| Tuesday 13 September 2005 |
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Jasmine's juice
So this past four weeks I've been ping-ponging between continents; from Italy, to New York to LA (twice). I've clocked up the air-miles and the saggy, wrinkly, no-sleep skin and worked my butt off (which isn't a good thing as I've not enuff butt to spare).
This week saw me at Mariah's Making Of The Video shoot for her 3rd international single, which is a double A-side: Get Your Number / Shake It Off. So I land at LAX airport, MC's driver picks me up and informs me I have an hour to get ready to accompany her to the World Music Awards. Whoa. See, this is why my suitcase is always overloaded with extra garms, for impromptu occasions such as this. I pulled out one of my classy frocks and slipped into it on the car ride back to MC's Bel Air mansion where we jumped into her car and sped off to the infamous Kodak Theatre and her backstage dressing room, where we spent the next... wait for it... 7 hours.
As the World Music Awards are not live they take an age to record, so MC's dressing room luckily was the only place to be. After the first knock on the door, security inform us that L.A Reid and Jay-Z "President's Reid and Carter" were at the door waiting to say hi to Mariah. Both looking dapper in slick button down shirts and blazers, Jay looking particularly slimline (Beyoncé must have him on a new healthy life-regime), they congratulated her on her current reign at the top of the charts and hung out with us till there's another knock on the door... it's Snoop Dogg with his huge team of 9-year-old soccer players (cute) who also came to "pay homage to his sister". Then there's a third knock, by now I'm excited as 50 in a candy store... who could be next? It's Stevie Wonder's team come to request Mariah come and say hi to Stevie who's in next doors dressing room. Stevie Wonder!
I think I might faint as I take in all the legends surrounding me as MC introduces me as her "surrogate sister". It was all I could do not to beg for a group photo, but the memory will live with me till I'm 100 years old. Oh yeah. I'm gonna live till then. Then it was time to work as MC stepped out to perform her current hits in a show-stopping shorts-and-headband number which saw Beyoncé who was in the front row of the audience (with her boo Jay) be the first to stand and give her a standing ovation, leading the rest of the arena to stand and applaud rapturously too. Then MC went on to win four World Music Awards - one was handed to her by her mate Snoop - and each accompanied by a standing ovation. We then watched as Usher, Amerie and Patti Labelle performed a tribute to honor Destiny's Child before riding home at 3am.
We were up early next morning for MC's video shoot where Hackney-born British director Jake Nava had her performing. We finished filming at 3am, then had a late dinner delivered by Mr Chow's before finally getting to bed at 5am. An hour later, from my room on the other side of MC's Bel Air home where I was tucked up in bed, I heard moaning coming from MC's room. I found my girl doubled up in pain so severe I was horrified. A doctor confirmed it was food poisoning and MC was forced to stay in bed, postponing the video shoot. The next day we nursed MC back to health and I was really relieved. Good news is that I'll have to be back in L.A next week. Bummer. Not. (The Voice)
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