Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but.........

[WLVCA]

I've seen her act in Las Vegas and prior to seeing her I was never a fan (even though she has recorded a few songs that I really like). The show at Caesar's Palace is usually sold out and it was full when I went. Suffice it to say the show was well polished and on a huge stage and it drew me in from the start. She is a terrific performer. Good to see a Québécoise such a successful performer. She's back at Caesar's again

I'll have to disagree with you on the Celine Dion show at Caesers. I went a few years ago with a group of friends (not my idea!) and it was two hours of pure torture.

Maybe the show has changed but when I saw it there were lots of pictures of her child and her manager/husband blended into the show, seemed very insincere to me - just way over the top. Never happier than when that show was over.

Of course, everyone's taste is different. Maybe I went in with a bad attitude.

 

[garylkoh]

I don't know why, but Celine Dion seems to be a really polarizing performer. I have friends who absolutely detest her and others who love her. I've been a fan since her performance of The Prayer with Andrea Bocelli. Did anybody catch this one live?

 

[NorthStar]

Now, for something more light-hearted, Celine Dion sings in Mandarin for the Chinese New Year broadcast.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21401187

Very cool Gary. ...Celine, French Canadian (Quebec); true International Star.
...Very down-to-earth human being too.
She loves her kids and husband more than the world.

 

[garylkoh]

Welcome back Bob.

Celine's really cool... I love the performances she's done with the great Tenors - Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Josh Groban, the Canadian Tenors......

 

[NorthStar]

-- Celine she's just fine; a splendid voice. ...A pro. ...She ain't my style, but her vocals are "irreprochable". ...Too much "yelling" at times, which I find irritating, for my own personal taste. BUT! Some of her songs are way high in the sky. ...Meaning very very good.

Thx Gary.

 

[jadis]

I don't see where they mandate making knock-offs or stealing intellectual property.

And even more wrong - this is not the Chinese government. This is the Taiwanese CIE. Therein lies one of the biggest problems of politics. China regards Taiwan as a runaway state. Taiwan regards itself as "China".

And even more confusing, is in the event that any one wants to sue Taiwan or its companies for IP theft or copyright infringement, where does one sue them or how does one go about with it? Taiwan is not a country in the eyes on the UN and most other countries in the world. In the 70s I would hear of bootlegged medical books that were printed in Taiwan and people go there to buy such books cheaply. And also those colored vinyl LPs. Lately I do not hear of any 'copied' things from Taiwan though.

 

[jadis]

OT - a very short history of China/Taiwan.WWII. During the Japanese invasion, the Kuomingtang under Chiang Kai-Shek and the Communist Party cooperated to repel the invaders. After WWII, the Kuomingtang launched an offensive against the Communist Party and were defeated. Chiang and his followers fled to the island of Taiwan with their remnant Kuomingtang troops and they continued to call themselves the Republic of Chin

And actually, the UN recognized the Republic of China as 'China' (which has its base in Taiwan) until 1971 when the UN adopted GA Resolution 2758 and expelled 'Taiwan' from the world body and in turn recognized the PROC as the one an only true 'China'.

From Wiki:

"The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 was passed in response to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1668 that required any change in China's representation in the UN be determined by a two-thirds majority vote. The resolution, passed in October 25, 1971, recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations" and expelled "the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations."[1] This move effectively ended the Republic of China's full membership at the United Nations and remains a point of contention on the political status of Taiwan."

Amazing, after predating the founding of the PROC in 1949, ROC was accused of 'unlawfully occupying' its place in the UN. Sometimes facts are indeed stranger than fiction.

 

[opus111]

Gary how difficult could it be to assign a unique serial number to each of your products - a number that's traceable? Then a prospective buyer could input that number into your website to see if its legit or not. A prospective cloner would have to examine a lot of your products to be able to gain sufficient of these unique numbers to replicate a batch and you'd have traceability for who you'd sold those units to. I'm thinking of something more akin to a Microsoft Product Key rather than a traditional serial number - the latter is more easy to guess legitimate numbers of.

 

[garylkoh]

Gary how difficult could it be to assign a unique serial number to each of your products - a number that's traceable? Then a prospective buyer could input that number into your website to see if its legit or not. A prospective cloner would have to examine a lot of your products to be able to gain sufficient of these unique numbers to replicate a batch and you'd have traceability for who you'd sold those units to. I'm thinking of something more akin to a Microsoft Product Key rather than a traditional serial number - the latter is more easy to guess legitimate numbers of.

We do this, but in a much smaller, non-automated way. There aren't millions of my units out there, and so all they need to do is to call in. We also have a transferable 5-year warranty, and new owners will write in or call in to register the transfer. So, we are able to trace the ownership.

 

[ca1ore]

We will also service products from the old Genesis Technologies (1991 - 2000) to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, due to their age some parts are no longer available. However, many of these that are modified or serviced by other parties are beyond rescue.

I have bought more than my fair share of second-hand equipment including a fair number of Genesis speakers. While it is generally quite easy to spot the counterfeit (or the dodgy seller), it is much harder to know whether something has been modifed or not - and whether that modification is a problem or not (even if it was done by somebody with honest intent). A few years back a set of G500s I bought had a whole bunch of extra capacitors soldered badly onto the crossover. Even with my limited technical skills I was able to remove them, but if the modifications had been more extensive I'd have been stuck with them.

 

[Shaffer]

-- Celine she's just fine; a splendid voice. ...A pro. ...She ain't my style, but her vocals are "irreprochable". ...Too much "yelling" at times, which I find irritating, for my own personal taste. BUT! Some of her songs are way high in the sky. ...Meaning very very good.

Thx Gary.

Yea, she's always at full throttle. Her song selection is absolutely insipid, seemly geared for the vocal triathlon in the wait, the delivery is almost comical in its seriousness (I realize it's an oxymoron), and the result is equally predictable. It's music for people who don't like music, where the superficial reigns over substance. OTOH, the Chinese performance lays all that to rest.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

Not a Celine Dion fan. I simply can't get to what all the fuss is about. I would not go as far as Shaffer's simply because I am in a good mood ... ... I would not qualify her voice of splendid either .. One case of hyperbole for a good and adequate but certainly not special voice.

Since we are already wildly OT a little rant

At times I envy the marketing skills of some people. In the music industry marketing is key. So you find people that are made to be pop stars on the power of no voice (Britney Spears), just so-so instrumental skills and barely adequate voice (Alicia Keys) ... simplistic to poor Lyrics and no voice (Rihanna) .. Must say that Celine Dion is definitely not in the category of no voice or talent. She has a good voice but as I said earlier nothing special.. She is head and shoulders above these ...

end of rant

 

[steve williams]

she does get a whole lot schmaltzy in her show but for having never seen her I didn't mind it. I guess Caesar's Palace however must feel differently to sign her to several long term contracts and to have her play to a packed house every night

 

[DaveyF]

Hi

Not a Celine Dion fan. I simply can't get to what all the fuss is about. I would not go as far as Shaffer's simply because I am in a good mood ... ... I would not qualify her voice of splendid either .. One case of hyperbole for a good and adequate but certainly not special voice.

Since we are already wildly OT a little rant

At times I envy the marketing skills of some people. In the music industry marketing is key. So you find people that are made to be pop stars on the power of no voice (Britney Spears), just so-so instrumental skills and barely adequate voice (Alicia Keys) ... simplistic to poor Lyrics and no voice (Rihanna) .. Must say that Celine Dion is definitely not in the category of no voice or talent. She has a good voice but as I said earlier nothing special.. She is head and shoulders above these ...

end of rant

Great rant, Frantz. Very correct, IMO. There are numerous talented people out there that never get "discovered" because they don't have the marketing people behind them, who would make the likes of Britney Spears and Rihanna look ridiculous.
Most of them aren't as 'photogenic', however. Take the recently discovered ( by sheer luck) Susan Boyle as an example. Her voice can put to shame even Celine Dion's and yet she still does not have the fame or fortune of Celine; probably never will. Makes one wonder if in this day and age the likes of Ella Fitzgerald would have been discovered?

 

[garylkoh]

Frantz, since I'm the OP, and also guilty of the OT, I can be forgiven yah?

I agree with your rant. Marketing trumps ability in the music business. However, with the new set of not very polished talents as was brought up in the Grammy's thread, may be we will see some flight towards quality.

 

[JackD201]

Then there are those that do have voices but shoot themselves in both feet with bad material and awfully constructed images. Aguilera comes to mind. Always over singing, What a waste.

 

[DonH50]

Geez, sorry to hear your troubles, Gary. It is quite a problem in many areas, and from many countries.

BTW, since you are Chinese, you are not a knock-off... Me, I am a mutt, mix of many nationalities...

 

[Gregadd]

All an artist can do is perfect their craft. After that it is a matter of taste.

 

[MarinJim]

she does get a whole lot schmaltzy in her show but for having never seen her I didn't mind it. I guess Caesar's Palace however must feel differently to sign her to several long term contracts and to have her play to a packed house every night

Liberace played to a packed house every night also (or so I heard).

 

[steve williams]

Liberace played to a packed house every night also (or so I heard).

Liberace also had a weekly TV show with he and his brother George and his candelabra