Click here to listen to the new Mariah message, a photoshoot, writing songs and more info!

Transcript:
Hey everybody! we just wanted to call and say Wow!
Very very very excited about the video doing so great on TRL just how... You know really just how amazing everybody's been voting, you've been phonening you've been doing your thing.

And this is Raychel in the background with me, she sends her love and all so... Don't you wanna send some from messaging you in all the nights? 'Yes, Thank you guys, I love you' She loves us, she does.

Everybody that gets a nice mention in the fanbooks and stuff appreciates you just as I do to make sure you know. Anyway back to the point, the point is I'm calling to say Hi call you in a minute and just wanted to say how much I love and appreciate you as always and just to reiterate how greatful I am for the amazing success so early on with this video for "Say Somethin'". And the more... you know, we keep going up with the video, the more gonna hear it upon the nice radio and things of that sort.

And we're getting ready for a tour, as you know, and we're getting ready for the whole list together all of the... The excitement of the tour! is what it's on my plate right now, so basically right now I'm in a photoshoot and I decided to take a few minutes to give you a wonderful call, give you my love and uhm.. hopefully let you know I already stared writing on some new songs and get you... very excited for that too.

Got lots of treats and tricks and things up my sleeve, so I will keep you posted.

I love you immensely, and I.. I' will talk to you soon, okay? Keep it going, love ya much, buh-bye!
(Mariah Carey.com | Mariah Hero)

Celebrity chef Marc Cummings, whose grandfather founded Sara Lee, is working on a new reality cooking show for MTV. The show, tentatively titled Kitchen Music, will reportedly feature Cummings preparing food with celebrities. According to a recent article from The Desert Sun, stars like Mariah and Will Smith are likely to make appearances. Below are excerpts from the article.

"I've got two new reality shows debuting next month," he says. Kitchen Music for MTV will feature Cummings cooking up quick, easy gourmet treats with guys like Will Smith or Mariah Carey.

Like cooking with the stars or onboard a ship, "it's pretty much a captive audience," he says.

The show is set to air in May.
(Mariah Daily)

According to reports coming from Germany, Juice Magazine, has published the tracklisting of Busta’s forthcoming album "Big Bang." As rumoured there is a Mariah track:
13. Don’t Try To Fight it - feat. Mariah Carey (produced by Rick Rock)
No official confirmation yet.
(Bfly Room)

One is Jermaine Dupri's longtime girlfriend, the other is one of his closest homies and a collaborator he always finds success with. The latter, Mariah Carey, said she's definitely open to working with J.D. gal pal Janet Jackson if the super-producer has the right idea.

"He never talked to me about that," she said. "But if Jermaine has a concept, we should go and write something. I love Janet. I've been a big fan of Janet since 'Con-tro-ol!' "

Mariah wouldn't, however, tell us who her favorite DJ is. She said she has too many friends who are spinners and doesn't want to get in any trouble.
(Mariah Daily)

To avoid a box office flop like Glitter, Mariah Carey is taking her role for the new movie Tennessee extremely serious. According to the New York Daily News, the Grammy award-winning songbird is scheduled to go to a dialect coach to develop the twang and drawl that she’ll need to play an aspiring country singer in the impending Tennessee film.

In addition to developing the apt vernacular, Carey is also reportedly learning the guitar for the role. With this kind of strong effort and determination, inside sources don’t see another Glitter performance in store for Mariah. “She’s hungry for it,” producer Lee Daniels, told the Daily News. “She’s jumping through fire hoops.” A release date for Tennessee hasn’t been announced as of press time.
(Eurweb)

This week, Say Somethin' debuts at #93 on Billboard's Hot 100. Say Somethin' received 31 airplay adds this week and is currently played in 164 stations. It had 14.587 million audience impressions from 2765 spins in 3 formats (Mainstream, Rhythmic, Urban).

Fly Like A Bird debuts at #20 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. Fly Like A Bird continues to succeed at the Adult R&B radio format where it received 7 airplay adds this week and is currently played by 56 stations. It had a total of 8.505 million audience impressions from 771 spins.
(Mariah Daily)

Between fans, there's this new voice message of Mariah celebrating her #1 Say Something Video on TRL, she's very excited about fans making this video #1 already, in its 4th day in the countdown.

World's Top-Selling Female Artist to Produce Original Ringtones and Star in National TV Commercial for Pepsi's Summer Promotion - Pepsi Cool Tones & Motorola Phones.

Mariah Carey will take center stage with Pepsi in a unique partnership this summer. The Grammy Award- winning artist will write and record original ringtones that will be available exclusively through the Pepsi Cool Tones & Motorola Phones promotion.

The Pepsi Cool Tones & Motorola Phones promotion is giving music fans the opportunity to download more than 100 original ringtones created specifically for the program by some of the summer's hottest artists, including 20 original voice and music tones written and produced by Mariah Carey. This marks the first time top musicians and producers have written music and lyrics in the ringtone format for a large scale promotion.

The consumers who participate in the Pepsi Cool Tones & Motorola Phones promotion will also have the opportunity to win their choice of Motorola phones including the Motorola RAZR(TM) and Motorola SLVR(TM). Additional information about the promotion can be found on http://www.pepsismash.com, powered by Yahoo! Music.

"I had a lot of fun with this project. It was a great creative outlet because musically I could do things here that I would never think to do for one of my albums," said Mariah Carey. "This was a great idea by Pepsi, and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Carey will kick off the Pepsi Cool Tones and Motorola Phones promotion with a national TV commercial in May, which will be directed by Paul Hunter and created by BBDO, New York, Pepsi's long-time agency. Hunter, an award- winning director of music videos and commercials, has directed the videos for a number of Carey's chart-topping hits.

Carey's partnership with Pepsi also includes an exclusive Pepsi Smash concert this summer at the intimate Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, which will be the first stop of her highly anticipated tour. Music fans will be able to win tickets to the show, Carey's first full concert performance in over three years, via radio and retail promotions across the country.

Mariah Carey has had more number one singles than any other artist in history. She has been recognized with the most prestigious accolades in the music industry, including five Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, Billboard's "Artist of the Decade" Award and the World Music Award for "World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium," to name a few. Her current album, "The Emancipation of Mimi," was the biggest-selling album of 2005 and has been certified five times platinum.

Pepsi has a long history in music, having featured the biggest recording artists and a diverse range of chart-topping songs in marketing campaigns, concerts and commercials. Recent associations have included superstars Kanye West, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani and Green Day. West and Stefani headlined the 2005 Pepsi Smash concerts.

Las Vegas-based MEGA, INC., Pepsi's music marketing agency, facilitated the partnership with Mariah Carey.
(MariahDaily)

So we hear that Mariah Carey and Naomi Campbell have become really close friends. Apparently the feisty model is the reason Carey looks trimmer in her new video for the single, "Say Somethin' ". A mole tells us that Mariah pumped the feisty model for diet and fashion advice, even traveling with her to visit several designers.

"Naomi has taken Mariah under her wing because Mariah doesn't feel like she looks her best anymore. Mariah feels overweight and sluggish and she wants a sexy new look. She feels dated and knows that Naomi has got what it takes," a fashion insider dishes.

"Mariah is desperate to meet the right designers that can help her. It isn't just the clothes she wears, though as she knows her figure could be better. Naomi had given her a strict new diet to follow and it seems to be doing the trick," the source adds.
(TheMCArchives)

At nearly one week of the Say Something video premiere, we fans would love to make this the #1 video in the most famous music video channels, so make sure you cast your vote to support Mimi!

Intel is collaborating with Mariah Carey to raise money to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. The Escada dress worn by Mariah in the Intel Centrino Duo commercials - her first commercial appearance ever - is being auctioned off from 4/19/06 through 5/3/06. Proceeds support the VH1 Save the Music Foundation's efforts to restore music education programs in America's public schools. Bid now.
(Mariah Daily)

Head over to Intel.com for a chance to win an exclusive Mariah customized laptop (right)! Click here to enter.

You can also enter to win an exclusive Mariah mousepad, get a free Mariah screensaver and watch an alternate version of Mariah's Intel commercial.
(Mariah Carey.com)

“Everyone said I was fat, so I did something about it,” Mariah Carey recently told the New York Post at a post Oscars party. “Here, feel my thighs...!” declared the super-toned star who flaunts being in top physical shape. Notorious for her low-cut dresses and mini skirts, Carey doesn’t seem to be hiding much these days.

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1970 in Huntington, New York. She is the third and youngest child of Patricia Hickey, of Irish American Roman Catholic extraction, and Alfred Roy Carey (formerly Núñez), of mixed African-American and Venezuelan descent.

Following her personal and professional meltdown which started in 2001, (her publicist described it as a physical & emotional breakdown) Mariah has made a remarkable comeback. Her hospitalization for exhaustion, her psychiatric treatment, the failure of her semi-autobiographical movie Glitter, plus her humiliating split with EMI in 2002, when the company paid her to break their contract, led many professional observers, as well as some fans, to believe that Mariah’s career was well and truly over.

Then, she tried to bounce back with the album “Charmbracelet” which proved that she still had that distinctive, soaring voice but unfortunately, sales were disappointing.

During the next few years, Mariah disappeared into relative obscurity, appearing occasionally in the tabloids, frolicking on some exotic beach with the latest love in her life. Then, in April 2005 she exploded onto the music scene again with an album destined to be her greatest charm, “The Emancipation Of Mimi,” which debuted at the top of the pop charts. The album was packed with power ballads and club-banging collaborations with hip-hop heavyweights such as Nelly, Snoop Dogg, the Neptunes, Kanye West, Twista, and Jermaine Dupri. It sold 404,000 copies on its first week, more than any of her previous albums and was the top selling album in the U.S. last year.

Mariah declared: “With this album (“The Emancipation Of Mimi”), I am embracing my independence and celebrating the person that I have become. Over the years, I have evolved into a better person and an even better artist. For the first time in my life, I am proud and unafraid to be who I really am, and that’s what the music of this album and its title reflect.”

Since then, Mariah hasn’t looked back, putting her career first and leading with eight Grammy nominations this year, although she only won in three categories. On her secret to her renewed success Mariah says, “I think as long as you hang on to who you know you are inside and don’t allow other people’s negativity to get to you, you can persevere and really just never lose faith.”

And if you think that her career has been a roller-coaster, Carey’s love life has been just as turbulent. She married Sony music executive, Tommy Mottola, above right, in 1993 three years after he first signed her for Sony at the age of 20. They separated after five years and that complicated her relationship with the music company, “I was trying to get away from a label which I had been very successful with, but was very difficult because of the personal relationship that I had with the head of the label,” she disclosed later. “When I got married,I really thought it was going to be forever. I wish someone had smacked me in the face.”

After she and Mottola divorced in 1998, Mariah dated New York Yankees’ short-stop stud Derek Jeter, above center. At that time, she said: “Derek’s parents are like mine, his father’s black, his mom’s Irish. So when I saw how great his family was, it gave me hope. I realized that I was blaming all the problems of my life on growing up biracial. Derek’s family functioned great as a unit, and I’d never seen that before. I looked at Derek, and it changed my perception.” But the romance ended in less than a year. “It was the wrong time,” she said. “Our two worlds were just too much for that moment?” she added.

Shortly after, Carey embarked on a three-year relationship with heart-throb Luis Miguel, above left, who, according to the Mexican press, gave her a $200,000 engagement ring and made wedding plans. At the time Mariah said that she was very happy and in love with Luis Miguel and that they shared a love of animals, among other interests, music included. But things didn’t work out and the split led to what was described by the press as a very painful breakdown.

Since then, Mariah has gone through a lot of soul searching, having said how much she tries to play safe in her personal relations. She has said that: “I’m very, very protective of myself. My sister had her first baby when she was 15 and all my life I was aware this is what can happen to you. I was not promiscuous, and I’m still not, because I saw what that can do. I’m not interested in having flings with a bunch of guys, because that§s not really how I am. I have a certain amount of respect for myself, and a certain fear of intimacy, because of what I saw.”

Mariah also reveals that she can still count on one hand how many relationships she’s had, although she adds that, “I would like to be more experienced. I feel like in certain relationships, had I been more experienced, maybe things would have been different.” It’s worth mentioning that Mariah doesn’t have anyone special in her life at the moment.

Early this year, Mariah branched out, launching her own jewelry and accessory line called Glamorized. Exclusively sold at Claire’s boutique outlets, the accessories—all bearing the logo “Glamorized by Mariah Carey”—include low-priced earrings, necklaces, purses, make-up bags and rings. She’s also rumored to be looking to a movie this year to erase the failure of “Glitter.”

But Mariah’s true passion is still her music and she describes it this way: “I love the creative experience—singing, making up melodies, writing poetry. Even as a little girl, that’s what lifted me out of whatever kind of stuff was going on in my house, and from feeling, not least because I am mixed-race, like an outsider. It gave me the feeling that I have something that nobody can take from me. It made me feel special and that§s what it still does.”
(Vista Magazine | Mariah Connection)

Mariah Carey never wore perfume before agreeing to create a scent for Elizabeth Arden, because she was unable to find a fragrance which compliments her natural smell. The 36-year-old finds the complex job of blending numerous fragrant ingredients comes naturally to her as it is a very similar process to songwriting.

She says, "It's gonna be the first fragrance I'm ever gonna wear because people are always, like, 'What perfume do you wear?' And I'm like, 'Nothing, it's probably my hairspray or me.' So now I'll have an actual perfume." "I'm just sort of approaching it kinda like making a record... When you make a perfume it's like each little part of the fragrance is kinda like a note, so the fragrance is like a song."

Under the new Elizabeth Arden deal, Carey will develop and market her own line of fragrance products which will debut in department stores next year.
(Teen Hollywood)

Mariah Carey has been working hard lately; she is currently promoting the fifth single off The Emancipation of Mimi "Say Somethin'." Last Wednesday, Carey attended MTV's TRL for the premiere of her new video.
Mariah on TRL:

Then, she continued the promotion on BET's 106 & Park, where she presented the new video; during the show, Carey also talked about her new fragrance. During the last couple of days, Mariah has confirmed her new film "Tennessee," as well as her summer tour.
(Yahoo! | Mariah Connection)

Mariah Carey is celebrating the one-year anniversary of her comeback album The Emancipation of Mimi with a special pair of boots. The pop superstar was given a brand new pair of Louis Vuitton boots after she filmed the video for new song Say Somethin’ in the fashion house’s Paris, France store.

The boots are a one-of-a-kind pair that won’t actually hit stores until this summer (06). Carey boasts, "These are my `I’m-the-only-one-who-has-them-so-I’m-gonna-rock-`em’ boots."
(Contact Music)

A story has been passed around via numerous publications and picked up on the Internet over the past year or so indicating that pop star Mariah Carey has invested in a vineyard in Mendocino County that bears her name. But Jim Caudill, spokesman for Brown-Forman, the distributor of Mariah Vineyard zinfandel, said that other than drinking the wine and liking it, Ms. Carey has no connection with the wine.

How does something like that get started? “Some blogger in the UK saw the TV show ‘MTV Cribs’ where Sir Richard Branson was showing some celebs, including Mariah, around his private island and she started talking about how she liked this wine and was shown drinking it,” Caudill said. (Robert Louis Stevenson called wine “bottled poetry.” Is Mariah “bottled music?”)
(Napa Valley Register)

MTV announced today that it will exclusively world premiere the new Mariah Carey video, Say Somethin’ featuring Snoop Dogg and Pharrell. The video will premiere simultaneously on MTV and MTV Overdrive during "Total Request Live" on Wednesday, April 12th. TRL airs weekdays at 3:30pm ET/PT.

In addition, MTV Overdrive (overdrive.mtv.com), the broadband network, will make the video available exclusively to fans on-demand for 24 hours immediately following the world premiere. You will also be able to catch an encore premiere of the video on Monday at 11pm immediately following the one hour season premiere of "My Super Sweet Sixteen".

Say Somethin’ is the latest single and video from 2005’s best selling album The Emancipation of Mimi which also garnered three Grammy awards.
(Mariah Carey.com)

Fly Like A Bird decreases both spins and audience impressions slightly today. This is the first time in a while, that this has happened and shows that the song is starting to slow down momentarily at radio. Support this track by calling your local stations that have playlisted it.

Say Somethin' keeps showing great increases day after day. The song is already Top 40 at both Rhythmic and Pop and is showing great growth rate in both those formats. On the other hand, it hasn't been sent to Urban, the other main format, because Fly Like a Bird was the single sent to that format where that track is already Top 40. It wouldn't be surprising if Fly Like a Bird keeps stalling and Say Somethin' keeps increasing, that the latter would eventually be sent to Urban to support its overall airplay and help it in the Billboard Hot 100 where it could debut as early as next week.

In terms of digital sales, which is the other aspect taken into account to determine position in the Hot 100, Say Somethin' keeps rising in the Itunes Pop Chart where it reached the 60's today. The video release will surely give the track exposure that could contribute to its success in digital sales. For that reason, buying the track online and voting for the video are crucial in supporting Mariah's latest single.
(Mariah Connection)

As you know, making a video for three A-list artists was never going to be simple. A couple of weeks ago I told you all about joining Mariah and Pharrell in Paris for the shoot for MC's next single Say Something. Well, this past week I returned from LA where we had to do all Snoop's parts with him. It was a blast!

MC's first shot of the day was in a bikini that only 24 hours earlier had been two Louis Vuitton scarves! Snoop and MC together are a blast! Can you imagine the jokes?! We were teaching Snoop all our phrases like “bleakosity”, “fabulosity", “moments", “opulence", and our very secret cocktail-toasting ritual.

The very first shot was well on its way when I heard all the security in their walkie-talkies getting over excited about the imminent arrival of a “Mr Jones”. I'm there thinking “who?” Then, as quiet as lil’ mice in walks... (are you ready for this readers?... I mean really ready?) In walks the legendary music impresario that is the great Quincy Jones with his sister!

Quincy sat and watched Mariah's takes and cheered and clapped to encourage her, and even told me that: “Mariah has a great body – and there's not one brick out of place!” SAUCY DEVIL!

Quincy also explained to me that it was his birthday week - shared with his friend Michael Caine - and they've celebrated it together for years!

Quincy watched MC on set and hung with us in her dressing room all night where we all stole quick moments of delicious Chinese food and champagne in between filming - so if the footage on the Making of the Video is a lil’ out of focus, I apologise. Hic! (Only kidding MTV bosses!)

To my delight, Quincy was so nice and seemingly unaffected by his own legendary status. He was really warm and friendly and asked me to keep saying lots of English words that he liked hearing in a British accent that amused him like “aluminum” and “schedule”.

Looking fit and glowing, MC did her thing all night till 8am and still looked fine. The camera crews were salivating as she worked her stuff in bikinis, dresses and more pip outfits that you can dream of! But afterwards Quincy kept calling her ‘Annie Rexia’ due to her ultra fit and slim new physique. He insisted she should eat some more food. Bravo Mr Jones! The press are constantly picking on her curves which, to most folks, is derogatory to a woman of colour who is born to be curvy. Also answer me this, why are Beyoncé's curves celebrated and Mariah's criticised?

When the shoot was over, Snoop, who looked fly in a blue denim trilby hat, gave it to MC and I persuaded her to wear it for one more take – she rocked it!

As we began to leave for breakfast at 8am and the Louis Vuitton store let MC choose gifts and we spent at least an hour deliberating exactly which pimp daddy patent shoes Snoop Dogg would like.

US Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley suggested red as we all reclined in horror trying to explain to him that Snoop and red is touch and go with the whole wrong gang colours issue - though I have seen him in a red fur before.

With the shoes chosen for both Pharrell and Snoop, Mariah and her team zoomed off to their private jet which, by this time, had been waiting four extra hours to take off. But they kindly sent me back to our hotel in style in a Rolls Royce Phantom which was so big it was nearly the size of my whole flat!
(Mariah Daily)

Jermaine Dupri has been saying he'd like to pair up his two favorite female singers — his girlfriend Janet Jackson and his longtime collaborator Mariah Carey — for a duet. But Carey says that while Dupri hasn't approached her with the idea, she'd consider doing it. "I love Janet," Carey told MTV Radio. "I've been a big fan of Janet's since 'Control.' So if Jermaine has a concept, we should go and write something."

Mariah was so heartbroken after reading reports of Whitney Houston's alleged descent into drug addiction, she has invited the fallen star to duet with her on her next album.

Carey is keeping a close eye on the troubled singer - and is determined to help Houston beat her demons and make a glorious comeback. She says, "My heart goes out to her, she's such an immense talent. I'm right there for her."
(MTV News)

She's hush-hush with Snoop Dogg in her new video, but Mariah's truly the talk of the town! Shhh! Mariah Carey & rap icon Snoop Dogg's lips were sealed during the March 19th video shoot at the Beverly Hills Louis Vuitton store for her new single Say Somethin'. But Mariah has lots to crow about if the up-tempo early April release becomes her 18th # 1 single she'll break the record for the most ever by a solo artist! She's currently tied with Elvis at 17.

She is set to star in a new film and the hotter than ever body Mariah flaunted while shooting at Louis Vuitton has reportedly put her in the running to become the luxe label's new spokesmodel! "She's got quite a few fashion labels after her" says Mariah's rep. Now that's really something to talk about!
(Honey B.Fly)

In a recent interview with Jo Whiley of BBC's Radio 1, actor Wentworth Miller (who plays Mariah's love interest in both the "It's Like That" and "We Belong Together" videos) spoke candidly about his past experiences working with Mariah. Below is a transcribed excerpt from the interview.

Jo Whiley: So, people know you as the tensive man in "Prison Break," but before that you did the Mariah Carey video.
Wentworth Miller: Yes, that's right. That's right. We shot the "Prison Break" pilot in December of 2004. And Brett Ratner, who did the "Rush Hour" movies, directed that pilot. And then he went on and directed Mariah Carey's first two videos for her latest album, and so, brought me on board.

JW: That was "We Belong Together."
WM: "We Belong Together" and "It's Like That." And I got more attention off those two videos than anything I'd ever done before. It was incredible.

JW: What did you have to do in them?
WM: I had to steal her away from Eric Roberts, which was, you know, where the fantasy part came in, of course. In the first video, I crashed her party wearing a black mask, and in the second video I crashed her wedding. And she leaves Eric Roberts at the altar and runs into my waiting arms.

JW: Perfect. How would you describe Mariah? 'Cause we've had her on the show.
WM: She's lovely, she's lovely. I mean, she's someone who is obviously an icon and I've admired her for a long time. She's also got 60-70-some-odd people swirling around her at any given moment, so it's hard to have a real kind of heart-to-heart, but she did make sure that I was well taken care of and having a good time.

JW: She nearly broke my arm when we did an arm wrestle as well.
WM: Oh, is that right? [laughs]

JW: How tall and strong is she?
WM: She's a big girl.

JW: She takes no prisoners either.
(Mariah Daily | BBC - Radio 1)

She climbed her way back to the top of the pop charts, but nothing's more satisfying to Mariah Carey than coming home to her penthouse pad in Manhattan.

It would be difficult to describe the past year as anything short of a triumph for Mariah Carey. Her album The Emancipation of Mimi was the best-selling CD of 2005, won her three Grammys (she now has five), and helped the 37-year-old singer tie Elvis for the second most number-one singles (17) of all time. But Carey also staged a miraculous comeback on the domestic front: overhauling her 12,000-square-foot Manhattan triplex after a water tower burst, soaking much of her elaborately hand-painted, antiques-laden, chandelier-strung abode.

"Everything was perfect and then - whammo! Talk about a leak!" says Carey's interior designer, the renowned N.Y.C. decorator Mario Buatta. "All the furniture had to be taken out and put into storage, every wall had to be repainted, the baseboards had to be ripped out - the place had to be completely redone. It was a nightmare."

A garden-variety superstar might have lost her cool, but Carey, who rented a house in Bel-Air while the damage was being repaired, didn't get all worked up over the matter. After a few difficult years she's in a good place - literally and figuratively - and on this balmy March evening she's utterly relaxed in her newly dressed-up digs, despite being more than an hour late for a flight to L.A. The plane isn't going anywhere without her, though: It belongs to movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, who sent it to fly her to his Oscar party, at which she has agreed to perform. "Remember, Mariah, it's not your plane," her personal assistant anxiously reminds her. "Oh, right," Carey replies nonchalantly. "I forgot."

Downtime is so precious to Carey that it's easy for her to overlook such relative trifles. But as far as her over-the-top image is concerned, she is always ready to have a good laugh at her own expense. "The greatest thing about this apartment is that it's the first place I've owned by myself, so it's all me," she says. "If someone else ever bought it, she'd have to be a total diva!" Plush sofas, taffeta curtains and hallways dripping with glittering sconces make the triplex "art deco-y and Old Hollywoodish, the kind of place I dreamed about having when I was little." After her parents divorced, when she was 3, Carey and her siblings grew up living with their mother in 13 successive houses on Long Island, which left her feeling "like a rug was literally being pulled out from under me. I remember saying to myself, 'I want to have a good life and feel secure,' I had to have faith. That's how I got over every obstacle along the way - by visualizing and believing in something better."

During the early years of her career, Carey married music-industry titan Tommy Mottola and had a taste of the world she once could only imagine, living on a majestic 50-acre estate outside N.Y.C. (the couple later divorced). "Unfortunately this was a time when all I was allowed to do was sit there and pick out sconces," she says. "I can still spend hours talking about door handles." A remnant from that era, which sparked her passion for interior design, now anchors her informal family room: an ornate, hand-carved cherry mantelpiece featuring flowers, hearts and her trademark emblem, a butterfly. "This piece took two and a half years to finish," Carey says. "It's a little garish, but I love it because of what the butterfly represents: freedom."

Both extravagant and comfortable, Carey's apartment reflects her hard-won maturity and independence in almost every corner. Hallmarks include glazed peach walls (they required eight coats of paint), a marble steam room with a waterbed (the humidity is good for her voice), and a brand-new Marrakech-inspired solarium that looks like something out of Arabian Nights. "After my roof garden is finished and I put a hot tub out there, I'm going to call this room Chez Mimi," she says, referring to her nickname. "I won't go to smoky clubs anymore. I'll party with my posse here, and we'll watch the sun rise."

Surprisingly, her biggest indulgence looks anything but: a chipped white baby grand piano, which set her back $662,500 at a Christie's auction of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. "I could have gotten the 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' dress or whatever," Carey says, "but that would have represented Marilyn Monroe's stardom, whereas the piano belonged to her mother and was a piece of her childhood." The singer identifies strongly with the often misunderstood icon and has even accessorized one of her bathrooms with photographs of the star and other mementos. "She had such a childlike quality," adds Carey, who tends to embrace her own youthful impulses more often than not. Her fans love to send her stuffed animals, butterfly figurines and Hello Kitty keepsakes; she has created a sort of shrine to the latter in another small bathroom. "Lindsay Lohan, Sean Lennon and I had a jam session in there the other night. They were obsessed with my Hello Kitty bathroom."

If the apartment has a pulsing heart, though, it is most certainly the family room. When Carey's father died of cancer in 2002, he left behind dozens of family photos that she had framed and hung from pink ribbons on the walls. Other inherited pieces include a flag from his stint in the army, cards that she had given him as a young girl, and her grandmother's pink hand mirror, which has a yellow butterfly painted on it. "My father was going to give the mirror to me as a birthday gift, but then he passed away," Carey recalls. "He had saved all kinds of things for me, and I never knew it. I never knew he cared about me like that. This is the stuff that really matters."
(Instyle | Mariah Daily)

Coldplay's latest hit is an ode to the assets of Mariah Carey. Except you would have had to have been at the China Club on Thursday to hear its one-off performance. Chris Martin's band was giving a private concert for winners of a contest sponsored by radio station WPLJ, when he was asked about the competition between Coldplay's "X&Y" and Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" for biggest-selling album of 2005.

When WPLJ reporter Brad Blanks asked Martin how he felt about having Mariah on his tail, he replied: "She's not, but one of her boobs is. They do most of her work. Last week I was chased down the street by an enormous boob. I think it was hers." Martin even made up a song on the spot, sitting at his keyboard: "Man's been traveling through space and man's been to the moon and man's spent most of his intelligence desiring Mariah Carey boobs."

As the crowd laughed, he continued: "Mariah Carey's boobs are so nice, and she don't mess around. If she had been aboard the Titanic, there's no way that ship would have gone down." Can't wait for Mariah's response track.
(New York Daily News)

We've waited longer than usual for "Now that's what I call music 21". Usually "Now" CD's are released in March, but there was "Now #1's", which was released in January. "Now 21" is a pretty good collection this time around, much more than "Now 20", but that was good too.

On 21 we have the returning artists, such as Black Eyed Peas, Rhianna, Nickelback (although they last appeared on "Now 14" with "Someday" off of "Long Road"), they appear on 21 with the #2 hit "Photograph", Kelly Clarkson make her second straight appearance, with "Because Of You", Fall Out Boy also are back with "Dance, Dance".

We also have first timers, Trace Adkins, (who represence country, no Keith Urban this time, which is sort of a welcome change) "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk", Mariah Carey makes her initial apperance with "Don't Forget About Us", also there is All American Rejects with the ever catchy "Dirty Little Secret", and certainly not last "Unwritten" from Natasha Bedingfield. You can order the album at amazon.com
(Various)

Mimi is emancipating yet another product into the world. Mariah Carey has signed a deal with Elizabeth Arden Inc. to develop and market her own fragrance line, with the first perfume set to hit stores in the spring of 2007.

"We are thrilled to begin this partnership with Mariah Carey," E. Scott Beattie, chairman and CEO of Elizabeth Arden, said in a statement. "She is, unquestionably, a star of incredible magnitude. All over the world, people aspire to the values she represents. We look forward to launching an inspiring new global fragrance brand with Mariah that will be a timeless classic."

Carey’s licensing agreement with the beauty company will have her overseeing the development, marketing, packaging and distribution of the line, with the "We Belong Together" singer promising to be personally involved in the creation of the scents bearing her name.

There’s no word yet on potential names or notes for the line’s various scents, though last month Carey hinted that the first fragrance would be based on white flowers. The line is set to debut in "prestige department stores" and while no financial terms of the deal have been disclosed, Carey is likely on the receiving end of some pretty prestigious pocket change.

Elizabeth Arden has a history of shelling out for high-profile celebrities for new fragrance lines, in particular, female singers with large, disposable income-flaunting female fan bases. In March 2004, the company signed a deal with Britney Spears which has resulted in two olfactory hits: Curious Britney Spears, launched in September of the same year, and Fantasy Britney Spears, which debuted last fall.

Other than the partnership with Mrs. Federline, Elizabeth Arden also contracted Hilary Duff last fall, though fruits of that labor have yet to be released, and found an unlikely perfume ambassador in NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon, who has been the face of Halston’s Z-14 brand since May 2004.

News of the Grammy-winner’s deal follows news of another anticipated, if more improbable, celebrity scent. Last month, Coty Inc. announced plans to launch a fragrance based off ABC’s ratings hit Desperate Housewives. Carey’s perfume deal is the second such branding of the superstar in the past month.

In March, The Emancipation of Mimi singer launched her own line of jewelry and accessories called Glamorized by Mariah Carey. The girl-friendly bobbles, which she claims are high on style and low on price, all bear Carey’s signature butterfly logo, and are available at Claire’s and Icing stores nationwide.
(E! Online.)

Rolling Stone's new issue with Kiefer Sutherland on the cover, talks about Mariah's upcoming summer tour: Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation - the county's largest concert promoter (spun off from Clear Channel last year) -has high hopes for Mariah Carey's first summer tour since 2003. "She's going to be huge," he says. "Her record being Number One in the world just put her back on the pedestal as one of the greats."

On The Road: What To Expect - First details on eight of the season's hottest tickets. Mariah Carey - Touring behind The Emancipation of Mimi, the biggest album of 2005 - and of her career - Carey will hit the road for a tour that Live Nation president Michael Rapino says will be "big - it'll be amphitheaters or arenas."
(BflyRoom)

Mariah Carey practically reeks of the sweet smell of success, so she's planning to bottle it — as soon as she has the time between her next video, movie and tour.

The singer's just signed a licensing agreement with Elizabeth Arden, announced Thursday (April 6), to develop and market her own line of fragrance products to debut in department stores next spring. But she's still trying to figure out her schedule for this spring. While her video for "Say Somethin' " is expected to hit video channels soon, Carey's got another clip to shoot for the gospel track "Fly Like a Bird," since she sent both singles out simultaneously. Carey's still figuring out the concept, which she's hoping to keep basic with the main guest stars being her pastor and church choir. "We don't have a lot of time to do it," she said. "It's not a big-budget thing. But it doesn't need to be. It just needs to be about the song, capturing the song and the emotion of it."

After that's taken care of, Carey jets to the film set of the indie drama "Tennessee," which starts shooting in New Mexico and Tennessee this month for five weeks. She'll play a waitress who joins two brothers on a journey to find their estranged father. "It's not about my character, but she has an important part of the story without the whole thing resting on my shoulders," Carey said. "Plus, I'll be able to get up and go to work and be somebody else for the day, and we like that, because sometimes you just need to get away."

When "Tennessee" wraps, Carey will start to rehearse for her summer tour. She's still mapping out the dates, but don't worry — she's planning to keep ticket prices pretty reasonable. "People ask me, 'Why don't you just go on tour and charge huge amounts of money? Do these small venues, but charge thousands and thousands of dollars to go in,' " Carey said. "Because I have fans of all different ages and different money ranges, and they can't afford to go out and spend that kind of money. Not everybody has a budget to go out and go really high-end."

Just because it won't be high-end doesn't mean it won't be high-concept. Carey's dream scenario would be to feature "every artist I've ever worked with." "I've worked with so many big names, it'd be so much fun, just for one show. That would be hot," Carey said. "You never know."
(MTV News)

Dear Fred, What does it mean when a single impacts radio? I heard Mariah Carey's "Say Somethin'" on the radio two weeks before its official April 4 impact date. Just wondering.

Also, why is it if you look on some album covers they say "including the No. 1 single..." when some of the songs they have listed did not reach pole position on the Hot 100? Does that mean they went No. 1 on another chart? Thank you, Quentin Wilson (San Diego, Calif.)

Dear Quentin, I know that "impact" sounds like something you would hear on "Star Trek," especially when an object is about to collide with the Enterprise. But it's also an industry term used by labels when they send product to radio. The labels usually pick a date they would like radio to add a particular song. That focuses airplay on a specific date, so they hopefully have the most-added song at radio that day, which they hope will encourage other stations to add the record.

Of course, radio stations are free to add songs whenever they wish. Any station could have been playing "Say Somethin'" from the moment Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" CD was released. Since it's been known for a few days that the single has gone to radio, a station anxious to add the song might not wait for the "impact date" designated by the record company.

To answer your second question, there are a number of possibilities. In most cases, if the song didn't reach the top of the Hot 100, it was probably No. 1 somewhere else. Remember, the Billboard Information Group compiles dozens of charts every week. A song could be No. 1 on Adult R&B, or Mainstream Top 40 or the Pop 100, and it's fair to call it a No. 1 song.

A song could also be No. 1 on a local radio station, or MTV's "TRL" or on a sales chart in one city. Or a record company might be stretching the truth, but that would only be in extremely rare cases. Right?
(Billboard)

MTV News reports: Janet Jackson has titled her upcoming album 20 Years Old, a reference to the 20th anniversary of Control. "I just got to top the last two albums that came out from Usher and Mariah, and this is going to be the icing on the cake," said Jermaine Dupri, who is producing the LP with longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Janet's album is due in September, and a single is expected this summer. Dupri, meanwhile, has several other big projects lined up. "We got Monica, Usher is about to go back in the studio, Mariah is going back in the studio, Bow Wow going back," he said. "It's grind season for me." ...
(MTV News)

Elizabeth Arden Inc. (Nasdaq: RDEN), a global prestige beauty products company, has signed an exclusive global licensing agreement with Mariah Carey, the internationally acclaimed music star, to develop and market her own line of fragrance products.

The licensing agreement includes the development, marketing, and distribution of fragrances with Mariah Carey's exclusive endorsement. The first fragrance will debut in prestige department stores in the spring of 2007. Mariah will be personally involved in all aspects of product development, packaging and marketing.

"We are thrilled to begin this partnership with Mariah Carey," said E. Scott Beattie, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Elizabeth Arden. "She is, unquestionably, a star of incredible magnitude. All over the world, people aspire to the values she represents. We look forward to launching an inspiring new global fragrance brand with Mariah that will be a timeless classic".

With her unique talent and signature vocal abilities, Mariah Carey is one of the most popular and widely acclaimed talents in music. As a singer, writer, producer and artist, Carey has been recognized with the most prestigious accolades in the industry including five Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, Billboard's "Artist of the Decade" Award and the World Music Award for "World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium" to name a few. As the best-selling female performer of all time, Mariah Carey has continuously raised the bar with over 160 million records sold. She has had 17 #1's, tying her with Elvis Presley, and sets the standard of excellence within the music industry. As an artist revered worldwide, her boundless talent and success is unmatched across the globe. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Elizabeth Arden is a global prestige fragrance and beauty products company. The Company's portfolio of leading brands includes the Elizabeth Arden fragrance brands Red Door, Red Door Revealed, Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, Elizabeth Arden 5th avenue, Elizabeth Arden Provocative Woman; the Elizabeth Taylor fragrance brands White Diamonds Elizabeth Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor's Passion, the fragrance brands of Britney Spears, curious BRITNEY SPEARS(TM), IN CONTROL curious BRITNEY SPEARS(TM), and fantasy BRITNEY SPEARS(TM); the Daytona 500® and GANT adventure men's fragrances, White Shoulders; Geoffrey Beene's Grey Flannel; Halston® and Halston Z-14(TM), PS® Fine Cologne for Men, Design(TM); Wings; the Elizabeth Arden skincare lines, including Ceramides, Prevage(TM) Anti-Aging Treatment and Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream; and the Elizabeth Arden color cosmetics line.
(PR Newswire)

Queen of skimp-pop Mariah Carey could be heading to Broadway. She has plans to mix old and new material in a musical which she'll both star in and produce.

Mariah told MTV.com: "I don't want to mention anything definitive until things are signed, but there's a very big company that just signed on to develop the project with me." But first she might star in a film. "It's not like a cheesy network movie," she says. "It's going to be made for the Broadway production."
(MTV UK)

Slant Magazine recently compiled a list of 100 dance songs, spanning disco to present, for their new feature, 100 Greatest Dance Songs. Mariah's "Dreamlover (Def Club Mix)" lands at the #98 position. Below is the excerpt from the feature.

98. Mariah Carey, "Dreamlover (Def Club Mix)" (1993): A musical carbon copy of the Emotions' "Blind Alley" (Hammond organ and all), 1993's "Dreamlover" is one of Mariah's most enduring uptempo numbers. The basic musical concept of the song remains the same on the popular Def Club Mix, but Mariah's vocals are completely rerecorded to fit the essence of David Morales's house track, effectively creating an entirely new song in its own right. The chorus, once bouncy and girlish, is restrained and sexy, with Mariah exuding a come-hitherness that wouldn't fully be revealed on her albums until several years later. It's almost as if, in the dark, private confines of Morales's studio (and in the name of the down-and-dirty club scene), Mariah was given license to be who she wanted to be by a record label set on maintaining the status of their crossover chart princess. In other words, let Mariah do what she wants as long as it stays on the remix—this practice became even more prevalent once Mariah set her sights on hip-hop. Morales's deep bass, beats, and spliced-up vocals are patently a product of early-'90s house, but the ambitious arrangement was just a preview of his forthcoming remixes with Mariah, including his epic, multi-part dance floor suite for "Fantasy," which harks back to the days of Moroder and Bellotte. Though it's not exactly the influence-wielding track many claim it to be, "Dreamlover" was certainly one of the first massively reconstructed remixes of its kind to cross over in such a big way. It's also a testament to Mariah's commitment to club music and respect for the remix process.
(Mariah Daily)

Grammy Award-winning songbird Mariah Carey sent a shout out to Jimmy Wright this week during her interview on Steve Harvey’s syndicated radio show.

Rockford native “Big Jim” Wright, as the successful producer is known, co-wrote “Fly Like A Bird,” the gospel song on Carey’s best-selling 2005 album, “The Emancipation of Mimi.”

The song has Wright’s soulful vibe and opens with one of my favorite Scripture-based sayings: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning light.”

Wright has worked with Carey for years, writing and producing songs, as well as playing music for the singer famous for her five-octave vocal range. He also has worked with Janet Jackson, Sting and Usher, just to name a few.

Before hitting the big time with Sounds of Blackness and superproducers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Wright played organ for several local churches, including Bethel Baptist and Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal.

He returns to Rockford several times a year for various occasions. He and Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams made appearances at the ‘70s Landmark Gospel Concert Lori Flemming organized in March.

It’s great to see hometown folks become superstars and remember their roots.
(Mariah Daily)

Nominations for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards Japan have been announced and Mariah’s “We Belong Together” clip is nominated twice in the following categories:

Best Female Video
Hung Up, Madonna
Butterfly, Kouda Kumi
We Belong Together, Mariah Carey
WoWa, Namie Amuro
Glamorous Sky, Mika Nakashima

Best R&B Video
Story, AI
All the Way, Craig David
Kirakuni, Crystal Kay
Stand Up For Love, Destiny’s Child
We Belong Together, Mariah Carey

The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards Japan will be held at the National Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo (Japan) on Saturday, May 27, 2006. Good luck Mimi!
(Mariah Shows.com)

MUSIC: Making The Video
Channel: MTV Base 305
Date: Sunday 9th April 2006
Time: 20:00 to 20:30
Duration: 30 minutes

Mariah Carey
Another making the video with Mariah this time it's for 'Say Something' featuring Snoop Dogg with a cameo appearance from super producer Pharrell Williams.
(Mariah Daily)

It seems like only yesterday that we heard this track and knew something special was about to happen with Mariah’s career. It was the first taste from the soon to be multi-platinum CD, The Emancipation Of Mimi, that we had heard. But word of Snoop Dogg’s unavailability put aside plans for it to be the lead track. It seems only fitting that the single is now ready for radio airplay, complete with a D-O-Double G video appearance.

We told you back in September of 2004 that you would soon be hearing a lot of hits from this album for well over a year, and we were right. We even believe another track, "Be Mine," is still one of the Mariah’s finest performances to date and it’s great to see that song get some commercial exposure…literally, in the Intel TV spots! MC has definitely proved somethin’ this time out. She’s a true superstar artist who has the ability on any given record to deliver multiple #1 hits to radio and her fans. BET ON IT!
(FMQB)

In May, principal photography will begin for Lee Daniels' next big project; a family drama titled "Tennessee" with pop diva Mariah Carey attached as a waitress with singing aspirations, experiencing domestic violence.

"It's my version of 'Terms of Endearment'," Daniels says of what he considers "lighter" fare. "Mariah is very complex and she has had a very interesting career and she brings all of those complexities to this film. She's on it. Just like Halle Berry, just like Kevin Bacon and just like Cuba Gooding, Jr, she is hungry for this and that's when superb-ness and brilliance comes."
(AOL Black Voices)

Mariah Hero.com would like to say "thanks" to everyone who was present in our 4th chat session, which was organized to celebrate Mariah Carey's birthday! We also want to contratulate our members "andreabfly" and "careydreams" for earning the competitions.

The "Sweet Anniversary" chat session was up during an hour and a half. We talked about Mariah's plans for a summer tour and "Say Somethin'," among other topics. Furthermore, we had two quizes where the winners received prizes...stay tuned for Mariah Hero's next live chat!
(Mariah Hero)