MARIAH TO RELEASE BALLAD AS NEW SINGLE?

MARIAH TO RELEASE BALLAD AS NEW SINGLE?

*** After a rocky start with her single "Obsessed" and a couple album pushbacks, Mariah Carey is resorting to plan B. Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman reports that Mariah will release a "powerhouse ballad along the lines of 'Vision of Love'" as the follow-up to "Obsessed", which currently holds the No. 14 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
*** She is also back with her old publicist Cindi Berger of famed public relations group PMK/HBH. The two parted ways after Mariah's Charmbracelet project. The pop diva's 12th studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, has been rescheduled for the second time. The set will now arrive on September 29.
*** Berger explained the reason for the delay. "Record release dates change all the time," she told People. "It's nothing unusual and it doesn't signal anything. There are a lot of moving parts to Mariah's professional life... She's making sure the record is how she wants it to be and it's no big deal."

(Rap-Up)

MARIAH REVS UP NEW CD, RETURNS TO POWERHOUSE PR

MARIAH REVS UP NEW CD, RETURNS TO POWERHOUSE PR *** Mariah Carey - despite idiotic postings elsewhere - is gearing up for her big new CD release. Mariah feels so strongly about "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" that she's even re-hired the PR powerhouse that made her second-stage career such a success. She's back with Cindi Berger of PMK HBH. It was Berger who made her "Emancipation of Mimi" the biggest hit of Mariah's career. Smart move. *** Of course, that means both Mariah and Whitney Houston are now being repped by the same PR company. PMK's Kristen Foster is handling Whitney with my old pal, Jill Fritzo. *** "Memoirs" was scheduled for an August 25th release, then moved to September 15th. Now it's set for September 29th. If the regular Grammy deadline had been in place - September 30th - Mariah would have made it. But the unfortunate early deadline of August 31st cut her off. So she has some slack time to get "Memoirs" just right. *** The first single from Mariah's CD will not be "Obsessed" - that was just a summer trifle, and it was a lot of fun. The real first official single is said to be a powerhouse ballad along the lines of "Vision of Love". (Showbiz 411) *** So "Obsessed" is not the first single from the new album. Does this mean "Obsessed" won't be on "Memoirs of an imperfect angel", or does this mean that "Obsessed" is not really a single, despite being released to radio, with live performances, a video and even a physical single? It is No 1 on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart. *** Also, in May 2004, Roger Friedman wrote: "It was only three short years ago that Mariah Carey's career was in the toilet. But she seems to have forgotten that. Last week, Carey fired her longtime publicist, Cindi Berger, of powerhouse firm PMK HBH, because - I am told - she held her responsible for a stupid, unchecked gossip item that ran in a local newspaper." See: Mariah: singing a tune of self destruct? So how can Cindy be responsible for the success of an album that was released a year after she was fired?

WHY IS MARIAH CAREY CANCELING EVENTS?

WHY IS MARIAH CAREY CANCELING EVENTS?

*** Reports that Mariah Carey has rescheduled several upcoming appearances has left many fans wondering if something might be wrong with the singer. Carey, 40, had been tentatively set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame August 25, perform on Today August 28, and also tape an episode of VH1's Storytellers.
*** But the singer's publicist Cindi Berger tells People there is no reason for concern: "These dates have been postponed and not cancelled," she said Friday. A source says the singer is completing her new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, the release of which has been pushed to September 29.
*** "Record release dates change all the time," Berger confirms. "It's nothing unusual and it doesn't signal anything. There are a lot of moving parts to Mariah's professional life... She's making sure the record is how she wants it to be and it's no big deal."
*** In addition to working on her album, Carey is launching another perfume line and promoting her upcoming film, Precious, which is produced by Oprah Winfrey and opens in November. The reason for the calendar re-jiggering is explained further on Carey's official Website: "Mariah is putting the finishing touches on her newest album, and we have shifted all of our TV and promo appearances to coincide with the new release date of September 29th. We can't wait for the fans to hear the new album!!"

(People)

MARIAH CAREY, EMINEM'S WAR OF WORDS A "PUBLICITY STUNT"

MARIAH CAREY, EMINEM'S WAR OF WORDS A "PUBLICITY STUNT"

*** Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon has indicated that his wife's row with her ex-beau Eminem is just a publicity stunt to promote their new albums. Eminem declared war against the "Honey" hitmaker by discussing their brief fling in his recent track Bagpipes from Baghdad, and Carey retaliated by mimicking Eminem in the video for her latest track "Obsessed".
*** This urged Eminem to hit back again at her in a new song called "The Warning". According to critics, the fight has been orchestrated to promote Eminem and Carey's new albums - and Cannon seems to agree. "My wife doesn't beef (feud). She's Mariah Carey. She's not beef'in. She's vegetarian," Contactmusic quoted Cannon as telling Us Weekly.

(Thaindian Mews)