At "Today" and on the bus with Mariah Carey
I was only supposed to take pictures and talk to fans at Mariah Carey's mini-concert on "Today" this morning, but somehow ended up riding around New York on her bus with her. How did that happen? Let's rewind back to 7:10 a.m., when I arrived at the Rockefeller Plaza where Mimi was set to play.
Fans were already crammed near the front area of the stage when I met up with production assistant Joel Hanek. Shortly thereafter, Mimi hit the stage. Dressed in a long black leather coat and heels that must have been seven inches high.
The concert began with a bit of nostalgia as Mariah performed "Make It Happen", a classic from her second album. The "Today" hosts came out, gave out freebies and talked to the singer about her new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. After three more songs from her current album (including my personal favorite "H.A.T.E.U."), Joel and I followed the various other media outlets to the tour bus where we learned we were going to be given a few minutes with Mariah.
What? I was going to interview her. Joel and I immediately started to brainstorm questions. When it came to be our turn, her publicist told us we'd have to hop on board and do the interview down the street. Yes, I was in her tour bus. Yes, I was secretly screaming inside. But I kept it cool. We were lead to the upstairs level of the tour bus (yes, it's a double-decker) and then waited as the bus lurched into motion. Once it pulled over, we walked down the stairs and sat down. The interview was about to start! Joel set up and the camera and Mariah walked down the stairs. I smiled and handed her the microphone. Her team engaged in small talk as I pointed to her butterfly ring - everyone knows Mariah loves butterflies.
And as the camera started recording, she lit up. I asked her about the album, what fans could expect from it and why she was interested in the upcoming film "Precious". After a few minutes, I got a tap on her shoulder and it was a wrap. I shook her hand and walked out of the tour bus and headed back to the office to let it set in. While it may have only lasted a few minutes, I had just conducted my very first interview ever, and it was with Mariah Carey. (MTV Newsroom)
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