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The Gold Digger

  • Exclusive World Debut!!!!!

    Ramin Setoodeh | Nov 5, 2007 09:02 AM

    Celine Dion's comeback album, "Taking Chances," hits stores next week. But you don't need to wait any longer to hear one of her best songs. Newsweek has the world debut of "My Love," track No. 4, written by Linda Perry. Listen to it here:

     

    What do you think?!

    I've heard the whole album already and it's good. Celine sounds a little different--more rock, more blues, more restrained--but she benefits from the change. My favorite song is "That's Just the Woman in Me," which is like Janis Joplin meets Kelly Clarkson.

    Celine's got a big year ahead of her. She closes her Las Vegas show in December. Then she goes on an international tour in February. Click here to read 7 Things You Don't Know About Celine Dion.

     


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  • 7 Things You Don't Know About Celine Dion

    Ramin Setoodeh | Nov 5, 2007 07:05 AM

    celinedion2.jpg
    Celine Dion has been in Vegas for a long time--five years--but she's finally ready to take her show on the road. She's beginning a world tour in February and she has a new album out, "Taking Chances." Her are 7 things you don't know about Celine Dion. 

    (1) She's very superstitious. "I knock on wood a lot," Celine says. "I have a little bell backstage. It's like a Christmas ding ding ding ding. I stand in the same place in the elevator. I touch people's thumbs for energy."

    (2) Her stage in Vegas slopes down 6 degrees, so her audience can see her better, but it's hard for Celine to sing and dance (in heels) on it. "Nobody knew it was going to be that hard," she says. "It's very difficult for the spine. Your hips change, the neck shifts forward. It put pressure on the vocal chords. I lost my voice. I had to go to Los Angeles [to a doctor]. They thought it was paralysis of the vocal chords. But it was just tension. I don't want that to become so dramatic. It was worth it, because everybody could see very well."

    (3) Her halls backstage at Caesars Palace are painted orange. "When we first moved there, it was a very hospital color. My team helped me pick the color. Some were superstitious about the green. Some didn't want to go to blue because of emotional stuff. I didn't want to go too much yellow. The orange color, nobody told me, 'No orange.'"

    (4) After being in Vegas for so long, she wasn't sure if she could sing again. "I was tired. We took a few days off, and here I was recording the album at this time of the month, who's going to tell me I'm going to be in good shape, no sinus infection? There was no guarantee that I could do it."  

    (5) But she's feeling good about her new CD. "I can't believe I have this album. It's grounded, strong, fresh, young. Am I getting younger?! If 40 is about that, listen I'm going to be the first spokesperson for the 40-year-old woman."

    (6) Why she sounds different on her new album: "The greatest thing about it is, I was free. I felt free. I didn't feel like I had to put too much pressure on myself singing. I didn't need to prove myself, even though I haven't recorded for so long. I didn't sing from here (points to her throat) I sang from here (points to her heart)."

    (7) Celine is her biggest critic--OK, maybe not. But she's still pretty tough on herself. Her husband, Rene Angelil, says: "Sometimes I watch the show and I come back, 'It was a great show!' She's depressed, 'Ugh, that was so bad' The bar for her is very high. People obviously think she's great. It's the only show in Las Vegas to have a closing date while it's sold out. But it's very rare that she thinks she did a great show. It's happened three or four times."

    To read more about Celine Dion, click here for Newsweek's story on her. Also, click here to listen to the world debut of "My Love," Track Four from her upcoming album.

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  • Mission Accomplished

    Ramin Setoodeh | Nov 5, 2007 07:00 AM

    I was on a secret mission two weeks ago, remember? Actually, I was flying to Chicago to interview Celine Dion, who has a new CD out next week (and who has performed at the Oscars six times). More posts are coming ...

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