Thursday 29 May 2003

Blind Mariah fan gets nasty e-mail from singer

The grandmother of a 10-year-old blind girl from Oakland, Minn., is stunned by a nasty e-mail she received that allegedly came from pop singer Mariah Carey. Dee Hofland wrote to Carey on behalf of her granddaughter, Michelle Katz - who idolizes the singer. The e-mail was sent to the star's official Web site asking if Michelle could meet with her in person. The girl was crushed after Carey canceled the St. Paul concert Michelle and Hofland planned to attend.

"I know it is not very probable but you have no idea what it would mean to this child if she could meet Mariah even for 5 minutes," Hofland wrote in the e-mail. "You would make one girl's dreams come true." Hofland didn't expect any reply at all, but she got one. And it was appalling.

"Miss, with all due respect, I have my own problems. I have no time to accommodate everyone else's," the note read. "My sister is suffering HIV right now. Is anyone worried about my problems? Some people can be so damn selfish. Next time you e-mail me with any requests, you will be reported. Have a great day! M.C."

"I was shocked. I was just stunned," Hofland told Fox News. "I was angry." It wasn't clear whether the note was written by Carey herself, by one of her representatives or by a prankster. "I do not believe that Mariah Carey herself wrote the e-mail, but maybe someone who opens all her mail for her did," Hofland said. "I thought she should know that someone like that should not be working for her."

Michelle's grandmother and parents have decided not to tell the child about the cruel e-mail. She suffered enough of a blow when she learned of the canceled show. Hofland said her granddaughter admires Carey so much that she has learned to play some of her songs on the piano.

"Mariah is her imaginary friend. She takes Mariah everywhere with her," Hofland said. "When I pick her up, Mariah Carey is in the car. She absolutely adores her." Hofland doesn't think Michelle fully understands the situation, but she intends to encourage her to listen to other singers.

"I'm probably going to steer her towards some other music and hope that she'll make someone else her new friend," she said. Representatives from Carey's label, Island Records, told affiliate Fox 9 News in Minneapolis that they doubted the e-mail came from the singer but said they'd try to track down what happened. As for the canceled concert, they say it's still likely that Carey will do a show in the Twin Cities at a smaller venue than originally planned because of slow ticket sales.

(Fox News)



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