MoonlitSoup

Mariah Plays Short Snippets from New Album + Interview w/ Nick

Sat, 30 May 2009 17:59:39 GMT

Earlier this morning, Nick Cannon who filled in for regular host Ryan Seacrest had his wife Mariah Carey on the phone for an interview on American Top 40. During the interview, Mariah played 2-second snippets of songs from her new album, Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. Listen below!

Source: Mariahdaily.com (but uploaded to my own YouTube account)

Mariah Leaving Hotel Martinez, Cannes France

Sat, 16 May 2009 23:48:49 GMT

Source: http://www.gallery.mariah-source.net/2009/0516_martinez.php

Mariah Leaving Hotel Martinez, Cannes France!

Sat, 16 May 2009 23:33:41 GMT

Source: http://www.gallery.mariah-source.net/2009/0516_martinez.php

Mariah Gets Rave Reviews at Sundance For New Film Role!

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:57:20 GMT

Below I have compiled all the reviews of Mariah's latest role in the Indie film, "PUSH". It premiered January 16 at Sundance Film Festival in Utah. *All Credit goes to Mariahdaily.com for compiling all the reviews thus far.*

"Can Mariah Carey show any acting skills whatsoever? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. In a movie filled with unconventional casting, Carey goes plain jane (i.e, absolutely no makeup) as a social worker and has to participate in a number of intense scenes where her fans will be happy to learn she clearly does not embarrass herself."

Variety Review of Push: "Mariah is pitch-perfect as welfare counselor"

FILM REVIEWS: Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire

VARIETY
By John Anderson

An urban nightmare with a surfeit of soul, "Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire" is like a diamond -- clear, bright, but oh so hard. To simply call it harrowing or unsparing doesnt quite cut it; "Push" is also courageous and uncompromising, a shaken cocktail of debasement and elation, despair and hope. Everyone involved deserves major credit for creating a movie so dangerous, problematic and ultimately elevating. Marketing will be a problem, because the shorthand description is so unpalatable. But this is, for all its scorched-earth emotion, a film to be loved.

Adapted by Damien Paul from the work by onetime Harlem teacher and poet Sapphire, "Push" is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (newcomer Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe), a character who might have sprung from the collective brain of Charles Dickens, Toni Morrison and whoever carved the heads on Easter Island. With a jutting jaw and barely visible eyes, Claireece's face is a monument to the racial crimes of the past 400 years (that this miserable child of 16 can look in the mirror and fantasize seeing a blonde white girl is pungent shorthand for a raft of evils).

Mute and mountainous, a stolid outsider who can barely read, Claireece is pregnant -- again -- by her father, and on the verge of being kicked out of school. She's also cruelly oppressed by her mother Mary (Mo'Nique), whose daily routine consists of watching daytime TV, smoking cigarettes and treating her daughter like a slave (any historical parallels are not an accident). The situation is so dire that you almost have to laugh -- the way you might laugh, nervously, during the darkest moments of a horror movie.

"Push" is a horror movie, of course, and Mary is a monster, whose one glimmer of humanity -- which Mo'Nique, who is utterly brilliant, reveals in a tour de force soliloquy at the finale -- only makes her more horrible. Along with Mary's cruelty, Claireece's sense of hopelessness, and the awareness there are more Claireeces out there, the alarming thing about "Push" its capacity to show us just about anything, much like the warped human nature it surveys.

What's also remarkable is the balletic ability of second-time helmer Daniels ("Shadowboxer") to juggle emotional extremes. Claireece has her fantasies, and their visualizations -- of the girl as satin-clad pop star, movie star or supermodel -- work as relief valves. They're never funny, but they do humanize a character who has been reduced, by those who are supposed to love her, to a piece of meat, and who presents herself to the world as a very different, far less attractive creature than the Claireece we hear in voiceover.

Daniels never allows the film, however gothic and nightmarish, to lose its footing in the real world, and that world includes a certain amount of hope: Despite her mother's hostility, Claireece enrolls in an alternative school where a teacher named Blu Rain (Paula Patton) prepares young women for their GEDs. Patton is terrific, beautiful but carrying the weight of the world in her eyes. And Claireece's classmates, with their street-smart banter, give the film some needed levity.

Among the many delightful surprises in the film is Mariah Carey, who is pitch-perfect as a welfare counselor and serves as this demi-tragedy's Greek chorus. It's possible that many viewers won't recognize her until the final credits, but like so many things about "Push," the performance is disarming.

DAILY FILM DOSE
By Alan Bacchus

Another stunner of a film is Lee Daniels' harrowing urban character study of an inner city overweight black teenager who strives to overcome her lifetime of socio-economic despair.

Claireece Jones (Sidibe) is known as "Precious" by her mom Mary (Mo'Nique) after the embroidered pillow she lay upon in her bed as an infant. Unfortunately it's been a while since she was treated as precious. Her entire like she has endured daily physical and emotional fits of rage from her mother, a chronic welfare case who continually degrades her daughter as 'fat' and 'stupid'. Precious has been out of school ever since she gave birth at age 15 to a child. Since then her mother demands that she get on welfare to bring money in. When Precious is invited to attend an alternate studies school to help her literacy and get her GED the decision makes for a viciously violent fit of rage from Mom.

But Precious does go to school where she finds optimism in her caring teacher Ms. Rain (Patton). It takes a while but Precious' social barrier weakens and for the first time she develops a coterie of friends. Just when things are looking up a dramatic plot turn sends all her progress back down to the depths of despair. Her escape from the abuse in her life will take the loving and caring of her friends and the personal ambition to make something of herself.

We've never seen a film like this before. The gritty urban decay of the inner city welfare families is brought to life with earth shattering fury. As we see the anger of hatred

It isn't until the end when the depths of Mary's emotional despair are revealed. In a stunning scene of raw acting power Mo'Nique who plays Mary instantly announces herself a lock for Oscar-worthy performance. While the anger and rage of the earlier shouting matches are visceral enough to startle us it's Mary's dramatic confessions with Precious' welfare officer which elevate Mo'Nique's performance to astonishing levels.

Mariah Carey, dressed down and without make-up, plays the welfare worker. It's a surprisingly truthful and compassionate performance, a far cry from her exploitive fleshy music videos and that Razzie Award for "Glitter". Carey has the chops.

But it's the fresh face of Gabourey Sidibe who carries and holds the picture down and roots it in real world authenticity. Her obese figure immediately makes her stand out. Precious is a large woman, caused by her mother's force feeding through her innate need to subjugate and punish her daughter. One would expect to find an inner beauty beneath her exterior, and indeed it's there but we can see an edge in Precious which could bring her down the same path of gloom as her mother.

At times the film would appear to beat us down with Precious's obstacles, not only is she obese, illiterate, and has an illegitimate child at 15 there's a number of other jaw-dropping revelations which complicate her life even further (I can't ruin anything here this early).

"Push" is a special film and will make its waves here at Sundance. It announces a major acting talent in Mo'Nique and enlightens a recurring cycle of welfare abuse in inner city America. The film should have no problem finding a distributor and commanding the attention of audiences.

HITFIX
By Gregory Ellwood

Sundance Review: No, Carey doesn't embarrass in 'Push'
Probably the least important aspect of Lee Daniels' fantastic new drama "Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire" was still the biggest elephant in the room at the Racquet Club theater in Park City, Utah last night: Can Mariah Carey show any acting skills whatsoever? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. In a movie filled with unconventional casting, Carey goes plain jane (i.e, absolutely no makeup) as a social worker and has to participate in a number of intense scenes where her fans will be happy to learn she clearly does not embarrass herself. The bigger surprises, however, were provided by Mo'Nique and the film's star, newcomer Gabourey Sidibe.

Set in late '80s Harlem, "Push" tells the harrowing story of Precious Jones (Sidibe), a teenager who is living through a private hell of incest and abuse from her family. Precious escapes from her troubles by fantasizing about being a star walking the red carpet, being a supermodel and, um, marrying her math teacher. Her true freedom comes, however, through a special city learning program administrated by a patient teacher (a fine Paula Patton) who sees the positive in her tough luck students.

In her feature film debut, Sidibe is impressive conveying how battered Precious is, but she also shows glimpses of an inner strength the character will need to escape her hellish prison. Time will tell whether the young actress has the range for other roles, but its an auspicious start for sure.

As her domineering mother, Mo'Nique, who has previously only ventured into comedic roles, is absolutely stunning. Most of the film requires her to display utter contempt for Precious, but as the story progresses, she adds a sympathy that is both unexpected and moving. Mo'Nique may not have thought she had a career as a serious actress, but that will completely change after "Push."

With the film not shying away from some truly horrendous events, Daniels provides much needed relief by making Precious' learning program classmates truly memorable characters and their energy and humor contrast with her horribly unpleasant life at home (don't be surprised if a number of catch phrases including "my favorite color is neon beige" become popular among the younger set after the film's release). More impressive is Daniels confident visual style that go beyond his spot on period references in the fantasy sequences. The filmmaker could have easily fallen into the melodramatic cliches of similar stories, but instead its the combination of superb performances, sharp production design and a keen eye that make "Push" so special.

"Push" is an inspiring and powerful film that will put Daniels on the map as one of cinema's emerging talents. Now, all he has to do is figure out how to pull off an equally rewarding encore.

Mariah Goes from "Glitter" to Grim at Sundance

Singer Mariah Carey has taken a break from pop stardom to act in new movie "Push," but far from her lead role in semi-autobiographical "Glitter," Carey has opted for a supporting part in this often grim tale.

In fact, the real star of "Push," which debuted this past weekend at Sundance, is an unknown actress from Harlem, Gabourney Sidibe, playing an obese and overburdened 16-year-old named "Precious" Jones who is twice impregnated by her father and is beaten by her mother.

Yet, she also has adults who look out for her, and one of those is welfare case worker, Mrs. Weiss, played by Carey.

With her stringy hair and no nonsense attitude, Mrs. Weiss is far from the glamorous role Carey took in 2001's "Glitter," which was loosely based on her own rise to pop music stardom.

But that movie was panned by critics and earned only $5.3 million at global box offices. Since then, Carey has starred in a few movies, but for the most part they have been seen only on TV, DVD or outside the United States.

"Push," however, is based on a best-selling novel and directed by Lee Daniels who produced "Monster's Ball," which earned Halle Berry a best actress Oscar. So curiosity was running high at Sundance to see how Carey performed.

At least one early review was positive. Show business paper Daily Variety called "Push," "courageous and uncompromising," and added that "among the many delightful surprises in the film is Mariah Carey, who is pitch-perfect as a welfare counselor and serves as this demi-tragedy's Greek chorus."

In "Push," Carey has chosen the small but pivotal role of a woman who unravels Precious' monstrous home life of abuse and teenage motherhood.

"Mrs. Weiss is sort of the eyes of the audience, the people who don't know anybody like this in their lives," Carey told reporters late Saturday.

"Yes it's her job ... but even someone who goes through that every day and sees these horrific things, she hears something that changes her," Carey said about the range of emotions she must show as Mrs. Weiss.

Despite its dark material, the film had Sundance audiences laughing at several comic scenes, revolving around surrealistic dreams Precious creates to escape. In one, she sees herself and her mother transported into a Sophia Loren movie playing on television, where her mom curses at her in Italian.

"Push" is based on a novel of the same name by New York writer Sapphire, whose given name is Ramona Lofton. The book proved controversial when it hit retail stories in 1996 because of its graphic description of incest, but it also made it to the New York Times Bestseller list.

"I was just glued to this book when I read it in, I guess '98, and it stays with you," Carey said.

Carey is not the only Grammy-winning singer in the movie. Rocker Lenny Kravitz plays a small role as a nurse's aide who helps Precious deliver her second child.

That star power could help give the film wider release in the U.S. and internationally. The filmmakers are still in talks with studios to find a distributor.

Mariah Amazes Critics, And Her Husband, At Sundance

During the 2007 and 2008 Sundance Film Festivals, Nick Cannon was known as an indie-film actor by day, hard-partying superstar by night. This year, however, the newly married Cannon found both elements of his personality evolving.

"I'm the Sundance Kid!" laughed Cannon, who was spotted all over town during the weekend with wife Mariah Carey. "But yes, this is quite different. It's so amazing, because past years have been nothing but a party. My mentality was different; we ain't gonna go into [what was going on], but you know how Sundance can be."

This year, Cannon has welcomed his recording-legend wife to the annual snow-soaked paradise — and Sundance has done the same. Her inner-city drama, "Push," has garnered some of the fest's best reviews, while Cannon's blood-soaked thriller, "The Killing Room," has kept pace with its own positive buzz.

"To be able to share this with your wife — she has a film up here, and I have a film — you couldn't imagine or even hope for something this great," Cannon marveled.

As the power couple's loyal fans know, they capped off their wild weekend by heading to Washington, D.C. to perform at Barack Obama's inaugural celebrations. But even before they caught their plane, Cannon was flying high over Carey's "Push" performance.

"Aw man, that movie is incredible. My wife did an amazing job," he said of the flick, in which Carey plays a decidedly un-glammed, non-"Glitter"-y social worker. "And I just feel so good for her, because it's one of those things where somebody has been so great in another field, has accomplished so much [in the music industry], people are reluctant to accept them in another industry. And she's just blazing it. She's just as impactful in this as she is in anything."

Cannon insisted Carey's performance was so impactful that it even beat his own presentation as a distraught, teary-eyed homeless man in "Killing Room."

"She blew me out the water," he conceded. "All day!

"That's the thing: When you see 'Push,' not only do you forget that's Mariah Carey, you might not even recognize it's Mariah Carey," he insisted. "It's one of those performances. She don't talk the same, she don't look the same — she just went in and did her thing."

When asked if Carey would be similarly diplomatic and choose his role over hers, Cannon said no way. "Well ... she sees my film tonight. So, we'll be debating that on our way to the inauguration," he said hours before the "Killing" premiere. "But this is so not her type of flick. She doesn't like horror films and blood and all that stuff. ... There's gonna be a lot of closing of the eyes in this one. But she's a true movie buff, so she'll appreciate it."

And as these two movie buffs have been making the rounds together as the King and Queen of Sundance 2009, one question keeps coming up: "People always say, 'Are you gonna work together?' " he said. "I don't know. It would have to be something fun, like a cameo. I don't know if we would literally do a [whole film] together, but we both love comedy. So you might see us as characters somewhere and go, 'Was that? Nah.' Or something like that."

Sure, Nick Cannon's 2009 Sundance experience has been decidedly different than it has been over the last two years. But Nick and Mariah's love for a good party was well documented in their single days, and married life doesn't have to change that — although it sometimes makes for an earlier end to the evening.

"We've been hitting a few [big events]. I had a party last night — I was DJing over at Harry O's, that's the spot out here," Cannon explained. "We've been doing our thing, but then heading to the crib early, waking up and working.

Mariah Gets Rave Reviews at Sundance

THE ENVELOPE - LA TIMES
By Tom O'Neil, Gold Derby

Could Mariah Carey go from Razzie winner to serious awards contender?

Looks like past Razzie fave Mariah Carey won't be served up a new bowl of berries for her supporting performance in "Push," which is being screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Carey is getting great reviews!

"Push" is a gritty story of urban unrest told through the eyes of a troubled teenager. The film is based upon the bestselling novel by Sapphire and marks the directorial debut of "Monster's Ball" producer Lee Daniels. Said Variety, "Among the many delightful surprises in the film is Mariah Carey, who is pitch-perfect as a welfare counselor and serves as this demi-tragedy's Greek chorus. It's possible that many viewers won't recognize her until the final credits, but like so many things about 'Push,' the performance is disarming."

Back in 2001, Mariah Carey starred in "Glitter," a semi-autobiographical pic that was slammed by critics and shunned by audiences, taking in a little more than $4 million at the box office. That low point in her career was capped off with a win at the Razzies as worst actress. Although her 2002 follow-up film "Wisegirls" failed to impress, it was not greeted with the same howls of derision as "Glitter."

Since then, Carey has broken with two record companies. She later topped the charts in 2005 with "The Emancipation of Mimi." That album won her three Grammy awards — best female R&B vocal performance, best R&B song and best R&B album. Her 2007 follow-up, "E=MC2" propelled her to the No. 2 position behind the Beatles for most No. 1 singles (18 versus 21), and she is now second to Elvis Presley for most weeks atop the singles charts (79 weeks versus 80).

Source: http://www.mariahdaily.com

Mariah's ex-writing partner hopeful for a reunion!

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:21:19 GMT

Mariah's Former Collaborator (Hero, All I Want For Christmas, One Sweet Day) Wants a Reunion

Mariah with Walter Afanasieff in 1993 composing a song on the piano.

A couple lambs contacted Walter Afanasieff to inquire about his well-being and to ask about Mariah Carey and the possibility of a future collaboration. To our surprise, Walter is extremely happy with all of the work he's done with Mariah and hopes to work with her again in the future. He currently is doing projects with Leona Lewis for her upcoming album and hopes to be able to do the same with Mariah in the future. He hopes that if the fans feel the same way that they make their voices heard.

Walter and Mariah have worked together on the following songs to name a few. This is just a taste of what could be to come from the two of them if Mariah is willing: Hero, All I Want for Christmas is You, Butterfly, Dreamlover, One Sweet Day, My All, Lead the Way, Love Takes Time, Without You, Underneath the Stars, etc.

Fan: Hi Walter. how is it going? I think you've been getting a lot of emails from Mariah fans begging you to work with her again. I still can't believe she and you wrote All I Want For Christmas Is You. Most people I talk to think that hers is a cover version of a song from the 60s or 70s. Anyway, I hear that Mariah hired a new manager, a former Sony employee. So if you have contact with him, please consider making the first move to Mariah and her management about a possible reunion.
Walter: Thanks. I am always hopeful that things will someday work out and that Mariah and I will work together again. Believe me, there are plenty of people who want this to happen. I want nothing more. Thanks again for your kind words of hope. I have never wanted anything else but to work with her again.

Source: http://mcarchives.com/news/spec.asp?id=8088

Imagine if they got back together?! Maybe Mariah would make great songs again! They wrote some of her most known songs together.

Mariah to perform "Christmas Baby Please Come Home" tonight on CBS!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:41:46 GMT

The nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards will be announced live on primetime television in a one-hour special, "Grammy Nominations Concert," tonight. Not only will Mariah be vying for a nomination with E=MC², but she will be performing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" from her top selling holiday album Merry Christmas.

Tune in to CBS tonight, December 3rd at 9:00pm ET/PT for the live show!

Source: http://www.mariahdaily.com
Youtube Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOGrJ0vUTnQ

Yay this is her first time performing this song since she covered it way back in 1994!

Mariah Carey on Redbook Magazine

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:30:58 GMT

How Mariah Carey Spends Her Holidayz

Here's what Mariah Carey's winter wonderland looks like: A tree decorated with gold and silver butterflies. A manger in the front room. Christmas music blasting from every speaker. A new husband Nick Cannon to snuggle up next to in the horse-drawn sleigh. by Julia Dahl

Mariah Carey has a lot to celebrate this year. Her 11th studio album, E=MC², was a massive success; she released a new fragrance, Luscious Pink; and Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. But for Mariah, 38, the year's biggest thrill is much more personal: In April, after a whirlwind romance, the star married 27-year-old Nick Cannon in a small ceremony in the Bahamas.

Six months later, Mariah is still glowing.

"I'm really looking forward to being in love on Christmas," gushes the singer, whose assistant calls her "The Queen of Christmas." We're sitting in the back corner of a Brazilian restaurant near Mariah's New York City apartment. "It's easy to be lonely that time of year, and in the past I just drove into that festive mode with a sort of I-don't-care attitude. The holidays are always great, but being in love is going to be the icing on the cake."

Mariah is clearly ready to jump headlong into the season. Step one? Figuring out the personalized Christmas card. She dips her French-manicured nails into her purse to produce last year's effort.

"It's my fantasy version of myself," she says, pushing it across the table, and indeed, the card features a cartoon Mariah in a come-hither pose, dressed in a skimpy Santa dress and knee-high boots. She's accompanied by her two dogs, Jack and Jack Jr., and they're all soaring through the air with Santa on his sleigh. It's actually pretty charming.

"But look, this is the best part." She opens the card and a tinny version of her hit Christmas song, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," fills the air. Mariah beams, but her elation reveals something more than just artistic pride. These days, the songbird who seems to have everything (a hot new hubby, more number one songs than Elvis, and a rumored baby on the way--or at least on her wish list) says she is spending more time appreciating life's simple pleasures. "So much of the season is about being thankful," she tells me. And in this spirit, Mariah settles in and shares her plans for her favorite holiday.

What's the theme for this year's card?
I have to figure that out soon! I started sending cards out about 10 years ago. But "Happy Holidays! Love, Mariah" became pretty played out, so a couple of years ago I started having fun with it, playing around with images and music. I like the cartoon thing, and I think it'll definitely be musical again--I've had a bunch of people tell me their kids play with the card all year long, so I guess it was a hit.

Will Nick be on the card this time?
If he wants to be. I haven't asked him yet. He might be doing his own thing--he's very independent, which is one of the things I love about him. But it'd be fun to do one together.

Have you and Nick talked about how you'll celebrate Christmas this year? What do you usually do?
I'm usually working right up until Christmas, but no matter what's going on, no matter where I am, whether it's right after a tour or a video shoot somewhere, on December 21, I head to my house in Aspen and start celebrating! I have an extended group of friends and family from all over--as far as Sweden and the United Kingdom, even--and every year we gather in Aspen to make it the most festive Christmas ever. We try to outdo ourselves every year.

This year, in addition to everything I love about celebrating the holidays, it's all going to be heightened because of Nick--in a really good way. I think he senses that Christmas is a big deal to me, so he's sort of just going with the flow, so that's cool. I'm pretty sure his family and friends will be out there too. We have to figure it out, but we're gonna make it work!

How does the week begin?
The first thing that happens is I get off the place and get into the car, they have Christmas music blasting and a bottle of champagne ready to pop open! It sounds awful, but I'm a big kid in that way. As soon as I get in that car, I am engulfed in Christmas. I think Nick will be up for that, I really do. He'll be laughing.

Aspen must be the perfect place for a white Christmas.
It is. Aspen is all about the snow and the environment, so it automatically puts you in that celebratory mood. I don't really do up my New York apartment for Christmas; I save everything for Aspen. The house there is all done up with lights and bells--not over the top, but quaint. It's like a gingerbread house. And then you open the door and the first thing you see is this enormous tree and a manger.

I started going to Aspen the year after my album Butterfly came out, and that year I collected a ton of butterfly ornaments. So every year, before we get up there, I have a woman who comes to the house and sets up what we call the butterfly tree. It's gorgeous, all silver and gold with angels and butterflies on it and gold, silver, and white ornaments. And we have a manger set up in the front room because, to me, the season is about celebrating, about being with friends and loved ones, but first and foremost it's about the birth of Christ, and I think it's important to remember that.

How does that religious aspect of the holiday fit into your celebration?
One year I did a concert for Camp Mariah, which is a camp I started that benefits underprivileged children. And every year I work with the foster kids of Denver. We do a holiday event for them, and the last couple of years--I worry about saying this in case any of them read it--Santa has come and he looks much like Santa, a real beard and everything! And all the kids get gifts and get to take pictures with him.

You grew up on Long Island in New York and lived with your mom after your parents divorced. What was Christmas like when you were little?
My mother, now she was festive. She always wanted Christmas to be exciting. We didn't always have enough money for a lot of presents, but she'd wrap up whatever she could--even an orange--and say it was from the cat or something, just so I could have things to open. I think that when kids are little, it's really all about opening things; it doesn't matter so much what they are. And my mother always made things very fun.

Your mother was a singer also. Was music a big part of celebrating?
Yes. She usually had a Christmas party where she'd make mulled wine and invite all her friends, and we'd decorate the tree and everyone would sing carols. So music is very important to me around the holidays. By the end of the week in Aspen everybody is ready to kill me, because from the minute we get there to the minute we leave, I have the Christmas music on. Usually it's satellite radio, but we throw our favorites in there, like the James Brown Christmas album and the Jackson 5 Christmas album. Oh, and I love the Chipmunks' Christmas album! It's such a throwback to childhood--just laughing and having a good time.

Are there places of your childhood you try to incorporate into the celebration?
Every year we do what we call "Charlie Brown Christmas tree," where we string up those big red and green bulbs and hang tons of ornaments--mostly ornaments my fans have sent me over the years. They did pictures of, like, me and the dog, just really cute stuff. A couple of years ago, one of my friends gave us the idea of taking Polaroids of each other and then decorating them and putting those on the tree. That was really fun; I think we might do it again this year. It's a wonderful time for us all to bond and really get into the spirit.

Last year I was very inspired by the movie Elf--how much do you love that movie?--so we set up one of the upstairs bedrooms like the North Pole, all covered in fake snow, with tents and an area where the kids could play with toys like Etch A Sketches. My friend's two children were 3 and 1 at the time, and they were in heaven!

It sounds like you really love the "traditional" Christmas stuff.
I do, but we try to make it our own. The focal point of the week is the 23rd, when we do a real sleigh ride! Depending on how many of us are up there, we get one or two horse-drawn sleighs, and we bundle up and go riding in the snow under the stars. We always drink cocoa with butterscotch schnapps to keep warm, and we sing at the top of our lungs, not even remotely trying to sound good. Later, we go in the hot tub in our Christmas bikinis, then roll in the fresh snow and jump back in the tub.

Christmas bikinis?
Of course! I like the Santa ones, but they don't stay on very well, so I usually just do a red bikini with a Santa hat.

Speaking of bikinis, what about lingerie? This year you'll be a newlywed at Christmas; are you thinking about some naughty Santa outfits?
Honestly, I always get Santa lingerie--even if nobody's going to see it! I mean, why not? But this year I'm definitely excited because it'll be appreciated!

You mentioned cocoa for the sleigh rides. Do you have any other holiday food traditions?
Every Christmas Eve I make linguine and white clam sauce for everybody. They always ask, "Are you gonna make your clam sauce?" I'd be worried if Nick hadn't tried it yet, but he did and ate the whole plate! I also make stuffed shells. It's kind of random because I'm not Italian, but the recipes were my father's, and he gave them to me before he passed away, so it's become a tradition. And we always have A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV [while we eat]. Before the kids go to bed, we leave out cookies and a note for Santa.

The rest of us stay up late that night, and I usually end up wrapping presents until the sun comes up! My problem is, I do too much shopping out there because I never get a chance before that, so I'm sitting up all night wrapping. Then I sleep in Christmas day, which kind of ruins Christmas morning for everybody.

Do they all have to wait until you get up to open presents?
Well, they don't have to! Definitely I always tell everyone to let the kids open presents before I get up. We do stockings; we all have stockings with our names on them, even the dogs.

Since you do a big Christmas Eve dinner, is Christmas night more relaxed?
Actually, that's the night we dress up for dinner. Last year, my pastor came and did a service for us and ate dinner with us. And when I say dress up, I mean I'm in a gown. I've got lots of vintage pieces and I wear either red or white, and jewelry. Usually, a couple of days before, while everyone else is skiing, I just sit around playing dress-up. I don't know what that's about--I mean, who does that?! But skiing means being cold and getting up really early, two things I'm not very good at.

Have you decided yet what presents you want to get for Nick?
I've had a few ideas, but I wouldn't want this to come out before Christmas and give all my ideas away!

How about you? What do you want?
Honestly, I haven't really thought about it. I just want to have a really good time--a restful, enjoyable time. I want to be ecstatic and have the best Christmas ever. And I know that's a really huge request right now. There's so much going on in the world that's pretty dismal, but I've always had that glass-half-full outlook. That's how I am. And I really think it'll be a memorable Christmas.

Source: http://www.mariahdaily.com

dsdfds

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:55:03 GMT

MTV REVIEWS NEW MARIAH ALBUM

Mariah Carey's last album, the multiplatinum Emancipation of Mimi, brought her back from a career slump of bad movies, dud albums, marital collapse and emotional meltdowns. It proved she still had the goods. So what is there left to prove with her new record, E=MC²? Answer: Nothing.</p>Which may be why Jermaine Dupri, the man behind so many of the Emancipation hits, plays a more muted role this time out, providing the occasional "uh-huh," "yeah" and "nope," among other things, on four of the album's 14 tracks. Has he worn out his welcome like the on-again, off-again lover Mariah sings about in the bulk of his tracks?
JD was a delight on Emancipation, acting less like a producer and more like a friend, bolstering Mariah's confidence and giving her someone to riff with ("It's Like That," "Get Your Number" and "Shake It Off"), ultimately helping her get to the point where she could do the breakout track "We Belong Together." But JD and Mariah don't belong together anymore. Now that Mariah's finally free, her producers need to help her spread her wings - otherwise, all we get is redux.
JD comes closest to showing that he still can do something new on "Thanx for Nothin'," which, like the Scott Storch track "Side Effects," finally reveals a side of Mariah we don't see that often - her true self. The Mariah we usually see and hear is a glossy one. Psychologists might say her effect is "off" - meaning her gestures and facial expressions don't match her mood. There's a reason for that, as she explains on "Side Effects," which is the emotional abuse she says she suffered during her marriage to music mogul Tommy Mottola. Mariah, who is usually quite guarded, has alluded to the subject in songs like "Petals," but never has she gone into such detail as she does on "Side Effects," in which she refers to the marriage as a "private hell that we built." Even though it's been 11 years since they split up, she sings in a lower register that she's still "wakin' up scared some nights ... dreaming about the violent times." Her emotional scars left her "a little protective ... a little defensive ... a little depressed," which makes her "fake a smile" as she "deal[s] with the side effects."
While "Side Effects" features Young Jeezy, it sounds like a rock power ballad, as if Mariah had been listening to a lot of Bonnie Tyler and Pat Benatar and decided that to capture her emotions, the music needed to share her pain. This turns out to be a good thing, because when she's not focused on vocal gymnastics, Mariah can really sing - as in, letting us really feel what she feels. Nowhere else on the album does Mariah get quite so emotionally naked, and it makes you wonder: What would Mariah have sounded like if she ventured out of her comfort zones of pop and R&B? (Not withstanding her ill-advised Def Leppard cover, of course.)
While "Side Effects" is about her ex-husband, her second single, "Bye Bye," appears to be about her late father, Alfred Roy, who died of cancer in 2002. Mariah reminisces about the too-little time she shared with her mostly absent father and regrets how as a child, she didn't understand why he failed to show up sometimes to see her after he and her mother divorced when she was 3. But mostly Mariah regrets that he "never got a chance to see how good I've done/ And you never got to see me back at #1." This confessional moment doesn't last long, since she extends this song about death to be for anybody "who just lost somebody."
But for most of E=MC², Mariah doesn't want to feel any pain - she wants to party the night away. So on the club-thumping "Migrate," she hops from "my car into the club ... from the bar to VIP ... from the party to the afterparty ... afterparty to hotel" with T-Pain, who urges her to "bounce, bounce, bounce." Like most MC albums, every guest star seems required to check her name at the door, and this is no exception. "Migrate," which was co-produced by Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, has Mariah in full diva mode as she leaves a club once they start "playing my jam."
Just in case there was a question of which jam that might be, she name-checks them herself in "For the Record," a play on words in which she incorporates past song titles into a verse after she asks her lover, "Give me one reason one we can't just press rewind?"
"I'm That Chick" ups the ego ante, but as she demonstrates with some silly lyrics ("la da da ooowee") and a funky disco beat (benefiting from an "Off the Wall" melody sample), she's not taking any of it seriously. At least we hope she's not serious when she compares herself to Tupac and Biggie, then ice cream and the lottery, as she softly taunts, "You're fiending to blaze up and taste me." As if this weren't already destined for the '80s time-warp roller-disco crowd, she serves up the joyful romp "I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time," which borrows from the chorus of DeBarge's "Stay With Me" (as well as a phrase uttered by a Vietnamese %+%#+% in "Full Metal Jacket" and then sampled by 2 Live Crew and other hip-hop acts). At least on the reggae-inflected "Cruise Control" (featuring Damian Marley), she exhibits a sense of humor, singing in a Jamaican patois during the second verse: "When tha door open, de gals on de block they be hopin' to rob tha clock." She's not joking, or as she puts it, "Tink I'm joking?"

But for all the jokes, silliness and absurdities, Mariah is at her best when she keeps it simple, as she does in the closing track, "I Wish You Well," a piano ballad with gospel overtones (even including Bible verses from the books Proverbs, John, Philippians and Psalms). The song is a turning-of-the-cheek to anyone who mistreated her or doubted her. Older and wiser, she realizes on E=MC², which hits stores April 15, that she needed them all along to make her who she is now, and thanks them for it. Because if she can be square with them, she's truly set free - squared.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1584685/20080402/carey_mariah.jhtml

Picture Post: Mariah Carey w/ Other Celebrities

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:40:36 GMT

Britney Spears:

Justin Timberlake:

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie:

Olivia Newton-John:

Oprah:

Magic Johnson:

Sean Combs:

Aretha Franklin:

Michael Bolton:

Rosie O'Donnell:

Terrence Howard:

Luciano Pavarotti:

Eric Clapton:

Brandy

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Celine Dion, Shania Twain

Stevie Wonder:

Colin Powell (and others..):

Derek Jeter:

Will Smith, Lauryn Hill, Michael Jordan:

Muhammed Ali and Jamie Foxx:

Barbara Walters:

Bette Middler:

Diana Ross, Destiny's Child:

Diana Ross, Faith Hill:

Bob Geldoff:

Busta Rhymes:

Da Brat:

Diane Sawyer:

Donatella Versace:

Dick Clark:

Max Beesly:

John F. Kennedy Jr III:

Joy Behar:

Kayne West, Jay Z, John Legend:

Larry King:

Jay Leno:

Kelly Clarkson:

Mary J Blige:

Lindsay Lohan:

Michael Jackson, Nsync, Usher, Anastacia:

Michael J. Fox:

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Damon Dash:

Chris O'Donnell:

Patii LaBelle:

Paula Abdul, Justin Guarini:

Paul McCartney, Bob Geldoff:

Penny Marshall:

Pharell:

Phil Collins:

Snoop Dogg:

Joy Behar, Star Jones, Meredith Viera:

John Travolta:

Chris Tucker:

Usher:

Whitney Houston, Will Smith:

Mira Sorvino, Melora Walters

Mickey Mouse:

sdf

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:10:58 GMT

Mariah>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Janet>>Madonna

Source: http://www.mariahdaily.com and Rolling Stone Magazine

By the way, I attended BET's taping of her special for the new album last night and I heard 3 new songs: Migrate, Love Story, and That Chick. THEY ARE AWESOME, BUT ESPECIALLY THAT CHICK. U WILL ALL BE BLOWN AWAYY I PROMISE U.

High Quality Mariah Pictures @ TRL and BET

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:24:54 GMT

HIGH QUALITY PICTURES: Mariah Carey at TRL and BET's 106th and Park

Source: Mariahdaily.com

mariah

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:54:51 GMT

Mariah Carey Backstage at TRL (Tuesday Feb 27) to premiere her new video for "Touch My Body"

She discussed:

* Her album title, which means Emancipation = Mariah Carey squared
* Migrate, a new song on her album, being T-Pain's first collaboration with a female
* Her new movie Tennesee to premiere in April at Tribeca Film Festival
* And obviously, her new video
* Jack McBrayer (the nerdy guy in the video) was also at TRL with her

VIDEO COMING SOON! Or I'll let Richard post it.

Unseen Photos: Mariah frolicking around naked.

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:39:14 GMT

For some new pictures that are previously unseen from January 2008, in St. Barth,

sdisod

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:43:58 GMT

HI LAMBZ

dsdsdks