Celine Dion - Biography

Last Editor: megbegb-8				Celine Dion Biography -   Name : Celine Dion Birth Name : Celine Marie Claudette Dion Birth Date : March 30, 1968 Birth Place : Charlemagne, Quebec,Canada Height : 5' 7'' Age : 41 Occupation(s) : Singer, songwriter Genre(s) : Pop, rock

Celine Dion Trivia -

In the year 1998, Celine was honored by two governments in two days: on April 30 her home province of Québec awarded her the Ordre National du Québec, and on 1 May, she became an Officer of the Order of Canada. Celine's husband is her manager. Born to Adhémar Dion and his wife Thérèse Tanguay, she is the youngest of 14 children. Celine renewed wedding vows with husband René Angelil at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, NV. (5 January 2000). On 25 January 2001,Celine's son René-Charles Angelil born. Father is husband René Angelil. Because of her "sharp-looking" smile, Dion was known as "Vampire Queen" in high school. She and her siblings sit on the board of Fondation Achille-Tanguay, an organization/clearinghouse founded by her mother in 1998 which helps poor Québec families toward self-sufficiency. Name has been changed to "Fondation maman Dion" in 2006. She first met her future husband René Angelil when she was 12 and he was 38. She is three months younger than her step-son, Patrick Angélil. She has her own magazine, Celine Dion Magazine. She endorses a line of eyewear sold in Canada and Europe. 23 February 2001: Awarded the rights to the Internet domain name www.celinedion.com by the UN World Intellectual Property Organization from "cybersquatter" Jeff Burgar. Burgar had also registered www.juliebrown.com and www.brucespringsteen.com, which were transferred to Julie Brown and Bruce Springsteen, respectively, that day. She has homes in Las Vegas and in Laval & Terrebonne, (located in the Province of Quebec), Canada. She loves to play golf. She has over 500 pairs of shoes. Building a home in Las Vegas, NV, where in March of 2003, she will begin giving 200 performances a year for three years in a special theater built for her by Caesars Palace; she will be paid $100 million for this deal. Her husband René Angelil is of Syrian descent, just as her paternal grandmother was. Husband mortgaged his house to fund Celine's first album when she was an unknown 12-year-old. On 25 June 2003, Celine received a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario. Celine won five Grammy Awards since 1992 including "Album of The Year" in 1996 for "Falling Into You" and "Record Of The Year" for "My Heart Will Go On". 2006: Estimated to have sold 220 million albums during her career to date. Has her own brand of perfume called "Celine Dion: Parfum". Her lucky charm is a 1968 Canadian nickel because she found one in Japan before she went on stage to sing at the Yamaha song contest, which she won. She and Madonna share the same French-Canadian heritage through a common ancestor, Zacharie Cloutier. 1988: She won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland, for Switzerland, with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" ("Don't Leave Without Me"). The TV broadcast of the contest was watched by 600 million viewers throughout Europe and the Middle East. Was in talks to star alongside Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Runaway Bride (1999). Her niece Karine died of Cystic Fibrosis in her arms. She owns the golf club Le Mirage in Terrebonne near Montreal. She sings frequently in English and in French, but she has also sang in Spanish, German and Japanese. November 30th 2003: She performed the same night her father died and dedicated the show to him. Celine has a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for selling the most French-language album of all time for "D'eux" ("The French Album"), with over 6.4 million copies sold. The album also went to #1 in England. Many consider her 1987 "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962) appearance, when Jay Leno filled in for Johnny Carson and her black-and-white video remix of Michael Jackson's "Bad" her best early English-speaking performances. Although considering herself not a political person, she tearfully criticized U.S. President George W. Bush regarding the Iraq War and his slow response in aiding the victims of Hurricane Katrina when she appeared on "Larry King Live" (1985). Has promoted the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation since 1982, whose National Celebrity Patron she became in 1993. In tradition with memorial-based videos as Natalie Cole with her father and Aaliyah with Marvin Gaye, released on Elvis Presley's 72nd birthday a digital duet of herself with him from one of his 1970s TV performances. Her favorite songs are "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "The Show Must Go On" by Queen, "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" by Elton John, "Me And Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin, "Why?" by Annie Lennox, "It Was A Very Good Year" by Frank Sinatra, "Home" by Michael Bublé, "Purple Rain" by Prince, "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder and "Riders On The Storm" by The Doors. (Source: BBC Radio 2 "Tracks of My Years"). Celine played her last show at the Caesar's Palace on December 15, 2007, she received 11 standing ovations. The first was before she even finished her first song. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings at $45 million for the year. Her sister Linda lives with her, her husband René Angelil and son René-Charles. (2007). Recorded a duet with Barbra Streisand titled "Tell Him". At age 16, Céline sang "Une colombe" (a well known French song) for Pope John Paul II at the Montreal Olympic Stadium in front of 65,000 people. Her mother, Thérèse Tanguay Dion (better known as "maman Dion" in Québec), is famous for her culinary talents. Started a restaurant chain in Québec called "Nickels" (1990), later on introduced in Ontario. Her son Rene-Charles was born January 25, 2001 at 1 am. Celine has a spectacular vocal range spanning five octaves. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Celine Dion Detailed Biography -

From humble beginnings in a rural French Canadian home town, Céline Dion has risen to international superstardom like a shooting star. Céline has been called the premier contemporary pop vocalist of the Nineties. She has earned music industry accolades from around the world: Grammy Awards in the US, Juno and Felix Awards in Canada, and World Music Awards in Europe. The entire world has seen Céline Dion literally transform herself from a gifted pre-adolescent into an international superstar. 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 5, Céline sang with her siblings and quickly acquired the ability to perform live. At the age of twelve, 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. The streak of recognition had only just begun. By 1988, Céline had established a strong name for herself in her native province of Quebec, where she was enjoying superstar status, receiving numerous Felix Awards and racking up platinum albums. That same year, Céline won the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin Ireland, where she performed live before a television audience of 600 million viewers throughout Europe, the USSR, the Middle-East, Japan, and Australia. 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. Blessed with one of popular music's great voices, she has crossed all barriers - even that of language - with her electrifying series of international hits. With her breakneck pace of recording, video shoots, touring and appearing on TV shows and awards specials, it seems like Céline has time for little else. Not the case when it comes to an important cause. Céline has used her talents to further the cause of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In fact, one of Céline's most emotional songs (''Vole,'' from the 'D'eux' album, later translated into English as the song ''Fly,'' which appears on the 'Falling Into You' album) is a touching memorial to her niece, Karine, who was taken from her by this disease. 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 begins a three-year commitment to appear five nights a week at Caesars Palace Coliseum in Las Vegas, a three-tier, 4000-seat arena designed and currently being built for her show. The 90-minute spectacle will introduce a new form of entertainment, a fusion of song, performance art, theatrical innovation and state-of-the-art technology that will inspire its own creative genre. The show is created by Dragone Productions, a team led by Franco Dragone, the creative spirit behind ten of the critically acclaimed productions by Cirque du Soleil. With each new release, Céline has managed to top her previous successes and, along the way, has become one of the brightest stars in the world of popular music. Who would have imagined that Quebec's best kept secret could have conquered the world the way she has? Looking back now, we should have known it all along.