These days, giving birth to or acquiring children seems to be the fad in the world of celebritydom. While Madonna and Angelina Jolie collect them like Beanie Babies, rumors of Mariah Carey adopting have again come to light. Since turning 30, unmarried Mariah has constantly been asked about when she will become a mother. It's very apparent, though, that she takes motherhood more seriously than most entertainers.

In February of this year, a Latin radio show reported that she was seen visiting the Frank Gonzalez orphanage in Mexico with her lawyer. Speculation first began after Mariah’s hospitalization. At the end of 2001, the media began to report that she wanted to adopt an Afghan child. Always the culprit, a “pal” stated that after Mariah’s tough year, she decided to make some life changes which included starting a family. However, around the same time she gave a Guardian interview exclaiming, “The reports said I was in rehab, that I'd gone crazy, tried to commit suicide. I was exhausted, that's all, and thank God it happened at that point rather than down the line, with kids, where it could have been irreparable damage for a child to see their mother like that. And I know, because it happened to me as a little girl: I saw something similar ... I had to take control and be the caretaker from the time I was a little kid.” Later interviews quoted Mariah as saying, “Now I need to be – I don’t want to use the word – selfish, but if I’m gonna do The Career, I’m gonna do The Career.”

That, Mariah Carey has definitely done by gracing the public with nearly two decades of her tireless hard work in recording, touring, acting, charity, and by constantly trying to satisfy the beast that is the media. She has always commented on the celebrity baggage that a child would inherit saying that a child does not have the privilege of choosing its parents and whether or not to be born into a celebrity life. In Glamour Magazine she has stated, “I'm not obsessed with having a child, and I'm not in a rush. Maybe one day, but I would want to do it properly. Because I know that children always want what they don’t have, no matter what.” There's no doubt that Mariah takes having children as seriously as possible - a caution that more than likely stems from her own strifes as a child. She struggled with being a multiracial girl in a divorced family where she did not have a relationship with her father. As a woman, she now feels a maternal instinct to care for wayward children.

Mariah’s love for children is apparent through her endless involvement with adoption. In the early 2000’s, she participated in commercials for the New York and National Adoptive Centers, even donating all of the royalties from the single, “Thank God I Found You” to the centers. She also hosted CBS’s “A Home for the Holidays”, an annual program, which celebrates giving orphaned children a happy home through adoption.

Her 2001 soundtrack to the motion picture, “Glitter” even contains a song that Mariah seems to sing in character as an orphan:

A displaced little girl/Wept years in silence/And whispered wishes you'd materialize/She pressed on night and day/To keep on living/And tried to many ways/To keep her soul alive/Did you really care/Care enough for me…If I'm not quite good enough/Or somehow undeserving of/A mother's love/You could have had the decency/To give me up/Before you gave me life…I need to understand/Why you left me there so helplessly

Although it’s been common practice for Mariah to emotionally and financially support Mexican institutions and the orphanage had been expecting her visit, I would not say that the idea of her adopting is totally unfounded. Recently, when her label representatives are asked to confirm her desire to adopt they only say that they don’t interfere with her private life. The truth is, no one knows when Mariah will become a mother, not even Mariah herself: “It's great that people get married - and stay married - have children and a wonderful life together, but I don't know if its going to happen to me.”

I won’t be blogging about Mariah’s appearance on the cover of the March issue of Playboy. But, while I’m on the subject – did anyone read my last entry? How does this help in the confusion of discerning between Mariah Carey and Mary Carey? Granted, Mariah will not be revealing her most private areas. However, Mariah’s team wants to legally prevent Mary from singing or performing music while at the same time Mariah dabbles into Mary’s profession. For those defenders of this choice - if I hear the argument one more time about Hustler being the raunchy one I’m going to slowly peel off my eyelids!

Onto something a little less detrimental to my face but still related. How about another girl-fight? Some of you may remember Samantha Cole. Some of you may not remember her relation to Mariah Carey. Cole was more than just the infamous, very underage girlfriend (at 16) to Peter Cook, Christie Brinkley’s ex-husband. She was also said to be Mariah Carey’s stalker.

Samantha Cole is from Southhampton, NY and began taking music lessons when she was twelve. She performed on MTV’s The Grind at sixteen and soon became a regular singer at Tatou in NY. The NY Post reported that Melanie Daniels, the auditor of that angelic backup voice, had worked with Samantha at the nightclub. Daniels was recorded as saying that Samantha was obsessed with Mariah to the point where she’d dress and do her hair like hers. She even performed a “very bad imitation” of “Hero. Now, this is all very remote from being a stalker so I bet you’d like to know how the two came to know each other.

In 1997, Samantha, then moving into her 20’s and now a Sony artist, was romantically paired with a very established producer named, Walter Afanasieff. That’s right … Mariah’s old partner in magical music. Walter had personally acknowledged their relationship when asked if Mariah had a problem with him dating Cole: “I had a personal problem with Samantha and a professional problem with Mariah at the same time.” Could the problem with Samantha be that he may have felt used?

Patricia Carey, Mariah’s mother, confirmed that Samantha badgered her for vocal lessons. Page Six reported Pat as saying, “She left repeated messages on the machine, saying she wanted me to teach her to sing like Mariah, she wanted to hit the high notes.” Another source said, “She would call constantly, come to the studio, and leave flowers. It just never stopped”. Pat added that it became very uncomfortable for her and the girls at the studio.

A few years ago I discovered an obscure article about Lizzie Grubman, the socialite who mowed down 16 people outside of a nightclub in the Hamptons with her Mercedes SUV without braking. Lizzie is also the brash daughter of Alan Grubman, the attorney at Sony during the years Mariah was on the label. Alan was the best friend of Tommy Mottola and was fired from Mariah’s camp after her divorce from Tommy. The article revealed that when Tommy and Mariah separated, Lizzie became a primary person he turned to for support. They would go out on the town, sometimes with friends. On one particular night, one of Lizzie’s best friends included Sony’s “then-latest-would-be-chanteuse”, Samantha Cole. Much to Tommy’s dismay, a photographer tried to shoot the two together before Lizzie finagled away his film.

The coincidental happenings continued into the “Rainbow era” when Cole managed to be at the same club as Mariah one Friday night only to have ice cubes chucked at her. “One passed right near my nose. I was a little shocked”, she said as she explained that the pitcher was Mariah, herself. According to a witness, Mariah tried to get Samantha booted from the VIP section by telling club staff that she had launched the first cube. Mariah’s reps insisted that she did not throw anything but that it was possible that her friends did.

Samantha would constantly insist that Mariah was always talking about her and even told a friend that she was considering getting a restraining order against Mariah’s bodyguards. She also claims that people in Mariah’s camp would call her house and leave harassing messages. This is coming from someone who also claimed to be a descendent of Nat King Cole. Huh? Mariah’s then publicist, Cindi Berger, blasted the claims by saying, “Any rivalry is completely one-sided. Mariah certainly has no issues with Ms. Cole. My only concern is that she seems intent on riding on Mariah’s coattails”. That seems to still be the theme. Not mentioning any names… *cough* Mary *cough* Eminem *cough*.

Just last month, Cole was seen at the club Marquee in New York all over Jamie Foxx allowing him to pour vodka down her throat before they left together. I hope he knows what he’s “getting into”.

Oh yeah! Samantha and Mariah have still one more thing in common – Samantha Cole was “Babe of the Month” for Playboy’s November 2005 issue.

We’ve endured the rumors about Eminem and Mariah since early 2001. Things have been quiet on the Eminem-front until recently. Earlier this month, Eminem, otherwise known as Marshall Mathers or Slim Shady, gave an interview on his uncensored hip-hop Sirius Satellite Radio channel, Shade 45. "Yes, me and Mariah did have a relationship for about a good six, seven months. (But) it didn't work”, he bragged. “I wasn't really into what she was into. Our personalities collided. She's a diva, and I'm a little more regular, I guess”. He later angrily bashed her for saying they never had a relationship while using a few expletives, which are far too disrespectful to use on any woman. "I can never deny her talent, but the fact that she denied we ever had something, that's bad." Nice backhanded justification, Em.

If we didn’t understand the first time, Marshall beats the horse in a new song in which he is featured titled, “Jimmy Crack Corn”.

As 50 would say our clothing lines on fire / Meanwhile your minds on us like mine’s on Mariah / And you all just like her you’re all f**king liars / but I'll just keep f**king you like I f**ked her / Right in the a** with KY, yes sir / So full of joy boy am I absurd / Even Chingy would tell you ya boy don't curr

Whether or not Mariah and Eminem had encounters beyond friendship, it seems Eminem has really had a tough time seeking a new muse. The only other person he has rapped about more would be Kim Mathers, the mother of his child and a woman that he has married twice and divorced twice. So how did they meet and what happened to make Eminem so bitter?

News of the two palling around surfaced in June of 2001 when Mariah was still dating Latin crooner, Luis Miguel and Eminem was going though his first divorce with Kim. Page Six first reported that Mariah and Eminem were seen having drinks late one night at the Church Bar in the Tribeca Grand Hotel and then later retreated to her apartment. Her then publicist, Cindi Berger, said that Mariah wished to show Eminem her latest video, “Loverboy”. The next month, The New York Daily News reported that Mariah had taken a private jet to Detroit to talk with Eminem about appearing on one of the videos for her “Glitter” soundtrack. It was rumored that she waited on the tarmac for four hours before Eminem arrived and declined. However, something must have gone right because soon after, Eminem arrived again in New York with a few family members to meet with Mariah. Again, Cindi Berger confirmed this meeting and explained that they were working on a potential deal involving a new artist. At that time, even Eminem’s rep, Dennis Dennehey, explained that the two were only friends.

As July of 2001 came to an end, Mariah and Miguel had broken up, Mariah was recuperating in a hospital from exhaustion, and MTV Asia aired rumors that she might be immediately attending Eminem’s concert in Glasgow, Scotland. Eminem reportedly even made inquiries regarding security should Mariah show up. The date obviously fell though. Mariah and Luis made a second go of it at the end of the year only to have their relationship end for good on New Year’s Eve. In February, media outlets reported that Eminem comforted Mariah during this time when she would visit him in his Sunset Marquis Hotel room in Los Angeles in the early hours of the morning while he was writing and recording his 2002 release, “The Eminem Show”.

Somewhere between February and the May release of Eminem’s album, something went terribly wrong with the relationship … friendship … whatever you choose to believe. Mariah’s name graced two songs on the album and some believe that even more lyrics “paid homage” to her. From “Superman”:

Am I too nice / buy you ice / b*tch if you died, I wouldn't buy you life / What you tryin' to be my new wife / what you Mariah / fly through twice …/ Maybe I'll love you one day, maybe we'll someday grow / Till then just sit your drunk a** on that f**kin' runway h* … / First thing you say, “I'm not fazed, I hang around big stars all day / I don't see what the big deal is anyways / You're just plain old Marshall to me “/ Ooh ya' girl run that game / “Hailie Jade, I love that name, love that tattoo, what's that say“/ “Rot in pieces, oh, that's great” / First off you don't know Marshall / at all so don't grow partial / That's ammo for my arsenal / I'll slap you off that barstool

Some believe that he is referring to the hours Mariah spent on the tarmac waiting for him in Detroit and the time they spent together in the Manhattan bar. He goes on to graphically rap about sexual encounters. Another song, “When the Music Stops” briefly mentions Mariah: “What the f**k you take me for? A joke? You smokin’ crack? Before I do that, I beg Mariah to take me back.” It’s not so far fetched to me that he would do both, after all he had a stint in a drug rehabilitation center last summer for, uh, sleep medication.

Not long after, the two verbally traded grievances in magazines and sit-down interviews. Eminem told Rolling Stone, “There’s truth to that (romantic relationship). But on the whole personal level, I’m not really feeling it. I just don’t like her as a person.” Asked the same question on Larry King, Mariah insisted, "I hung out with him, I spoke to him on the phone. I think I was probably with him a total of four times. And I don't consider that dating somebody." Later, her responses broadened to, “I knew him, I hung out with him a few times, but nothing sexual occurred.” How many times did we hear the “I can count on one hand” comment?!

At the end of the year, Mariah released “Charmbracelet”, which included her own obvious retort to Eminem as she sang that nobody would care when he was no longer the star of the “Show” :

I should've left it at, how ya doin' / I should've left it at I like your music too, and / I should've never called you back when you pursued me / I should've never given you my f**king two way…/ You should've never intimated we were lovers / When you know very well we never even touched each other…

She even sings that taking her “G5 twenty minutes wasn’t nothing”, possibly directly responding to his mocking her stay on the runway in Detroit. The song was performed during the “Charmbracelet” World Tour as huge “puppets” dance around the stage. How does this relate to Eminem you ask? The backdrop spelled “The Marionette Show” with a token-Slim Shady backwards “e” in imitation of “The Eminem Show”.

Mariah wasn’t the only one to take her anger on tour. In 2003, on Eminem’s “Anger Management Tour”, he reportedly played clips from what were said to be saved voice mail messages from Mariah. He then did his best vomiting act and sang “Puke”. Months earlier, a Shady rep denied that he would use Mariah’s messages in his music. A friend of Mariah’s stated that the phone messages could only be an actress impersonating her. Benny Medina, then, her new publicist, stated, "While we appreciate Eminem as an artist, lately his work has seemed tasteless and unnecessarily mean-spirited. The public seems to agree – just look at his declining record and concert ticket sales." Mariah, herself, answered with, “If that makes him happy, yay for him. All I know is, we all have a lot of messages, don't we? And we all should remember that.”

The mess continued with potshots at award shows, Eminem’s assistant writing a book with an entire chapter dedicated to Mariah, and even rumors of a truce. The conflict seemed to fizzle as Eminem’s career began to stall. As I said at the start, we were given a reprieve while Marshall got remarried to his ex-wife and Mariah reminded us of her talent by setting even more records with her latest release, “The Emancipation of Mimi”.

Based on Eminem’s latest antics, one of two things must be true – either he sees there is benefit in associating himself with Mariah Carey or he was and still is totally obsessed with her … or both. On the hills of his second divorce, Mariah’s name is quick to roll off of Eminem’s tongue as he seems to be making a comeback to the music scene. And on the subject of his infatuation with her, there were many who testified that he had posters of Mariah hanging in his room and pictures of her in his wallet.

Did Mariah break his heart because she only wanted to be friends? Did he kick her to the curb because she wouldn't put out? Afterall, there can't be too many fingers left to save on the hand! Or did he just genuinely not like her? The latter would mean she was unimportant and if unimportant, surly he wouldn't still be talking about her nearly six years later. In “Jimmy Crack Corn” Eminem also raps, “Jealous little f**ks beg for my attention”. Poor Marshall – are you confused again? Who is the one begging for attention? No matter what happened from 2001 until the first salvo was fired, it’s simple to comprehend which of them really doesn’t want to stop reminiscing.

Past lovers Mariah Carey and Derek Jeter are sure to cross paths tonight at the Chelsea Piers during the 4th Annual Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation Gala. Joe Torre is, of course, the manager of the New York Yankees baseball team and Jeter is their prize shortstop. Mariah has been slated to be the performer at the event, which serves to bring awareness to domestic violence. It’s a riddle to me of how Mariah was booked for this charity event. It’s well known that the Yankee’s owner George Steinbrenner was not a fan of Mariah Carey. During the relationship, Derek would be asked about his girlfriend instead of baseball and her presence at Spring Training could have been seen as a distraction. Steinbrenner denies reports that he made it known to Jeter that he should keep his girlfriend away from the ballpark.

The stars claimed that their relationship began after Mariah’s separation from Tommy Mottola and it seems that they have moved on with their respective lives. So why is this chance meeting worth talking about? It’s about timing!

Here are the facts:
- Mariah moved out of the Bedford Mansion into her mother’s house in December of 1996
- A legal separation was announced in May of 1997
- The divorce was final in 1998

Speaking of 1998, it was that year that The New York Post ran a story about Mariah Carey’s former limo driver, Franco D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio chauffeured Mariah for four years and became very vocal about his customer’s travels. He claimed that in the fall of 1995, he began helping Mariah carry out her secret late night meetings with Derek Jeter. His account was that he would drop her off a block away from East 79th Street where Jeter resided and that he would pick her up four hours later. “She’d be wearing no makeup, looking disheveled, and he’d drive her back up to her home”, said a close friend of Franco.

1995? Is it possible that Mariah became involved with Jeter in 1995? This is the year that Derek Jeter was brought to the Major Leagues by the New York Yankees after another player was placed on the disabled list. Okay, so the timing and location coincide. 1995 may be a little too early but former journalist A.J. Benza has recollections from 1996. He records in his 2001 book, “Fame: Ain’t It a Bitch” that his first interview with Mariah was during the inception of her vanity label “Crave”. It’s known that the label was being developed during 1996 since the first album release was from a group called Allure in May of 1997. The Benza interview was mandated by her current husband Mottola to help churn better press about their marriage. It was conducted in the Spy nightclub where Mariah’s group, including Derek Jeter, was huddled on a perch. Benza notes that he found himself falling for her after a five-minute chat but was forced to lean over Jeter to get some quotes.

In his book “The Life You Imagine” Derek, himself, claims that he met Mariah at a charity function for the Fresh Air Fund in November 1996 and that their relationship lasted only 6 months. “I know some people have written and want to believe -- our romance started that day, but that's not true. I barely even talked with her that first day”, Derek proclaims. What does Mariah say about that November night? From the song “The Roof” released in 1997 –

It was definitely a little misty on that warm November night / And my heart was pounding / My inner voice resounding / Begging me to turn away … And then you casually walked in the room / And I was twisted in the web of my desire for you / My apprehension blew away / I only wanted you / To taste my sadness As you kissed me in the dark

Hey! You make your own conclusion. I’ll just again give you the fact that Mariah moved out of Bedford the next month! You may be interested in these other lyrics that have been speculated to be about Jeter, five years after the demise of their relationship. From the song “Subtle Invitation” released in 2003 –

That you're still somewhat / Attached to the dream / Of being in love once again / When it's clear they've moved on ... And if you happen to be somewhere listening / ... Baby all you ever need to do / (I'm quite sure you know) is call me and let love rush in (that this one's for you) / (cause I'm giving "My All")

“My All” was, of course, a song released in 1997 during the time of Mariah and Jeter’s relationship. From the song “Lullaby“ released in 2003 –

And we can revisit us one more time / Yes, I'll come home with you tonight ... So here we are again / All by ourselves / So familiar you know / That it actually almost feels like deja vu / Of that night on the roof / We kissed under the sky amid city lights

Here is seems that she is alluding to that November night in 1996. Songs like this fuel speculation that five years later she was still writing about a relationship that supposedly only lasted six months. Maybe this quote from a 2005 edition of Allure Magazine can explain the mystery:

“I ask if it's true that, since the Declaration of Independence states that we are ‘endowed by God,’ Jeter was more endowed than others, Carey whoops with delight. ‘Oh, my goodness!’ she squeals, and then collects herself. ‘No comment, dahhhling,’ she purrs. ‘Put it just like that. And make sure 'dahhhling' is spelled d-a-h-h-h-l-i-n-g.’”

Of course, I kid I kid. It seems that Mariah is very happy with her current boyfriend, Mark Sudack, an executive member of her current record label, a man whom she's been rumored to be dating since at least 2003, and someone who has earned a great reputation with Mariah’s fans. We certainly wish them all the luck.

However, we can all watch the drama unfold tonight and at least reminisce! Stay tuned …

At this point, it is well known that the October 28th Hong Kong concert was cancelled. Unfortunately, this has become factual and not a rumor. Just as the production crews began to build the stage at The Tamar the show was scrubbed 48 hours before Mariah was to go on stage. However, the two involved and opposing sides’ arguments bestow the now important questions. Why was this show cancelled? Did Mariah, herself, cancel? Did Hong Kong promoters cancel? Did Mariah’s management cancel? Let’s get to the bottom of this unfortunate circumstance!

Concerts Asia, the Hong Kong promoter - “Due to both the poor response of public ticket sales … and also due to specific last minute demands which we find wholly unreasonable and not with the best interests of Hong Kong, us and also the fans.”

Benny Medina, Mariah’s manager - "Due to a financial default by the promoter, it is with great sadness that Mariah will not be able to perform for her fans in Hong Kong … we gave them time to pay but he kept missing the new deadlines."

Medina also states that 8,000 tickets were sold, not 4,000 as claimed by Hong Kong concert promoters. Medina’s statement seems credible when one takes into account that Mariah’s latest album release, ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’ went double platinum in Hong Kong and that her management is in talks with other Hong Kong promoters to line up another show.

As our Looking In author, Jason, has said, “Why would the venue, itself, cancel a show for poor ticket sales? Artists pay for tours, and they are the ones who make or lose money. Artists pay the venue a certain amount … and it would be the artist who would cancel a show for poor ticket sales.” This fact personally leads me to believe that the cancellation has nothing to do with ticket sales at all as Concerts Asia was the barer of this piece of information. Even with artists taking the financial hit with low sales, Medina says, “If there were only 10 people in this venue, and this particular promoter . . . had fulfilled his contractual obligations, we would be there. Mariah Carey loves her fans in Southeast Asia. He has defaulted several times, right up into the last 48 hours. Literally, we tried to hang in there with this guy."

So, what about this “demand” accusation? Could this be a low blow by promoters who cannot seem to promptly pay their bills? Or does Mariah live up to the diva image that she has been stamped with? Asian fans may remember stories of the caravan of eight vehicles parading into Shanghai, including four cars designated specifically for Mariah’s luggage. Personally, I think if one wanted to make a convincing argument, one would be more specific. What were these demands? Concerts Asia has repeatedly declined further comment.

As for you, feel free to comment below!