-Laurent, some fifteen kilometers from Montreal, the two men went through a series of banalities before Angélil jumped in and exercised his implacable sense of persuasion. At first, we were like two dogs sniffing each other out; we didn't really talk," Vito recalls. We just looked at each other and then, at some point, he said: 'I've heard a lot about you. I know you're young and fashionable. Céline absolutely wants to be with CBS because it's her idol Michael Jackson's record company. And she wants to be with you! If René succeeds in convincing Luprano, the latter lays down his conditions. First and foremost, he wanted to unringardise her: "I told him, 'If you want us to work together, Céline has to stop doing her usual love songs. She's young, 17, so she has to look young and produce things for young people while keeping her older fans. So we have to find the right balance." He gave me his consent and promised to be ready to make this change, so our adventure began." Before leaving René Angélil, Vito has one very last question: "By the way, does Céline speak English?" "René answered 'no', so I told him it was going to be a bit complicated," laughs Luprano again. In fact, Angélil doesn't need convincing. He's already convinced that Céline needs to be bilingual. He's told her: to rise to the level of a Michael Jackson, you have to speak perfect English. The impresario is all the more convinced of this since, in the 1970s, he tried to launch an artist on the American scene and failed miserably for this reason. The young René Simard, who had only the vaguest notion of English at the time, was invited to appear on American TV. Although René had asked to read the questions in advance and was able to prepare Simard's answers, which he soon learned by heart, on the day the presenter got the order of the questions wrong, and both the singer and his mentor made fools of themselves and had to say goodbye to the American market. So René is going to ask Céline to learn the language. And quickly. Two months of total immersion at Berlitz. Willing as always, the singer chose the most demanding program: nine hours a day, five days a week. She wants to impress her manager and be the equal of divas like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole, singers with voices that are all over the charts. René, who knows how hard she works, is certain of her success. Vito is too, but not for the same reasons... " I noticed that Céline really had a gift for imitation," he recalls. She could imitate voices and accents extremely well, and she had a very good ear. That was the key to her success. A few months after René and Vito's first interview, Céline Dion released Incognito, written in part by Luc Plamondon. CBS wanted to make sure she could sell," Vito recalls. We first signed for a first album in French. Which broke records, selling over three hundred thousand copies in Quebec alone, whereas previously Céline hadn't even sold ten thousand copies! CBS, extremely happy with the result, therefore agreed to give him a chance and offer him the opportunity to record an album in English."

 

On recording "Where Does My Heart Beat Now":

 

"It's true that she blew director Christopher Neil away. Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was recorded in just one take. In fact, because she works so hard on her voice and her songs before a recording, studying every intonation, mastering every volume, muscling and remuscling her vocal cords, the young woman is already used to recording in a single take. A singer who arrives in the studio so prepared and so quickly understands the director's requirements, how to lay down her voice, how to make it sexier, how to tone down a particular tic... it's uncommon. While she's recording with Christopher Neil, René and Vito are playing billiards - René even persuaded the A&R director to bet on the game! When they heard the first take with Céline, they both danced and jumped like kids, letting their joy explode. It's... magical! As usual, René cries, convinced that the future "greatest singer in the world" has just recorded the "best song in the world". Yet, according to Vito, René wasn't initially too keen: "I was the one who had control over Céline's songs," he explains today. Where Does My Heart Beat Now came from this English producer called Chris Neil, who was in the process of being fired from his record label in England. When I heard the song, I knew right away that it had to be for Céline, but René didn't want it. He thought it was too rock'n'roll. I said to him, "Are you kidding, René? We're going to make it a little more pop, but you can't pass it up!" I played it to Céline, who immediately loved it, and it became a worldwide hit. And Chris Neil got rich!"

 

"There's one other thing Vito can now confess: he always thought René didn't have a musical ear... "That's the only thing that disappointed me in my long collaboration with them. That's the only thing that disappointed me in my long collaboration with them," he confesses. René was a strong, intelligent man, but all the artistic direction of Céline's career was done by me. You can't imagine how many songs René didn't want, at first! He really didn't have a good ear. He was very intelligent and certainly a good businessman, but he had no sense of when a tune could be a hit... or not!"

 

On meeting Mottola:

 

"CBS-Sony management was delighted, so much so that Tommy Mottola, Sony's big boss and Mariah Carey's estranged husband, agreed to talk to René. At the time, Mottola was one of the biggest and toughest men in showbiz. Tommy Mottola decided to meet Céline Dion only after we had recorded our first album in English," explains Vito. I'll never forget that meeting, which I attended. He came up to René and me and simply said: "You two are going to be very, very rich! [Céline isn't very, very rich yet (she will be), but she's very, very much in demand. One song completes her American success. It's the title track from Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991. Vito enthuses at the mention of this huge hit: "Beauty and the Beast was our first number 1 in the charts all over the world, and won an Oscar for Best Original Song."

 

On the end of their collaboration:

 

"Does she remember the day that signed Vito's death warrant? A memorable day for him, since it was the first time Céline had thanked him for all his hard work. It was at the end of a period when she was depressed, just like René," Vito recalls. We were coming off the huge success of the A New Day album. We had to make a new album, and the three of us were in New York with a representative from our record company to talk about it. And then... nobody knew what to do. I was tired, we were all tired! After a week of cogitating, I said to them: "I've got an idea! The previous album being A New Day, let's do an album called Taking Chances, which will tell the story that, from now on, Céline does what she wants: rock, dance, pop...". Céline and René loved the idea." Shortly afterwards, the three of them were in Vegas, at the Palm studio, recording a track for Taking Chances: "As Céline and René were leaving the studio," Vito continues, "I went out for a cigarette with a sound engineer. Suddenly, I see them turn back. I say to myself, 's***, what's going on? Vito then saw the impressive sedan stop right in front of him: "The window of the car on Céline's side was down, René was on the opposite side. Céline leaned out the window. She simply came back and said to me: 'Vito, if it hadn't been for you, we'd never have been able to make this album. It's really thanks to you!" After twenty albums, for the first time in our long years of collaboration, she recognized that this twenty-first album had been made thanks to me! Before, every time a new album was finished, she'd say, "We've got it, we've got it!", but it was always thanks to René. Now, for the first time, she was facing the truth: "Vito made this album! I'll never forget the look on René's face... He was really unhappy. I understood very quickly that something was going to happen and that nothing would ever be the same again."

 

On his plans:

 

"Vito, who still hopes she'll phone him "before he's in a wheelchair". He'd like to make one last album with Céline, convinced that it will be a hit. "I've got an idea for her," he says, "and I think she could come back through the front door and really make a comeback like Tina Turner did.

 

The authors' interview with Vito Luprano took place, according to them, on August 5, 2022.

 

Thanks! Yes, I agree with him Rene was a great manager, but he hadn't an ear for music.

And before Rene signed the Sony deal in 1986, Celine was in Germany and filmed a video for her French GH and a German album, which was never released. Then Celine recorded INCOGNITO in 1987 and her journey has began.

Edited September 17, 2023 at 05:16 PM by comingback

[Dancing_Queen]

A lot of what he"s saying sounds true enough. René did not surround Céline with the "best and brightest". At least, there are no visionaries, no creatives, no strong personalities...in her team. With all due respect to Denis Savage, but can you imagine him disagreeing with Céline on anything? She has a big/strong personality and ideally needs someone who's able to respectfully stand up to her if necessary.

 

But the assertion that Céline hasn't had a hit since TC is of course ludicrous. It reminds me of Mégo, who seems to believe Céline's live shows have gone downhill since he was forced to leave (while the opposite is true).

It's crazy how many huge egos have surrounded Céline throughout her career. Between René, David Foster, JJG, Mego.. and now apparently Vito, one would almost fprget she deserves some credit for her career herself. 🙄

 

Honestly, if Vito ever wants to speak tp Céline again, he'll need to check his ego and be a bit more nuanced in his take on René. I somehow doubt he'll manage it 🙄

 

[comingback]

A lot of what he"s saying sounds true enough. René did not surround Céline with the "best and brightest". At least, there are no visionaries, no creatives, no strong personalities...in her team. With all due respect to Denis Savage, but can you imagine him disagreeing with Céline on anything? She has a big/strong personality and ideally needs someone who's able to respectfully stand up to her if necessary.

 

But the assertion that Céline hasn't had a hit since TC is of course ludicrous. It reminds me of Mégo, who seems to believe Céline's live shows have gone downhill since he was forced to leave (while the opposite is true).

It's crazy how many huge egos have surrounded Céline throughout her career. Between René, David Foster, JJG, Mego.. and now apparently Vito, one would almost fprget she deserves some credit for her career herself.

 

Honestly, if Vito ever wants to speak tp Céline again, he'll need to check his ego and be a bit more nuanced in his take on René. I somehow doubt he'll manage it

 

Yes, there are/were a lot of Men EGOs in Celine's life and career, but I think she is a strong personality. Didn't she has a fight with Rene during the TC Tour in 2007/2008? She told him that a 5 years Vegas Show and a World Tour are too much for her and she wants to have a break? And then during an interview in Quebec for the TCW Docu in 2008 she was clearly the boss and not Rene. I hope that she can find a great manager in the future, if she is able to return to the music scene...

Edited September 17, 2023 at 06:50 PM by comingback

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

 

You mean the Prinz deal? When she found out that this guy was overpaid from Rene?

 

She signed that deal in 2017 when she was being managed by Aldo. Aldo was her manager from 2014-2017.

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

 

A word of warning about the book itself: I confess I had mixed feelings after reading it. On the one hand, it's a book written with a claw, the opposite of the cloned, sugary, nauseating Céline "biographies", and the authors are quite effective as journalists (for example, it's is in front of them that Claudette - for the first time? - stops playing her sister's favorite confidante and confesses, around autumn 2022, that she's not in direct contact with her and doesn't know much about her condition). On the other hand, the aggressive, gossipy tone seriously prevented me from enjoying the book (for example, Scott Roeben's speculations on Céline's psychological health, despite their apparent benevolence, verge on the ignominious; I hope he regretted these confidences after December 8).

 

As for Luprano, in his comments there are more bitter judgments than details. If you're interested, I'll add an anecdote about "A new day":

 

“Céline had taken time off to get pregnant and look after her baby," he recalls. When the time came to make her comeback, I was preparing a new English album for her, called A New Day. I came up with the title because it meant that after becoming a mother, Céline was starting afresh. When I was working on this album - which became a big success - René came to see me in the recording studio with a rather disgruntled look on his face. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that René and Céline very rarely appeared in the recording studio. I was the one who prepared everything beforehand and was present when the songs were mixed. Since they were never there, I had to be there to approve everything," Vito tackles. So, that day, René arrives at the studio, sulking. I ask him what's going on, and he suggests I go and have dinner with him at Dic Ann's Hamburgers. That's when he tells me he's not happy with the title A New Day... I explain to him that most celebrities who perform in Las Vegas do so because they're at the end of their careers, which is not at all the case with Céline! I tell him: "This title would show, on the contrary, that it's a new f****** start! - I'm not sure, man!" he replies, and then, suddenly, he has a smile on his face. I feel he's finally happy again, but he doesn't say anything to me and leaves! Later," he says, "we meet again to promote the album in Paris, where Céline is to do a show with Michel Drucker. He calls me in the morning to tell me that Céline has a sore throat and that before going on the show they're going to see a doctor. I said, "Okay, I'll meet you there. Then he calls me back and says, "Vito, I'm on the speakerphone and Céline is with me. I just had an idea. I think we're going to call our Las Vegas show A New Day!" - What did you answer him?" we ask Vito. - What do you want me to say? "Bravo René, that's a great idea, it's the same title as the album!" " Vito doesn't beat about the bush because he considers himself "well treated financially" but, he adds, "you can't imagine the number of times that, as Céline Dion's executive producer, I've had to make sure that certain choices didn't give her a cheesy image. If René had done things his way, there are a lot of choices that would have been really bad for her. Looking back, Vito, whose idea it was to have Céline sing a duet with Luciano Pavarotti, is proud of what he has achieved. But, like a number of forgotten legends, he would like to be back in the picture.”

 

(automatic translation from French)

 

Something is off here, because he’s making it sound like “A New Day…” was the name of the show from inception. The show was originally going to be called “Muse” and a band of the same name sent a cease and desist and that’s why the name was changed to “A New Day…”

[comingback]

Yes, there are/were a lot of Men EGOs in Celine's life and career, but I think she is a strong personality. Didn't she have a fight with Rene during the TC Tour in 2007/2008? She told him that a 5 years Vegas Show and a World Tour are too much for her and she wants to have a break? And then during an interview in Quebec for the TCW Docu in 2008 she was clearly the boss and not Rene. I hope that she can find a great manager in the future, if she is able to return to the music scene. Edited September 17, 2023 at 07:06 PM by comingback

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

 

 

I have the ebook in the Kindle version, which unfortunately limits the number of pages you can copy into Word... But if you're interested in Luprano's thread, here's practically the rest of it :

 

On the start of their collaboration:

 

"Her career was plummeting, stores were returning her records, she sang too much with her nose." When he thinks of the Céline of 1986, Vito Luprano is not tender. And when he thinks back to René Angélil, it's even worse. History has forgotten Vito Luprano - we've seen him - and yet, when we investigate Céline Dion and interview people in the business, they all ask this same question: "Have you spoken to Vito?" The former head of Sony BMG in Canada was, in fact, the executive producer of twenty-three Céline Dion albums, from Incognito to Taking Chances. When René Angélil met Vito, he was certainly a charismatic, authoritative and respected impresario, an old-fashioned manager who managed everything for his artist. He is said to be gifted and loyal in friendship, and to keep his word, which is rare. He wants the best for Céline, whom he sincerely believes will become "the greatest singer in the world". But René Angélil is not yet "the kind of manager that doesn't exist anymore", says Gilbert Coullier. (...) Is a good impresario a lucky one? A few days after his discussion with Céline, René Angélil ran into Bill Rotary, CBS Canada's manager at Dic Ann's, a burger joint in the Montreal suburb of Laval. René told him: "I'm looking for a label," recalls Vito Luprano. Are you interested in working with Céline?" Then Bill came back to the office where I had just arrived as director of A&R, Artiste et Répertoire, for Quebec. He said, 'Would you mind seeing René Angélil and thinking about what we can and can't do with Céline? Vito wasn't keen, to say the least. "I said to Bill, 'Look, I'm not sure... Her career is going downhill, she started singing at 14, she's had a bit of success but people don't believe in it anymore." How can a 14-year-old think about love in such an old-fashioned way?" Luprano resists, even though his wife at the time, Lisa Richards, who works at the Transcanada Music record label, can't stop talking to him about Céline. I used to tell her I didn't like Céline either," he continues. I didn't think she had much of an international future, not only because she didn't speak English, but also because she sang too much with her nose, and I didn't like her image. But Bill came back and said, "Please, do it for me." I said, "OK, I'll meet her, but if I get involved with her and René, everything has to change!"" René finally got an appointment with the "young guy who counts in the business". In Vito's office in Ville-Saint-Laurent, some fifteen kilometers from Montreal, the two men went through a series of banalities before Angélil jumped in and exercised his implacable sense of persuasion. At first, we were like two dogs sniffing each other out; we didn't really talk," Vito recalls. We just looked at each other and then, at some point, he said: 'I've heard a lot about you. I know you're young and fashionable. Céline absolutely wants to be with CBS because it's her idol Michael Jackson's record company. And she wants to be with you! If René succeeds in convincing Luprano, the latter lays down his conditions. First and foremost, he wanted to unringardise her: "I told him, 'If you want us to work together, Céline has to stop doing her usual love songs. She's young, 17, so she has to look young and produce things for young people while keeping her older fans. So we have to find the right balance." He gave me his consent and promised to be ready to make this change, so our adventure began." Before leaving René Angélil, Vito has one very last question: "By the way, does Céline speak English?" "René answered 'no', so I told him it was going to be a bit complicated," laughs Luprano again. In fact, Angélil doesn't need convincing. He's already convinced that Céline needs to be bilingual. He's told her: to rise to the level of a Michael Jackson, you have to speak perfect English. The impresario is all the more convinced of this since, in the 1970s, he tried to launch an artist on the American scene and failed miserably for this reason. The young René Simard, who had only the vaguest notion of English at the time, was invited to appear on American TV. Although René had asked to read the questions in advance and was able to prepare Simard's answers, which he soon learned by heart, on the day the presenter got the order of the questions wrong, and both the singer and his mentor made fools of themselves and had to say goodbye to the American market. So René is going to ask Céline to learn the language. And quickly. Two months of total immersion at Berlitz. Willing as always, the singer chose the most demanding program: nine hours a day, five days a week. She wants to impress her manager and be the equal of divas like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole, singers with voices that are all over the charts. René, who knows how hard she works, is certain of her success. Vito is too, but not for the same reasons... " I noticed that Céline really had a gift for imitation," he recalls. She could imitate voices and accents extremely well, and she had a very good ear. That was the key to her success. A few months after René and Vito's first interview, Céline Dion released Incognito, written in part by Luc Plamondon. CBS wanted to make sure she could sell," Vito recalls. We first signed for a first album in French. Which broke records, selling over three hundred thousand copies in Quebec alone, whereas previously Céline hadn't even sold ten thousand copies! CBS, extremely happy with the result, therefore agreed to give him a chance and offer him the opportunity to record an album in English."

 

On recording "Where Does My Heart Beat Now":

 

"It's true that she blew director Christopher Neil away. Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was recorded in just one take. In fact, because she works so hard on her voice and her songs before a recording, studying every intonation, mastering every volume, muscling and remuscling her vocal cords, the young woman is already used to recording in a single take. A singer who arrives in the studio so prepared and so quickly understands the director's requirements, how to lay down her voice, how to make it sexier, how to tone down a particular tic... it's uncommon. While she's recording with Christopher Neil, René and Vito are playing billiards - René even persuaded the A&R director to bet on the game! When they heard the first take with Céline, they both danced and jumped like kids, letting their joy explode. It's... magical! As usual, René cries, convinced that the future "greatest singer in the world" has just recorded the "best song in the world". Yet, according to Vito, René wasn't initially too keen: "I was the one who had control over Céline's songs," he explains today. Where Does My Heart Beat Now came from this English producer called Chris Neil, who was in the process of being fired from his record label in England. When I heard the song, I knew right away that it had to be for Céline, but René didn't want it. He thought it was too rock'n'roll. I said to him, "Are you kidding, René? We're going to make it a little more pop, but you can't pass it up!" I played it to Céline, who immediately loved it, and it became a worldwide hit. And Chris Neil got rich!”

 

“There's one other thing Vito can now confess: he always thought René didn't have a musical ear... "That's the only thing that disappointed me in my long collaboration with them. That's the only thing that disappointed me in my long collaboration with them," he confesses. René was a strong, intelligent man, but all the artistic direction of Céline's career was done by me. You can't imagine how many songs René didn't want, at first! He really didn't have a good ear. He was very intelligent and certainly a good businessman, but he had no sense of when a tune could be a hit... or not!"

 

On meeting Mottola:

 

"CBS-Sony management was delighted, so much so that Tommy Mottola, Sony's big boss and Mariah Carey's estranged husband, agreed to talk to René. At the time, Mottola was one of the biggest and toughest men in showbiz. Tommy Mottola decided to meet Céline Dion only after we had recorded our first album in English," explains Vito. I'll never forget that meeting, which I attended. He came up to René and me and simply said: "You two are going to be very, very rich! [Céline isn't very, very rich yet (she will be), but she's very, very much in demand. One song completes her American success. It's the title track from Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991. Vito enthuses at the mention of this huge hit: "Beauty and the Beast was our first number 1 in the charts all over the world, and won an Oscar for Best Original Song.”

 

On the end of their collaboration:

 

"Does she remember the day that signed Vito's death warrant? A memorable day for him, since it was the first time Céline had thanked him for all his hard work. It was at the end of a period when she was depressed, just like René," Vito recalls. We were coming off the huge success of the A New Day album. We had to make a new album, and the three of us were in New York with a representative from our record company to talk about it. And then... nobody knew what to do. I was tired, we were all tired! After a week of cogitating, I said to them: "I've got an idea! The previous album being A New Day, let's do an album called Taking Chances, which will tell the story that, from now on, Céline does what she wants: rock, dance, pop...". Céline and René loved the idea." Shortly afterwards, the three of them were in Vegas, at the Palm studio, recording a track for Taking Chances: "As Céline and René were leaving the studio," Vito continues, "I went out for a cigarette with a sound engineer. Suddenly, I see them turn back. I say to myself, 's***, what's going on? Vito then saw the impressive sedan stop right in front of him: "The window of the car on Céline's side was down, René was on the opposite side. Céline leaned out the window. She simply came back and said to me: 'Vito, if it hadn't been for you, we'd never have been able to make this album. It's really thanks to you!" After twenty albums, for the first time in our long years of collaboration, she recognized that this twenty-first album had been made thanks to me! Before, every time a new album was finished, she'd say, "We've got it, we've got it!", but it was always thanks to René. Now, for the first time, she was facing the truth: "Vito made this album! I'll never forget the look on René's face... He was really unhappy. I understood very quickly that something was going to happen and that nothing would ever be the same again."

 

On his plans:

 

"Vito, who still hopes she'll phone him "before he's in a wheelchair". He'd like to make one last album with Céline, convinced that it will be a hit. "I've got an idea for her," he says, "and I think she could come back through the front door and really make a comeback like Tina Turner did.

 

The authors' interview with Vito Luprano took place, according to them, on August 5, 2022.

 

His recollection of just coming up with titles out of thin air is odd to me. He just decided to call the album “Taking Chances” without any songs planned to record? And then they coincidentally picked the song “Taking Chances” afterward for that title track? Something ain’t right lol.

[Celinelife]

A lot of what he"s saying sounds true enough. René did not surround Céline with the "best and brightest". At least, there are no visionaries, no creatives, no strong personalities...in her team. With all due respect to Denis Savage, but can you imagine him disagreeing with Céline on anything? She has a big/strong personality and ideally needs someone who's able to respectfully stand up to her if necessary.

 

But the assertion that Céline hasn't had a hit since TC is of course ludicrous. It reminds me of Mégo, who seems to believe Céline's live shows have gone downhill since he was forced to leave (while the opposite is true).

It's crazy how many huge egos have surrounded Céline throughout her career. Between René, David Foster, JJG, Mego.. and now apparently Vito, one would almost fprget she deserves some credit for her career herself. 🙄

 

Honestly, if Vito ever wants to speak tp Céline again, he'll need to check his ego and be a bit more nuanced in his take on René. I somehow doubt he'll manage it 🙄

Altho you're right about his ego part. But I can't help but think that in the last one decade, the only hit she had were Ashes and How Does A Moment Lasts Forever(wouldn't consider it a big hit, but enough to make it here) both from already established franchises,so it's expected that they would get some views from public. But her albums in particular, Courage and Loved Me Back To Life both didn't do well. Whereas other artists her age are keeping up with tracks(not necessary hit material but Kylie's Padam Padam definitely got attention)

Not to say that her Las Vegas residency at the end weren't giving the audience anything new anymore, in fact, they were using her 2018 Asia tour dresses in lv or vice versa. If it wasn't for Law and then later, Pepe, I don't think Celine would have gotten her attention from media as a fashion icon. That too got overshadowed after she lost her weight.

 

[Celinelife]

I also think Rene as a manager and employing her family as her team members was not a great idea either

[smw]

Who was that lady at Sony who played a big role in Celine’s success? Didn’t she help to ensure Celine got top-tier treatment at Sony in the 90s?

[smw]

Who was that lady at Sony who played a big role in Celine’s success? Didn’t she help to ensure Celine got top-tier treatment at Sony in the 90s?

 

Now I remember… Polly Anthony.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/music-industry-veteran-polly-anthony-638892/amp/

 

Featured at the end of this clip:

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 at 06:09 AM by smw

[jmiracle]

 

 

His recollection of just coming up with titles out of thin air is odd to me. He just decided to call the album “Taking Chances” without any songs planned to record? And then they coincidentally picked the song “Taking Chances” afterward for that title track? Something ain’t right lol.

 

True ! The album was supposed to be called « The Woman In Me » and they changed it when the fans and some others complained about it being the same title as Shania Twain’s album. Same thing with the cover that looked a bit like Mariah Carey’s and they decided to crop the picture and go for a close up version of it.

Edited September 18, 2023 at 06:23 AM by jmiracle

[smw]

Yes, I vividly remember being worried that Celine was going to name her album the same title as Shania’s iconic album. I was grateful they changed the title to TC but part of me still wishes they used another photo for the cover. There are so many beautiful photos from that era.

 

Britney Spears’ new autobiography is also called The Woman In Me.

[mirage]

With these stories you cant really tell what's exactly true and what's not.

 

However it does tells us a bit that René didn't always had the best ideas concerning her music and career direction.

Something that hasnt been unnoticed here as well.

 

For example her Vegas 2011 show, she wanted to perform The Reason, he thinks it's a bad idea. Turns out it was a good song to add.

And so have there been many other examples. Single choices. Or the praise of 1 particular song that didn't turn out to be the highlight of the album.

 

We don't know why exactly she stopped working with Aldo, but 1 thing is true he made use of the opportunity. She was everywhere and did a lot of things.

Not sure if a hangbag collection and the talks of a home collection would be the best choice. But at least she was talked about.

[Davey84]

I thought I'd dig up this old topic and move the posts here, as the Vito debate has nothing to do with Play Me Like A Love Song

[Davey84]

Why was Vito Luprano fired?

 

that is a good question, and I don't think we really know the answer. There's more in this topic, but I haven't seen the real reason.

 

http://www.celinedionforum.com/topic/31201-sony-bmg-canada-fired-vito-luprano/

 

With Vito being fired by Sony BMG in 2008, how could he have kept on working exclusively for Céline? Maybe only if Feelings Productions paid him, but I am sure they or Sony weren't interested in that.

 

Of course Céline's fairytale isn't as perfect as Céline and René have made it come across all these years. However, reading that extract from the book, it's like Vito is making him the hero of the story: the mastermind behind revamping Céline as a teen, getting her to learn/sing in English, choosing the best songs and singles (especially this is debatable, even from the 90s albums some pure hits were neglected over obscure choices (like THLAL). I still I wonder who pushed GTSW. Maybe Céline wanted it as a tribute for her mom, but why didn't they push IS or SFL after that? And wasn't it Vito who always pushed for covers of old songs on the albums (ABM, When I need You, At Last, Alone...). And even if Vito was the one who suggested doing an album called Taking Chances (without even having a song called that??), then why did they go down the safe route, releasing TC, Alone and EOM as a single? While Fade Away got a great response by the fans who attended the listening party? Or why was EOM chosen over a more pop friendly song like Shadow of Love? I don't think Vito by 2007 had the same magic touch as he had in the 90's.

 

Vito did fantastic work for Céline, and yes René's ideas would not always have been the best. But as always the truth will lie somewhere in the middle.

[Ukrfan]

With these stories you cant really tell what's exactly true and what's not.

 

However it does tells us a bit that René didn't always had the best ideas concerning her music and career direction.

Something that hasnt been unnoticed here as well.

 

For example her Vegas 2011 show, she wanted to perform The Reason, he thinks it's a bad idea. Turns out it was a good song to add.

And so have there been many other examples. Single choices. Or the praise of 1 particular song that didn't turn out to be the highlight of the album.

 

We don't know why exactly she stopped working with Aldo, but 1 thing is true he made use of the opportunity. She was everywhere and did a lot of things.

Not sure if a hangbag collection and the talks of a home collection would be the best choice. But at least she was talked about.

 

Also, that dress for the Oscars (Grammy?) that Celine liked and bought, and Rene thought it would "end her career."

[jmiracle]

We don't know why exactly she stopped working with Aldo, but 1 thing is true he made use of the opportunity. She was everywhere and did a lot of things.

Not sure if a hangbag collection and the talks of a home collection would be the best choice. But at least she was talked about.

 

I don't really agree. Aldo was the one who thought it was useless to release live albums or "dvd", it was also a time when Celine was talked about, yes, but a lot of wasted opportunities... Doing summer concert series in NYC without any new music to promote for example. And she kept doing this : Carpool Karaoke with no new music, Jimmy Fallon, etc... Too bad ! Between 2016 and 2019, she was maybe a fashion icon, but she was becoming more and more the My Heart Will Go On singer, singing her classics but never promoting or talking about something new !

 

Vito is criticizing the promotion around Taking Chances, but its is probably the best (with ANDHC) she's done since her return in 2002. Promotion for LMBTL was crap, non-existant for Courage, limited for Encore un soir (but regarding what she was going through I think it was appropriate).

 

If she ever returns someday, she needs to focus on songs, great production (vocals, vocals, vocals, and prononciation), something classy but modern (I could see her sing something in the vibe of Taylor Swift's Folklore or Evermore, with songs that fit her voice, acoustic-ish material from Ed Sheeran etc...). Something that cleary not Vito or anyone in her team now could manage.

Edited September 18, 2023 at 03:49 PM by jmiracle

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

 

I don't really agree. Aldo was the one who thought it was useless to release live albums or "dvd", it was also a time when Celine was talked about, yes, but a lot of wasted opportunities... Doing summer concert series in NYC without any new music to promote for example. And she kept doing this : Carpool Karaoke with no new music, Jimmy Fallon, etc... Too bad ! Between 2016 and 2019, she was maybe a fashion icon, but she was becoming more and more the My Heart Will Go On singer, singing her classics but never promoting or talking about something new !

 

Vito is criticizing the promotion around Taking Chances, but its is probably the best (with ANDHC) she's done since her return in 2002. Promotion for LMBTL was crap, non-existant for Courage, limited for Encore un soir (but regarding what she was going through I think it was appropriate).

 

If she ever returns someday, she needs to focus on songs, great production (vocals, vocals, vocals, and prononciation), something classy but modern (I could see her sing something in the vibe of Taylor Swift's Folklore or Evermore, with songs that fit her voice, acoustic-ish material from Ed Sheeran etc...). Something that cleary not Vito or anyone in her team now could manage.

 

As far as appearances for LMBTL, I think the promo was pretty good up until Rene got sick again. It was the marketing promo that lacked terribly. There was an intentional choice by SONY not to release LBMTL as an actual single for radio and no video. It got light airplay on AC stations only, and that was a HUGE mistake. She sounded great on the song, it was a modern mid-tempo ballad that didn’t stray too far from what people know Celine to be. I still to this day think it could have been a hit, and should have also had a remixed duet version with Sia, as she was still very hot at the time. But, unfortunately what’s done is done at this point.

Edited September 18, 2023 at 04:09 PM by CelinesDIVO5

[Davey84]

 

As far as appearances for LMBTL, I think the promo was pretty good up until Rene got sick again. It was the marketing promo that lacked terribly. There was an intentional choice by SONY not to release LBMTL as an actual single for radio and no video. It got light airplay on AC stations only, and that was a HUGE mistake. She sounded great on the song, it was a modern mid-tempo ballad that didn’t stray too far from what people know Celine to be. I still to this day think it could have been a hit, and should have also had a remixed duet version with Sia, as she was still very hot at the time. But, unfortunately what’s done is done at this point.

I agree. Let's not forget she was meant to tour Asia in 2014, but that got cancelled cos of René's illness. Who knows how that show would have been. Maybe it had even included songs like SLS, WAAF, Breakaway... So many ifs, buts and maybe's in Celines career. But who ever made the decisions... it is definitely Sonys fault for screwing up Céline's career after 2002. It seems they lost interest in her ever since she went to Vegas.

 

I don't agree it was a bad idea to put Celine on NYC promotion in 2016 while she had no new music. It was part of the Celineaissance and it brought her back in the public eye. What was a mistake however was talking about a new album since 2017 and then drag it out for 2 years. The momentum had passed.

 

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G781B met Tapatalk

 

 

[CelinesDIVO5]

I agree. Let's not forget she was meant to tour Asia in 2014, but that got cancelled cos of René's illness. Who knows how that show would have been. Maybe it had even included songs like SLS, WAAF, Breakaway... So many ifs, buts and maybe's in Celines career. But who ever made the decisions... it is definitely Sonys fault for screwing up Céline's career after 2002. It seems they lost interest in her ever since she went to Vegas.

 

I don't agree it was a bad idea to put Celine on NYC promotion in 2016 while she had no new music. It was part of the Celineaissance and it brought her back in the public eye. What was a mistake however was talking about a new album since 2017 and then drag it out for 2 years. The momentum had passed.

 

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G781B met Tapatalk

 

It was a great idea to have her in NYC in 2016. They made mention of the EUS album and showed the album cover on TV and even Fallon. That was when TSMGO was released as a single actually. I wish she would have performed a song from EUS though. Preferably “Tu sauras”

[smw]

Celine putting out a new Christmas album, duets album, or something else in line with Barbra Streisand/Tony Bennett/Michael Buble, etc would’ve sold like hot cakes in 2016.

[Chantemoi]

 

 

It was a great idea to have her in NYC in 2016. They made mention of the EUS album and showed the album cover on TV and even Fallon. That was when TSMGO was released as a single actually. I wish she would have performed a song from EUS though. Preferably “Tu sauras”

 

I loved all of those performances!

[Loup_garou]

 

"Vito, who still hopes she'll phone him "before he's in a wheelchair". He'd like to make one last album with Céline, convinced that it will be a hit. "I've got an idea for her," he says, "and I think she could come back through the front door and really make a comeback like Tina Turner did.

 

The authors' interview with Vito Luprano took place, according to them, on August 5, 2022.

 

I love Vito Luprano and always thought they had great respect and energy with each other, unfortunately after this interview, I don't think Céline would want to work with him again or reconnect in any way .... there's truly something odd bout it.