The fall season promises to be full of events. To begin with, Celine is coming out with her first French "best of" double CD. The collection will include never released before material. The first single "Je ne vous oublie pas" is out on TV and radios on August 31.

Then, Celine's new authorized biography by Jenna Glatzer entitled "Celine Dion : for Keeps" will be released in November. They also promise a DVD with all Celine's French videos to be released at the same time. Can't wait for all those goodies!

While waiting, we would like to invite you to think about what it means to be a fan. This issue of Dream On newsletter focuses on the star-audience relationship.

Yuri, webmaster www.celinedreams.com

How deep is your love? Star-audience relationship.

Have you ever heard someone saying "I'm a number one fan" of this or that celebrity? Being a webmaster of celinedreams.com, a Celine Dion fan site visited by thousands of people, I can tell that I've heard and read this phrase many times. But what does it mean to be someone's fan?

The dictionary describes a fan as "an ardent devotee; an enthusiast". The movies treat the subject of fandom well. Arguably the scariest example of it is "Misery" directed by Rob Reiner. An excellent piece of cinema with James Cann and Kathy Bates. Kathy Bates received an Oscar for Best Actress in 1991 for her portrayal of an obsessed fan. This movie shows how being someone's fan can go wrong. There are other much more inspiring examples e.g. "Almost famous" with Kate Hudson. Audiences and critics alike are raving about this larger-than-life rock'n 'roll movie. In it William Miller, a young reporter gets the opportunity of a lifetime as he hits the road with his favorite band and discovers the price of fame, the value of family and the limits of friendship.

Are there degrees according to which we can 'measure' people's devotion? As a matter of fact, this subject has been very much researched by many sociologists. Andrew Tudor in his book "Image and Influence" (London Allen & Unwin, 1974) outlined his own star-audience relationship measurement. He proposed the following scale.

"Emotional Affinity" - is very common, occurring when the audience feels a loose attachment to a particular performer.

"Self-identification" - arises when involvement reaches a point at which the spectator 'fuses perspectives' with the star.

"Imitation" - denotes a condition, wherein the star is seen as seen as acting as some sort of model for the audience.

"Projection" - is an extreme version of "Imitation" wherein the star-struck live their lives according to their knowledge of their favored star.

Although Tudor's classification is helpful in explaining what audiences may do with the star images they are offered, it doesn't tell us why the offered images take the form they do. Why one celebrity and not the other? It's up to you to find out.

Contains quotes from Graham McCann "Marilyn Monroe. The body in the library. " (Polity Press, 1988).

HOT! CELINE DION : for Keeps: A new authorized biography of Celine Dion by Jenna Glatzer.
(Release date November 2005).

Drawing on the personal archives of Céline and her family, this collector's edition compiles beautiful and elegant photographs of the performer with some of her favorite mementos.

Pre-order now and save!