Latest news with #EdithPiaf
Malay Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Eurovision 2025 calling? 1988 winner Celine Dion's heart will go on — all the way to Switzerland
BASEL, May 14 — Canadian songstress Celine Dion has said she wants 'nothing more' than to be at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland, German Press Agency (dpa) reported. Dion, 57, won in Dublin 1988 with 'Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi', and Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR confirmed earlier on Tuesday it is still in 'close contact' amid speculation she would perform during the final. At the first semi-final on Tuesday, she delivered a pre-recorded video saying Switzerland has 'always held a special place in my heart' as she spoke in French and English. Dion added: 'It's a country that believed in me and gave me the chance to be part of something so extraordinary, winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988. '(It) was a life-changing moment for me, and I'm so thankful for everyone who supported me.' She also said she would want 'nothing more but to be with you' in Basel as discussions continue with the organisers for her to make a stage comeback on Saturday during the final amid her health issues. This was before 'Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi' was performed by previous Eurovision stars including Silvester Belt and Iolanda. Since Dion won, Switzerland has not triumphed until Nemo clinched victory with The Code last year at Malmo. Dion has stepped away from touring in recent years because of increasing health issues while living with stiff-person syndrome. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she made an emotional comeback with Edith Piaf's classic 'Hymne A L'Amour' while in the Eiffel Tower. Earlier on Tuesday, Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR said there 'are currently no changes regarding Celine Dion — we are still in close contact with her'. — Bernama-dpa
Wales Online
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Eurovision fans in tears as Celine Dion makes rare public appearance amid health battle
Eurovision fans in tears as Celine Dion makes rare public appearance amid health battle Eurovision legend Celine Dion sent fans wild as she made a rare public appearance. Eurovision viewers were moved as Celine Dion made a rare public statement amidst her recent health battle. The Canadian singer, 57, famously clinched the contest for Switzerland in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, sparking a career that's seen her become one of the best-selling artists of all time. She's been away from the spotlight for several years as she grapples with the debilitating condition known as "stiff person syndrome", but she returned to the stage last summer to perform at the Paris Olympics. The icon staged an emotional comeback with Edith Piaf's classic Hymne A L'Amour whilst in the Eiffel Tower, reports the Express. During tonight's (May 13) first Eurovision 2025 semi-final, Celine surprised fans when she appeared on the show in a pre-recorded video message, where she confessed that Switzerland has "always held a special place in my heart". As the video began to play, the star was met with a loud cheer from the audience as she started off by saying: "I'd love nothing more than to be with you." Celine Dione made a rare public statement amid her recent health struggle (Image: (Image: BBC) ) Article continues below She went on: "Switzerland will always hold a special place in my heart. It's the country that believed in me and gave me the chance to be part of something so extraordinary." The star continues to say that winning Eurovision was "a lifechanging moment" and that seeing the contest return to Switzerland is "beautiful and emotional". Viewers quickly took to social media to express their reactions to the emotional moment. One viewer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: "QUEEN CELINE IM CRYING #Eurovision." (sic) Another commented: "She said "Bisou", I love you Céline #Eurovision #Eurovision2025." (sic) A third remarked: "OMG that's so beautiful right now." (sic) Celine Dion gave a recorded message during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 (Image: SEBASTIEN BOZON, AFP via Getty Images ) An emotional fan stated: "That's beautiful, stop it right now. Definitely stuff for the final." Another shared: ""he way i love celine dion, i thank my parents who forced me to listen to her since i was like 4, what a queen, i miss her #Eurovision. " (sic) Yet another fan expressed: "This tribute to Celine Dion's #Eurovision win in 1988 is emotional and beautiful. Well done #ESC2025 #Eurovisión2025. Proper respect to a legend." (sic) Article continues below Meanwhile one added: "That was beautiful. Celine Dion's song is actually one of my favourite Eurovision songs. #Eurovisión #Eurovisión2025. " (sic) The first Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final aired tonight at 8pm and the second will air on Thursday at the same time on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2025 will be broadcast from 8pm to 12am this Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
ABC News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Getting under the skin of Edith Piaf with Nathalie Lermitte
Legendary French singer Edith Piaf was a firecracker of emotion. Gutsy and seductive, while underneath -- an intense fragility. That's the legend. But what's it like to play a legend, show after show, year after year? Cabaret singer Nathalie Lermitte has been inhabiting the icon Piaf for well over a decade. Top Shelf with Josh Piterman. Josh Piterman is an Australian musical theatre star who's used to donning all kinds of masks, especially as the Phantom of the Opera on London's West End. He's also a certified meditation teacher and he's just written a self-help book, about dropping the mask and being authentic. He takes us through the music and thinkers who've changed his life. Plus — more masks! Gail Evans and Nicky Fearn are Darwin local theatre legends. Now they're presenting something completely different from their usual humorous, physical-theatre plays — Fair Punishment, a story based on a chilling, gothic Canadian novel that's told through masked performance. We hear a reading performed by Merlynn Tong.
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- The Guardian
Le Touquet: old-world glamour on the French coast
I was sold on Le Touquet even before we reached the beach, a vast sweep of golden sand and grey green sea. There's something about the way the town was created that appeals, an eccentric idea that was based on nothing more than a desire for pleasure. (A bit like Las Vegas, but classier and French.) It was in 1837 when a wealthy Parisian lawyer decided to plant about 2,000 pines in the area for his hunting parties. Around 50 years later, a linoleum magnate from Leeds bought the town, attracting the British gentry with a horse track, casinos and golf course. At the centre of its hedonistic history is Hotel Barrière Le Westminster, a grand redbrick, art deco building 10 minutes from the beach. The photo gallery just outside the dining room says everything about its iconic status; Edith Piaf, Charles de Gaulle, Marlene Dietrich all stayed, along with Ian Fleming, who wrote Casino Royale here. In 1962, Sean Connery signed his first James Bond film contract – the most luxurious suite is numbered 007 in tribute. The old-world glamour hasn't dimmed; plush bedrooms twinkle with art deco touches, in the pale wood panelling and modernist paintings on the walls. If you don't stay, enjoy a drink at the elegant bar where their French 75 is a favourite. For budget chic nearby, there's Hotel Castel Victoria, five minutes from the beach, with a cosy library, pool room and sun terrace. Every Thursday there's the market at Le Marche Couvert du Touquet in the town centre, where you can find anything from vintage gold jewellery, pretty espadrille wedges for a tenner and an old-fashioned kitchen hardware store that you'll never want to leave. There are seafood brasseries to while away a lunchtime over a moule marinière and a glass of Cremant – Pérard on Rue de Metz is a seafood institution. After lunch, amble through the pine forest, a 15-minute walk from the seafront, to the horseriding centre ( and go for a pony ride along the sand. If you still have energy, climb 274 steps to the top of La Canche Lighthouse for spectacular views or stop off at Le Sand, a pretty bar on the beach where you can kick off your shoes and gaze out at the ocean. Hotel Barrière Le Westminster has double rooms from £220 per night; Hotel Castel Victoria has double rooms from £91;
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Labour is using scare stories to attack British creativity
This year's Brit awards weren't just about chart-topping hits or show-stopping outfits. They were a stage for the music industry's loudest demand yet: Make It Fair. Over the past few weeks, the Government's plans to overhaul copyright law have rightly provoked a huge outcry from some of our most important sectors. The proposals would allow tech companies to hoover up content without permission in order to train their AI models – and could be catastrophic for our country's creative sector. Music, film, publishing, visual arts – some of Britain's most dynamic and successful industries have come together as part of the Make It Fair campaign to set out their stark opposition to this policy. Most extraordinarily, even British AI companies have come out against it. UKAI, the trade body representing British AI businesses, has said: 'The opt-out model would significantly harm the creative sectors to achieve a minimal gain for a handful of global tech companies.' In short, the Government is proposing a policy that would devastate the British creative industries – but not actually benefit the UK AI sector. It's a lose-lose policy with the only winners being global AI companies who want to hoover up artists' work for free and churn out machine-made imitations on an industrial scale. Britain's creative and technological sectors are natural allies that should be working with, not against, each other. For years, the UK has had a robust copyright and intellectual property (IP) framework that has driven just such partnerships and commercial collaborations. Yet ministers are now trying to upend that framework in a way that threatens to disrupt a system that is already working. Across the world, leading AI developers and content creators are proving that fair licencing agreements and partnerships can work. Sony Music partnered with rock legend David Gilmour to unlock new ways for fans to reimagine audio and cover art using AI, and supported AI-startup Vermillio in helping artists protect and profit from their work. Universal Music Group has brokered a deal with YouTube to develop AI-driven tools while ensuring that artists retain control over their work, while Warner Music developed the first animated biopic of an artist, legendary French singer Edith Piaf, using AI. Meanwhile, The Guardian announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI and Shutterstock as well as signing multiple agreements with OpenAI, Meta and Google to ensure its contributors are compensated for AI-generated uses of their work. So if the private sector is already negotiating agreements, why is the Government insisting on stepping in to 'fix' a system that isn't broken – and driving apart our creative industries and AI sector in the process? If ministers have proof that our current system is failing, let's see it. Because so far, all we've heard is scare stories and speculation. Worse still, these new laws would put the UK out of step with other leading economies, where AI firms and content creators are finding practical solutions rather than being tied up in regulatory red tape. The AI revolution is moving fast. If the Government genuinely wants to support British creatives and AI pioneers, it should provide certainty – not force unnecessary lose-lose restrictions on the sectors that will be driving growth in the future.
