Tag: Celine Dion

  • Celine Dion cancels remaining shows of Courage World Tour

    By AFP

    PARIS: Pop icon Celine Dion on Friday cancelled all her remaining shows scheduled for 2023-2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour as she battles a rare neurological disorder.

    Last year the 55-year-old Canadian singer revealed that she was suffering from the rare medical condition that was affecting her singing.

    “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again… and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage,” the My Heart Will Go On songstress tweeted.

    “I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” she added.
    A statement released by her tour said: “With a sense of tremendous disappointment, Celine Dion’s Courage World Tour today announced the cancellation of all remaining dates currently on sale for 2023 and 2024.”

    I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again… and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage… I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” – Celine xx…More infohttps://t.co/DHUch7W7OF pic.twitter.com/bgszxVd1za
    — Celine Dion (@celinedion) May 26, 2023
    “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%,” the statement quoted Dion as saying.

    In December 2022, she posted a tearful video on Instagram to say she had recently been diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome and would not be ready to start a European tour in February as planned. She said the disorder was causing muscle spasms and was “not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”

    The “Courage World Tour” began in 2019, and Dion completed 52 shows before the Covid-19 pandemic put the remainder on hold. She later cancelled the North American section of the tour due to health problems.

    The tour was to have been the Grammy-winning winner’s first global concert tour in a decade and the first without her husband-manager Rene Angelil, who died from cancer in 2016.

    PARIS: Pop icon Celine Dion on Friday cancelled all her remaining shows scheduled for 2023-2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour as she battles a rare neurological disorder.

    Last year the 55-year-old Canadian singer revealed that she was suffering from the rare medical condition that was affecting her singing.

    “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again… and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage,” the My Heart Will Go On songstress tweeted.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” she added.
    A statement released by her tour said: “With a sense of tremendous disappointment, Celine Dion’s Courage World Tour today announced the cancellation of all remaining dates currently on sale for 2023 and 2024.”

    I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again… and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage… I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” – Celine xx…
    More infohttps://t.co/DHUch7W7OF pic.twitter.com/bgszxVd1za
    — Celine Dion (@celinedion) May 26, 2023
    “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%,” the statement quoted Dion as saying.

    In December 2022, she posted a tearful video on Instagram to say she had recently been diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome and would not be ready to start a European tour in February as planned. She said the disorder was causing muscle spasms and was “not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”

    The “Courage World Tour” began in 2019, and Dion completed 52 shows before the Covid-19 pandemic put the remainder on hold. She later cancelled the North American section of the tour due to health problems.

    The tour was to have been the Grammy-winning winner’s first global concert tour in a decade and the first without her husband-manager Rene Angelil, who died from cancer in 2016.

  • ‘Love Again’ Review: A predictable rom-com made entertaining by good comedy and Celine Dion

    Express News Service

    When Rob (Sam Heughan) and Mira (a very convincing Priyanka Chopra) meet for the first time in Love Again, just like every other romantic film, there’s slow instrumental music playing in the background, and they’re standing in front of the grand opera wearing show-stopping garments.

    There’s nothing new with Mira saying, “Hi, I’m Mira Ray,” and Rob introducing himself in return. When their eyes lock, we might be reminded of scores of other similar scenes in rom-com history. But the way the conversation ensues, a brilliant piece of music is used to underscore the emotions, and the convincing performances, show the intent of the makers was to make it one of the most romantic moments in recent rom-com history. There are also interesting subversions that make Love Again non-formulaic.

    Take, for instance, the meet-cute scene once again, and immediately after they exchange greetings and part ways, the music abruptly stops as Mira bumps into a couple, and the audience erupted into laughter. Unexpected humour is the strength of Love Again, which is an equal parts romance and comedy, with a side order of engaging entertainment. 

    Love Again revolves around Mira, who loses her boyfriend John in an accident. Two years after the tragedy, she tries to get back into the dating game. Her method of catharsis is to text her late boyfriend’s number, making her feel like she’s still in touch with him. But, here’s the twist, the number is now owned by Rob, a despondent music critic, who has recently gotten his heart broken. How they meet and fall in love, forms the rest of the story.

    Love Again does not take much time to set the scene. A brief conversation between John and Mira establishes how much they love each other, and almost immediately after, he meets with an accident, right in front of her eyes. All of this happens within the first four minutes. And yet, thanks to the well-written dialogue, it is proof enough to make us buy the grief she experiences throughout the film.

    The best parts of the film are Celine Dion’s performance as herself, and Nick Jonas’ extended cameo. Post their wedding, Priyanka and Nick have only made one onscreen appearance in the Jonas Brothers’ Sucker song video. Although he appears in a brief role, the snooty and very compelling Nick, makes us want him to play a full-length lead opposite Priyanka. Manifestations are in the process…

    Similarly, Celine Dion, the singer, plays a very important, and witty role as herself in Love Again. Rob’s struggle with romance post his heartbreak is brought to light by Celine. For example, in a scene, Celine says, “You obviously know nothing about it.” And as we along with Rob wonder ‘what’ he doesn’t know about, she replies, “Love.” His realisation of love also happens with Celine’s classic ‘All By Myself’ playing in the background. Her songs are used in several places to help elevate the romance part of the film.

    While it is usual to find romantic cliches in a rom-com, some need definitely need to be avoided. One such is having Rob’s colleagues and best friends, Liza and Billy, be black and gay, respectively. This representation feels more tokenism than actual representation because these characters have nothing to do with the overall scheme of the narrative.

    An element that is commonplace in most rom-coms is, the couple getting intimate immediately after they confess their liking for each other. I believe this would have been unconvincing in Love Again because they are beating several odds to be together. Thankfully, Mira and Rob do not get physical immediately and allow comfort with each other to come before anything else.

    The makers throw in a scene where Mira unintentionally falls asleep to Rob’s voice to establish that she feels safe and trusts him. Commercial romcoms often miss out on exhibiting such emotions, which are salient to make romance relatable.

    As the film takes too much time in establishing Mira’s grief, we don’t really know much about Rob. Yeah, we know Rob is a music critic, loves basketball, and is in love with Mira. Even Mira’s character traits, except for

    the fact that she loves ‘Would You Rather’ questions, are not clear to us even by the end of the film. While Mira and Rob’s relationship does feel dreamy and utopian, the relatability factor goes for a toss. When Dion says, “I don’t really care if you and Rob get together,” it seems like she’s speaking our hearts.  If only, the makers focussed more on the lead characters, than on making this film a Celine Dion tribute (no complaints there, though), Love Again would have had the potential to become something more than just funny and entertaining.

    With delightful yet cheesy comedy, and a realistic romance at the centre of it all, Love Again, an adaptation of Sofie Cramer’s German novel Text For You, is a worthy watch. There is a lot more novelty on offer in Love Again. It reminds us that our soulmates might just about be anywhere… You may bump into them, even when walking out of the theatres, with light instrumental music playing in the background.

    Movie       : Love AgainDirector   : James C StrouseCast          : Priyanka Chopra, Sam Heughan, Celine Dion, Sofia BarclayRating      : 3/5 

    (This story originally appeared in Cinema Express)

    When Rob (Sam Heughan) and Mira (a very convincing Priyanka Chopra) meet for the first time in Love Again, just like every other romantic film, there’s slow instrumental music playing in the background, and they’re standing in front of the grand opera wearing show-stopping garments.

    There’s nothing new with Mira saying, “Hi, I’m Mira Ray,” and Rob introducing himself in return. When their eyes lock, we might be reminded of scores of other similar scenes in rom-com history. But the way the conversation ensues, a brilliant piece of music is used to underscore the emotions, and the convincing performances, show the intent of the makers was to make it one of the most romantic moments in recent rom-com history. There are also interesting subversions that make Love Again non-formulaic.

    Take, for instance, the meet-cute scene once again, and immediately after they exchange greetings and part ways, the music abruptly stops as Mira bumps into a couple, and the audience erupted into laughter. Unexpected humour is the strength of Love Again, which is an equal parts romance and comedy, with a side order of engaging entertainment. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Love Again revolves around Mira, who loses her boyfriend John in an accident. Two years after the tragedy, she tries to get back into the dating game. Her method of catharsis is to text her late boyfriend’s number, making her feel like she’s still in touch with him. But, here’s the twist, the number is now owned by Rob, a despondent music critic, who has recently gotten his heart broken. How they meet and fall in love, forms the rest of the story.

    Love Again does not take much time to set the scene. A brief conversation between John and Mira establishes how much they love each other, and almost immediately after, he meets with an accident, right in front of her eyes. All of this happens within the first four minutes. And yet, thanks to the well-written dialogue, it is proof enough to make us buy the grief she experiences throughout the film.

    The best parts of the film are Celine Dion’s performance as herself, and Nick Jonas’ extended cameo. Post their wedding, Priyanka and Nick have only made one onscreen appearance in the Jonas Brothers’ Sucker song video. Although he appears in a brief role, the snooty and very compelling Nick, makes us want him to play a full-length lead opposite Priyanka. Manifestations are in the process…

    Similarly, Celine Dion, the singer, plays a very important, and witty role as herself in Love Again. Rob’s struggle with romance post his heartbreak is brought to light by Celine. For example, in a scene, Celine says, “You obviously know nothing about it.” And as we along with Rob wonder ‘what’ he doesn’t know about, she replies, “Love.” His realisation of love also happens with Celine’s classic ‘All By Myself’ playing in the background. Her songs are used in several places to help elevate the romance part of the film.

    While it is usual to find romantic cliches in a rom-com, some need definitely need to be avoided. One such is having Rob’s colleagues and best friends, Liza and Billy, be black and gay, respectively. This representation feels more tokenism than actual representation because these characters have nothing to do with the overall scheme of the narrative.

    An element that is commonplace in most rom-coms is, the couple getting intimate immediately after they confess their liking for each other. I believe this would have been unconvincing in Love Again because they are beating several odds to be together. Thankfully, Mira and Rob do not get physical immediately and allow comfort with each other to come before anything else.

    The makers throw in a scene where Mira unintentionally falls asleep to Rob’s voice to establish that she feels safe and trusts him. Commercial romcoms often miss out on exhibiting such emotions, which are salient to make romance relatable.

    As the film takes too much time in establishing Mira’s grief, we don’t really know much about Rob. Yeah, we know Rob is a music critic, loves basketball, and is in love with Mira. Even Mira’s character traits, except for

    the fact that she loves ‘Would You Rather’ questions, are not clear to us even by the end of the film. While Mira and Rob’s relationship does feel dreamy and utopian, the relatability factor goes for a toss. When Dion says, “I don’t really care if you and Rob get together,” it seems like she’s speaking our hearts.  If only, the makers focussed more on the lead characters, than on making this film a Celine Dion tribute (no complaints there, though), Love Again would have had the potential to become something more than just funny and entertaining.

    With delightful yet cheesy comedy, and a realistic romance at the centre of it all, Love Again, an adaptation of Sofie Cramer’s German novel Text For You, is a worthy watch. There is a lot more novelty on offer in Love Again. It reminds us that our soulmates might just about be anywhere… You may bump into them, even when walking out of the theatres, with light instrumental music playing in the background.

    Movie       : Love Again
    Director   : James C Strouse
    Cast          : Priyanka Chopra, Sam Heughan, Celine Dion, Sofia Barclay
    Rating      : 3/5
     

    (This story originally appeared in Cinema Express)

  • Priyanka Chopra describes filming ‘Love Again’ as terrifying experience

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas was forced to cope with a “daunting atmosphere” on ‘Love Again’.

    The 40-year-old actress stars in the new romantic comedy film alongside Sam Heughan and Celine Dion but admits it was tricky to generate the emotions required as the picture was filmed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

    “It was nuts at that time. It was tough, but it was a scary time in the world. As actors, we’re the ones that have to take off our masks on set. I was terrified, honestly, in the beginning. It was a very scary, daunting atmosphere, and we were doing a romantic comedy – we had to bring lightness and fun to set in this daunting atmosphere,” she recalled to Entertainment Weekly, reports aceshowbiz.com.

    “We really leaned on each other to create a fun environment on set with each other. We would laugh and crack jokes and try to find joy so that we could inspire and infuse ourselves as well. But it wasn’t easy.”

    Priyanka stars in the film as Mira Ray, who – struggling to cope with the death of her fiance – sends romantic messages to his old phone number, which has been reassigned to journalist Rob Burns (Heughan). Rob is drawn to Mira’s beautiful texts and seeks Celine Dion’s assistance to find her in real life when he is tasked with writing a feature about the ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer.

    Sam admits that the pandemic was one of the main reasons he accepted the chance to play the male lead in the film.

    The ‘Outlander’ star said, “I think we were all ready for it. After the lockdowns and being in isolation, everyone was ready to feel joy again. That’s why this was such a well-timed movie to make. I think we all, certainly after the pandemic and everything else that’s going on in the world, needed this kind of movie and this kind of message.”Chopra describes filming ‘Love Again’ as terrifying experience

    LOS ANGELES: Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas was forced to cope with a “daunting atmosphere” on ‘Love Again’.

    The 40-year-old actress stars in the new romantic comedy film alongside Sam Heughan and Celine Dion but admits it was tricky to generate the emotions required as the picture was filmed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

    “It was nuts at that time. It was tough, but it was a scary time in the world. As actors, we’re the ones that have to take off our masks on set. I was terrified, honestly, in the beginning. It was a very scary, daunting atmosphere, and we were doing a romantic comedy – we had to bring lightness and fun to set in this daunting atmosphere,” she recalled to Entertainment Weekly, reports aceshowbiz.com.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “We really leaned on each other to create a fun environment on set with each other. We would laugh and crack jokes and try to find joy so that we could inspire and infuse ourselves as well. But it wasn’t easy.”

    Priyanka stars in the film as Mira Ray, who – struggling to cope with the death of her fiance – sends romantic messages to his old phone number, which has been reassigned to journalist Rob Burns (Heughan). Rob is drawn to Mira’s beautiful texts and seeks Celine Dion’s assistance to find her in real life when he is tasked with writing a feature about the ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer.

    Sam admits that the pandemic was one of the main reasons he accepted the chance to play the male lead in the film.

    The ‘Outlander’ star said, “I think we were all ready for it. After the lockdowns and being in isolation, everyone was ready to feel joy again. That’s why this was such a well-timed movie to make. I think we all, certainly after the pandemic and everything else that’s going on in the world, needed this kind of movie and this kind of message.”Chopra describes filming ‘Love Again’ as terrifying experience

  • Singer Celine Dion cancels show because of stiff person syndrome

    By Associated Press

    Celine Dion has put a halt on all performing after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.

    In an emotional video messages posted in French and English on Thursday on Instagram, Dion said stiff person syndrome was causing spasms that affect her ability to walk and sing.

    “Unfortunately, the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to,” she said.

    Dion said she had no choice but to postpone her “Courage” tour, which was to restart in February after several delays. Her spring 2023 shows have been moved to 2024 and her summer 2023 concerts have been canceled.

    “I miss seeing all of you, being on the stage, performing for you. I always give 100% when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now,” she said.

    Stiff person syndrome causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which can be triggered by such things as loud noises or light touch. The cause isn’t known but it is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. Severe cases can cause difficulty walking and hunched posture.

    Dion, who has five Grammy Awards and two Academy Awards, is the best-selling female artist of all time with hits like “I’m Alive” and “My Heart Will Go On.”

    Celine Dion has put a halt on all performing after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.

    In an emotional video messages posted in French and English on Thursday on Instagram, Dion said stiff person syndrome was causing spasms that affect her ability to walk and sing.

    “Unfortunately, the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to,” she said.

    Dion said she had no choice but to postpone her “Courage” tour, which was to restart in February after several delays. Her spring 2023 shows have been moved to 2024 and her summer 2023 concerts have been canceled.

    “I miss seeing all of you, being on the stage, performing for you. I always give 100% when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now,” she said.

    Stiff person syndrome causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which can be triggered by such things as loud noises or light touch. The cause isn’t known but it is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. Severe cases can cause difficulty walking and hunched posture.

    Dion, who has five Grammy Awards and two Academy Awards, is the best-selling female artist of all time with hits like “I’m Alive” and “My Heart Will Go On.”

  • Celine Dion cancels North American stretch of ‘Courage World Tour’, cites health reasons

    By IANS

    Canadian singer Celine Dion is ending her ‘Courage World Tour’ in the United States and Canada owing to her health condition as muscle spasms rendered her unable to perform for sometime, reports ‘Variety’.

    The remaining part of the North American stretch of her ‘Courage World Tour’ was scheduled for March 9 to April 22. The singer had already performed 52 shows across North America for the tour, which started before the COVID-19 pandemic wrecked live entertainment in March 2020.

    According to ‘Variety’, Celine said in a statement, “I was really hoping that I’d be good to go by now, but I suppose I just have to be more patient and follow the regimen that my doctors are prescribing.”

    “There’s a lot of organising and preparation that goes into our shows, and so we have to make decisions today which will affect the plans two months down the road. I’ll be so glad to get back to full health, as well as all of us getting past this pandemic, and I can’t wait to be back on stage again”, she added.

    However, the European stretch of the ‘Courage World Tour’ is still on cards for the singer with the first concert scheduled for May 25 in Birmingham, England.