Promoter sues over Celine Dion’s contract

Monday, July 8, 2002 | 10:58 a.m.

A Las Vegas entertainment promoter says she's behind Celine Dion's three-year contract to perform at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and is suing to collect a commission.

Caesars owner Park Place Entertainment Corp. has said Dion's production, which is expected to open in March 2003, is a collaboration of AEG Concerts' Concerts West, producer Franco Dragone's company DRAGONE, and CDA Productions, run by Dion and her husband, Rene Angelil. Dion's contract is for 600 shows over three years at Caesars' new 4,000-seat Colosseum.

Linda Crane, owner of Crane Entertainment Organization Inc. and a senior vice president of entertainment for Caesars' parent Caesars World prior to its sale to Park Place in December 1999, is seeking alleged unpaid commissions of $600,000 and up to $2 million in damages in the lawsuit filed June 21 in Clark County District Court against Concerts West.

Robert Walsh, Crane's attorney, described Crane as a "dear friend" of Dion's and said Crane was asked during a dinner with the singer about the viability of entering into a multi-million dollar deal to entertain in Las Vegas.

"Crane and Dion were at a dinner at La Terrazza at Caesars Palace about a year and a half ago," he said. "Dion had asked Crane about the viability of a long-term engagement in Las Vegas because of a big contract she had heard that was secured by either Wayne Newton at the Stardust or David Copperfield at Caesars."

The suit said Crane created a business plan that included "gross potentials, capacity and additional financial information provided to Crane by Angelil, which incorporated production costs and pre-production schedules."

"The nature of this business plan was a lengthy engagement by Dion in Las Vegas such that she could continue to reap the rewards of her celebrity while foregoing the touring so prevalent in her industry," the suit said. "This was desirable as Dion had voiced her intent to establish a traditional stable family life rather than tour as an artist."

Crane said she presented the business plan, which she estimates to be potentially worth $20 million, in writing to the defendants and included her expected commission should the defendants decide to act on her plan.

The suit, which said the acquisition of a home in the Las Vegas area for Dion coupled with regular set working hours was a key issue for the singer, said Crane also provided Dion with information about the Lake Las Vegas area, where she had expressed her desire to live during the three-year stint.

AEG spokesman Michael Roth declined comment on the lawsuit's allegations.