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Re: MC's age? (88,111) (88,115) by CDC from CA
I kind of love that there's an air of mystery about her age. I'd be happy if she kept people guessing until she reaches her 80's and then decides to reveal the truth - just like what happened with Cicely Tyson and Doris Day.
(Wednesday 20 February 2019; 02:13)
Mariah in the Middle East (88,020) by CDC from CA
Does anybody know and can communicate in anecdote or in proxy how popular Mariah is in the Middle East? I know she's easily one of the most popular western artists in Asia and specifically Southeast Asia, and so her popularity in the Middle East might very well be attributed to the Southeast Asian diaspora in that region. But among the Arab population - can anybody speak to that?
(Wednesday 13 February 2019; 01:55)
Re: JLo (83,460) (83,465) by CDC from CA
After having a good chuckle, I sent your inquiry to a colleague who is as close to a pop culture expert as there exists (she also has a TED talk on gossip) and this is what she sent:
I always found the comparison to be absurd, and the reasons why they are linked even though their thrones are propped on totally different planets are: 1) one fececiously denied the existence of the other fifteen years ago on camera; 2) they are women; 3) they are women of colour. I would trust that the public would know the difference between Mimi and Jennifer like we know the difference between Kim Kardashian and Ella Fitzgerald, but then again, this is the same public that couldn't differentiate a more consequential pairing like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. To put it simply: Mimi, for the first third of her career, thrived on her genuine, divinely-annointed talent, and is currently resting on her laurels (as all proper legends end up having to do), while Jennifer has been and continues to be a hustler. If we ran a poll on the streetcar right now, I'm pretty sure it would go something like: "Mariah Carey? I love Always Be My Baby. Jennifer Lopez? I saw her on TV last night and she was smoking hot." You can see where my point is there. And if the public were to "respect" any one of these qualities over another, it would be Jennifer's navigation of the celebrity labyrinth. And you're right, she does it with more finesse as Mimi does with more cheese. Do I think the Mimi persona is a turnoff for the public? No. We've become more open minded than that, especially for those who've already proven their worth in talent even if the bar has been significantly lowered in recent years. After all, it was us, the public, that put a porn star on the cover of Vogue. But more about the Mimi image: if you squint a little harder at her career, in the b-list, misguided efforts craving coolness and street-cred, you can still see the outsider she's been singing about for decades. It's her makeshift attempts at the JLo hustle that compares to Jennifer's industrial complex, which the public can see through. But if you think about it, the stars with the *truest artistic talents* have never found their comfortable place on the celebrity chessboard. They either retreat into hiding (David Bowie, Prince, Aretha Franklin) or completely self destruct (Billie Holiday, Maria Callas, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston). And while it seemed like their litmus public rating plummeted, eventually we always come around.
(Friday 24 August 2018; 17:13)
JLo (83,457) by CDC from CA
I always feel kind of bad when I have negative things to say about JLo but as harsh as it sounds, her entire musical career was forged only to malign Mariah's by carbon copying and even flat out plagiarizing Mariah's material and musical template. The similarities in the direct descendants of Mariah's musical legacy (ie. Aguilera, Leona Lewis, Grande, etc.) are one thing, but the JLo situation is entirely unique (because of the Mottolla involvement) as she was used as a pawn, if not to maliciously defer Mariah's commercial prowess, than to fill the void left when she drifted from the clout of corporate uppers. JLo certainly deserves credit for keeping her name in the public's consciousness in a way, than say, Toni Braxton or Shania Twain haven't been able to do with the same finesse, but her ubiquity just comes across as cheap: a jack of all trades, master of none. And these recent years' showing of establishment appreciation for JLo's career just proves that no matter how much mediocrity you put out there to public indifference, if you hang in there long enough, you'll eventually get your trophy.
(Friday 24 August 2018; 08:40)
Aretha (83,397) by CDC from CA
There are just a few artists that have been so consistent and omnipresent yet still so beloved that it seems like their voice and face are as familiar as our own family members and Aretha was one of them. I've been watching plenty of news outlets memorializing her life and it seems different than the way we reacted to Michael's, Whitney's or Prince's deaths, in that there is no hysteria or speculation or a race to get answers. She lived to her seventies, so it was a fuller life lived. This time, our reaction feels like the appropriate farewell she deserves. It reminds me more of the way we reacted to Luciano Pavarotti's death - like saying goodbye to a beloved uncle. And now it feels like the world lost a beloved aunt.
(Saturday 18 August 2018; 07:48)
Random thought about "Where are You Christmas?" (83,225) by CDC from CA
Does anyone know if Mariah has ever acknowledged that song? Also do we know what exactly her contribution to the song was? I don't have a copy of the soundtrack so I can't check the writing credits but is it safe to say that she wrote additional lyrics for the longer, pop version that Faith Hill ultimately recorded, while Will Jennings wrote the lyrics to the shorter, film version sung by Cindy Lou?
(Monday 23 July 2018; 06:36)
Re: Observation: Johnny Gill on Wendy Williams (83,164) (83,167) by CDC from CA
So what exactly does a "decent" Johnny Gill performance have to do with Mariah's sentiments towards, efficiency in or legacy of live performance? Absolutely nothing. You mean that timeline of use is the biggest, gaping factor that alters voice preservation? "If Johnny Gill's first album came out in 19xx, and has been singing since 19xx, he's done xyz concerts, must have opened his larynx xyz times, so why can't Mariah do the same when she's been out much later, sung fewer concerts and therefore hasn't sung as much?" It's funny when people make these elliptical mathematical equations only to sum up a scenario of absurdities. The simple matter of fact is that Johnny Gill (and like Celine, and others) have lived a different lifestyle in their 50 years than Mariah has in hers. And that is the biggest influencer in voice preservation. And the past lifestyle decisions of others are things that us outsiders should just get over and accept. And so if your qualm is that Mariah can't seem to navigate her vocal deterioration (enough to your degree of satisfaction), then improvement is something she owes herself and nobody else. I can explain more critically if you're interested in another long post.
(Thursday 19 July 2018; 04:43)
Studio singer subject (82,963) by CDC from CA
Sorry I'm late to the "studio singer" conversation but I traced back to the original post and I'll just give my input. I wouldn't give too much clout to those using the "studio singer" argument to belittle Mariah's abilities as a singer. Those talking points are usually from ardent fans of the gospel divas or the soul/r&b divas whose rearing was cultivated in the pentecostal or baptist church. And I guess after Aretha crossed over to the pop charts 50+ years ago, that became the standard for all diva singers. I would argue that pulling off every vocal tick in front of an audience only to prove that the recorded voice matches the human larynx is only a small part of being an artist. Going into why Mariah is not only a "studio singer" is absurd and historically proven and on record and forever archived in the internet. *Why* she prefers the studio over the stage is a more interesting conversation. And that simply boils down to her upbringing. Mariah's seeds as an artist began with a pen and paper. Aretha's, Whitney's, Patti's, etc. began in the boisterous pews of the black church. Mariah's entrance into the industry began as a session singer. Most others began as nightclub/cabaret/revue acts. Not better or worse, just different paths to the artists they've become. But it's Mariah's experience in the studio that makes her craftsmanship there more superior to so many others. "My All", for example, is more multifaceted and richer in colour than most rock critics can ever assess. And what make Mariah above those cheap arguments you hear from people who don't know any better? It's actually her reluctance to live performance that grew her fanbase, because it's an ingredient that makes her *artistic message*. Aretha's is the expression of human ambition for spiritual renewal. Judy Garland's was about exhausting perseverance through innate pain exhorted by others. Whitney's was about concealing simmering tension beneath precision. Barbra Streisand's is about revitalizing tradition. And finally Mariah's ethos is about self acceptance and finding comfort in the path to overcoming insecurities. And this is a message that she's been able to author herself through her lyrics, and one that, in a way, we all identify with (as experienced listeners of her message) and why we are all on this website.
(Sunday 1 July 2018; 19:10)
Re: Janet at the BBMAs (82,499) (82,505) by CDC from CA
I didn't watch the show but a friend of a friend was at the MGM Grand that night who is a casual Janet fan and during Janet's set, on "Nasty" when she yelled "what's my name y'all" - the correct response as according to the song was "Miss Jackson if ya nasty" - but instead everyone yelled back "Janet". Lol.
But anyways Janet's flaccid numbers in the UK certainly doesn't rescind her influence in the broader picture. And we shouldn't adorn the Icon award with more clout than it actually has. It's an advertising tool and nothing less. They created the "Millennium Award" for Beyonce. If Mariah wanted to, they could very well hand her her own "Mariah Carey Slenderest Butterfly Award" if she agreed to show up to the live show and sing Hero.
(Wednesday 23 May 2018; 05:55)
Re: Janet (82,350) (82,351) by CDC from CA
Well one might counter your sentiments on Janet with the idea that the Billboard Awards are an American product, and that the main prerequisite to qualify for the Icon Award is a long presence on the Billboard charts, which Janet has been. That, and a quiet quid pro quo PR campaign that'll ensure the recipient's participation in the ceremony. Not to keep backbiting Jennifer Lopez, but she really is the only stain on the Icon award roll call. Stevie Wonder, Prince, Cher... and Jennifer Lopez? Yikes. In terms of establishment recognition, I'd be more enthusiastic if Mariah were to be qualified for something like the Rock Hall of Fame, in which instance some of her artifacts (butterfly rings, bedazzled microphones, Christmas suits, Rainbow two piece) would be exhibited.
(Wednesday 9 May 2018; 00:43)
Re: Janet wins Icon BBMA (82,335) (82,349) by CDC from CA
I think Janet is very deserving. Even overdue for this type of recognition. 2015 would've been a good year to give it to Mariah (her silver jubilee), as she even performed that year and announced that it was her first return to the BBMAs in nearly two decades and even presented a mini video tribute. And had Idina Menzel present her who is one of the most perfect human beings. But the year prior they gave it to J.Lo so my guess is that Mariah didn't see the worth in that award anymore. So they didn't give the award to anyone that year.
(Tuesday 8 May 2018; 21:26)
Re: MET Gala (82,341) (82,345) by CDC from CA
I believe she was to attend in 2008 with Andre Leon Talley, but pulled out at the last minute because of her surprise wedding. Before 2009 the MET Gala wasn't as much of a tabloid extravaganza and given how prominent Mariah is in the New York social scene, she very well might have attended one of the earlier iterations of the MET Gala. But as a spectator, the celebrity turn out has been dwindling over the last few years and even huge names like Amy Schumer have said how much of a burden attending is.
(Tuesday 8 May 2018; 19:14)
Always Be My Baby plus other classics? (81,009) by CDC from CA
It really looks like ABMB has entered the upper tier of bullet proof Mariah classics. It's gotten so much love in the last decade. What are the songs that worldwide consensus has determined are Mariah's classics? The songs that anyone in the world would recognize as a classic that extends beyond Mariah's fanbase and holds up to the catalogue of any other artist? All I Want for Christmas Is You, Hero and Without You are default classics and in my experience of attending Mariah Carey concerts the two songs (besides Hero) that always excites the most crowd participation are ABMB and I'll Be There (which I've always enjoyed hearing everyone sing the original MTV Unplugged inflections over Mariah's live ad-libbing).
Here is my list of Mariah's most recognized songs in relative order based on humble biased subjective opinion, charts and YouTube anecdotal evidence (TV show covers):
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Hero
Without You
Always Be My Baby
We Belong Together
I'll Be There
Fantasy
Emotions
Vision of Love
My All
Heartbreaker
(Sunday 18 February 2018; 05:30)
Re: If we take our blinders off for a minute (80,866) (80,870) by CDC from CA
Well, brazen rip offs have been the bedrock of music since Homo Sapiens pounded two rocks together in a deliberately timed sequence. So listen, appropriation in music is not new or unique to one artist and hardly Mariah Carey. Chuck Berry is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and can anyone name a single Chuck Berry song that isn't derivative of a musical phrase that existed before? Paul McCartney and John Lennon have spoken about lifting and modulating existing chords from every which kind of source one can imagine - from earlier rock and pop, to classical, to obscure experimental. This is just apart of the makeup of being a writer or even just someone with creative ideas. I've studied and worked in creative fields and I've always been encouraged to "copy" because to "copy" is to learn from and improve on. Which is why a lot of the legal recourse in intellectual property protection for the creative arts are problematic. Mariah finding a written lyric by somebody else and wiping original writer's name replacing it with her own proves malicious intent and therefore plagiarism.
Mariah reworking, updating and modulating a bubbly disco song buoyed by strings and STAX horns - with new gospel organ and new jack swing keyboard tones and pauses focusing her upper register is musical quotation. BTW if you look hard enough in, say, Duke Ellington's catalogue I'm sure you'd find where the writers of "Best of My Love" found their inspiration for that song.
But the conversation about musical quotation vs. plagiarism is a footnote in most of the best writers' careers. Mariah has 30+ years of material and some of her best lyrics are ones that only a fraction of her regular audience or plagiarism accusers care to discover. So a focus on lawsuits and settlements is moot. Bottom line is that she writes music that has resonated with people in every continent. Adopted as anthems for some. And thats what should be the point of focus when scrutinizing her songwriting credentials. Just some listening material to close:
Mariah Carey - Melt Away (1995)
*NSYNC - It's Gonna Be Me (2000)
(Thursday 8 February 2018; 19:32)
Songwriters hall of fame snub (80,842) by CDC from CA
How upsetting that in the year in which the floodgates were opened for women's rights in the entertainment business not a single woman was on the inductee list. Well done for Jermaine Dupri but, really? His biggest hits were really Mariah hits so they should have pulled it together and put her in. Putting them both in would have been a nice, if even a cleaver suspect gesture. I guess in black and white terms Jermaine has had more hip hop credibility and that was the narrative of inclusion the voting body wanted to convey but really... his catalogue is 50% time stamped mild hip hop r&b fusion and 50% Mariah. As an inductee he better pull his weight and get the voting body to induct Mariah next year.
(Wednesday 7 February 2018; 03:17)
Mimi at the Superbowl (80,810) by CDC from CA
I think since Mariah isn't a typical half time artist, she would need a whole bunch of pyrotechnics and gimmicks for it to be show-stopping. This is a strictly timed performance so she'll have to leave her cabaret style diva banter at home. So in my head this would be Mariah's Superbowl setlist:
Emotions with vocal exercise intro (a la "Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour")
Fantasy
Touch My Body (Jack McBrayer cameo)
Obsessed (somehow integrate a "Mean Girls" reunion with Lindsay Lohan, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried and Rachel McAdams)
#Beautiful
Heartbreaker remix/album version (Jay-Z appearance)
Jay-Z sings his mini setlist
We Belong Together condensed version
Hero with local choir dedicated to US veterans
She then surprises everyone with an iTunes takeover and a new album, sells one hundred million copies first week, is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, wins Nobel Peace Prize, is elected first female President of the United States.
(Tuesday 6 February 2018; 03:06)
Re: Mariah/Celine/Whitney: No nom for Hall of Fame (78,666) (78,668) by CDC from CA
I believe it can happen for Mariah Whitney and Janet, but Celine - not much hope there. Just not enough credibility in that community. Even though I never gave the RRHOF much clout and believe its losing relevance as time goes on, it would be nice for some of Mariah's famous items to be exhibited in a museum, like her Merry Christmas jumpsuit and the spray painted Rainbow album cover tank and bottoms. The issue is that there really isn't much of a precedent for Mariah's induction. Other than the poor Donna Summer, to whom they dangled the prospect of induction right above her nose for years and then finally did it the year after she died. So tacky. And just looking at previous nominations lists, the RRHOF reserve only one spot on the ballot for a solo female act. So if they let Janet and Whitney in first, then Mariah's chances should look good and it might be more palatable to some of those angry rock purists who would prefer that more one-note/one-hit-wonder conventional rock bands be acknowledged for half the accomplishments of a Mariah-type. But who knows how long that will take, so let's let Cher, Patti LaBelle, Dolly Parton, Chaka Khan and other pre-Reagan era women, who've waited even longer, have their moment first. Now if that forever rumoured Hip Hop Hall of Fame can get off its feet, then I would join a voracious online campaign to help get Mariah noticed.
(Friday 6 October 2017; 19:59)
Re: Met gala (61,785) (61,797) by CDC from CA
I remember reading somewhere years back that she was going to attend in 2008 with Andre Leon Talley, but cancelled at the last minute because of conflicts with her own surprise wedding a few days earlier. I know Mariah's home base is New York, but I think it's just a simple matter of her being out of town when it takes place. Or that too many enemies attend each year (Mottola, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, etc.) that maybe she'd like to avoid.
(Tuesday 3 May 2016; 17:52)
New Christmas Melody clip via EW (57,968) by CDC from CA
I know we should all wait for the final product before making presumptuous critiques but I just cannot stop loling at that new clip of Mariah and Lacey Chabert in A Christmas Melody. Let us start with: This is a scene in which two people are talking. At no point in the scene does the camera pan out to a wider screen shot to show that two people are talking. Post 2000 Mariah Careymusic video requisite glamour shot compilation kinda tease. Also, does anyone else notice that the Mariah shots are little differently from the Lacey shots? Mariah's is softer, and almost glows more, and Lacey's is just... regular. Which means that Mariah either changed the lens to film herself, or her scenes were edited afterwards. I'll stop until I see the full movie but I am in tears cackling at this scene. It'll probably do well in ratings but I think its fate will at very best land in camp territory, or as a package filled with new additions to the Mariah Carey meme canon (its rightful place as a Mariah Carey vanity project).
(Wednesday 25 November 2015; 3:41)
Re: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (57,159) (57,162) by CDC from CA
I've been seeing some articles predicting this years Rock Hall nominees, and Mariah was among almost all of them. To think that Mariah was going to be a first ballot shoo-in was unrealistic, there simply are no precedents to indicate a Mariah Carey induction. Donna Summer is one that comes to mind, but she wasn't considered until years after her initial eligibility date. And when she died, they finally put her through (surprise, surprise). Whitney was considered the first year she was eligible, but they passed. There were rumblings of her induction the year she died (I was one who thought Clive Davis' strong connections could pull it off), but I guess the Hall didn't want to seem conformist to the hoopla of mass media. But anyways I think we should stop giving things like the Rock Hall so much meaning. It's just another award once you think about it. Some get them and some don't, either way you just gotta move on. Some of the greatest pop performers in history have absolutely zero chance of even having their photograph hung on a wall in that museum (Sinatra, Streisand, Garland, Fitzgerald, Crosby). And lest we forget leathery divas like Cher, Warwick, Labelle, Parton, Cline, whose careers predate Mariah's birth, and yet are still excluded from the museum. I've seen the list of inductees over the past few years, and there are only a handful of acts that seem exciting, so my prediction is that in the coming years they'll start putting in more pop acts to drive ticket sales. I really think the presence of the Santa leotard or Fantasy roller-skates or the Heartbreaker knit crop top, or the endless memorabilia from Mariah's storied career will excite viewer attraction much more than, say, a battered guitar from a B-list "rock" group or a wrinkled piece of hand written lyric by some uncharted singer-songwriter.
(Thursday 8 October 2015; 17:49)
About holiday projects (57,154) by CDC from CA
To sum it up for those who are confused: Mariah is working on two Christmas themed movies. The first is currently in production for the Hallmark channel. For this film, Mariah acts as both the director and star. As noted in the tidbit of information provided by the Hallmark channel in a preview of their 2015 holiday programming lineup, the story concerns a young girl in a new town struggling to write a Christmas song. Mariah will play her music teacher. TMZ released a report stating that Mariah will not appear as an actor, however the Hallmark channel confirmed that she is, directly responding to TMZ via twitter. How much gravitas Mariah's role is in relation to the bulk of the film, well, we'll just have to wait until mid November once the Hallmark holiday lineup begins. The second of the two Christmas movies will be a feature film distributed by New Line Cinema. This film will be financed and produced by Brett Ratner's production company Ratpack Entertainment. Absolutely nothing is known of the script, screenwriter, actors, production involvement, etc. All that is currently known has been revealed by Mariah herself at the time the film was sold to its backing studio: that Mariah's physical presence will not be seen on screen, but rather referred or implied through her music. No date of production or premiere has been released. Two projects of different formats, stories, and people in involvement, but both about Christmas and Mimi.
(Thursday 8 October 2015; 7:12)
If any NBC executives happen to be reading this (55,534) by CDC from CA
Just saw that Mary J and Latifah are cast in The Wiz remake. Wouldn't Mariah be the absolute perfect person to play Glinda the Good Witch? The role that Lena Horne played in the film. It's a small role (more like a cameo, really) but has the biggest song in the film, "If You Believe". Who better than Mariah, the queen of second-person narrated inspirational songs, to fill Lena's shoes?
(Thursday 30 July 2015; 5:24)
Billy from Greece / Ryan Adams (39,437) by CDC from CA
He's told that story quite a few times, and he tweeted Mariah about that a few months ago. He's shown himself to be quite a fan of Mariah's actually. He's written about her music a few times and seems to really enjoy Mariah's music, even her recent output. He is also married to Mandy Moore, who has also referred to Mariah as an inspiration many many times.
(Friday 11 October 2013; 2:43)
2013 Mariah, part 2 (39,122) by CDC from CA
On Diana Ross: They sure don't make 'em like that anymore. If anyone has the chance, take a look at Diana in the 1970's. She really was the first diva of goddess like proportions. There was no greater star. My previous post was to point out how much Mariah has become more known for her public persona than her music. I'm almost confident that most young people would respond to the name "Mariah Carey" with a finger wave and a screeching high note, rather than humming the tune of #Beautiful.
(Wednesday 28 August 2013; 3:20)
2013 Mariah (39,112) by CDC from CA
Was anyone here alive during the 1980's? I was dusting off some of my old 80's cassette tapes, which got me thinking about the stars of that period, and their modern-day parallels. I remember my parents being mammoth fans of Frank Sinatra, but I considered him archaic and insignificant while I blasted my Madonna and Culture Club records on my plastic boom box. Does anyone feel that this is how The Beatles are perceived by the Bieber-Rihanna generation? Lady GaGa is an obvious hybrid of Madonna, who, in her glory days, was not only the mascot to teen wannabes, but also was quite brassy in pushing her music as "art". Then I got to thinking about Mariah. From what I've put together, Mariah is seen as the Diana Ross figure of the new millennium music industry. The veteran diva whose presence (and fanfare it generates) towers above everyone else. An uber-trendsetter in her day whose influence is well embedded in the young-ins. Has grown progressively catty towards the current chart forces. In the 80's, Diana Ross was still among pop elite, though her musical output was largely uneventful. Does anyone else see these similarities?
(Tuesday 27 August 2013; 1:18)

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