The 1996 Oscars witnessed a memorable performance of the nominated song “I Finally Found Someone” from the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces. While many associate the song with Celine Dion’s powerful vocals, the story behind her performance is filled with unexpected twists and turns, involving Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, and a last-minute bathroom break. So, what song did Celine Dion actually sing, and why was her performance so noteworthy?
“I Finally Found Someone” was co-written by Barbra Streisand for the film she directed and starred in, The Mirror Has Two Faces. The song garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, a significant accolade. Initially, Streisand was expected to sing her own song at the awards ceremony. However, she declined the offer. The producers then turned to Natalie Cole to perform “I Finally Found Someone” on the telecast. Unfortunately, fate intervened as Cole fell ill at the last minute, creating a performance dilemma.
In a surprising turn of events, Streisand offered to step in for Cole and sing her nominated song. However, by this point, the Oscar producers had already extended the invitation to Celine Dion. Dion, who was already scheduled to perform her own nominated song “Because You Loved Me” from Up Close and Personal, had already begun rehearsals for “I Finally Found Someone.” Director Louis Horvitz explained to the press that while Streisand later reconsidered, it was too late to change the plans. “Barbra called us after saying no several times, but the ship had sailed,” Horvitz stated.
Despite not performing her own song, Streisand and her boyfriend James Brolin attended the Oscars. Streisand publicly expressed her support for Celine Dion, predicting she would be “wonderful” and jokingly stating, “She can have the butterflies, not me.” Brolin, perhaps with a touch of possessiveness, added, “She wrote it; let somebody else sing it.” Adding to the slightly chaotic narrative, Streisand mentioned their last-minute arrival from San Diego, where Brolin was filming his TV series, highlighting the spontaneity of their appearance.
The evening took another interesting turn when host Billy Crystal introduced Madonna, who was present to sing “You Must Love Me” from Evita. Crystal’s introduction seemed to subtly reference the Streisand situation. “Even though [Madonna] was not nominated and there was a lot of speculation that she was going to be,” Crystal remarked, “she called the show because she wanted to sing and come here tonight. And I thought that was showing a great deal of class.” The camera then pointedly cut to a shot of Streisand in the audience, adding a layer of unspoken drama to the event.
Finally, when it was time for “I Finally Found Someone,” Billy Crystal introduced Celine Dion, acknowledging the last-minute nature of her performance. “Graciously stepping in with just one day’s notice to sing ‘I Finally Found Someone’ with brilliant trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, Miss Celine Dion!” he announced. Dion, seated on a stool with lyrics in front of her, delivered a captivating rendition of the song, showcasing her vocal prowess and professionalism under pressure.
However, the most talked-about moment might have been Streisand’s absence during Dion’s performance. According to her publicist, Dick Guttman, Streisand had gone to the ladies’ room and unfortunately missed Celine Dion singing “I Finally Found Someone.” Guttman clarified that Streisand was “very pained to find out when she returned that she had missed the song” and was indeed looking forward to seeing Dion perform.
In conclusion, the song Celine Dion sang at the 1996 Oscars was “I Finally Found Someone,” a beautiful ballad originally intended for Barbra Streisand. The behind-the-scenes story of Celine Dion’s performance is a fascinating glimpse into the unpredictable nature of live events and the graciousness of artists navigating unexpected circumstances. Despite the initial plan and last-minute changes, Celine Dion’s performance became a highlight of the evening, forever linking her to the beautiful melody of “I Finally Found Someone” at the Oscars.
