Dear Gossips,   

I know you know the moment without me having to describe it. High above Paris, glittering in custom Dior atop the Eiffel Tower, awash with sparkles tumbling like lava from the sky, after singing the lyrics…

“Dans le ciel, plus de problems

Mon amour crois-tu qu’on s’aime?” 

(In heaven, no more problems

My love, do you believe we love each other?)

 

Celine Dion paused for dramatic effect, because drama is her only gear, and looked out over the city; in that moment we witnessed the triumphant return of an angel who’d reclaimed her wings, back in her perch in the sky, to bless, heal, and protect the people with song. 

Canadian Singer Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 26, 2024 (Xinhua/Shutterstock)

It’s a benevolence that’s almost too much to accept, now that we’re all aware of the struggle she’s had to soar over to reclaim this place. But then again I’m not sure if we have any choice in the matter anyway – Celine told us herself, of her determination and purpose. So during the moment, that pause, what was going on in our minds was imagining what was going on in hers, right? She threw up a prayer and it was answered. 

“Dieu reunit ceux qui s’aiment!”

God reunited a queen with her voice. 

 

According to Victor Le Masne, they were planning for her to perform on “playback” but in the end, she did indeed sing live. If for health reasons she wasn’t capable of it, the backup was to play the Edith Piaf track instead. Obviously that ended up being unnecessary. Because our queen would not be denied! 

And she worked for it – every gesture, every sweep of her arm and every fist pump, she made sure she was ready. 

@cherdion.tok

She has been waiting for this moment for so long❤️✨. #celinedion #icon #olympics #voice #setmyheartonfire #vocals

♬ Set My Heart On Fire (I'm Alive x And The Beat Goes On) - Majestic & The Jammin Kid & Céline Dion
 

Here she is right after, in sneakers, as humble as ever. 

 

And here she is, leaving her hotel and heading home, taking so much time to thank people for their support and encouragement. Do we deserve this much generosity?! She’s given us so much!

Can you imagine the pressure? Because it’s not like we weren’t all talking about it last week. She made no attempt to hide that she was in town, she was visible, she would have known about the speculation. And I love that so much of the speculation was wrong. People were convinced that it would be a duet between her and Lady Gaga with “La Vie en Rose” and that too is what made the performance that much more extraordinary: the element of surprise!

 

Yet again an example of the power of live television. We are so rarely surprised these days with leaks and people rushing to be first with information on social media, we usually know before we’re supposed to know. Big ups to the production team then for pulling off this surprise in these times, which added to the gravitas of Celine being able to rise to the occasion, true to the spirit of this event: the Olympic Games. In my mind, our Queen of All Feelings is now an Olympian. 

 

Speaking of rising to the occasion though – how about Leon Marchand, coming into the Games in his home country with allllll the expectations, having broken Michael Phelps’s remaining world record a year ago and pretty much swimming the same schedule of events… and getting it done. Another example of why the Olympics remains so compelling. He obliterated the field on the way to his first gold – of what’s supposed to be many – of these Games. It’s the best kind of TV. 

 

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey