|
 | 
|  | GRAND PRIZE CONTEST |
|
Meeting Céline!!!
|
|
TeamCeline Grand Prize of the Year A dream vacation for two to Las Vegas to attend A New Day… and meet Céline!!! The 2002 Grand Prize winner, Mary from Niles, IL, (USA) and her guest Nancie, embarked on their dream vacation in June of 2003, starting with a flight to Las Vegas and concluding with a meeting with Céline. You can read Mary’s account of this memorable trip of a lifetime below. The photos were also taken during her visit in Las Vegas. Trip of a lifetime!!! The first time I heard Celine sing was in 1990, on the Johnny Carson
Show; she sang “Where Does My Heart Beat Now.” The next
day I went to the record store and bought her album. I have been a Celine
fan since then; her music has served as the chapter markers for my life.
Through uplifting and challenging times her music has played in the
background, inspiring me, touching me, bringing joy to my heart. When
I got the call from Sony Music back in December of 2002, telling me
that I was the Grand Prize contest winner, my heart leaped. The first
person I called was my best friend Nancie, asked her if she wanted to
go to Vegas with me, and the rest is history. After unloading our bags, we headed straight for the gorgeous pool area at Caesars Palace. Later that day, we explored the hotel and casino and then got ready to go out to dinner at Emeril’s Restaurant at the MGM Grand. The strip was gorgeous at night, and we enjoyed taking in the city lights. Thursday we went shopping at a nearby mall to spend some of my spending money, and then headed back to the pool. Thursday evening we went to a great Korean Restaurant just off the strip. Friday was the big day; we were less than 24 hours away from meeting Celine and taking in her spectacular show.We took in more of the sites during the day Friday, basically Casino hopping because the temperature was a sizzling 115 degrees. We had an early dinner, took a relaxing bath, and then got ready for our exciting evening with Celine. At 7PM we met Celine’s production assistant and the photographer that would escort and take pictures of our experience that evening. The Colosseum was incredible and it was really wild to be the only ones in the theater. After posing for quite a few pictures in and outside the theater, it was time to go backstage and meet Celine. When we were posing outside the theater, quite a crowd gathered, it was fun being treated like a celebrity. We took an elevator downstairs and passed many of the dancers from the show as we walked down the hallway. We were escorted into the meet and greet room, which was actually a contemporary style dinning room. By the time Celine came into the room, the room was filled with about 10 people who were also waiting to meet her. Celine was radiant, a little rushed; (she was running late); but very gracious as she posed for pictures and signed a few things for us. She still had to change for her first number and begin the show, so she couldn’t stay more than a few minutes with us. The show was truly the most spectacular live performance I had ever
had the privilege to see. Our seats were front row center, and there
were times when Celine was 5 feet away from our seats. I had heard Celine
live only one other time, in a venue that was not acoustically conducive
to her spectacular voice. The sheer power of her voice in this theater
was so moving that I got chills during almost every song she sang. I
had no idea Celine had become such a talented dancer. What truly amazed
me was how she could dance all over the stage, and not miss a beat.
It was perfection in a performance; the spectacular staging, extraordinary
dancing and special visual effects were like nothing I had ever seen.
She definitely has a winner, and I’m sure it will sell out for
it’s entire run at Caesars. After the show, I was escorted over
to the Celine store where I used my $100 gift certificate to purchase
some really gorgeous picture frames. Mary |
