Celine Dion, John Legend to perform at Aretha Franklin tribute concert

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and John Legend will be among a host of singers to perform at a tribute concert for the late Aretha Franklin in January, the Recording Academy and other groups announced on Thursday.

Alicia Keys, Yolanda Adams, Patti Labelle and Janelle Monae will also do songs from the repertoire of the Queen of Soul at the concert, to be hosted by filmmaker Tyler Perry on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles.

Franklin, an 18-time Grammy winner and considered by many the greatest U.S. gospel and soul singer, died in August of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. Her six-hour long funeral in her Detroit hometown, featuring tributes by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and dozens of singers, was broadcast live on U.S. television.

The tribute concert in Los Angeles is a joint venture of the Recording Academy, which selects Grammy winners, Franklin’s long-time record producer Clive Davis, concert promoter AEG, and CBS television. The concert will be shown on CBS television at a later date still be announced.

“Aretha was more than the Queen of Soul; she was a national treasure. This unique concert, featuring many of today’s greatest artists, will celebrate Aretha in a spectacular manner befitting her once-in-a-lifetime talent,” Davis said in a statement.

Tickets for the concert go on sale on Dec 31.

Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Steve Orlofsky

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Madonna, Kesha, Dion rule the stage at emotional Billboard Awards

Madonna paid tribute to Prince, Kesha earned a standing ovation for her stirring rendition of "It Ain't Me, Babe" honoring Bob Dylan, and Celine Dion dedicated her Icon award to her late husband at Sunday night's emotion-packed Billboard Music Awards.

The three-hour live telecast from Las Vegas stuck to its tradition of a performance-heavy annual show featuring top recording stars in spectacular production numbers.

Britney Spears kicked things off, dazzling in a daring red outfit for a medley of her hits.

Canadian singer The Weeknd dedicated the first award to Prince, the Grammy-winning pop superstar best known for such hits as "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy," who died at his Minnesota home in April aged 57.

"I want to dedicate this award to the late great Prince," The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye), said in accepting the Top Hot 100 Artist award.

Madonna ended the show with a Prince tribute that included "Nothing Compares 2 U," before she was joined by Stevie Wonder for "Purple Rain" as the audience rose to its feet, arms gently swaying above their heads and singing along.

Earlier, Kesha delivered an emotional rendition of Dylan's classic in a much-anticipated performance that was nearly canceled by her label in a legal dispute.

Kemosabe Records relented, saying Kesha had assured them she would not use her time as a platform to address her failed legal bid against Sony Corp's Sony Music and producer Dr. Luke. Kemosabe, founded by Dr. Luke, is a unit of Sony Music. The singer stood by her word.

While several awards were handed out during the show, including to British singer Adele who won the big prize, top artist and accepted via a video segment, it was performances by the likes of Ariana Grande, Dion, and Rihanna that ruled.

Dion, making her first televised singing performance since the death of her husband, Rene Angelil, tearfully accepted the Icon Award for lifetime achievement, which in a surprise was presented by her son, Rene-Charles.

"I'm so sorry, I don't want to cry in front of you," Dion told the audience. She ended by holding her award aloft and declaring, "Rene, this one's for you, the show must go on," echoing the title of the Queen song she had just performed.

Other top prizes went to Rihanna in the fan-voted chart achievement award, Justin Bieber for top male artist, Adele for both top female artist and Billboard 200 album, and The Weeknd for R & B song "The Hills." (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Chris Michaud; Editing by Chris Reese, Robert Birsel and Paul Tait)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Singer Celine Dion's brother near death - newspaper

Canadian singer Celine Dion, whose husband died earlier this week, is facing another family crisis with a brother on the verge of death, a Montreal newspaper reported on Friday.

Daniel Dion, 59, one of her 13 siblings, has cancer and may have only a matter of days to live, sister Claudette Dion told the Journal of Montreal.

"It's very painful. It's a matter of days or hours," she told the paper after visiting her brother in the hospital.

Celine Dion, 47, asked for privacy after she announced on Thursday the death of her husband and long-time manager, René Angélil, at the age of 73 after a long battle with throat cancer.

"He will be remembered as a gentle man, generous and kind, an unprecedented visionary, a modern Pygmalion, a Renaissance man," she said in a Facebook post.

She has not made any recent comments on the site about her brother.

Angélil stepped down as Dion's manager in 2014, turning her career over to a friend of the couple but he remained involved in business decisions.

The Canadian entertainment manager, who discovered Dion when she was 12-years-old and drove her career to stardom, married her in 1994 at a lavish wedding in Montreal's Notre Dame Basilica.

The couple have three sons, René-Charles, 14, and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.

Angélil's illness, first diagnosed in 1999, prompted Dion to put her career on hold in 2014, suspending her Las Vegas residency. Dion said he supported her later return to the stage.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Celine Dion cancels US shows due to voice problem

LOS ANGELES - Grammy-winning singer Celine Dion announced Tuesday she had canceled a string of upcoming shows in Las Vegas due to a virus-triggered problem with her vocal chords.

The Canadian-born star was due to sing at Caesars Palace in a series of shows through March 18, but has called them off after being ordered to rest her voice for six to eight weeks.

After difficulties last week forced her to cancel weekend performances, she decided to seek advice from laryngeal physiology expert Gerald Berke in Los Angeles.

The five-time Grammy winner "flew to Los Angeles on Monday afternoon and had a thorough examination at Professor Berke's clinic," Dion said in a statement, adding that the doctor "diagnosed Celine with weakness in her right vocal chord, secondary to a viral illness."

Berke prescribed resting her vocal chords "in order for Celine to completely recover from this condition," said the statement on her website.

"I tried to sing at my sound-check last week, and I had no control of my voice whatsoever," said Dion, who is the mother of twin boys born in October 2010.

"We thought that after a few days rest I would improve but it wasn't getting any better... I guess it was worse than I thought. I'm fortunate that I was able to see Professor Berke.

"He identified what was causing the problems I was having, and he assured me that with the amount of rest he prescribed, I would be back to 100 percent."

She added: "Obviously this is the worst thing for a singer... not being able to do your shows. I feel worse knowing that I'm disappointing my fans. I'm so sorry... I hope they forgive me."

Dion expects to be back on form for her next run of Vegas shows from June 9 to August 19, said the statement, adding that fans with tickets for the canceled shows will be offered refunds.

source: interaksyon.com