Diva Dion

For those of us lucky enough to spend this monumental 2008 in Beijing, countless tall tales of Rat Year bliss will be nostalgically recounted to our grandchildren. The Olympics will be mentioned, as will be the unveiling of T3...- but nothing will take the storytelling cake as much as the landing in our beloved capital of the Titanic Queen herself.

"There are a lot of places we've never been able to get to over the years, just because of demands elsewhere...- and China is one of these territories. We're so excited to finally be coming to China...- we just can't wait," giddies an exuberant Dion.

The VH1 mainstay has captivated us with one of the most illustrious pop-music careers since Michael Bolton. From a humble Canadian teenage sensation to usurper of the '88 Eurovision title to recipient of five Grammy Awards, Celine has been there, done that.

Her tenacious, eleven-and-a-half month Taking Chances Tour comes at the very peak of her artistic career, upon completion of her three-year, five-nights-a-week commitment to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Collaborating with the genius director behind Cirque du Soleil, Dragone, she delivered and wowed millions with a fusion of song, performance art, theatrical innovation and state-of-the-art technology that has ensured her a seat in prima donna heaven.

Not surprisingly, Sin City inspired change in the diva. Her new CD, “Taking Chances” waxes more rock 'n' roll than her previous, more pop-thunder-romance albums did. This leaves fanatics dying to know whether a "Rock Celine" will be unmasked at the Worker's Stadium. "I'm still the same person who's been singing the ballads and love songs for most of my career," claims Dion. "We'll be rockin' a little bit, but I think my fans will be happy to hear their favorites when we do the shows in Shanghai and Beijing."

But before her concert gives us a landmark in our Beijing lives, we mustn't forget how she got here in the first place. Celine attributes a great degree of her success to Rene Angelil, her personal manager and husband. At thirty-nine years old, Rene was so taken by thirteen year-old Celine's voice that he became determined to make her an internationally known talent. And we all know he got what he wanted.

"He's always made the best decisions on my behalf, right from day one, and he's always made sure that I had the best songs, best producers to work with and great opportunities to perform as an artist."

Date: April 13
Venue: Workers' Stadium, Sanlitun, Chaowai
Price: RMB 300,500,800,1000,2000,3000