The radio station Hot 93.9 FM in Honolulu, Hawaii announced today (in correlation with previous reports) that Mariah will come to Hawaii for two concerts on December 10th and 12th.

Update: Mariah will be performing at the Stan Sheriff Center at the Univerisity of Hawaii Manoa. Tickets go on sale this Saturday!

Amazon UK lists November 14th as the release date for "The Emancipation of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition" in the UK, the same day as for Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland) and Australia.

November 15th marks the release date of the album in Canada, Japan and the USA.

Lastly, France will be getting the album on November 28th.

For those who want to order the American edition online, Amazon offers it for $14.99.

Lastly, a recent tracklisting cites the extra Jermaine Dupri produced track title as "Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do)" instead of "What It Look Like".

Early this morning, MTV premiered the music video to "Don't Forget About Us". Fans who were lucky enough to catch the video describe it as one of Mariah's sexiest videos to date. Here's a description from a fan:

"She looks flawless. She wears a short brown dress. She shows off her butt a bit. She is in a pool in another part. She was in a soccor field with a model who continued starring as her boyfreind throughout the video. They were in a car together as well. She also wears his jacket at one point which has a furry hood on it. That was a hot look for her! She also wears lingerie in a part of the video."

The French music channel NRJ 12 aired a show yesterday called "Badge VIP: Mariah Carey". The show is about three fans in search of a VIP pass to meet Mariah. Below you can download a video file of their long awaited meeting with Mariah, in France.

Many thanks to Sam for the video file!

[ Download: Badge VIP: Mariah Carey ]

MARIAH CAREY
THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI
ULTRA PLATINUM EDITION

Featuring the unforgettable new single "Don't Forget About Us" + 3 Previously Unreleased Songs

With "The Emancipation of Mimi" 4x Platinum, Grammy award winning songwriter Mariah Carey continues to make history. "We Belong Together" took over the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, Pop 100, Pop 100 Airplay, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Adult R&B (a career first for Mariah), Rhythmic Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 - making Mariah the first solo artist ever to top all eight charts concurrently.

The ultra platinum edition of "The Emancipation of Mimi" includes the new smash single "Don't Forget About Us" produced by Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri. It also features the remix of "We Belong Together" featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. along with two other previously unreleased songs.

Tracklisting:
1. It's Like That
2. We Belong Together
3. Shake It Off
4. Mine Again
5. Say Somethin' - featuring Snoop Dogg
6. Stay The Night
7. Get Your Number - featuring Jermaine Dupri
8. One And Only - featuring Twista
9. Circles
10. Your Girl
11. I Wish You Knew
12. To The Floor - featuring Nelly
13. Joy Ride
14. Fly Like A Bird

Platinum Edition Tracks:
15. Don't Forget About Us
16. What It Look Like
17. So Lonely (One & Only Part II)
18. We Belong Together - Remix featuring Jadakiss and Styles P.

Deluxe Limited Edition With Exclusive DVD:

Music videos of "It's Like That", "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off" and the never before released international video "Get Your Number".

Plus a link to access the video "Don't Forget About Us" and a never before seen interview 'Mariah In Her Own Words'.

Tools:

11x17 Poster

1x2 Album Flat

TV Appearances:

November 15th - Vibe Awards

November 22nd - American Music Awards - Performer + Multiple Nominee

November 24th - NFL Detroit - Thanksgiving Day Halftime Show

December - Billboard Music Awards

Australia
In its 30th week on the official Australian charts, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops 6 spots to #38. "Shake It Off" drops one spot to #10.

On Thursday, "Shake It Off" returned to #1 on the popular radio countdown "Hot 30" (2day FM.)

Brazil
In its 27th week on the Brazilian charts, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops two spots to #7. "We Belong Together" drops 3 spots to #4. "Shake It Off" jumps 7 spots to #55.

Russia
"We Belong Together" drops two spots to #16 on MTV Russia's Top 20 countdown. Click here to vote.

Spain
Please vote for "Get Your Number" on the Top Interactive Countdown. On Friday, the video skyrocketed from #6 to #2. Let's try to get Mariah to number 1 on Monday by voting here.

Select Spain - The "Get Your Number" video was shown for a second time thanks to your requests on Friday. Please request the video by calling 91 535 20 79 or by sending an e-mail with your video request to select@mtv.es.

Los 40 TV - Request the video by emailing fanclub@40tv.com. "Get Your Number" was the first video shown yesterday morning. This also announces the premiere of the video on this channel.

UK
On this week's UK charts, "Greatest Hits" drops one place to #8, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops two to #27 and the "Get Your Number / Shake It Off" single slips four places to #16.

USA
On this week's Top 20 Video Countdown on VH1, "Shake It Off" holds the #2 spot.

"Don't Forget About Us" continues to have radio success. According to Mediabase, the song now has 65.854 million impressions with 7,461 spins divided among the formats as follows: 3,662(Pop), 2,415 (Rhythmic) 1,243 (Urban), 77 (Urban A/C) and 64 (Hot A/C).

--Last night, on the UK show "X Factor", Chenai sang "Hero" and passed to the next level. Less than a month ago, Emily Williams sang "Hero" on "Australian Idol" and managed to get through the next level as well.

--Casey ReinHardt from "Laguna Beach" created a website for herself. "Shake It Off" plays in the background of the main page. Click here to see it.

Alex M from the same show states: "Musically I LOVE Mariah Carey" on her MySpace Profile.

--From MSN Entertainment: A Wing and a Scare: Say what you will about Mariah Carey and her girlish obsession with butterflies, but at least she's never turned up for a photo op wearing one. The same can't be said for Eliza Dushku, who waves goodbye to good taste and hello to an early Halloween as she poses with a scary, sequined insect floating on her chest.

--The new Billboard magazine features an ad from Island Def Jam's artists, paying tribute to BET. Click here to see the ad.

--K9 Magazine sent Mariah their Celebrity Gift Hamper which includes the following:

- A caricature provided by Christopher Murphy Studio, who specialises in caricatures for people and their pets.
- A selection of gifts from Fable Pets Ltd. including Pink Bone ID Tags in aid of Breast Cancer Care.
- Designer couture clothing from Muttley & Fifi.
- Cosmetic treats from "Benefit" such as glosses, hollywood gio, high beam and speedbrow.
- "Treats by squirt" pooch pampering at its very best
- Clothing and accessories from PUCHii Couture.
- A designer t-shirt for dog lovers from Tied Up Clothing.
- Luxury Bedding from Amaroni Lounge Bed.

In addition to premiering on both MTV's TRL and BET's 106 & Park on Tuesday - November 1st, the "Don't Forget About Us" video will also be added to the videos rotation on all three networks.

MTV:
The video is one of six "Spanking New Additions" which will be added to the network's video rotation on the week of 10/31/05.

VH1:
The video is one of five new adds to the network and will also be added to rotation on the week of 10/31/05.
Effective next week, the video will be played on a "X-Large" rotation meaning 20-22 spins per week.

As previously reported, on November 1st, Mariah is scheduled to appear on 106 & Park and premiere the video on BET.

Update: It is now confirmed that on Tuesday (Nov. 1) Mariah will also come to the MTV studios to premiere "Don't Forget About Us" live on TRL! Fans from the New York area should make their best efforts to come to the TRL studios and support Mariah as she arrives there!

The recent issue of "Rap-Up" magazine features an interview with Toni Braxton.

The singer speaks out about Mariah Carey while clearing up any rumors of a diva feud. "We are cordial friends. In the 90s, everyone was so competitive. Everyone was trying to have their moment. Now we look at each other and we're like, 'We're still here.' We never really talked in the past. It's not that we didn't like each other, be we were artists trying to hold onto our moments. Now we have a different admiration for one another." She adds, "I saw her about a month ago when she was having a little dinner party and she said, 'Toni, you should come,' and I was like, 'I would love to, but I have to be up at six in the morning." She was like, 'I understand.' So we'll hook up again later. She was really a sweetheart.

TRL just announced that the new Mariah music video for "Don't Forget About Us" will premiere on TRL on Tuesday, November 1st, 2005.

Mariah is also scheduled to make an appearance on the same day on BET's 106 & Park where she will likely premiere the video as well.

Here are Mariah's Billboard chart positions for the magazine's issue date November 5, 2005.

The Emancipation of Mimi ▲4
Billboard 200: #14 (Last Week #15)
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #14 (Last Week #14)
Total Sales: 3,612,524

Don't Forget About Us
Billboard Hot 100: #36 (Last Week #56)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #17 (Last Week #30)
Billboard Pop 100: #31 (Last Week #36)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #18 (Last Week #23)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #31 (Last Week #39)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #30 (Last Week #39)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #22 (Last Week #28)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #18 (Last Week #28)

Shake It Off
Billboard Hot 100: #7 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #5 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Pop 100: #8 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #3 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #9 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #9 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #3 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #7 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Adult R&B: #10 (Last Week #11)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #17 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #23 (Last Week #26)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #23 (Last Week #15)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #36 (Album Ver.) (Last Week #25)
Total Sales: 267,527

We Belong Together ▲
Billboard Hot 100: #18 (Last Week #15)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #14 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Pop 100: #26 (Last Week #25)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #22 (Last Week #21)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #21 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #21 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #19 (Last Week #16)
Billboard Adult R&B: #4 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Adult Contemporary: #5 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Adult Top40: #32 (Last Week #26)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #14 (Last Week #16)
Billboard Hot Singles Sales: #22 (Last Week #24)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #58 (Last Week #41)

Mine Again
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #85 (Last Week #73)

It's Like That▲
Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales: #17 (Last Week #21)

Mariah Carey, Greatest Hits ▲
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums: #21 (Last Week #19)

For the first time in her career, Mariah has three singles in the top 40 positions of the Hot 100 chart.

For the fourth time, VH1 will honor winners in categories that captured the year in music, news, politics, arts and gossip with "VH1 Big In '05 Awards." Hosted by actor and comedian D.L. Hughley, the annual year end celebration will premiere on Sunday, December 4 at 8PM. Performers, presenters and special guests will be announced as they are confirmed.

VH1 is turning the choice of who will win over to America. Viewers can vote for each category online at votebig.vh1.com from October 26 to November 16.

This year's categories/nominees include:

BIG MUSIC ARTIST
Mariah Carey
Green Day
Kelly Clarkson

Below are early Billboard reports for the issue dated November 5 , 2005. Stay tuned for further updates to be posted tomorrow.

Billboard 200
The Emancipation of Mimi: #14 (Last Week #15)
Sales this week: 49,283 (+4%)
Total sales: 3,612,524

Mainstream Top 40
Shake It Off: #3 (Last Week #3)
Don't Forget About Us: #22 (Last Week #28)

--"We Belong Together" dropped below #20 after 26 chart weeks and is now considered recurrent.

Rhythmic Top 40
Shake It Off: #7 (Last Week #6)
We Belong Together: #19 (Last Week #16)
Don't Forget About Us: #18 (Last Week #28) - Greatest Gainer & Airpower

Dance Radio Airplay
Shake It Off: #17 (Last Week #14)
We Belong Together: #14 (Last Week #16)

Adult Contemporary
We Belong Together: #5 (Last Week #4)

Adult Top 40
We Belong Together: #32 (Last Week #26)

Adult R&B
Shake It Off: #10 (Last Week #11)
We Belong Together: #4 (Last Week #3)

Hot Digital Songs
Shake It Off: #23 (Last Week #15)
Downloads this week: 13,210 (-17%)
Total downloads: 267,527

"We Belong Together" has been certified with a Nielsen BDS certification for airplay of 500,000 detections on all monitored stations. "Shake It Off" received a similar certification for 200,000 detections.

Below are screen captures from the computer animated "claymation" music video for the Anniversary Mix of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." The song and the music video are available on the dual disc reissue of "Merry Christmas" which was released to stores on October 25th.

Below is the tracklisting for the upcoming re-lease of "The Emancipation of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition", according to HMV Japan. Notice the new track's title change, which has yet to be confirmed.

CD
1. It's Like That
2. We Belong Together
3. Shake It Off
4. Mine Again
5. Say Somethin' - (with Snoop Dogg)
6. Stay The Night
7. Get Your Number - (with Jermaine Dupri)
8. One And Only - (with Twista)
9. Circles
10. Your Girl
11. I Wish You Knew
12. To The Floor - (with Nelly)
13. Joy Ride
14. Fly Like A Bird
15. Don't Forget About Us
16. Makin' It Last All Night (What I Do) featuring Jermaine Dupri
17. So Lonely
18. We Belong Together - Remix featuring Jadakiss and Styles P.

DVD
1. It's Like That video
2. We Belong Together video
3. Shake It Off video
4. Get Your Number video

On December 7th, 2005, a day before the Grammy nominations announcement, The NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) will be honoring Mariah in New York City. Here is the official announcement:

Dec. 7
The Recording Academy Honors
Gotham Hall, NYC, Cocktail reception 6:30 p.m.
Join the New York Chapter as we honor Mariah Carey, Yoko Ono and John Lennon, Howard Shore and Jay-Z at The Recording Academy Honors. For more information, please visit the New York Chapter Web page.

--Right click and choose "Save target as..." on the following links to download MP3s of Mariah's interview with The Beat 96.1 in Charlotte, NC: Part One | Part Two

--Many fans are encountering difficulties while trying to find the reissue of "Merry Christmas" dual disc which was released to stores today. Apparently, some stores will only be getting shippments of the CD towards Christmas. For those of you who are impatient, Amazon.com offers an instant shipping of the CD.

--Starting Sunday oct. 23, every American Eagle outfitters will be playing "It's Like That" on their video screens.

--Check out our Multimedia section for a few extra Mariah related fonts.

--For those interested, MusicNotes.com has a great selection of Mariah's music available in sheet music form, including all the songs from "The Emancipation of Mimi".

--Click here to download a short audio clip of Kelly Clarkson singing "Vision of Love" during an interview in Holland.

--Below are two pictures of Mariah arriving at Nice Airport, France on October 18th, 2005 (Courtesy of Lime-Light.org)

Congratulations Mariah! "Shake It Off" retired today from MTV's TRL at #6.

The music video to "Shake It Off", directed by Jake Nava, first entered the TRL countdown on August 1st, 2005 at #8. It went on to charting in the top ten for 50 days, including four days at #1!

"Shake It Off" becomes Mariah's 3rd music video to retire from TRL (the others being "We Belong Together" which retired on July 8th, 2005 and "Heartbreaker".)

Please continue voting for Mariah at the following places:

All Fans:

American Music Awards' T-Mobile Artist of the Year - Vote for Mariah to win a people's choice award on the November 22nd American Music Awards!

MTV Europe Music Awards - Vote for Mariah to win the Best Female Artist and Best R&B Artist awards. Mariah has not won an EMA since 1994.

Rolling Stone Cover Survey - Vote for Mariah on the survey so she could grace the magazine's cover.


US Fans Only:

American Music Awards' T-Mobile Artist of the Year - T-Mobile USA subscribers can vote for Mariah (soul/R&B) via text messaging.

Request "Don't Forget About Us" at your local radio stations.

Click here to download Mariah's interview with Tampa, Florida's Wild 98.7's Orlando and The Freaks last Thursday, October 20th. Mariah talked about her upcoming album re-release and her climb back to the top of the game.

The "Shake It Off" video is ONE countdown away from being retired on MTV's TRL! Vote as much as you can to help the video retire at #1!

VOTE ONLINE or CALL 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:

4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time 3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time 2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time 1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time

MTV's TRL airs Monday-Friday at 5:00pm ET/PT.

Australia
This week on the official ARIA charts, "Shake It Off" drops a spot from #8 to #9 on the Top 50 Singles and two places from #3 to #5 on the Urban Top 40 Singles. "The Emancipation of Mimi," in its 29th week, plunges five places from #27 to #32 on the Top 50 Albums chart and maintains its hold at #4 on the Urban Top 40 Albums chart.

Brazil
In its 19th week on Hot100Br@sil singles chart, "We Belong Together" jumps two places to #1! "Shake It Off" in its 3rd week rises as well, 15 places up to #62! On the albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" maintains its hold at #5 in its 26th week.

France
"We Belong Together" is up a spot from #36 to #35 (peaked at #12) in its 8th week on the IFOP singles chart. "The Emancipation of Mimi" plunges 18 places from #40 to #58 on the IFOP albums chart.

Germany
"Get Your Number" was #2 on TRL Germany video countdown last Friday! Please keep on voting by clicking here. You can vote as often as you like.

Greece
--In its 21st week on the Greek IFPI albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops 5 spots from #16 to #21.

--The "Get Your Number" video premiered on Mad TV yesterday. Request the video by clicking here.

Ireland
On the official Irish singles chart, "Get Your Number/Shake It Off" climbs a spot from #17 to #16 in its 3rd week while "We Belong Together" drops out of the Top 50 (peaked at #3). On the albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" loses 3 spots from #38 to #41 (peaked at #18) in its 22nd week.

Italy
Mariah's new video to "Get Your Number" entered TRL Italy video countdown at #10! Please vote as often as you can here. "The Emancipation of Mimi" is gold in Italy with 40,000 copies sold.

Malaysia
"Shake It Off" and "We Belong Together" are #3 (+2) and #4 (-1), respectively on Mix FM’s Mixed Up 20. Vote here.

New Zealand
"Shake It Off" climbs 3 places from its last week's debut of #8 to #5 this week on the official New Zealand singles chart! "The Emancipation of Mimi" in its 21st week on the albums chart drops 4 from #29 to #33.

Russia
"We Belong Together" drops 3 spots from #11 to #14 on MTV Russia's Top 20. Please continue to vote.

Scandinavia
According to CDON.com, Scandinavia will get "The Emancipation of Mimi" Reissue one day earlier than the US! It will be released on November 14th all over Scandinavia.

Spain
Request for the "Get Your Number" video on:

Los 40 Principales: send an e-mail and text to 7600 with the message, "Vote Mariah Carey Get Your Number". Cadena 100: e-mail and text to 5211 with, "100 YourName YourProvince Mariah Carey Get Your Number." MTV Top Interactive Countdown: currently at #7. Click here to vote. Select Spain: Call 91 535 20 79 or e-mail. Los 40 TV: e-mail

UK
--In its 3rd week on the official UK singles chart, "Get Your Number/Shake It Off" drops two places from #10 to #12.

--"The Emancipation of Mimi," in its 29th week on the albums chart plunges 9 spots from #16 to #25. Meanwhile, Mariah's "The Greatest Hits" album climbs two spots to #7 this week after re-entering the albums chart at #9 last week!

USA
--"Shake It Off" is back to #1 on this week's VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown. Please keep on voting. Post your vote online in the Top 20 Video Countdown Message Board.

--"Don't Forget About Us" Mediabase update as of 10/22/2005: 53.109 million audience impressions, 5857 spins.

--Mariah was #2 on Askmen.com's Most Popular Singers for the month of September. Jessica Simpson topped the list while Kelly Clarkson took the #3 spot.

--Starting Oct. 23rd, store chain American Eagle Outfitters will feature Mariah's "It's Like That" as one of the videos on their in-store projection screens.

--Mariah is currently holding down the #2 and #3 spots on the Mad 9@9 on Phoenix, AZ's Power 92.3 with "We Belong Together" and "Shake It Off," respectively. Vote online by clicking here.

World Charts
On the official global track chart, "We Belong Together" in its 25th week, maintains its hold at #17. "Shake It Off", in its 10th week, also remains at #14. On the global albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" rises one from #22 to #21 in its 28th week on the chart.

Click on the links below to download video/audio files of Mariah as she ends the Swarovski Fashion Rocks fashion event with her stunning performance of "We Belong Together Remix." The show was staged at the Grimaldi Forum October 17, 2005 in Monte Carlo, Monaco and aired earlier on UK's Channel 4.

MP3 (4.0MB)

MPEG (49.6MB)

High-Quality MPEG (114.4MB, RAR Archive):

--Part One --Part Two --Part Three

Note: To view the high-quality video, download all parts into the same folder, right click on one and choose "Extract Here..." The program WinRAR can be used to extract the file.

Many thanks to DJ for the video file!

Below are scans of Mariah gracing the pages of this week's issues of Star, People, In Touch, OK!, Life & Style, and Celebrity Living.

Above: Beautiful Mariah Carey after getting rolled out of Big Boy's Neighborhood (Power 106 FM, Los Angeles, October 21, 2005).

Yesterday morning, Mariah continued promoting "The Emancipation of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition" by visiting three radio stations in Los Angeles, California and calling two others.

Click on the links below to download audio files of today's radio interviews with Mariah.

Power 106 FM - Mariah visits Big Boy's Neighborhood radio show.
Download MP3s: Part One | Part Two

KIIS 102.7 FM - Mariah visits "On Air With Ryan Seacrest".
Download MP3 Here

The Beat 100.3 FM - Mariah visits the John Salley & Ananda Lewis morning show.
Download MP3 Here

Hot 99.5, Washington D.C - Mariah called "The Hot Morning Mess".
Download MP3 Here (Right click and "Save Target As...")

In addition, Mariah called into the Doug Banks morning show. If you have the audio file - please send it to us so we can share it with all the fans!

Producer(s): Jermaine Dupri, Mariah Carey, Bryan-Michael Cox
Writer(s): M. Carey, J. Dupri, B. Cox, J. Austin
Publisher(s): various
Genre: R & B
Label/Catalog Number: Island Def Jam (CD promo)
Source: Billboard Magazine
Originally Reviewed: October 29, 2005

"We Belong Together" certainly restored Mariah Carey's A-level status at radio. But after 14 weeks at No. 1, it is safe to say that the song has made its point. So it is curious that "Don't Forget About Us," added to the expanded rerelease of "The Emancipation of Mimi," is little more than a continuation of the previous hit. Tempo, lyrical style, instrumentation and vocal stamp are all cast in precisely the same mold as "Together." On its own, "Forget" is a soulful, satisfying track, but it suggests that Carey has hit a creative wall. Even so, radio does not seem to mind. This insta-smash should usher the rejuvenated entertainer through the holidays and beyond. —Chuck Taylor

Here is the high quality cover artwork for "The Emancipation of Mimi: Platinum Edition"

Mariah has had an amazing year with "The Emancipation of Mimi". The album is 2005's best selling female album, and has produced 3 top 20 hits (so far) including the longest running #1 of the decade with "We Belong Together".

It's time we step in and help Mariah get her overdue recognition for it!

Please be sure to vote for Mariah on all the places below. Mariah needs our help!

All Fans:

Vote For "Shake IT Off" On TRL! - The video is ONE countdown away from being retired. Vote as much as you can to help the video retire at #1!

American Music Awards' T-Mobile Artist of the Year - Vote for Mariah to win a people's choice award on the November 22nd American Music Awards!

MTV Europe Music Awards - Vote for Mariah to win the Best Female Artist and Best R&B Artist awards. Mariah has not won an EMA since 1994.

Vibe's Album Of The Year Poll - Mariah is currently behind with only 14% of the votes. Vote for her to win!

Rolling Stone Cover Survey - Vote for Mariah on the survey so she could grace the magazine's cover.



US Fans Only:

Vote On TRL:
CALL 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:

4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time
3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time
2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time
1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time

American Music Awards' T-Mobile Artist of the Year - T-Mobile USA subscribers can vote for Mariah (soul/R&B) via text messaging.

Request "Don't Forget About Us" at your local radio stations.

Below are 2005's best selling CDs:

(Position / Year To Date Sales (*)/ Current (**) / Title)

#1) 4.649 - 44 - 50 Cent - Massacre
#2) 3.563 - 15 - Mariah Carey - Emancipation Of Mimi
#3) 2.631 - 16 - Green Day - American Idiot
#4) 2.428 - 11 - Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
#5) 2.237 - 36 - Coldplay - X&Y

* Sales in million copies.
** Current position on the Billboard 200

Click here to hear snippets from the upcoming reissue of "Merry Christmas", to be released on October 25th.

The Dual-Disc's Tracklisting is as follows:

Disc 1:
1. Silent Night
2. All I Want for Christmas Is You
3. O Holy Night
4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
5. Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)
6. Joy to the World
7. Jesus Born on This Day
8. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)
10. Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child
11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
12. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town [Anniversary Mix]
13. All I Want for Christmas Is You
14. All I Want for Christmas Is You [J.D. Remix]

Disc 2 (DVD) :
1. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town [Anniversary Mix]
2. All I Want for Christmas Is You
3. Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)
4. All I Want for Christmas Is You [J.D. Remix: Animated]
5. Joy to the World [Celebration Mix]
6. O Holy Night
7. All I Want for Chistmas Is You [Black & White Version]
8. Joy to the World [Live at St. John the Devine]

Here are Mariah's Billboard chart positions for the magazine's issue date October 29, 2005.

The Emancipation of Mimi ▲3
Billboard 200: #15 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #14 (Last Week #13)
Total Sales: 3,563,241

Don't Forget About Us
Billboard Hot 100: #56 (Last Week #81)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #30 (Last Week #52)
Billboard Pop 100: #36 (Last Week #45)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #23 (Last Week #30)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #39 (Last Week #70)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #39 (Last Week #66)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #28 (Debut)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #28 (Debut)

Shake It Off
Billboard Hot 100: #5 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #2 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Pop 100: #6 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #3 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #4 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #3 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #3 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #6 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Adult R&B: #11 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #14 (Last Week #16)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #26 (Last Week #33)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #15 (Last Week #12)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #25 (Album Ver.) (Last Week #23)
Billboard Hot Ringtones: #5 (Last Week #4)
Total Sales: 254,317

We Belong Together ▲
Billboard Hot 100: #15 (Last Week #12)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #8 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Pop 100: #25 (Last Week #21)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #21 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #18 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #18 (Last Week #13)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #21 (Last Week #16)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #16 (Last Week #16)
Billboard Adult R&B: #3 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Adult Contemporary: #4 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Adult Top40: #26 (Last Week #25)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #16 (Last Week #12)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #39 (Last Week #40)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #41 (Last Week #44)
Billboard Hot Singles Sales: #24 (Last Week #19)
Billboard Hot Ringtones: #12 (Last Week #11)
Total Sales: 607,099

Mine Again
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #73 (Last Week #76)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #67 (Last Week #71)

It's Like That▲
Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales: #21 (Re-Entry)

Mariah Carey, Greatest Hits ▲
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums: #19 (Last Week #20)

Thanks for your votes! "Shake It Off" came in at #10 on yesterday's TRL video countdown. With only 2 countdowns left before retirement, let's keep it up! Let's vote like crazy all this week and take "Shake It Off" back to the TOP!

VOTE ONLINE or CALL 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:

4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time 3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time 2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time 1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time

MTV's TRL airs Monday-Friday at 5:00pm ET/PT.

Let's get "Shake It Off" to retire at #1!

Mariah has been and will continue to call radio stations throughout this week to promote the upcoming re-release of "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Platinum Edition).

Click on the thumbnail to view a larger photo of the new edition's cover art (courtesy of MariahCarey.com).



October 20th Interviews:

Download MP3: Mariah Calls The Ace & TJ Show
The first Mariah interview of this morning was with The Ace & TJ show, a regionally syndicated morning show based out of the WNKX (Kiss 95.1) studios in Charlotte, NC. The show is also broadcasts in Chattanooga, TN; Birmingham, AL; Buckley-Bluefield, WV; Dothan, AL; and Myrtle Beach, SC.

Mariah was scheduled to call at 6:30 a.m. EST but called about 25 minutes late. They actually had to ask her to hold during their 8 minute break. Luckily, she was gracious, polite, and obliged because she'd kept them waiting.

In the interview they talk about "The Emancipation Of Mimi: The Ultra Platinum Edition," Michael Bublé, the tabloids, Madonna, the paparazzi, and "fat days."

Download MP3: Mariah Calls The Kidd Kraddick Show
At approximately 8:35 a.m., Mariah called into the 'Kidd Kraddick' morning show (syndicated) and spoke to the authors of "He's Just Not That Into You".

Mariah discussed the topic of the book and relationships in general. She also talked about the upcoming reissue of the album, the upcoming award shows she will attend, Fashion rocks and her dog Jack.

Download MP3: Mariah Calls The Tom Joyner Morning Show
Mariah called the popular show and informed everyone that she just finished the video for "Don't Forget About Us" yesterday! Jay Anthony Brown, a comedian, told Mariah that she works a wind machine like no other. Her response was "the wind machine is my friend".

Tom Joyner has a cruise every year called "The Fantastic Voyage". He asked Mariah to be a part of this cruise and her response was "well... I would love to, but can I have my own lil' boat to tag along with my crew, and our lil' party. 'Cause you don't want to see me when I wake up in the morning".

October 21st Interviews:
Tune in tomorrow for the following radio interviews:

102.7 KIIS FM in Los Angeles, California - Ryan Seacrest will be interviewing Mariah on his show at approximately 7:00 a.m.

100.3 FM in Los Angeles, California - John Salley & Ananda Lewis told listeners that Mariah will be calling into their morning tomorrow! Celebrities usually call between 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.

The Doug Banks Morning Show (syndicated) - The show airs between 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. Click here to find out where you can listen to the show.

--Mariah's new song, "Don't Forget About Us" was featured on the 'Pump It or Dump It' show in Toronto's Z103.5 music station last night. The song was "pumped" by 94% of the votes!

--Mariah is one of the most popular artists at the Top 40 Countdown - "the Weekend Spectacular!" show on WJPZ-FM (Z89) in Syracuse, NY. "Don't Forget About Us" was #22 this week, jumping up from #26 whereas "Shake It Off" apperared shortly after at #19 on the countdown, falling from #10. Tune in to Z89's website and be sure to vote for Mariah!

--Last night on the new music breakdown at B104 FM in Whitehall, PA, Mariah went up against Hilary Duff's new song won! "Don't Forget About Us" will be returning today, so fans in the area - please vote by calling (610)-720-1041 after the 2 songs at 7:00 pm.

--The music video to "Don't Forget About Us" has been shot in California two weeks ago. Here are the details from the video shoot pass:

The video shoot lasted two days.
Day 1: October 8th.2005
Location: Woodland Hills, CA.
Day 2: October 9th. 2005
Location: San Pedro, CA.
Director: Paul Hunter
Producer: Ron Mohrhoff
Shoot Dates: Oct. 8-9

--According to Mediabase, the weekly impressions count for "Don't Forget About Us" currently stands at 46.068 million audience impressions from 5,027 spins: 2,622 at Pop, 1,491 at Rhytmic, 852 at Urban, 52 at Hot A/C and 10 and Urban A/C.

Thanks to your votes, Mariah Daily has been ranked at #24 on the 2005 BT Digital Music Awards at the category of People Choice Award Top 200 Sites.

We'd like to take this opportunity and thank all of the Mariah fans who visit 'Mariah Daily' for your continued support and integral contribution to the site.

Below are early Billboard updates for Issue Date: October 29, 2005. Stay tuned for further updates to be posted tomorrow.

Hot 100
Shake It Off: #5 (Last Week #3)
We Belong Together: #15 (Last Week #12)
Don't Forget About Us: #56 (Last Week #81)

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
Shake It Off: #4 (Last Week #4)
We Belong Together: #18 (Last Week #14)
Don't Forget About Us: #39 (Last Week #70)
Mine Again: #73 (Last Week #76)

Mainstream Top 40
Shake It Off: #3 (Last Week #1)
We Belong Together: #21 (Last Week #16)
Don't Forget About Us: #28 (Debut) - Most Airplay Adds

Rhythmic Top 40
Shake It Off: #6 (Last Week #3)
We Belong Together: #16 (Last Week #16)
Don't Forget About Us: #28 (Debut) - Most Airplay Adds

For the second year, the American Music Awards will include the T-Mobile Text In Award among its honors. Fans will be asked to vote for their favorite from a list of six artists each representing a specific genre.

T-Mobile USA subscribers can vote for Mariah Carey (soul/R&B), Kelly Clarkson (AC), 50 Cent (rap/hip-hop), Green Day (rock), Toby Keith (country) or Gwen Stefani (pop) via text messaging. Everyone else can cast a ballot online at AMA.ABC.com. Chesney was the winner of last year's inaugural text-in award.

Click here to vote for Mariah!

--Mariah will reportedly be calling in to Dallas, Texas's KISS FM for the Kidd Kraddick In The Morning show tomorrow at around 8:00am ET. Earlier, one of the show's hosts, Big Al teased a caller, "Mariah Carey will be joining us on tomorrow's show, unless she gets sick, so tune in." Kelly Rasberry then interjected, "Oh, she won't be sick. She never disappoints us." So be sure to tune in! You can listen via internet by going to www.kiddlive.com and clicking the listen live link.

--Mariah was named the 6th hottest on BET's "All Shades of Fine: 25 Hottest Women" countdown last night. Halle Berry was declared the hottest of them all, with Beyonce and Janet Jackson taking the 2nd and 3rd spots, respectively. Rounding out the top 5 would be Aaliyah and Tyra Banks. You can catch the show again Oct. 20 at 10 pm (ET/PT) or Oct. 23 at 3 pm (ET/PT).

--At Swarovski Fashion Rocks, Mariah Carey, who teamed up with designer Donatella Versace, declared: "It's an honour for Donatella to come here and dress me tonight. I find her like a little Barbie doll who is always beautiful to look at." Daily Mail UK reports.

--All Hip Hop chart roundup: Rapper Young Jeezy earned his first #1 R&B hit with "Soul Survivor," a duet with R&B singer Akon. The song bumped Def Jam label mate Kanye West's "Gold Digger" down to the #2 slot on the charts. Mariah Carey's "Shake It Off" gives The Island Def Jam Music Group three hits in the top 5 this week.

--"Don't Forget About Us" is the #1 Most Picked on Top 40/Mainstream and #4 on Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover according to All Access.

--After premiering on the Power 9@9 countdown on Power 92 in Peoria, IL last Monday at #9, "Don't Forget About Us" gradually moved up and finally hit the #1 spot last night! The DJ said that this is bound to be another huge hit for Mariah, and he is feeling more than just the song. "There's this really hot picture of Mariah that we've got in our studio here, and I tell you, all the guys that stop by always take a long look at it!" Please continue to call and vote for the song at 1-309-686-9292.

--An Italian TV programme called "La Vita In Diretta" featured an interview with Donatella Versace (shown holding hands with Mariah) on the red carpet at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks. The interviewer asked in Italian, "Is it easy to dress stars like Mariah Carey?" Donatella replied, "Well, with a hot body like hers, it's very easy! And tonight she will sing for the first time a house version of her hit "We Belong Together" during my part of the show."

--A fan who was tuned in to MTV Italy last night reports a clip from the Swarovski Fashion Rocks was shown with Mariah performing the "We Belong Together" Remix.

--The German TV show, RTL showed a clip of Mariah being interviewed on the red carpet at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks event. Click here to download an mpeg file (2.1MB) of this interview. Thanks to cutiepie for the file!

--Congratulations to Aihara on her new Mariah fansite, Mariah Carey Thailand! Visit the site by clicking here.

The Australian interviewer Ian 'Molly' Meldrum sat down for a talk with Mariah the day after her appearance on the "Live 8" concert in London.

This lengthy interview (presented in an MPEG file, 25:27 minutes, 253MB) is one of the most interesting and personal televised interviews Mariah's given during this era.

Download "Molly Mixes It With Mariah Carey":

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Note: The MPEG file has been archived into six RAR files. Download all files above to the same folder, right click on one and choose "Extract Here..." to view the video file. The program WinRAR can be used to extract the file.

Many thanks to Peter and Mariah Australia for the video file!

First we were saddled with wannabe Englishwoman Madonna, now gorgeous Mariah Carey is intent on perfecting her English accent.

Our Kiki overheard Mariah, 35, practicing her clipped vowels on her old friend Donatella Versace during the Fashion Rocks dinner on Monday night.

"Dahling, I won't stop working on my accent until it's perfect," she told 3am. "I do this thing where I call my friends in my English accent to see if they can tell who I am. It's so funny when it works but I can only do it once as all my friends have caught on."

The soul diva couldn't stop gushing about her love for Blighty, saying: "I can't wait to get back to London but I'm stuck in LA until after the American Music Awards in November. But nothing will keep me away for long, dahling."

That's music to our ears, Mariah.

"Don't Forget About Us" 2-Track US Promo CD
Catalog #: ISLR 16432-2
Tracklisting:

1. Radio 3:53 2. Instrumental 3:38

As we know, Mariah is up for two awards namely, Best Female Artist and Best R&B Artist at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards.

The polls are still open. Please cast your votes before it's too late! Click on the image to the right or this link to vote for Mariah now!

The Awards ceremony will take place in Lisbon, Portugal on November 3, 2005.

--Mariah will be featured as one of 25 hottest women in "All Shades of Fine" a BET 25th anniversary presentation tonight at 10pm. Bill Bellamy will be counting down the 25 finest sistas ever to hit the scene based on YOUR votes (MD posted the poll link Aug. 5). Make sure to tune in to see what number Mariah comes in at!

--Damizza's new Myspace blog entry dated October 18th talks about Mariah:

"Mariah came by the studio last week, played me sum new stuff and we talked about doin' some new ish.. She brought Jackson P. Muttley-Gore and Totts.. She got me a bottle of VODKA (Belvie) that is tall as me! And some dope martini glasses! So we must thank the queen lamb.. Also, I went up to her house on friday or sat night (after the KCAQ show n Oxnard w/Caz! Baby Ree just signed Caz!) she was editing the video for "Dont forget about us." We need to start a campaign to make Mariah marry me!! hahahaha."

--DJs at Dallas, Texas's hip hop station K104 talked about and made bets on Mariah's possible Grammy awards on the station's show, "Gossip To Go With Flo" Monday, Oct. 17th. They got into a verbal fight over who between Mariah and Ciara would win more awards. You can listen to the 'drama' by logging on to K104, click on '104 audio player'. Meanwhile, the 48th Grammy Awards nominations will be announced on December 8, 2005, and the awards ceremony taking place on February 8, 2006.

--ChartSingles.net's UK Charts Roundup: With current Def Jam album, "The Emancipation Of Mimi" rekindling Mariah Carey's previously faltering career, former label Columbia has been TV advertising her 2001 Greatest Hits album, which performed miserably when first issued, peaking at number 46. It's doing much better now, debuting at number nine with sales of 21,027 to lift its cume to 179,406. Meanwhile, "The Emancipation Of Mimi" sold 12,755 copies last week, and leaps 27-16 to achieve its highest placing for 10 weeks. It has sold 369,628 copies since its release 28 weeks ago.

--For all UK fans! Be sure to catch "Fashion Rocks" on Channel 4 this Saturday, Oct. 22nd at 11:10pm. It will last 1hr and 20mins and will most likely show Mariah's performance at the event. The show repeats on Sunday, Oct.23rd at 1:10pm. TV listing here.

Thanks for your votes! "Shake It Off" came in at #6 on yesterday's TRL video countdown, up two spots from last Friday's. With only 4 countdowns left before retirement, let's keep it up! Let's vote like crazy all this week and take "Shake It Off" back to the TOP!

VOTE ONLINE or CALL 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:

4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time 3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time 2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time 1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time

MTV's TRL airs Monday-Friday at 5:00pm ET/PT.

Mariah Carey and Donatella Versace pose for pictures backstage at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks for The Prince's Trust event at the Grimaldi Forum October 17, 2005 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

A mystery man has been wooing stunning singer Mariah Carey with buckets of bling.

The curvy 35-year-old was sent a diamond ring and matching bracelet at the Hotel de Paris ahead of the Monaco show. And staff there were run off their feet finding vases for the enormous bouquets of flowers the singer was receiving.

A source told us: "Mariah was so excited with the diamonds she wore them for her gig on Monday. The guy is definitely after a date and with all the effort he's been to who knows what might happen?"

Mariah, whose single "Don't Forget About Us" is out in December, was decked out by top designer and pal Donatella Versace. Our mole continues, "Mariah looked amazing in one of the most expensive dresses Donatella has ever made. She loved her outift saying she felt like a mermaid in it and the Swarovski crystals made everything extra dazzling."

Come on Mariah, tell your 3am pals, who is this Romeo?

Today's Top 40 News

As Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us" takes home Most Airplay Adds at both Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic Top 40, the track debuts on each chart at No. 28. It is Carey's 24th appearance at Mainstream Top 40 which ties her with Madonna for the most charted singles at the format and it is her 26th at Rhythmic Top 40 which gives her the lead among female artists.

Mariah poses for pictures with Designer Donatella Versace as they arrive at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks for The Prince's Trust event at the Grimaldi Forum October 17, 2005 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Thanks to your votes, "Shake It Off" is now only 5 countdowns away from being retired on MTV's Total Request Live! So let's take Mimi all the way and send her out on top by voting everyday on MTV's TRL (airs Monday-Friday at 5:00pm ET/PT).

VOTE ONLINE or CALL 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:

4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time 3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time 2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time 1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time

Let's get "Shake It Off" to retire at #1!

Mariah Carey joined Masterstepz in the Choice FM studio for a live interview on September 19, 2005. Choice FM was one of Mariah's promotional stops in the UK for her new single, "Get Your Number / Shake It Off".

Click here to download an MP3 file (9.1MB) of the interview.

--As previously reported, Mariah is up for two awards namely, Best Female Artist and Best R&B Artist at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards. Please take a moment to vote for Mariah here. The Awards ceremony will take place in Lisbon, Portugal on November 3, 2005.

--Mariah has been named as one of the nominees in the category, Best Diaspora Afro-American at the 2005 KORA - All Africa Music Awards, an annual event that recognizes musical and artistic excellence within Africa and its diaspora. The awards ceremony will take place in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Durban and broadcast on South Africa's SABC1 on December 4, 2005 at 20h00.

--From MTV: Mariah Carey admits in her cover story in the November issue of Cosmo Girl! that she has a bit of a case of arrested development - she still walks barefoot on tiptoe the way she did when she was 4 years old, and she's still writing about things that happened when she was a little girl. It's that innocence, she says, that makes her songs profound. "I think I am a romantic and that's why I can write love songs that people relate to," she told the mag. "It might even be a memory from eighth grade. I haven't lost that side of who I am."

Read the entire Cosmo Girl! interview here.

--Los Angeles Times reports that the future of Michael Jackson's Hurricane Katrina charity single, "From The Bottom Of My Heart" has been thrown into doubt, following claims many of the stars billed to appear on the track have no intention of contributing. Laura Swanson, senior vice president of publicity for Island Def Jam, the label home of Carey, would only say, "I don't believe Michael's done any recording for his benefit single. At least not that I've heard of." However, Jackson's spokesperson Raymone K. Bain insists the project, which was announced on September 6, 2005, is definitely going ahead.

--Chicago Sun-Times says Eminem pretty much hates everyone, that "instead of keeping that hate to himself, Em likes to dish it out in public, usually through his songs." He's written songs against Moby, his mom, his grandmother, his ex-wife, Triumph the Insult Dog and Mariah Carey. On Mariah, the Sun-Times says, "When their romance headed south, Eminem publicized phone messages Carey left for him. Eminem, who recently checked into a rehab clinic with an addiction to sleeping pills, wrote a letter to the songstress asking for a truce, according to Britain's Daily Star newspaper."

--Below are scans of Mariah gracing the pages of this week's In Touch Weekly and Life & Style Weekly magazines.

Mariah Carey, 35, is the biggest-selling female recording artist of all time. Divorced, she lives in Manhattan with her dog Jack

My age doesn't seem like a reality to me. I still feel like I'm 12 years old. But I've had an interesting journey.

My mother wasn't one for boundaries, but when you're given freedom you crave structure. That's probably why I never did anything too outrageous as a kid.

My parents were opposites. My mother was the free spirit and my father a strict disciplinarian. They split up when I was three and despite the issues that came with, I know we were all better off that way. They were not meant to stay together.

When you don't look like your parents, you inevitably have questions about your identity. My mother is white Irish American, my father was African American with a bit of Venezuelan. I remember drawing my family in kindergarten and coloring my face tan and my mom's pink, which was fine, but when I colored my father's face brown, the teacher told me I had used the wrong crayon. It took me over 20 years to deal with being bi-racial.

Ambition is a talent in its own right. I had the gift of music, but it was ambition that enabled me to translate that into my career.

I thought being famous would validate me, but I also knew I didn't want to be poor. We had 13 homes when I was growing up and never owned one of them. I always felt that the rug could be pulled from under us and I was determined I wasn't going to live like that.

People call me a diva - but that is just so they can put me in a box. My mother was an opera singer, so I think I understand the word 'diva' enough to know that I'm not one.

The one thing I forgot for too long was the importance of having fun. I was hanging out with Joss Stone recently and I realized that when I was her age, I never mingled with other artists. I do wish that I had been able to enjoy all that more back then.

I never believed in marriage, because I always thought people get divorced anyway. I had no template for a proper relationship, which goes a long way to explaining why I made a bad choice for the wrong reasons. [Her ex-husband is Tommy Mottola, the former head of Sony and the man credited with mentoring her to stardom; they divorced in 1998]

When you obsess about something, and someone comes along who is prepared to obsess with you - that is a heady mix. Tommy and I bonded over music and his belief in me, which was great. But he became too controlling. I called our home Sing Sing, because it was like a beautiful prison. I had no freedom or downtime.

There are women who are manipulated all their lives, but I'm not one of them. I have an in-built radar now that prevents anyone too controlling coming too close.

My 'breakdown' was my breakthrough. After my marriage ended, I worked myself into the ground. Eventually my body reminded me that I was human [she was hospitalized after collapsing in 2001] and I needed to create balance in my life.

Casual sex destroys self-respect. Some people use it to feel better about themselves, but in fact it ruins lives. I've seen it for myself [her elder sister, Alison, is a former prostitute and drug addict] and that is why I have never believed in promiscuity.

Once you become famous, you are not normal. Everyone has an agenda and for a long time I didn't know who I could trust. But you can't live like that forever - you have to be able to dive in and take the risk that you might get hurt.

I would not want a child to be trapped by my fame. I've chosen this life, but my child would be born into it. I'm not saying never, but I'd have to be in a place where it felt right.

I'm no longer afraid to be who I am. I feel I can get through anything, especially after the last few difficult years. I'm here and I'm grateful beyond belief for that.

Mariah Carey's new single 'Get Your Number'/'Shake It Off', and album The Emancipation of Mimi are out now on Def Jam. Her Greatest Hits album is also available on SonyBMG.


You Magazine, October 2, 2005 Issue

Guide Rating:

The Bottom Line
After 3 singles from The Emancipation Of Mimi, Mariah Carey drops a new single not included on the album. "Don't Forget About Us" is another collaboration with Jermaine Dupri, Mariah's key artistic partner of the moment. This is more of the forumula that made "We Belong Together" so huge. Mariah Carey sounds confident, composed, and assured of another hit.

Pros It doesn't mess with the brilliant formula of "We Belong Together" Mariah is clearly settling into a more mature style of vocals Cons Those wanting variety from Mariah Carey need to look elsewhere

Description

Midtempo beat between "We Belong Together" and "Shake It Off" Confident vocals in a lower range than early in Mariah Carey's career Lyrical musings on reluctance to let go of memories when a relationship goes sour

Guide Review
Mariah Carey certainly knows a hit formula when she sees one. After three hit singles from her comeback album The Emancipation Of Mimi, she has unveiled a new single only release put together with the help of Jermaine Dupri. "Don't Forget About Us" is cut from a similar cloth to "We Belong Together," Carey's massive hit single from earlier in 2005. This new cut is nearly as strong as "We Belong Together" and marginally better than "Shake It Off." It shouldn't be long before we see "Don't Forget About Us" in the pop top 10.

Carey sounds very comfortable in her new, lower register singing voice. There is occasional, mostly background, trademark warbling in the upper ranges, but the focus is on a more mature, soulful vocal style. "Don't Forget About Us" is tailor made for the radio. If you are a fan of the post-comeback Mariah Carey, this song is for you.

Mariah Carey has been sent expensive gifts by hoteliers in Monte Carlo, who are desperate for the star to appear at their parties.

The pop singer will attend charity gala Swarovski Fashion Rocks for The Prince's Trust on Monday night, and she is in massive demand to show up at events afterwards.

"Everyone knows Mariah in Monaco and they are all begging her to go to their party," a source told the Daily Star. "They know that they will get tons of publicity if she turns up. So they have been going the extra mile in a bid to win her over.

"Mariah has been sent gifts ranging from designer dresses to exclusive holidays. But she is planning to make up her own mind about which party she'll go to and is selling the presents to raise money for charity."

Monaco Visit Details
--Mariah will be staying at the "Hotel de Paris" in Monte Carlo from 16 October to 18 October, 2005.

Address: Place du Casino, 98000, Monaco Location details: Exquisite renowned palace hotel situated in city center, adjacent to Casino de Monte Carlo - 30 minutes from Cote D’Azur Airport.

--Mariah is scheduled to arrive at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks venue, The Grimaldi Forum, between 6:45pm and 7:00pm tomorrow evening, October 17th, to walk down the red carpet.

Australia
--This week on the official ARIA charts, "Shake It Off" drops two places from #6 to #8 on the Top 50 Singles and one place to #3 on the Urban Top 40 Singles. "The Emancipation of Mimi," in its 28th week, plunges three places from #24 to #27 on the Top 50 Albums chart and maintains its hold at #4 on the Urban Top 40 Albums chart.

--"Shake It Off" reached #1 on the Hot 30 countdown Thursday night but dropped to #6 Friday night. Continue to vote for the song here.

--On the HMV singles chart, "Shake It Off" stays at #3 for a 2nd consecutive week and so does "The Emancipation Of Mimi" at #20 on the albums chart. On the Sanity Music Stores singles chart, "Shake It Off" is at #5.

Brazil
On the Hot100Br@sil singles chart, "We Belong Together" rises two spots from #5 to #3 in its 18th week while "Shake It Off" jumps seventeen from #94 to #77 in its 2nd week! On the albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops one from #4 to #5 in its 25th week.

Canada
--In its 26th week on the official Canadian albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops three spots from #16 to #19.

--At MuchMoreMusic, "Shake It Off" climbs a spot from #3 to #2 on this week's Top 20 Countdown. On last Friday's Top 10 Countdown, "Shake It Off" and "We Belong Together" were #1 and #2, respectively!

France
"We Belong Together" drops eight spots from #28 to #36 (peaked at #12) in its 7th week on the IFOP singles chart. The album, "The Emancipation of Mimi" slips as well by dropping three places from #37 to #40 on the IFOP albums chart.

Greece
In its 20th week on the Greek IFPI albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" places at #16.

Germany
Thanks to Cihan from Turkey for these two high-quality Mariah pictures he took at the Karlsruhe, Germany concert on July 9, 2005.


Holland
Mariah's new video, "Get Your Number" is Super Clip on TMF! This means that the video is on TV every hour for 7 days long!

Ireland
On the official Irish singles chart, "Get Your Number/Shake It Off" dips two places from #15 to #17 in its 2nd week while "We Belong Together" drops nine spots from #32 to #41 in its 15th week (peaked at #3). On the albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" loses a spot from #37 to #38 (peaked at #18) in its 21st week.

Malaysia
This week on Mix FM's Mixed Up 20, "We Belong Together" drops a spot from #2 to #3 while "Shake It Off" rises two from #7 to #5. Please continue to vote.

New Zealand
This week, "Shake It Off" debuts on the New Zealand chart at a record #8. It's the highest debut for a Mariah song since the Daydream era. Unfortunately, "We Belong Together" has left the charts and "The Emancipation of Mimi" has dropped from #20 to #29 in its 20th week on the albums chart.

Philippines
--"Shake It Off" gets stuck at #6 for three consecutive weeks on MYX Weekly Hitchart. The song drops six places to #9 on RX 93.1's weekly countdown while it climbs one spot to #2 on Magic 89.9's Final Countdown.

--"Don't Forget About Us" has premiered on Philippine radio stations' Magic 89.9 and Home Radio 97.9.

--Attention Filipino fans! The Philippine Mariah Carey Fanclub (PMFC) invites you to "Bloody Mimi: A Mariah Carey Halloween Party" this coming October 22nd, 7pm, at Westbay Burgundy Tower. Come to the party and get loads of Mariah freebies, souvenir items, and discount coupons. For more details, log on to the PMFC site by clicking here.

Russia
On the Europe plus Top40 singles chart "We Belong Together" gains ten places from #21 to #11. Chart trajectory: 40-37-35-30-26-21-11.

South Africa
--5FM: On the Top 40 countdown, "We Belong Together" continues to reign, topping the countdown again this week! On High 5@5 countdown, the song slips two spots from #3 to #5. "Shake It Off" rises five places to #1 on the station's World Chart Show.

--East Coast Radio: On the Top 20 countdown, "Shake It Off" drops nine spots from #5 to #14.

--Good Hope FM: On the station's Top 40, "Shake It Off" remains at #1 while "Get Your Number" enters the chart at #35!

UK
--In its 2nd week on the official UK singles chart, "Get Your Number/Shake It Off" drops one place from #9 to #10.

--"The Emancipation of Mimi," in its 28th week on the albums chart makes a huge 11-point jump from #27 to #16, selling 12,755 copies this week which brings its total UK sales to 369,628 copies! "The Greatest Hits," having sold 21,027 copies this week, re-enters the albums chart at #9! The album has so far sold a total of 179,406 copies in the UK!

USA
--"Shake It Off" falls to #2 on this week's VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown. Please keep on voting. Post your vote online in the Top 20 Video Countdown Message Board.

--On AOL's Top 11, "Shake It Off" is the #1 video, "Don't Forget About Us," the #4 Song, and Mariah, the #1 Artist!

--"Dont Forget About Us" has been champion for the last 4 days on Phoenix, Arizona's Power 92's War@4. Mariah will return as champ on Monday, October 17th. Click here to vote for the song now!

World Charts
--On the official global track chart, "We Belong Together" in its 24th week, falls eight places from #9 to #17 while "Shake It Off", in its 9th week, climbs a spot from #15 to #14 this week. On the global albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" rises one from #22 to #21 in its 27th week on the chart.

Head over to Mariah's Official Site to hear a brand new voice message from Mariah.

Transcript:
Hey, just wanted to call and say hello. You know, checking in, checking in. Basically, very excited that "Shake It Off" is five countdowns away from wonderful retirement and I wanted to thank you guys so much for all your support and, you know-- the eternal cheerleader over here-- let you know that that would be absolutely fantastic if "Shake It Off" got retired because it's always been one of my favorites and things of that sort. I'm just looking forward to getting the nice re-release out. I'm working on the "Don't Forget About Us" video which I'm hoping is going to be hot tamale because Paul Hunter and I haven't worked together since the "Honey" video okay? So I really think he's going to, as they say, swing it home! Anyway, it's going to be really cute. You guys are going to like a lot of little specialty items we have and whatnot for you in terms of the DVD and everything. So just sending you my love. Hope to, well I guess I won't talk to you soon but, I'm going to be leaving another message soon. Okay. Love you much. Buh-bye!

Thanks to your votes, "Shake It Off" is only 5 more countdowns away from being retired on MTV's TRL!!! So lets take Mimi all the way and send her out on top by voting everyday on:

MTV's Total Request Live - Monday-Friday at 5:00pm ET/PT

Be sure to VOTE ONLINE or CALL 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:

4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time
3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time
2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time
1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time

Lets get "Shake It Off" to retire at #1!

Mariah Launches THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI: PLATINUM EDITION As “Don't Forget About Us” Heads To Top Of Charts!

With her fourth single, "Don’t Forget About Us," headed for the top of the charts, performer and songwriter Mariah Carey focuses her attention on the completion of THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI: PLATINUM EDITION, the expanded new configuration of her quadruple-platinum Island Records album that arrives in stores November 15th, it was announced today by Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group.

PLATINUM EDITION will recap all 14 tracks on THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI, whose original version has sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S. and over 6 million worldwide to date. The new CD will add four tracks: Don’t Forget About Us, which was #1 most-added at Pop, Rhythm and Urban radio formats; So Lonely (One and Only Part 2), Mariah’s collab­o­ration with Twista (with a new extra verse written by Mariah); the remix of We Belong Together featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. (previously only available digitally online); and What It Look Like, featuring Jermaine Dupri.

PLATINUM EDITION is also available as a special deluxe limited edition two-disc (CD + DVD) package. The exclusive DVD will feature the full-length video clips of It’s Like That, We Belong Together, Shake It Off, and Get Your Number (featuring Jermaine Dupri, which will be making its U.S. debut on this DVD), plus a link to access the brand new video for Don’t Forget About Us.

PLATINUM EDITION is the latest chapter in Mariah’s 2005 juggernaut, which has earned her four nominations for this year’s 33rd annual American Music Awards – the most nominations by any artist – including: Best Pop/Rock Female Artist, Best Pop/Rock Album, Best Soul/Rhythm & Blues Female Artist, and Best Soul/Rhythm & Blues Album. The AMAs – Mariah’s next scheduled tv appearance as the show’s opening performer – will take place November 22nd at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, broadcast by ABC-TV.

One week prior to the AMAs, on November 15th, UPN will air the 3rd annual VIBE Awards, where Mariah is leading the pack for a single album with four nominations for The Emancipation of Mimi: Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year, R&B Voice Of The Year, and Best R&B Song for We Belong Together. In other awards news, readers and fans are casting their votes for this year’s 2nd Annual Seventeen magazine Entertainment Awards, for which Mariah is nominated as Favorite Female Artist, Best Comeback By An Artist, and ‘The Track That Was On Every One Of Your Playlists’: We Belong Together. Teen People magazine has also named Mariah ARTIST OF THE YEAR in its year-end issue (Dec./Jan.).

While We Belong Together (which secured Mariah’s place as the #1 most successful female artist of all time when it became her 16th song to top the Hot 100, where it stayed for 14 weeks) and Shake It Off (#1 for 3 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart, in a new remix with Jay-Z and Young Jeezy) continue to reverberate across all radio formats – Don’t Forget About Us has soared to #1 on AOL Radio’s Top 40 chart with 89,000 plays last week after world premiering via the AOL First Listen program. The song has also accumulated over 400,000 combined plays on AOL and Yahoo Music thus far.

At radio, Don’t Forget About Us – written by Mariah and co-produced with Jermaine Dupri – has already picked up more than 2,000 spins and is over 25 million in audience. The video for Don’t Forget About Us was shot last weekend in Los Angeles with famed director Paul Hunter. He last worked with Mariah back in 1997, on the clip for her #1 Pop/#1 Dance/#2 R&B smash Honey (from the 5x-platinum Butterfly album).

In early September, Mariah had the distinction of being the first female lead artist in the 47 years of the Billboard Hot 100 ever to occupy the #1 and #2 spots in the same week, with We Belong Together and Shake It Off, respectively. The biggest single in the history of both Mariah and the Island Def Jam Music Group, We Belong Together hit an astonishing 14 weeks at #1. This positions Mariah as the only active artist with the potential to match or surpass the Beatles (with 20 #1’s) and Elvis Presley (18 #1’s) in the modern era.

Read More:
Platinum Edition of songstress' hit album due November 15 (MTV News)

Here are Mariah's Billboard chart positions for the magazine's issue date October 22, 2005.

The Emancipation of Mimi ▲3
Billboard 200: #18 (Last Week #13)
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #13 (Last Week #11)
Total Sales: 3,515,885

Don't Forget About Us
Billboard Hot 100: #81 (Debut)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #52 (Hot Shot Debut)
Billboard Pop 100: #45 (Debut)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #30 (Last Week #48)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #70 (Hot Shot Debut)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #66 (Hot Shot Debut)

Shake It Off
Billboard Hot 100: #3 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #2 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Pop 100: #6 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #2 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #4 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #4 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #3 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Adult R&B: #14 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #16 (Last Week #21)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #33 (Last Week #40)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #12 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #23 (Album Ver.) (Last Week #21)
Billboard Hot Ringtones: #4 (Last Week #2)
Total Sales: 238,403

We Belong Together ▲
Billboard Hot 100: #12 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #6 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Pop 100: #21 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #18 (Last Week #12)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #14 (Last Week #11)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #13 (Last Week #11)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #16 (Last Week #11)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #16 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Adult Contemporary: #4 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Adult Top40: #25 (Last Week #23)
Billboard Adult R&B: #2 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #12 (Last Week #10)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #46 (Last Week #37)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #40 (Last Week #34)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #44 (Last Week #36)
Billboard Hot Singles Sales: #19 (Last Week #25)
Billboard Hot Ringtones: #11 (Last Week #9)
Total Sales: 598,981

Mine Again
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #76 (Last Week #86)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #71 (Re-Entry)

Mariah Carey, Greatest Hits ▲
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums: #20 (Last Week #21)

---

"We Belong Together" ends a streak of 23 weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100.

"Shake It Off" drops to #3 on the Hot 100 after 6 straight weeks at #2.

This week, Mariah has 4 songs on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. "Shake It Off" (Singles & Tracks: #4, Airplay: #4) "We Belong Together" (#14, #13), "Don't Forget About Us" (#70, #66) and "Mine Again" (#76, #71).

From Billboard Daily Music News: Meanwhile, Nickelback's "Photograph" rises 3-2 on the Hot 100 to trade places with Mariah Carey's "Shake It Off." "Photograph" also holds on to No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart for a fourth week and jumps 12-8 on the Modern Rock tally.

INXS' "Pretty Vegas" gives the Australian-based rock act the highest debut of its career at No. 37. It's the band's first release with new lead singer J.D. Fortune, who won the slot through the reality show "Rock Star: INXS." The group's debut album with Fortune, "Switch," is due Nov. 29 via Epic.

Other debuts on the Hot 100 this week include Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us" (No. 81), The Pussycat Dolls' "Stickwitu" (No. 85), Rihanna's "If It's Lovin' That You Want" (No. 96), the Strokes' "Juicebox" (No. 98) and Billy Currington's "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" (No. 100).

Thanks to your votes, "Shake It Off" is only 6 more countdowns away from being retired on MTV's TRL!!! So lets take Mimi all the way and send her out on top by voting everyday on:

MTV's Total Request Live - Monday-Friday at 5:00pm ET/PT

Be sure to VOTE ONLINE or CALL 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:

4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time
3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time
2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time
1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time

Lets get "Shake It Off" to retire at #1!

FMQB Updates

Rhythm Crossover:
Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us" (Island/IDJMG) tops the week of reports with over 30 stations! There seems to be no end to the hit streak in sight. And there's still more to come!

CHR:
Mariah Carey "Don't Forget About Us" (Island/IDJMG) - Following a Most Added week, Mariah adds over 30 more new stations. The majors are already on board including Z100, WNOU, KRBE, WZNR, KDND, WKST, KHTS, WKFS, WSTR, WFLZ, WAKS, Kiss 108 and Q100.

In an exclusive interview for her fansite, Niveafan.com, singer Nivea answered fan questions and cleared out the issue regarding a supposed lawsuit from Mariah.

Talking about the JD-Produced "Parking Lot"
Nivea: Once it ["Parking Lot"] was recorded and sent in, it was kind of weak especially next to all the other records, but... everybody was all so convinced that ‘this is gonna do it, trust us’ and it just so, so went the other way. We tried to tell them that. People weren’t gonna get it, we knew that. It wasn't JD's best, and maybe that's my fault - I should have waited 'til I heard the best then recorded, because the Mariah songs were on a whole nother level especially the lyrical content, which was also weak on 'Parking Lot'…so that didn’t work out.

What is the story about the Mariah Carey lawsuit over the Okay Remix?
Nivea: Actually it was a member of Bone Thugs N Harmony, it’s cleared up now, but at first they were saying that it was similar to the "Breakdown" song which was on one of their albums…but it’s cleared now.

As previously reported, Mariah has been nominated for four VIBE awards. Below is the magazine's press release including all of Mariah's nominations.

The nominees for the 2005 VIBE Awards have been announced and Ciara, Mariah Carey, John Legend and Kanye West lead the pack.

VIBE magazine and UPN will present the third annual VIBE Awards on Tuesday, November 15 (8-10pm ET/PT). The show will feature musical performances from chart-topping artists and award presentations by the hottest celebrities from the worlds of music, fashion, television, sports and film.

In order to be eligible for nomination, albums and songs must have been released between October 2004 and September 2005. Nominations were determined by the VIBE editorial staff, headed by Editor-in-Chief Mimi Valdes. Winners in each category will be chosen by votes from music journalists and regional tastemakers, and announced at the two-hour-long VIBE Awards.

R&B VOICE OF THE YEAR
Destiny's Child
Fantasia
John Legend
Keyshia Cole
Mariah Carey

BEST R&B SONG
"All Because of You," by Marques Houston
"Let Me Love You," by Mario
"Make Her Feel Good," by Teairra Marí
"Ordinary People," by John Legend
"We Belong Together," by Mariah Carey

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Get Lifted, by John Legend
Late Registration, by Kanye West
The Documentary, by The Game
The Emancipation of Mimi, by Mariah Carey
The Naked Truth, by Lil' Kim

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
50 Cent
Ciara
John Legend
Kanye West
Mariah Carey

"It's by the grace of God that I'm still here."

Sometimes when you read about stars in the tabloids, you get this tinge of envy, like there's this big party going on and you still haven't been invited. But when you see a picture of Mariah Carey, maybe sunning herself on a boat with friends in Capri, it's different. You almost feel like you could call her and be like, "Hey, Mimi, got room for one more?" It's true, Mariah is smart, gorgeous, and successful (she has sold more albums than any other female artist ever - over 150 million at last count). And yet she seems approachable. Songs like "We Belong Together" (the biggest hit of the year) deal with powerful feelings of love and loss, the kind you'd be afraid to share with anyone. But Mariah's not scared to let it out, which lets us in. She knows that we all go through stuff - good and bad - and she gives our journey a voice.

The Mariah Carey Interview
by Deborah Baer
Because of her own journey, Mariah has become a legend. She has a do-rag-to-riches story that's profoundly inspiring. Mariah was born with a special gift - her voice (plus, she's written or co-written every piece she's ever done). But that gift came at a price. Growing up on Long Island, New York, Mariah suffered almost debilitating insecurity about not fitting in. For one thing, her mom is white and her dad is black, which was pretty uncommon when she was a kid. It was embarrassing to Mariah that her parents couldn't afford to keep up with the new Mercedes and fancy houses in their town. (Her mom called their Dodge Dart the Dodge Dent because it was so beat up!) Her folks divorced when she was 3, and her older sister, Alison, fell into a downward spiral (it was rumored she was into drugs). Alison got pregnant and had a son, Sean, when Mariah was in kindergarten. Now Mariah calls him her "saving grace," but at the time, her difficult family situation made her vow that she would make her life different.

So she did. After high school, Mariah was singing backup when then Sony Music Entertainment honcho Tommy Mottola moved her to center stage. In 1991, at only 21, she won a Grammy for best new artist. But that professional high was followed by a personal low: an awful five-year marriage to Mottola. Mariah continued to have hit after hit, but she says she struggled to break free from his control for years. The biggest blow was emotional meltdown in 2001 after her movie debut, Glitter, and album of the same name bombed. Her tour was canceled; she was even briefly hospitalized. But she refused to quit. Today, now that The Emancipation of Mimi has so far sold three million copies, she's a bigger star than ever.

Still, to meet her, you'd never know it. She prances into the living room of the Hollywood Hills home she's renting, wearing jeans, a tank, and a sweatshirt, barefoot on tiptoe (she says it's the way she's walked since she was 4), and you immediately feel welcome. "Sorry I'm not diva-style for you!" she announces. And then, without a drop of diva-tude, she answers CosmoGIRL!s' questions about friends, heartbreaks, and how she was ultimately reborn.

Beauty Schooled
CG! Reader: Were you popular when you were in school? - Amareia, 15, Hawley, PA
Mariah: "No, I wasn't popular. When I was little, I moved around 13 times with my mom. That made it really difficult for me to assimilate every time I went to a new school. Because I was biracial. It set me apart in a lot of ways and made me really feel like an outcast. You want to look like everybody else, and I didn't look like anybody else. I didn't look like my white friends; I didn't look like my black friends. As a kid in elementary school I didn't know how to put myself together yet. You know how important that is. In seventh grade, I shaved my eyebrows because I didn't know how to tweeze them. Plus, my hair is kinky - and it's also very fine. It's the most difficult aspects of both worlds. So half the time I'd go to school with my hair in knots."

Mariah finally figured out the hair stuff and how to dress. "There was this one time when I was walking up the driveway and I had on a pair of really tight jeans," she says. My friend's older brother made a comment like, 'Hey! Like your pants!' So that became my thing! Boys were always telling me that I had a nice ass so I was like, Okay, let me just work that! ... I became more secure about myself, but it was by the totally wrong means."

By the time Mariah reached the 12th grade, she was known as a class clown and was friends with everybody, which came in handy when she was nominated for prom queen. "I couldn't believe that I had gotten to that point," Mariah says. "I campaigned shamelessly. I would talk to the younger guys and be a little flirtatious. So they all voted for me. I won the nomination by a landslide!" Unfortunately, because of school politics, she didn't win the actual crown. But her disappointment didn't last long. "I remember saying to myself that night, What would I rather do? Be prom queen now or go on to what my dream is? Fine, no prom queen."

A Star Is Born
CG! Reader: What influenced you to become a singer? - Jessica, 15, Rohnert Park, CA
Mariah: "Music was my main source of peace and happiness. If there was something messed up going on in my house, turmoil and things that were unsettling to me, I would walk and sing to myself. It grounded me emotionally. I would sleep with the radio underneath the covers at 4 a.m. and just sing along. The feeling I had was, I need to sing, I need to make a big melody, I need to express myself."

Even as a kid, Mariah was certain she's be a superstar one day. "It's bizarre, but it's just a feeling you get when you know and you're driven," she says. "When we were seven, my friend Maureen said to me, 'When you sing, it's like there's music behind you.' it was the biggest compliment I ever got. It was a defining moment for me."

Lessons in Love
CG! Reader: When you were a teen, how did you cope with heartbreak? - Maryssa, 14, Boothwyn, PA
Mariah: "I never really had somebody who totally broke my heart, because I wouldn't allow it. I think that was a wall that I built up because I had to be very protective of myself from the time I was little due to the lack of self-esteem, the insecurity, the not feeling pretty, not having the same things other people had. Any boyfriend I ever had in high school, which was really only like two or three, I never did anything with them. I was so frightened of getting pregnant. I was so traumatized by what I saw (with my sister) I was like, until I'm with the person I'm going to marry, I'm not going to do that. It was a conscious decision because I knew what I wanted, and I knew I wasn't going to get there by getting pregnant as a teenager. Any boyfriend who was with me had to accept that I wasn't going to sleep with him. That's it. Sorry!"

Mariah jokingly admits that she's still kind of a prude. "I have friends who love to shock me," she says. "A friend just called me with this crazy story, and I'm like TMI, TMI! They know I'm Mary Poppins, but I can still hang out." She says that it's her innocence that makes her songs so profound. "I think I am a romantic and that's why I can write love songs that people relate to. It might even be a memory from eighth grade. I haven't lost that side of who I am."

Shaking It Off
CG! Reader: How do you stay strong when people are talking about you and you know they dislike you? - Lizzie, 18, Montgomery, AL
Mariah: You just have to shake it off. One day I sat on a plane to Puerto Rico for seven hours reading negative press about myself. Yeah. It was depressing. But I've always been me. I was me before I got famous and had money, I was me when I got ragged on by talk show hosts. Every obstacle, including the 'breakdown' or whatever they called it and the whole Glitter debacle, just made me so much of a stronger person. It just brought me back to the little girl I was internally who sat there and said, "I believe I'm going to make it. Don't say if I make it, say when I make it.' Just believe in yourself."

Her Rebirth
CG! Reader: If you could be born again, what would you do differently? - Natali, 20, New York City, NY
Mariah: "I do believe that I have been born again in a lot of ways. I think what I've changed are my priorities and my relationship with God. I feel the difference when I don't have my private moments to pray. I said to my father when I went through all that stuff, 'I feel like I've gone though everything but death, so I'm scared of anything anymore.' Once you fall that hard and have been kicked and kicked, you learn to protect yourself. I'm a fighter, but I learned that I'm not in charge. Whatever God wants to happen is what's going to happen, it really is 'let go and let God."

Even when people were literally calling her crazy and wrongly predicting that her career was over. Mariah says that her faith showed her the light at the end of the tunnel. And now she's had such an amazing comeback that those dark days of the soul almost feel like ancient history. "I feel like I've had endless second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chances. It's by the grace of God I'm still here," she says. "Yes, I'm frustrated a lot of the time, I go through bad days. But I'm ecstatic where I am," It's that complexity that makes Mariah so real and yet, she says, so misunderstood. "My Saving Grace," off her last album, Charmbracelet, to illustrate the point. "Yes, I've been bruised / grew up confused / been destitute / I've seen life from many sides / been stigmatized / been black and white / felt inferior inside." That song in particular has a deeply personal meaning to Mariah. "It was saying, 'Hey, I'm a person who's been through the wringer, but that light is always there,'" she says. "As long as there's hope, I'm there with that, I'm okay."

Mariah Carey is on a heck of a streak, even for her. She has so far released three hit singles in a row from her latest album, and all three were Billboard Radio's HitPredictor picks. Two of them went to #1 at Mainstream Top 40. Now she is lined up for #4 in three different formats. "Don’t Forget About Us" debuts this week at Mainstream Top 40, Rhythmic Top 40 and R&B/Hip-Hop.

According to HitPredictor, here's how Mariah's "Don't Forget About Us" is faring on the following charts (based on weekly BDS airplay detection, updated Monday, October 10th):

Mainstream Top 40 - #43 Rhythmic Top 40 - #51 R&B/Hiphop - #83

In related news...

IDJMG owns half of Mainstream Top 40's Top 10s. It becomes one of only three labels in Billboard Radio Monitor History to place five of its tracks (by Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Nickelback, Rihanna, and Fall Out Boy) inside the top 10 of the Mainstream Top 40 chart in a single week.

Since its debut last Tuesday, "Don't Forget About Us" has topped the "High Noon Countdown" at Cleveland's 96.5 Kiss FM, now in its 4th day at #1! "High Noon" comes on weekdays at 12:00pm. Request Line: (216) 578-9650

"The Emancipation of Mimi" re-release is now listed on Amazon and HMV Australia websites as available for pre-order. Apparently, the re-release will actually be two different CDs: a standard version with just audio, and a limited edition CD with DVD. No cover art or tracklisting is available as of yet.

Both can be pre-ordered now and can be viewed by clicking on the links below.

Standard Edition: Amazon.com | HMV Australia Limited Edition: Amazon.com | HMV Australia

This year's Vibe Awards ceremony will be taped Nov. 12 in Los Angeles, with the show to air Nov. 15 (8 p.m. ET) on UPN. Vibe announced the nominations Monday.

In addition to Ciara, who leads the field with five nominations, nominees for artist of the year are Kanye West, Mariah Carey, John Legend and 50 Cent, who each have four nominations.

Nominees for album of the year are Get Lifted by Legend, Late Registration by West, The Documentary by The Game, The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey and The Naked Truth by Lil' Kim.

Nominees for best rapper are West, 50 Cent, Ludacris, The Game and T.I.

Other award categories include reelest video, video goddess and street anthem.

Apparently, sources have confirmed today that Mariah has been asked to write the leading single to the soundtrack of "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown."

Lee Ryan, previously known as one of the members of boy band "Blue," will be working with Mariah on the soundtrack project.

Click on the links below to view pictures and download a video file of Mariah's pre-taped acceptance speech for winning Best R&B/Soul Album, Solo for "The Emancipation of Mimi at the 10th Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.



[ Download: Mariah's 2nd Acceptance Speech ]

Many thanks to Danielle for the video file!

Speech:
"Thank you so much! I wish I could be there with you tonight but I am on the set of my new video and I can't be there but I am so grateful for this award, I am so grateful to God for all the amazing blessings that I've had and just for bringing me through so much. This is such an incredible honor to be receiving this award. Thank you Don Cornelius, thank you Jermaine Dupri for spending the time and just, you know, we really put a lot of our hard work into this song and into this record and I love you so much, I can't thank you enough. Thank you L.A Reid, you're incredible, thank you Benny, Thomas Lytle, and just most of all thank you so much to all my fans for always being here with me. And, I just wanna say a very very very special thank you to everyone at black radio for supporting me always. I love you very much, thank you!"

Click here to download Mariah's 1st acceptance speech at the awards, for winning Best R&B/Soul Single, Solo for "We Belong Together", previously posted on Mariah Daily's news for September 30th, 2005.

--Wentworth Miller is featured on the cover of this week's 'TV Guide'. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

TV Guide: You make out with Mariah carey in her new videos. Did you have to audition for that? Wentworth Miller: Brett Ratner directed the videos, and I was simply asked to participate, which was an honor. Mariah was as professional and kind as the day is long. The woman is an icon, and I'll tell you, I've gotten more attention off the two days I spent shooting those videos than for anything else I've ever done.

--Mariah is featured on Vibe Magazine's "20 Questions" section. At question #5, 'Vibe' asks: Who has better cleavage, Mariah Carey the singer, or Mary Carey the porn star who ran for governor of California?

Below are the scans from 'TV Guide' and 'Vibe' :


--Latin singer Thalía talked about meeting Mariah at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last March on the Spanish TV show, "Salsa Rosa."

"I met Mariah at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Tommy and I had just arrived and I saw her, so I said 'Tommy, look who's here! introduce me! introduce me!' So we met and I said 'Finally!' and she said, 'Finally!' She has a voice that started a new era in music in the 90s. I used to listen to her songs. She's accomplished so much in her career with her numerous number one songs. And who would've believed destiny would bring me with a part of her past."

--All Africa speculates Mariah will attend the European Music Awards: "Twenty-year-old former Idols contestant Zamajobe will be sharing the stage with Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey at one of the world's premiere music events - the annual MTV Europe Music Awards which will be held in Portugal next month."

--From MS NBC: Mariah Carey is disputing reports that she flies her pampered pooch, Jack, first-class. “They actually won’t let me put him on a first-class seat because he’s too big,” she told British Glamour. “And they also said, ‘We’d only allow it for a famous dog.’ Please! He has three Web sites dedicated to him! So Jack is driven in the car [a Mercedes] by my driver, Tom, 3,000 miles from New York [to California].”

Click on the link below to download a video file (41.5MB, in MPEG) of Mariah's pre-taped performance of "Shake It Off" which was aired earlier today on UK's Top Of The Pops.

Thanks to Matt for making the video file for us!

[ Download "Shake It Off" Here ]

With new single "Get Your Number/Shake It Off" debuting at number nine on sales of 13,244, "The Emancipation Of Mimi" becomes the first Mariah Carey album to spawn three consecutive Top 10 hits since 1997's "Butterfly". Previous 'Mimi' singles "It's Like That" and "We Belong Together" peaked at four and two respectively. The album has signalled a major revival in Carey's fortunes, selling 356,873 copies in exactly six months on release, making it her biggest selling regular album since "Daydream" in 1995. It jumps 33-27 this week, with sales up 12.8% at 11,855.

Australia
--"Shake It Off" marks its territory on the official ARIA charts at #6 and debuts at #2 on the ARIA Urban charts! It also marks the highest debut of the week and beats major competitors such as Robbie Williams who debuted at #7, and 50 Cent at #16.

--This week, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops 3 places in its 27th week on the official albums chart to #24 and rises one to #4 on the Urban albums chart. "We Belong Together" drops 7 places on the Urban singles chart to #36 for its 16th week on the chart.

--"Shake It Off" debuts at #3 on the HMV singles chart while "The Emancipation of Mimi" is currently at #20 on the HMV albums chart. On Hot 30 Countdown, the song is at #2. Click here to vote.

Brazil
--On the Hot100Br@sil singles chart for week ending October 15, 2005, "We Belong Together" gains two places from #7 to #5 while "Shake It Off" enters the chart at #94. "The Emancipation of Mimi" maintains its hold at #4 on the albums charts.

--"The Emancipation of Mimi" comes in at #11 on Brazil's Top Albums for 2005 (January-September) with 139,000 copies sold! Mariah's #1's also makes the list at #49 with 27,000 copies.

Canada
--In its 25th week on the official Canadian albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" rises two spots from #18 to #16.

--Mariah will be featured on MuchMoreMusic's show called "HeatMeter" where she is pitted against Whitney Houston - their careers and defining media moments get the 'compare and contrast' treatment in this weekly stardom tracker. The show will air Tuesday, October 11th at 8:00pm. Don't miss it! Meanwhile, "Shake It Off" climbs a spot from #5 to #4 on this week's Top 20 Countdown.

France
--"We Belong Together" drops six places from #22 to #28 (peaked at #12) in its 6th week on the French IFOP singles chart. On the IFOP albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops thirteen from #24 to #37.

--New yet unknown pictures of Mariah during her last promo tour in Paris, France, courtesy of the official German Mariah site, MariahCarey.de.


Greece
According to the official Greek IFPI charts for the week ending October 8, 2005, "The Emancipation of Mimi" jumps four spots to #30.

Ireland
On the official Irish singles chart, "Get Your Number/Shake It Off" makes its debut at #15 while "We Belong Together" drops ten spots from #22 to #32 in its 13th week (peaked at #3). On the albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops one from #36 to #37 (peaked at #18) in its 20th week.

New Zealand
In its 19th week on the official New Zealand album charts, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops a spot to #20. "We Belong Together" drops eighteen to #39 on the singles chart.

Russia
"We Belong Together" is at #11 (-2) on MTV-Russia's Top 20. Vote for the video here.

South Africa
--5FM: On High 5@5 countdown, "We Belong Together" drops two spots to #2 after topping the chart for five consecutive weeks. On Top 40, the song rises a spot from #8 to #7 and on the World Chart Show, it drops nine from #27 to #36. Mariah's other single, "Shake It Off" however, climbs a place from #9 to #8 on the World Chart Show.

--East Coast Radio: On Top 20, "Shake It Off" remains at #5 this week. On Global Hot Hits, "We Belong Together" dips two places from #4 to #6 while "Shake It Off" climbs three from #19 to #16.

--Good Hope FM: On Top 40, "Shake It Off" is up a spot from #4 to #3 while "We Belong Together" drops out of the chart.

Spain
Mariah Hispano Hablantes is giving away two copies of "The Emancipation of Mimi" re-release! Log on to the site's forum section for more details about the contest. Good luck!

Sweden
"We Belong Together" dips three places from #16 to #19 in its 13th week on the official Swedish singles chart.

UK
--"Get Your Number/Shake It Off" enters the official UK singles chart at #9! The album, "The Emancipation of Mimi" rises six places from #33 to #27 in its 27th week on the albums chart.

--Please request for the "Get Your Number" video by calling the numbers below!

The Box: Call 09050 171 717 (£1) "Get Your Number" - Video Number: 151 Kiss TV: Call 09056 525 222 (£1) "Get Your Number" - Video Number: 151 MTV Base

What do you give the pop star who has everything? A brand new remix, starring two of the most sought-after rappers, the veteran Jay-Z and the surging Atlanta rookie Young Jeezy.

On the remix of "Shake It Off," available from iTunes, Jay-Z spits double-time rhymes over the slow, synthesizer-driven beat, and Ms. Carey does some nimble syllable-spitting of her own. Young Jeezy, who usually raps in a slow-motion groan, humors his host by delivering his first four bars in double time. Then he unwinds and stretches out, finishing the verse at his normal speed. And with his normal gruff demeanor, as well; an indecisive potential partner learns that her date chases "nothing but the money."

Click on the link below to download a video file (28.8MB, in MPEG) of Mariah's pre-taped performance of "Get Your Number" which was aired earlier today on CD:UK.

[ Download "Get Your Number" Here ]
Thanks to Matt for making this video file for us!

Mariah Carey has teamed up with super producer Dallas Austin for "The Emancipation of Mimi" re-release. Apparently, L.A. Reid set up the meeting between the two superstars and they were eager to work together on the project.

Dallas Austin is known for his smart retrospective "issue of the moment" type songs (think TLC: "Unpretty", "Damaged"). Dallas Austin's credits include: The #1 single "Hit 'Em Up Style" recorded by Blu Cantrell, the #1 single "Unpretty" recorded by TLC, the #1 single's "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Just Like A Pill" recorded by Pink. Along with countless Top 40 hits including the classic hit "Secret" by Madonna. With Jermaine Dupri and Dallas Austin reportedly working on this re-release package; industry insiders are saying it could be the finishing touches on a flawless album.

She's already a superstar singer, but according to reports in the British tabloids, if Mariah Carey ever wants to quit her day job, she has the potential to become a real card shark.

Poker players at the Venetian resort and casino in Las Vegas were reportedly stunned when Mariah played three rounds of cards and walked away $27,000 richer!

Mariah allegedly admitted it wasn't her first time at the poker table. "I used to play poker with my sister," she confessed, adding, "I think my low-cut dress put some of the guys off."

But a rep for the Venetian says this hand doesn't add up. "This doesn't sound right," the rep tells In Touch. "We don't even have poker tables at our hotel."

And a rep for the singer also trashed the rumor. "No, it's not true," her rep tells In Touch. "Mariah Carey does not gamble."

Here are Mariah's Billboard chart positions for the magazine's issue date October 15, 2005.

The Emancipation of Mimi ▲3
Billboard 200: #13 (Last Week #11)
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #11 (Last Week #10)
Total Sales: 3,462,843

Don't Forget About Us
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #48 (Debut)

Shake It Off
Billboard Hot 100: #2 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #2 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Pop 100: #3 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #4 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #4 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #3 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Adult R&B: #14 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #21 (Last Week #21)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #40 (Last Week #48)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #6 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #21 (Album Ver.) (Last Week #13)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #37 (Remix Ver.) (Last Week #29)
Billboard Hot Ringtones: #2 (Last Week #2)
Total Sales: 218,912

We Belong Together ▲
Billboard Hot 100: #9 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #5 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #12 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Pop 100: #18 (Last Week #16)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #11 (Last Week #7)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #11 (Last Week #7)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #11 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #14 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Adult Contemporary: #5 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Adult Top40: #23 (Last Week #20)
Billboard Adult R&B: #2 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Dance Radio Airplay: #10 (Last Week #12)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #37 (Last Week #33)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #34 (Last Week #32)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #36 (Last Week #32)
Billboard Hot Singles Sales: #25 (Last Week #24)
Billboard Hot Ringtones: #9 (Last Week #8)
Total Sales: 589,360

Mine Again
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #86 (Last Week #73)

Mariah Carey, Greatest Hits ▲
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums: #21 (Last Week #20)

---

Here are Mariah's top selling records this week:

1. Greatest Hits: 3,117 (-2%)
2. #1s: 1,346 (-)
3. Remixes: 435 (-3%)
4. #1s (Video): 260 (+13%)
5. Charmbracelet: 259 (-5%)
6. Butterfly: 201 (-2%)
7. Glitter: 198 (+13%)
8. Music Box: 186 (+8%)
9. Rainbow: 138 (+16%)
10. Daydream: 94 (-13%)
11. Around the World (Video): 82 (-9%)
12. Mariah Carey: 81 (-16%)
13. Through the Rain: 39 (-33%)
14. Merry Christmas: 35 (+75%)
15. Emotions: 31 (+48%)
16. MTV Unplugged: 20 (-17%)

Here are the official Soundscan total figures for some of Mariah's albums through October 2nd, 2005:

1990-06-08 - Mariah Carey // 4,827,395
1991-09-13 - Emotions // 3,568,374
1992-05-29 - MTV Unplugged EP // 2,726,978
1993-08-31 - Music Box // 7,150,800
1994-09-20 - Merry Christmas //4,487,323
1995-09-19 - DayDream //7,532,654
1997-09-16 - Butterfly //3,683,924
1998-11-17 - No 1's //3,503,749
1999-11-02 - Rainbow //2,912,445
2001-08-21 - Glitter //607,199
2002-12-03 - Charmbracelet //1,126,900

--Miami New Times reviews "Shake It Off (Remix)" featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy: "The people's diva, Mariah Carey, will endure anything for a hit, including the deluge of grease from DJ Clue's Southern-fried "Shake It Off" remix. Jeezy gets Popeye's chicken grime all over Mimi's couture, while boss man Jigga uses his sixteen bars to figure out alternate hooks, all catchier than the already delightful sugar-air choruses Mariah offers. A diva hops from song to song, but a businessman's work is never done."

--"Say Somethin'" makes About's "Top 10 Pop Tracks To Download" list at #5: "Mariah Carey is getting ready to roar up the singles chart once again with her brand new hit "Don't Forget About Us," but there are still treasures to be mined from The Emancipation Of Mimi. This duet with Snoop Dogg is a gem."

--Mega Star UK is reporting that bad 'un Eminem is apparently no more - rumour is after a spell in rehab, he's a reformed character. Apparently mouthy Mr. Mathers has written a grovelling letter of apology to Mariah Carey, with whom he's had an ongoing feud since they were romantically linked.

--Jeanette Walls of MSNBC warns, "Don't believe those reports that Eminem has written a letter to Mariah Carey, suggesting that they patch things up and become friends. He’s not a guy who plays nice like that."

--Carpool partners (and outfielders) Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker stood in the Cardinals' clubhouse, relishing their 8-5 win against San Diego on Tuesday. Sanders promised to play some Mariah Carey - Walker's favorite - for the ride home. "We're going to have a fun ride home," Walker said. "Usually he's got some bootleg music playing, and we don't talk a lot. Today we'll have a good conversation about the game." Forget the conversation. "I've got some Mariah Carey," Sanders said, holding up his white iPod. "Larry loves Mariah Carey." On Tuesday, Sanders deserved DJ duties. Kansas City Star reports.

--On the show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" a $4,000 question was posed with Mariah as the topic: "What old nickname did Mariah Carey incorporate into the title of her 2005 chart-topping album?" a) Mimi, b) Mack, c) Emcee, d) Marcy - Answer: a) Mimi. The contestant used "ask the audience" lifeline to help answer.

--Below are scans from the October 10, 2005 issues of InTouch, Celebrity Living, Star and Life & Style magazines.

Mariah has received 3 nominations for the 2nd Annual Seventeen Magazine Entertainment Awards so be sure to cast your VOTE for Mimi today!

Mariah was nominated in the following categories:

The track that was on every one of your playlists: We Belong Together

Favorite female artist

Best comeback by an artist

You also have the chance to vote for Mariah in categories that she didn't receive an official nod for so if there is a category that you think Mariah should be in, be sure to click "other" and enter her name.

Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart
#2. Shake It Off (6th straight week at #2)
#9. We Belong Together (Last Week #6)

Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
#4. Shake It Off (Last Week #3)
#11. We Belong Together (Last Week #7)
#86. Mine Again (Last Week #73)

Billboard 200 Albums Chart
#13. "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Last Week #11)

Stay tuned for more Billboard updates.

The official impact date for "Don't Forget About Us" on US radio hasn't arrived yet but the song is already one of the most added songs to radio stations of both the Rhythmic and Pop formats. FMQB Writes:

Mariah Carey "Don’t Forget About Us" (Island/IDJMG)

Buzz Bin:
MC has spent a lot of time in the "Buzz Bin" this year, and for good reason, she’s making music that is exciting to both programmers and listeners everywhere. Her star power had been missed at the format, and now MC has a string of #1 hits still on the chart, including "Shake It Off" and "We Belong Together," and now her soon-be-smash, "Don’t Forget About Us." A double-digit week of early reports is sure to ignite many more this week as the single officially impacts at Rhythm/Crossover. New reports include Power 106, B96, WPGC, KXJM, KPTY, WGBT, WIBT, KKSS, KDGS, Power 96, and more! Mariah also lands on the cover of the November issue of Cosmo Girl.

CHR Chartbusters:
While "Shake It Off" sits at #1, MC’s next single explodes with a Most Added week with over 40 stations, including Z100, WNOU, KRBE, WZNR, KDND, WKST, KHTS, WKFS, WSTR, WFLZ, WAKS, Kiss 108 and Q100. It’s officially impacting now! MC has delivered another #1 in the making.

From All Access: "Yet another classic from MC's forthcoming re-release, it is a one-listen instant favorite for everyone who hears it!" - Erik Bradley, APD/MD WBBM/Chicago

"Don't Forget About Us" has debuted at #3 on AOL Music's Top 11 songs.

According to Mediabase, through October 4th, 2005, "Don't Forget About Us" reached 12.533 million audience impressions with 651 spins: 398 (pop), 64 (Urban) and 189 (Rhythmic).

London Fashion Week combined with MOBOs is a perfect recipe for a shattered no-sleep week. On Monday night Donatella Versace threw a dinner party at a central London restaurant where she invited me and Mariah to join her at her top table alongside sometime actress Liz Hurley, actor Rupert Everett, musician Kanye West ,model Alek Wek, humanitarian Bob Geldof and the one we were most excited by, actor Kevin Spacey!

After dinner, more guests arrived to join us just for drinks. This included Lenny Kravitz’s cousin and music producer Gerry Deveaux, who arrived with his best friend model Veronica Webb, rapstress Est’elle, ex-Blue member Lee Ryan and many other liggers and blaggers.

Something that would be a great look however is if Mariah could get her first UK number one this week with her double A side single Shake It Off/ Get Your Number so let’s do this folks - let’s show the power of the black pound. Respect!

Click here to hear Mariah's brand new collaboration with Twista "So Lonely" on AOL Music. The song is featured on Twista's album "The Day After" and might be included on Mariah's upcoming re-release to "The Emancipation of Mimi".

Shakedown On "Shake It Off" Single Secrets
Following the commercial release of Mariah's new single "Shake It Off" b/w "Get Your Number" on Monday 3rd October 2005, those of you that have already purchased the CD single at retail are now formally invited to access an exclusive online area.

Simply insert the CD single into your computer's CD-Rom drive and click here to access the hot video for the single and a chance to win an exclusive personalised framed award from Mariah's "The Emancipation of Mimi" album. This closing date for this competition is Monday 31st October 2005.

By registering to enter this competition, you will also receive updates about the latest releases, preferential ticket opportunities, PA's, exclusive competitions and music downloads from Mariah Carey.

For those of you who haven't already bought the single, CD1 contains "Shake It Off" and "Get Your Number". Both tracks showcase the record-breaking chemistry of Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri. Fans of eighties disco will notice that the latter track samples Imagination's 1982 international hit "Just An Illusion", originally produced by Tony Swain and Steve Jolley.

Meanwhile, CD2 contains the Mariah/Jermaine Dupri double-shot of "Shake It Off" and "Get Your Number", but also features the "Shake It Off" video and the Swizz Beatz produced "Secret Love" previously only available on the Japanese edition of Mariah's multi-platinum The Emancipation of Mimi album.

Purchase Commercial / Digital Single

Commercial single on Amazon UK:
CD 1 (2 Tracks)
CD 2 (4 Tracks)
12" Vinyl

Digital Download Providers:
iTunes UK
Napster
Woolworths
MSN Music

When buying multiple copies of the single in stores, please remember to buy each single on a separate receipt to make the sale count towards the UK singles chart.

"Get Your Number" Video Premieres Today
MTV Europe confirms: Making of "Get Your Number" is a show that goes behind the scenes on this video shoot to get the lowdown on the artist. The programme will feature interviews with the video director and also with Mariah Carey.

"Get Your Number" making of the video premieres on MTV Base tonight at 8.30pm and tomorrow at 8pm on MTV UK.

Usher and Mariah Carey pal around at the recent 33rd birthday party for music producer Jermaine Dupri at the newly opened Las Vegas hot spot Tao. The bash was also attended by Dupri's main squeeze, Janet Jackson, Nelly, Tara Reid and Ashanti.

"I'm Furious! With everybody! You're all fired!"

Don't worry, she's joking. We think. The legendary Mariah Carey likes to make diva demands (even her sunglasses arrive on a silver tray). But behind the bling is a camp, witty and self-depreciating woman as Sylvia Patterson discovered when she spent the night in Castle Carey.

"There were times when I had one dollar to last all day, " says Mariah Carey gravely, perched at the kitchen table of her multimillion-dollar Bel Air homestead. "So it was, 'Do you go on the subway or do I have a bagel?' But I didn't care, because in my mind I knew, 'I'm gonna succeed one day, so this is my moment where I have holes in my shoes.' But now, my main issue is... how am I gonna get Jack over to Los Angeles?"

The geographical plight of Jack, her Jack Russell terrier, currently panting in his basket in the corner, is just one of a thousand mythological dramas in the extraordinary life of one of the biggest-selling female recording artists in the world. That Jack flies first class to LA ... £1,500 is something the world believes because the media says so, and Mariah only wishes were true.

"They actually won't let me put him on a first-class seat because he's too big," she grins. "And they also said, 'We'd only allow it for a famous dog.' Please! He has three websites dedicated to him! So Jack is driven in the car (a Mercedes) by my driver, Tom, 3,000 miles from New York. They think first class was a friggin' story? Let's tell 'em Jack flies private! In his own private jet..."

Hot heels and hot tubs
And so Mariah Carey, officially, has chauffeur-driven dog. And if Ms. Carey lives a life even more preposterous than the one the newspapers can invent, she does so amid peals of laughter. It's 4am in Bel Air, high up in the Hollywood hills, and we're inside Mariah's second home, a white stone... electronic gate and a winding, pink-bloomed driveway. Mariah is a little tipsy, a vision of post-work relaxation in scruffy jeans and faded make-up, bra-less in a plain, white vest. Barefoot, she takes us on a downstairs tour of a home you wouldn't call a house, or even a hotel - more "The Embassy of Mariah". We stroll through the colonial-style living room, where 20-foot palms waft over a grand piano, past the oak-panelled drawing-room with silver-framed photos of Mariah's life and shelves of weighty books (Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Connoisseur of Wine). Down by the in-built TV screen sit five massage chairs behind sliding glass doors that lead out to the garden, complete with ornamental pool, hot tub, summerhouse and recording studio. But this is only the home Mariah Carey rents - she owns nothing here, bar the silver-framed photos. "It feels like a home," she decides, "and Prince rents it, too, so there's good musical karma here." She steps into the garden "Ewww!" comes the shriek as Mariah accidentally steps off the pathway. "I sunk down! With no shoes on! (Tiptoes back onto pathway) And this is my hot tub... (Sticks big toe in water) Ooh, that's good. This is my one pre-requisite for renting the house; it's all about the hot tub, dahling! But really, it's just so cool for working because I go into the little studio, and I don't have to have make-up on or impress anybody. Last night I was singing in Thumper pants from my Bambi pajamas and a Hello Kitty shirt. Like an eight year old."

We decide to pose for a photo, taken by her mate Rachel. She's the only other person here besides Rose, the housekeeper, and has joined us on our impromptu tour. Posing by the piano, she insists we "do the leg thing!" Before that, though, Mariah fixes my hair.

"Did you get your hair done today?" she asks. "Did you blow dry it yourself? (No and yes) Here, give me a brush, I love doing hair. You don't have a brush? OK, well if this bothers you, tell me... Your hair was smooth earlier, what happened?" And so Mariah Carey brushes a pesky reporter's hair using her bare hands. And doesn't even reach for a disinfectant wipe afterwards.

Diva fever
In 2001, after the gleefully reported "breakdown" following her Glitter movie-and-album flop, Mariah was seemingly finished. "I think I had to be dragged through the mud," she says, "in order for people to even give me a chance today." Now, she's in renaissance. Her latest album, the infectious, better-than-anyone-imagined The Emancipation of Mimi got to No.1 in America and has sold over four million copies worldwide. The public perception remains, however, that Mariah Carey is the supreme Demanding Diva... her security guard to carry her around the set of her latest video, Shake It Off, because her heels were toweringly high. In reality, she's less tyrannical despot, more drag queen on a podium; a flamboyant New Yorker who lives an unapologetic cartoon lifestyle. For instance, earlier in the day, just before leaving for GLAMOUR's photo shoot, we're in the back of her Mercedes when she realises she's forgotten her sunglasses and asks the ever-smiling Rose to fetch them. Rose then appears, holding not one but 15 pairs of designer sunglasses, neatly arranged on a silver tray. "They'll be asking me about this for the rest of my life! Well, the tray just sits in the closet and I didn't say which ones I wanted, so Rose was trying to help! Next up: shoes on a tray..."

Pool party
Today's GLAMOUR photo shoot in the grounds of a chateau in Bel Air, lasts from 7pm to 2am, and during this time Mariah calls for no redecoration of her dressing room (a make-shift, curtained off space in the courtyard) and makes no demands whatsoever other than for the on-set DJ to stop playing Al Green. "I'll fall asleep..." There's a full catering service (chefs in aprons, silver tureens) used by everyone but Mariah. She asks for her usual work-day "morsels" - protein boosters that don't wreck her lipstick; bowls of almonds, cheese and olives "without the 'pips'". She performs for the cameras - "I go into automatic pose!" - like a cabaret showgirl. Then, behind the ... bottle of chilled white wine. By the shoot's end, her dog, Jack, and two male models are in the ornamental pool and Mariah's dress in hoisted beyond her oiled-up thighs. If there's one thing Mariah loves, it's make believe. "I really do," she beams, wiggling her wine glass. "I am a little dramatic. It's just in me."

Midnight feast
So, what would it be like to live with Mariah Carey? "There'd be benefits," she muses, "but it would take a lot." It's now 3am and we're back home having chicken fajitas prepared by Rose. Mariah admits she lives inside her "own little universe". Most days she gets up at 5pm, goes to bed around 7am and has her main meal around 2am. Logistically, the people in her life have to be like her, "or become like me." Whenever you see her sing on TV, or any time she's performing live, she'll have spent several days prior to that sleeping for 15 hours a day in a room full of voice - preserving humidifiers. "Bleak, but you gotta do what you gotta do," she says.

Mariah talks both honestly and warily about her famously volatile childhood: white mum, black dad, who divorced when Mariah was three, her brother with cerebral palsy and sister with a baby who, at age 15, became a drug-dependent prostitute and contracted HIV... Mariah has never been been interested in drugs. "I saw too much of it as a child," she says. Mariah and her mum moved around New York 13 times, living in "weird houses with no electricity and hundreds of steps". Then she stops herself. "But let me not be saying anything negative. Heavens to Betsy! Oh, everyone just gets so sensitive. She did the best she could," she says.

As for her love life, she was infamously married (from 1993 to 1998) to Tommy Mottola, the then President and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, who personally and professionally controlled her through her successful early years. Twenty years her senior, Mottola was a constant presence. "Back then, I'd never have been allowed to do the shoot... two guys in the pool? Not an option. Everyone was afraid of him. And that company (Sony) made over a billion from me, the raggedy little girl he met at a party."

She contemplates her reputation as Insufferable Diva No.1 and ponders the sunglasses-on-a-tray scenario, which will be taken at face value in a world where everyone takes Mariah Carey seriously - except Mariah Carey.

"It's like the stilettos on the Stairmaster," she says, referring to the MTV Cribs caper, where she was filmed at home wearing heels while working out. "It was like (theatrically) 'And here I am on my exercise bike!' I guess I just expect people to know it's a friggin' joke. A lot of the diva stuff is in the British press and I laugh at it. I'm a very campy person, but for a long time in my career, none of my true personality ever came out. In my former life, as a married person, I was intimidated; I was taught: don't trust the press, say as little as possible and don't be yourself. Consequently, I was viewed as a one-dimensional person, so I understand it when people have perceptions about who I am."

Eddie and Eminem
If Mariah is dating Eddie Murphy, she's saying nothing. She casually mentions his name. "I was just talking to Eddie Murphy about some charity thing..." She will say officially, "I won't say if I do or don't have a boyfriend. That's my new stance."

At 35, she's thought plenty about kids but is nervous over "the baggage of being my child". In any prospective relationship she's looking for profound stability, on every level - the kind she never knew herself. "The guy would have to be really secure," she says. "And potentially a great father. But I'm not obsessed with having a child, and I'm not in a rush."

She reiterates her long-asserted denial of an affair with sometime buddy Eminem. "Please!" she roars at the mention of a sexual tryst, recently refuelled by his playing alleged phone messages from Mariah on tour. "I never had any .... I can count the people I've had sex with on less than the fingers on one hand. Everyone's got issues and clearly he has many!"

We retire to the TV area, nestle into the massage chairs and watch footage of the making of her video, Shake It Off. While she's talking, beneath her white vest, her breasts are jiggling from side to side. "My hair is so frizzy in the opening shot," she points out. "It's hideosity!" And then we see her being carried by a security guard.

"Oh it wasn't that the shoes were too high," cackles Mariah. "They were too small. They kept hurting and finally I asked the security guy (presses back of hand to forehead), 'Dahling! Can you just carry me for a second? Puh-lease?' Sometimes your feet expand when you take your shoes off and put 'em back on, and I didn't wanna be late for the next shot."

Our stay with Mariah is drawing to a close and GLAMOUR has forgotten to book a cab back to the hotel. Mariah is amused. "Well, I dunno a cab company!" she roars and calls her personal assistant. "Tell me another person you've interviewed who's arranged your transportation!" she hoots. "Now, in this instance, you'd be the diva!" Mariah has an idea: she'll ring her publicist in London and blame her. "Dahling!" roars Mariah into the speaker-phone. "How about this? Sylvia forgot to book a cab. There's no car. She expects Mariah to get her home! I might as well drive the cab myself. I am furious! With everybody! You're all fired!

Glamour UK, November 2005.

Australia
--"The Emancipation of Mimi" drops five spots from #16 to #21 in its 26th week on ARIA's albums chart.

--This week on the Sanity Charts, "Shake It Off" debuts at#3! The first week sales on the Sanity chart are tallied according to pre-ordered sales.

--Universal Music Australia has made a brand new commercial featuring the new single, "Shake It Off" and also includes "We Belong Together." Click here to download the commercial.

--The "Shake It Off" CD single is now available in stores! Be sure to grab a copy or two! Below are scans of the single courtesy of MariahOz.


--"Dont Forget About Us" won by a landslide against a new song by The Fugees on Hot 30's iPod Shuffle challenge. Thanks to her win, Hot 30, Australia's most listened to national countdown played the entire song during a primetime airplay slot across the country!

Brazil
On the Hot100Br@sil charts for week ending October 8, 2005, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops a spot from #3 to #4 while "We Belong Together" gains one from #8 to #7.

Canada
--"The Emancipation of Mimi" dips a spot from #7 to #8 on the official Canadian albums chart.

--In MuchMoreMusic, "Shake It Off" is #5 on this week's Top 20 Countdown and #10 on last show's Top 10.

El Salvador
"Shake It Off" makes La Femenina 102.5 FM's "Las 11 Del 11" at #10! Request the song by calling 22-24-24-11 or sending a text message to 1025.

France
--"We Belong Together" drops six places from #16 to #22 in its 5th week on the French IFOP singles chart. The song has peaked at #12. However, "The Emancipation of Mimi" rises four spots from #28 to #24 this week.

--Below are scans from the September 26th issue of the French magazine, "Public".


Germany
"We Belong Together" plunges another 6 places this week from #51 to #57 on the official singles chart.

Ireland
"We Belong Together" slips five spots from #17 to #22 in its 13th week on the singles chart (peaked at #3). On the albums chart, "The Emancipation of Mimi" drops seven from #29 to #36 (peaked at #18).

Russia
--"We Belong Together" is at #8 on MTV-Russia's Top20. Cast your vote here or send an e-mail to top20@mtv.ru.

--Please request "Shake It Off" on MUZ-TV's Top 20 by sending an email to 20@muz-tv.ru.

--"We Belong Together" climbs four spots from #30 to #26 on Europa Plus Top 40.

Spain
MariahHispanoHablantes has launched a message board for the Spanish speaking fans. Visit the site by clicking here.

UK
--"We Belong Together" drops out of the official UK Top 40 singles chart, was #35 last week. "The Emancipation of Mimi" falters as well, dropping eight places from #25 to #33 on the albums chart.

--Airplay on radio and TV has not been great in UK. Please request "Get Your Number" and "Shake It Off" to be played on your local stations! Visit MariahConnectionUK for a complete list of important radio and TV stations to call or email.

--The "Get Your Number/Shake It Off" CD single is out today! Be sure to visit your favorite record store and grab a copy!

USA
--According to Mediabase, B96 WBBM in Chicago, IL is playing Mariah like crazy this week!

#4 - We Belong Together #5 - Shake It Off #25 - Don't Forget About Us #26 - So Lonely

This adds to 8.139 million in audience impressions from this one station alone.

--"Mariah absolutely crushed the competition," the DJ commented when Mariah's "Don't Forget About You" beat Mike Jones's new song (56-2) at last Thursday's "Battle of the Beats" on Power 92, Peoria, IL. On Friday, Mariah won over Latino Thugz, 34-31. If she wins again today and tomorrow, "Dont Forget About Us" will be added to the station's playlist. Be sure to call 1-309-686-9292 between 8:15pm and 9:00pm ET to vote for the song!

--Since the B96 premiere on September 26th, "Don't Forget About Us" has registered 7.705M audience impressions, 356 spins through October 2, 2005, according to Mediabase.

--Mariah is #5 in Yahoo! Buzz's Top Searches Overall for the month of September.

One of the other most intriguing questions on the eve of Grammy nomination voting has to do with the remarkable commercial comeback of Mariah Carey, whose "The Emancipation of Mimi" ranks among the year's few real blockbusters and who has been the top singles artist of recent months.

A decade ago, this would have made her a slam-dunk in top album and song Grammy contests. But since the Recording Academy moved to let select committees choose the final five nominations in many categories from the top 20 vote-getters, the question arises of whether Carey is a "credible" enough artist to get a nod.

"She's the story of the year," says former Vibe, Spin and Rolling Stone editor Alan Light, noting the redemptive angle of Carey's return from personal problems and seeming commercial irrelevance. "But can you really see enough people considering it the album of the year? Within other category awards, she'll be major."


Grammy season officially kicks off coast-to-coast with the nominations announcement in New York City on December 8, 2005, and the 48th Grammy Awards taking center stage in Los Angeles on February 8, 2006, on CBS.

Click on the links below to download video files of Mariah performing "Get Your Number" and "Shake It Off" at "ASDA's Tickled Pink" Concert held at Prince Albert Hall, London on September 18, 2005. The concert was broadcast Saturday, October 1, 2005, 11:25pm on ITV1.

[ Download "Get Your Number" (40MB, via RapidShare) ]

[ Download "Shake It Off" (32MB, via RapidShare) ]

[ Download Both Performances (165MB, HQ, via FileFactory) ]
Many thanks to DJ for the video files!

--"Shake It Off" remains at #1 on this week's VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown! Please keep on voting. Post your vote online in the Top 20 Video Countdown Message Board.

--What do you think is Mariah Carey's best song ever? Cove Magazine.com wants to know what record is her ultimate best. Select your favorite Mariah track here and tune in to Cove's November 2005 issue to find out the 9 Best Songs and the ultimate #1 song by Mariah.

--Candace Walker, BellaOnline's Gospel Editor reviews Mariah's two songs, "Fly Like A Bird" and "My Saving Grace." Here's what she says of "Fly Like A Bird: "Mariah uses that beautiful voice of hers to convey a spirit of freedom and wonderment that must be felt when we as Christians are "carried off home" with our Lord and savior. She sings on loving each other and not allowing the world to break our free loving spirit that lives inside of each of us. It's all about being free like a bird when God calls us home." On "My Saving Grace," she comments, "On this traditional flavored song she sings of God's grace and how He has given her strength in her times of need. We all can testify to this message." Click here for the rest of her review.

--On the live season premiere of "Will and Grace," character Jack McFarland wore an eye patch claiming he got glitter in his eye. Toward the end, he took it off to reveal his eyebrow missing (which was the real reason why it was covered in the first place) then made the comment, "I haven't seen this much bad glitter since Mariah Carey's film debut."

--Mariah's "Shake It Off (Remix)" featuring Jay-Z & Young Jeezy and "Your Girl (Remix)" featuring Camron & Juelz Santana are two of 22 songs featured on Action Pac - R&B Life Volume 21 mixtape.

--Clay, one of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" candidates, is a Mariah fan! Click here to view his profile.

--Congratulations to Gareth on his new Mariah message board, MariahCarey.co.uk!

Mariah's "Heartbreaker" video is featured in a new section of the magazine "Entertainment Weekly" called "The Best Music Videos that Tell Tales" (Cinematic Music Videos).

GENRE: Romantic comedy

PLOT: ''Good Mariah'' and pals head to the movie theater to catch her cheating beau canoodling with ''Evil Mariah''. And the feature presentation? It's a cartoon starring ''Animated Mariah,'' natch.

LYRICAL TIE-IN: ''I should have known right from the start/You'd go and break my heart.''

SCENE STEALER: Jerry O'Connell, appropriately goofy as the titular two-timer

UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT: Our leggy heroine swings from the top of a bathroom stall and kicks her nemesis in the gut.

Click here to see the video clip.