Mimi, as she refers to herself, started the show in a skimpy black two-piece outfit and a cape. Even though she is 36 years old , she still looks beautiful and sexy. 

Her voice started out raspy in the beginning, but ten minutes into the show, she was sounding like her commanding diva self, belting out lyrics and hitting the high notes.

Mimi kept what looked like a sold out crowd on their feet the entire night, with flashy stage of lights and videos, along with her background dancers and her powerful and mighty voice. 
A gigantic “Mimi” light sign centered the stage, as well as background videos that filled in for hip hop artists such as Jay-Z and Ol' Dirty Bastard, for her wildly popular duets. 

Although she is one of the greatest selling female artists of all times, Carey is still un-diva-like and was very personable with fans. At one point during the show, she asked the crowd if anyone would mind if she took a sip of her water to prepare for the next song. 

“This ain’t ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Carey said. 

While Mimi was busy with costume changes, a DJ kept the crowd pumped while playing snippets of classic hip hop songs. With each change of song, audience members would waved their hands in their air.

She gave several shout outs to the crowd, thanked them repeatedly and told the audience how much fun she was having. She has come full circle and knows who she is as an artist and as a person. 

Fans of Mariah love her no matter what. Her concert was all glitz and glam, sometimes with the makings of a Vegas style show. Carey can hit ear-shattering notes, and still flirt with the crowd, as if she’s been your best friend for years. It’s her combination of diva and legend status combined with her down to earth home girl presence that keep fans loving her throughout her career.
Source: State Hornet (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 29th.

I've never seen so many teen bra crimes in all my life: cups digging into nipples, back-fat bubbling up over straps, cleavage bulging out from under armpits. But then again, we have to keep in mind who all these suburban kids were emulating: the queen of ill-fitting garb herself, Mimi, aka Mariah Carey.

Before exposing most of her tits, ass, and gunt to all of GM place, our hoochie hostess warmed us up by blasting a pretaped message over the sound system. God, she claimed "has a bigger plan for all of us". So even though her life's been like a "roller coaster", she's glad she didn't miss the ride. And finally, what motivational speech would be complete without "Remember, whatever doesn't kill ya, makes you stronger."

Predictably, the lingerie-clad diva rose up from a hole in the stage, and yes, she looks even more like a transvestite in person. Surrounded by some second-rate Solid Gold dancers and six huge screens, she kicked things off with "It’s Like That". As with most of her songs, Carey ended this one by making her way to the centre of the lower stage, where a Liberace-issue mike stand and industrial-strength floor fan awaited her. This was when her golden mane and sheer black robe would blow up behind her, cuing fans to scream for more, which most did happily. 

With 17 No. 1 hits to choose from, there was very little filler. But then again, there were very few standout moments—except, perhaps, when Trey Lorenz came out from his back-up singing post to share the spotlight for "I'll Be There". This was really the only time audience participation was encouraged, and, as Mimi herself said, it was "the cutest thing ever" to hear the sea of tartlets sing along so angelically with their idol. 

One more high point came courtesy of DJ Suss One, who kicked out an old-school mix during one of the glittered ho's costume changes. This included Michael Jackson, Bell Biv DeVoe, and Naughty by Nature. It was like being instantly transported back to the Kits high-school parking lot circa 1989. I can almost smell the Drakkar Noir now—but I digress.

Vocally, Mimi is certainly not the powerhouse she used to be. This was especially evident in her ear-piercing shrieks: since she can’t hold them for as long as she used to, she substituted quantity for quality.

The saddest part of the night had to be when she kicked out her breakthrough hit, "Vision of Love". Arguably the best song she ever wrote, it only served to remind us that this garish disaster on-stage was once a sweet, young (and flat-chested) songbird. Where did it all go wrong?

To Carey’s credit, she did try to keep it real by playing a short set on a mini-stage in the middle of the stadium. But she pretty much ruined this attempt at breaking down the barriers between herself and her fans by sporting Terminator-style sunglasses the whole time.

Her encore included the crowd-pleasing "We Belong Together", during which cannons shot out purple and fuchsia butterfly-shaped confetti. While the tightly bound nubiles scrambled to pocket as many souvenirs as they could, all I could think was "It doesn’t have to be this way. You can get your bras fitted. It’s free at the Bay."
Source: Straight Vancouver (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 28th.

One Mariah.

When Mariah Carey's "Adventures of Mimi: the Voice, the Hits, the Tour" rolled into Sacramento for a sold-out stop at Arco Arena, the 35-year-old singer proved that, despite a very public 2001 emotional breakdown, she's currently at the top of her game.

The show kicked off with a video clip of a rollercoaster with Carey's voice-over declaration that "whatever doesn't kill you, just makes you stronger."

Amen, sister.

When the singer finally took the stage (wearing a barely-there top, boy shorts and cape), breaking into "It's Like That," the first single from 2005's "The Emancipation of Mimi," there was little doubt that Carey has more than weathered the rocky rollercoaster ride of public taste.

(Question: What's more ear-piecing - the sound of Carey's impressive voice reaching for that final octave or the glass-shattering shrieks of her fans? We may never know.)

With a giant KISS-worthy "Mimi" sign, a medley that condensed several hit singles into 10 minutes and an elaborate two-tiered stage (complete with several video screens, wind machines, two sweeping staircases and a giant "MC" logo), the night often ventured into Vegas revue territory. That effect was further emphasized when Carey used video clips to stand in for actual guest vocals. Jay-Z, for example, was represented MTV-style on "Heartbreaker."

But even those not normally fans of such theatrics or Carey's brand of hand-wringing vocal gymnastics (particularly on mawkish power ballads such as "Hero" and "Fly Like a Bird") would find it difficult to dismiss her charasmatic showmanship.

Throughout the set, which came in at just under two hours, the Long Island native exuded a poised charm. Basking in the love of her audience - tossing off coy waves, flirtations and no fewer than two dozen Sacramento shout-outs - Carey was at once a seasoned diva and the homegirl next door. You admire her star power and awe-inducing voice but can still imagine that, just for kicks, Mariah might want to hang out with you at the mall on a Saturday afternoon.

It's a heady charm and it makes it easy to understand the fierce devotion Carey elicits. When she took to the main floor's catwalk stage for three numbers, bringing her that much closer to a throng of delighted fans, the excited energy was infectiously giddy.

Highlights of the evening included a saucy rendition of "Always Be My Baby" and an in-the-flesh duet with longtime collaborator Trey Lorenz on "I'll Be There."

The show ended with a short encore featuring "Butterfly" and a drift of pink and purple butterfly-shaped confetti. As Carey disappeared from the stage, her voice still echoing throughout Arco, fans dived to the floor to grab for the tiny, glittery souvenirs.

It was a fitting end that seemed to embody the rise and fall and rise of Carey's career. We imagine that if she'd taken one final look back over her shoulder, the Queen of Comebacks would've appreciated the scene.
Source: The Sacramento Bee (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 28th.

This multi-city tour will further develop the entertainment interests of the Imperiali Organization who currently has interests in areas of basketball, racing, publishing, and movies with its upcoming release "The Red Worm" (www.theredworm.net). 

In addition, the tour is in line with the Imperiali Organization's global strategy and increases Imperiali's viability to promote new products and services to international markets through the use of this international venue. 

About Imperiali Organization
Imperiali Organization (www.imperiali.org), founded by Daniel Imperato, is global development company, with diversified assets and holdings, connecting the leaders of tomorrow, today. Currently the organization has taken interest in both in owned and operated businesses in the areas of internet search (www.i1search.com), public relations (www.i1connect.com), merchandising, publishing, film (www.theredworm.net), and sports (www.palmbeachimperials.com) as well as other non-affiliated companies. The Imperiali Organization is currently the official communications provider for Imperato-Brooks 2008, www.imperatobrooks.com.
Source: PR Newswire (All rights reserved)
Posted on september the 28th.

And while we're griping, when did the word "diva" become a good thing? When did we collectively decide to pay this much respect (and hard earned money) to an entitled princess with one talent? Why did 12,000 dedicated fans wait an hour for Mariah?

Don't get me wrong. Carey -- who composes her own material, has a five-octave voice and had a No. 1 single in every year of the '90s -- deserves to be a star.

I respect her talent and like her on CD.

But her live show is a lesson in excess, a calvacade of smoke and mirrors meant to distract from her tiny presence on a grand stage, a five-course place setting for gazpacho. Any momentum she wrung from her pipes was constantly disrupted by unnecessary costume changes, and instead of more material, we were treated to silhouetted dance routines and snippets of '80s pop from DJ Clue.

And those pipes, which sound as honeyed as her skin on record, sounded fairly average here, nothing you wouldn't hear on American Idol.

When she tried vocal gymnastics to hit those high shrieks, they sounded like wet fingerprints on clean glass, a mosquito stuck in a belljar.

Carey did have some decent versions of A Vision Of Love, Fly Like A Bird and Fantasy, and because she came out late, I couldn't see or hear, but know that she also performed Hero, Make It Happen and We Belong Together. But mostly The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour was as bloated as the title and is in need of a few tweaks to become a much better show.

Divas, please. How about you ladies all stay in that one costume you started the concert in and maybe sing us a couple of extra songs instead?

No one's going, "Well, for $109.50, I better see her in five different looks" (or maybe you are, in which case, stop ruining it for fans of music).

Opener Busta Rhymes was his usual killer self, treating the audience to his mile-a-minute gruff rhymes on tracks such as Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See, Break Ya Neck, Fire It Up and Pass The Courvasier.

The fact that he managed to squeeze out a standing ovation from an audience of mostly unfamiliar Mariah Carey fans is a testament to the Brooklyn rapper's talent.
Source: Calgary Herald (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 26th.

Or, at least, she desperately wants the world to think she does. 

How else could you explain the over-the-top diva screaming "Look at me! Look at me! Oh, pleeeease look at me!") at the 'Dome last night? 

It was not a concert, but rather a Vegas-style circus, opening with a short film in which Mariah talks about, you guessed it, herself. 

Comparing her life to a roller coaster, Carey declared: "If you don't get on the ride, you won't experience the adventure." 

The aging pop princess made her grand entrance on a rising platform, dressed only in a black bra, matching panties, stilettos and a cape draped around her shoulders before breaking into It's Like That.

Yes, it was apparent from the very start, this was going to be an evening less about Carey's massive catalogue of hits and more about creating a spectacle only Madonna could best. 

The M-shaped stage followed the gaudy theme with silver beads hanging from the second tier, a ramp and staircases down both sides, giant video screens (which depicted real and cartoon images of the main attraction -- Mariah) and a massive, shining Mimi marquee. 

Then there were the dancers, band members and backup singers -- all convenient distractions when the superstar needed to take a vocal break or change into one of her famous, barely-there costumes. 

But, unfortunately, they also overshadowed Carey's best attribute -- her pipes. 

It is almost impossible to find a singer in today's world of manufactured Idols who compares to the 36-year-old in terms of her vocal range, power and technical abilities. 

As Carey belted out the high notes during her performances of Heartbreaker and Dreamlover, even the most cynical of those in attendance (A.K.A. husbands dragged there by their wives) had to be impressed. 

These were the moments that made the glitter and glitz tolerable. These were the moments when the star of the show was truly shining. 

For the most part, Carey looked comfortable and confident, a feeling no doubt bolstered by the near-capacity crowd and she really seemed to connect with her audience. 

"The shows I've been doing in Canada have been some of the most fun shows on the tour," she told her screaming fans. 

In true diva fashion, Carey hit the stage late, but according to her set list, the rest of the show was to include a number of her radio hits such as Fantasy, Always Be My Baby, Honey and We Belong Together. 

Regardless of which of her famous songs she belted out last night, it appeared her die-hard fans would have been ecstatic with just about anything she gave them. 

As for the rest of us, we can only hope next time Carey makes a pit stop in Calgary, she leaves the bells, whistles and porn-star duds at home and gives her fans what they deserve -- a great concert highlighting her incredible vocal skills and career. 

As for opener Busta Rhymes, the rapper seemed an odd fit for this concert. 

Considering most of the people in attendance last night were obviously there for Carey and her special brand of pretty pop songs and slow ballads, Busta just didn't seem to fit in. 

But he did try, by performing a number of age-appropriate tunes including a cover of the Pussycat Dolls' Don't Cha and his past hit Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See. 
Source: Calgary Sun (All rights reserved)
Heroes note: "Look at me! Look at me! Oh, pleeeease look at me!" Mariah girl, you crack me up 
Posted on September the 26th.

Repping expensive clubbing ensembles, they left their b-boys at home to get all hard with their Fiddy CDs and headed out for some of that fine, five-octave range romantic R&B. It's the sound that made Carey the best-selling female performer of the '90s and the first act to chart in each year of the decade, breaking the Beatles' record as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent in the Hot 100 singles chart.

That was almost 10 years ago. The screams filling GM Place when the lights went down and the seven-piece band kicked in made it seem like yesterday.

Rising up from under the stage, Carey appeared in the flesh, mostly, surrounded by six fully-attired dancers. Dancing is not her thing. Unless you call that body-rubbing manoeuvre choreography. Whatever. It looked great on the five big screens.

Her voice sounded fine as well. By "My All" from 1997's Butterfly, she appeared to be nailing the highs, lows and points in between. Plus, the tune's disco refrain that accompanied the dancers' backflips is totally retro cool.

New material such as The Emancipation of Mimi's "Fly Like a Bird" went over extremely well, if not quite as immediately as older hits. This song, in particular, showcased the vocal gymnastics that are a Carey signature and, sadly, have influenced a generation of Idol contestants to mimic. The thing they forget is you still need to strike a fine figure on stage and have some top-ranked material. She's got a lot of it, and the stage design was also tasty, particularly on the centre stage take on "Fantasy."

Toss in the cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" and you might be wishing you had been.
Source: The Province (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 24th.

The music business has changed fundamentally. In 2003, concert ticket sales brought in 60 percent of revenues in the music market, while record sales accounted for only 40 percent. As recently as the mid-1990s, those numbers were the other way around. What has happened is something aging rock star David Bowie years ago predicted would happen as a result of Internet music exchanges and record piracy. "Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity," he said. "You'd better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that's really the only unique situation that's going to be left." 

The consequences have since become obvious. According to rock star Alanis Morissette's manager, "only 10 percent of artists make money on record sales; the rest go on tour."

Revenues higher this year

Ticket dealer CTS Eventim sells tickets to some 85,000 events a year throughout Europe -- and last year Germany's concert market had an estimated value of just under €3 billion, even with the biggest stars not on tour. Revenues will likely be much higher this year, with concerts by artists ranging from Robbie Williams to Madonna, Depeche Mode to Xavier Nadoo.

Despite occasionally astronomical ticket prices, many concerts sell out within days. Eventim managed to unload more than 80,000 tickets for Madonna's two German concerts within a few hours. "We could easily have sold 3 million tickets the first day," says Eventim CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg.

But the industry's biggest stars are the ones who are benefiting the most from the live music boom. Indeed, major bands have been earning most of their income at concerts for some time now. U2, for example, earned €122 million last year, according to estimates by Rolling Stone, with fully €110 million of that coming from concerts and merchandising. Despite selling only about half a million albums worldwide, Neil Diamond ranked sixth among the industry's top moneymakers -- thanks to €35 million in revenues from an extended tour. Mariah Carey recorded the US's top-selling album last year, which sold 5 million copies, but didn't go on tour. As a result, she wasn't even ranked among the 30 highest-earning music stars.

Up to €1 million for a concert
This comes as no surprise. Even the most established superstars still collect only five or six euros for each record they sell -- but up to €1 million for a single concert.
As the record companies watch their sales decline, they can only look on with envy as their stars rake in the cash. For some years now, music companies have been pushing for record contracts that would garner them an average of 10 percent of artists' concert proceeds -- but with marginal success.

Promotors have even less influence over prices. "They have no sense of shame," says Lieberberg. Until the mid-1990s, 100 Deutschmarks (about $50) was about the highest price most artists would charge for their concert tickets. Anyone who chose to exceed that limit either had to be of Rolling Stones caliber or willing to perform to half-empty stadiums. Today stars like Robbie Williams won't go below €70, and the price of a Madonna ticket can range up to €192. Even moderately successful groups like the Pussycat Dolls refuse to even set foot on the stage for anything less than €45 a ticket.

Greater financial risk

Instead of hiring in-country promoters to market their tour stops in return for giving up a share of their revenues, many major bands are now marketing their tours themselves. Though this means assuming greater financial risk, it also gives the bands direct access to all revenues -- and control over ticket prices. The national promoters are only hired to organize and stage the actual concerts. Lieberberg, for example, was paid all of $50,000 for a Madonna concert.

But German promoters have a trick or two up their sleeves. One is something known in the industry as "English costs," a system whereby German promoters charge the international stars' agents, most of whom are headquartered in London, inflated event costs. "They usually have a file filled with a completely separate set of invoices where everything costs more than it really does," says an industry insider.

Even when international stars hire German companies to promote and organize their concerts, the German companies earn far less than they used to -- and assume much greater risk. Bands are now demanding enormous, guaranteed advances that are not dependent on ticket sales. The Rolling Stones, for example, wanted guaranteed sales in the two-digit millions for their last German tour.

Meanwhile, advances of half a million euros per concert have become standard for many well-known groups. Although the promoter stands to earn an initial share of 15 to 30 percent of ticket sales, it's also up to the promoter to ensure that enough tickets are sold in the first place to pay the band.
Source: Spiegel International (All rights reserved) (extract)
Heroes note: For the ones who are interested in the business part of music and concerts, click here to read the article in full.
Posted on September the 22nd.

Consider the following:
WIGS: 
Mariah: None needed. 
Cher: Each more gravity-defying than the last. 
HOTNESS: 
Mariah: Plenty. Not many divas would perform in nothing but a cape, black bikini and high heels. 
Cher: She was, once. 
KNOWN BY ONE NAME:
Cher: Yes. 
Mariah: Sort of.
GENERAL FABULOUSNESS:
Cher: Absolutely. 
Mariah: Off the scale. 
THE VOICE: 
Cher: Braying donkey. 
Mariah: Five-octave freak of nature as pure as the sweat of angels. 

Other than that, they're exactly the same - divas through and through.

After an opening set from rapper Busta Rhymes - whose coarse yet charming ways threw the headliner into even sharper, more fabulous relief - this show was all about Mariah. The songs came second. 
It opened with a film where she talked about herself, comparing her life to a roller-coaster and offering wisdom like "eventually you have to face your fears." No you don't, but let's move on. 

The stage was as fabulous as we expected it to be: old-fashioned theatre curtains, sweeping ramps down the sides, the whole thing shaped like a giant "M" and the giant video screens, which, when not showing Mariah herself, would show a cartoon of Mariah or some other Mariah-related image.
And don't forget the rising platform where Mariah made her grand entrance. Divas must always enter the stage on a rising platform of some sort. Preferably shrouded in fog and dazzling colour. In this case, it was a number called It's Like That. She sang a few notes, shouted "whassup, Edmonton?" - not for the last time - and started to really sing as glittery dancers writhed around her. 

The latest diva spectacle was underway. 

Mariah hit the "Star Search" moment early, unleashing a barrage of high notes so sweet they brought tears to the eyes of the toughest security man. Those pipes really went into overdrive in the love ballads - the high diving act we had all come to see. Songs like Heartbreaker and My Own featured notes so high they could only be heard by dogs, others that shattered every piece of glass in the arena. Yes, I exaggerate, but the point is made: Mariah can sing. 

By the time the giant lighted "MIMI" was lowered - Mimi is Mariah's nickname, as made clear on her comeback album, The Emancipation of Mimi - I was wondering whether any substance could get past all this diva dazzle. There were times when potential soul was lost in a sea of glitter and blithering talent demanding to be shown off. She ruined the ending of one ballad by pausing for cheers after flurries upon flurries of notes, all rendered meaningless, undone by her own ego. How ironic. 

But do divas ever create meaningful music that is remembered after they're gone? Sometimes. For now, the diva spectacle seems to be the most important thing for Mariah. 

BONUS DIVA ITEM: On Mariah's orders, security was hassling fans about the "no cameras" rule, despite the fact that every person here seemed to have a camera in their cellphone - none of which were capable of taking a good picture from 50 feet away in a darkened arena. Geez.

IN THE SEATS: 12,500 IN REXALL 
SYNOPSIS: Mariah, Mariah, Mariah, Mariah, Mariah ... enough about Mariah. What do you think of Mariah? 
RATING: 3 1/2 SUNS OUT OF 5
Source: Edmonton Sun (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 22nd.

I know a lot of you don't like The Game 'cause he kinda dissed Mariah in a song, but it was 50 Cent who wrote the lyrics, but The Game added a few words after and it gives another sense:
" When I hit a switch I get higher than long jumpers low ridin with a hood rat or a grown woman
And I'll do anything but I won't f***k Mariah even if she had Ashanti butt naked in bed
cause she got a forehead just like Tyra
I can say what the f***k I want, you thought Dre retired Left me in 6-4 his Dayton wires
These niggaz is a waste of rhymin, Doc got somthing to say be quiet"
But in the song he wrote for the birth of his son, he kinda praises Mariah
"They say every time somebody die a child is born
So I thank the nigga who gave his life for the birth of my son
11:32, she screaming at the top of her lungs
I'm panicking, nurse yelling for the doctor to come
All I could remember was lamaze class, breathe baby
"One (one), two (two), three (three), four (four)," I see the head
Doc busting through the door, he between the legs
He see the head, it's my baby boy
11:46, the head out, she screaming, making crazy noise
Pain is love, my stomach folding like a La-Z-Boy
I'm feeling like Mariah Carey, all these butterfly's
Voices singing to me"

See, rappers world is a strange game... and as The Game is from a Native American father, there's some pain, bitterness and rancor to spit about.  Feel it?

We will need to wait until November the 14th. to see if "Feel My Pain" is really on the album and will not be scrapped like they did for the track on Busta's album.
Note: I censored the word "f***k" for the young visitors.
Posted on September the 21st.

The main ingredient? Herself, of course. Because everyone knows tabloid queens (hate 'em if you will) make the best -- if not, most interesting -- party hosts. Especially when they have a past as gossip-worthy as R&B diva Carey, whose wardrobe malfunctions, marital decisions and hospitalization for "exhaustion" have made her the curvaceous butt of many headlines. 

But the diva gave her 10,000 mostly-female fans little opportunity to whisper snidely about Mimi's less-than-perfect past at the MTS Centre last night, thanks to a little something called The Voice. 

FASHIONABLY LATE 

Gliding from a hole in the stage a fashionable 20 minutes late, Carey opened with It's Like That off her much-lauded triple Grammy-winner The Emancipation of Mimi.
Not that it mattered what she was singing. The honey-skinned hottie exposed less Voice and more of herself in her first track, where she sexily sauntered around in a sparkly black bikini top, boy shorts and cape. Finally, she's found a good use for glitter. 

Carey kept the tempo up for the next track, 1999's Heartbreaker, but kept down her stage pace, strutting her stilettos down a flight of stairs while a group of backup dancers did the sweaty work. 

Music Box smash Dreamlover called for more octaves, and Carey -- and her three backup singers -- delivered.

But even so, The Voice was often overruled by the excessive stage show. At times, Mimi was a mere speck on the multi-level platform with black and gold decor, surrounded by three large screens.

Carey's first spoken words were about Winnie the Pooh. Turns out she hadn't heard of the beloved Disney's bear's Winnipeg origins until yesterday (Like, who in Hollywood has?) and would be honoured if anyone passed on any Pooh memorabilia they had on hand. 

At press time, the word "Mimi" was glowing across centre stage in flashy, illuminated letters, and Carey had nabbed a chic pair of shades backstage for current club pumper, Shake It Off. According to a setlist, she was still expected to run through her hefty catalogue of No. 1 monster hits, including Fantasy, Always Be My Baby and Honey as well as Mimi ballad We Belong Together and several costume changes. 
Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5
Source: Winnipeg Sun (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 20th.

Nearly two hours after her dramatic ascent through the upper level of the main stage, curvy Carey had packed over 15 hit songs, five costume changes, and a sneaky strut to the secondary stage into her MTS Centre performance. Add half-a-dozen dancers, a trio of background vocalists, and a handful of musicians to the mix, and this Adventures of Mimi tour stop was as busy as the singer’s glittery get-ups.

Dressed like a Victoria’s Secret super-villain, Mariah opened up her set with “It’s Like That” from 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi. Within the first four songs, the 36-year-old had delivered hits of three distinct flavours: the hip-hop “It’s Like That,” pop-y “Heartbreaker” and “Dreamlover,” and the dreamy ballad “My All.”

After praising the home of Winnie the Pooh in her first chat with the crowd, Carey flowed effortlessly—and sometimes breathlessly—between songs, sharing stories with the crowd of 10,000 or casually applying lip gloss by the glow of a mini-flashlight.

Alternating sexy, leg-baring mini-clothes (skirts, shorts, does it really matter?) with colourful, belly-baring gowns, Mariah’s got the diva thing down pat. Headlining a Carey-quality concert can’t be easy, but it helps when you’ve got high notes, high heels, and hot spotlights on your side.

Mariah’s mile-high vocals and girly gowns contrasted nicely with Busta Rhymes’ deep bass, back-to-basics opening act.
Source: MTS Centre (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 20th.

The 2006 American Music Awards will be presented Nov. 21 at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium during a three-hour ABC-TV special.
Nominees were chosen based on record sales. Winners will be selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners.
Source: It's all over the internet 
Posted on September the 19th.

At 5 a.m. Friday, Mariah's two tour buses arrived at The Mansion in preparation for her Saturday show at American Airlines Center. It took Mansion valets just under a half-hour to deliver the 100-plus bags brought for Mariah, her two assistants, her hair and makeup person and her Jack Russell terrier (appropriately named Jack). 

To protect her voice, her rooms were stocked with air humidifiers as well as her favorite white flowers. 

Source: The Dallas Morning News (All rights reserved)
Posted on september the 18th.

The lawsuit is against one of Pick and More's directors - Krum Manuilov. The representative of Rock and More for Bulgaria, David Lieberberg claims Manuilov owes them EUR 390,000 out of the gains from concerts staged by Sting, 50 Cent and Apocalyptica in Bulgaria, Darik News reported.

The money had to be transferred to the Austrians but this still hasn't been done, Teodora Karoleeva from Darik News reported.

Lieberberg had second complaints that many of the promised concerts failed to take place and still many people have not received refunds from the Jennifer Lopez concert. "What happened with Anastacia, Mariah Carey and Alice Cooper?" asks Lieberberg.

Two other companies that organize concerts backed up Lieberberg in his statement. The managing directors of "Joker Media" and "Sofia Music Enterprises" are confident that these concert frauds reflect on their business. They say people no longer believe promises that invited world-famous musicians would ever come.

"I don't want to comment these people. We'll see them in court," the director of "Pick and More", Ivayla Bakalova told Darik News.
Source: Sofia News Agency (All rights reserved)
Posted on september the 18th.

Mariah Carey is the perfect modern celebrity-larger than life, glamorous and totally over the top. I think some women disagree with her diva-like behaviour, but without her, the world of entertainment would be a much duller place.

I first met her in 1997 when she was promoting her album Butterfly and we hit it off imemediately. With everything that had been written about her I had no idea what to expect, but she was smart, warm and very funny. She’s a lot of fun to be around, and unlike a lot of celebrities, can really laugh at herself. 

When she performed on Top Of The Pops we started a rumour she’d demanded puppies in her dressing room and it became instant Mariah folklore.

So what is it that women don’t like about Mariah?

She embodies a lot of extremes. She’s incredibly talented (with a voice that goes so high only dogs can hear it) but she’s also massively ambitious and not afraid to wear what the hell she wants. And I think the qualities that some people, particularly women, don’t like about Mariah are exactly the qualities that others love.

Sometimes people don’t see the humour in what she does, and don`t realise that she’s actually having fun. 

I did an interview with her once when she suddenly said "Wait a minute-I’m going to do this in a bikini." It was hilarious. I know that would seem tacky to some people, but the way in which she did it, coupled with her personality just made it funny.

Mariah isn’t the most beautiful woman in the world, she`s not the most fashionable and she’s one of the worst actresses the world has ever seen, but she just doesn’t care.

I think if a woman were to come up to Mariah in the street and say, "Mariah, you’re disrespecting what it means to be a woman", she’d just tell them to sod off.

And in a world where a celebrity’s every move is monitored it’s great to meet someone who genuinely doesn’t give a damn. Mariah you’re one of a kind and for that I love you. 
 

NOTE: Mariah fans with long memories might recall that back in 1998 the UK tabloids printed a rumour that Mariah and Jamie were an item. Both sides denied the story but Jamie’s then girlfriend, All Saints singer Natalie Appleton, confirmed that she dumped him over the rumours. Jamie has repeatedly defended Mariah in interviews over the years.
Source:  Glamour Magazine - Mariah Connection UK.
Posted on September the 18th.

"MIAMI," MARIAH CAREY says, "is not an easy place to begin a tour." It's nearly two hours into the sold-out first night of The Adventures of Mimi tour, and for Carey- looking elegant but weary in a skintight turquoise gown- the show has been a not-always-excellent adventure. There have been missed lighting cues, bungled dance moves and uncomfortable pauses while Carey scuttles to the edge of the stage to sip water through a straw. She spends nearly half of "Dreamlover" entreating the techies to turn on giant stage-side fans ("Where are my fans? I need a moment, here!"), knocks her sunglasses askew during "Fantasy" before whipping them disconsolately into the crowd and appears to be singing the wrong vocal part over a backing track in "Don't Forget About Us." Throughout the night, she fiddles with her earpiece, at one point begging her sound crew, "If I have to wear this thing, could you please make sure the volume is turned up nice and loud?"

None of these glitches seem to bother the adoring audience at the American Airliens Arena. It's a notably young crowd- homegirls and their boyfriends, South Beach clubbers, gay couples- proof positive that with the blockbuster The Emancipation of Mimi album, Carey has shed her old Adult Contemporary image and become a hip-hop soul diva. (Some of the biggest cheers of the evening come during the costume-change interludes, when Carey's turntablist DJ Clue spins rap hits like T.I.'s "What You Know" and hometown-hero Rick Ross's "Hustlin'.")

Carey has certainly given her fans a spectacle. The stage set features a curving, opera-house-style staircase, three monster video screens and an enormous light-sculpture spelling out MIMI. there are six hyperactive dancers, video cameos by famous rappers (Jay-Z, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Jermaine Dupri) and a gratuitous appearance by a full fospel choir, who pour out onstage in white robes to sing a few- very few- bars of the set-closing "Make it Happen." Like all good MTV divas, Carey spends much of the show backstage changing clothes. She sports eight different outfits during the concert, going from skimpy lingerie (a black bikini with boy-short bottoms and a chiffon cape) to a hood-goddess ensemble (painted-on Capri jeans with a bling-encrusted halter top and matching shades) to red-carpet formalwear (those sweeping evening gowns).

Visual razzle-dazzle makes sense for Carey rivals like Madonna or Janet Jackson, whose vocal chops are dubious to begin with. But Carey is a five-octave-range singing superhero; the multi-media glitz feels like a distraction, and Carey sure seems uncomfortable executing tightly choreographed routines surrounded by hoofers half her age. (You can practically see her counting off her steps in the slinky "Shake it Off.")

But strangely, Carey's obvious nerves and the opening-night kings add to the show's charms. She has never projected the froideur of Madonna or Beyonce. She's the neurotic, human-size diva, the woman who made the god-awful Glitter and suffered a highly-publicized crack-up but bounced back 2005 to trounce the competition with her best record yet. The concert opens with video footage of a roller coaster and a melodramatic Carey voiceover proclaiming: "My life has been like a roller coaster... I've had my ups and downs... and I've found a deeper kind of truth." The show replicates that arc in miniature, moving through tribulations, muffed production numbers and near-nervous breakdowns, arriving at something like transcendence.

Which in this case means the big, gospel-flavored MOR ballads that have earned Carey more No. 1 hits than anyone besides Elvis presley and the Beatles. Songs like "One Sweet Day" and "Fly Like a Bird" liberate Carey from choreography, letting her rear back and deliver ethereal high notes and great gusts of melisma. Carey's sheer vocal prowess redeems even the schlockiest material, like the self-esteem anthen "Hero," the evening's big sing-along. The show climaxes with "We Belong Together," a song that perfectly integrates her old ballad singing style with the sleek syncopations of hip-hop-inflected R&B. In an arena thronged with Mariah diehards, more than a few of whom are openly weeping, the song plays less like a breakup ballad than a pledge of devotion between the superstar and audience. "I love each and every one of you!" Carey cries at the song's end. It's the oldest, smarmiest line in the showbiz book, but on this anxious night, it sounds totally sincere.
JUDY ROSEN

MARIAH PARKING LOT
PEDRO GONZALEZ
Miami, 32

PSYCHED TO SEE MARIAH?
Um... I'm kind of here with a friend who's a Mariah Carey freak. But it's not really my thing. I'm into New Wave '80s.

DO YOU OWN ANY MARIAH CDs?
No, but I did see Glitter. It's camp, high camp. It's not supposed to be a comedy, but it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

RAPHAEL SANTOYO
Venezuela, 27

WHY DID YOU TRAVEL SO FAR?
I love Mariah. Her voice is from the stars.

MAYBE YOU'LL MEET HER.
I would have to die then.

YOU'D ACTUALLY KILL YOURSELF IF YOU MET MARIAH?
Not kill myself exactly, but I would have to die... I can't think of the way to say it in English. I'm too excited right now.

MELANIE ABBOTT
Deland, Florida, 31

SO YOU'RE A MARIAH CAREY SUPERFAN?
The biggest. I've got posters, pictures 8x10 photos I buy off eBay. I even liked Glitter.

YOU'RE ONE OF FOUR PEOPLE WHO LIKED IT.
I saw it twice. And I'm going to see it again.
Source: Blender - ScottKessinger at fomm who took the time to type it, thanks 
Posted on September the 18th.

- Brazilian fans come up with a site where they will collect signatures from fans all over Brazil and South America with the goal to make some noise, maybe that way, promoters can see there's a request.  Please visit their site and help them.

I also received a touching e-mail and wanted to post it here with the permission of the sender, so you can read it and I know a lot of you will relate to it.
- "Mariah, please don't forget about us!
Hi Gilles,
Mariah will probably not tour further more after Hong Kong.  I send you my reactions and the ones of a lot of my friends, 'cause I know you will publish it, you're the only one out there who cares about ALL the fans in the world and post always good or bad news, reactions .... and that's what we love, you go straight to the point always supporting Mariah since so many years. 
Anyway, here it is.
Mariah said in the Ebony Magazine: "I just want to go on the road and have fun with my fans, it's our moment to
celebrate, to have an adventure"
I guess, all of us international fans were not included in that quote.
I don't want to sound mean or jalous or whatever, but the success of the album was not only thanks to US fans, we all 
voted everyday, we all downloaded so many times the "We Belong Together" single to make it the 16th. number 1, we all bought the album and the re-release of the album in the US too to make it go where it ended in the sales charts.  We all voted with nothing in return, we weren't promised pictures, coats, gifts like US fans to vote, we did it 'cause we felt we needed to support Mariah.
Do you know one single US fan who voted on international links, who bought the album in our coutries to help it climb in our charts? No.  But it did well internationally without them.
I sound bitter I know, but this time I feel excluded of Mariah's fan community, 'cause as she said she will celebrate the success of this last album with her fans and we international fans are not part of it, I really feel excluded.
I know it's not Mariah's fault, she doesn't choose her venues, otherwise she wouldn't have performed in little US cities, in casinos for a bunch of old rich people, where they her fans she wanted to celebrate and have fun with? No.
You know what mate, my friends and I feel there's something wrong, Universal (Island, Mercury, whatever) didn't promote the album anywhere in the world, I guess L.A. Reid wanted a huge "comeback" in the US where Mariah was not huge anymore (look at Charmbracelet, the album and the tour), I think L.A. Reid wanted this "comeback" more for his own glory.
My friend, Mariah is not free... at least not the way she probably thought, remember the 9 March 2004 news...
Thanks for your time, and I apologize in advance to any US fan who would be shocked, but that's what I feel (and a lot of
international fans aswell), we helped a lot for this huge success and we are not allowed to celebrate it, please US fans, try to step a foot in our shoes and try to imagine how we feel.
I will always support Mariah, like I always did when the US putted her down."
Posted on September the 17th.

There's that nasty business with her ex-husband - former Sony boss Tommy Mottola, whom she divorced (along with Sony Music) in 1998. Cue suspicious run of bad luck and bad timing that hit bottom with the Sept. 11, 2001 album/movie release of Glitter, both of which flopped miserably. There's her reputation for being a "studio rat," a workaholic who labours obsessively to make every note absolutely perfect on record. There's the wacky conspiracy theory that she and her handlers effectively bought their way to the top by flooding the market with cheap or free CD singles. 

There are examples of diva behaviour, the spat with Jennifer Lopez, the stories of being hospitalized for stress-related ailments, the time when she was quoted with a straight face that she still believes in Santa Claus ... and the list goes on. 

One thing remains constant, though: holy frickin' hell, this broad can sing! Never mind J-Lo. Mariah Carey can sing circles around herself. She's that good.

Fans of that God-given set of pipes are sure to attend next Thursday's performance at Rexall Place - marking the first time Mariah Carey has unleashed her moneymaker live in Edmonton. 

Sometimes it becomes difficult to enjoy the music of an artist when they have a lot of unmusical baggage in the press, as is the case with Michael Jackson or Bono or Paris Hilton. 

After I studiously ignored Mariah Carey for several years - even giving a pass to The Emancipation of Mimi, her 2005 comeback triumph, until recently - she was on the Grammy Awards. Her performance was riveting. While being terribly distracted by her fluttering hand that seemed eager to fly off and start its own solo career, I closed my eyes and was blown away by her voice - a wild, high-flying, five-octave freak of nature so pure, and so perfectly on pitch, it had to have been a computer - only it wasn't. In music, a five-octave range is like the three-minute mile. No one has a five-octave range. She's like that blue alien singer in The Fifth Element. Many have copied her style - along with her annoying tics that have become a hallmark of American Idol contestants - but none can compare in vocal ability. 

Perhaps it's genetic. Her mom was an opera singer. Named for the wind that calls her name in an old song, young Mariah quickly discovered her destiny, singing at the age of three, writing in junior high school, and made a name for herself in the New York music scene. The poor Long Island girl then got discovered by Tommy Mottola - and the rest of this Cinderella story is history. It's frankly a rather boring story, riddled with one chart-topper and award after another, but it goes on for quite a while. She has been called the best-selling female artist in history. Her trophy shelf is certainly one of the largest. 

If there's any cloud in this silver lining of vocal prowess, it's the idea that Mariah is just a big showoff - more concerned with impressing the listener than with expressing emotion. How many syllables can the word "love" have before it starts to lose its meaning? At full throttle this blithering, fluttering, five-octave-spanning songbird obliterates all meaning beyond herself, practically screaming, LISTEN TO ME SING! 

I can remember the Grammy performance vividly, but I honestly can't remember what song Mariah sang. It was probably something from The Emancipation of Mimi. Does this album mark the point at which Mariah Carey's songs have become as important as her voice? Critics doubt it. The album was deemed by the Sun as an "entirely predictable and typical R&B record." Of course, it's predictable and typical only because Mariah Carey was a big part of what made it that way in the first place. In short, the album is no better or worse than any of her previous albums - which is a good thing, given her track record. Mimi was the best-selling record of 2005; and Mariah won three Grammys, though none for best album. 

And who is Mimi? She is quoted in her new record company's press release, "I am embracing my independence and celebrating the person that I have become. Over the years I have evolved into a better person and an even better artist. For the first time in my life, I am proud and unafraid to be who I really am, and that's what the music of this album and its title reflects. By naming my album The Emancipation of Mimi and referencing 'Mimi,' a nickname only used by those closest to me, I am inviting my fans into my life." 

That may be true to a certain extent - she's said in the past that she isn't thrilled with being a public figure - but with that voice, she will always be Mariah to her fans. Besides, They Call the Wind Mimi just doesn't have the same ring to it. 
Source: Edmonton Sun (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 17th.

The Vegas touch was evident on the handsomely mounted stage and in the battery of performers she brought along: a four-piece band, three backup singers and a crew of gymnastic dancers -- we're talking double flips -- who gave the show an enthralling exuberance.

Sporting a black-and-silver color scheme, the stage was a stunner, with a theater-style curtain, a backdrop of shimmering silver beads and an elongated curving staircase bordered by butterflies. Later, a marquee-type sign that traced the word MIMI in lights was lowered to the floor as a backdrop.

Multiple screens and cameras provided different views, including one at the top of the stage, a circular "porthole" that showed only close-ups of Mariah. It all sounds overdone, but it was actually quite classy.

Carey has cause for celebration. Her 2005 CD, The Emancipation of Mimi, has sold more than 5 million copies and helped her score a major comeback. Her set, broken into segments in which she left the stage for costume changes, culled tracks from the new disc as well as older material.

Pity that she entered the stage to sing It's Like That in what was basically underwear: a black bra and panties topped with a sheer black, hooded cape. As always with Mariah, it was a whole lot of skin.

One especially effective moment was on Heartbreaker, a cut from the album Rainbow that features vocals by Jay-Z; he made his contribution on video while four male dancers wearing black pants and shiny black blazers executed a killer number.

The show started with a video, showing shots of a roller coaster backed by Mariah's voiceover declaring that her life was like, yes, a roller coaster. She ended on the declaration that, if you don't get on the ride, you miss out on the adventure.

Source: Star-Telegram (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 17th.

Even though that sparkly stuff denotes a low point in Mariah Carey's otherwise storied career, the much-emulated singer featured it all over her stage and five-costume changes Saturday night at American Airlines Center.It was particularly prominent when she slinked and strutted her way through "Shake It Off," one of the hits from 2005's 6-million-selling triumph The Emancipation of Mimi. Behind her a huge, brightly lit "Mimi" sign flickered as she sashayed in sunglasses, a black bikini and a long, billowing camisole. She looked and sounded sexy, injecting much more vocal power into a catchy, danceable if disposable song that doesn't require it.

Ms. Carey made sure to showcase her vocal prowess every chance she got. Why waste that five-octave range in front of 12,000 adoring fans, right? Especially since she can still belt it out. Wearing a body-hugging yellow dress with a slit up to there, she dusted off "Vision of Love," her 1990 career-launching smash, to impressive effect. Sure, she gave the song even more vocal acrobatics than it needs, but she hit every note and then some.

Ditto for her cover of the pop-soul classic "I'll Be There," which she sang with old pal Trey Lorenz. She then gave Mr. Lorenz some time to do songs solo, including a couple of Luther Vandross cuts. That was generous of her, especially since Mr. Lorenz was but a blip nationally in 1992.

Still, her voice worked hard to be the star of the show, even while multiple video screens, flashy dancers, a two-tiered platform complete with staircase and even a DJ at the turntable threatened to steal all the attention. She played the game, turning hip-hop diva during updated renditions of "Dreamlover" and "Fantasy," which she sang on a riser in the center of the floor. 

Much of Ms. Carey's output post 1995 has been fused with rap and hip-hop in an attempt to keep her current and erase the big-ballad-singer tag she earned early in her canon. Problem is much of the reason the Mimi CD sold so well is that it's filled with expertly crafted, über-contemporary singles that any of today's sexed-up R&B singers could have done.

She's gotta appeal to the kids, though. So rapper Busta Rhymes served as her opening act, and thrown in during her set were musical and visual snippets of Jermaine Dupri and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. That onstage DJ entertained the crowd with party tunes and shout-outs during one of her dressing-room breaks.

The next-to-final dress, a flowing green gown, was all glamour. She used some of that elegance in her soaring take on "Hero." 

In some ways it clashed with her seemingly sweet, casual and girl-next-door persona while she chatted with the crowd. No matter. For a superstar who's had an erratic live-concert trajectory, Saturday night's gig bathed her in the right kind of glitter.
Source: Dallas Morning News (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 17th.

Comme vous étiez plusieurs à le demander, l'interview de Trey lorenz a été traduite et postée dans la section francophone de Heroes of Mariah.  Bonne lecture, c'est ici que ça se passe 
Posted on September the 16th.

Carey has played many roles in her staggeringly successful career: winsome ingenue, hip-hop princess, fashion victim and -- pre-Mimi -- faded glitter girl. All are on display at various moments in her "Adventures of Mimi Tour."

But wordly diva -- with a knowing wink -- seems to suit her best, and during her 100-minute set, Carey played the part with exuberance, confidence and delicious abandon. (This was her first major appearance in Houston; 2003's "Charmbracelet" tour only came as close as Dallas.)

She strutted across the stage in dangerously high heels, sported sunglasses when the stage lights were too bright and took regular breaks to sip on her bottle of water. The crowd, many of whom sported butterfly wings and displayed homemade signs, ate it up.

And then there's that voice. Throughout the evening, Carey did things with her instrument that most pop singers wouldn't even attempt in the privacy of their shower. The trademark shrieks came early, during the disco-throwback Heartbreaker and fluffy pop-charmer Dreamlover.

"It's no big secret that my life has always been kinda like a rollercoaster," Carey told the cheering crowd via an introductory video clip, complete with amusement-park imagery. "If you don't get on the ride, you won't experience the adventure."

She assumed the starting position amid the strains of sing-along party-starter It's Like That, the first of five radio hits from her Emancipation opus. It was a moment of extreme urban elegance. Carey, surprisingly toned and tanned to a honey-brown, swayed to the hip-pop beat in what looked like designer lingerie, surrounded by a stable of frenetic dancers.

Her four-piece band and three backup singers were spread evenly over a mammoth stage that featured a winding staircase, multiple video screens and Carey's initials stamped in various places. It looked like the entrance to a grand ballroom -- in Carey's house, of course.

She tore through her cavernous catalog with aplomb and kept things fresh with tweaks on signature hits. Mournful ballad My All morphed into a house remix, and Heartbreaker benefited from a stop-start reworking before settling into the original version.

Recent hit Shake It Off found Carey posing in front of a mammoth, illuminated "MIMI" sign, similar to the music video. DJ Clue spun old-school favorites that kept the crowd pumping during Carey's costume changes.

Mimi (the diva, not the sign) worked the crowd in a glittering canary-yellow dress -- cut-outs and slit included -- during debut hit Vision of Love and rousing gospel stomper Fly Like a Bird. Carey's slightly raspy voice added a layer of emotion to both songs, particularly Vision, which was first released almost two decades ago.

Singer Trey Lorenz joined in for a sweet take on I'll Be There before Carey disappeared, then resurfaced, on a stage in the middle of the arena. An army of security guards lined the aisles as fans clamored for a closer look and, just maybe, a touch.

It was here, so close to her fans, that Carey seemed to really come alive, relaxing her superstar persona a bit and just vibing with the music. She kept it all upbeat -- and acknowledged the disco ball above -- via uptempo stand-outs Fantasy, Don't Forget About Us and Always Be My Baby. It was the evening's most electric interlude.

Houston rapper Mike Jones took the microphone for a few solo verses as Carey wiggled backstage into that seafoam green gown. She returned and ripped through a quick medley of ballads (Can't Let Go, Thank God I Found You, One Sweet Day) before launching into radio staple Hero. It was Carey's own greatest-love moment, complete with swaying hands and shots of misty-eyed fans.

Carey brought her Adventure to a close (before one last change into a glittering, nude-colored gown) with We Belong Together, her mammoth summertime hit that -- in a sure sign of eternal invasion -- has invaded dance floors, high-school proms and weddings.

She danced around the song's lilting melody before nailing the final third with a string of go-for-broke notes. It ended with an explosion of pink and purple confetti -- in the shape of butterflies, of course -- fluttering through the arena.

Carey, Mimi or MC -- take your pick -- seems to have finally assumed her rightful place among music's premiere pop queens.
Source: Houston Chronicle blog - MariahDaily
Posted on September the 15th.

Carey's 90-minute concert, dubbed "The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, the Hits, the Tour," featured wall-to-wall hits from nearly every era of her 16-year career. Aside from a number of tacky wardrobe choices and truncated performances of some of her biggest hits, the show was pretty close to magical.

Carey is not a trained dancer like Janet Jackson, and she doesn't use her stage show to make elaborate political statements like Madonna. (Even Britney Spears' elaborate arena shows have more of a narrative arc than Carey's.)

But Carey's strength is and always has been her voice, and that amazing, soaring instrument was what took center stage Saturday night. There was not a lip-synched note to be heard, and her voice towered in songs such as the gospel-flavored "Fly Like a Bird" and a luminous rendition of her first hit, "Vision of Love."

Carey -- who took the stage wearing a black bikini-type number accented by a flowing, sheer cape and with black stiletto heels -- was joined by a band, three backup singers, a half-dozen dancers and a smattering of well-placed wind machines.

Her main stage set-up included an upper and a lower stage, joined on one side by a ramp and the other by a staircase with a handrail detailed with butterflies.

Carey didn't so much dance as she casually swayedto her songs, and her utter lack of fancy footwork was endearing rather than distracting.

She opened with "It's Like That," the opening track from her 2005 career-resuscitating "The Emancipation of Mimi" CD, and assertively rolled through a number of hits such as "My All," "Shake It Off" and "Fantasy." The many rappers who cameo on her songs were piped in via video clips on the six video screens that acted as backdrops to her set.

Saturday seemed to catch Carey in a particularly pert mood. At one point she gently chided a spotlight operator who shined a light on her as she was sipping a drink at side-stage, and after making several awkward references to Michigan early in the show, she broke with the script and said, "They said, 'Don't say Detroit, say Michigan.' But I'm going to say both!"

At one point she even took time to plug her "Mimi" lip gloss by applying it between songs in the dark, so as to show off the product's nifty mini-flashlight feature.

"I can't wait until you review this -- 'She was so ridiculous she pulled out her lip gloss on stage' -- and I don't really care!" she said.

During one of several down moments while Carey changed outfits, her DJ made sure to shout out the Detroit Shock -- fitting, since the concert booted the fifth game of the WNBA finals from The Palace to Joe Louis Arena.

Carey's curvy body was in full display Saturday, as she slipped into a number of skin-baring gowns that featured more slits than fabric.

Though her choice of attire may earn her a spot on Mr. Blackwell's worst-dressed list, she was confident in her body, and that confidence shone through in her performance.
Source: The Detroit News (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 11th.

Carey's 90-minute concert featured wall-to-wall hits from nearly every era of her career (unsurprisingly, her disappointing "Glitter" and "Charmbracelet" CDs were overlooked entirely), and aside from a number of tacky wardrobe choices and abbreviated versions of some of her hits, the show was pretty close to magical.

Carey is not a dancer like Janet Jackson, nor is her stage show as elaborate or metaphorical as Madonna's.

Carey's strength is her voice, and that amazing, soaring instrument was what took center stage Saturday night - there was no lip-syncing to be had - and it towered in songs such as the gospel-flavored "Fly Like a Bird" and her first-ever hit, "Vision of Love."

Carey - who took the stage wearing a black bikini-type number, accented by a flowing sheer cape and with black stilettos on her feet - was joined on stage by a band, three backup singers, a half-dozen dancers and a smattering of well-placed wind machines.

She opened with "It's Like That," the opening track from her 2005 career-resuscitating "The Emancipation of Mimi" CD, and assertively rolled through a number of hits such as "My All," "Shake It Off" and "Fantasy."

She made room for a number of spontaneous moments in the show, reacting to a fan holding up a fan asking for her to sing "Melt Away" by belting out the song's chorus a capella, and even took time to plug her "Mimi" lip gloss on stage by applying it between songs.

"I can't wait until you review this, 'She was so ridiculous she pulled out her lip gloss on stage,' and I don't really care!" she said.

Carey's curvy body was in full display Saturday, as she slipped into a number of skin-baring gowns which featured more slits than fabric.

Though her choice of attire may earn her a spot on Mr. Blackwell's worst-dressed list, she was confident in her body and that confidence shone through in her performance.
Source: The Detroit News (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 10th.

Mostly, then, the movement is limited to Carey's vocal acrobatics -- and there were plenty during her concert at Verizon Center on Thursday. Though she's been showing off a more breathy style in recent years, Carey still has a propensity for taking off on runs that sound like a boiling teakettle with perfect pitch.

"Dreamlover" even opened with Carey playing the role of wailing soul, as she unleashed a series of piercing, whistle-register notes before swooping back down to alto- and soprano-range normalcy. (The song also had her playing another role, for which she wore spangly black undies and a matching bra, a chiffon boudoir robe scarcely covering her back. Later adding sunglasses to the outfit, she resembled an incognito Frederick's of Hollywood model.)

Still, Carey somehow managed to cover quite a bit of ground during the show. Of course, most of it was the ground leading backstage, but who's counting? Oh, right: Us!

Carey exited stage right a half-dozen times during her 90-minute concert, sometimes for just a minute or two but also for lengthier periods that usually signaled a costume change. (Total outfit count: five.) Some of the breaks dragged on long enough for a deejay to spin parts of at least two dozen hit rap and R&B records as a hype man barked about taking it back (Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison"), waaaaay back (Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ").

The frequent strolls backstage repeatedly derailed the concert's momentum, which was a shame since Carey was in such fine voice; no longer an emotionless vocal technician, she even sounded like a credibly gritty soul singer during an inspired reading of her first hit, 1990's "Vision of Love." Ultimately, though, the walk-offs did her in: When Carey left the stage, yet again, after a powerhouse performance of her soaring (if saccharine) ballad "Hero," the crowd cheered briefly, then turned nearly silent -- not realizing that it was time to call Carey back for an encore.

It took flashing stage lights to prompt the audience, and eventually Carey returned to sing "We Belong Together," the biggest hit from her enormously successful comeback CD, "The Emancipation of Mimi."

One of the best-selling titles of 2005, the album reestablished Carey, 36, as a bona fide hitmaker after a series of artistic misfires and a very public meltdown. Thus, this is very much a triumphal tour. The show opens with a video of Carey saying that if whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, then, well, gosh, she's really strong -- apparently to the point that she can even turn references to her failures into symbolic celebrations. The concert here closed with two confetti guns spraying the crowd with . . . glitter! "Glitter," of course, being the title of Carey's semi-autobiographical movie and an accompanying album, both of which were tremendous, potentially career-killing flops.

Carey didn't exactly gloat about her return to A-list status, however, and she never fully indulged her inner diva. Not even when the stage lights came back up prematurely between songs while the star was dabbing her glistening face with a tissue. "You caught me," she said with a giggle. If anything, Carey seemed charmingly awkward, coming across as a regular gal blessed with an exceptional voice. She may have 17 No. 1 singles, but she's still just Mariah from the block. Or, as it were: Mimi from the block, as she performed 2005's "Shake It Off" in front of Broadway lights that spelled out her alter ego's name.

The song married a pop vocal to a hip-hop beat -- a formula Carey first started using more than a decade ago on hits including "Fantasy." She performed that tune here as a virtual duet with the late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard, who rather creepily delivered his vocal from the grave. Several living rappers also appeared via canned studio tracks, including Jay-Z on "Heartbreaker," as Carey loaded the set with hip-hop-infused material.

But she didn't exactly ignore the ballads and, in fact, the highlight of the show was a fiery cover of "I'll Be There," the Jackson 5 tune that Carey originally recorded 14 years ago during a live MTV special. The song was performed as a duet with one of Carey's backup singers, Trey Lorenz, who spent most of the show seated on a stool at the back of the split-level stage. He couldn't sit still for the entire show, however: Lorenz disappeared backstage before the song, precisely so that he might make a dramatic entrance moments later. Mariah's kind of move, without the high heels.
Source: The Washington Post (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 9th.

It's about time she played a concert in Detroit.

The multi-octave diva with the voice that can shatter windshields has performed in Detroit before, during sporting events such as the 1990 NBA Finals and last year's Thanksgiving Day Detroit Lions game.

But Saturday's "Adventures of Mimi" concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills (it's not quite Detroit, but you get the picture) marks the first time Carey has ever staged a full-scale concert in our fair city.

So why did it take so long? Carey rarely tours. Prior to her current outing -- her biggest production to date -- she had only hit the road sporadically, at best.

"No one will ever mistake her for James Brown," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of concert industry-tracking Pollstar magazine, of the touring machine.

Carey's first tour, in 1993, included only a handful of dates and was poorly received by critics. She didn't hit the road again until 2000's Rainbow tour, which saw dates scheduled in only nine North American cities. In 2003, her Charmbracelet tour skipped Detroit; the closest it came was Chicago.

But after staging a career-saving comeback with last year's hit-heavy "The Emancipation of Mimi" LP, Carey seems committed to connecting with fans like never before. Hence her excessive tour schedule, and her desire to get out in front of audiences to whom she hasn't previously played.

As Carey knows better than anyone, however, all that glitters isn't always gold.

Mixed reviews

So far, box office receipts for the tour have fallen short of blockbuster status, with several shows being canceled or rescheduled due to soft sales. As of Wednesday, nearly 2,000 tickets were still available for Saturday's show, and some local corporations were offering discount tickets to employees.

The tour has been garnering spotty reviews, as well. Crowds have complained her multitude of costume changes (and the time burnt changing into said costumes) distracts from the show, and fans at her recent concert at Uncasville, Conn.'s Mohegan Sun Arena -- who paid up to $150 for tickets -- were outraged when Carey left the stage after a mere 75 minutes. (Do the math, kids -- that's a buck every 30 seconds.)

The 36-year-old songbird's stage presence -- or relative lack thereof -- has also been called into question, but it's a charge that tour-opener Sean Paul refutes.

"I've seen some people say she doesn't have much rhythm, and she's not dancing on stage," the dancehall sensation says by phone. "I don't understand why they just don't appreciate a good voice.

"I don't know anybody else who could sing so high it sounds like a whistle, and that, to me, is a special person. When she goes -- God bless her, which is going to be many years from now -- you're not going to find that again. You have to respect people for what they do, for their talent, for what God gave them."

The return of 'The Voice'

What Carey's been given -- that booming, glorious voice -- has always been her No. 1 asset.

When it was time to mount a comeback after 2001's disastrous "Glitter," and its accompanying soundtrack threatened to derail her career (the movie grossed only $4 million and became a national joke; the soundtrack struggled to sell 500,000 copies), it was the voice that was put front and center: In early print ads, "The Emancipation of Mimi" was touted as "The Return of the Voice." In truth, the voice never really went away. It was there on 2002's limp and uninspired "Charmbracelet," which didn't do much to resuscitate Carey's flagging album sales. But "The Emancipation of Mimi" -- Mimi is Carey's alter ego -- was her smartest album to date, melding that voice with beats by some of the hottest hip-hop producers in the business (Kanye West, the Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri). The result was pure platinum magic.

Before "Mimi," "We wondered if (Carey) might have crossed the hipness threshold to the point where she might not be able to come back," says Dom Theodore, vice president of programming for Clear Channel Detroit, which owns WKQI-FM (95.5) and WJLB-FM (97.9). "But ('Mimi') had great music, and it just goes to show, first and foremost, it's all about the music."

On its way to becoming 2005's best-selling album -- it edged out 50 Cent's "The Massacre" -- "Mimi" spun hit singles out of clubby tracks "It's Like That," "Shake It Off" and "Say Somethin'," and the ballads-with-bounce "We Belong Together" and "Don't Forget About Us." Suddenly, Carey became hot property again.

Tour opener Paul says he didn't blink at the opportunity to tour with Carey. "I said, 'Most definitely.' Both of us are having a hot year. She's been having a comeback year; to me, she never went away, but a lot of people doubted her for a moment. But I don't know how people could doubt that voice, you know what I'm saying?"
Source: The Detroit News (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 8th.

Over the two-tier stage stood a giant, ivory "M" flashing shades of red and blue. There was a grand staircase to the left, a huge neon, block-lettered sign that spelled out the singer's nickname: Mimi. Even Carey's mike stand glittered.

And such a spectacle wouldn't be complete without a troupe of limber, gyrating dancers. (Carey had six in all.) Her seven-piece band, which included the famed DJ Clue, was tight and high-powered. So with all of these superstar stage trappings, a multiplatinum career spanning 16 years and a behind-the-scenes reputation for being a demanding businesswoman, why did Carey come off as a diva with training wheels for most of the show? She seemed so tentative, breezing through several of her songs and disappearing backstage for long stretches to change costumes. (She did this five times.)

Well, we have to cut her a little slack. Although Carey has garnered envious commercial success since the start of her career in 1990 (she has scored 17 No. 1 hits, the most of any female pop performer), the New York-born singer-songwriter has never really gotten around to establishing herself as a concert draw. And her current world tour, The Adventures of Mimi, feels belated. It's in support of her latest album, the calculated but memorable The Emancipation of Mimi, which sold more than 6 million copies and was the biggest-selling CD of last year. Granted, she currently has a No. 1 hit on R&B radio, the gospel-touched "Fly Like a Bird." But it still feels as if the gaudy, wailing songstress has lost some momentum.

All of that doesn't really matter, though. Carey is out there working hard to ingratiate herself with her fans, even if it seems the world-renowned pop veteran is still learning to put on a show.

The concert's first half was dominated by the hip-hop flavor she has been blending into her substance-free pop formula for nearly a decade.

Wearing what looked like a shimmering black bra and panties set with a sheer duster and spike heels, Carey opened with "It's Like That," the Jermaine Dupri-produced club burner from her latest album. During the performance, the singer preened and pranced around and did a few very simple dance moves. (She may have an amazing vocal instrument, but Carey certainly wasn't blessed with rhythm.)

That segued into one of her most hip-hopped songs, 1999's "Heartbreaker," during which the 'hood-rat female rapper Da Brat made one of two dismissible cameos. Carey mentioned several times between songs that the two were the best of friends. She also graciously shared the spotlight with another pal, the lame R&B vocalist and longtime Carey collaborator Trey Lorenz. The two gushingly revisited their 1992 remake of the Jackson 5's ever charming "I'll Be There." Afterward, Carey disappeared while Lorenz did a mini-set of Luther Vandross classics ("Never Too Much" and "A House is Not a Home") and an overwrought take of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."

With fun mixes of old-school R&B and hip-hop cuts with a little reggae and go-go thrown in, DJ Clue kept the near-capacity crowd up and dancing during Carey's long costume changes. For the second half of the nearly 90-minute show, she settled into her early schmaltzy pop diva image, replete with flowing, tight-fitting (and unflattering) gowns. This was the segment where Carey could have worked even more of her "vocal magic" because the distracting troupe of dancers was gone. Instead, she opted for an anti-climactic medley of such wail-fest ballads as "Can't Let Go" and "One Sweet Day." She did, however, give full treatment to one of her more touching self-penned tunes, "Hero."

Then Carey predictably ended with the dramatic ballad "We Belong Together," last year's biggest pop single. Her exit was quick as a shower of purple metallic confetti fell on the house.
Source: The Baltimore Sun (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 8th.

Carey left her husband - also the man who helped launched her career - and chronicled her personal experiences on 1997's "Butterfly." The album gave French a silver lining in the midst of personal turmoil.

"I had to grow up a little bit quicker than most people do," says French, who now lives in Ferndale and will see Carey live on Sept. 9 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. 

While one of the album's most personal cuts, "Close My Eyes," was in constant rotation in French's dorm, he came to terms with his sexuality and constantly reminisced about the abuse he and his family had endured from their alcoholic father. 

"It was definitely a very, very dark time," French says. "No kid should have to go through something like that."

A musical 'Hero'

If it weren't for a girl in one of French's sixth-grade classes, he wouldn't have had the comfort of Carey's music. One day the girl played Carey's bombastic ballad "Vision of Love" from a cassette single, and Carey's voice struck a cord with French. 

"Her music really spoke to me," he says. 

When he was 12, his mother left his father, and French - the oldest of four children - took on a patriarchal role in the family. "I had to fill in and help my mom."

Carey dealt with the same issue. Her father left the family when she was young. She also felt like an outsider because of her mixed race. 

"There's an underlying theme of love and strength in all of her music, and I've soaked up as much of that as I possibly can," says Kelley Ann Hornyak of Allen Park. "I learned from Mariah that I can be strong on my own, and that I don't need everyone in my life to accept me as I am - and also that if they don't accept me, they don't need to be a part of my life at all."

Hornyak, 24, has gradually come out to the important people in her life over the past 10 years and feels her life has paralleled with Carey's music. She's found solace in Carey's gospel-tinged tunes, "My Saving Grace" and "Fly Like A Bird," the latter from her comeback album "The Emancipation of Mimi."

"I've grown along with Mariah's songs over the years, and it always feels like each album is telling my life story right alongside hers; like we're on a parallel path somehow," she says.

Like French, Hornyak has been a fan since Carey's first single. Hornyak, who's also a singer/songwriter, says, "I emulated her. I copied her outfits and I learned to sing the high notes just like her." 

'A kindred spirit'

French hasn't exactly emulated Carey's risque attire, but he's tailored a couple of Mariah-themed shirts for himself. He'll work on a white tank top featuring a Mariah photo and rhinestones that will read, "I (Heart) Mimi," to wear at her upcoming concert. He might even wear it to Urban Outfitters in Somerset Mall, where he works. "Everyone I work with totally knows I love her," he laughs. 

It wasn't a secret in Chicago, either. While browsing Tower Records, he noticed a stand-up Carey display. He asked the clerk whether he could have it. 

"None of us like her here," the clerk told him. So, she gave it to him.

"There I was walking through the streets with a Mariah stand," French laughs.

When Carey's next album, "Rainbow," came out French received a phone call from his friend Jenny who managed Dragon Room, a club in Chicago. She called to tell him, "Mariah's here!" 

It was a Friday night. French was lounging in his pajamas. "I threw on some clothes, grabbed a CD and jumped in a cab." 

At the club, he rushed through the crowd with Jenny to the VIP section in the back, where Carey was surrounded by her entourage. "I was really, really nervous," he remembers. 

Jenny pointed to French, who was pale in the face and shaking, and told Carey: "He's like your biggest fan!"

French cried. 

"Are you OK?" Carey asked him as she reached in for a hug. 

When Hornyak and her girlfriend of 10 years met the diva for the first time at a meet and greet for her "Rainbow" album, it was like encountering "a kindred spirit." 

The second time was during a listening party for "Charmbracelet," Carey's first album after her publicized breakdown.

"The second time was really special because she gave me a big hug, and I got to express to her how much her music has affected my life," Hornyak says. "Listening to most of the 'Charmbracelet' tracks for the first time in the same room with her was incredible, and I cried during 'My Saving Grace.' It was a kind of epiphany, realizing how far I had come and how different I was from the girl I used to be."

Mariah Carey
"The Adventures of Mimi"
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 9
Source: Pride Source (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 7th.

BMG Music Publishing owns the rights to more than a million songs by recording artists such as Nelly, Maroon 5 and Mariah Carey, as well as classic hits by the Beach Boys, Barry Manilow and other entertainers.

Universal edged out a slate of rival bidders for the publishing unit, the person said.

Universal is already the biggest recorded music company in the world. The BMG publishing unit is expected to be absorbed by Universal Music Publishing Group, making it the largest music publisher.

Bertelsmann put its music publishing business up for sale earlier this year to help finance a $5.8 billion bridge loan used to buy back a 25.1 percent stake held by Groupe Bruxelles Lambert.

The move, announced in May, freed Bertelsmann from the prospect of an initial public offering for the stake.
Source: Yahoo! Finance (All rights reserved)
Posted on September the 5th.

Fans francophones, boycottez le magazine français "20ans"!!!!!!!!
Un fan Français offensé par ce qui est publié sur Mariah dans le "20ans" m'a tenu au courant du contenu de cet article.  Je suis allé acheter ce torchon, histoire d'avoir une preuve physique en cas de nécessité, je ne l'ai pas encore lu jusqu'au bout, parce que ça me rend malade.  Kinou l'a lu en entier et c'est l'article le plus bête, le plus mensonger, le plus haineux jamais écrit.  C'est une incitation à la haine envers Mariah.  L'article sera traduit et envoyé là où il se doit.  Fans francophones et spécialement Français, restez scotchés pour une action.  Ce sera l'occasion d'inaugurer la section francophone de Heroes of Mariah.
Posted on September the 3rd.

At the Pepsi, as part of her "The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, the Hits, the Tour" tour, Carey stormed through "Fly Like a Bird," which spent almost two months at the top of the R&B charts. She caressed the ballad "My Heart," from her smash-selling "Butterfly" album. "Fantasy," done from a midfloor secondary stage as a duet with a videoscreen version of Ol' Dirty Bastard, funked long and hard. And her duet on the Jackson 5 tune "I'll Be There," sung with Trey Lorenz, with whom she recorded it, was loose and lovely. (Lorenz got a few moments of his own, too, including a cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" that rightly riled up the arena.)

But, really, between the unnecessary diva elements -- putting on sunglasses is a costume change? -- and the frequent waits, the concert entertained merely as much as it aggravated. Carey's breathiness seemed more frequent and annoying than her bravura vocal work, especially in songs like "Shake It Off." Worse, the drippy insipidities of her lyrics proved wearing throughout.

Finally, you'd think that Carey, at 36, more than a decade and a half into her career, would be better at stage patter than this effort at a song introduction: "Um, so, yeah -- I love you back. And I'm not just saying that, too. What I wanted to tell you is that I'm going to do a song -- well, how do I tell the story different? Well, um, anyway, here goes."

Jamaican dancehall sensation Sean Paul, accompanied by seven musicians, four singers and his own undulant pelvis, opened the show with 45 minutes of infectious, head-nodding reggae rhythms. He could have done with fewer exhortations that "the lay-deez" in the crowd should "make some noyyyy-ze," but his feel-good grooves more than compensated. And his sentiments seemed heartfelt, if crude, when he said, "Everybody who wants peace, make some (freakin') noise!" Why one of the backup singers did a strip routine before standing on her head is anybody's guess. 
Music review
Mariah Carey with Sean Paul 
Performance reviewed: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Pepsi Arena, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany
Length: Carey, 90 minutes; Paul, 45 minutes
Highlights Carey's sultry, soaring ballad "My Heart" and her six sexy dancers, who kept things entertaining when she left the stage to, for example, put on sunglasses; Sean Paul's island-bouncy "I'm Still in Love With You"
The crowd: About 7,000, fervent and diverse 
Source: Times Union (All rights reserved)
Heroes note: What the hell is " My Heart"????? 
Posted on September the 2nd.