Celine Dion made headlines (and multiple appearances on Oprah) in 2003 when it was announced that she would be moving to Las Vegas to serve as the headliner at Caesars Palace. Now, the singer says she is ready to move on (some tabloids are reporting that Dion is trying to get pregnant again) and will be replaced by another famous female crooner—Bette Midler.
Midler’s got some big shoes to fill (though, I think she will slide into them nicely). After all, Dion’s show at the hotel’s 4,100-seat Colosseum has been sold out for what will be a nearly five-year run by December. According to show producers, Dion’s musical extravaganza dubbed, “A New Day,” has grossed more than $500 million since it began in March 2003.
It was always my dream to get tickets to Dion’s show for my mom (who happens to be a big Celine Dion fan), but I could never get my hands on them… and now it looks like it’s too late. However, oddly enough, my mom also happens to be a big fan of Bette Midler’s (it has something to do with the fact they both grew up in Hawaii), so perhaps, there is hope yet that my mom can enjoy an incredible Vegas show ala Bette.
The award-winning singer did mention that her show would have just as many bells and whistles as Dion’s:
“They give you a lot of toys to play with. They give you the lifts and you can fly people in, you can fly them out. There’s all this wing space and hydraulics and stuff, and the dressing rooms are staggering. It should be an opera house somewhere in the Black Forest,” Midler recently told reporters about her new Vegas venue.
While she may have the same venue as Dion, 61-year-old Midler says she will not be sharing the younger singer’s break-neck schedule. Midler said she agreed to a two-year contract to work 100 shows a year, performing five nights a week for 20 weeks beginning February 20, 2008. Dion performed 160 shows per year, working six nights a week.
Hotel executives say Midler’s schedule works well with the Colosseum’s other performer, Elton John, who will continue to do 50 shows a year through 2008. In addition, managers with the company that books talent for Caesars hinted to reporters that they may add one additional performer to the mix, though they remained tight-lipped as to who it would be (there’s widespread speculation it may be Cher).
As for Midler she says fans can look forward to an action packed, outrageous, flamboyant, over-the-top 90-minute show.
“I have tremendous background singers and I always have a great band,” said Midler. “I love showgirls and I love feathers and sequins, so I’m hoping there’ll be plenty of that.”
I suppose this means that Midler won’t be taking Rosie’s spot on “The View.”
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