From PEOPLE Magazine
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"There's nowhere in the world that I'd rather be than here tonight," Celine Dion told her hometown fans at the Molson Centre
NEW YORK CITY
"This is the center of the universe tonight," Billy Joel crowed to the crowd at Madison Square Garden. "We're all in this together" (p. 64).
LAS VEGAS
"Breathe in with me," Bette Midler urged her audience at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. "In with the good air, out with the bad air" (p. 80).
Rocky Mountain Highflyers
The weather outside was freezing—hey, it is a ski resort—but at this intimate party, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell cozied up to the dying embers of '99
ASPEN
Just back from spending Christmas with her family in Wales, lovebirds Catherine Zeta-jones and Michael Douglas schmoozed at Denise Rich's Red Mountain mansion and watched President Clinton's TV address. But by 11 p.m., the couple—who never left their comfy couch—said adieu, a deux.
Ivana Trump (with, from right, beau Count Rollredo Gaetani and friends Michael Comintio and Dennis Basso) took in the A-list view at the home of philanthropist and songwriter Denise Rich and proclaimed the evening "wonderful."
Arriving late, Goldie Hawn found a comfortable spot—on live-in Kurt Russell's lap. It was just a drop-in visit, though; Hawn and Russell needed to greet their own gathering of family and friends at their place in nearby Snowmass.
"A lot of people didn't have anywhere to go," says hostess Rich (right, with fellow Aspenite Barbi Benton). "So the party just kind of grew."
Bright Lights, Big City, Great Party
Just blocks from Times Square, a nostalgic Billy Joel rocked in the 21st century with a high energy show for his hometown faithful
NEW YORK, CITY BOSTON
For Billy Joel, Dec. 31, 1999, seemed "as good a night as any" to wind up some 30 years on the rock road. So the singer-songwriter, 50, who now composes classical music and has hinted he will tour no more, was determined to give the capacity crowd of 19,500 at New York City's Madison Square Garden what it wanted: old hits (from "Big Shot" to the traditional finale, "Piano Man") and millennial memories ("I've Loved These Days" and "This Is the Time"). Seated at his piano and dressed in an Armani tux, Joel finished his 1993 song "Two Thousand Years" just three seconds before midnight. As Times Square mayhem flashed on six giant screens and confetti and balloons showered concertgoers, he led the crowd in "Auld Lang Syne." Meanwhile, his girlfriend of the last five years, artist Carolyn Beegan, 34, bounded onstage with their pug Lola. "The three of us," she said later, "shared a kiss."
Joel, who has headlined the Garden 40 times, settled on the site last year. "He's the consummate New Yorker," said his agent, Dennis Arfa, "in the consummate building." And audiences paid the co% summate price: up to $999 a ticket. "I don't know if I'd pay that for Hendrix," the singer noted during the show, in which he dusted off "Just me Way You Are," written "for my first ex-wife," Elizabeth Weber, and "Uptown Girl," inspired by second ex-wife Christie Brinkley. Among the guests: his daughter with Brinkley, Alexa Ray, 14 ("a terrific kid," enthused Dad), and his mom, Rosalind, 73—who, Joel said, was "getting such a kick" out of watching him ring in the New Year. The Piano Man called it a night shortly after 1 a.m., heading off to a nearby hotel "to be with my loved ones, cool down, give everybody a hug and say, 'Here we go—into the future.' "
Mother and Child Reunion
The Judds rang in the new century together—with a raucous comeback concert
PHOENIX
This being the millennium, Naomi Judd wasn't taking chances. "I knew nothing was going to happen," the 53-year-old matriarch said of the Phoenix show she staged with daughter Wynonna, "but I still called a friend at the CIA." She even assured the 12,500 jubilant fans, who shelled out up to $299 a seat to see the Judds sing together for the first time in eight years, that "if the lights go out at midnight, just stay seated and a backup system will kick in." Not that it would have been necessary; the Judds lit up the stage throughout the three-hour show. Double Jeopardy star Ashley Judd, 31, also turned up, trading quips with her mom and sis. "You're grounded," Naomi scolded playfully at one point. "You can't make a movie for a year." Ashley just shrugged. "She wants me to stay home and breed," she told the crowd. But the merry Judd girls were clearly thrilled to have their mother, now free of the hepatitis C that sidelined her in 1991, hale and hearty. "She's back, and it is very humbling," says Wynonna, 35. That night, she told their elated fans, "I'm grateful that God has answered my prayers. I hope He answers yours."
first night
Joining the party at the very beginning, Tom Cruise, Claire Danes and other stars made noise in Australia
SYDNEY
Vampire Slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar (with pal Daniel Henning) chose Sydney because "it's the first big city to get New Year's."
Claire Danes and her Aussie squeeze, rocker Ben Lee, took part in a floating fling on the ship Wyuna, docked in Sydney Harbor.
Tom Cruise (on the Wyuna with mate Nicole Kidman) delighted guests by climbing a light tower and shouting the now infamous Titanic line, "I'm the king of the world!"
Scottish lad Ewan McGregor (left) and dad Jim got leggy with it at the Wyuna fete—though Ewan the Younger chose to accessorize with leather.
sentimental moments
Whether onstage, in church or kicking up their heels at home, some of Hollywood's brightest stars chose to welcome the future with their biggest fans—family and friends
LOS ANGELES
Jay Leno delivered a live Tonight Show monologue, then toasted wife Mavis. "I didn't have champagne [before]," he said. "You can't do this drunk."
A standing-room-only crowd of more than 2,600 packed South Central's West Angeles Church of God in Christ for a rousing New Year's Eve of music, dancing and worship. Congregant Magic Johnson (left) and his wife, Cookie, brought their children E.J., 7, and Elisa, 5. "I could have been a lot of different places," Johnson said, "but I wanted to be here. Right here." An emotional Angela Bassett (below) sang hymns and counted her blessings. "It's such a momentous day," she said.
Tracey Gold and hubby Roby Marshall (partying at her parents' Studio City home) prepared for Y2K disaster by stocking up on Diet Coke for Tracey and diapers for sons Sage, 2, and Bailey, 10 months. "That's in case we can't get to a 7-Eleven," Gold said.
divine!
The name of the game was pick a diva, any diva, as Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand and Tina Turner sang in the new
LAS VEGAS
Barbra Streisand capped her MGM Grand concert by bringing hubby James Brolin onstage for a kiss. "There's nothing more important in life than love," she said.
Midler's daughter Sophie von Haselberg, 13 (above), and husband Martin cheered from the wings.
"She still looks great," said son Ronnie who watched Tina Turner, 60, perform "Proud Mary" at Caesars Palace.
Bette Midler tweaked the crosstown competition by warbling with Babs impersonator Loren Michaels.
The self-crowned Divine Miss Millennium told the crowd at the Mandalay Bay to "grab someone you love and give them a kiss for the last time in the century."
hopes & prayers
Witness to the best of times and the worst of times, three of the 20th. century's truest survivors find reason to celebrate
LONDON, ROME, CAPE TOWN
Frail Pope John Paul II addressed the faithful in St. Peter's Square. "The clock of history," he said, "strikes an important hour."
Nelson Mandela returned to Robben Island to light a "flame of freedom" in the jail cell where he spent 18 years. At the prison, Mandela, 81, South Africa's first post-apartheid president, welcomed the New Year with a toast.
If Elizabeth II looked a trifle tense at London's new Millennium Dome, she had good reason: Bomb scares threatened to disrupt the celebration. But the Queen maintained a stiff upper lip, even as husband Prince Philip pecked her on the cheek at midnight, their first public kiss in 52 years of marriage.
beach blowouts
Gloria Estefan and Madonna proved there's no better place to retire an old millennium than the shores of South Florida
MIAMI, PALM BEACH
Thanks to a timing glitch, the confetti at Gloria Estefan's concert in the American Airlines Arena in Miami descended about four minutes into 2000. Unfazed, she offered fans advice for the next century: "Share love with each other."
Donald Trump (with squeeze Melania Knauss) stayed home—at his 115-room Mar-a-Lago mansion/private club in Palm Beach—and played host to a $2,000-a-person bash for more than 400 with entertainment by Gladys Knight.
Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart got her first glimpse of the future at Wax, a popular club in Miami Beach's South Beach, where she celebrated with family and friends, including actor beau Bryan Kirkwood (from NBC's Saturday morning teen hit One World).
Madonna (with guy pal director Guy Ritchie) rang in the New Year/New Century/New Millennium with Gwyneth Paltrow, first at the Versace mansion on Miami Beach's Ocean Drive, then at Bar Room, gal pal Ingrid Casares's South Beach club.
crowning touch
Dr. Quinn played queen for a night at her English estate, where loved ones and guests partied like it was 1499
BATH, ENGLAND
Actress Jane Seymour sparkled along-side one of her twin sons, John, 4, who went for the preppy look after ditching his blue soldier's uniform.
Seymour (in a gown from the 1998 movie Elizabeth) and director husband James Keach had a royal good time throwing a period costume party for 200 at St. Catherine's Court, their 15th-century Tudor manor near Bath, England.
TV talker Leeza Gibbons (at the buffet) said her family enjoyed the bash so much that "we have invited ourselves back for the summer."
her heart will go on
Weary of touring and heeding the demands of love, Celine Dion bids adieu—for now—to the stage
MONTREAL
If there is any doubt that Celine Dion is a tad discombobulated, one need only examine the state of her toes: all cotton and wet nail polish less than an hour before her sold-out New Year's Eve concert at Montreal's Molson Centre. "I'm so sorry," she says, gingerly reaching out for a mid-manicure handshake so as not to smudge her burgundy lacquer. "I'm trying to do 14 things at one time—not a good idea," she explains. "I'm nervous, for sure." Not just about performing for the last time in the 20th century. For Dion, the concert represents more than a farewell to the second millennium; it marks a farewell to her past. For the next two years, Dion, 31, is taking a hiatus from the stage she has occupied for nearly two decades. And, as she puts it, "I can't wait for the night to be over. Don't get me wrong: I love show business. I love the spotlight. I love the fans. But I'm not a machine. I need to discover the woman in me. I need to be a wife. All my life I've been planning my future. But what's important is today. I'm ready for my new life."
One in which she sleeps late and does her singing in the shower. "I think I sound best there," she says with a laugh. Her lightheartedness, however, belies her seriousness of purpose. Since the 1990 release of Unison, her platinum breakthrough U.S. album, she has racked up worldwide sales of more than 100 million on 13 albums in English and her native French; five Grammys, including one for her career-making 1998 Titanic hit "My Heart Will Go On"; a reported worth of $200 million; and a need for major R&R. And that was before her husband of five years, René Angélil, who turns 58 this month, was diagnosed with neck cancer in March. "It just reconfirmed that we're supposed to stop and take a break," says Dion of his illness. "It changed our lives. It made us realize the importance of family and friends."
And the seriousness of marital vows. His cancer now in remission, Angélil, who became Dion's manager when she was 12, is still grateful for the strength his wife showed. "She could have been on the floor, so shocked that she couldn't react," he says. "On the contrary, she took charge—of her career, of my life, of me." At first, Dion flew back and forth between Europe, where she was in the middle of a 14-nation tour, and their $10 million mansion in Jupiter, Fla., where Angélil was resting. But by the time he began a course of chemotherapy and radiation, she was fixed at his side. "She came with me for every one of my 38 treatments, sleeping with me in the hospital," Angéli says. When early one morning he tried to sneak past her for a chemotherapy session, he says, "she ran out of the bed and was mad like crazy. She said, 'You're not going there by yourself. Don't ever do that again!' She reminded me of what the priest at our wedding said: 'in sickness and in health.' "
The couple take those words seriously enough that they decided to hear them again. On Jan. 5, a few days after Dion performed one last, small concert in Las Vegas, she and Angéli had scheduled a Renéwal of their wedding vows before some 250 friends and family members—including her parents, Adhémar, 76, a former butcher, and Thérèse, 72, a homemaker; her 13 siblings; and Angéli's three children from two previous marriages—in an Arabian-themed ceremony at Caesars Palace complete with camels and belly dancers. The choice of decor may strike some as odd—a nod to Angéli's Arabic heritage—but their desire to remarry was not. "They were very close before René's cancer," says Dion's brother and assistant tour director Michel, 47. "But now they're like one person." Having a baby "would top everything," says Angéli (who had sperm frozen before his radiation treatments, "just in case"). While motherhood "is very important to her," says Michel, Dion remains cautious. "You can't have everything in life," she says. "If it works, it works. But first I need a break. I need to take care of myself and René."
And just after the stroke of midnight that means lying on her belly at the edge of the Molson Centre stage, kicking up her legs like a schoolgirl (albeit one in a $2,500 black halter pantsuit by the French designer Lanvin) and giving Angéli, standing below her, a New Year's smooch. She jumps to her feet, looks out at the crowd—21,000 fans who paid between $69 and $499 to cheer and hold up signs that say in French "Celine: I Love You" and "Celine and René: Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity"—and yells, "Are you ready to party?" Three costume changes, a dozen songs and a five-minute standing ovation later, Dion wraps up her last concert of the millennium singing the first hit of her career: "It Was Only a Dream"—written by her mother and one of her brothers when Dion was a 12-year-old girl from the working-class town of Charlemagne, near Montreal. She holds back tears when presented with bouquets of roses by her band, accepts a Beanie Baby teddy bear from a fan near the stage and disappears into a private life that involves "no schedule, no pressure, no makeup," she says. For the first time in 18 years, "Celine won't have to worry about her voice, so she'll be able to shout as much as she wants, laugh as much as she wants, do whatever she wants," says Angéli. "We intend to have a lot of fun."
capital thrills
For once in D.C., there was only one party—a hot concert at the Lincoln Memorial
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Will Smith zoot-suited his way through "Will 2K" and introduced President Clinton. "It feels great to be part of it," said the rapper-actor, who kissed wife Jada Pinkett Smith at midnight.
U2's Bono, who performed "One" at the concert, said he felt grateful to President Clinton because "we have a peace [in Ireland] that was unimaginable a few years ago, and he was very instrumental in that."
Looking back on the century, Sophia Loren recalled the American liberation of Italy in World War II. "I come here this evening with great, great emotion," said the star.
"As powerful as our memories are, our dreams must be even stronger," said Clinton, (with Hillary and Chelsea) in his New Year's message. Bussing Chelsea (inset), he declared "our children are ready" for the future.
- Contributors:
- Vickie Bane,
- Nina Biddle,
- Kelly Carter,
- Kimberley Chrisman,
- Ivory Clinton II,
- Steven Cojocaru,
- Lauren Comander,
- Liz Corcoran,
- Tom Cunneff,
- Mark Dagostino,
- Eric Francis,
- Alison Gee,
- Julie Jordan,
- Linda Killian,
- Kevin Kwong,
- Elizabeth Leonard,
- Grace Lim,
- Su.
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