Every year around this time, Mariah’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” resurges in popularity due to the Holiday season. When it was first released ten years ago, it became an instant classic and today remains one of the most celebrated contemporary seasonal tunes ever.

Even though December hasn’t began yet, the song already has about 16 million audience impressions from the thousands of spins it has been receiving on radio stations across the nation. Any track with this amount of airplay would usually merit a spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, but Billboard created a rule in 2000 (after “All I Want For Christmas Is You” entered the chart at #83) stating that Christmas songs are only current during the first year of release and are unable to re-enter the chart in their original format.

Still, the tune lives on. Sandy from the former German girl-group No Angels recently performed the song live on German channel VIVA’s Christmas show. Swedish popgroup Play have also covered the song on their recently-released Christmas album "Play Around The Christmas Tree", and rock band Chemical Romance remade the song for radio station KROQ’s “Christmastime in the 909” CD, which is available at Best Buy stores in the Los Angeles area.

Meanwhile, Mariah’s original version is featured on Mix 106.5's "Holiday Collection Album", and is currently #2 on Launchcast’s Pop Holiday Station, and was named the #1 best holiday song of all-time at tophitsonline.com.

How desperate is Mariah Carey to get hitched again? Desperate enough for the divorced songbird to dress up as a bride twice in the same week!

“Mariah Carey has everything a girl could want – except a husband,” says a music industry insider. “She’s so anxious to be a bride and walk down the aisle again that people are teasing her that her favorite designer is anyone who creates wedding gowns. I think she even has a few gowns in mind – the only thing she’s missing is a groom.”

Mariah, 34, who hasn’t had a serious relationship in more than three years, caused a commotion when she showed up at a Halloween party in New York carrying a bridal bouquet and wearing a saucy, lacy white wedding outfit similar to the one Madonna wore in her Like a Virgin video, complete with a long veil, quarter belt and satin gloves.

Days later, she donned a stunning Vera Wang tulle gown with full train and plunging neckline at a birthday bash thrown for her pal Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.

Mariah told her pals she wore them because she never felt sexy at her 1993 wedding to music mogul Tommy Mottola, which ended in a heartbreaking divorce less than five years later.

Since then, she’s had trouble meeting Mr. Right, failing to make it permanent with baseball hunk Derek Jeter and singer Luis Miguel. Now she wants a guy with a good sense of humor but preferably nobody famous. “With another celebrity, there are egos,” she says. “It’s like, ‘Which fan came up to me and asked for an autograph and didn’t ask you?’ Everybody wants to be a big power couple in Hollywood, but who really cares?”

In an hour-long BBC documentary, George Michael discusses love, life and death, including his high-profile arrest in a Beverly Hills public toilet.

A BBC spokesperson said: 'There are also contributions, some of them critical, from the likes of Sir Elton John, Mariah Carey, Boy George, Simon Cowell and Noel Gallagher.'

"George Michael: A Different Life" will be screened at 10:35pm on Monday, November 29.

One year while living in New Hampshire, my wife busted out the Mariah Carey Christmas compilation CD and popped it in while we were driving somewhere. I couldn’t take it for too long and I asked her to change CDs -- not an unreasonable request since it was the week after Halloween.

I think she was enjoying the sweet holiday melodies too much. I asked again, and she told me that she wanted to hear "just one more song." We agreed, and the ditty played to its conclusion. She then tried to eject the CD, but it was stuck in the player of our new car. Now not only was it too early to be listening to Christmas music, but I didn’t have a choice, because that was all the radio would play. It was Mariah Carey Christmas all day every day from then on.

Kristin couldn’t have been happier. It’s weird, I know.

It was sweet revenge a couple of weeks later when we took the car to the dealership. They had to replace the stereo and couldn’t get the CD out at the shop. The radio was going to be sent to California and the CD would then be mailed back to us in "about six weeks."

I tried not to smile when I heard the news, I didn’t want to hurt Kristin’s feelings. But she knew I was happy for the reprieve.

We left the dealership and headed for home. But there was one more stop Kristin wanted to make. She pointed to the BJs sign and said she wanted to quickly run in and pick up something.

I waited in the car, feeling satisfied that I would not be forced to listen to the Mariah Carey Christmas CD for a while. These happy thoughts were soon replaced with dread. She was walking toward the car with a CD. I didn’t have to ask which one it was, the smug smile on her face told me that she had purchased a new Mariah Carey Christmas CD. Now not only would I have to hear it again, but in six weeks, she would have two Mariah Carey Christmas CDs. Bah humbug!

I’m really not a Grinch, it was just too early for my festive juices to start flowing. But that seems to be changing, maybe because of Mariah Carey. While stringing up the lights at my house a couple of weeks ago, I had those same Mariah Carey songs running through my head and I couldn’t get them out. I think my wife planned it that way and brainwashed me. Judging by the number of cars that beeped and waved (I think they were all waving), she may have gotten to other folks as well.

-- Click here to view an interview Mariah gave with WB11 at the recent Thanksgiving Charity Dinner. Of her new album, Mariah said, "I love it. I love listening to it. I love playing it for people." You can see additional footage here.

-- Mariah's upcoming single with Snoop Dogg, "Say Something", is #2 on Rap Up magazine's Top 10 Hot List.

-- From Newport Daily News: When it comes to Christmas music, Newport Daily News Managing Editor Sheila Mullowney has a penchant for cartoon songs. Others, like editorial assistant Becky Morrissey, like to keep it traditional, while City Editor Pamela Berard goes for the more contemporary "All I Want for Christmas" by Mariah Carey. "It's cheesy, I know," Berard said. "But how can you not be happy when you hear that song? It's infectious."

-- From Guam Daily News: The J.Q. San Miguel Elementary School cheerleading and dance group is yelling, but they're moving and grooving, twice a week after school, having fun while staying healthy. Currently, the group is learning a dance routine for Mariah Carey's Christmas song "All I Want For Christmas" that they'll perform in a couple of weeks at the school's Christmas program.

-- From Michigan Live: Riki Gheller, whose four-octave vocal range has been compared to pop diva Mariah Carey's, didn't even know she could sing until one night two years ago at Billy's Roadhouse, when she helped a friend with Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" at the karaoke mic. Now she's leaving for Hollywood on Monday, having survived American Idol auditions in Cleveland and Las Vegas.

Access Hollywood was criss-crossing the nation with the stars who are giving back this holiday season.

Mariah Carey served up a sweet Thanksgiving to 300 children and their families at the True Worship Church in Brooklyn as part of her work with the Fresh Air Fund.

Our auditioning correspondent Egypt was there alongside the superstar.

"She kicked off the glamour girl and dived right in. You started serving up the collard greens," Egypt told Mariah.

"Serving it up. I had a what do you call that?... an apron?" replied Mariah.

"Now do you cook?" inquired Egypt.

"I do actually cook. I don't really use an apron when I cook though. This is my first apron experience," said Mariah.

"She cooks in high heels," joked Egypt.

"I do cook in high heels," said Mariah.

But Mariah was serving it up in sweats today, bringing joy to hundreds of children. She told Egypt she'll spend the rest of the day eating turkey in bed and resting her voice to record her new CD "The Emancipation of Mimi." Mimi was Mariah's childhood nickname.

"I never really understood 'Mariah' as a name. It always kind of was like nobody could spell it at school. Nobody understood how to pronounce it, so 'Mimi' became my thing," revealed Mariah.

These are scans from recent issues of:

Heat (UK), issue #298, dated 27 November-3 December, 2004: “Mariah Carey – Errr, we’re not great experts on the subject, but we suspect that if Mariah is intent on bagging herself a new husband, frocking-up as a ever-ready bride may not be the best way to go about it. Perhaps she’s hoping to lure them in with her magnificent bosom, hypnotise them with her lovely, soothing singing voice and then whisk them off to a quickie wedding chapel before they can say, “Noooo!””

Red Eye (Chicago): “Mariah: Call Me “Mimi”: The “Emancipation of Mimi” isn’t just the name of Mariah Carey’s next album, it’s apparently the next chapter in the pop diva’s life.

In a message on her Web site, Carey urges fans to start calling her “Mimi,” msnbc.com reports.

“Mimi is a very personal nickname only used by those closest to me,” she writes. “I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much closer to me.”

Feel the love.”

Sun Times (Chicago): “Now it can be told. Mariah Carey says her personal nickname is Mimi. She’s willing to share this intimate private fact with you in exchange for just a few of your dollars. “Mimi is a very personal nickname only used by those closest to me,” she says on Mariahcarey.com. So why call your new album “The Emancipation of Mimi,” then? Well, I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much closer to me… I now feel I can honestly say ‘this is me, the real me, take it or leave it.’” (Really you know, she means buy it or leave it.)”

"U Make Me Wanna" - the new single by Jadakiss and Mariah, takes a giant leap of 19 spots from #66 last week to #47 on this week's issue of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles tally (December 4th, 2004). Please continue to request the song on your local radio stations.

-- DJ Peter Rauhofer's official site states that Peter is currently remixing: Mariah Carey "Say Something" (November 22, 2004). We were first informed that Peter Rauhofer will remix Mariah's first single in the November 15th Billboard article which announced "The Emancipation of Mimi".

-- "Para Todos" magazine listed Mariah at #6 on their yearly 15 most beautiful women list. This issue has Daisy Fuentes on the cover.

-- In the December 6th issue of Us Weekly with Jennifer Lopez on the cover, Us asked celebrities, "How do you keep off the holiday pounds?" on page 58 and Mariah responded, "Be mindful of the mashed potatoes!"

-- The British tabloid "The Daily Mail" doesn't seem to understand the meaning of Mariah's album title. The following appeared on their 'Wicked Whispers' column (Wednesday November 24 2004) :

"Self-centred songstress Mariah Carey has renamed herself for her new album, The Emancipation Of Mimi. She twitters: 'Mimi is a very personal nickname used only by those closest to me. I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much nearer to me.' Mariah, why not just call yourself Me-Me-Me and be done with it?"

If you're interested to write back to the magazine, click here to e-mail the column writers.

Mariah Carey is spending Thanksgiving in New York for the first time in three years. In honor of the occasion, the songbird helped serve turkey dinner to 300 children and their families at the True Worship Church in Brooklyn this week as part of the Fresh Air Fund team. As for today, Carey, whose new album, "The Emancipation of Mimi," hits in the spring, is taking it easy with some pals at her Manhattan pad and may take in a turkey dinner at a nearby eatery.

Below are pictures of Mariah hosting the 6th Annual Thanksgiving Charity Dinner at True Worship Church in New York City earlier in the evening. Click each thumbnail for a larger, full-scale view. More photos can be viewed at gettyimages.com.

Mariah Carey is taking the holiday meal giveaway a step further by hosting a Thanksgiving dinner in Brooklyn, New York, through the Fresh Air Fund organization. Children and their families have been invited to join the singer for the three-hour dinner on Wednesday evening.

Mariah Carey has a message for fans: Call me Mimi!

The singer now joins the list of divas who’ve taken an alternative moniker, such as Jennifer Lopez (J.Lo) and Madonna (Esther). In fact, Carey’s new name will appear in the title her forthcoming album: "The Emancipation of Mimi."

“Mimi is a very personal nickname only used by those closest to me... just one of those little things that I’ve kept for myself in an attempt to have some delineation between a public persona and a private life,” Carey explains on her Web site.

By publicly adopting her private name, Carey explains, “I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much closer to me… Most importantly, I am celebrating the fact that I’ve grown into a person and artist who no longer feels imprisoned by my insecurities or compelled to try and live up to someone else’s vision of ‘Mariah Carey.’ I now feel I can honestly say ‘this is me, the real me, take it or leave it.’”

Some Carey fans found the Mimi revelation interesting for another reason: in “Bling,” a dishy roman à clef about the music industry released earlier this year, one character was widely believed to be based on Carey. Author Erica Kennedy — an insider in the music business who is the godmother to Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons’s daughter Ming — called the character “Mimi.”

By Jeannette Walls

Latina.com includes Mariah amongst its list of exceptional Latinas. In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Latina.com recognizes exceptional Latinas who made their great ideas happen and left a lasting impact on us all.

From New York Daily News: Allure, a Destiny's Child-style R&B act, has had an unusual number of setbacks. The New York-based vocal trio - Alia Davis, Lalisha McLean and Akissa Mendez - was the first act signed to Mariah Carey's bomb of a label, Crave, which Columbia Records ditched after it failed to produce any major hits. Then they went to MCA, but the group got dropped amid the label's corporate reshuffling.

From Broadway: Crouch End X Factor star Cassie Compton has made it through to the final five of the TV talent show…Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh unanimously praised her performance of Mariah Carey's Hero…She told Broadway: "It really meant something to me. I sang the song at my niece's christening and concerts with my friends and it brings back nice memories.”

From Forbes: St. Barts only takes up about eight square miles and has a population of less than 7,000. The miniscule airport can only accommodate puddle-jumpers. There are no big resorts, golf courses or booming nightclubs…The combination of quietude and culture have drawn notables ranging from pop star Mariah Carey to dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who visits aboard his yacht.

From Daily Record: But apart from those who worked for the company, there have been plenty of celebrities through the years who loved to wear Chanel products. Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe famously said Channel No. 5 was the only thing she wore in bed. Modern-day diva Mariah Carey apparently won't venture out on the ski slopes unless she is dressed from head to toe in Chanel.

Pure nightclub, the sprawling $14 million addition to Caesars Palace, has been talking to Mariah Carey about a New Year's Eve appearance. Word is she might be ringing in 2005 by leading the crowd in Auld Lang Syne.

She's become renowned in recent years for her girlish, one-word album titles such as 'Charmbracelet', ‘Daydream' and ‘Rainbow' but it seems Soul diva Mariah Carey is determined to surprise her fanbase with the announcement that her 10 studio album will go by a far more intriguing moniker: 'The Emancipation of Mimi'.

The 34-year old singer’s latest album is tentatively scheduled for international release in February 2005. After a turbulent few years Carey is being tipped by industry insiders for a big comeback with her fresh new material. Journalists at respected US Music Industry paper Billboard, who were recently treated to a preview of the album, described it as a ‘return to her pop and R&B roots’. Apparently referring in the album’s title to a nickname, by which she is known by close friends and family, Mariah has promised fans her most personal work to date, ranging from Gladys Knight style old-school soul balladry to collaborations with contemporary hip-hop names.

The first single from Carey's latest opus, entitled ‘Say Something' is now likely to hit the airwaves around January next year. The track, which is being described by US radio bosses as her hottest single in years features rap superstar Snoop Dogg, and production work by the critically acclaimed Neptunes, famed for their work with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Kelis.

-- Universal Music Japan is reporting that the Japanese release of Mariah's new album, "The Emancipation of Mimi", has been pushed up to March 2, 2005.

-- Attention French fans! Mariah will be on "Fan De" on Saturday, November 27 at 11:30am on channel M6.

-- Evan Taubenfeld, the former guitarist of Avril Lavigne, who is now on the brink of a solo career, has confessed his appreciation of Mariah. When asked in an online chat, "Do you like Mariah Carey?", Evan responded, "Yeah! She's got a good voice." Read the entire transcript at etaubenfeld.com.

-- Those who ordered the "Fantasy: Mariah Carey Live at Madison Square Garden" DVD may have noticed something extra that wasn't on the original VHS release. The bonus video which has been added to the DVD is the "Anytime You Need A Friend (Dance Remix)" video, which was previously only available on the international release. There is also a slightly-modified "Fantasy" remix montage which is arranged differently on the DVD than it was on the VHS. The DVD can be ordered from amazon.com for only $11.23.

-- In related news, the "Fantasy: Mariah Carey Live at Madison Square Garden" DVD will be released on on November 29th in Australia, and December 15th in Asia.

Mariah fan Tom Webster was also at the recent Fresh Air Fund charity event and e-mailed us to share his story and the picture he took with Mariah.

Tom says, "Mariah pulled up in a silver Rolls Royce Phantom, which she said she was just borrowing for the night, and looked great. She hugged a few fans and took a gift or two and a letter I handed her. After the event, she came out and posed for pictures and talked with fans."

As far as the clips from Mariah's new album that were previewed, Tom said, "The music on the uptempo songs is really cool and there are some really great vocal arrangements." Click the thumbnail for a larger, full-scale view of Tom posing with Mariah!

Although Mariah Carey has been relatively mum about giving away information about her upcoming album, any plans of secrecy have been thwarted by eager journalists and fans alike.

The title of Carey’s forthcoming release, “The Emancipation of Mimi”, was prematurely announced earlier in the week by Billboard Magazine – a move that didn’t sit too well with Carey, who wrote on her official website, “It leaked out way before I intended. I had a whole explanation of the title to go along with the press release which was supposed to come out in February, but basically that got foiled.”

Seeing how upset the singer was over the album title being disclosed, she probably won’t be too thrilled to learn that the record’s lead single was illegally distributed onto the internet yesterday morning – weeks before its scheduled radio impact.

The song in question is the Neptunes-produced “Say Something”. Initial plans called for the single to be shipped to radio later this month, but everything was reportedly shifted when rapper Snoop Dogg, who appears on the track as a featured vocalist, was too busy promoting his own album to film the music video or partake in any other promotional events. As a result, the revised release schedule placed the single for release in January, which would also allocate time for Carey to properly finish the album, her first since 2002’s “Charmbracelet”, in time for release in March.

But have plans changed now that the tune has been leaked early, purportedly by a fan who obtained a sample clearance-only copy of the single? Messages left with Island/Def Jam representatives hadn’t been returned at press time, but those familiar with the record industry say the incident could have a major impact on Carey’s comeback.

“Now isn’t a very good time to be launching a new record. It’s hard to get a song added at radio during the Holiday season with all the seasonal songs and year-end countdowns going. If the single does start to receive radio play, however, it will force the label to hastily move forward with their plans; and by the time a video has been shot and distributed to outlets, it could potentially bypass the run of the single.”

We’ll just have to wait and see how Carey and her new team, which includes record executive L.A. Reid, manager Benny Medina and publicist Marvet Britto, will handle the situation. In the mean time, you can hear Carey – legally – on Jadakiss’s new single “U Make Me Wanna”.

Editor's Note: Mariah Daily will not be posting any audio clips of Mariah's new single until the track has been officially released by her record company.

Mariah Carey got on the microphone during model Yfke Sturm’s birthday party at Marquee Thursday night to pay homage to dead rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Afterward, they played the song they made together, "Me and Mariah".

Mariah Carey has become the latest singer to adopt a new name - and she's chosen to call herself Mimi.

With Jennifer Lopez dubbing herself J.Lo, Janet Jackson taking on the moniker of Damita Jo and Madonna asking to be referred to as Esther, Carey will now be using her private nickname in the title of her upcoming album, The Emancipation of Mimi.

In a letter posted on her website on Thursday Carey writes, "My album title has leaked out way before I intended. Knowing that the title was very different for me and might cause some confusion, I had a whole explanation to go along with the press release which was supposed to come out in February, but basically that got foiled.

"So here it is... Mimi is a very personal nickname only used by those closest to me... just one of those little things that I've kept for myself in an attempt to have some delineation between a public persona and a private life.

"By naming the album The Emancipation of Mimi I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much closer to me.

"Most importantly, I am celebrating the fact that I've grown into a person and artist who no longer feels imprisoned by my insecurities or compelled to try and live up to someone else's vision of 'Mariah Carey'.

"For the first time in my life, I feel free and unashamed to be who I really am. And that's what the music of this album and it's title reflect."

The album is due to hit stores on March 22, 2005.

In addition to being #66 on this week's issue of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Jadakiss and Mariah's new single "U Make Me Wanna" is #36 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The track currently has around 27 million audience impressions at American radio (roughly 15 million at Urban stations and 12 million at Rhythmic stations), but needs more to become a certifiable hit. Please continue to request the song on your local radio stations and at major stations such as Z100 in New York. Requests to that station can be made by dialing toll free 1-800-242-0100 or online at z100.com.

A group of Mariah fans were treated to a real surprise when they met Mariah at the Fresh Air Fund’s Annual Fall Benefit Auction last night in New York City. They were given a first listen to Mariah’s upcoming album, “The Emancipation of Mimi”.

The group has met Mariah on numerous occasions in the past and were instantly recognized by the singer. “She saw us on the way in and said she would talk to us on the way back out if we waited,” said Heather, one of the fans. Another fan, Lani, said, “Mariah was blasting [her new single] ‘Say Something’ in her car when she arrived. She told us that she wanted us to hear it. Once we went in we were able to listen to the entire CD.”

The fans were able to hear fourteen one-minute clips of brand new material. “It’s so amazing! The production is really hot. We’ve got some serious hip-hop beats but with old school vocals to back them up. These are her best beats and some of her hottest vocals,” commented one fan. “This is definitely ten steps up from Charmbracelet and Glitter production wise and vocally,” said another.

They seemed particularly impressed with the record’s vocals. “Her voice is strong mid-range. I remember her going into her lower register a few different times and it sounded great. The background vocals and harmonies are amazing, too.” Fan Amy gushed, “Her vocal styling is really soulful. It’s like she’s singing in a strong voice with a lot of attitude. The lyrics are also much more mature.”

Among the tracks previewed were a bevy of up-tempos including the lead single “Say Something” featuring Snoop Dogg, which the group unanimously agreed to be an insanely hot track; the proposed second single “Shake You Off” featuring Jermaine Dupri (“It’s really, really catchy. We all started bopping to it.”); “Can I Get Your Number” featuring Nelly; “Hit The Floor”; and a racy number assumedly titled “Here Comes That Feeling Again”.

Of course, there were also a handful of ballads, including one that made the group sad with its heartbreaking lyrics. “Another ballad sounded like it was supposed to be a live track with a crowd in the background and Mariah introducing the song. It was really good.” However, the tune that had everyone talking was “Mine Again”, an old-school flavored ballad. “It is officially my favorite! I swear I almost peed my pants when I heard Mariah singing!”

The group only had a moment to reflect on the new songs before Mariah was ready to meet with them. When Mariah had finally exited the building, she noted to a member of her entourage, “I know them,” as she stepped around the barricade to have a chat and take pictures with the group. “She told us she’s going to Atlanta tomorrow to do one more song. She said she has too many already. I hope she keeps at least what she had though, because it was hot.”

Heather summed everything up by saying, “Mariah is amazing. Everyone inside the party kept commenting on how great she was. I really am still in shock. I woke up and thought it all possibly to be a dream.”

Mariah Carey has shrugged off rumours she is running out of money after struggling to curb her lavish tastes and lifestyle.

According to recent media reports, Mariah has flittered away most of the US$28 million she was paid to terminate her contract with Virgin Records three years ago. But a spokesperson for the 34-year-old says, "She wrote the majority of songs on every album and songwriting is a very lucrative business." Carey is set to release her tenth studio album under the Def Jam label next year.

Mariah attended The Fresh Air Fund: An Evening In Oz Benefit at Chelsea Piers last night, November 18, 2004 in New York City. Here are some photos from the event. Click each thumbnail for a larger, full-scale view.

In Us Weekly, November 29th edition, page 54: Mariah Carey is one brave woman! During a bathroom break at P. Diddy's 35th birthday bash on November 4, Carey dared to snatch a lit cigarette from the fingers of temperamental supermodel Naomi Campbell. Carey even delivered a gentle scolding on the evils of nicotine! "Mariah hates smoking; she thinks it's awful and won't be around it, ever," says a Hot Stuff source who was in the bathroom. Carey clearly has a gift for mending fences: After she extinguished Campbell's butt in the ashtray, the supermodel happily posed for photos with her - right in the bathroom!

The body of rapper O.D.B. was returned home today to Brooklyn, where mourners included multi-platinum singer Mariah Carey and fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man.

Grammy Award-winning singer Carey, who had collaborated with Ol' Dirty Bastard on a remix of her hit "Fantasy,'' wore sunglasses and a black outfit as she walked up to his casket during a wake that preceded the service.

O.D.B., whose real name was Russell Jones, collapsed and died Saturday inside a Manhattan recording studio. The cause of death remained undetermined, but the 35-year-old co-founder of the seminal rap group Wu-Tang Clan had struggled with drug and alcohol addictions.

Fan Gary Harrington, of Brooklyn, said O.D.B was just a natural.

Jones' troubled life landed him in jail for drug possession and escaping from a rehabilitation clinic. He had just finished his prison term a few months before his sudden death.


-- Here are some photos of Mariah at O.D.B.’s funeral. Click each thumbnail for a larger, full-scale view.

Jadakiss and Mariah's new single "U Make Me Wanna" jumps 9 places with a bullet to #66 on this week's issue of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles tally. The track debuted on the chart last week at #75. Please continue to request the song on your local radio stations.

So obviously my album title has leaked out way before I intended. (the single isn't even out yet...hello???)

Knowing that the title was very different for me and might cause some confusion, I had a whole explanation to go along with the press release which was supposed to come out in February, but basically that got foiled.

So here it is..."Mimi" is a very personal nickname only used by those closest to me...just one of those little things that I've kept for myself in an attempt to have some delineation between a public persona and a private life.

By naming the album The Emancipation of Mimi I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much closer to me..Most importantly, I am celebrating the fact that I've grown into a person and artist who no longer feels imprisoned by my insecurities or compelled to try and live up to someone else's vision of "Mariah Carey" I now feel I can honestly say "this is me, the real me, take it or leave it" For the first time in my life, I feel free and unashamed to be who I really am..And that's what the music of this album and it's title reflect..

As always, I love ya, appreciate ya and I enjoy ya!!! MC a.k.a Mimi.

The DVD of Mariah's 1995 performance in the Madison Square Garden was released yesterday in the U.S. Don't forget to pick it up!

According to Amazon, UK fans will be able to own the region 2 (Pal) version of the DVD on December 13th, 2004.

There is no extra material on the DVD than the one on the VHS release of this concert.

Lastly, a reminder to Japanese fans: Don't forget to pick up your copy of "The First Vision" DVD which was released by Sony today in Japan.

-- The Internet Movies Database picked "Glitter" as their movie of the day for November 17th, 2004.

IMDB Movie of the Day
The musical fantasy biopic has historically proved to be a dicey prospect for many crossover artists. For every Purple Rain there's an Under the Cherry Moon; Lady Sings the Blues but she doesn't talk about Mahogany; there's The Jazz Singer and...The Jazz Singer. But as the squeakiest, most tabloid-friendly entry to date, Glitter brought a new sense of shame to the big screen, and caused many who had never spent a moment's time pondering Mariah Carey to take notice. Glitter towed the same "semi-autobiographical" line as 8 Mile, re-creating Mariah as Billie, a foster kid who becomes an ingיnue on the New York city club scene before ascending to superstardom and superheartbreak. Gladness and sadness abound on her trip to the top as she boo-hoos over her lover/producer (Max Beesley) and tries to stay real for her homegirls. But all the on-screen drama paled in comparison to Carey's real life, effectively rendering Glitter irrelevant. There were "Mariah's Messages," those zoned-out voicemails on her official site, followed by the infamous striptease on Total Request Live. Then, the first of several mental-health hospitalizations caused Glitter's release date to be pushed back (it opened 10 days after 9/11). And before the movie limped out of theaters, Virgin, Carey's record label, essentially paid her $50 million to leave the nest. It's a shame that the people behind the movie, who had enough insight to cast Ann Magnuson as Billie's publicist, weren't able to put the kibosh on the project before it caused Mariah's career to grind to a halt. What remains is a serious contender for your next slumber/cocktail party.

-- "Glitter" will be airing on TV2 in New Zeland on Saturday, November 20th, 2004 at 11:05pm. Click here to read their review of the movie.

Following our posting of the inclusion of "Butterfly" as an essential pop album (according to "Slant" magazine), here is another inclusion of a Mariah album, this time on an older list of the top 100 essential pop albums of the 90's by "Pause & Play".

Providing some guest commentary are the king of parodies, "Weird Al" Yankovic and vocalist Karina Deniké of the ska-pop band Dance Hall Crashers.

MUSIC BOX, Mariah Carey (Columbia, 1993):
Don't laugh, this is fairly decent for what it is, an inoffensive pop record. Digging deep into her gospel and opera roots, Carey showed off her pop sass and smarts more than ever before.

Yankovic: "What can I say? She's your pop diva, she's good Top 40 fodder, but she's an incredible singer."

Deniké: "I have to give her some credit for carving her own path. She's obviously an amazing singer, but I'm not crazy about some of her style and some of the songwriting is a little boring to me."

Prime cuts: "Dreamlover," "Hero," "Anytime You Need a Friend," "Without You."

Singer Mariah Carey is planning to star in another movie - despite the critical mauling her autobiographical film Glitter received.

The Honey star, whose '80s-themed movie was panned by critics and avoided by fans, will play a scantily clad beauty in the remake of James Bond spoof Casino Royale, according to British newspaper the Daily Mirror.

An insider says, "Mariah is going to play the part immortalised by Ursula Andress. It's a comedy so Mariah's going to be making fun of herself."

Pierce Brosnan is currently in talks to play 007 in Quentin Tarantino's remake of Casino Royale.

Carey has also agreed to team up with fellow singers Patti LaBelle, Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys and Macy Gray for independent film Ladies' Night.