The two leads in Mariah's upcoming film, Tennessee, have been cast, as reported by Heroes of Mariah. James D'Arcy and Ethan Peck will play the two brothers who go on a trip to find their estranged father. Pre-production is set to start soon.

D'Arcy, 31, has been such other films as An American Haunting and Exorcist: Beginnings. Peck, 21, is the grandson of Gregory Peck and has been featured in several TV shows, such as "That 70s Show."

Stay tuned for more updates on Tennessee from Mariah Daily!

Mariah Daily is looking for serious Mariah Carey fans to help promote the new single Say Somethin' in the US. Fans who participate will receive special Mariah goodies for helping out.

Please fill in your information in the form above and check the 'team leader' box if you think you can be in charge of other team members. The team will concentrate on requesting the single on the radio and voting for the music video.

Let's support Mariah by giving Say Somethin' the support it deserves!

Note: The team is currently open for US fans only. Should the project become a success, we will open a team for international fans as well! In the meantime, fans around the world can help by voting for the video online! (links are available on top)

Rita Hazan is the only person in the world who was allowed to touch the hair on the heads of Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. (...)

What really brought the famous clients to Hazan along with publicity was her ability to invent shades and create various color styles that no celebrity wore on her hair before. "I knew how to do manipulations with the colors."

The first famous head to go under Hazan's hands was Mariah Carey's. The singer and the diva was at her post-divorce and pre-breakdown phase and she came to Hazan's salon to get a new look for her hair.

Carey's personal hair dresser who started hearing the urban 'princesses' talk about Hazan's exceptional capabilities, sent Carey for a thorough renovation under the girl's helm.

"She came and told me she needed a change and even though I knew she was a public figure and there's a huge responsibility, I wasn't nervous. With Mariah I had a real challenge, because on one hand I needed to match a glamorous and sparkling color for shootings and on the other hand, I needed to make sure that the color will be practical for everyday life and wouldn't be too loud when she walks on the streets."

Hazan chose the revolutionary color - honey. "Actually, this was the first time Mariah went with her hair colored in this shade. Her pictures were published in many magazines and people started hearing about me."

The rumor spread its wings and reached Jennifer Lopez's ears. Those were the days prior to her debut album's release and she was still sporting a black curly hairdo and thick eyebrows a la Frida Kahlo. Lopez had worked with Tommy Mottola who was Carey's ex-husband. Mottola saw the honey threads of his ex-wife and decided Lopez needed a thorough make-over. That's how Mottola, Lopez and her famous behind (which was seated on Hazan's chair) came and asked Hazan to work her magic.

Adrian Belew of King Crimson mentioned Mariah in a recent interview with The Celebrity Cafe:

Celebrity Cafe: What was the songwriting process for "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey? Adrian Belew: You know, the music business is a funny ol' business. I didn't even know I was on that record until a fan at a Crimson concert asked me to autograph it. As it turns out, my playing was sampled from the song "Genius of Love", which I co-wrote with the Tom Tom Club in 1981. In fact, I've never met Mariah Carey; but I love the money she sends.

A sassy Manhattan musician is charging that Mariah Carey's hit "It's Like That" deserves a new title - "It's Like Mine."

Rachele Chafir, 28, a sultry blonde who started off as a dancer and now performs in New York, L.A. and Europe, is taking on the pop diva in a suit claiming Carey stole music from Chafir's own single, "Sexy."

Chafir claims "It's Like That" lifts key pieces from "Sexy," including the music for the chorus. Her suit, filed April 19 in Manhattan federal court, names a bevy of producers, publishers and companies, including Island Def Jam Music Group.

Carey's representative did not return a call for comment.

Chafir says "Sexy" was copyrighted in 2004 and was accessible to the public through a Web site.

US pop diva Mariah Carey has been drawn into a spat involving a Kiwi musician who claims he has not been paid royalties for her use of music he helped write.

Auckland musician Dominique Leauga arranged, co-produced and played many of the instruments on eight of the 13 songs on top Kiwi vocal duo's Adeaze's chart-topping debut album, including the platinum single "A Life With You", for which he is registered as a co-composer.

The song, which reached No 5 on the local charts in 2003, was used by Mariah Carey as a sample on the song "Your Girl" from her last album The Emancipation of Mimi. The album sold 7.7 million copies - the world's second biggest-selling record last year, behind Coldplay's X&Y.

Sampling, takes a piece of music from an existing song and incorporates it in a new work.

Leauga claims he has been cut out of receiving any financial benefits from Carey's use of the song.

"I am just a simple Samoan guy who makes music and loves music - the music business seems to get very complicated when there is big money involved... I don't understand how Mariah Carey can put a track on her album which has my music on it and I am not getting any money for it."

Leauga's lawyers are talking to Adeaze's record label, Dawn Raid, in an attempt to claim his share of the royalties.

Universal Music Publishing, which, with Dawn Raid, owns the master recordings and licensed Carey's use of the sample, has enlisted British forensic musicologist Peter Oxendale to determine whether Carey's use of the sample breached the licence agreement and constituted a copyright infringement.

Leauga is a long-time friend and former flatmate of Adeaze brothers Nainz and Viiz Tupa'i. The brothers are credited as songwriters on the album, but Leauga is also registered with the Australasian Performing Right Association as a co-composer, and has been receiving songwriting royalties from the track. A statement his agent obtained from Adeaze says he contributed to the track's writing, and was granted a 20% share in this and other songs he worked on.

Dawn Raid CEO Andy Murnane refused to discuss details of the dispute with Leauga, saying it was "a legal matter... I'm confident it will be resolved pleasantly".

An email obtained by the Sunday Star-Times shows Murnane believed only Adeaze's unaccompanied vocals were to be sampled by Carey, but after checking the contract, he determined Carey had permission to use the instrumentation as well.

An a capella version of "A Life With You" had been registered with APRA, naming the Tupa'i brothers named as the sole composers. But it appears Carey sampled the full instrumental version of the track, including Leauga's arrangement and performances.

Leauga's agent, Paul Harvey, said Oxendale had given him an initial verbal opinion that Carey's song was not an original composition, but an adaptation of the Adeaze song.

Murnane would not say how much money had been received in royalties for the sample. "It was an amazing opportunity for two local boys to be on Mariah's record."

The Tupa'is' manager, Adee Keil, and Carey's record company, Universal Music, did not return calls.

In this photo provided by Intel, a couture dress worn by Mariah Carey in an Intel advertisement, seen at right, is displayed in the Escada flagship store in New York City, Friday, April 28, 2006.

An on-line auction for the gown by VH-1 will benefit the station's Save The Music Foundation, which supports music education programs in schools.

Visit MariahCarey.com to hear a new voice message from Mariah!

Transcript
"Hi! Yeah... I'm just calling, checking in, ummm... man, I'm just like watching everything that you guys are doing, and just looking at the video just really... with the nice #1 on TRL. And I had to say, even though I'm by myself tonight, ummm... I don't have the nice cheerleaders with me, but I'm just sitting here reflecting and thinking about, you know, just everything and I had to leave you a nice message to let you know that I do not take you for granted, ummm... and that I'm so thankful. Really, I'm just looking at this like 'WOW! They are really doin' it, doin' it with the, ummm... nice video.' And, I don't know, I just, I really appreciate you guys and, yeah... it's just, I don't even really know how to express it except to say 'Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything, as always.' And just an extra special 'Thank you' 'cause ummm... you are the absolute best in the whole world. And I love you, appreciate you, and enjoy ya! And, ummm... you know, let's just keep it going and just know that no matter what I always, always, always thank you, and appreciate you, and love you from the bottom of my heart. Alright, talk to you soon. Buh-bye!"

In the May issue of Germany's hip-hop magazine, "Juice," there is a track-by-track rundown (right) of Busta Rhymes' forthcoming album, "The Big Bang." A track produced by Rick Rock titled "Don't Try To Fight It" is listed in the feature as a collaboration with Mariah. Below is a transcribed description of the song from the magazine.

"For a magical moment, Rick Rock holds the hyphy style at bay and with that allows the bizarre, but perfect couple an appropriate continuation of their first collaboration."

The album is due out June 13, 2006.

UK
--According to Radio 1's Forthcoming Singles In UK list, "Say Somethin'" will be released on June 5, 2006.

--To Air or Not To Air? The "Mariah Carey: Making The Video" for "Say Somethin'" has been rescheduled, yet again, on UK's MTV Base. Hopefully, the show will air this time. Below is the new airing schedule.

Premiere: Monday, May 1 - 1:00pm-1:30pm Repeat: Tuesday, May 2 - 6:00pm-6:30pm Wednesday, May 3 - 9:30pm-10:00pm Monday, May 8 - 2:00pm-2:30pm

Also on MTV Base, immediately following the May 2nd "Mariah Carey: Making The Video" is "The Truth With", a brand new show that delivers probing questions to artists in an effort to gain the truth about their life and work. Tuesday's episode sees Mariah in the hot seat! Airs 6:30pm-7:00pm.

Germany
MTV Germany has slotted the half-hour "Mariah Carey: Making The Video" for 11:30am and 9:00pm CET Saturday, April 29th.

Latin America
--On Wednesday, April 26th, the video for "Say Somethin'" was premiered on MTV Latin America but has yet to appear on its "Los 10 Más Pedidos" (Top 10 Most Requested Videos). The video has not been added to the video list yet, but you can request it by adding it to the section called "Otro".

--The Mariah-hh team is looking for fans who can help promote Mariah in Latin America and Spain. The representatives will be responsible for making sure Mariah is getting a proper amount of promotion in his/her country and will also be responsible for fan gatherings and keeping track of local fans. For further details, email mundo@mariah-hh.com.

According to the New York Post, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera are considering a stint on a gay cruise on — what else? — the Queen Mary 2. Gossip columnist Liz Smith reports:

So, which singing divas do gay men who cruise the high seas want on board to entertain them? Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey! Both songbirds are being courted by RSVP, a gay tourism agency. The agency plans to charter the Queen Mary 2 for a seven-day transatlantic voyage leaving New York next May and docking in London.

The mind reels: Does this mean Cher’s over? Will their contracts read: “Mariah and Christina demand that Rosie O’Donnell must stay at least 50 feet away at all times”?

But since we are a blogger in search of the truth (and our editor made us) we called up the singers’ reps, only to find out that the same person represents them both — evidently, publicists buy their skimpy ballad-belting songbirds in bulk.

And? The girls RSVP’d “no,” according to their publicist. Aww, now we feel bad because you know they’ll probably end up with an a cappella group from Bucknell College called the “Snazzy Snappers” or something.

Which singing divas do gay men who cruise the high seas want onboard to entertain them? Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey!

Both songbirds are being courted by RSVP, a gay tourism agency. The agency plans to charter the Queen Mary 2 for a seven-day trans-Atlantic voyage leaving New York next May and docking in London.

Here are Mariah's Billboard chart positions for the magazine's issue date May 6, 2006.

The Emancipation of Mimi ▲6
Billboard Comprehensive Albums: #80 (Last Week #84)
Billboard 200: #79 (Last Week #83)
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #28 (Last Week #30)
Sales this week: 11,786 (-22 %)
Total sales: 5,556,669

Say Somethin' featuring Snoop Dogg
Billboard Hot 100: #95 (Last Week #93)
Billboard Pop 100: #47 (Last Week #50)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #28 (Last Week #30)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #10 (Last Week #17, D. Morales Mixes)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #28 (Last Week #33)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #25 (Last Week #29)
Billboard Hot Videoclip Tracks: #15 (Debut)

Fly Like a Bird
Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles: #6 (Last Week #20)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #34 (Last Week #32)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #32 (Last Week #34)
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #9 (Last Week #10)

Don't Forget About Us ●
Billboard Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay: #12 (Last Week #10)
Billboard Pop 100: #72 (Last Week #62)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #42 (Last Week #35)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent: #3 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: #3 (Last Week #3)

Shake It Off ▲
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent: #13 (Last Week #19)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: #13 (Last Week #19)

We Belong Together ▲3
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Recurrent: #22 (Last Week #19)
Billboard Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay: #5 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent: #4 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: #4 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Adult Contemporary Recurrents: #7 (Last Week #5)

"Say Somethin'" received 13 more airplay adds this week and is currently played on 178 stations. It had 15.468 million audience impressions from 3296 spins in 3 formats (Mainstream, Rhythmic, Urban).

"Fly Like a Bird" was the 3rd most added single this week scoring hits across Adult R&B and Urban formats. With 7 more airplay adds this week, the song is now being played by 110 stations. It had a total of 9.619 million audience impressions from 1629 spins.

When it comes to the BET Awards ‘06, it seems as though it’s all in the stars.

Members of BET’s exclusive Voting Academy are currently busy handling the nomination balloting for the BET Awards ‘06.

50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, T.I. and The Notorious B.I.G. are just some of the artists on the ballot for Best Male Hip Hop Artist.

The Best Female R&B Artist category is heated as well with high-profile names like Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and Keyshia Cole, being just some of the nominees.

Much of the same can be said about the Best Male R&B Artist category, which looks to be highly competitive considering Chris Brown, Jamie Foxx, R. Kelly, John Legend, Trey Songz and Ne-Yo are among the artists nominated.

Other categories include the Best Group, Best Duet/Collaboration, Video of the Year and Best New Artist.

Voting is scheduled to close promptly on May 8 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Official nominations are slated to be announced on May 16 in Los Angeles, with the official ballot voting beginning on May 17.

Winners will be announced at the BET Awards ‘06 in Los Angeles on June 27.

--"Mariah Carey: The Definition of a Diva" arrived on DVD yesterday. This unauthorized release can be purchased on Amazon.com for $9.99. Below is the product description.

For almost two decades, Mariah Carey has stood the tests of time. Through highly publicized failed relationships, rumors of emotional breakdowns, and speculation of a finished career due to declining album sales and unfavorable reviews concerning her acting endeavors, Mariah has proven to possess the most important attribute of any person who carries the label of DIVA...durability. "Definition of a Diva" takes an in depth look into Mariah's adversity-filled journey to superstardom; from her tormented childhood, all the way up through her re-emergence as one of the most powerful and influential voices the world has ever known.

--"Say Somethin'" rises one position to #9 on the MSN Music Top 100 Videos chart and debuts at #86 on the Yahoo! Music Top 100 Videos chart. If you have a Yahoo! identity, please sign in and rate the video.

Billboard Updates

The Emancipation of Mimi
Billboard 200: #79 (Last Week #83)
Sales this week: 11,786 (-22 %)
Total sales: 5,556,669

Mariah Mentions
--International dance music producer and veteran DJ David Morales mentioned Mariah as his "personal favourite" to metronews: “She’s a workaholic like me,” notes Morales, who takes credit for giving Carey club credibility when he transformed her 1995 pop hit Fantasy into a high-energy house anthem.

From then on, he’s remixed a string of Carey hits for the club: My All, Honey, It’s Like That, and her latest release, Say Something.

--Teen singer/actress JoJo mentioned Mariah as an influence to the Contra Costa Times: "After I started talking, I started singing. It was just something that came naturally. My parents told me there was always music playing, even when I was in the womb. I was very feisty and ambitious, and I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be up onstage performing, like I saw Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston do," said JoJo, whose real name is Joanna Levesque.

--From Monsters and Critics: There will likely be no need for such a superstar bailout this year given the strong spring/summer slate. Madonna`s upcoming tour will sell out arenas at comparable ticket prices to last fall`s heavy hitters. Tim McGraw/Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band, Rascal Flatts, Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Toby Keith, Ozzfest, Warped and others (including international dates by U2 and the Stones) are already selling lots of tickets or are as close to guaranteed winners as the industry can offer.

--Former "American Idol" contestant Ace Young appeared on MTV's TRL today and was asked what type of music he listens to and who are some of his favorite artists. Young responded: "I listen to everything from Mariah Carey, Chris Brown... you name it, Juvenile. I'm right on that realm, I love that stuff."

--Cynthia Gratzer, a player in a worldwide celebrity fantasy league, made the following prediction for this week (from Chron.com): Robin Williams, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton and Kate Bosworth will grab headlines and hog a seat on the View.

Mariah Carey f/ Pharrell and Snoop Dogg "Say Somethin'" The Emancipation of Mimi

Mariah invites the man she has her eye on to come over with all the confidence of a girl who knows he will. If you ignore Snoop's gibes on what they might do in a toilet stall together, there's a refreshing lack of frills to this single, and a woozy Neptunes beat that's their most overt Prince homage yet.

Before she emancipated the blonde bombshell Mimi, Mariah was the beautiful brunette next-door. Which should she stick with?

Vote now on AOL Music on whether or not you prefer Mariah as a blonde or non-blonde.

Also on AOL Music, check out their Blender's 50 Worst Things to Happen to Music!

Many fans have expressed their dismay due to the Making The Video episode for "Say Somethin'" not airing on MTV Base as expected. While reasons for the failures to broadcast are not clear, it appears the episode's showing has been rescheduled. Below are the details taken from the MTV Base schedule.

Premiere:

Wednesday, April 26 - 8:30 PM

Repeat:

Monday, May 1 - 1:00 PM

If the episode indeed airs in the UK, we will do our best to provide a download for you here at Mariah Daily.

Rapper and producer Pharrell Williams is teaming up with fashion label Louis Vuitton to design a special line of jewelry. The star was selected by designer Marc Jacobs to team with jewelry designer Camille Miceli for the collection.

Miceli recently styled Mariah Carey for her music video "Say Somethin'," which also featured Pharrell and Snoop Dogg. The video was shot over four days in Los Angeles and Paris, France.

Miceli explains the range, "Is going to be jewels with such scale, so large - and of course very, very unique." The Miceli/Pharrell collaboration will debut in early 2007.

Head over to MariahCarey.com to hear a brand new voice message from Mariah!

Transcript
Mariah & Friends: Hey everybody!

Mariah: We just wanted to call and say "Whoo!" Very, very, very excited about the video doing so great on TRL, just how, you know, really just how amazing everyone's been doing. I know you've been voting, you've been doing your thing! This is Ray-child in the background listening. She sends her love and also, "Don't you want to thank them for mentioning you in all the nice..."

Rachel: Yes, thank you guys! I love you guys.

Mariah: She loves you, she does! Everybody that gets a nice mention in the fanbooks and stuff appreciates you just as much as I do, just so you know that. Anyway, back to the point, the point is I'm calling to say hi because I haven't called in a minute and just wanted to say how much I love and appreciate you as always and just to reiterate how grateful I am for the amazing success so early on with this video for "Say Somethin'" And the more, you know, we keep on it with the video, the more we're gonna hear it upon the nice radio and things of that sort! And we're getting ready to do a tour, as you know, and we're getting ready to put the whole list together. All the excitement of the tour is what is on my plate right now! So basically, right now I'm at a photo shoot and I just figured I would take a few minutes out to give you a wonderful call, give you my love. And also to let you know I've already started writing some new songs and get you a little excited for that too. Got lots of tricks and treats and things up my sleeve, so I will keep you posted. I love you immensely and I will talk to you soon, okay? Keep it going, love you much. Buh-bye!

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

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

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

The show is set to air in May.

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

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

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

--Mariah makes a cameo in "Lockdown, USA," a documentary that chronicles Russell Simmons' quest to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws and how it effects the convicted's families. "Lockdown, USA" is one of 37 world premieres featured at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, April 25 - May 7, in New York City. View the film's screening schedule.

--Abercrombie & Fitch has the David Morales remix to "Say Somethin'" playing in all its stores!

--Kansas City's 95.7 The Vibe has a poll that asks, "What Tour should come to KC this summer?" Vote for Mariah!

--UK's MTV Base did not air the "Mariah Carey: Making The Video" for "Say Somethin'" as scheduled on April 23. No new airing date has been announced at this time.

--"Fly Like a Bird" is currently at #2 on Fit FM, Latvia's second biggest radio station! This is the first single from "The Emancipation of Mimi" that is enjoying success in the country.

Mariah Mentions
--From NY Newsday: "Of course, Long Island's pop stars hit No. 1 consistently in recent years, especially with Greenlawn native Mariah Carey putting a stranglehold on the top spot last year with her "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Island) album."

--The New Zealand Herald mentions Mariah in its review of Pink's "I'm Not Dead" album: "But she sounds out of her depth on the confessional tracks. The themes of Conversations With My 13-year-old Self should be left in the Missunderztood days; Nobody Knows should be left to Mariah."

--In another album review, Jim Farber of NY Daily News on Rihanna's "A Girl Like Me": "...the new "A Girl Like Me" works hard to present Rihanna as a girl who likes just about everything. Nearly every song draws from a different genre... reggae ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love"); dance hall ("Break It Off"), and a brand of pop shmaltzy enough for Mariah Carey ("A Million Miles Away").

Make sure you continue voting for "Say Somethin'" on MTV, BET, and VH1 as video airplay is instrumental to the song's success. Check out the updates at the top of the newspage for the video's latest chart standings!

The video for "Say Somethin'" will be added to formats on MTV, BET, and VH1 this week.

In addition, "Say Somethin'" is officially scheduled to go for adds on Urban radio stations on May 1, 2006.

Unfortunately, at the moment, plans for a "Fly Like A Bird" music video have been cancelled.

--MariahTalk is running a competition to win the Australian exclusive edition of the "Get Your Number" single. All you have to do is register as a new member - on the Profile page, enter "Mariah Daily" under Occupation. Contest ends May 13, 2006 9:00am AEST. Good luck!

--To all non-U.S. fans: Heroes of Mariah is working on a project to help promote "The Emancipation of Mimi" worldwide. Please take a moment to email staff@heroesofmariah.com with the following information: your country, album/singles promotion in your country e.g., ads, posters, campaigns or any other additional or useful information. For questions, contact Gilles using the provided e-mail address.

--Attention all mobile users: Juanel has created a WAP site for Mariah! You can log on to her site at http://mariah.mywap.o2.co.uk.

When it comes to cuddling up with a glossy/gossipy home magazine, peering into the lives and closets of people you will never know, there's nothing worse than being teased. Shame on InStyle Home, the Spring issue, for taking us into pop singer Mariah Carey's (over-the-top) 12,000-square-foot Manhattan triplex and showing us four (nearly full) pages of her incredible shoe closet (she owns 1,000 pairs) and walk-in closet (which is climate controlled) -- but not telling us much more than that. Climate controlled? Tell us more. Are fine clothes as temperamental as fine wine? One thousand pairs of fancy footwear? Give us the lowdown, please.

Note: The Spring issue of InStyle Home is available on newsstands until June 20, 2006. You can read the full cover story, "Hanging With Mariah," by clicking here.

Tune in to MTV base on Sunday, April 23 at 8:00 PM to catch the premier of Mariah Carey: Making The Video - Another making the video with Mariah this time it's for Say Somethin' featuring Snoop Dogg and super producer Pharrell Williams.

Extra's A.J. Calloway caught up with Mariah during the shooting of her commercial for Pepsi where she took time out to discuss her upcoming tour and writing ringtones.


[ Download: Extra - Pepsi Commercial Sneak Peek ]
Transcript
A.J. Calloway: Hey guys, I'm here exclusively on the big Pepsi commercial with Mariah Carey with a big announcement.
Mariah Carey: And only Extra takes you there.

Only Extra was with Mariah on the set of her new Pepsi commercial which hits the airwaves next month and we were the first to get the big news that she's heading out on a concert tour this summer - her first in about 3 years.

AJC: The big, big news, you're about to go on tour. So tell me all about it.
MC: Yes. I'm very excited.
AJC: What do you do for like tour?
MC: Well, here's the thing. I was like, do I do just The Emancipation of Mimi songs which kind of would be cool but then I know that people want to hear some of the old stuff too so I had to kind of like figure out how I was gonna do it, and I'm putting together the setlist and working everything out so it should be a stone-groove. I'm excited about it.

Mariah's also excited about the new ringtones she created exclusively for the Pepsi Cool Tones & Motorola Phones promotion.

AJC: You wrote all these ringtones yourself?
MC: Yeah, I did. I had to do like, I don't know, 25 of them in like two days and so it was like crunch time.

Speaking of crunch time, Mariah looked as good as ever, thanks to dieting and hitting the gym which led me to the obvious question.

AJC: All the guys are asking me and I have to ask you, is there a man? Any man in life?
MC: A.J., you're the man A.J. You're always the man.
AJC: And you're the Mimi, Mariah.

Below are scans from recent issues of Us, Star, Life & Style, OK!, In Touch, Heat (UK) and Closer (France) magazines.

Mariah Carey's 1999 music video "Heartbreaker" was something of a landmark in its genre. Made by "Rush Hour" film director Brett Ratner, it included an animated segment, multiple dance sequences and a fight scene between two characters -- both played by Ms. Carey. It cost at least $1.7 million to produce, according to a person familiar with the project (Sony, Ms. Carey's label at the time, declines to comment), but helped sell about seven million copies of Ms. Carey's album world-wide.

Ms. Carey's recent video, "Don't Forget About Us," has no special effects or action scenes. Made with a budget of less than $600,000, according to people familiar with the project, it primarily shows closeups of Ms. Carey lounging in various poses as she lip-syncs the song.

The music-video genre should be experiencing a renaissance now. After years of being pushed off MTV and VH1 in favor of reality shows, videos are once again easy to find. Fans can download them on iTunes, watch them on music Web sites or play them on mobile phones. But just as these options are exploding, record companies are cutting video budgets. The result is a new generation of videos that some fans say are a far cry from the lavish productions of past years.

Most music videos today are made for less than $150,000, according to music-industry professionals -- a significant drop from a typical video budget in the late 1990s, about $700,000. And the products are nowhere near some of the big-budget spectacles that helped define the genre. Michael Jackson's "Thriller," made in 1983 for the then-unheard-of cost of about $800,000, remains one of the most popular downloads on iTunes today.

Lately, however, musicians and music-video directors have been making do with less. For his last video, rock star Marilyn Manson was given a budget of about $200,000 -- significantly less than many of his videos of the late 1990s. Director Nathan Cox met with Mr. Manson before shooting to discuss possible concepts, but Mr. Manson's suggestions were all too costly. The end result was a relatively simple montage of Mr. Manson singing in front of a backdrop of political images.

"It would have been the most brilliant Manson video ever made," Mr. Cox says, "But we didn't have the budget for the most brilliant Manson video ever made."

To be sure, some of the biggest stars still command large video budgets. While "Don't Forget About Us" had a relatively modest budget for Ms. Carey, another of her recent videos, "Say Somethin'" had a budget of around $1 million, according to people familiar with the project, partly due to filming on-location in Paris. Still, even this budget was well below some of Ms. Carey's biggest productions of the 1990s.

While budgets are dropping, labels are now earning new revenues from videos. Until recently, record companies gave away videos free to channels like MTV, using them as promotional tools for their artists. Last summer, however, labels began demanding licensing fees for videos shown on Internet sites like AOL Music and Yahoo Music. When videos were introduced on iTunes in the fall, labels arranged to receive about $1.40 for every video sold for $1.99. The Recording Industry Association of America estimates that sales of music-video downloads amounted to $3.7 million in 2005. The number is expected to grow in 2006, with the proliferation of video iPods and video cellphones.

"We're no longer making commercials for albums. We're generating saleable content," says director Chris Milk, who has made videos for acts like rapper Kanye West and rock band Audioslave.

Record labels say they've cut music-video budgets for several reasons. One is across-the-board belt-tightening. Labels have now faced several years of declining sales, hurt by piracy and the rise of music downloads online.

But music executives also say the big video budgets of the 1990s are generally unnecessary, now that videos are most often watched on small screens like laptops and video iPods. Reality TV programming and the success of amateur "viral" videos that viewers watch and email to friends have changed the expectations of young viewers, says Monte Lipman, president of Universal Republic Records. Better and less expensive video technology has also helped keep costs down. And a big budget doesn't guarantee wide TV exposure. "For every video you'd see on MTV, there were 10 more that didn't make the cut, and that adds up to millions," Mr. Lipman says.

Instead, labels often now focus on creating Internet-friendly clips that could take off as viral videos. They reduce budgets by shortening shooting schedules, using young directors hungry for work and often filming bands in front of a green screens, so that settings can be added later, rather than filming in multiple locations.

"I can say that a lot more of the money is going into low-fi production," says Michael Nash, Warner Music's senior vice president of digital strategy.

Directors, producers and musicians have responded to changing music video landscape in a variety of ways. Some have modified their production routines. Hype Williams, a music-video director best known for his big-budget videos for hip-hop stars like Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, says he's reduced his typical video crew from about 40 members to about a dozen in recent years. He also now designs his videos to be watchable on small screens like video iPods. "In the last four months, it's all been close-ups," he says. "You have to think like that now."

Mr. Williams, who once spent almost $1 million constructing a faux mansion in the style of "Citizen Kane" in a New York shipyard for a video for singer R. Kelly, recently was given a $400,000 budget for a video for rapper Lil Jon. He filmed the rapper in front of a green screen.

Some in the industry feel that the Internet video revolution is leaving them out in the cold. Music-video directors, who typically collect 10% of a video's budget, don't receive a cut from video downloads on iTunes or from Internet licensing fees. A group called the Music Video Directors Alliance is lobbying for royalties for directors.

Musicians are coping in their own ways. Concerned about the difficulty of getting wide play on TV, the rock band Death Cab for Cutie also pursued another route. The band commissioned videos for all 11 songs on its album from a range of directors, each with a budget under $10,000. None of the videos showed the band members. The collection is being sold on DVD and iTunes.

"In exchange for small budgets, we gave the directors full creative control," says the band's bass player, Nick Harmer.

--The Escada dress worn by Mariah in the Intel Centrino Duo commercials is being auctioned off through 5/3/06. Proceeds support the VH1 Save the Music Foundation's efforts to restore music education programs in America's public schools. Bid now!

--Mariah left a voice message to Team Mariah thanking everyone for making "Say Somethin'" number one on TRL! Listen to the message!

--Since its April 13th premiere on BET's 106 & Park, "Say Somethin'" has yet to appear on the show's Top 10 video countdown. Let's keep on voting for the video! Vote online or call 1-800-617-LIVE (5483) between 5:30 and 6:00pm ET.

--"Say Somethin'" is About.com's Friday Fun Video! "Yep, she's just gliding here, but Mariah and Pharrell look hot cavorting around Paris, and Snoop Dogg is the definition of cool. There are worse ways to spend a leisurely Friday afternoon than soaking in this video's atmosphere." Watch the "Say Somethin'" video.

--The "Say Somethin'" video has now been added to both AOL Music and MSN Music as well as Yahoo! Music. If you have a Yahoo! identity, you may sign in and rate the video.

--MSN's Celebrities Undressed (photo #5) shows a picture of Mariah outside the MTV studios with the caption: "The Procrastination of Mimi: As the years go by, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Mariah Carey has no real interest in changing up her style. Cleavage-revealing, Saran Wrap-inspired sartorial statements have worked for her in the past, so why shouldn't they work for her in the future, right?..."

--On tonight's MTV Hits UK, Mariah was #1 on "Top 50 Female R&B Artists" with "Don't Forget About Us."

--"Glamorized by Mariah Carey," Mariah’s jewelry line is now available at Claire's stores in the UK! Items range from earrings to necklaces and are sold in a variety of colors. Mariah’s picture and name are part of the presentation of all of these items! UK fans, check them out!

--E!'s Fashion Police gives Mariah two stars for the purple dress/black boots ensemble she wore at the premiere of "Say Somethin'" on BET's 106 & Park. Have a say! Click here to vote for Mariah.

--In a Q&A with the Pussycat Dolls at AOL Music Sessions, group member Melody Thorthon replies to the question: "What was the first album you ever owned that made a big impression on you?"

"My first album was Mariah Carey's "MTV Unplugged" and I still listen to it on a regular, to this day. (And you played it the other day. Over and over.) All the time. I met Mariah and she was great and I really, really, like it's amazing when you meet someone with that much like (charisma), yeah. She's done this before. She's like blah-blah-blah talking to me and then I was like just couldn't talk and when she left us I was like crying for an hour. It was crazy. It was great! She said, 'Don't mess up my body make-up.' That's what she said!"

--The TigerHeat® club in Hollywood, California celebrates the release of Mariah's new single, "Say Somethin'" in an all-night Mariah party, hosted by KIIS 102.7 FM on Thursday, April 27th. For additional details, click here.

--Congratulations to Adrian and Lee on their brand-new Mariah forum, Mariah Talk. Be sure to check it out!

For the past four years, Brazilian fans have been throwing an annual party in Rio de Janeiro. Previous gatherings have been held at private clubs and found fans celebrating for many reasons (Mariah's anniversary, the release of a new album, etc.). Not only have photographs from these parties attracted attention on Mariah's official website, Mariah herself recognized and expressed gratitude for the gatherings in a voice message.

This year, aiming to reach more people, Brazilian fans are expanding their party to some of the biggest nightclubs in the country (in three state capitals at once). Clubs will be decorated with posters and Mariah's music/videos will play during the entire night. There will also be special performances of Mariah's remixes. Exclusive gifts such as albums and singles provided by Universal Music Brasil will be available. They plan on throwing the biggest Mariah Carey fan party ever!

When:

May 27, 2006

Where:

Simultaneously in Rio de Janeiro (Le Boy), Porto Alegre (Cine-Theatro), and Florianópolis (Mix Café)

Mariah Carey is learning how to drawl, y'all. The Long Island songbird will be going to a dialect coach to get the twang she'll need to play an aspiring country singer in "Tennessee." She's also learning guitar. The star of 2001's critically reviled "Glitter" is determined to make yet another kind of comeback. "She's hungry for it," producer Lee Daniels tells us. "She's jumping through fire hoops".... Meanwhile, the aforementioned Daniels, who guided Halle Berry toward her Oscar for "Monster's Ball," showed his latest, "Shadowboxer," to Lenny Kravitz, Denzel Washington and other friends this week. The movie opens June 9.

Related Articles:

Mariah Carey to Learn How to Play Guitar and Country Twang for Tennessee Film (VIBE.com)

Here are Mariah's Billboard chart positions for the magazine's issue date April 29, 2006

The Emancipation of Mimi ▲6
Billboard 200: #83 (Last Week #73)
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #30 (Last Week #29)
Sales this week: 15,064 (+ 5%)
Total sales: 5,544,883

Say Somethin' featuring Snoop Dogg
Billboard Hot 100: #93 (Debut)
Billboard Pop 100: #50 (Last Week #55)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #30 (Last Week #30)
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #17 (Last Week #25, D.Morales Mixes)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #33 (Last Week #36, #2 Most Airplay Adds, #4 Greatest Gainer)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #29 (Last Week #34, #3 Most Airplay Adds)

Fly Like a Bird
Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles: #20 (Debut)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #36 (Last Week #34)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #34 (Last Week #32)
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #10 (Last Week #13, Greatest Gainer, Most Airplay Adds)

Mine Again
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #64

Don't Forget About Us ●
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Recurrent: #29 (Last Week #24)
Billboard Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay: #10 (Last Week #7)
Billboard Pop 100: #62 (Last Week #58)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #35 (Last Week #36)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent: #3 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: #3 (Last Week #5)

Shake It Off ▲
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent: #19 (Last Week #13)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: #19 (Last Week #13)

We Belong Together ▲3
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Recurrent: #19 (Last Week #11)
Billboard Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay: #4 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent: #5 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: #5 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Adult Contemporary Recurrents: #5 (Last Week #2)

"Say Somethin'" received 31 airplay adds this week and is currently played in 164 stations. It had 14.587 million audience impressions from 2765 spins in 3 formats (Mainstream, Rhythmic, Urban.)

"Fly Like A Bird" continues to succeed at the Adult R&B radio format where it received 7 airplay adds this week and is currently played by 56 stations. It had a total of 8.505 million audience impressions from 771 spins.

From FMQB: Mariah Carey f/Snoop Dogg "Say Somethin'" (Island/IDJMG) - "Someone is sure sounding and looking better than ever! All signs say MC has delivered another radio smash and the video is way hot! Are we surprised? NO!"

This is your chance to win an unforgettable trip to Los Angeles to see Mariah Carey perform live on July 29, 2006 at the Kodak Theater. Winner gets:

2 Concert Tickets

Roundtrip airfare for 2

Ground transportation to and from Los Angeles airport

Standard room for 2 nights

Welcome dinner

Exciting gift bags and $200 spending cash

ENTER NOW!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Articles:

Carey writes ringtones (MTV)

Motorola Rings Up Mariah Carey for Promotion (Brandweek)

Mariah Rings Up Pepsi (E! Online)

ABC has slotted the one-hour special "Oprah Winfrey's Legends' Ball" for 8 p.m. Monday, May 15.

The special will feature behind-the-scenes footage from a private series of bashes Oprah hosted a year ago in honor of 25 women she deemed influential to her life and American culture. Honorees included a mix of historical figures (the late Coretta Scott King, the late Rosa Parks) and entertainers (Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner). Other celebs, including Halle Berry, Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige, will also be seen on the special. The weekend event included a white-tie ball, luncheon and gospel brunch.

The one-hour special will also contain original interviews with participants looking back on the event.


From Mariah Daily's coverage of Oprah's Legends weekend last year:

High-quality photos of Mariah arriving at Oprah's Legends Ball at the Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara, California Saturday, May 14, 2005.

Video capture of a special segment on the Legends' Luncheon aired May 24, 2005 on The Oprah Winfrey Show.


[ Download Legends' Luncheon here! ]