British morning talk show host, Kate Garraway, gave an interview to New! magazine about Mariah Carey's recent appearance on GMTV. Garraway says, "While Mariah was very nice, the amount of people she had in her entourage was hilarious." Garray adds, "Oh, and she brought her own toilet roll as well."
 
According to Kate, Carey's inner circle "outnumbered the GMTV crew," which included two people whose job it was to lower the singer onto the sofa on set. To ensure that the Precious star didn't take a tumble, one person walked in front of her and one followed close behind.

A rep for the pop star dismissed the interview as a "clear, gross exaggeration" and adds, "Kate got in shortly afterwards and the place was abuzz with what had happened. It was not so much Mariah, as she points out--but her entourage."

This interview, of course, follows the recent claim that Mariah demanded one hundred white kittens for a recent public appearance. To be fair, she's single-handedly keeping butterfly confetti-making companies in business.

Gallery Info: Mariah Carey promo shots.

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Who doesn't?  Especially when you have Mariah money!

Mariah Carey, who thinks that recession is something that only affects Nick Cannon's hairline, recently spent ₤750,000 (about $1.2 mil for you Ameri-yes-we-cans) in four days in London.

Mimi was rolling in style, with first-class flights, the entire top floor of The Dorchester, rented Rolls-Royce AND Bentley (it's like wearing the same dress twice, right?), and most importantly, a huge to-do at Jalouse nightclub to promote her new album, "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel."

I won't get into the specifics of this cheap little affair (so you won't choke on your delicious Sunday brunch; this is a recession and eggs aren't cheap!), but homegirl wanted a diamond-encrusted ice bucket for her VIP area.  Ok, but were there kittens?  I thought not!  Lame!

That's life in the Butterfly Kingdom, I guess.

Gallery info: Mariah Carey at the very same album launch party at Jalouse nightclub in London.

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We told you about Mariah Carey's holiday kitten catastrophe yesterday. We'll this is what the event looked like without the kittens. Paper butterflies and a stick with a star on it. Lame.

I would have gone for the kittens.

Gallery Info: Mariah Carey illuminates the Westfield Shopping Centre Christmas lights on November 19, 2009 in London

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A lover of all things "festive," Mariah Carey is raising eyebrows again with rumors of over-the-top demands for a recent appearance at the Westfield complex in West London. The singer turned up at a splashy event to turn on holiday lights with the wave of a giant sparkly wand.

However, the Daily Mail claims that one of Carey's requirements for the big event was that 20 white kittens and 100 doves be present. While organizers were able to find the right model of car for the singer, despite the fact that the request changed six times, obtaining the animals proved too difficult a task.

A source claims, "In the end, it was made clear that due to health and safety, there was no way we could have the animals at Westfield." Perhaps she thinks Rihanna is somehow preventing her from having her snowy, white cats, somehow and that is the source of their supposed feud?

Gallery Info: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon leave Hotel George V, while visiting Paris to promote her new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel.

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Flashing a big smile to fans just outside the studios of X-Factor in London, Mariah Carey, has been hard at work promoting her new album, Memories of an Imperfect Angel, and in the process has been reinventing the music industry as we know it. It's clear that the bubbly singer has always known that the personal touch is invaluable, but an interview with the Times Online reveals that the singer is far more shrewd than her bouncy, dew-covered image would indicate.

Of the recording industry, Mariah laments, "They gave the music business away on the internet. If they had just sat back and said, 'Maybe let's figure this internet thing out, it could be something cool,' we could have found a way to distribute music online on our own terms, not somebody else's."

Keeping that in mind, Mariah has been very calculating in her marketing efforts across various markets--selling all kinds of products that tie in with her music. Most notably, the singer collaborated with Elle to produce an all-Mariah issue that will be included with all purchases of her new CD.

"People look at my image and they see, oh, the curly hair and the little tight black dress. Tra-la-la." Carey sing-songs. Yeah, tra-la-la all the way to the bank.

Gallery Info: Mariah Carey greets fans in London and signs autographs as she leaves the X Factor and was joined by husband Nick Cannon leaving the Dorchester Hotel in a black Rolls Royce Phantom.

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Jasmine Dotiwala tells the Daily Mail that 12 years ago, she interviewed Mariah Carey for an MTV special and a friendship developed from that encounter that has spanned over a decade.

The British reporter claims that after that first meeting, Mimi asked for Jasmine's phone number and the two have remained in contact. Ever since, Mariah regularly pops by Dotiwala's apartment if she happens to be in London. Dotiwala is even mentioned her friend in her single, "Betcha Gon Know," when she says in the first line, "I fell asleep on Jasmine's sofa."

She describes the series of rumors that describe the singer as high-maintenance as "the myth of the Diva Mariah" and asserts that Carey is anything but a diva. According to Jasmine, "She is far from blase about her lavish lifestyle. Despite her riches, she still views the world with wonderment."

Jasmine also recounts a story in which she was out with Carey, who signed an autograph for a fan and then proceeded to give a second signature, when she was informed that she'd misspelled the individual's name. Her longtime friend adds, "I've often been impressed by her eagerness to embrace everyday experiences; the more prosaic, the better."

Of course, this all begs the question: How can I get in on some Mariah friendship action? We can go swim with the dolphins together and take a milk and cookie break if we get tired.

Gallery Info: Mariah Carey greets fans and signs autographs as she leaves her London hotel.

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Lee Daniels' perspective is wider and greater than mine could ever approach.  He saw something in Mariah Carey (the actress) and decided she should play the mustached, homely social worker in his highly buzzed film of the season, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.

In a recent post-screening interview Carey revealed a few things that seemed given as well as a surprise or two. 

As one would expect, Mariah admits she takes the label of "Diva" as a compliment, considering it a title of status as well as a state of mind: "My mother is an opera singer... So she was very much the diva...and she's fabulous. I would meet these people and they would always be just so talented and amazing... You could be the diva of cupcakes...it doesn't matter."

She also outlaid the challenges of embracing her role in Daniels' film, which involved kissing her vanity goodbye: "They put some nice red stuff under my eyes and the little mustache and it was so pretty. I had to really let go..."  Letting go, it appears, has paid off, as both Daniels and the film's producer, Oprah Winfrey have commended Carey for abandoning her usual glamour and looks to uphold the integrity of the character and the film.  To boot, high compliments came to her from legendary actor Sidney Poitier, who told Carey, "he almost didn't recognize [her] in the movie," referring of course to her acting.

The unexpected bit of the interview came when Carey revealed that the character she sympathized with most in Precious was the protagonist, herself:  "I always felt like an outsider when I was growing up. It's very difficult when you come from an interracial family... My mom didn't really know how to do my hair. Her hair is naturally straight. We didn't have a lot of money. It was difficult. What she went through nobody should go through. I've had certain situations that I wouldn't talk about in public ever, except maybe when I write my memoirs someday."

Sounds utterly grown-up from a woman who claims she is eternally a preteen in her heart: "I am still not a grown-up," she declares. "I refuse to grow up. I'm eternally 12. And you can write that next to my age."

I'll admit, I saw Glitter, and all I have to say is I should have have never said never, 'cause come December I'll be paying money to see Mariah Carey... act.

Gallery Info:  Mariah Carey arrives at the Four Seasons hotel in Milan

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Critical reviews of the independent film darling, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, have earned the film high praise at both Cannes and the Toronto Film Festival, along with an endorsement by talk show host, Oprah Winfrey.

However, there was concern that the movie's dark subject matter wouldn't be able able to lure movie goers into theaters. With Precious earning an average of $100,000 from 18 screens in four cities, the future of the Lee Daniels-directed film looks anything but grim.

But then again, it has Mariah Carey in a mustache, which is hard--if not impossible--to pass up.

Gallery Info: Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon and Gabourey Sidibe visit David Letterman's talk show in New York City.

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Mariah Carey's deglamorization for the movie Precious was extremely hard for the sexy singer. Her character as the weary, Rayon-clad, make-up free, mustache-wearing, bags-under-the-eyes social worker was one tough transformation. Director Lee Daniels said "I could see her hands shaking" as he makeup went on, Daniels told the L.A. Times.

The Culture Vulture rounded up some of Mariah's best quotes regarding her look, here are some of the best:

- "They totally changed me. I didn't want to look in the mirror. It was beyond dressing down because Lee Daniels loved to torture me. He really wanted me to not just look plain, he wanted me to look homely. That was his goal. He wanted a mustache and an under-the-eye thing and the bad hair. Now I see why he wanted it because people didn't recognize me and he didn't want me to take people out of the movie because they were seeing Mariah Carey." [Parade]

- "Somebody who does makeup for me said this is a Mariah Carey nightmare. 'You have everything that you hate going on right now.'" [LAT]

- "They added some [expletive] to my face. I'm not even a hairy person ... Lee wanted an extreme look. He wanted ultra-real. I represent the audience pretty much. Mary or Precious might not see her as a welcome friend. But she really does have good intentions." [USAT]

Mariah can't stay unglamorous for long. Mariah Carey is seen here filming her latest Music Video "H.A.T.E.U." at The Standard Hotel in New York, New York on November 6, 2009.

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