February 13, 200817 yr Author 'I promised Mr Mandela': Celine Dion kicks off tour in S. Africa Johannesburg - Saying she is keeping a promise she made to South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, pop singer Celine Dion said Tuesday she was "thrilled" to kick off a new world tour by starting in South Africa. Dion was under a five-year contract which had kept her in Las Vegas at the time when she made the promise to Mandela, she recalled in a press conference Tuesday, the South African Sapa agency reported. "But two years ago Mr Mandela called to invite us and we were committed to be in Las Vegas for five years. Rene (Angelil, her husband) and I promised each other and Mr Mandela that we would start (the next tour) in South Africa. "I am more than thrilled to be here," she said. Dion is the highest-selling female artist in South Africa of all time and her 12- month tour is named after her latest album, "Taking Chances" the Sapa report said. The Grammy award-winning Canadian said that Las Vegas was something that had slowed down her career, giving her stability and time to focus on her family. "But this (new) album means I am coming back. It's something that I am most proud of. We took a chance and we recorded something that was a little bit different from before," she said. Dion kicks off her 35-country "Taking Chances" tour on February 14 in the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg. She will be staying in South Africa for three weeks, with performances also scheduled in Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town before she heads to Europe.
February 13, 200817 yr Author Celine keeps promise to Madiba Johannesburg - After a five year contract that kept her in Las Vegas, pop diva Celine Dion is keeping a promise she made to Nelson Mandela by kicking off her world tour in South Africa, she said at a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday. "Eish! Why not start in South Africa?" she said. "It was not possible and it was kind of at the end of the world. "But two years ago Mr Mandela called to invite us and we were committed to be in Las Vegas for five years. Rene (Angelil, her husband) and I promised each other and Mr Mandela that we would start [the next tour] in South Africa. "I am more than thrilled to be here. Jozi people are lekker," said Dion. Dion is the highest selling female artist in South Africa of all time and her 12 month tour is named after her latest album, Taking Chances. The Grammy award winning Canadian said that Las Vegas was something that slowed down her career, giving her stability and time to focus on her family. 'I'm coming back' "But this [new] album means I am coming back. It's something that I am most proud off. We took a chance and we recorded something that was a little bit different from before. "It was almost like going back to my childhood and my influence from my brothers and sisters - its more grounded and a little bit edgier, but it is still the same Celine." Dion recorded her first single written by her mother when she was 12. They sent the demo tape to Angelil, a producer who would later become her husband and would mortgage his house to help pay for her first album. Celine and her siblings sent the tape in and did not receive a reply. "My brother called him and said, "Mr Angelil, you did not listen to the tape and we know that you did not listen to it because otherwise you would have called us." Dion was welcomed to the press conference stage by the Soweto Gospel choir who had on Sunday night just won their second Grammy award for the second year in a row. 'Eish' Her first remark was, "Eish..." She smiled and expressed her admiration for the choir's performance. The choir will be a supporting act for her first performance on Valentine's Day along with pop icon Danny K and Idols winner Jody Williams. Dion will kick off the 35-country Taking Chances world tour at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg on Valentine's Day. She will stay in South Africa for three weeks, perform in Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, and give an additional show in Johannesburg on March 1 before flying to Europe. The singer has taken members of her family with her on the tour. They are her 80-year-old mother, her seven-year-old-son, and her husband and manager. "There is no other way for me right now. I would not consider doing anything without my family. It will be very powerful to discover the world through my son's eyes."
February 13, 200817 yr Author Pics: http://img179.imagevenue.com/img.php?image...9_122_142lo.jpg http://img143.imagevenue.com/view.php?imag...L_122_880lo.jpg http://img243.imagevenue.com/img.php?image...2D_122_99lo.jpg http://img169.imagevenue.com/view.php?imag...2_122_857lo.jpg
February 13, 200817 yr IM at college and the pics etc dont work right here as this site like bebo is blocked so i had to code my way into buzzjack
February 13, 200817 yr yes well i have a free class just now well almost back into class but i have pc appas which will be here so i can have the net running and post when the chance becomes available
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