Mariah busts the bank at Monte Carlo
What do you get when you add singer Mariah Carey to a glitzy awards bash in Monte Carlo? The answer is the sort of diva demands that have hotel bosses rubbing their hands with glee. If her performance at this weekend's World Music Awards is anything to go by, Mariah is determined to wrestle the crown as Queen of Divas from Jennifer Lopez.
J-Lo may insist on a caravan of limos and lilies and white muslin walls in her dressing rooms. But super-rich Mariah blew £28,000 on rooms alone over two nights. Thousands more went on making sure that they were just how she wanted them. The singer flew to the gambling mecca by private jet from Germany on Saturday and checked in to the Hotel de Paris.
She had booked the four most expensive suites in the hotel for herself at the cost of £2,000 a night, then added suites for her make-up assistant, hairdresser, wardrobe assistant, manager and two beefy security guards. Clearly working for Mariah has it's perks. Before arriving she had insisted on six humidifiers for her suites and all of them to be decked out in fresh flowers.
There also had to be a top-of-the-range exercise bike to hand. The lighting had to be changed so that the effect was darker than usual. In fact, lighting requirements appear to have filled Mariah's weekend. She flew in her own lighting director from the US and told organisers of the awards the flunkey was to be in charge when she was presented with her award last night and later when she performed. And whenever she posed for photographs with fans she insisted on perfect poses before a flash went off.
A source at the hotel told me: "We are used to getting some big names passing through our doors but perhaps none as big in the world of pop as Mariah Carey. There was certainly a fuss over Miss Carey's arrival at the weekend. We like to offer our guests the best so no matter what they ask for they will get it - after all, it is their money they are spending."
Mariah attended a sparkling dinner on Saturday then picked up a special gong from Prince Albert at the big bash last night. He handed over the Diamond Award for artists who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. So at least she can afford to foot her huge bill. Mariah told me at the bash: "I'm really honoured. It's a great award to be able to collect."
I reckon that at the end of the weekend Mariah wasn't left with much change from £50,000. But she would have been left with enough to get in a celebration round of drinks at local celeb hang-out Jimmy'z - just. The going rate there is £25 a drink. (The Sun)
|
