Madonna and Mariah plan Jackson tribute album

Madonna, Beyonce Knowles and Mariah Carey are planning a Michael Jackson tribute album.

A host of the biggest music stars in the world are keen to acknowledge the late 'Billie Jean' singer's contribution to pop by recording versions of his tracks for a new charity album.

Robbie Williams, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross have also been linked to the LP, as has British schoolboy Shaheen Jafargholi - who was hand-picked to appear at last month's memorial concert for Michael, who died of a suspected cardiac arrest in June.

A source said: "The idea came from the memorial concert. Many fans asked if cover versions from it would be released, and it seemed a wonderful idea.

"This covers album is sure to be a massive worldwide hit with fans and could raise a fortune for Michael's favourite charities."

The assembled stars will pick their favourite tracks by the 'King of Pop' to cover. It is believed Mariah will reprise her version of 'I'll Be There' from the memorial, while Shaheen will sing his version of 'Who's Loving You'. He has also reportedly been asked to record Michael's early smash 'Ben'.

Robbie is apparently being lined up to sing 'Man In The Mirror', and other tracks expected to be on the album include 'Rock With You', 'She's Out Of My Life' and 'Bad'.

A tribute concert to Michael is also being planned in London - where he had been due to play 50 shows starting this summer and running into 2010 - on the date of what would have been his 51st birthday, August 29.

Mariah Carey takes entourage to Cannes Film Festival

Mariah Carey has paid for her entourage to attend the Cannes Film Festival.

The 'Touch My Body’ singer – who is renowned for her diva-like behaviour – was told there were not enough free tickets for her staff to attend the prestigious event and see her new movie 'Precious’.

Rather than be separated from her team, Mariah shelled out for a number of exclusive passes to ensure they could all go together.

A source told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: 'Mariah’s really close with her team and couldn’t bear the thought of a couple of people not being able to come, so she paid for it out of her pocket. That’s virtually unheard of in the celebrity world.'

The 39-year-old singer, who plays a dowdy social worker in 'Precious’, revealed she is overwhelmed by how well the film has been received.

She said: 'The only reactions from fans who have seen the trailer and twittered me have said the movie’s amazing.'

Mariah – who married Nick Cannon last year – insists her fans and loved-ones are not put off by her plain appearance in the film.

She explained: 'No one has said, 'Girl, I can’t believe you are with those dark circles under your eyes and wearing a wig and looking nasty.’

"My husband's response was over-the-top supportive and amazing. It was not like 'I cannot believe you let yourself look like that in the movie.' "

Mariah Carey

The best-selling female performer of the 1990s, Mariah Carey rose to superstardom on the strength of her stunning five-octave voice; an elastic talent who moved easily from glossy ballads to hip-hop-inspired dance-pop, she earned frequent comparison to rivals Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, but did them both one better by composing all of her own material. Born in Long Island, NY, on March 27, 1970, Carey moved to New York City at the age of 17 -- just one day after graduating high school -- to pursue a music career; there she befriended keyboardist Ben Margulies, with whom she began writing songs. Her big break came as a backing vocalist on a studio session with dance-pop singer Brenda K. Starr, who handed Carey's demo tape to Columbia Records head Tommy Mottola at a party. According to legend, Mottola listened to the tape in his limo while driving home that same evening, and was so immediately struck by Carey's talent that he doubled back to the party to track her down.

After signing to Columbia, Carey entered the studio to begin work on her 1990 self-titled debut LP; the heavily promoted album was a chart-topping smash, launching no less than four number one singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." Her overnight success earned Grammy awards as Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist, and expectations were high for Carey's follow-up, 1991's Emotions. The album did not disappoint, as the title track reached number one -- a record fifth consecutive chart-topper -- while both "Can't Let Go" and "Make It Happen" landed in the Top Five. Carey's next release was 1992's MTV Unplugged EP, which generated a number one cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There." Featured on the track was backup singer Trey Lorenz, whose appearance immediately helped him land a recording contract of his own.

In June 1993, Carey wed Mottola -- some two decades her senior -- in a headline-grabbing ceremony; months later she released her third full-length effort, Music Box, her best-selling record to date. Two more singles, "Dreamlover" and "Hero," reached the top spot on the charts. Carey's first tour followed and was widely panned by critics; undaunted, she resurfaced in 1994 with a holiday release titled Merry Christmas, scoring a seasonal smash with "All I Want for Christmas Is You." 1995's Daydream reflected a new artistic maturity; the first single, "Fantasy," debuted at number one, making Carey the first female artist and just the second performer ever to accomplish the feat. The follow-up, "One Sweet Day" -- a collaboration with Boyz II Men -- repeated the trick, and remained lodged at the top of the charts for a record 16 weeks.

After separating from Mottola, Carey returned in 1997 with Butterfly, another staggering success and her most hip-hop-flavored recording to date. 1's -- a collection featuring her 13 previous chart-topping singles as well as "The Prince of Egypt (When You Believe)," a duet with Whitney Houston effectively pairing the two most successful female recording artists in pop history -- followed late the next year. With "Heartbreaker," the first single from her 1999 album Rainbow, Carey became the first artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s; the record also pushed her ahead of the Beatles as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop the Hot 100 singles chart.

However, the early 2000s weren't as kind to Carey. After signing an 80-million-dollar deal in 2001 with Virgin -- the biggest record contract ever -- she experienced a very public personal and professional meltdown that included rambling; suicidal messages on her website; an appearance on TRL where, clad only in a T-shirt, she handed out Popsicles to the audience; and last but not least, the poorly received movie Glitter and its attendant soundtrack (which was also her Virgin Records debut). Both the film and the album did poorly critically as well as commercially, with Glitter making just under four million dollars in its total U.S. gross and the soundtrack struggling to make gold sales. Following these setbacks, Virgin and Carey parted ways early in 2002, with the label paying her 28 million dollars. That spring, she found a new home with Island/Def Jam, where she set up her own label, MonarC Music. In December, she released her ninth album, Charmbracelet, which failed to become a success. Although she took nearly three years for a follow-up, Carey found a hit with 2005's chart-topping The Emancipation of Mimi, her most successful record in years. Released by Island Records, the album climbed to multi-platinum status and earned Carey a Grammy Award, thus restoring her status as a megastar in the R&B arena. Two weeks before the release of her subsequent album, E=MC², Carey scored her eighteenth number-one hit with "Touch My Body", a feat that pushed her into second place (past Elvis, no less) amongst all aritsts with the most chart-topping singles. The well-timed accomplished also increased the public's appetite for E=MC², which arrived in April 2008.

http://www.askmen.com/women/singer/4_mariah_carey.html
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0001014/bio
http://www.mariahcareysite.com/album.htm