Celine’s serene side
Celine Dion’s new movie, “Celine: Through the Eyes of the World,” does more than highlight the singer’s performances during her last world tour. It also allows fans rare glimpses of her offstage life.
The documentary shows Dion as a goofy jokester, a doting mother, a tender wife, a wide-eyed tourist, a devoted daughter and more.
“I want to be kind of accessible. I don’t want to be doing this show business and be different,” says Dion.
“For people to see we live as normal as possible … makes my singing even more true and it gives me an extra bond with my fans.”
The movie is playing a limited release in theaters, including Spokane’s AMC River Park Square 20 (today, 2 p.m., and Monday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m.).
Dion, who’s working on new albums in English and French, returns next year to Las Vegas for a three-year residency at Caesars Palace.
Q: Why did you decide to take fans behind the scenes instead of doing a straight concert film?
A: We wanted to make the best out of a privilege of touring the world; having my mother, who is 82 years old and my son, who is 7 years old, and to make it really like a photo album, to bring back home memories. … It was for a souvenir, really. But then it turned out to be … quite exquisite.
Q: You were part of the “We Are the World” sequel. What was that like?
A: Well for me, it was extraordinary. I don’t live in show business, so for me when I see artists, I get very excited because I admire them. … So when I see the Jonas brothers and Miley Cyrus and Josh Groban and Barbra Streisand … I’m very impressed. … It was like, does it get any better than that? Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, everybody (laughs). I was so impressed! And nobody knew which part they were going to do.
Q: And what part did you do?
A: When I got there … I didn’t know what I was going to do and it didn’t matter to me, and then they said, “Can you do the Cyndi Lauper version?” It’s one of the greatest parts of the song. I was like, “All right!” I was very privileged.
The birthday bunch
Actress Rue McClanahan is 75. Record company executive David Geffen is 67. Actress Tyne Daly is 64. Actor William Petersen is 57. Actor Kelsey Grammer is 55. Singer Mary Chapin Carpenter is 52. Actor William Baldwin is 47. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt is 31. Singer Charlotte Church is 24. Actress Ellen Page is 23. Actor Corbin Bleu is 21.