Celine Dion ill, How do you make an overrated singer sound even duller than she already is? A: Deliver a press release like this to promote Kate Walsh's gig at CrawDaddy, Dublin, on Monday, February 25:
"Unlike most of her peers," the release begins, "Kate Walsh doesn't have an iPod or a Walkman (Update -- she got a freebie from them when she hit #1 on iTunes). She does own a television, but she hasn't plugged it in since last July. Consciously or otherwise, this gifted 24-year-old knows that, in a world teeming with
distractions, it's best to give the muse some elbowroom in which to work. 'A lot of the time I just like to sit', says Kate, 'or I'll go for a walk along the beach. The songs tend to come when I have time alone to think'."
Cue a ream of similarly nauseating paragraphs before ending in the same schmaltzy vein: "'I'm really proud of the new record and I can't stop listening to it,' Kate says with a typically modest smile." Pass the sick bucket, please.
Congratulations must go out to MCD on another sold-out extravaganza at Croke Park. Within hours of going on sale, the Celine Dion-Il Divo dream team had shifted all 80,000 tickets. It's astonishing to think that so many people would willingly pay through the nose to be bored senseless by a lady who seems to have been fashioned in Wysteria Lane and then given a humour lobotomy.
And as for Simon Cowell creations, Il Divo, all I can say is that I spent an hour interviewing them in The Late Late Show green room but would probably have got better copy from the mannequins in the Brown Thomas windows, such was their collective charisma deficit. Expect riots on May 30 next year.
Those who miss Blogorrah should consult new blog on the block, The Chancer, which is fast turning into the best way to while away time in the office. Last week, the site asked readers to suggest the worst Irish album titles of all time and a 1981 solo album from Chieftans' harpist Derek Bell came out tops. The album is called Derek Bell Plays With Himself. Plucking hell.
Frank Sinatra impersonators are 10-a-penny in Ireland, but by far the best performer of Ol' Blue Eyes material is Dubliner Sean Hession. A Late Night -- a new album with long-time collaborator Luis Stewart -- is a typically fine collection of Sinatra renderings. On Saturday, December 15, Hession -- best known under the Frankly Sinatra moniker -- and the 16-piece Dave Gold big band plays the Helix, Dublin, and is heartily recommended.
Those who don't have tickets for the sold-out Kings of Leon shows can check out bassist Jared Followill at Dublin's Tivoli on Wednesday night. The KoL bassist will be delivering a DJ set as part of the Corona Presents series, and we're reliably informed that the other three Followills will be in attendance too and possibly taking their turn on the decks. Tickets cost €18.
One of the abiding memories of my childhood was spending Sunday afternoons at my maternal grandparents' house watching MT-USA. Grandad Ryan -- who was well into his seventies at that stage and an unlikely rock aficionado -- seemed to enjoy the show as much as I. At one point, I think I wanted to be Bryan Adams when I grew up, particularly if adulthood meant wearing the same sort of denim jacket and jeans combination.
Now SonyBMG is bringing out a DVD inspired by the series. Inspired is the key word here -- there's no actual footage of Vincent Hanley presenting the show. It's merely old rock videos from the time. What a rip-off for nostalgia fans and for those of us whose memory of the show is fuzzy because of our youth.
The MT-USA DVD is a reminder to all that just about any old rubbish gets put out in this pre-Christmas silly season. Take TV3 weatherman Martin King. He's put together a book featuring photos that viewers/"fans" have sent him over the years. No, I don't want a copy.
Celine Dion has cancelled several upcoming concerts in Las Vegas because of a virus.
Caesars Palace officials said the singer's doctor advised her to rest for a week to recover from the virus, which caused an inflammation of her vocal cords. Shows scheduled for Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled at the resort's Colosseum.Her next scheduled concert there is March 3.
Celine, in a statement, said she does not "like to let people down," and she feels terrible about not being able to perform at the shows. Refunds will be given to people who bought tickets
Doctors have told the singer she must rest as she receives treatment - and so she has pulled the plug on upcoming shows at Caesars Palace.
A statement from the Because You Loved Me singer reads, "I feel terrible about not being able to do these shows. I feel so bad for the fans. I don't like to let people down... I really hope everyone understands how sorry I am."
She is expected to be back onstage on Saturday (03Mar12).
Dion is currently in the middle of a residency at the Colosseum, where she's performing with a 31-piece orchestra.
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