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Friday May 31, 2002
BUENOS AIRES AWAITS "GLITTER" PREMIERE
"Glitter" wasn't released in theatres in Argentina. All Mariah fans from here were disappointed, so the idea to have our very own private "Glitter" premiere was born. A pub has been especially chosen for the occasion. We want everybody to find out about "Glitter", so we have filled Buenos Aires with flyers and posters of the event. It will be a glittering night for Argentina, and we would love to have international lamb guests from around the globe. Needless to say, your housing is covered!
The premiere will take place on Sunday, June 9th. For additional information, please visit us at glitterbuenosaires.8k.com.
(mcarchives.com)
Wednesday May 29, 2002
MARIAH'S $20 MILLION DEAL
Mariah Carey has signed a three-album deal with Island Def Jam, home to Ja Rule, Ashanti, Sum 41, and Bon Jovi. The new contract, said to be worth more than $20 million, comes just five months after Carey's highly publicized split with Virgin Records raised doubts about her future. While the money is substantial - and includes funding for her own custom record label - the entire contract works out to be nearly $1 million less than Virgin reportedly paid Carey for a single album and $8 million less than the company paid to buy her out of her contract after that record, "Glitter", tanked.
"America loves a Cinderella-Judy Garland story," says Lyor Cohen, president of the Island Def Jam Music Group, "and this is shaping up to be one." Cohen's optimistic view of Carey's future was apparently shared by other labels - Elektra, Warner Bros., and J Records all reportedly made serious bids to sign the singer.
Carey's first new album is expected before the end of the year, and she has already begun working on tracks with producers including Jermaine Dupri, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. A crucial question inside the industry has been how much artistic control Carey was willing to concede. Many attributed the "Glitter" debacle to the complete control Virgin granted her, or to the artistic isolation that followed her divorce from Sony Music chief Tommy Mottola. Cohen says he'll work to create a supportive environment for Carey: "Artists deserve to have a commitment on the part of their labels and to build a trusting relationship. She hasn't had it in a very, very long time."
Island Def Jam's parent company, Vivendi Universal, will also be paying close attention to the overseas markets, where Carey has traditionally earned half her sales. Carey has been a strong seller in Japan, Great Britain, France and Germany, which are the four largest foreign record markets: One good-size international hit could make the deal look like a bargain. Jorgen Larsen, chairman of Universal Music International, sees little lasting damage from "Glitter", terming it "a temporary hiccup". Vivendi is keen to expand Carey's audiences in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Carey's new custom label will also give her the opportunity to produce and release recordings by other artists. "There are endless possibilities," says Jerry Blair, the executive in charge of the singer's label. But, for the moment, he adds, Carey's company has one mission: "Our first focus is her next recording."
(Rolling Stone)
Wednesday May 29, 2002
MARIAH: AN INSPIRATION FOR PINK
The newest sensation of America's music, the 22-year-old singer Pink, declared recently to an American magazine that she is inspired by the singing style of Mariah Carey. She said that she dreams about recording some music she grew up listening to, and that music always helped her to go through problems with kids from school.
Pink, today grown up, says she followed the right steps in her career. The singer of pink hair also said that she adored the movie "Glitter" and that it was really a pity that the media didn't understand the pureness passed in the movie.
(mcarchives.com)
Wednesday May 29, 2002
WELCOME BACK MARIAH
Mariah Carey returned yesterday afternoon to the Blue Island for a vacation-job of approximately a month. After landing on the airport of Capodichino with a private jet, the singer reached the Molo Luise to Mergellina and on board of the "Matuska", a super-luxurious yacht of 30 meters, she reached Marina Grande. With Carey there was her staff and Carlo Quinto Talamona, owner of the "Capri Studios", the recording studio where Mariah will record her first album with Universal Music Group.
Arrived in Piazzetta, the popstar found the love of her Caprese friends who were waiting for her and welcomed her with red roses, orchids and banners with "Welcome Mariah" written on them. The group was commanded by Francolino, owner of "Villa Verde", the singer's favorite restaurant, the maitre of the local Franco Schiano (where she always asks for her favorite salad of tomatos and king) and by Antonello of "Foto Flash", the only Caprese photographer who succeeded to make the star pose. Today Carey will relax, then she will begin to work on the album in the "Capri Studios", situated on the top of the Faraglioni.
(Capri Press)
Wednesday May 29, 2002
MARIAH, WHITNEY, & MISSY ARE SISTERS?
"Sisters share a Special bond: Just ask Missy Elliot!"
Rap artist Missy Elliott spoke with Music Beat magazine recently, and while interviewed she reported that Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston are her sisters. Well, not in that sense of the word. Elliott told reporter Doug Rollins that she considers Houston and Carey to be her sisters who she confides in and looks up to. "I've worked with Mariah and Whitney a couple of times and they are sweet ladies. I've always been a huge fan of both of them since they each released their debut album. I remember when my manager told me that Mariah wanted me to be on the "Heartbreaker" Remix with her and asked me if I wanted to. I thought I was about to faint or something. I was like Mariah Carey; a legendary artist wants me to rap on her track? I was going through so many emotions all at once. I mean I was shocked she wanted ME on her record, thrilled that she did so and asked if I would, and honored and ecstatic that she liked my music and work enough to even ask me. It was something I tell ya".
Elliott told Rollins that she sometimes feels that she hasn't earned the right to be associating herself with Divas like Carey, Houston, (Janet) Jackson, and even the ultimate Diva, Diana Ross. She says when she is around them she gets a little nervous. "I start to sweat and my nerves start acting up whenever I'd see or talk to one of them. But after a while I started to relax a bit. I think working with Whitney did something to me. We were working on her track "In My Business" and every time I'd stutter or be all silent she'd know I was nervous and she'd say to me `Girl, would you relax already. I ain't gonna bite you or anything', and things along that line until I calmed down and laugh". Elliott says she has better control over herself around the people she has come to know and work with but meeting new people is still hard for her. She admits being shy and isn't quick to approach certain people right away.
Although life doesn't always treat us right, Elliott says no matter how hard life gets to be at times and everything seems to be going wrong, she gets the strength to go on and gets through her troubles from the support of her sisters. "My music means a lot to me and it helps me to deal with different issues in life; but sometimes it isn't enough and you need another form of saving grace. That's where my sisters come in. Mariah and Whitney and I have all become such great friends. They're my sisters! They are so nice and comfortable to be around and easy to talk to. When I have a problem I'd confide in them and they help me to deal with it. They help me to feel better when I'm down, or whatever. I remember once I was upset about something and I was talking to Mariah. I told her that there was something on my mind and I wanted to talk about it. She says to me, `Sure thing. I know if I had a problem I'd wanna confide in someone like me', meaning herself. That had me cracking up. MC is a funny girl and always makes me laugh no matter what. I love her! But anyway, all I know is that I'm so lucky and honored to know both of them, and to have their friendships. It means a whole lot to me. I wouldn't sacrifice my relationship with my two special sisters for anything in the world. We share a bond that cannot be broke", she says.
Just how did the three musketeers form? Well, Elliot explains, "Mariah and Whitney are tight with each other, have been for awhile. They are always there for each other and Whitney told me herself one time that Mariah is her closest friend and is like a sister to her. She'd just keep referring to Mariah as her sister in conversations. Mariah knew how Whitney felt about her and told her she was touched by her gesture, and said she'd love to be her sister. Whenever I'd hang out with them they'd refer to each other as sister and they were so cute when they were together. I told them they have a unique and special relationship being honorary sisters the way they were, and that it made me wish I had a special relationship like that with someone, so they said they'd adopt me and we could all be sisters in a way like no other. That's how our special relationship formed. A relationship I'll treasure forever".
(MariahBuzz.com)
Tuesday May 28, 2002
MARIAH CAREY SPOTTED AT DIVAS LIVE
Pop Diva Mariah Carey was spotted in Las Vegas at VH1's Divas Live rehearsal session. According to a spokesperson for the music station, Carey attended at Whitney Houston's invite. She was seen talking to Houston and Mary J. Blige in the Lounge. "I had no idea she was even there until I went over to the lounge to let Mary and Whitney that they were up next for rehearsal and I saw her standing there chatting with the two of them", said the show's producer, David Arnold.
Carey had planned to stay for the concert and watch her friends perform, but when she learned her ex-husband, Tommy Mottola and his wife, Mexican sensation Thalia, were attending, she decided not to stay as she didn't want a confrontation to occur and cause a scene. "Her ex and his wife were there to support Celine Dion, a friend of the couple as well as Mariah's," said Arnold. Carey slipped away while rehearsals were still going on, after saying goodbye to her friends, Houston, and Blige. VH1 Divas Live 2002 features performances by Cher, Shakira, Mary J. Blige with special guest Whitney Houston, Anastasia, Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks, and headlining act, Celine Dion.
(Celebrity Insider)
Tuesday May 28, 2002
TALKING TRASH, MAKING CASH
Russell Simmons, the godfather of rap music, likes to tell a story about Lyor Cohen, his long-time friend and business partner, who, as chief executive of the Island Def Jam Music Group, recently signed Mariah Carey to a $20 million recording deal. Fifteen years ago, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Cohen and a group of friends spent Christmas in Barbados, where they devoted afternoons around the hotel pool playfully throwing one another into the water. Mr. Cohen, however, had managed to escape until Andre Harrell, the former chief executive of Motown Records, led a group that dragged Mr. Cohen in, clothes and all.
"Lyor was so furious he went to Andre's closet and got his new Louis Vuitton bag," Mr. Simmons recalled. "He took Andre's jewelry and his clothes and threw them all in the pool. No one could believe it." For the uninitiated the tale illustrates something that anyone who knows Mr. Cohen learns quickly. And it's not just that he does not like being wet. "If you don't want to play defense, don't play with Lyor," Mr. Simmons said. "He plays to win."
Since the trash-talking Mr. Cohen helped start Def Jam Records, the rap music label that burst onto the scene in the early 1980's with risky music groups like Public Enemy and Run-DMC, he has made a career of beating his peers. Disc jockeys who refused to play rap's obscenity-laden lyrics nearly two decades ago watched Mr. Cohen, whose first name is pronounced LEE-or, peddle his bands directly to consumers, giving away free cassettes and plastering neighborhoods with posters. So it was no surprise that Mr. Cohen, an American-born son of Israeli Jews, was a controversial choice within the industry when he was named president of the Island Def Jam Music Group in 1999, an amalgamation of record labels acquired by the Universal Music Group, the crown jewel of Vivendi Universal, the entertainment giant. But since he took over, total album market share for Island Def Jam has nearly doubled, from 5.4 percent in 1999 to 9.4 percent so far this year, according to Soundscan, which counts CD sales.
"He's made me look smart," said Doug Morris, chief executive of Universal Music, the No. 1 recorded music company in the world. But Mr. Cohen, 42, has not rested on his earlier reputation as an aggressive rap and hip-hop promoter who got his start alongside Mr. Simmons managing African-American urban rappers who were then chronicling lives of crime, drugs and aggressive sex in verse. Instead, Island Def Jam has expanded the last two years into a diverse slate of current styles in an attempt to appeal to almost every taste in popular music. Sales last year reached an estimated $500 million. "When I got hold of this place, I had nothing going on in white music," Mr. Cohen said in an interview last week. "And who knew how long my hyperactive urban stuff would keep springing out profits."
Now Island Def Jam, with a staff of 190, has a label for almost every genre. These include Murder Inc. (predominantly hip-hop and gansta rap, representing artists like Ashanti and Ja Rule); Lost Highway (the alternative country label behind the successful "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack) and Island Records (the group's rock label, with stars like Bon Jovi and Elvis Costello). The newest addition is Ms. Carey, who joined the Universal family two weeks ago and will have her own label. Mr. Cohen deftly wooed her after she was dropped by the EMI Group, going so far as to squire her off to Normandy in France to meet with the company's top executives.
Three years ago, Mr. Cohen began working with Bon Jovi - his first rock 'n' roll concert ever was watching the group play before 45,000 fans several years ago - whose career was then waning. "Honestly, he was someone who didn't know rock music, but was all eyes and ears and was going to learn it," said Jon Bon Jovi, who was in the studio last week recording the band's second album with Island. Their 2000 album "Crush" was a big hit, selling nine million albums worldwide. "He has a much bigger vision than most of his peers," Jon Bon Jovi said. "I've gotten tired of everybody promoting records as bars of soap."
Mr. Cohen, with his up-from-the-streets persona, is all too aware that the more successes Island Def Jam has the more difficult it is to maintain the momentum across so many diverse styles. "The hotter we get, the more tense and scared I get," he said. "I'm conscious of gravity and how far we can fall. I'm much more calm in the construction phase." But if Mr. Cohen has been either calm or scared, few people have seen it last very long. "He's an animal, don't let him fool you," said Irv Lorenzo, the founder of Murder Inc., who is known as Irv Gotti and has produced records for Ja Rule and Ashanti. "He goes after what he wants with reckless abandon."
Once, Mr. Cohen signed one rapper only after tracking him down in a dangerous neighborhood in South-Central Los Angeles. Or in 1999, when he defied Universal executives by telling them he would not join the company unless his staff came too. (The company acquiesced.) And he was not afraid to drop performers that he believed he could not sell: when he joined Island Def Jam he pared the list of rock and pop acts from 274, to 29. Indeed, rather than running with the crowd, Mr. Cohen now trusts his own instincts even more. Just as he took on Bon Jovi when the group had largely been written off, he is not afraid to take a risk on an artist some others consider past her prime. Even after "Glitter", Ms. Carey's film and album, received scathing reviews and bombed with the public last fall and she collapsed from nervous exhaustion, Mr. Cohen was the first record executive to show up at her apartment offering support, Ms. Carey said. The challenge facing Mr. Cohen, industry executives say, is to counsel her better than her former producers at Virgin Records did.
Mr. Cohen was born in New York in 1959; he moved with his stepfather, a psychiatrist, and his mother, a social advocate, to Los Angeles in 1965. In many ways he is the unlikeliest of music executives, graduating from the University of Miami in 1981 with a degree in global marketing and finance. He says he toyed with the idea of being either a banker or a shrimp farmer in Ecuador before moving back to Los Angeles in 1982 to become a concert promoter. "I can't tell you I chose the music business," Mr. Cohen. "The music business chose me."
Rap music was emerging in Los Angeles in the early 1980's when Mr. Cohen met Mr. Simmons, who owned his own management company and who would ultimately branch out into films and clothing. Mr. Cohen, an imposing physical presence at 6 feet, 5 inches with piercing blue eyes, was one of the few whites in the music business to gain the trust of black rappers and their intimidating, gun-toting posses. "These guys came from tough places," Mr. Simmons said. "But they respected his work ethic."
Mr. Cohen began by managing Run-DMC; in 1983, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Cohen and another friend, Rick Rubin, set up Def Jam Records, posting $180 million in sales by 1998. "Record companies said, 'You are not going to amount to anything,' but that was the wrong thing to tell us," Mr. Cohen said. "They were lazy, complacent and lethargic. It helped create more determination." Being the outsider fueled his disdain for the status quo. "You have to understand why he is so savage," said Mr. Gotti. "Lyor used to feel people were not giving him the respect he deserved."
With few record industry executives embracing his artists and producers, Mr. Cohen became even more determined to demonstrate how much he valued them. "He has a way of making every situation about the family," Mr. Gotti said. "He'll come over to my mother's house in Queens to eat." He also barks at artists who do not return his calls quickly, said Mr. Bon Jovi, who has been chided more than once. Still, Mr. Bon Jovi said, Mr. Cohen recently went out of his way to line up a summer rental in the Hamptons. "No one has ever done that for me," said Mr. Bon Jovi, who has not decided whether to take the house.
In 1999, Mr. Cohen and his partners sold their stake in Def Jam Records for about $130 million to Seagram, which then owned Universal and was later acquired by Vivendi. In effect, Mr. Cohen became part of the industry establishment he had long railed against. He got a quick lesson in corporate politics when other label heads within Universal Music tried to steal Def Jam artists from him. Mr. Cohen thwarted the effort, but it caused enough of a stir that Mr. Morris had to broker a truce, several company executives said. And that has added a whole new element to his old approach of smothering his artists with lots of personal attention.
"As hot as Island Def Jam is, there are a lot of people he has to take care of here," Mr. Gotti said. "I may love him to death, but I want money." Reflecting on his younger years, Mr. Cohen becomes almost wistful, bristling at the notion that he is perceived as "hysterically ruthless." But he concedes, too, that if he has mellowed at all (and few friends say he has) it is the result of entering middle-age. "When you are younger, it feels like forever," Mr. Cohen said. "But as I've gotten older, I can't believe how quickly it is all slipping by."
(The New York Times)
Monday May 27, 2002
THE SORRY STATE OF MARIAH CAREY
Does anybody really feel sorry for Mariah Carey?
Could anybody feel sorry for Mariah Carey?
Here is somebody who would seem to have everything. Good looks, talent, fame, wealth. Her success is based on using her attributes to sell millions of records. She is bankable, exploitable.
Unhappy.
Sometimes, we do feel some sympathy for the person who discovers that fame isn't as glamorous as it was thought to be. As a rule, we at least are fascinated by this discovery. So few of us achieve fame on any level that it is reassuring to be reminded yet again that material success can't buy happiness. And Mariah Carey, who has trampled on the people who have served her and revealed a superficial personality beneath a superficial image, is not a very sympathetic character anyway.
Last August, she made headlines by having a very public emotional breakdown. She was all but speaking in tongues when doctors ordered her to take a nap. The poor dear had been working too hard on an album and promoting her movie, Glitter, for which the album would be the soundtrack.
If everything unfolded ideally, Virgin Records, which had recently signed her for $100 million US, would have a multi-million-selling star who owned the world.
But nothing ever unfolds the way it should. Instead of selling millions, Glitter sold 500,000 copies and the movie, mortally wounded by crippling reviews, Carey being the prime target, disappeared so quickly you'd think it was named Osama Bin Laden. It would be easier to find the terrorist in a cave in Afghanistan than it is to find the terror known as Glitter at the cinema.
On top of that, Mariah reputedly was jealous of, and intimidated by, the attention given to Jennifer Lopez. She wasn't the fairest of them all. Somebody nicknamed J. Lo was.
The ignomy never ends. Virgin, evidently thinking it might have made an eentsy mistake and Carey's most commercial days were behind her, came calling to buy her out of her contract. They gave her $28 million.
As Virgin already had given her $21 million as an advance for Glitter, Carey was the recipient of $49 million for what is considered a flop album. In Canada, 500,000 albums is a mighty seller. Any Canadian recording act would love to sell 500,000 albums. It could afford to take a taxi rather than the bus.
Carey, somewhat consoled by her $49 million, wasn't without a recording contract for very long. Two weeks ago, Island/Def Jam Records announced that it was signing her to a three-to-four album deal that would give her her own label. By her standards, the advance money was modest -- only $5 million or so per album -- but with her own label she can have all the breakdowns she wants and J. Lo can kiss her goldplated butt.
On the same day as Island/Def Jam's announcement, a survey revealed that 31 per cent of 8,000 people polled would wipe Carey's music off the face of the Earth. If this shook up either Island, which started off modestly as a company that wanted to bring reggae records to the U.K., or Def Jam, which has modestly campaigned to spring hip hop out of the ghetto, nobody knows.
What is alarming is that 69 per cent wouldn't wipe Carey's music off the face of the Earth. Maybe this 69 per cent is what's keeping Carey in business and the millions, without hits, keep coming.
Maybe, if her next record stiffs, Carey could buy herself off the label. She could take another advance from Island/Def Jam and pay herself not to make a record. Then we'd all be happy and isn't happiness what we all want for our Mariah?
(The Province)
Monday May 27, 2002
EMINEM DISSES FAN AND MARIAH AT DC CONCERT
According to a posting from DanTheMans22 on Mariah Carey's official website forum: "I was this concert called HFStival with a lot of rock bands and stuff and the main act at the end was Eminem and he was talking to some girl in the audience telling her that he thinks she's pretty etc, etc. and then he was like but I'm going to tell it to you like I did Mariah Carey.... then he said "fu** you bitch you make me ill." And then started a song. He seems to have some bitter obsession with Mariah Carey now."
(PopDirt)
Saturday May 25, 2002
EMINEM GOES "OFF THE LEASH" ON NEW ALBUM
Eminem may still be on probation for brandishing a gun two years ago in a jealous rage, but the bad-boy rap artist makes clear on his latest album how close he might have come to doing time for murder. In one of the most chilling passages from "The Eminem Show", his anxiously awaited third release, the Detroit-based rapper recounts pulling an unloaded pistol on his then-wife, Kim Mathers, and a friend he claimed she was kissing outside a suburban Detroit bar.
"The smartest (thing) I did was take the bullets out of the gun, 'cause I'd've killed 'em/ I would've shot 'em both," he raps on a track titled "Cleanin' Out My Closet". It is one of the more compelling insights Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, offers about himself on the 20-track collection being rush-released next week by Interscope Records, a unit of Vivendi Universal.
Eminem also lets his softer side show through on the album. He seems to acknowledge a rumored affair with pop diva Mariah Carey - "I came way too far... not to say what I got to say/ What... you take me for, a joke?/ You smokin' crack?/ Before I do that, I'd beg Mariah to take me back". And he portrays himself as a tender, loving parent trying to make up for the shortcomings of his own father, who abandoned the family when Mathers was young.
The set is expected to be one of the biggest sellers of the year, building on the tremendous commercial success of one of the few white artists to make it big in the world of hip-hop . Eminem's first two albums, 1999's "The Slim Shady LP" and 2000's "The Marshall Mathers LP", sold nearly 30 million copies combined and have won Grammy awards. They were also condemned by various groups for misogynist and homophobic lyrics. Pirated copies of "The Eminem Show" prompted Interscope to move the release date of the album from June 4 to May 28. The album's first single, "Without Me", is getting strong airplay on the radio and stands in the Billboard Top 5.
As Eminem notes on that track, he's "not the first king of controversy". But the album nonetheless lives up to his self-professed image as a "pit bull off his leash". The rapper made headlines last week when word surfaced that he hurls a four-letter insult at Vice President Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne, one of his biggest critics, on the song "White America". He also lashes out at President Bush, the U.S. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission.
But Eminem saves his harshest attacks for his estranged mother, Debbie Mathers (who he wants to "burn in hell"), and his ex-wife, while in other tracks he declares his love for his 6-year-old daughter, Hailie, and laments the toll his fame and its attendant controversies take on his private life. Declaring that "I just settled my lawsuits" - referring to a batch of civil actions brought, respectively, by his mother, a former schoolmate and an assault victim - Eminem posits himself as an advocate of free speech on "The Eminem Show".
In the track "Square Dance", he announces that "the boogie monster of rap, yeah the man's back/ With a plan to ambush the Bush administration/ Mush the Senate's face and push this generation/ Of kids to stand and fight for the right to say something you might not like". In "Without Me" he raps that "the FCC won't let me be", referring to the regulatory agency's threat to fine a Colorado radio station for playing his 2000 hit "The Real Slim Shady" and makes a reference to the vice president's heart problems.
He makes liberal references to his weapons and assault convictions from separate incidents in June of 2000, when he brandished a gun at an employee of a rival rap group and hours later pulled the same gun on his ex-spouse and her companion outside a suburban Detroit bar. In one track, a spoken-word skit titled "The Kiss", Eminem graphically re-enacts the moments leading up to the latter confrontation.
Eminem ultimately pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and was sentenced in April of 2001 to two years on probation. He also is serving a concurrent one-year probation for the earlier incident. For his critics, however, it's his daughter, Hailie, who may actually have the final word. She appears on the concluding track to "The Eminem Show" to sing the refrain to the song titled "My Dad's Gone Crazy".
(Reuters)
Friday May 24, 2002
CAREY'S CALABOS
Mariah Carey has added another name to her already star studded comeback album, due out later this year. Word is that Mariah Carey just finished recording a duet with labelmate Ludacris. This is not the first time the troubled R&B songbird has worked with one of rap music's brightest stars, Ludacris was featured on Mariah's ill-fated "Glitter" album on the #1 R&B single "Loverboy" remix.
Mariah reportedly is finished recording for the album and is now in the process of selecting songs that will be featured on her new Def Jam LP. Expect Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Babyface, JD, and Trackmasters among the many names of producers on the divas first LP with the label. Mariah is definately on the road to success with her new album as well as new movie "Wisegirls" with Mira Sorvino on cable later this year.
(R&B quarterly)
Thursday May 23, 2002
ISLAND'S COUP: CAREY AND CAPRI
The record executive who signed Mariah Carey two weeks ago, traces his success to a telephone call he placed well before she became a free agent with a $28 million severance payment from her former record label, Virgin Records. Lyor Cohen, the head of the Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam label, said he made the call after her labum Glitter came out and generated lackluster sales. He told her not to worry, and to call if she ever wanted to talk about working together.
Having signed Ms. Carey, Mr. Cohen and some Island Def Jam colleagues are off to Italy. He said that as they signed the contract, she said: "I guess you have to come to Capri now. That's where I'm making the new album." Mr. Cohen is taking 25 executives and their wives.
(The New York Times)
Wednesday May 22, 2002
FANS PETITION FOR MARIAH FILM RELEASE
Troubled diva Mariah Carey's devoted fans are bombarding a film company with pleas to release her second movie. Immediately after finishing last year's flop Glitter, the curvy singer went on to star in mobster drama Wisegirls opposite Mira Sorvino, just before her emotional breakdown last summer. Devotees of the diva have been emailing protests to Lion Gate Films, demanding the film be released in cinemas after hearing reports the flick will go straight to video.
(WENN)
Wednesday May 22, 2002
EMI PROFITS FALL AFTER MARIAH CAREY PAYOUT
Music publisher EMI Group has posted a sharp decline in full year profits due to poor sales of recorded music and a one time loss due to singer Mariah Carey. For the 12 months to March, the company posted a pre-tax profit of UK£153.3m, down 41pc from a year earlier, while turnover fell 8.5pc to E2.44bn.
Diva Carey cost the company UK£38m after it paid to release her from a five album contract after the first album, Glitter, was a flop, selling only two million copies worldwide. The accompanying film bombed at the box office and was universally slammed by critics.
Turnover in the group's Recorded Music division fell 11pc to £2.03bn and operating profit dropped 42pc to £83m. The main causes of this setback were a poor performance in the US, market weakness in Japan, and the economic downturn in Latin America, the company said.
In March, EMI music boss Alain Levy unveiled his plans to overhaul the business, including cutting 1,800 jobs and halving the full year dividend.
"Looking forward, we are now well equipped to exploit the opportunities and face the challenges presented by a world music market," said chairman Eric Nicoli in a statement this morning
(MariahBuzz.com)
Wednesday May 22, 2002
THE INSIDE STORY OF MARIAH'S NEW DEAL
An exclusive interview with Jerry Blair
The most talked about subject in the music world this week was Vivendi/Universal's signing of Mariah Carey. Carey's records will be released on her label and distributed by Island Records. Veteran Promotion Guru Jerry Blair, who helped Mariah make history when she achieved her record breaking 15 #1 singles and most consecutive weeks at #1, will head up the team at the label. Hitmakersmagazine.com caught up with Blair this week for an exclusive look at the new project.
TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS! WITH VIVENDI/UNIVERSAL'S HUGE FINANCIAL LOSSES, OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, WHAT DOES DOUG MORRIS SEE IN MARIAH THAT IS JUSTIFYING THIS BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT?
Any of those numbers are speculative in terms of what they were. All I'll say is both sides are very happy with the deal. What Doug Morris sees in Mariah Carey is the number one female artist of all time. She has a huge fan base. As far as negative implications from the last album, it was a soundtrack album. It also sold two million records worldwide. Over half a million were sold in the U.S. The movie was a period piece movie of the '80s with music from that period. It was released with little lead and set-up time and came out on September 11. Putting that aside, you still have the number one selling female artist of all time who's one of the few true global superstars in the business.
SHE'S A MULTI-GRAMMY WINNER AND HAS 15 NUMBER ONE SINGLES, YET THE MOVIE "GLITTER" OBVIOUSLY WAS PANNED BY CRITICS AND WAS A BOX OFFICE FAILURE. WHAT DOES MARIAH HAVE TO DO TO GET TO THE LEVEL OF SUCCESS IN FILM THAT SHE'S HAD IN MUSIC?
She's got a movie coming out called "Wise Girls" which is going to be an HBO premiere movie. It will come out in November, starring Mariah, Mira Sorvino and Laura Walters. It's received incredible praise at Sundance in reviews and we think it will be an overwhelming success. She's got a lot of other movie projects on the table that she's considering too.
THE CONCEPT OF THIS BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP IS TO COORDINATE MUSIC, MOVIES, TV, ON-LINE, PUBLISHING ACROSS A VARIETY OF ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS WITHIN THE UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP.
Let me say this just to set the record straight. The company's first priority is the release of her record. Yes, it will be a multimedia company. It's an opportunity to really take advantage of all of the different assets of Vivendi/Universal, everything from their European cell phone company to television with tools like the USA networks. We'll take every advantage of all the opportunities that we can to market her music, but the company that we're going to set up will be a multimedia company. We're certainly going to sign other artists to the label. We'll build it very slowly and determinably and go from there, but the first focus will be her record.
MARIAH IS KNOWN FOR BEING A BIG PART OF THE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT OF HER OWN CAREER. WITH ALL THESE PROJECTS, WILL THAT CHANGE AT ALL?
You're right about that. She takes a real hands-on position in her career. She was working so hard finishing the record last year, finishing the movie, filming "Wise Girls" and working on setting up her promotion. She had a lot on her plate. We're trying to set up a team around her so she can work on being the creative force. Our goal is to set up a team to take care of business. Mariah is going to be intimately involved with everything, but hopefully she can rely on us to make sure that things go into effect and not have to worry about so many details.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MARIAH GOES WAY BACK TO COLUMBIA. TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP.
The way we see it is that this company is meant to be the guarantor of her legacy. I just hope to bring as many opportunities out there in the world to present to her for us to pursue and just build a great company. For me, this is a great opportunity. It's an open landscape, a clean canvas. We get to really draft and write the script and that's what's incredible about working in the entertainment business right now. It's an incredible and exciting opportunity. It's a big world. We're not just limited to the United States. It's a global marketplace and our plan is to develop a worldwide company.
YOU MENTIONED YOU'LL BE SIGNING OTHER ARTISTS TO THIS NEW LABEL.
Ultimately we will. The first release will be Mariah's new album and then we'll be signing other acts. That will give Mariah a great opportunity to mentor. It doesn't matter if it's Britney, Christina Aguilera or Nelly Furtado, they emulate Mariah, in a sense, and she is an icon. Now she'll get to be a 'hands-on' mentor with some of the artists on the label and hopefully will create new, great legacies.
WHEN WILL MARIAH BE BACK IN THE STUDIO AND WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO HEAR SOMETHING NEW?
She's been working a lot in the studio because her creative juices are flowing right now. We'll get something out as quickly as humanly possible, hopefully by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. But we won't rush it. When it's ready, she'll know. She's been in the studio almost every day now.
SHOULD MARIAH FANS BE PREPARED FOR ANY DEPARTURE FROM HER ORDINARY MUSIC STYLE OR IS SHE GOING TO TRY SOME NEW THINGS?
You're going to get the classic Mariah in that voice. But what you're also going to get is being on the forefront of where music goes to and she certainly has been on the forefront in so many ways before. It's really going to be a record that will appeal to all her huge fan base. That base includes girls five and six years old to people in their sixties and everything in between: men, woman, all races and cultures. You really don't have an artist that has that kind of a wide range of appeal and the fans really aren't going to be disappointed.
THANKS JERRY. ALL OF US AT HITMAKERSMAGAZINE.COM WISH MARIAH AND YOUR NEW LABEL TEAM THE BEST OF LUCK IN THIS NEW PROJECT.
(Hitmakers Magazine)
Tuesday May 21, 2002
J.LO KICKS BUTT IN NEW THRILLER
NEW YORK -- Alligators in the sewer, the guy with the hook, the giant Mexican rat, Jennifer Lopez's big bottom. Some urban myths just won't go away.
Having never seen the bum that launched a thousand snippy comments, we can only attest to Miss Lopez's current state of physical being, which appears to be just about perfect.
In New York to promote her new movie, Enough, opening Friday, the actress/recording artist is the "I want it all" girl of the moment. Just last year Lopez, now 32, had the No. 1 album and the No. 1 movie at the same time -- J.Lo and The Wedding Planner both taking top honours.
This brings us to the other big rumour about Lopez: That she is a diva, that she's self-centred, demanding and all that stuff. All we saw was smart and pleasant, and mostly smart. No big bum, no big attitude.
Okay? And we looked and looked, honest.
And we asked. Enough producer Irwin Winkler spoke about Lopez's focus and preparation and hard work. Enough director Michael Apted says, "I admire her. I think she's gifted, and I also really like people who work hard, who roll up their sleeves and don't just try to swan through it."
Enough co-star Billy Campbell says, "I've been in this business long enough to witness the discrepancy between what you hear and what you see. I had let the rumours seep in, yeah. I didn't know what to expect. I thought she'd come sweeping down the stairs and bite my head off." Yes, he's laughing. Yes, he really liked Lopez. Yes, he was happy to work with her.
Enough is a psychological thriller in which Lopez stars as a woman who must fight to save herself and her little daughter from a menacing husband. One of the ways Lopez's character gains strength is through a martial art called Krav Maga.
"I could do the moves last year when we were filming, but not now," Lopez says of Krav Maga.
"But don't write that," she adds cheerfully. "Let people think I can still kick butt."
Declaring that she has always been athletic, Lopez says the physicality of the movie was no problem.
"The emotional part was much harder for me, much harder. This is like a female Rocky in a way." There is violence against her character (and right back at the man involved) in Enough. "And it's a bad feeling, even to act it. Emotionally, this was the hardest movie I've ever done. I've never been in a relationship where there was physical contact like that."
How about bad emotional contact?
"Absolutely. I think everybody has been in a relationship where they had to stop and go, 'This is not for me. What am I doing here?' On some level, everybody can relate to that."
Lopez says that while filming Enough, she had, er, enough. For the first time in her career, she had to stop and rest. "I've done between 11 and 14 movies, I haven't counted, but something like that, and I've never taken a day off. Never missed a video shoot, never been late."
Never done a Mariah Carey? Lopez giggles madly at the question from a male journalist, but doesn't take the bait.
To continue, "There's tons of stuff you handle all the time, and you don't realize how it weighs on you because you're used to dealing with it. So I was doing the movie, and shooting videos on the weekend, and that day somebody had come by the trailer to ask for a loan, and then there was stuff in the paper about me being pregnant, and my mother and grandmother were upset about it, and all of a sudden you're like, 'I can't take it anymore.' I wanted," she says, laughing, "to take a month off." She took a weekend off and slept through it.
What's with the constant pregnancy rumours?
"It's everybody who's in the public eye, who's married, they wait for that moment. It's entertainment."
Lopez is married to dancer Cris Judd -- "I don't like to talk about Cris in public, because I've learned my lesson from past relationships."
She says she tends to ignore the bad things and the good that are written about her. "You have to learn not to put importance in it. Knowing you'll be judged for everything you do or what you wear, who you are ... it's like anybody else. There's days you don't feel like it. There's days that you're tired.
"There's days when everybody else you're working with is tired, too. It's okay for them. It's not okay for us. It's kind of weird for the actors," she says, laughing, "because everybody's looking at them. We're held to a different standard."
Still laughing, she suddenly extends a leg and displays her foot. "We get nice shoes! Those are the perqs for the loss of privacy! For your mom calling you crying!"
Lopez got her career start as a Fly Girl on TV's In Living Color in the early '90s. She was launched after she starred in Selena in 1997 and in Out Of Sight in 1998, and her other movies include The Cell, Angel Eyes, U-Turn, Money Train, Jack, Blood And Wine and Anaconda. She voiced Azteca in Antz, and has also had two hit albums, On The 6 and J.Lo.
Last year's Angel Eyes was probably her first real flop.
She says, with equanimity, "As a movie it didn't work and it didn't have success at the box office, but to me it was a success, because I felt my work in it was one of my better roles."
Does she get anxious about such things?
"I don't let those feelings bubble up too high. I've really always
focused on -- you know, everything is not going to be a home run, every time. You have to be satisfied with what you do. I only have control over what I do. I can only control the product I put out."
Lopez reckons her strength of mind comes from her parents. "My mom was, 'Don't depend on anybody, you can do what you want.' She always told us we could do anything -- if you work hard, if you're a good person, if you keep God first, all the things mothers tell you."
Asked about her goals, she says she'd like to do a movie that she could also sing in, along the lines of The Rose or The Bodyguard. Her next films are Wayne Wang's The Chambermaid, with Ralph Fiennes, and the comedy, Gigli, in which she and Ben Affleck co-star as contract killers.
Lopez says she still feels surprised by success.
"I really feel, you know what, it's who you are, it's what you do, you'll always be that person so long as you don't let outer things affect you. So in here and in here," she says, pointing to her heart and to her head, "I'll always be in the Bronx. That's who I am. That works for me. I can't lose touch with my roots."
Okay -- what about all the diva stuff? What does Lopez have to say about her detractors?
"Here's something Keenan Ivory Wayans told me years ago," says Lopez, pleasantly. "Success is the best revenge."
(Toronto Sun)
Monday May 20, 2002
A GOOD WORD FROM UNIVERSAL GERMANY
Universal Germany finally said sth. on the new contract with Mariah and here's the translation of the quote by Tim Renner, CEO and Chairman of Universal Music Germany:
"It's a wonderful task to get Mariah back to the place she belongs: to the top! I saw her live a few weeks ago and now I know; Mariah's like a Ferrari. Unbelievably exciting, strong and sexy. And you don't give a Ferrari away just because it doesn't start once."
So we think that's pretty cool and we just wanted to sharw with y'all! Have a great day and keep up the awesome work on your sites!
(Butterflies Are Free)
Monday May 20, 2002
MARIAH WANTS TO BE IN PICTURES
MARIAH CAREY is seriously into a movie career. To such a point that she doesn't sit back and wait for offers. She's willing to try and manufacture these offers.
This savvy lady reads the trades, knows what's happening and who's doing what, and goes after what she thinks will work for her. She recently got in touch with a movie producer. Not knowing this producer personally, she used an intermediary. A p.r. lady in London phoned the producer to check is there a part for Mariah in his new movie. The producer, a Mariah Carey fan, reluctantly said no. The turn-down was not accepted on its first go-round. More phone calls were instituted. The truly sorry producer said there was nothing in this particular script she could fit.
However, he said, he was willing, once this shoot was over, to do a video with her. Lone caveat being the guarantee she had a record company deal to back it up. This was never pursued because Mariah's sole interest was a feature film.
(Page Six)
Monday May 20, 2002
MC STILL A FAV FOR BRITNEY
TOKYO Britney Spears doesn't believe in giving long answers to questions. Which is surprising because she likes to talk on her mobile phone, at least. She has been known to chatter away for so long on her phone that her bill for one day exceeds the cost of a hotel suite.
However, the 20-year-old pop superstar prefers to let her music speak for her. "I love performing and having people hear my music. Seeing young kids' faces glow makes me feel good," said Spears in Tokyo Sunday. That was about the longest answer she gave during a 10-minute press conference.
Her music career took off in 1999 with the release of the album "Baby One More Time," followed by "Oops! ... I Did It Again" in 2000 and "Britney" last year, all of which were smash hits. She lists Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston as her favorite singers.
(Japan Today)
Sunday May 19, 2002
JA RULE AND ASHANTI GLAD MARIAH CAREY JOINED
Mariah Carey has begun working with the producers of Murder Inc., according to her new labelmates Ja Rule and Ashanti. Murder Inc. is a subsidiary of the Island Def Jam music group, where Carey is signed. Ja Rule, who has been nominated for two BET Awards, recently explained how he felt about Carey joining the label, which is also the home to DMX, Jay-Z, and Musiq. "Mariah's cool. Mariah's cool. She's working with the Murder Inc. family right now. Holla," he said.
When Launch asked Ashanti if she was going to work on material with Carey she said she was not sure. "I don't think so. She's working with our producers in Murder Inc. I don't think I'll be doing anything with her... yet. Would love to." Ashanti's self-titled debut album slipped two slots on the Billboard 200 album chart this week to Number Four.
(Launch)
Sunday May 19, 2002
KELLY OF DESTINY'S CHILD COMMENTS ON MARIAH
"Whitney had the whole package -- amazing beauty, incredible talent, and a strong stage presence. It's very rare that you find all that in one person. But then Mariah came along with the same thing! I thought she was unbelievable and loved her, too. It's funny to think of now, but I remember in the sixth grade I had myself a little boyfriend who was always saying, "I have a crush on Mariah." And I would tell him, "I'm going to be Mariah someday. I'm going to be Whitney, too!" Back then he must have thought I was crazy -- but recently he told me, "Well, you're just about there, Kelly."
(MariahBuzz)
Saturday May 18, 2002
PETER ANDRE'S TRACK FALLS THROUGH
Peter Andre, who recently boasted about his "biggest achievement" in the music industry, has now announced that his new upcoming album, The Next Chapter, will not feature a collaboration with the ever-popular Mariah Carey.
"Unfortunately, with her new record company and other matters, our song became pushed aside and the weird thing is - I think she was more upset about it than I was". Andre joked last week.
The song reportedly titled Wait had been scheduled for recording in April but was canned due to Mariah's multi-million dollar EMI pay-out and the notion that Peter had made commitments regarding new Australian duo, Shakaya.
"I've been writing and producing some songs for Shakaya's album". He revealed, "Their third single will be one of the songs that I wrote, so I'm pretty pleased about that."
"Mariah and I will still work again in the near future, but it will probably be on one of her remixes".
So what does Peter Andre's new album sound like?
"I'm getting back to basics, it will be funkier than my Time LP but more mature than my Natural LP. It's different but it's still a CD that my fans will enjoy. I've been working on it for over 2 years so I don't wanna release it until it's absolutely perfect".
In the meantime, Andre's new Best Of album, featuring his massive hits All Night All Right, Mysterious Girl and Kiss The Girl (theme from The Little Mermaid), will be released next month. The Next Chapter is predicted for an August release while the first single off the album will be released within the next few months.
(Music Life Newsletter)
Friday May 17, 2002
#80 FHM 100 SEXIEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD - MARIAH CAREY
Last year, with her new film Glitter about to open and the accompanying soundtrack ready to hit the stands, Mariah was readying herself for the attendant storm of media exposure. And she got it, of course, but not in the way she anticipated. With tabloids full of stories of her mental meltdown, the movie declared the biggest bomb since Hiroshoma, and her label Virgin dumping her with a $28 million "We're sorry" card, things looked grim for Miss Carey. But if there's one virtue FHM reader have in spades, its loyalty. "I can't complain," the warbler told FHM. "I asked for this fame, and i got it - and this is what comes along with it. Understandably, no-one is out there going 'Oh, poor Mariah." Her chance at redemption is her next movie, Wisegirls, with Mira Sorvino. We, at least, can't wait.
(MariahBuzz.com)
Friday May 17, 2002
FIRST THERE COMES WORK...
... and then a few hours of sleep, and then there's the work again. This seems to be Mariah's new working tactic - that's what the DJ's of K104, who met Jimmy Jam recently said. They say that Jimmy said during their letest collaboration Mariah decided to sleep a few hours at 3 or 4am and start work again afterwards. When they collaborated the last time, Mariah didn't stop working before the song was finished...
(MariahBuzz.com)
Friday May 17, 2002
WHAT MORE CAN I GIVE?
Following the tragic events on September 11, Michael Jackson recorded the charity single "What more can I give?". The single features performances by Anastacia, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary of Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys, Aaron Carter, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Hanson, Michael Jackson, Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child, Ricky Martin, Ziggy Marley, Reba McEntire, Brian McKnight, Mya, N'Sync, Tom Petty, Carlos Santana, Jon Secada, Shakira, Thalia, Usher, Luther Vandross and 3LW.
"Todo para ti", the Spanish version of the song, has also been recorded. This record features performances by Anastacia, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias, Michael Jackson, Ricky Martin, Luis Miguel, Mya, N'Sync, Laura Pausini, Carlos Santana, Jon Secada, Shakira, Thalia, Luther Vandross, and others. Mariah Carey about the song: "It's an honor to be here. From what [Michael] said, it's a song really close to his heart. Hopefully it will have a strong impact on the world."
Plans were to release the two singles through McDonald, after Michael's record company Sony had no interest. The McDonald's deal fell through, but it was said another deal was on the way. That was the last we heard of the singles, and that was months ago. Now there are rumours that "What more can I give" will finally be released in late August, almost one year after the disaster. And it will only be released in Japan.
There are also rumours that Michael Jackson is planning a series of concerts to promote the single. He is negotiating with different artists, like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, N'Sync, and Carlos Santana, to participate in the concerts. Michael already sang the song at the Washington, D.C. benefit concert on October 21, which was renamed just for the song.
(ENews Online)
Thursday May 16, 2002
SURVIVING THE GLARE - 20/20
Mariah Carey, who became a star with her debut single "Vision of Love" in 1990, didn't realize that she desperately needed to escape the glare until it was nearly too late.
"No matter what happens, I can pull through it," says Mariah Carey. (ABCNEWS.com)
Last summer, the pop diva suffered what was described as an emotional breakdown after a two-week whirlwind tour to promote her first movie, Glitter. The movie, autobiographical in some ways, also broke down at the box office. Even more disastrous for Carey, the soundtrack album her first under a milestone $80 million contract with Virgin Records did poorly in stores. The record company bought its way out of the contract, and things looked bleak.
Carey even checked herself into a hospital at one point, saying she was exhausted. No wonder: In addition to starring in the movie and singing for the album, she was an executive producer of both.
"I never took a break. I never learned how to just put myself before my career. I just didn't," she told my colleagues and me on The View. "You can't do that, you know, with everybody pulling you in different directions I was exhausted. And sleep-deprived. And that's what happened. And now, I feel better than I've felt, because I finally got a chance to take time from me, and I learned a lesson."
Carey, who voluntarily stepped back into the glare after Sept. 11, realized that her spirit is as extraordinary as her voice. "I think that this happened so that I could see that I don't have to be perfect, that nobody is perfect," she said. "No matter what happens, I can pull through it."
Last winter, Carey went overseas to entertain American troops in Kosovo, and she gave patriotism a new voice with her rendition of the national anthem.
"Music has always been my saving grace," she says. "It's always been what has made me feel special when I didn't feel special or I felt like I didn't belong."
Part of why she felt like an outcast, she says, was because she is the child of a white mother and a black father. "I didn't feel I had anybody to identify with," she told me in a 1998 interview. "I felt like I always had something to prove because of that. I think that's one of the things that made me who I am."
Now 32 and divorced from her former manager, Tommy Mottola, Carey has literally built herself a new life, starting with a new Manhattan apartment. She's now recording the first album under her own record label. And on the movie front, she has moved beyond the disappointments of Glitter. Her new movie, Wise Girls, premiered to excellent reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, and will be seen on HBO in November.
Asked what her ultimate ambition is, she says, "Hopefully, continue to be successful and to find happiness, too. Because I'm still looking for that. And I don't like to say that. Because I don't want to seem ungrateful. I know what I have. But still, inside, I don't feel like there's anyone who necessarily truly and fully understands me or who I can trust completely."
(ABC News)
Thursday May 16, 2002
MARIAH - 'I WAS FREAKING EXHAUSTED'
MARIAH CAREY has broken her silence over her failed multi-million pound deal with VIRGIN RECORDS and about her breakdown last year, saying she was "freaking exhausted."
Speaking as news breaks of her new deal with Universal imprint Def Jam, the troubled diva said she was delighted to be under new contract again.
"My gut has always been to go with Universal, even before I did the [Virgin] deal," she admitted. "I learned a big lesson: You've got to go with the people that really know what they are doing."
Details of the deal, which will see a new label set-up by Def Jam for Carey, have not been yet revealed. However, Billboard reports sources saying it is worth $20 million (£14.5million) for three albums, with an option for a fourth - considerably more than the two-album deal worth between $3 million and $5 million (£2.1 - £3.5million) an album that had been mooted.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Carey said she was well on the way to completing songs for the first album on her new label.
"There are a lot of songs I've done in the past that are very introspective and personal," she said. "This album has a lot of those type of songs. But it also has celebratory, fun songs; I'm not going to sit there and dwell. People are always asking, 'Is everything OK?' Look, I was not depressed; I was freaking exhausted."
Sales of her last album 'Glitter', the soundtrack album for the commercial failure feature in which she starred, were disastrous and precipitated her being kicked out of Virgin in January with a £19.6 million pay-off.
When asked why she thought it bombed, she said: "I feel like it was a domino effect, where the ignorance gets passed along. 'Glitter' was a soundtrack record that was a concept album. It was not a studio record. And even still, I feel there were a lot of good songs on there that no one ever heard because they didn't get a chance to. Many multi-platinum artists have been on soundtrack records that were not 'Titanic'. It happens, and it doesn't warrant the world having this huge (reaction). The last studio album I had, I felt it did very well; it did about nine million worldwide."
Carey is set to attempt to resurrect her film career in new feature 'Wisegirls', due for release in the US later this year.
"It's a character part, and it's so different from what people would expect from me," she said. "It's really in the direction that I want to go, and it has gotten me a lot of offers to do other character roles. You live and you learn. It's OK to wait to do something. You don't have to do the 'predictable' thing with the whole studio system. Doing something independent was really freeing and great for me."
(NME Online)
Thursday May 16, 2002
OLA NATIVE A FAMOUS LOOKALIKE
Click over to Lois Castillo's Web site at lcasmc.homestead.com and you'll see the Henry County High School graduate in a variety of sultry modeling poses. But, drop by her home near Ola and, odds are, you'll catch her in a T-shirt and jeans, playing in the back yard with her husband and kids. A former security guard at Ft. Gillem and the mother of four children, ages 15, 5, 3 and 4 weeks, Castillo embarked on a professional modeling career in December 1999. It all started with her resemblance to singer Mariah Carey.
"My husband Marty encouraged me," Castillo said. "People at work kept saying I look like Mariah Carey, so he took some photos and I sent them out to agencies." An agent in California helped her get started in the lookalike business, she got listed with a few Atlanta modeling agencies, started her own Web site, and the rest is local history.
"The modeling spun off from the lookalike jobs," Castillo said. "I have my own look but, when I try to do (Carey's) look, it works out, too." Since then she's had jobs ranging from hosting at promotional events such as Fight Night, an annual black tie charity boxing match, posing in anything from vintage Victorian dresses to bikinis, and playing Mariah Carey at corporate functions.
A sweet-16 birthday party in Conyers, where she lip-synched to some of Carey's songs, was her first foray as a lookalike. "I was so nervous and scared," Castillo said. "But they laughed and clapped and we all had a lot of fun." She soon got over her butterflies and, last year, she flew to Zurich, Switzerland, for a four-day, expense-paid commercial screen test. Castillo said models who looked like Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and Elton John also tried out.
"They didn't know what they wanted at first, and it was the Britney Spears who got the job. She was really good," Castillo said. "It was fun hanging out with all of them, but I was really homesick." Despite the 33-year-old's glamorous looks, home is truly where her heart is. A page on her modeling Web site is devoted to photos of her family, with a caption that reads: "The sum of who I am can be defined, not only by my actions, but by the impact I have on my children. How will they remember me?"
Her oldest son, Corey, will apparently remember her with pride. He lives in Florida with Castillo's first husband, but introduces his friends to his mother by directing them to her site. "Corey even sent my site to his girlfriend," Castillo said. "I got e-mail from her and I wrote back asking for pictures of them. I'm always getting messages that say 'Hi, I'm a friend of Corey's.'"
Not all e-mail is so benign, however. Castillo said any model on the Internet comes in for her share of questionable offers. A message on her home page states emphatically that she is not interested in posing nude, but that doesn't deter everyone. "Even with (the message) on there, you still get the e-mails," she said. "I realized early that I had to put it up front, but that little caption keeps getting bigger and bolder all the time."
Marty Castillo said he understands it's all part of the modeling business, although he does get annoyed every once in a while. "It's irritating some of the time to see something obvious, like when they ask about escorting or nudes," he said. "All they have to do is check her site and see she's a family person, but I'm getting used to it." Other times, it's not so obvious. That's why Lois Castillo helped found Net Models United, a 200-member organization of professional models who share information about stalkers and other potential predators.
"We call them 'trolls', people who tell you they're one thing, like a photographer, and they're not," she said. "This way, we hear about the scams before they get to us." Castillo said she enjoys her part-time modeling career, which allows her to choose assignments that don't interfere with her home life. Still, if forced to choose, she said she'd opt for the job that involves explaining the cartoon antics of Clifford the Big Red Dog to Alec, Evan and baby Maya.
(The Daily Herald)
Thursday May 16, 2002
DIVA DOINGS
Much speculation centering on what role Jimmy Iovine may play in the making of Mariah Carey's new record, which she has already begun recording. Iovine was named as a member of Vivendi Universal's "Entertainment Committee" in the deal announcement, along with Doug Morris, Lyor Cohen and Jorgen Larsen.
Meanwhile, speculation is also swirling over what shape the diva's new label will take. With Jerry Blair at the helm, the imprint, tentatively called Monarch, will release Mariah's albums through Island and will give Island first look at other signings. Will Monarch recruit other players to assist with A&R?
(Hits Daily Double)
Wednesday May 15, 2002
NEW LABEL, NEW ALBUM, NEW LIFE
After her latest movie and soundtrack, both entitled "Glitter", flopped last year and she suffered what was described as an emotional and physical breakdown, many believed that Mariah Carey's career was over, but time is about to prove them wrong. In January, Carey got a $28 million payoff to leave EMI's Virgin Records, but last week she signed a $20 million deal for three albums with an option for a fourth with Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam which will give Carey her own label, distributed by Island and headed by Jerry Blair. The name of the label has not been announced yet but Blair said "[its] first focus will be [Carey's] album and then potentially signing other artists. It will be a great opportunity for Mariah to really ensure her legacy going forward."
Back in 1996, Carey already started her own record label, "Crave" even though her aim was not to release her own records but to run the label herself, under the auspices of Sony. A year later, and after discovering groups like Allure, 7 Mile or The League, the label was closed. Carey admits today that "Crave - without going into too much detail - was not my company".
Carey is already back in the studio recording a new album, due out by the end of this year. The album, which will feature tracks produced by Dj Quick, 7 Aurelius, Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, David Foster and even a house song with David Morales, will be, as usual, full of collaborations with hip-hop artists such as Lil' Kim, Method Man, Irv Gotti - and more which have not been announced yet, and a duet with R&B band Jagged Edge produced by Jermaine Dupri. "This album has a lot of [very introspective and personal] songs. But it also has celebratory, fun songs. It's my most personal album since Butterfly, which was also an intense turning point in my life."
(Muziq magazine)
Wednesday May 15, 2002
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP ACQUIRES MARIAH CAREY
The Universal Music Group, fresh from sealing a multi-year pact with singer Mariah Carey, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Brooklyn Bridge. "We are absolutely thrilled to be in business with the Brooklyn Bridge, one of America's all-time awesome bridges," said Sandy Benson, a senior V.P. with Universal. "We're totally stoked about restoring this bodacious bridge to its former glory."
In a separate deal, Universal has come to terms with the owner of a small pouch of shiny trinkets and beads, in an acquisition some industry insiders have priced at $70 million. "These shiny trinkets and beads are in a class by themselves," Mr. Benson said, holding some of the beads in his palm to show reporters. "To say that we are stoked about owning these awesome baubles would be the understatement of this or any century."
Music industry observers, while bullish on Universal's aggressive moves to acquire the Brooklyn Bridge as well as the shiny trinkets and beads, remain skeptical of its decision to pull the trigger on Ms. Carey's costly pact. "The beads and trinkets, I get," said Ivan T eller, a record industry analyst for Merrill Lynch. "But Mariah Carey - hello! Did any of them actually sit through Glitter?"
For their part, Universal executives indicated that their buying spree was not over, announcing the acquisition of several thousand acres of mosquito-ridden swampland in Mississippi. Calls to Universal's corporate headquarters asking if their refrigerator light was on were referred to their corporate communications department, who said they would check their refrigerator to see.
(Newsweek)
Tuesday May 14, 2002
A FEW MORE COMMENTS ABOUT THE NEW DEAL
"I'm feeling great, honestly" Carey told Newsweek. "The experience [of becoming worked out] just taught me to pace myself because nobody can go at that frenzied a pace, it doesn't work." Carey is working on a new record that's slated to drop early next year. "It's my most personal album since 'Butterfly,' which was also an intense turning point in my life" she says.
Def Jam spokesman Peter LoFrumento says: "This is a major comeback for Mariah and its probably going to be the music comeback story of the entire year. What Mariah has done is she has gone from being where she was last year to being at the top of her game again and we are all very excited about it," LoFrumento said.
"There is a risk attached to everything you do in this business but the fact is that an artist of her calibre, a gifted vocalist and an incredibly talented songwriter, is what you want when you sign an artist. You have all those things in Mariah Carey and everyone is really looking forward to getting into the studio, rolling up their sleeves and getting down to making a great record." LoFrumento said.
(MariahCarey.com)
Tuesday May 14, 2002
ALL THAT GLITTERS: MARIAH'S $36M
Maybe now is not the time for employees at Universal Music, the world's largest record company, to consider long-term investments: Mariah Carey has signed a deal with their firm. Carey, the woman popularly, if erroneously, considered the artist who broke (or at least seriously bled) EMI Music before being given a $28million golden handshake to go away quickly, was blamed for a major profit drop at the UK-based EMI that led to job losses around the world. After a decade of success at Sony, Carey left for EMI, which was dangling a $180 million contract that only realised one unsuccessful album, the soundtrack to the spectacularly unsuccessful film Glitter.
Clearly unperturbed by this, Vivendi Universal is rumoured to have paid Carey $36million for three albums, with the option of a fourth. According to the company's press release, Carey could be appearing "across a variety of VU's print, television, film and online marketing brands".
(Sydney Morning Herald)
Monday May 13, 2002
MARIAH ON A $20 MILLION COMEBACK
Troubled diva Mariah Carey has scored a stunning comeback by sealing a new $20 million recording deal with a top label just months after being dumped by a rival firm. The contract between Carey, the biggest-selling female artist in history, and Universal Music unit Island Def Jam Records comes just four months after Virgin Records let her go with a record $28 million golden handshake. It also follows the famously hard-working singer and songwriter's reported nervous breakdown last year when she collapsed after more than a decade of almost non-stop recording and acting work.
"This is a major comeback for Mariah and its probably going to be the music comeback story of the entire year," Def Jam spokesman Peter LoFrumento said. While LoFrumento declined to reveal the value of the contract, company sources said it was worth $20 million, a bargain compared with her record $80 million deal with Virgin. Under the pact, the Grammy Award-winning Carey, 31, will receive about $7.5 million apiece to make at least three albums for the company.
"What Mariah has done is she has gone from being where she was last year to being at the top of her game again and we are all very excited about it," LoFrumento said. British music group EMI, which owns Virgin Records, paid off one of the most popular singers of the 1990s in January after her latest album Glitter - and film of the same name - flopped and she suffered a breakdown.
Island Def Jam Records is a unit of the French-owned Universal Vivendi music group, which claims to be the biggest music company on the planet in terms of market share. But despite the Glitter debacle, Universal Music executives said they had absolute confidence in the singer and songwriter's "enormous talents" and were convinced she would again soar to new heights. "There is a risk attached to everything you do in this business but the fact is that an artist of her calibre, a gifted vocalist and an incredibly talented songwriter, is what you want when you sign an artist," LoFrumento said.
"You have all those things ... in Mariah Carey and everyone is really looking forward to getting into the studio, rolling up their sleeves and getting down to making a great record." In addition to three albums, Universal has also agreed to collaborate with Carey on her other endeavours, including films and online projects. The pop singer, who shot to superstardom in the 1990s, has had more number-one songs than any other artist, with the exception of musical royalty Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
(Sydney Morning Herald)
Monday May 13, 2002
JIMMY JAM AND TERRY LEWIS CONGRATULATE MARIAH
Legendary producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' official website at Flyte Tyme congratulated Mariah Carey on her new deal with Island/Def Jam and talked about working with the singer on her first album with her new label. The site proclaims, "Mariah Carey's recent signing to Island/Def Jam comes as work continues on her upcoming album. The singer has already worked with collaborators such as, Jermaine Dupri, 7 Aurelius, DJ Quik, and of course Jam & Lewis. No release date has been set for the new project, but Island/Def Jam President Lyor Cohen said expect a new album 'by the end of the year, or early next'. Jam & Lewis say congrats to Mariah on the new deal, and wish her all the best."
(PopDirt)
Monday May 13, 2002
MARIAH'S BUMPER DEAL AND SHE PROMISES TO HAVE MORE FUN
The financial details of Mariah Carey's new record deal have been disclosed - she's landed a massive A$39 million for three albums. Carey will earn between A$9.8 million and A$14 million per album, with an option on a fourth, as well as an advance worth the same amount.
The curvy singer received A$56 million just for leaving EMI's Virgin label last year following personal and mental problems, and her debut film, Glitter flopping. Mariah has promised fans her music will be more fun this time around she says "There are a lot of songs I've done in the past that are very introspective and personal. This album has a lot of those types of songs. But it also has celebratory, fun songs."
(Sound Buzz)
Monday May 13, 2002
GET YOUR FREAK ON
Mariah Carey has revealed she is close to completing the tracks for her next album, just days after her new deal with Universal/Def Jam was confirmed. Carey, who suffered an emotional and physical breakdown last summer, said many of the new tracks were upbeat, despite her high-profile recent troubles.
"There are a lot of songs I've done in the past that are very introspective and personal," she explained. "This album has a lot of those type of songs. But it also has celebratory, fun songs; I'm not going to sit there and dwell." She added: "People are always asking, 'Is everything OK?' Look, I was not depressed; I was freaking exhausted."
The US diva, last year given a £19.6 million golden handshake to end her contract with Virgin Records, said she was delighted to be working under a new contract. She told the Hollywood Reporter: "My gut has always been to go with Universal, even before I did the [Virgin] deal. I learned a big lesson: You've got to go with the people that really know what they are doing."
Mariah was dropped from Virgin following the commercial failure of her last album Glitter, a movie soundtrack that sold a relatively disappointing two million copies worldwide. She said of the album: "I feel like it was a domino effect, where the ignorance gets passed along. Glitter was a soundtrack record that was a concept album. It was not a studio record. And even still, I feel there were a lot of good songs on there that no one ever heard because they didn't get a chance to."
She added: "Many multi-platinum artists have been on soundtrack records that were not Titanic. It happens, and it doesn't warrant the world having this huge [reaction]." According to Billboard.com, Carey's new deal is worth somewhere in the region of $20 million and will involve Universal/Def Jam distributing material though Mariah's own new label.
(DotMusic)
Monday May 13, 2002
MARIAH IN THE MONEY
Pop diva Mariah Carey, who received nearly £21 million in January to end her contract with music giant EMI, has signed a new deal with Island Records, sources say. A spokeswoman for Carey and officials for Island had no immediate comment, but sources said the singer will be starting a record label of her own to be distributed through Island Records. Island is a unit of the Island Def Jam label group, which is owned by French media giant Vivendi Universal.
The sources said the deal was valued far below the estimated £60 million to £80 million EMI's Virgin Records originally agreed to pay Carey under the multi-album deal she signed with the British music group in April 2001. Carey and EMI parted ways four months after the commercial flop of her first Virgin-released album, "Glitter", which also served as the soundtrack to her feature film debut.
The album, released in September, sold a disappointing two million copies worldwide. By comparison, Carey's 1993 album "Music Box", issued by Sony Music Entertainment, sold more than 20 million copies around the world. The retail fizzle of "Glitter" also capped a personally trying period for Carey, who was hospitalised for mental and physical breakdown in July of 2001 and suffered a relapse in September.
Carey's health problems limited her advance promotion for the album and the movie, in which she starred as an aspiring young singer who dates a DJ to help her break into the business. The 32-year-old artist is set to star in "Wisegirls", an upcoming film with Mira Sorvino. Last month, Carey's spokeswoman said the singer was taking her time talking to several labels pursuing a new deal with the Long Island-born singer.
In addition to Island Def Jam, Carey had been talking with AOL Time Warner's Elektra Entertainment Group, and J Records, sources said. Sources said Carey, who has had more number one songs than anybody except for Elvis Presley and the Beatles, also had talked with Warner Bros Records, another label under the AOL Time Warner umbrella.
Under the buyout of her EMI pact, Carey received £21 million to walk away and retained another £19 million previously paid to her when the contract was first signed. Carey's fallout with EMI reflected some of the difficulties facing the music industry as labels have paid huge sums to sign promising artists, only to suffer from lacklustre sales.
Despite the industry's woes and Carey's tumultuous year, many labels were eager to land Carey, seeing in her strong brand potential as an artist. She became one of the biggest-selling pop artists of all time after her former husband, Sony Music Entertainment chief Tommy Mottola, discovered her as an 18-year-old waitress.
(Tiscali Musix)
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