Jerry Lewis, Celine Dion and the ‘A-flat’ moment at Caesars

By John Katsilometes

Saturday, June 4, 2016 | 2 a.m.

When the elegant woman in the white dress knelt next to the man seated in the armchair, he smiled and said, “I sing, too.”

Then he sang: “Aaaaaaah!”

“That’s an A-flat!” Jerry Lewis said.

“Yes, it is!” replied Celine Dion.

So the reunion of Celine and Jerry happened before her show Wednesday night at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace. This is a continuing tour of Las Vegas shows for Lewis, his family and me. “Absinthe” at Caesars and J.Lo at Axis at Planet Hollywood have been the others.

How does this happen? Because once in a while I mention a show to Lewis, and he says, “Let’s go!”

So, we go — like six weeks later. It takes a while to coordinate all of this, but we have had a lovely time watching all this great entertainment, and Lewis was thrilled to catch up with Celine just before she heads overseas for a series of shows in Paris. As Lewis says of France, “That’s my room.”

That trip, which includes appearances in Belgium, plus Montreal, begins after Saturday’s performance. Celine told Lewis that she was impressed he was still hitting the scene on occasion, at age 90, at which he replied, “Of course!” She also recalled the time he introduced her on the MDA Labor Day Telethon.

“You did not introduce me as ‘Celine,’ ” she said. “It was, ‘Dion!’ Nobody introduces me with my last name. Only you. I’ll never forget it.”

Lewis laughed and later remembered Celine appearing twice on the telethon. At the end of the chat, he told her, “Anything you want, let me know, and I’ll do it.” The two then smiled for a few photos, and Lewis, with his wife, Sam, and daughter Danielle, watched the show.

His thoughts? “Jesus! What pipes!” was said more than once. “Unbelievable.” Near the end, as Celine sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to close the show, he just put his hands to his face and looked skyward.

As the legend in the crowd said of the legend onstage, “I hope people realize what they’ve just seen. She is amazing.”

More from our scene …

• At least one gossip website is saying Justin Timberlake will not headline at Park Theater despite well-placed sources who say he is set to perform there. I’ll just stand at previous reports that Lady Gaga and he are two who are on the hook to perform at Park Theater, though nothing has been confirmed about any performer at the venue.

This afternoon, I did ask MGM Resorts Chairman Jim Murren for a confirmation or denial specifically of Timberlake and Gaga residencies.

He responded: “I can say the quality of those you have written about are the nature of those we are working with,” he said. “I can’t confirm those names, but they are in the stratosphere of who we are going to have next year at the Park Theater. They will be the best of the best and someone who has never done this type of residency before.”

Fair enough. There will be more from this chat about the upgrades to Park MGM and NoMad and plans for what is about to be the former Monte Carlo.

• There is some intensifying talk — also unconfirmed — of magic replacing the Jan Rouven show at Tropicana Theater. The name of Justin Willman and Band of Magicians is swirling around now as the show to replace Rouven and complement “Raiding the Rock Vault” at the theater. The troupe has performed at Sydney Festival in Australia, and Willman was the host of “Cupcake Wars” on Food Network.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow Kats on Instagram Instagram.com/JohnnyKats1.