A MariahCarey.com exclusive; check out Mariah's new cover from her upcoming CD Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel.

Looking as stunning as ever Mariah radiates beauty at its best on the cover of her upcoming CD Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel in-stores August 25, 2009. Mariah Carey on Twitter: "The reason I chose to use 3 images for the cover is cos there are a lot of different emotions and stories revealed on this album. I knew...It would probably leak today so I figured "might as well give it a nice debut" I hope "you like this and you know it"(sung like "its like that" haha"

Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, the 12th studio album of Mariah's career, is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her RIAA platinum-selling E=MC2 and her worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation of Mimi. The first single pick from MEMOIRS is "Obsessed", which is a huge fan favorite at radio now and has already been declared this year's summer smash anthem by MTV.com, The Associated Press, Rolling Stone & New York Magazine!

(Mariah Carey.com)

If music is the soundtrack of our lives, that's especially true in the summer. The radio is a constant companion at backyard barbeques, pool parties and road trips. You'll probably always associate "Umbrella" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z with the summer of 2007, just as, if you're old enough, you'll link the Emotions' "Best Of My Love" with the summer of 1977.

Now that summer is upon us, it's a good time to scroll back through the biggest songs of summers past. These are the songs that logged the most weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 during the summer months of every year since 1955. These are the songs that you heard over and over at the beach or on vacation or on that endless ride to Grandma's house.

Elvis Presley had the biggest song of the summer three times, more than any other artist. He scored with "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" in 1956, "Let Me Your Teddy Bear" in 1957 and "It's Now Or Never" in 1960. Five other artists had (or shared) the #1 song of the summer twice. These hit-makers are Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Usher, Andy Gibb and Paul Anka.

2005: Mariah Carey's comeback smash "We Belong Together" spent 11 weeks at #1 in the summer (and three additional weeks on top in the spring).

1990: Mariah Carey's "Vision Of Love," was #1 for four weeks. The sleek and assured ballad was her first chart hit.

(Yahoo! Music)

'As soon as our schedules calm down, that's where our focus will go,' he tells MTV News.

Now that Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have celebrated one year of wedded bliss, everyone wants to know when the show-biz couple will start adding to the family. Cannon assured MTV News that kids are in their plan — just not yet.

"That is the question that everyone asks. It's one of those things. ... We had an amazing year, and now I feel like we've established our household," he told MTV News. "We're getting things together. So as soon as our schedules calm down, that's where our focus will go."

Until then, he and Carey will have some more alone time to make each other laugh. "People do not understand how funny Mariah is," he said. "Neither one of us take anything serious. And it's like everyone gets to see this whole diva facade and all of that, but she's like the funniest person and knows how to make fun of herself."

He added that she has the perfect attitude to go with his goofy nature: "To be a comedian and have someone else that I really think is just funny to share my life with is dope."

Cannon said there are a lot of misconceptions about his wife due to celebrity-gossip magazines. "The diva stuff, like, everything you hear in the tabloids: 'She bathes in Evian,' " he said, before jokingly adding, "It's really Fiji. She bathes in Fiji.

"Come on! All of that stuff. She's just regular like any other chick would be. She's just kicking it."

(MTV News)

MARIAH CAREY
"Obsessed" (Island)
By Lauren Carter, Boston Herald
Rating: B+

The soon-to-be-hot song of the season comes from Mrs. Nick Cannon, who wants to know, like, "Why you so obsessed with me?" The lead single off Mariah's forthcoming "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" (expected release date: Aug. 25) is a crunk-flavored query into the mind of a borderline stalker who fronts like he's all up in Carey's bedroom, when really, if he were the last man on earth, he "still couldn't get this." Sorry, unnamed dude (who could be Eminem), but Mimi "can see right through you like you're bathin' in Windex." With help from Auto-Tune and beat wizards Tricky and The-Dream, Carey's musical stiff-arm ends with some vocal acrobatics to let us know she's still got it. Expect to get "Obsessed" this summer.

(The Boston Herald)

Forever by Mariah Carey

"I am in a wonderful place right now, surrounded by all the things I love and Forever captures this moment in time. When I put on this fragrance, I am transformed into feeling glamorous and sophisticated," said Mariah Carey. "I love wearing this fragrance so much and I can't wait to share it with my fans."


What it is: An opulent floral with notes of Tuberose and Gardenia

What we say: Love it! Definitely gets the Glamazon Seal of Approval. Also, be on the lookout for her upcoming album "Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel" coming soon!

The products:
Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.0 fl oz, $42
Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.7 fl oz, $55
Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.3 fl oz, $65
Parfum, 0.5 fl oz, $250
Luminous Body Lotion, $28

Available for purchase at select department stores September 2009..

(The Glamazons)

From this week's Billboard Chart Beat:
CAN'T SPELL MARY J. BLIGE WITHOUT 'R' AND 'B': The format cornerstone charts her 57th entry on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, as "The One" opens at No. 60. Blige arrived with the eventual No. 1 "You Remind Me" on the May 2, 1992, chart.

Blige's sum extends her lead for most charted titles among women in the '90s and '00s. In second place is Mariah Carey with 47 entries, although that total should increase next week. "Obsessed," the first single from Carey's "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," due Aug. 25, looks likely to roar onto next week's chart following its release to radio Tuesday (June 17).


(Billboard)

It's late, the weather's nice (for the moment), and we've got big news so we're just gonna lay it on you: Mariah Carey has snatched the No. 1 Song of the Summer spot from the Black Eyed Peas, whose "Boom Boom Pow" is officially overplayed out -- and faces an enemy from within: "I Gotta Feeling," by the Black Eyed Peas. Elsewhere, Cobra Starship and the Gossip burst the bounds of their respective genres to offer straight-up summer hotness, and Sean Kingston has us so ready to dance in front of the AC in our unmentionables.

Whether or not it's about Eminem, as some maintain (and the lyrics don't say Marshall Mathers to us -- more like Stan), Mariah Carey's "Obsessed" contains one of the all-time great put-downs: "You're a mom-and-pop, I'm a corporation." (And you know Wal-Mart haters are turned on.) If nothing else, Mariah's an institution: Second only to the Beatles in No. 1 singles, she's the closest thing this summer has to a dominant (pun intended) diva -- Keri Hilson's gonna touch her? Fergie? And, like the best summer tracks, this song's a shape-shifter: it's a slow jam, but with Gucci Mane on the remix; it's sexy, but a dis track; it's dark, but you'll sing along. Spin us right round, Mariah, and feel free to do so all summer.

1. Mariah Carey, "Obsessed." Congratulations to Mariah on the Power Rankings' first-ever No. 1 debut. On a side note, another notch in Mariah's impressive SOTS CV are her gritty choices in remix partners: following in the footsteps of O.D.B. and Jadakiss come Gucci Mane and the official "Obsessed" remix.

(Mariah Carey.com | New York Magazine)

Tennessee (Vivendi Ent.)
By Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel Movie Critic
2 out of 5 stars
Tennessee, a formulaic indie road drama, plays like a prospectus for an indie film. New Mexico has filmmaker incentives, so we'll shoot a lot of it there. Find a pop star willing to work cheap as she takes another stab at a film career. Those two elements secure your funding. Now try and write a movie around them.

This isn't really Mariah Carey's movie, and she doesn't take the chances here that she does in the acclaimed Sundance drama Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. But she has a knack for playing beaten down and a way with a world-weary line. "A good day?" she's asked. "I can't even tell any more," she drawls in a way any waitress will recognize.

Her willingness to trek to Tennessee (and New Mexico) shows her to be indie-friendly, which means this movie may do things for her movie career even if virtually nobody sees it or buys the soundtrack. Tennessee is currently playing in limited theaters.

(Orlando Sentinel)

MariahDailyJournal is happy to reveal that "The Impossible" is one of the tracks that will be featured on the much-awaited new Mariah Carey album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel due out in stores August 25th!

We currently now have 4 known tracks: "Obsessed," "H.A.T.E.U.," "Candy Bling" and "The Impossible." Be sure to keep checking the site for updates on the new album!

(Mariah Daily Journal)

Mimi returns, this time with an Auto-Tuned kiss-off to wannabe lotharios that will probably be the soundtrack to a million summer hookups and just as many public-intoxication collars. Glossy, flossy and decidedly "urban", Mariah strikes back. Your radio has been warned. - James Montgomery, MTV.

It's hard to find an artist with Carey's track record who seems to deliver consistently over their entire career. Some things just seem to get better with time and I for one have always been as much a fan of MC's lower vocal register as her signature high end power. There's no doubt that Mariah can sing like no one else, but sometimes less is best, as is the case on this hypnotic track that is sure to keep MC fans totally "Obsessed!" Bet on it! - Bob Burke, FMOB.

Despite the harsh words - tossing around digs like "You're a mom-and-pop, I'm a corporation" - Carey plays it cool on the track that she co-wrote with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. She coos confidently, riding the laid-back beat, probably holding back the laughs as she insults again. - Glenn Gamboa, Newsday.

This is a feistier Mimi than we're used to, as she comes out firing in the song's opening moments. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" - Los Angeles Times.

(Mariah Carey.com)

Is Gucci Mane going from the Trap House to the penthouse? After appearing on a remix of the Black Eyed Peas' #1 single "Boom Boom Pow," the Atlanta MC recorded his biggest collaboration to date: a remix of Mariah Carey's new single "Obsessed."

"That joint hard, ain't it? It was crazy," he said about working with Mariah. "It was big." Gucci said 50 Cent's manager, Chris Lighty, orchestrated the guest appearance.

"Shout-out to Mariah Carey and her whole squad and my boy Chris Lighty," Gucci said. "He got me and Mariah together. I appreciate it. He put me on there as well as her. Both of them are smart for doing that. The song came out hard. Mariah knew I wanted to do a song with her. It finally happened, and it turned out hard. I just flew up there to New York, went in the studio with her. I flew right out and went back on the road. When I do a song with people, I like to really get in the studio with them so I could feel they swag and they could feel mine. The music comes out better."

(MTV)

Mariah Carey goes on the offensive in her new single – "Obsessed" – taking on Eminem among others. The track is the first off of her album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" due out Aug. 25. That release date means this 12th studio album by Mariah Carey just makes the new Aug. 31 cut-off for Grammy Awards eligibility.

Though Mariah has racked up 34 Grammy nominations (among female artists, second only to Aretha Franklin), she has managed only five wins. And none of those victories came in the top categories of album, record and song of the year.

The singer has always prided herself on her songwriting abilities. In "Obsessed," she wrote in a rap directed to Eminem, "Why are you so obsessed with me/ Boy I wanna know/ Lying that you're sexing me/ When everybody knows/ It's clear that you're upset with me."

While Eminem has said that he and Mariah were one-time lovers, she repeatedly has denied his claim. On his new album "Relapse," Eminem references Carey and her new husband, Nick Cannon, in a less-than-flattering light on the track "Bagpipes From Baghdad."

Over the years, Eminem has won nine Grammys but lost both of his bids for album and record of the year. As a songwriter, he has contended for song of the year only once. And he did not land a best new artist nod when he burst onto the music scene in 2000.

Mariah Carey was named best new artist in 1990 for her self-titled debut album. And she won best pop vocal, female, that year. Then, though her follow-up albums all went platinum, there was a Grammy Awards drought until her smash hit "The Emancipation of Mimi."

Mariah went into the 2005 Grammys with eight nominations but left with only three wins, in the R&B genre – contemporary album, song ("We Belong Together") and female vocal. The singer-songwriter lost the big prizes of album, record and song of the year to U2 and Green Day.

And her 2008 follow-up – the critically acclaimed, chart-topping "E=MC2" – did not have the right formula to win over Grammy voters. She was snubbed for that album as a whole and her historic No. 1 single, "Touch My Body," was shockingly shut out as well. She picked up just a nod for her gospel collaboration on "I Understand."

(Los Angeles Times)

Mariah Carey is finally getting back at Eminem. Her revenge for his ranting and raving about their alleged "affair" is a witty, biting new single called "Obsessed."

Good for Mariah, who's had to put up with Eminem's lunatic name calling for the last couple of years. Then, just to get publicity, Eminem took more swipes at her on his new CD in a song called "Bagpipes from Baghdad."

In the "song" – a term used loosely – the execrable Eminem calls Carey the "c word." (This is what your kids are spending millions on, folks. Wise up.) He not only attacks the singer but her husband, Nick Cannon, and long ago boyfriend Luis Miguel.

Mariah's comeback is funnier, catchier, and more likely to be a bigger hit. "Why are you obsessed with me?" she sings to one of the best hooks in her storied history. "You're delusional/you're confused/you're losing your mind," Mariah continues. "Lyin' that your sexin' me." Ouch!

And the winner is: Universal Music Group. Both performers record for them. And a feud is always good for business! "Obsessed," by the way, is the first single from Mariah's new album, due August 25th, to be called "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel."

(Showbiz 411)

Singer responds to 'Obsessed' Slim Shady...Mariah Carey has allegedly hit back at Eminem on her new single Obsessed. According to reports, Mariah has responded to Em’s track Bagpipes From Baghdad by giving her own version of events in the first single from upcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.

The rapper recently taunted Mariah on the Relapse album track where he talks about dating Carey (despite the singer strongly denying the romance) and stealing her away from hubby Nick Cannon. Although this enraged Cannon, Mimi never responded to the We Made You star…until now!

Mariah has now reportedly retaliated in her new song singing: "I was like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?” Although the singer never mentions Slim Shady by name, the track is thought to refer to the rapper by targeting his drug problem which Em discusses on Relapse. Carey sings: "It must be the weed, it must be the E/ 'Cause you be poppin', you get it poppin.”

The chorus continues to apparently refer to Eminem stating: "Why are you so obsessed with me/ Boy I wanna know/ Lying that you're sexing me/ When everybody knows/ It's clear that you're upset with me," The We Belong Together singer also calls the subject matter of the track ‘delusional’, ‘confused’ and claims the person is ‘losing their mind.’ At present, Eminem has refused to comment on the song but we feel a comeback track coming on! Let the battle commence.

(MTV UK)

We're only four days away from the official start of summer (a.k.a. "the summer solstice," if you're an evil Wiccan), which means two things: First, prepare to get skin cancer. And second, it's time to kick off the 2009 Summer Jam Sweepstakes!

Now, let the record state that I absolutely hate summer, as I am a pale scrivener who frequently gets sand kicked in his face. I burn easily, I can't swim and I sweat more than you could possible imagine. And yet, I still look forward to the summer-jam season every single year, because I love pop music ... and the more tangy and saccharine and completely disposable it is, the better.

See, summer is when the masses take their shirts off, get wasted and grind against one another at Señor Frogs locations all across the Caribbean (and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina). It's the time when they get ill-advised tattoos in places like Panama City, Florida, or wake up in a Lake Havasu holding cell or make out with some dude for 15 hours on the Jersey Shore. And, of course, the masses demand a musical accompaniment for all this: hooky, catchy, downright fluffy stuff — music to get drunk and tanned and kissed to.

Last year, that meant gems like Estelle's effervescent "American Boy" and Tyga's hyperactive "Coconut Juice," songs that came out of nowhere to compete with the big boys (and girls) for the summer-jam crown. And that's why predicting the winners for the 2009 sweepstakes is so difficult: really, anyone can win this thing, especially since all it takes to land a summertime smash is a catchy beat and lyrics with the heft of margarita mix.

But, that said, I'm still going to try my hand at predicting the winners. Sure, there will be some dark-horse candidates along the way, and don't forget the new songs from heavy-hitters like Jay-Z and Young Jeezy that are looming on the horizon. But, since summer can't wait forever (and because I have a huge gambling problem), here's my attempt at handicapping the race for the summer jam of 2009. Read it while you tan or do something you'll probably regret for the rest of your life!

Mariah Carey, "Obsessed" - Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 4:1

Just 14 months after 2008's E=MC2 album fizzled, Mimi returns, this time with an Auto-Tuned kiss-off to wannabe lotharios (and Eminem?) that will probably be the soundtrack to a million summer hookups and just as many public-intoxication collars. And I'm not just saying that because the hook reminds me so much of Jamie Foxx's "Blame It," either. Glossy, flossy and decidedly "urban," Mariah strikes back. Your radio has been warned.

(MTV News)

Mariah Carey: Are we 'Obsessed'?
By Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times
What: Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," the first single off her upcoming album.
How is it: This is a feistier Mimi than we're used to, as she comes out firing in the song's opening moments. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" questions an obviously irritated Carey.

Is she lashing out at Eminem? The gossip hounds? A simple scolding at a new breed of pop divas? It doesn't really matter. Either way, it will help Mariah stay in the headlines for weeks to come -- long enough to fuel hype for her album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," which will be conveniently released (on Aug. 25) in time to make the cut for the new Grammy eligibility rules.

With The-Dream and Tricky Stewart sharing production credits, Carey has been molded to fit current trends. The still-ubiquitous Auto-Tune is here (a look she played with on "E=MC2's" "Migrate); this time, it's used to bring a slight electronic manipulation to her trademark wails. No need to worry about hitting high notes when computers are all the rage these days, and the thick, pointed keyboards will allow Carey to fit comfortably on Top-40 play lists that are currently obsessed with Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."

Ultimately, that's the point here, as this seems like a tune pointedly designed to get radio play and provide us press types with some new topics to try to get Carey to address on the red carpet, which she will artfully deflect from now until mid-November.

he song is put-down after put-down, with Carey declaring that she "ain't gonna feed you / Gonna let you starve," and the hard-not-to-quote, "You're a mom and pop / I'm a corporation." She doesn't really sound angry -- just a little bemused at her attackers, even if the high road would have been to ignore them. But the sophisticated route doesn't always generate hype, and "Obsessed" is certainly more lively than her earlier work with The-Dream (the bedroom slow-dance "My Love").

Unfortunately, it's an even more anonymous Carey than ever before. One of the biggest selling points of "E=MC2" was Carey dropping the over-the-top howling, and learning how to sing with a more restrained range. She thankfully left the showboating to the "American Idol" kids, and stayed closer to the rhythms. Yet "Obsessed" again sells out the songbird to her producers.

(Los Angeles Times)

Mariah Carey "Obsessed"

"As expected, brilliant MC lyrics and vocals -- combined with Tricky & Dream's production equals SMASH yet again. I strongly think this is gonna be Mariah's 19th #1. Mariah is set to rule the airwaves all summer long & for the forseeable future. Get ready for the summer of MC!"

(B96)

Mariah Carey has released a brand new single for the summer of 2009, "Obsessed." It was written and produced by Mariah, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart and is the first single from her forthcoming Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, which is due in stores on August 25 and is Mariah's 12th studio album and the much anticipated follow-up to her platinum-selling E=MC² and her worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation Of Mimi. It's hard to find an artist with Carey's track record who seems to deliver consistently over their entire career. Some things just seem to get better with time and I for one have always been as much a fan of MC's lower vocal register as her signature high end power. There's no doubt that Mariah can sing like no one else, but sometimes less is best, as is the case on this hypnotic track that is sure to keep MC fans totally "Obsessed!" And is it just me or is there a slim chance that MC is sending a message to a certain someone? BET ON IT!

(FMQB)

Whoa! Could this be the first time a diva trumps a rapper in a hip-hop beef?

Mariah Carey throws some elbows on her new single "Obsessed" – the first track from her upcoming "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" (Island) due out Aug. 25, which debuted on radio this afternoon – and they're all landing on her tormentor Eminem.

"Why you so obsessed with me? Lying that you're sexing me?" the Greenlawn native sings in the chorus, before delivering the kiss-off "You're delusional. Boy, you're losing your mind."

Despite the harsh words – tossing around digs like "You're a mom-and-pop, I'm a corporation" and referring to his "Napoleon complex" – Carey plays it cool on the track that she co-wrote with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. She coos confidently, riding the laid-back beat, probably holding back the laughs as she insults again.

It plays far smoother than her husband Nick Cannon's fiery response last month to Eminem's "Bagpipes from Baghdad," where Eminem raps about taking Carey back from him and then calls her a "[expletive] whore." Of course, the Mariah-Eminem flak goes back for years, after he claimed they were in a six-month relationship, which Carey denies.

"Your legacy has now been tainted from this day forth!" Cannon wrote (and then retracted) on his blog. "You will now be known as the rapper who lost to corny-ass Nick Cannon!"But "Obsessed" seems to go even farther. Eminem was torn down by Mariah herself. Right now, it's MC: 1, EM 0.

(Newsday)

First came the emancipation, then came energy and power, and now come MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL, the new album by international superstar Mariah Carey, scheduled to arrive on August 25th. The first new single pick from MEMOIRS is "Obsessed," which blasts out to radio today, Tuesday, June 16th. The video for "Obsessed" will be directed by Brett Ratner. "Obsessed" was written and produced by Mariah, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, who are responsible for the majority of tracks on the new album. MEMOIRS was executive-produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid.

"The 1st single from my new album MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL is called 'Obsessed' and will be at radio next Tuesday. I'm a lil' exc ... Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it. LY" - Mariah Carey, on Twitter

MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL, the 12th studio album of Mariah's career, is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her RIAA platinum-selling album E=MC2 (released April 15, 2008), and her worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation Of Mimi (released April 12, 2005). Both were Soundscan #1 debut albums that made chart history for Mariah in the U.S. and numerous territories around the globe.

The Emancipation Of Mimi generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles, and countless more honors during its 18-month chart stay. The album debuted at #1 on first week sales of 404,000 copies, Mariah's highest first week sales total (until E=MC2). Soundscan's biggest-selling album of 2005, Mimi featured "We Belong Together" (Grammy winner for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song) and "Don't Forget About Us," Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 career singles respectively. They tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's.

Three years later, E=MC2 debuted at #1 on first week sales of 463,000 copies, which now stands as the highest first week sales total of Mariah's career. The album's success brought total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to more than 160 million worldwide, distancing her even further from the pack as the top-selling female recording artist in history.

E=MC2 spun off four singles: "Touch My Body," "Bye Bye," "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time," and "I Stay In Love." Of these, "Touch My Body" made history when it became Mariah's 18th #1 Hot 100 hit, thus surpassing Elvis Presley. "Touch My Body"'s two weeks at the top also marked Mariah's 78th and 79th cumulative career weeks at #1, which tied Elvis' long-standing all-time high of 79 weeks at #1, as calculated in Billboard.com. At the same time, Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits.

(Mariah Carey.com)

As she exclusively announced on Twitter, Mariah's first single from her upcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is titled Obsessed and will hit the radio airwaves tomorrow. Mariah said: "This is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it."

Mariah recently completed a remix version of Obsessed with Gucci Mane so be sure to check back for details on when the remix will drop at radio.

(Mariah Carey.com)

Hip-hop is all about keeping it real, and that’s exactly we’re doing here on Chronic Vacation today. Over the past several months, rumors have run rampant about Damizza and his forthcoming autobiography “Guilty By Association.” Is it a tell-all? Is Mariah Carey gonna sue him? Are the executives at Power 106 pissed off? What’s Dr. Dre’s involvement? We decided to cut out the middleman for this one and bring the truth straight to you guys. This isn’t an interview. It’s a conversation between two hip-hop fans, presented for other true hip-hop fans who want some answers. Enjoy.

Eddie G: Yeah, let’s talk a little bit about the book. We just got off the phone doing an interview with Proof Of Life radio and now I think people are starting to understand what the book’s going to be about. But a lot of people still seem to have it twisted…

Damizza: Well first, before we start, I want to welcome Proof Of Life to the Chronic Vacation family. They are really doing it for the right reasons, and that’s what Chronic Vacation will always be about. We’re dealing in the reality of hip-hop. Chronic Vacation was set up to escape the editorials and sideline hating. We want to be a venue and an outlet in support of artists and fans alike that really do it for the love of music.

But, back to the topic, the book is dope. It’s about a fan of hip-hop – me - who fell in love with bringing people together through music and using it as a platform to do some good. A lot of people don’t gravitate to positivity. They want the drama. Drama is what sells records these days. But at the end of the day, it’s not supposed to be like that. I’ll admit, I lost my focus with that for a minute too. But, I’ve got my head on straight now. And I want to say thanks to you, Eddie, and J Marshall Craig, for helping me find the voice for this book. You guys were a big part of making this come together. It’s an amazing book, and I’m not saying that because it’s mine. It’s the people that play a part in my story: Eminem, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Al Gore, Jay-Z, Nate Dogg – and we all pray for Nate Dogg to get better. The fans have never had a chance to hear some of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, and all of the things that that made all of these guys stars. You’ll hear about Eminem before he became a star. You’ll hear about The Notorious B.I.G.’s mindset the morning before he died as he was sitting in my office, telling me how good it felt to be out on the West Coast.

I got disgruntled with the book at first. In the press, the hip-hop sites took out all of the stuff about working with Korn and Mariah, and said it was a tell-all on Dr. Dre. Then all the Mariah sites said it was a tell-all on her. That’s not what I’m about. I want to tell you the stories of how your favorite records came together, as one fan to another. It got away from that, and it really affected me. It’s a really weird feeling when you walk into a supermarket with your Grandma and you see a National Enquirer or a Star Magazine saying that you’re writing a tell-all on Mariah. Let me ask you a question, Eddie. How did it feel seeing your name in the National Enquirer?

Eddie G: Now let’s talk about the cease and desist notice Mariah Carey sent you about the “Guilty By Association” book…

Damizza: That’s just lawyers running scared. I would never cheapen her or myself and air someone out like that. I know in some of this interview, it sounds very blunt. I’m not trying to say anything about anyone personally. The truth isn’t always popular, but, it’s always the truth, and when it comes to Mariah, I don’t have anything bad to say about her. I don’t say anything about her personal business, the “Glitter” album, her health, or anything like that. In the book, I’m telling stories about our trip to the Super Bowl when we met Al Gore, or when we recorded “Crybaby.” Me, Snoop Dogg, Battlecat, and Kurupt were under Snoop’s mixing board with flashlights trying to get the microphone to work. It’s stuff like that. It’s not negative. I’m not trying to write a tell-all about people’s business. But that just goes to show you that when you’ve got someone in the background who has been so involved with all these projects and lives, people get a guilty conscious and are going to say, “Wait a minute, he knows too much, and what if he says this about me?” That’s not what I’m about. The book is about positivity, and it’s about a music fan that was lucky enough to work with somebody as beautiful and smart as Mariah Carey.

The thing that does bother me is that she knows me. We were best friends for a long time and she knows what I’m about. So if there was a problem, she just should have picked up the phone and said, “Dame, what is this all about?” I would have sent her the chapter and let her read it. I’ve always been a big advocate for her, so why would I do something like that to destroy a career I helped bring back? I mean, let’s go back in time. When she left Sony with “Glitter” and all those other projects, I took a big step to help out somebody who wasn’t doing so well, and I took on the Sony system at the same time. She did a lot for me, and in fact, the chapter is more about how smart and generous she is. She could program a radio station if she wanted to. She’s an amazing writer. It’s really about how smart and savvy of a woman she is and how she doesn’t get credit for it. There’s been people that have tried to use her as a platform to get famous. I’ve never done that. She asked me to be in every single one of her videos, she asked me to be on MTV Cribs with her, and I always turned that stuff down. I didn’t charge her money for producing “I Still Believe.” She offered me money for that and I said, “No. I just appreciate you giving me a shot!” That’s what the chapter’s about. Every Mariah fan will read it 10 times if they want to know how cool she really is. And you may get some surprises too.

What I’m trying to stress is, I didn’t write the book from a vendetta-based point-of-view. That would make me just like the haters I despise. I’m just going to tell you the truth on what happened and let you think what you want about it. I’m gonna tell you the good things that happened working on “Trauma” with DJ Quik. I’ll tell you about how cool Quik was to teach me all the things he did about the art of production. And I’m gonna break down the deal I brokered that gave him his own label and more money than he’s ever made in his career.

The truth is, I needed to take some time off and digest it all. The book was my therapy. From the time I was 12, I worked. I retired at 30 because I was just burnt out. I became an alcoholic, and I went to rehab. It got to be too much. And I realized that nobody around me cared. All they wanted to know was how much I could make them and how big I could make them. You wake up one morning and you realize that no one really cares about you, and everything around you is fake. It’s a pretty heavy thing to face. People would ask me questions about Power, or questions about Mariah, and I wouldn’t give them what they wanted. They wanted some negative words, and I just wouldn’t do that. But now, I just think it’s funny that something I did almost 10 years ago, like introducing Mariah to Eminem, is still at the forefront of the news. That was a mistake, and I’m sorry! (Laughs)

But you can read in-depth about all of this stuff in the book. I hope that people don’t take this interview as me being bitter and talking trash. It’s just reality.

Eddie G: And the fans deserve to know the truth…

Damizza: They do. And like I said before, that’s the other problem. You can probably count on two hands the number of real music fans left in the music industry now. So there’s no passion going on. We took job chances, life chances, and penitentiary chances bringing your favorite artists to the airwaves. That’s what the book is about. I can only tell you what’s going on from my professional or personal standpoint as someone that played hard and retired from the game as a winner. And that’s just what I’m gonna do.

People forgot what made them successful. It was having fun! If you’re not having fun, then why are you doing it? I didn’t want to be one of those people on the Titanic, aka Power 106, as it was going down just because I thought it was unsinkable. Anything is sinkable. And if you say it can’t sink, sooner or later somebody’s gonna make it their mission to bring it down.

“Guilty By Association,” by Damizza, J. Marshall Craig, and Eddie G, will be available at Amazon.com and a bookstore near you on September 11th, 2009.

(Chronic Vacation | Thanks Eddie Gurrola)

Mariah Carey is collaborating with Gucci, and this time, it's not on her designer ensemble. The superstar hinted that she recorded a remix to "Obsessed", the first single off her new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, with an unspecified rapper.

"Listening to 'Obsessed' remix on repeat, guest rapper, can't tell you who it is but he put the G in Ghetto," tweeted her friend Jasmine Dotiwala. "Sick combo-hotness." The special guest has been revealed as Gucci Mane.

In an interview with DJ Drama on Hot 107.9 in Atlanta, the ATL-raised MC confirmed that he was in the studio with Mariah and laid down a verse on the remix to "Obsessed". Gucci has a strong presence on the underground scene. His highest commercial-charting hit was "Freaky Gurl" off 2006's Hard to Kill.

The original version of "Obsessed" will premiere on Tuesday on Chicago's B96.

(Rap-Up)

Earlier today, rapper Gucci Mane was on the phone live on Hot 107.9's Gangsta Grillz Radio in Atlanta with DJ Drama. He talked about his new and upcoming projects; and confirmed that he and Mariah were in the studio recently working on the remix to "Obsessed."

Atlanta-raised rapper Gucci Mane, born Radric Davis in Bessemer, Alabama, has drawn his inspiration from a pantheon of rappers before him – Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, the Beastie Boys, N.W.A. In describing his signature sound, he says, "I call my music straight Gucci: going hard and whatever beats you make you for me, if I'm feeling it, if I'm rocking with it, I'm gonna crush it. When you hear me, you hear a lot of pain, a lot of hood; you hear what's going on in the inner city in Atlanta."

You can listen to some tracks from Gucci's latest album Back to the Trap House at his MySpace music page.

No release date has been set for the "Obsessed" Remix. The original version of "Obsessed" is due out to radio on Tuesday, June 16th. B96 is world premiering the song at 3pm CT (1pm PT/4pm ET). Hope you're counting the days down with us!

(Rock With U/Pulse )

The woman with more No. 1 singles than anyone in the history of recorded music will appear June 15 on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Mariah Carey first hit No. 1 in 1990 with "Vision of Love". In 2006, she bested Elvis Presley for the largest number of number one singles with "Touch My Body".

"She's been telling people all year to touch her body," DeGeneres said, "and I can understand why! She looks amazing!" The lineup for Tuesday's show isn't that bad, either. "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell is a guest and the Black Eyes Peas will perform "Boom Boom Pow."

(Examiner)

From the June 22nd issue of Us Weekly, Love Lives section, page 45.

I Love Mariah's Curves!: "I always tell her, 'Girl, you've got all those curves and me with no brakes,'" Nick Cannon, 28, tells Us of loving Mariah Carey's voluptuous body.

And though the singer, 39, has gotten attention for her weight fluctuations, her hubby says she's happy with her shape. "It's something that everyone deals with. Everybody is different for a reason; it ain't about trying to be super-skinny. That's not what's hot. It's about what's inside."

(US Weekly)

Mariah Carey continues to stock her Twitter followers with breaking news, revealing yesterday that the first single from her upcoming album will hit radio on June 16th. “The 1st single from my new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is called ‘Obsessed’ and will be at radio next tuesday. I’m a lil’ excited!,” Carey wrote, pushing the 140-character cap to the limit. “Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I’m completely immersed in it. I can’t wait for you to hear it.”

Previously, Carey revealed via tweet that her follow-up to last year’s E=MC2 will be called Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. While not much is known about Memoirs, some details have trickled out in the past few weeks. Carey said on her Twitter back in March that The-Dream, who co-wrote Carey’s “Touch My Body” and got Mariah to guest on “My Love” on his Love Vs. Money, is producing at least two tracks. At last month’s Island Def Jam Spring conference L.A. Reid reportedly played a new Carey song called “Hate U,” Rap Up reports.

As for next week’s new single, Carey describes “Obsessed” as the perfect summer song: a fun, uptempo tune. “We were gonna go w/the ballad 1st but don’t worry, it’s coming. I tried to make something (cont),” Carey wrote, aware of Twitter’s threshold. “For all who love Butterfly, and even older albums, but “Obsessed” has to come out 1st, asap!! Its different for me, but clearly, its SO me!” We’re not entirely sure what time zone Carey is right now, but her Twitter indicates she was tweeting from the studio five hours before press time, so we know she’s still working on Angel. No official word of the release date has not been confirmed.

(Rolling Stone Blog)

Mariah Carey is back and taking no prisoners with the soon to be released single "Obsessed". The only problem is, someone's feelings are likely to be hurt when the record makes its way to radio June 16. According to producer The-Dream, Mariah took punches at someone in this record. While Dream does not confirm who the punches are aimed at, the likely candidate is Eminem (making this round 2 between Mariah and Marshall Mathers... more on that below).

"I don't think anybody is going to expect her to come out punching like she is going to come out. But she got a record!," The-Dream told HipHopDX. "Somebody's going to be very upset. I said that," The Dream continued.

While Mariah Carey has been around for quite some time we've rarely seen the precious diva, who calls her fans lambs, throwing punches, shade, disses or any other form of disdain toward other artists. You might have heard a rumor about a Whitney Houston beef or something like that back in the day but, for the most part the "I Stay In Love" diva keeps her cool. Therefore, the thought of Eminem being the target makes sense. After all Eminem talked about their "alleged" relationship in disturbing detail and recently went after Carey's husband Nick Cannon.

Flipping through Carey's discography there is one song though, possibly overlooked because of the success of the album "Charmbracelet", titled "Clown". For all the fellow Mariah Carey stans you very well know that "Clown" was full of lines like "who's gonna love you when it falls down" and "who's gonna love you when the bank roll runs out".

"Clown", a personal favorite to be honest, delivered a hefty blow towards the end (even Mariah says Pow) when she sings "Who's gonna care when the noveltys over... when the star of the show isn't you anymore. Nobody cares when the tears of a clown fall down. Guess momma never told you what goes around comes back around... Pow."

With what was said in "Clown" in mind, Tuesday, June 16 can't get here fast enough. Can we get "Obsessed" early MC?

(Examiner)

Never one to fight her diva image, Mariah Carey arrived in London today and managed to take the already startling excess and pandemonium, usually surrounding her arrival, up a notch. The star beat her past record of travelling with 20 suitcases, when she visited last November, to 23 this time around.

The 38-year-old needed two huge trolleys to carry her bags from Heathrow, and more than four porters to off load and painstakingly pull the heavy trolleys through the airport. Oblivious to it all, a carefree Mariah, stylishly dressed in jeans, a black top and shades, strolled through the airport as she headed to her awaiting car to take her to the luxurious Dorchester hotel.

But the mob of fans that greeted her as she arrived were even bigger and louder than November, when she was here to mentor the then hopefuls on X Factor. At that time, Mariah and 27-year-old new husband Nick Cannon were greeted by a crush of the singer's fans, who held up banners saying "Congrats MC and Nick".

One regular in the area says: "It's bizarre that Mariah always manages to generate this massive crowd for simply checking into her hotel. Most equally big stars who arrive at the Dorchester are met with very little fanfare. It's as if someone has purposely made sure to stir up the buzz and tipped fans off so she can get a diva welcome every time - odd."

The 38-year-old singer, who is here for a few days for a private visit, is also about to release her new single Obsessed, the first track off her new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which is said to be a dig at Eminem with whom she has been romantically linked in the past.

Perhaps while in the capital Mariah will take the chance to see Susan Boyle on the Britain's Got Talent tour. Mariah, who herself suffered a physical and emotional breakdown in 2001, said she empathised with Susan's recent troubles. She said: "I feel bad for her... We build people up so quickly now that of course it's going to freak some people out. It's difficult. It's got to be tough."

(Daily Mail | Photos Courtesy of Gossip Girls)

Mariah Carey may shoot down someone on her new single titled "Obsessed". Breaking the news to the media is one of the song's producers, The-Dream, during an interview with HipHopDX. "The most anticipated is the Mariah project, and she just released a fire record in the building today," The-Dream tells the publication. "And we have been blasting it out all day. It's just fucking retarded. I don't think anybody is going to expect her to come out punching like she is going to come out. But she got a record."

"It's going to light the blogs up too because you don't know who she talking about, what she talking about, but she talking about something," the singer/producer continues explaining. "And remember The-Dream told you first. So you can start that up right now. Mariah Carey has a record, and somebody's going to be very upset. I said that."

While The-Dream has given no clue on who Mariah Carey will mock, rumor suggests that the target of the mockery could be Eminem who previously dissed her on a track called "Bagpipes From Baghdad". However, fans have to wait until the song is outed on June 16 to find out whether the speculation is true or not.

"Obsessed" is confirmed to be listed among new tracks in Mariah Carey's next installment "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" which is due to arrive in September. Beside being produced by The-Dream, it is also worked on by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart.

(AceShowbiz)

The-Dream hinted that Mariah Carey's next single is an outcry, perhaps at Eminem, that may shock the media world. Speaking simply about upcoming productions, the artist said, "The most anticipated is the Mariah project, and she just released a fire record in the building today. And we have been blasting it out all day. It's just f**king retarded. I don't think anybody is going to expect her to come out punching like she is going to come out. But she got a record."

He continued, hinting at the content, "It's going to light the blogs up too because you don't know who she talking about, what she talking about, but she talking about something. And remember The-Dream told you first. So you can start that up right now. Mariah Carey has a record, and somebody's going to be very upset. I said that."

(HipHopDX)

Nick Cannon graces the cover of the July 2009 Power Issue of GIANT (now out on newsstands). Below are excerpts from the magazine's cover story where Nick mentions his wife Mariah Carey.

[Nick] Cannon's marriage to Mariah Carey is also the result of the particular mental electromagnetism he seems to have mastered. He had been dropping her name as a foil for questions about "celebrity crushes" for years, but it wasn't until the 2005 Teen Choice Awards that they met face-to-face. "I've heard all the nice things you've been saying," Carey told him backstage, before beng whisked off by her handlers. Their romance began a few years later, when she cast Cannon as her love interest in the video for "Bye Bye." Before the shoot they met for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and discovered similarities between them after Cannon paused to say grace over an order of french fries. She pulled an electronic Bible from her pocketbook. "Not everyone shares spirituality," Carey says. "When you have that in common, it's unique."

Besides spirituality, an apartment in Tribeca, New York, and houses in Bel Air, California, and the Bahamas, the couple share a taste for adolescent goofiness. When Cannon proposed, it was by hiding a 17-carat pink-diamond ring inside a lollipop package and presenting it to Carey on the roof of her building. He understands where her gravitation toward butterflies, rainbows and being "eternally twelve" comes from. "We know how to be highly intellectual and well -spoken," he says, "And we've done that for so long that we really appreciate the youthfulness, where we can be stupid and silly." In turn, Carey sees facets of her husband that extend beyond public view. "All comedians have a darker side to them," she says. There's a need to be a class clown or the funniest person in the room. It comes from somewhere. I think we both understand what it's like not to have the most traditional of upbringings."

Cannon has been well known since he was a teenager, but he frequently calls his wife "the most famous woman in the world," and admits complications accompany such a title. On Easter Sunday, the pair visited Cannon's family in San Diego. Carey voiced concerns about paparazzi, but he insisted that bringing security or having her hair and wardrobe done were unnecessary measures. Sure enough, a photographer was lying in wait. "She was right," he says. "And now the picture's in US Weekly." The photo spurred commentary about Carey's weight on gossip blogs and sparked pregnancy rumors. "We want to be normal—we are normal," Cannon says. "But everyone on the outside wants to put us in a fishbowl."

Bromidic celebrity gripes about privacy notwithstanding, Cannon has adapted well to this bigger pond. Most importantly, success has come on his own terms. Never has he fled from the happy-go-lucky image that made him so endearing to the masses—and in fact, pretentiousness, solemnity, self-importance or any other assumed characteristics of adulthood hold little appeal. "The thing that's crazy to me is that the majority of people see a person that's likable as corny," says Cannon. "It's me. Everything I've ever wanted in life, my personality has got me that. I'm-a drive this corny-ass Phantom to the corny-ass bank and cash these corny-ass checks. I love being corny."

Read the full cover story "Nick Cannon Takes Care of Business" here.

(NickCannonArchives | Mariah Daily Journal)

Director, producer and general force of nature Lee Daniels is a hot property these days. So hot that two studios, Lionsgate and the Weinstein Company, are suing each other over the rights to distribute his second directorial effort, "Precious," the winner of both the jury and audience awards at Sundance earlier this year. Lawsuits willing, "Precious" opens in the fall, and in the meantime Daniels has "Tennessee" in theaters, a small-scale Americana-steeped road movie he produced under his own banner of Lee Daniels Entertainment. "Tennessee," directed by David Cronenberg nephew Aaron Woodley, has the distinction of containing the first Mariah Carey acting role to officially see theaters since "Glitter," something that was looked upon as potentially laughable when the film premiered at Tribeca last year, but that seems a lot less so now, in light of the singer's praised turn as a social worker in "Precious."

"Tennessee" (2008)
Aaron Woodley had it the easiest of all of my directors. I hired him for his palate really, a visual that's intoxicating. He did his thing, but I really didn't do my thing. I did "Tennessee" because I wanted to show a sense of versatility, that I could do something that wasn't too wild. I'd just come up from "Shadowboxer" -- that was crazy. This is a lot tamer. I wanted to appeal to a specific demographic that I don't ordinarily appeal to, which is, you know, those Republicans out there? People that voted for Sarah Palin? There was something simple about the movie. I didn't have to think too hard, like, "What is the statement that we're trying to make here?" I'm very good friends with Mariah [Carey]. I wanted to work with her, and I think that it prepared me for my work with her in "Precious," ultimately.

Janet Jackson
"Tennessee" was originally written for Janet Jackson -- she was the first person I had in mind. I said, "Janet, I don't want to work with you if you don't put on weight. I want you fat in this." She put on all this weight for me. We were trying to raise the money and she was fat and she was like, "Lee! Lee!" [laughs] I didn't realize how catastrophic it was until I'm looking at "Oprah" one day and she had gained all this weight for a movie that never happened. Oprah said, "Were you pissed?" She was a really good sport about it, but it was borderlining on obese. Finally she said, "Lee, I have a record to drop. I have to look good. This is insanity. This movie's never going to happen." Then as soon as she bailed, we got the money.

Mariah Carey
Mariah came down to my set on "Shadowboxer." I just fell in love. She's outrageous and fun and makes me laugh. People have this impression of her -- I had that impression of her, until you know her and realize she's making fun of herself. As we became friends I saw her do impersonations. She does an Aretha Franklin like no other. How can you impersonate Aretha Franklin? I said, "I'm gonna find a job for you." I sent her the script and yeah; she did it. I was really glad.

I never thought about "Glitter." I didn't think it was bad. Her persona was so what it was -- people didn't understand her and she got a bad rap for it -- she wasn't bad in the movie. She was very nervous [doing "Tennessee"] because she knew that she had a perception of being... She saw me working and how serious I was and how we don't have money. There's no room for a masseur, for tardiness, for an extra hairdresser. The beauty of independent cinema for me is everybody's doing something. During "Shadowboxer," we all were down and drinking one day, Macy Gray, Monique, myself and Cuba. We had a scene, and Helen Mirren came down and got us out of a bar.

(Independent Film Channel | Mariah Daily Journal)

We're extremely happy because this summer MariahHero.com celebrates 8 years online! We'd like to take this opportunity to thank every single visitor for showing your support! Leave your comments in our guestbook and follow us at our new Twitter page!

New York's Apollo Theater hosted its 75th anniversary fundraising concert and awards ceremony last night on June 8, 2009. The Harlem landmark -- a launching pad for such icons as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown and Michael Jackson -- inducted Quincy Jones and Patti LaBelle into its Apollo Legends Hall of Fame.

Mariah came to help celebrate the iconic venue's anniversary and to honor her "Godmother", Ms. LaBelle. Mariah joined Prince on stage to present the award to soul icon Patti LaBelle. In her introduction speech, Mariah thanked Patti for not only sharing her gift of music but for sharing her gift of friendship with her for all these years. Above are pictures of Mariah at the event. Watch footage from the red carpet arrivals on ET and Fox NY.

(Mariah Carey.com)

Chicago's #1 hit music station, B96 will be premiering "Obsessed" on Tuesday, June 16th at 3:00pm Central Time (4:00pm EST). According to B96, they will be getting the song on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00pm or so local time and plan to play it right away!

Be sure to tune in! Fans outside the Chicago area can listen to the station's live stream by clicking here. Note: Please be aware that time could change (sooner or later) rather quickly. Please try to tune in early.

In related news, Mariah has confirmed via a Twitter direct message to Australian fan Dani that Brett Ratner will be directing the music video for "Obsessed," the lead single from her upcoming album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.

(Mariah Daily Journal)

Single, from forthcoming Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel LP, will be at radio next week.

Late last month, Mariah Carey took to her Twitter account to tell the world that her next album will be called Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, and early Tuesday (June 9), she did so again to talk about the album's first single.

"The 1st single from my new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is called 'Obsessed' and will be at radio next Tuesday," she Tweeted. "I'm a lil' exc" (the post cuts off before she continues in another Tweet). "Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it."

Last month, Carey Tweeted, "Bcuz I Love U, I want u to be the first to know the title of my new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. It's very personal & dedicated to u."

Details about the album have been scarce, but back in January, songwriter/ producer/ artist The-Dream told KIIS-FM about some tracks he'd begun working on with the singer the week before. The-Dream and his frequent collaborator Tricky Stewart produced the hit "Touch My Body" from Mariah's last album, E=MC2. "I'm trying to do the whole [album]," The-Dream told the station's DJ Skee.

"I love her, she's everything," he said of Carey. "She's down, she's cool, she gets it. You think she's this big, but she gets it. She's all the way in there. I told her we need to get back in there. It's not like it used to be where you can wait to come out with an album. I'm like, 'Let's go, let's do it!' And she's up for it."

The-Dream said he wouldn't want to take Mariah too far from the style that's brought her so much success in the past. "It's like we're trying to make a greatest hits without using the greatest hits," he said. He added that he thought the album would be called MC3, but apparently that plan has changed.

Carey has said in the past how much she enjoys collaborating with other songwriters like The-Dream. "Sometimes it's perhaps a co-writer, which you can definitely feed off that other person's energy or where they're coming from, and go back and forth with different ideas," Carey said in a statement. "That's a process that really inspires me and that I really love."

(MTV)

Mariah Carey's brand-new single from her upcoming new album Memoirs of a Perfect Angel will impact radio next Tuesday June 16. This information was provided by Mariah herself via Twitter:

"The 1st single from my new album "Memoirs of an imperfect angel" is called "Obsessed" and will be at radio next tuesday. I'm a lil' exc ..." Mariah commented earlier today. She added that "Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it."

Later today, Mariah shared more information by stating that "'Obsessed' is an uptempo fun summer record. We were gonna go w/the ballad 1st but don't worry,its coming. I tried to make something...For all who love Butterfly, and even older albums,but"Obsessed" has to come out 1st, asap!! Its different for me,but clearly,its SO me!"

According to recent reports, the album should be completed within a week and is scheduled to be released on September 16.

(Twitter)

According to Amazon.com, Mariah Carey' new film, Tennessee, will be commercially released on DVD on September 1, 2009 through Vivendi Entertainment (In the United States). You can pre-order the movie. At this point, A Bluray release has not been scheduled or announced.

Tennessee's theatrical release last week was not commercially successful, despite rave reviews from critics who especially praised Mariah's acting skills. Meanwhile, Precious is expected to be released on theaters nationwide in November.

Tennessee: A moving tale of sacrifice and self-discovery; Tennessee is the story of three people who strive to realize their dreams. Brothers, Carter (Adam Rothenberg) and Ellis (Ethan Peck) set out on a road trip to their childhood home in a desperate search for their estranged father, who may hold the key to their future. Along the way, they are joined by Krystal (Mariah Carey), who is trying to escape a troubled life. These unlikely traveling companions are guided in their mutual journey by the conviction that the only way to a new life is by overcoming their past.

(Amazon | MariahHero.com)

Both sides in a lawsuit pitting Lionsgate Films against The Weinstein Co. over the distribution of the film "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" will try to resolve the case with the help of a private mediator, attorneys told a judge today.

Nonetheless, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Coleman A. Swart scheduled trial of the lawsuit for Feb. 3, just in case the mediation effort fails.

Both companies filed lawsuits in Los Angeles and New York Feb. 4, claiming they had an agreement with producers to distribute the movie based on the story of a young, illiterate woman who is the victim of incest and trying to find her way in 1980s Harlem.

The film stars Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe, who portrays Precious Jones, the central character in the film. Lionsgate got to court first, suing Weinstein in Los Angeles just hours before TWC filed its suit against Lionsgate in New York. TWC also separately sued the agents for the producers, alleging fraud.

On May 6, a New York judge dismissed the Weinstein suit against Lionsgate. In doing so, he rejected Weinstein's claim that New York is the more appropriate location for the litigation to take place because most of the witnesses live there.

The judge said the parties "have a presence" in both New York and Los Angeles and frequently travel between both cities. In its Los Angeles suit, Lionsgate is seeking a judge's ruling that it owns the rights to distribute "Push" in the United States and Canada.

Weinstein attorneys say the company had a firm agreement with the film's producers and that Lionsgate interfered. But Lionsgate counters that the producers signed a written agreement stating they had no written or verbal agreement with Weinstein.

(L.A. Daily News)

Mariah Carey has gained 15lbs during the recording of her new album. The 'Hero' singer is gorging on calorific treats as she works on her next release and is embracing her new, curvier figure.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "Mariah loves food. Right now she's making an album and eating everything and anything she wants. She has put on about 15lbs, but she loves the curves."

However, the [39]-year-old star - who is married to rapper Nick Cannon - will undergo a strict fitness regime when she has to promote the LP. The source added: "She'll definitely tone up again when she releases her album, but as of now, she's stuffing her face."

Although she is satisfying her appetite, Mariah recently revealed the stress of recording new material has led to sleepless nights. The 'Honey' hitmaker is struggling to drop off at night and has taken to watching her husband Nick Cannon doze peacefully while she is wide awake.

She wrote on her Twitter page: "I just finished working out. Whooo! Quite naturally, 'its 5am and I still can't sleep'(sung like 'crybaby' from 'Rainbow' 99)lol Who's up? "Nick is too cute when he's sleep! I wish he didn't have to work tomorrow so he could help me sleep all day and I could sing all nite (sic)!"

(Boston Globe)

Big Beach Films is having a big year. Their latest production, Sam Mendes's "Away We Go", opened this weekend to a massive $143,260 on just four screens, according to estimates from Rentrak earlier this afternoon. That made for a $35,815 per-theater-average for the Focus Features-distributed film, the year's second best behind another Big Beach production - Christine Jeff's "Sunshine Cleaning".

Besides "Away We Go", other openers this weekend included Music Box Films' French import "Seraphine", which took in $39,500 from 6 screens. The Séraphine Louis biopic averaged a decent $6,583, but remained a far cry from Music Box's "Tell No One", which opened around this time last summer to a stunning $21,213 average on 8 screens.

Similarly mild numbers met Oscilloscope's "Unmistaken Child" and Arthouse Film's "Herb & Dorothy". From its sole location at NYC's Film Forum, "Child" - which follows the 4-year search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog - grossed $6,039 over the weekend and totaled $9,500 since Wednesday. "Herb" - the story of art collectors Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, launched on 2 screens and averaged a slightly worse $5,021.

Both films can be glad they didn't meet the fate of Aaron Woodley's "Tennessee". Long delayed and co-starring Mariah Carey, the film grossed only $10,000 from 15 screens. Its $667 average means the film will not even find "Glitter"-sized numbers. That 2001 film, infamous for its disastrous critical and financial reception, averaged $2,008 in its opening frame. At least "Tennessee" made it to theaters. Carey's 2002 effort "Wisegirls" went from Sundance to DVD. One can only imagine Oprah-backed fall release "Precious" will break Carey's cinematic losing streak.

(excerpt from indieWIRE | The Mariah Carey Archives)

Mariah Carey is getting a lashing on the blogs for recently saying that September 11th was part to blame for Glitter’s failure at the box office. The movie opened a couple weeks after September 11th, to be exact, September 21st. Mrs. Cannon said:

Mariah Carey says her infamously bad movie debut Glitter failed because of 9/11. The singer — who stars in new movie Precious – says her semi-biographical film was destined to bomb at the box office as it was released on exactly the same day as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center eight years ago.

“That movie was released on September 11th, 2001 – could there be a worse day for that movie to come out? I don’t think so,” she said. “I don’t even know that many people even saw the movie so I don’t think it’s the worst thing ever done.” “Glitter was a learning experience and I wouldn’t do it again if you paid me. But I didn’t have representation or anyone to tell me: ‘What you need is a great director’.”

Carey...recently played down her reputation as a diva — insisting she is simply misunderstood. “I have been through a lot that’s made me stronger,” she said. “They say: whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. So I’ve been through that kind of stuff a few times.”

Okay, I might be in the minority here, but I believe there is some truth to this 9/11 theory. There were a slew of movies that opened the weekend of September 21st and all of the movies failed. While Glitter didn’t do amazingly well opening weekend, it was the #1 grossing new movie that was released. Also, most of the films that weekend experienced an extreme drop in box office numbers. Maybe there is some truth to it. No one was thinking about Mariah, Glitter, or anything Hollywood that week.

(BET.com | Thanks Dean)

Aside from a Martian invasion or the birth of a unicorn, nothing could be less likely than " Tennessee," a thoughtful, sensitive drama starring Mariah Carey. Now we really have seen everything.

After recovering from the shocking sight of Carey acting - really acting - you can focus on the virtues and flaws of "Tennessee," directed by Aaron Woodley and written by Russell Schaumburg. Filled with fine moments but lacking dramatic impact, it has the feel of a fledgling effort.

Its focus is Carter Armstrong (Adam Rothenberg), a promising high-school football player abused by his alcoholic father (Bill Sage). When Carter flees to New Mexico with his mother and younger brother, Ellis (Ethan Peck), he shelves his dreams to support his family.

After their mother dies and Ellis contracts leukemia, the brothers turn to not-so-dear old dad for a bone-marrow transplant. On their journey home, they pick up yet another abuse victim, Krystal Evans (Carey), a waitress married to a menacing cop (Lance Reddick).

Carey, all small-town sincerity, plays nicely against Rothenberg's bottled rage. Unfortunately, Krystal is an aspiring country singer, which means we have to watch her enter an open-mic contest and perform a Carey original, "Right to Dream." Gosh, do you think she'll win?

OK, maybe "Tennessee" isn't so surprising after all.
PLOTThe sons of an abusive father take a journey back home.
CASTMariah Carey, Adam Rothenberg, Ethan Peck, Lance Reddick.
LENGTH1:39.
PLAYING AT Malverne Cinema.
BOTTOM LINEAs a Texas waitress, Carey is convincing - more so than the film itself.

(Newsday.com)

Mariah Carey stuffs face, packs on pounds! Unlike most show biz stars, who are anorexic, Mariah isn't, often indulging in much beloved chow.

"Mariah loves food," a source revealed. "Right now she's making an album and eating everything and anything she wants. She has put on about 15 pounds, but she loves the curves.

"She'll definitely tone up again when she releases her album, but as of now, she's stuffing her face," the source divuulged. But as Mariah porks out could she be carrying a secret or two as well - adding fuel to the much repeated preggers rumors?

(National Enquirer)

Looking radiant than ever, Mariah and husband Nick Cannon were among a handful of celeb attendees at the 2009 Fresh Air Fund Salute To American Heroes at Tavern on the Green in New York City, on Thursday evening (June 4).

The event which Mariah co-chaired was hosted by Brian Williams, Anchor of NBC's "Nightly News" to honor Susan and Donald Newhouse, Football great Michael Strahan and Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams.

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend one of five Fresh Air Fund camps.

Camp Mariah, The Fresh Air Fund's Career Awareness Camp, enables nearly 300 inner-city adolescents to explore educational paths and career options, while enjoying camp adventures. Camp Mariah offers a unique setting to engage boys and girls in an educational curriculum and prepare them for the world of work. Intensive three-and-a-half-week summer sessions and weekend camping trips are complemented by year-round activities in New York City.

For more information on the Fresh Air Fund's programs and how to donate or volunteer please visit www.freshair.org.

(Mariah Carey.com)

Tennessee, which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and features Mariah Carey in a leading role on the silver screen as well as on the soundtrack, will open in select theaters starting June 5, 2009.

A moving and gripping drama of sacrifice and self-discovery; Tennessee is the story of three people who strive to realize their dreams. Brothers Carter (Adam Rothenberg) and Ellis (Ethan Peck) set out on a road trip to their childhood home in a desperate search for their estranged father, who may hold the key to their future. Along the way, they are joined by Krystal (Mariah Carey), who is trying to escape a troubled life. These unlikely traveling companions are guided in their mutual journey by the conviction that the only way to a new life is by overcoming their past.

Tennessee's theme song, "Right To Dream" (available on iTunes now) was written by Mariah and is also performed during the film by Mariah's character Krystal. To watch the video of Mariah/Krystal performing "Right To Dream," just head to the Multimedia section on MariahCarey.com.

For more, including a list of theaters showing Tennessee, to view the film trailer & clips and for additional information about the film, visit Tennessee: The Official Movie Site.

(New York Times)

There are signs that Aaron Woodley, the director of “Tennessee,” an earnest, increasingly preposterous road movie about unhealed family wounds and fraternal bonds, wanted to make a Terrence Malick film. In the early scenes of the movie, whose setting shifts from the desert outskirts of Albuquerque to Texas, Oklahoma and finally Tennessee, the camera studies the glowing Western sky at twilight as though determined to find a visionary beauty in desolate wasteland.

It is outside Albuquerque that Carter Armstrong (Adam Rothenberg), a cabdriver in his early 30s, lives a marginal existence in a trailer with his younger brother, Ellis (Ethan Peck, grandson of Gregory). Awkward flashbacks reveal that 15 years earlier the young Carter (Ryan Lynn), a high school football star, fled his childhood home in Knoxville, Tenn., dragging Ellis with him, after being terrorized by his drunken, abusive father, Roy (Bill Sage). Like his dad Carter is now a bitter alcoholic hothead itching for excuses to lash out at the world. But he is also fiercely protective of Ellis, who, as depicted in Russell Schaumburg’s lumpy screenplay, is too angelic to be true.

The brothers’ lives are uprooted when Ellis is found to have leukemia. After Carter proves incompatible as a bone marrow donor, he decides they must return to Knoxville to determine if their father would be a suitable candidate. At a Texas diner Ellis befriends Krystal Evans (Mariah Carey), a waitress and aspiring country singer-songwriter. When she offers to put them up for the night, they encounter her monstrous husband, Frank (Lance Reddick), a state trooper who loathes the brothers on sight and threatens Krystal’s life if she touches one of them.

Seizing her opportunity to escape, she flees with them before dawn. On discovering her disappearance, Frank, convinced she has been kidnapped, gives chase.

Although the setup has its gripping moments, “Tennessee” collapses once the three stop in Nashville with Frank breathing down their necks. Although Ms. Carey makes a brave effort to put on a Texan accent, later in the movie she seems to have forgotten it, and there is nothing countrylike about her singing or the song with which she wows the audience in a Nashville talent competition. It isn’t saying much, but at least her work here is more substantial than in the catastrophic “Glitter.”

By this time Krystal has metamorphosed from goodhearted to gooey sweet. The story cedes its final shreds of credibility in a contrived scene where Frank, observing someone else’s abused wife, miraculously sees the light and softens. From here on “Tennessee” wades hip-deep in mush.

“Tennessee” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has profanity and mild violence.

(New York Times)

They've always been a very charitable couple and last night Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon were spotted arriving at Carey's Fresh Air Fund's gala. The songstress and her handsome hubby looked lovely as they arrived at the 2009 Salute to American Heroes Benefit Gala held at Tavern on the Green in New York City's Central Park.

As for the constant speculation over Mariah and Nick's new house, Cannon says that he's tired of tabloids announcing which home they've bought because everybody has been wrong so far. "We've bought seven new homes in the past week. They've (websites and tabloids) got pictures of houses that ain't ours. We got a crib in Los Angeles and when it's done, we (will) do what we do - the photoshoots."

(Gossip Girls)

Philadelphia native Lee Daniels has just returned from Cannes, where his "Precious", due for a November release, received good reviews and a standing ovation. "Precious", about a heavyset woman and her tough life in Harlem, has won raves in the Hollywood trade papers, and will be released closer to awards season. It stars Mo'Nique.

But Daniels doesn't want to talk about it because "Tennessee", which he produced, opens today in Philadelphia as it makes its way around the art-house circuit. It features Mariah Carey as a waitress and would-be singer who helps two troubled brothers make it from Texas to Tennessee. Carey also has a small role in "Precious" and is now one of Daniels' good friends.

The fruitful Daniels-Carey collaboration has its roots in the city, where the two met while Daniels was filming "Shadowboxer". "It was a mutual thing," Daniels told Daily News film critic Gary Thompson. "She'd heard of my work. I like her a lot. We have friends in common. We were working late - it was like 3 a.m. when she showed up, because she works nights - and she was almost like a cheerleader for the film."

The meeting yielded no working commitment, but she wanted to work in film, and Daniels kept her in mind. When he went to cast "Tennessee", his first choice was Janet Jackson. She agreed to do the part, and was adding weight that the role requires, but quit when she decided to tour and take the weight off again.

That's when he contacted Carey, who took the role under conditions set by Daniels. Conditions such as no entourage. "I said, 'Listen, Mariah, here's the thing. I can't have all this around me. It will interfere with the atmosphere we're trying to create. You'll really have to lose that posse. It will set a tone for the crew, it will be better for morale, and it will set a tone for your character,' " he said.

Carey was game. "She's a trooper... I think it's her best work on film."

(Philadelphia Daily News)

Mariah Carey is packing up an arsenal of songs for the anticipated follow up to 2008s "E=MC2". Already working with everyone from Jermaine Dupri to The-Dream, Carey's next album has been placed for a September date according to select online retailers.

Titled "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel", the album is said to be a collection of relatable stories that Mariah says are "for everybody but in a lot of ways are very (related to the) woman empowerment movement". Carey's 2008 effort, E=MC2 featured the hit singles "Touch My Body", "Loving You Long Time" , "Bye Bye", and the Nick Cannon assisted "I Stay In Love".

Sharing the recording experience with fans, Carey took to twitter over the weekend, stating "experimenting with my voice in the studio on this new mid temp/ballad...". "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" is due to be released through Island.

(Singersroom)

Mariah Carey's new album titled "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" has got a release date. According to MTV Italy, the record will arrive on September 18. However, it is unclear whether the date is set for a worldwide or just a European release.

Up to date, Mariah and her camp have neither confirmed nor denied the MTV Italy announcement. Aside from confirming to work with Timbaland last month, the singer also remains mum about who else expected to make contribution to the project.

Mariah Carey has just come back from Turkey. She had a live concert in the country and now that she returns home, she will be hitting the studio to finish the new effort. Commenting on the materials she is crafting, she recently said, "It's basically every song tells its own little story for some people to relate to. I feel it's for everybody but in a lot of ways some of the songs are very woman empowerment moment."

(AceShowbiz)

After playing the festival circuit, Mariah Carey's independent film, 'Tennessee,' opens up this week with limited release.

Directed by Aaron Woodley, the films stars Adam Rothenberg, Ethan Peck and Lance Reddick of HBO's 'The Wire.'

A moving and gripping drama of sacrifice and self-discovery, 'Tennessee' is the story of three people who strive to realize their dreams. Brothers Carter (Rothenberg) and Ellis (Peck) set out on a road trip to their childhood home in a desperate search for their estranged father, who may hold the key to their future. Along the way, they are joined by Krystal (Carey), who is trying to escape a troubled life. These unlikely traveling companions are guided in their mutual journey by the conviction that the only way to a new life is by overcoming the past.

In the film, Carey performs a tune that she cowrote with country legend Willie Nelson. She also sings an a cappella version of Nelson's 'Help Me Make it Through the Night.'

The film is being released by Vivendi Entertainment.

(Black Voices)

Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon are growing tired of the endless speculation surrounding their house hunt in Los Angeles, insisting they haven't bought any of the homes gossip websites, blogs and tabloids have suggested.

The couple has promised to fling open the doors of their new mystery mansion when renovations are complete - because Carey dreams of being on the cover of luxury lifestyle magazine Architectural Digest.

But, until then, they'd rather not answer endless questions about homes they haven't bought. Cannon says, "We've bought seven new homes in the past week... They've (websites and tabloids) got pictures of houses that ain't ours.

"We got a crib in Los Angeles and when it's done, we (will) do what we do - the photoshoots." And while interviewing his wife as guest host of the American Top 40 radio show over the weekend (30-31May09), Cannon revealed he can't wait until his wife plays tour guide around their new home.

He says, "You are, like, the best tour guide for houses. You know how to show off your crib very well."

Despite Cannon's claims the couple have bought none of the homes they've been linked to, insiders insist the pop pair plans to move into actress Farrah Fawcett's former mansion in Bel Air. The couple also reportedly put in an offer to buy one of Los Angeles' most prestigious homes, the Saperstein Estate in Holmby Hills, in March (09).

(Contact Music)