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Licia (44,413) by Sasha from Nomansland To me it's quite obvious she sang live, I even think Money was live. (Monday 2 June 2014; 10:25)

The Mariah special (44,412) by Sunshine Divalamb from Germany For those claiming Mariah lipped the 3 songs on the NBC special should get their eyes and ears checked ASAP. We know she lipped performances nobody denies that, not even me. But to assume she lipped these 3 is an insult. I watched it over and over again and heard and saw clearly that she was singing live, was there a track in the background? "Yes I do think so." I think that some are just so stuck on the whole lip syncing that for them everything is lipped and are over analyzing the whole thing. Shame on them because this performance was actually good. This was the best WBT performance she did in my opinion. That and the fact she looked beautiful in her ensembles and the interview was very good as well. But hey as long as we have something to complain about, right? (Monday 2 June 2014; 8:45)

TV special (44,411) by Andrew from UK This tv special was a complete disappointment in my opinion. Like others have said, if your gonna lip sync you have to be good at it. And clearly, she ain't. She comes across so awkward on stage sometimes, which I find bizarre for someone who's been performing for such a longtime. The best performance was of WBT. Considering it's taken such a long time to get the album out to the fans, I had hoped for a couple of stellar performances, wishful thinking on my part. On a positive note, I'm sure the special helped boost the album sales. (Monday 2 June 2014; 8:25)

Promotion or lack thereof (44,410) by Todd from Melbourne, Australia Just dawned on me that if I didn't follow Mariah on Twitter, or visit MCA, I would have had no idea that Mariah had a new album out. So the opening week figures aren't really suprising, considering that really, only her hardcore fans/lambs know it exists. I have not seen any TV or heard any radio promo for it whatsoever (in Australia, at least). Makes me wonder what her record company and management team are spending their cut of MC's profits on. (Monday 2 June 2014; 8:14)

Mariah's insecurities (44,409) by Ian James from Sabah, Malaysia Marissa, I totally can relate to your frustration. It does seem that Mariah couldn't care less about performing live anymore. But to be fair, she might just be trying to put up a good show. I do think she's aware of how people criticize her poor singing performance these days. And we have long known the fact that Mariah's always full of doubts and insecurities. Speaking of which, I notice that, in most of her recent interviews, she always began her sentence with "I don't want people to think that..." or "I don't like it when people are like... ". As far as I can remember, she rarely did that 10-13 years ago. I remembered watching her interviews during the Butterfly/Rainbow eras and being mesmerized by how eloquent and confident she was. My theory is that her singing is probably the main thing she's insecure about these days. I'm not sure if someday she'll be brave enough to tell us what she genuinely feels about her voice. So far, all she talks about are racism, financial hardship, negative self-image etc. when explaining about her insecurities. I'm not trying to deny that she's deeply affected by these issues. But there came a point when I thought she brought them up just to conceal the fact that she's not happy with her current vocal condition. Well, I might be wrong though. (Monday 2 June 2014; 6:48)

The "Great Writer" shade (44,408) by Brad from USA Mariah's reference during the Matt Lauer interview to being told by a "great writer" that tabloids wrap fish the next day is shade to Mottola's book "Hitmaker" in which he discusses his marriage to Mariah. She was obviously being sarcastic. She can be quite coy when she wants to be. Makes you wonder what other little jabs she throws out there and we don't even know it. I definitely think there is trouble in Mariahland with Nick, the label or perhaps her own health. It sounds like she wants to try to work through it and not have it be public. That her heart beats on despite all the heartbreaks. That she is not broken. Perhaps that her children make the heartbreak go away. I think that is the significance of the heartbeat on the album after "One More Try". We will see, I guess. Be well. (Monday 2 June 2014; 6:09)

NBC special (44,407) by Licia from USA Am I the only one who thinks the WBT and Heavenly performances were live? I know Money wasn't. Oh well I still liked them. (Monday 2 June 2014; 3:47)

Re Marissa (44,406) by G.G. from USA Thank you. I feel the exact same way. Mariah stands there or lays there posing like a statue and lip synchs. At least try and move around some. I liked the YDKWTD performance from the Today show. She actually moved and got into the song. Like I said, I don't mind lip synching if it's believable. As much as Mariah is in the studio, she could and should record several versions of each song, that way when she does lip synch shows, they don't sound exactly like the album version. (Monday 2 June 2014; 2:27)

Interview (44,405) by Marissa from USA On a positive note, I did like the interview with Matt Lauer. She was humble and down to earth which is my favorite side of her in interviews. This once again confirms my theory that the less wine or champagne present, the better quality the interview is. I also agree that Barbara Walters would have done a better interview. One thing about her is that no matter who she's talking to, she always seems to be so fascinated by them, which makes for better questions. (Monday 2 June 2014; 0:43)

Lip synching (NBC special) (44,404) by Marissa from USA The chronic lip synching is disappointing and irritating. It just makes me feel like she's not trying. The "I refuse to dance, I refuse to sing, but I will wear an evening gown and mouth the words" things is getting old. What even constitutes a good Mariah Carey performance anymore? It used to be the voice, but if you aren't giving us the voice then what exactly are you giving us other than your presence and hand gestures? It's sad that every time I know she's supposed to sing it will never be lip-synch free and the lip synching will never be convincing. One thing I can say about Whitney Houston is that no matter how much of a mess her voice was sounding towards the end, she still sang, even if that meant people walking out of her shows. It's disheartening when you're a fan of the Songbird Supreme but 90% of the time she doesn't even want to use her voice. It's at the point now where I like the album, I like the interviews, but the performances give me absolutely nothing and I could live without them. Sorry if I sound harsh but it's hard to watch someone with such great talent take the easy way out instead of taking care of their voice like they used to and slaying without assistance. (Monday 2 June 2014; 0:16)

B / Stay The Night (44,403) by Edward from USA B, I like "Stay The Night", I don't like how strained Mariah's voice sounded on it. When the album came out, I used to listen to it, but then I started skipping it. TEOM was a great album, but Mariah sounded very constipated (strained) on many songs like "Mine Again" and "Stay The Night". (Monday 2 June 2014; 0:05)

Stephen (44,400) by B from USA That was a joke. Why don't you like Stay The Night? Just wondering. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 23:36)

The Mariah Carey special (44,399) by Isabelle from USA To me the Mariah Carey special was okay, but it could have been better. I wished Barbara Walters didn't retire so she could have conducted this interview instead of Matt Lauer. He didn't seem to care about the interview, most of his questions were some that she seemed to have answered in previous interviews and some looked like he just wanted an one word answer from her. Barbara would have asked her completely different questions. Who knows Barbra could have made a reference to BGK. The whole special was edited poorly and there were too many commercial breaks. They would ask her like one questions then it moved to a performance/video. The way they shot her performances was very bad. They moved to a different camera angle every 3 seconds that made your head hurt just by watching. At least we got to see her perform songs from the album instead of from her catalogue. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 23:24)

Edward, dahling (44,398) by B from USA You skip Stay The Night? I love that song. Mariah belting over that Kanye beat is perfection. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 23:00)

At home in concert with Matt Lauer (44,397) by Edward from USA I'm very proud of Mariah and how she answered the questions asked by Matt. She sounded more relatable, more human, less diva. I loved it. And I didn't hear any dahlings, they are becoming so annoying. I don't see anything wrong with being a diva, but when the public perception of you is so distorted that they start to think you're arrogant and disconnected, it is not a good look, specially when you're precisely not the "It" of the moment. I hope this special brings up the sales. With the TEOM I skipped "STN", "TTF", but with MIAMTEC, I don't skip a song, and that makes me happy. She's still one of those rare artists whose albums could be listened to from beginning to end without skipping a couple of tracks, if any. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 22:45)

NBC Special (44,396) by G.G. from USA I really don't mind if a singer lip synchs their songs once in a while, as long as it's done believably. Meaning, it's hard to tell they are lip synching. If you know you're going to lip a performance, take the time to record different vocals in the studio so it doesn't sound just like the album version. The interview with Matt Lauer was really good though. She came across as down to earth and relatable. When Matt asked Mariah where she is now in life and she answered with, "putting up a wall and walking away". I wonder who she is referring to? Nick, Def Jam etc? (Sunday 1 June 2014; 22:11)

Mariah Carey at home in concert with Matt Lauer (44,395) by Webmaster Eric from the Netherlands (Sunday 1 June 2014; 21:17)

First week album sales (44,394) by Skip from United States The theory on an album's debut week sales is that it's a reflection of how the public felt about the previous album. That is, "E=MC2" started incredibly strong because "The Emancipation of Mimi" was massively popular, and now "Me. I Am Mariah" is starting off weakly because "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" was not. It's not a reflection of the album's quality itself or its potential. Granted, if there was a huge song off the album getting airplay right now, we'd see the album take off. Clearly that's what happened with "Emancipation" after "Charmbracelet's" middling success: "We Belong Together" was the booster shot that reversed the downward sales trend. So the hope now is that "You Don't Know What To Do" will become the pop-culture moment it needs to be for the album's sake. It's never too late, though. Albums such as "Forever Your Girl" by Paula Abdul or "I'm Not Dead" by Pink had both released a few singles before a particular song took off, so much so that it gave the album legs and qualified previously released singles for a re-issue. Anything's possible so long as the label believes in the music. And in this case, the music is some of her best. Ever. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 20:15)

Dani / Ronan / QHM (44,393) by Bill from the UK Dani, thank you for your post, that was exactly what I wanted. What did you think of it? Ronan, thanks for the link, I've just watched it and I agree it was great. I did laugh at how FAB didn't even bother to lip sync at some parts haha. That said, Mariah appeared to either sing live or at least to a live pre-recorded track, so I am grateful she re-sang parts. Heavenly was fantastic. QHM, your description of MILG was right on point. To me it has that "Fantasy" feel, probably because they both sample a 70s track, it gives it that summery boardwalk kind of vibe. The layers and wall of sound and instruments have a similar set up to Fantasy, which we'd all agree is another career defining composition of Mariah's. Make it look gooder than them other fools Mariah. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 18:54)

NBC special (44,392) by Licia from USA It was awesome. Wished it would have been longer. She floored me with that Heavenly performance. That song has me in tears anyway, but she killed me with that performance. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 18:53)

Marriage / promo (44,391) by Shezz from Pk I think MC and Nick are now finally practicing being more private about their personal lives. Uptil recently they were almost forcing themselves onto the public with Nick and his uncontrollable interviews/comedy shows and MC on instagram. Now that they are being quiet about it, for whatever reason, the media is speculating and jumping to conclusions, wrong or right. I understand that they were crazy in love and wanted to show the world but maybe they should have been a little more discrete from the beginning. As for what they have planned for promo is just baffling. When MC nearly hit rock bottom after Glitter she started from the basics while promoting Charmbracelet. Forger the tv shows and interviews, she even did meet and greets at malls. Whoever her manager/publicist was then was quite strict with her. I don't get what's happening now, does she feel that she's above making these traditional promo rounds? Maybe she's a little too apprehensive about live performances now. I wonder if Meteorite was fully live at WMAs. She has a solid album but her name now means very little as is sadly obvious with the sales. I can't believe that these are label issues. She cannot tank her own album and she has made it abundantly clear how it means the world to her. Sadly she doesn't act that way right now. I am sure she has her reasons. Motherhood? Personal problems? I wish her the best but I just want some proper promotion for this lovely album. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 18:47)

Betcha Gon' Know with R. Kelly (44,390) by Dan from US Does anybody have any idea why she still sings "to be continued" at the end? I was kinda confused, I thought it was like continued to the version with her and R. Kelly. And also did anybody realize they didn't finish the interview from the Today show with Mariah and Nick together, that was supposed to be on last night's show? Found that strange. Hmm. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 17:48)

Vocal layering / single choices and chronology (44,389) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I must say the use of background voices in this album has been the most on point it has been since TEOM. Only 2 female artists to me create the most dizzyingly ethereal vocal layering in this world and those are Mariah and Janet. Sorry, I love me some harmonies. And now to the album's commercial success or lack thereof. This album might be off to a slow start but frankly, I would much prefer a sleeper hit than a #1 debut only to fall off quickly in the next few weeks. Chart longevity can be achieved if the next single choices are on point and promoted well, even in an era as frustrating as this. My choices are as follows in such order as well:You Don't Know What To Do - summer 2014 (Check. Now Mimi, head to a disco roller rink or maybe an amusement park for the video. With a good concept and narrative as well.) Faded - fall 2014 (Has such an unique chorus. Her best attempt at recreating the magoc of We Belong Together without sounding that much like it.) Money ($*/...) - winter 2014 (This is most fit for the Christmas season, and may benefit from its festive holiday feel and reference, plus the renewed interest for her catalogue by then.) Make It Look Good/Dedicated - winter-spring 2015 (Wildcard options for Valentine's season.) Meteorite - spring-summer 2015 (I really hope we get to this point next year still releasing singles.) What do you think? (Sunday 1 June 2014; 16:48)

Re: NBC Special (44,388) by Dani from USA Bill, if my memory isn't failing me yet, the setlist was as follows: 1) Mariah sang "We Belong Together". 2) She sang "Money" with Fabulous. 3) The performance of "You Don't Know What To Do" from the Today Show was shown. 4) The "You're Mine (Eternal)" music video was shown (not too sure this is relevant to your question, on account that she didn't actually sing it live). 5) Supernatural was played (MC didn't sing live) while a home video of MC and family was shown (again, don't know if this is relevant to your question). 6) Finally, Mariah sang Heavenly, accompanied by a choir. Hope this information helped. Cheers. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 16:25)

New album, NBC Special, Hello article, my wish for MCC/NC (44,387) by Lynn from USA First, I love every song on this cd; particularly, Money, YDKWTD, Faded, Thirsty, Meteorite, Camouflage, Cry, and Heavenly. I also watched the NBC special and enjoyed the mini concert. I think a part II is needed and I also wanted to see the footage of Nick, Mariah and Matt. I liked Mariah's truthfulness in the Hello magazine article referenced the secret to a happy marriage, "It's a constant journey to find out what that secret is." This is so true in any marriage. The pressures of life and two people having busy and successful careers are hard on any marriage. It's how you deal with the issues; you either make it work or throw in the towel. It takes two to have a marriage and I'm sure they both have issues that they both need to work on. Although I know it's very personal and private, I would love to see or read an in depth interview with both Nick and Mariah discussing their marriage, family life, busy careers, the constant traveling and the affect it has on their marriage, etc. Also, I wish that they would take some time for themselves as a couple and have a short vacation together or even a date night and enjoy each other without all of the assistants, hair stylists, etc. being around. The vacation part might be impossible at this moment, but at least a night out on the town having a little fun. (Sunday 1 June 2014; 16:22)

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