Celine hits a low note

Toronto Sun ^ | 9-10-05 | MICHAEL COREN

[veronica]

The first question must be why Celine Dion was on Larry King Live at all. Presumably, Larry's team of producers did not sit around all day discussing who would be the most astute commentator on the New Orleans disaster, settling not on a state governor or a Nobel laureate engineer but on a singer from Quebec.

Perhaps the initiative came from Celine's people. Which raises the question of why on earth the lady who gave us show tunes from the sinking of the Titanic really thought that we wanted to hear her opinions of the search and rescue policies of the United States government.

That she cried and shouted and became so visibly upset during her appearance last week was embarrassing to some, energizing to others. But what it really came down to is best described as the Oprah Syndrome.

Celine Dion is not in any way a bad woman, but she apparently believes that as a celebrity she has an automatic right, even a duty, to express her feelings about a public tragedy.

I feel something and I am famous; thus it has to be important. Just as a movie star's baby is treated as if it's the fist baby ever born, a singer's romance the first and greatest romance ever, a fashion model's struggle with disease the first and most difficult struggle with disease.

Just to make sure that we knew we were dealing with genuine goodness here, Celine then told us that she had given $1million to the cause but that, naturally, this wasn't in the least bit important. Then why make this act of altruism known?

The same reason that she told us she broke down in tears because, in her words, she "opened my television and there were still people in there."

(The fate of people apparently trapped inside Celine Dion's television is neither here nor there, but public weeping most certainly is.)

And nobody does an Oprah moment better than, well Oprah.

Hardly had Celine taken a breath than Oprah Winfrey, Sean Penn and their friends were posing for the cameras as they hugged people in New Orleans.

No mention of the fact that the assembled bodyguards and television crews actually disrupted the rescue operation.

As for Celine, she was particularly unwise to criticize the Bush government's failure to master logistics and deliver aid to New Orleans earlier that it did.

After all, she was the only person at the Live 8 concert in Ontario who was not there in person.

Her people apparently could not master the logistics of flying her from Las Vegas. At the end of her performance for caring Larry and the caring Larry watchers, she sang. Perfectly. The tears stopped and the voice took over. Too planned, too contrived, too Celine and Larry. Too awful.

The best people I have known have done their crying in private and perform their acts of charity behind the scenes -- often in complete anonymity. Nor do they sing for the suffering when, frankly, singing is not really what is required.

As a culture we have come to revere feelings rather than thought.

We weep for people we see on television whom we have never met, but cannot name the person who lives three doors away and have no idea of their pain, needs and fears.

It's the same sensibilities behind the mass pilgrimages to spots where people have been murdered, as if this gives us a sense of meaning and inclusion. We vicariously feel the flame of fame.

The recent scenes of entire crowds of people weeping on the anniversary of the death of Princess Diana say it all, really.

One almost expected Celine Dion to step forward and sing a ballad in the woman's memory.

Not cynical but realistic. We're drinking neurosis from buckets offered by pop singers and television hosts. It's absurdity with a French accent

[dfwgator]

"You know, some people are stealing music and they're making a big deal out of it."

"Oh, they're stealing 20 of my songs off the Internet. Who cares? They're not going to go too far with it. Maybe those people are so poor, some of the people who do that they're so poor they've never heard my music in their lives. Let them hear those things for once."

[DefiantZERO]

OMG!! Celine Dion's television is a quagmire!! Bush's fault!!

[Cboldt]

"You know, some people are stealing music and they're making a big deal out of it." "Oh, they're stealing 20 of my songs off the Internet. Who cares? They're not going to go too far with it. Maybe those people are so poor, some of the people who do that they're so poor they've never heard my music in their lives. Let them hear those things for once."

Bwahahahaha - perfect comeback. My wife used to like Celine Dion. Not any more, and because of what Celine said on the LKL program.

[randog]

The recent scenes of entire crowds of people weeping on the anniversary of the death of Princess Diana say it all, really.

Whoa, how'd I miss that?! Musta been picking my teeth or something...

[dfwgator]

Actually Celine's CD was one of the first to use anti-piracy encoding. It caused PCs that tried to play the CD to freeze up.

[libs_kma]

"Celine Dion "(skipping editorial)"..., apparently believes that as a celebrity she has an automatic right, even a duty, to express her feelings about a public tragedy."

And we also have the right to say STFU.......lets just call it even.