MERRY CHRISTMAS II YOU ALBUM SALES CHART
Billboard Hot 200 Album Trajectory: 04-12-22-28-12-16
Week 1: #4 - 55,447 (55,490) Nov 12
Week 2: #12 - 32,986 (88,476) Nov 19
Week 3: #22 - 35,308 (123,784) Nov 26
Week 4: #28 - 41,575 (165,359) Dec 1 *Rockefeller Performance shown Nov 29th
Week 5: #12 - 64,676 (230,035) Dec 7
Week 6: #16 - 59,469 (289,504) Dec 14 *ABC Christmas Special aired Dec 13th
Back atop the charts, her way
Mariah Carey became the butt of jokes after she was dropped by her label in 2002. "Mimi" is emancipated now, and a Grammy nod is possible. The photographers were screaming for Mariah Carey on Tuesday night the way they used to. They jostled to catch her eye backstage at the Billboard Music Awards, and she vamped and smiled while holding a metal bouquet - she had won five awards, more than any other artist, and she was clearly thrilled.Then she looked down at her wrists. The weight of the trophies had left red lines up and down her inner forearms. Later, away from the crowd, in her suite atop the MGM Grand Hotel, she rubbed her arms at the memory. "I can't give them anything to use against me," she said. "Someone, somewhere might see marks on my arms and the next day the world hears that I tried to kill myself or that I'm getting tied up. That is how it is for me now."
It is a wonderful and scary time to be Mariah Carey. While the Billboard awards are driven by sales, today, when the nominations are announced for the 48th annual Grammy Awards, the quality of her work will be on the line. If Carey, 35, picks up major nominations, it will be an acknowledgment of a career comeback that rivals any in pop music history.
She calls her recent run a "beautiful dream", but she's also barely removed from a career nightmare. Almost four years ago, EMI's Virgin Records famously fired Carey and paid a reported $28 million to do it. And at the time, it seemed like a good deal. Carey had become famous for bizarre public behavior and sinking album sales, and for starring in one of the year's most ridiculed films, "Glitter".
If there was any chance to escape the aura of disaster surrounding her, it ended when the "Glitter" soundtrack album hit stores on Sept. 11, 2001. Carey's personal collapse was such a matter of public jeering that the rapper Eminem, with whom she had a brief fling, chose to begin his arena concerts by piping in snippets of tearful phone messages she had left begging him to return her calls.
Then there were whispers of a nervous breakdown and suicide attempt. "I never tried to kill myself; that is a lie," she said. "I'm too afraid of God to do that. I'm a spiritual person. The songs I write, the messages in them - how could I turn around and try to take my life? And by slashing my wrists? Please. I would never give up on life."
She has the most played song of the year, "We Belong Together", and the second-bestselling CD, "The Emancipation of Mimi", a reference to her new sense of freedom and the nickname her friends still use for her. At midyear, she became the first act since the Beatles to have the No. 1 and No. 2 songs on American radio in the same week. In recent weeks, she circled the globe - London, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas - to collect awards and a measure of satisfaction.
"I'm not going to miss a moment of this," she said as she munched a late dinner that would make a starlet waif shudder: French fries and chicken strips, washed down with a flute of Cristal Champagne. "A celebratory splash," she said. "I have a lot to celebrate."
Carey's comeback arc can be viewed as a tale of personal redemption or as another lesson in the mercurial nature of the music business. There have been many pop comebacks before, but Carey's is most comparable to Frank Sinatra's tumble to the career carpet in the late 1940s and his mid-1950s return to grace. Like Carey, Sinatra's fall was met with glee in many quarters, and he was written off despite his world-famous voice.
"Like Sinatra, Mariah has a voice for the ages," said L.A. Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group, which includes Island Records, where Carey's comeback has taken place. "I never doubted that she would have success again. With that instrument, it's just a matter of getting the right music and the right moment."
Reid's longshot bet on Carey was shared by his corporate boss, Doug Morris, chairman of Universal Music Group. Her CD has been a commercial sensation for Universal Music, selling 4.2 million copies in the U.S. since its release in April, and tour plans are forming for next year. According to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, since her debut album in 1990, more than 150 million Carey albums have shipped.
Her music career began with a demo album that caught the ear of Tommy Mottola, then chief of Sony Music Entertainment. He signed her to Sony's Columbia Records, where she became noticed immediately for her extraordinary vocal range. In 1990, at the 33rd annual Grammy Awards, Carey won two Grammys, including best new artist. With 16 No. 1 hits, she has a record that trails only Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
She's had a writing hand in much of her music, including a co-writing credit on every song on "Emancipation". Still, she says, "Most people don't even know I write songs." Despite her commercial triumphs, she has found peer recognition hard to recapture - since that initial Grammy splash, she's not won another.
One reason for the chilly shoulder may have been Carey's reputation as a kept canary. She found success under the wing of Mottola, who shaped her as a singer similar to Celine Dion, known for epic material and melodramatic sweep. (Carey and Mottola ended their five-year marriage in an acrimonious and public divorce in 1998 that she finds difficult to discuss.)
Carey says that during the years with Mottola she longed to act on her creative impulses toward soul and hip-hop music. It wasn't an option those around her wanted to explore. Instead, she says, she was counseled to not only bury any hip-hop sound but to also avoid discussion of her African American roots. Even in the afterglow of this year and this night, those troubles seem to haunt her. Carey plopped down on the couch in her 61st-floor suite, pulled off her sparkly heels and grew reflective. Playing on her iPod in the corner was the Aretha Franklin music that she grew up loving.
"When I was a kid I felt like a misfit and an outcast because of my [biracial] heritage and the way people made me feel about it," the native New Yorker said, referring to the days when she could walk on neither side of her family and feel completely comfortable. "In my music - in the days when I was being told what to do, if you know what I mean - I was told to push all of that even further down, and it tore me up."
Now that sound is anything but hidden. The new album's dance-floor slink and urban inflections speak to her true music heart, she says. Unlike the days when she sang huge, soaring ballads, the new album finds its core in songs of resilience - the hit "Shake It Off", for one, has her shedding a bad-news lover.
But Carey's return took more than her own voice. She also needed a new manager and found one in Benny Medina. He had worked with Jennifer Lopez and Brandy and found success with both, but he also saw each of those relationships end in legal squabbles. Medina was wary of Carey. He had been watching TV like everyone else.
"I didn't know what to think. But she was smart: She invited me to a show to hear her sing - the concert was in Las Vegas - and I was amazed by watching her perform," he said. "I also had plenty of ideas about different ways to do things. If you have Billie Holiday, you don't need to put on a Cher show."
She also found a producer in Jermaine Dupri, who wanted to bring her studio work closer to the street. Hers is a hybrid sound that melds R&B melody with hip-hop breakbeat and pairs smoky singers with rap stars. Now Carey's CD, in addition to being one of the year's biggest hits and her "declaration of independence", represents the dominant trend in R&B music today.
"Mariah helped invent this sound and doesn't get enough credit for it," said Dupri, who produced "Shake It Off" and "We Belong Together", as well as other hits off the new Carey CD. "She doesn't sound like anyone else. Now when you hear a song, it's a Mariah song, and that's hard to do these days."
Dupri has an interesting vantage point on Carey's return to form. As a producer and an urban music executive at Virgin, he has watched her story line from two very different sides. "I'm part of both worlds, and it's strange," Dupri said. "I'm a president at Virgin, where they spent this huge amount of money to get Mariah out of the building, and now to see what's happened - every time those songs come on, people at Virgin wince - and those songs come on a lot."
The most interesting facet of Carey's comeback may have presented itself to Reid in April, when he visited a record store in New Jersey and casually asked a clerk how the newly arrived Carey album was selling. The answer grabbed his attention. The clerk told him that the register had been busy ringing up the middle-school set.
"I never expected her to get new fans with this album; I didn't see that coming," he said. "The people buying this album are 11- and 12- and 13- and 14-year-old girls. I thought it would be like when Cher came back - the old fans would come back and embrace her. But here, Mariah's getting old fans and new ones too, and that has made this huge."
With that in mind, Carey has added record-store autograph sessions to her busy schedule. One of those in Hollywood last month shut down traffic, as the once and future diva visited the Virgin Megastore to autograph copies of "Emancipation". Later, she recounted how many of the youngest fans, some of whom had waited in line for 27 hours, told her that her new songs had helped them deal with broken hearts and broken homes.
"I've had people tell me that these songs make them not want to kill themselves. Can you imagine how happy that makes me?" She also had someone tell her the other day that she's the last true diva. "I took that as a huge compliment," said Carey, who went on to explain the fine art of ordering caviar in Monaco. ("You ask for caviar and then you pause [she pauses] and say 'be-luuu-ga'.") She went on to say, "I have fun with the diva stuff because I don't take myself seriously."
During the Billboard show, she was scampering around backstage from interview to interview, in a dress that was as short as possible. "I don't have to sit down - I cannot sit down in this dress," she said. Carey was surrounded by a ghetto-fabulous equivalent of a NASCAR pit crew: One person held a fan to cool her, a makeup artist dabbed at her cheeks, another stylist primped her amber-colored locks and another, without ceremony, tugged the back of her dress to keep it ready for prime time.
Her style has gotten increasingly sexually provocative after the Mottola years, which served up a more elegant, polished Carey. At the American Music Awards last month, Carey opened the show - barely. Arriving late, she was hurried to the stage as her handlers finished sewing her skimpy dress on. Carey admits she was worried that she was showing the nation a bit more than she planned.
Yet for all the talk of how scattered or strange or diva-like she had become, the Mariah Carey of this week was a model of serenity, whether on stage thanking the television audience or alone in her suite.If there's a dominating cultural current in the media of 2005, it's the nonstop delivery and dissection of celebrities. Few stars have felt that scalpel as cruelly as Carey.
"I never really felt famous until my fame was used against me," she said. "I never felt I was different than anybody else until I couldn't get away from anybody."
(Los Angeles Times)
On first listen in early November, I was fascinated how Mariah paid tribute to the grand story of The Nativity. I promised myself that if ever I got some time off and resources, I'll try to come up with a video. And here it is, premiering on YouTube.
The standard edition CD will be hitting the Asian stores in November 15th, Monday. Its Philippine release was also moved on that day to coincide with the regional release.
Mariah finds herself again in familiar territory taking the most downloads this week on iTunes Holiday Charts:
iTunes Store: Top 100 Christmas and Holiday Albums
1. Merry Christmas II You - Mariah Carey
2. Merry Christmas - Mariah Carey
3. Let It Snow! - EP - Michael Buble
4. The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection - EP - Taylor Swift
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered) - Vince Guaraldi Trio
iTunes Store: Top 100 Holiday and Christmas Songs
1. All I Want for Christmas Is You (Extra Festive)
2. All I Want for Christmas Is You 3. Oh Santa!
4. O Come All Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus feat Patricia Carey
5. Charlie Brown Christmas
5. Charlie Brown Christmas
6. Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)
8. The First Noel / Born Is the King (Interlude)
10. O Holy Night (Live from WPC In South Central Los Angeles)
13. When Christmas Comes
17. Christmas Time Is In the Air Again
18. O Little Town of Bethlehem / Little Drummer Boy (Medley)
19. One Child
25. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / Housetop Celebration
33. O Holy Night
37. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (Intro)
42. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
48. All I Want for Christmas Is You
Merry Christmas Track (1994)
Merry Christmas II You Track (2010)
Source: www.windpowersports.com
Albums Singles
This week, Mariah Carey will be releasing her brand new holiday album, 'Merry Christmas II You.' The singer is celebrating the spirit of the upcoming season with the recent premiere of her catchy single 'Oh Santa!', but she's also been getting festive in the kitchen. Carey has whipped up a special Christmas cookie recipe, which PopEater is exclusively debuting.
Mariah Carey's 'Merry Christmas II You' Cookies
Serves 4 dozen
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Cream butter, gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill for easy handling. Roll out dough to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into festive holiday shapes with floured cookie cutters. Bake on a cookie sheet in a preheated 350-degree (Fahrenheit) oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate with icing and green and red sprinkles.
Place cookies on a plate beside the Christmas tree with a tall glass of milk for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve!
Source: Popeater
The Today Show | Access Hollywood
The Announcement
The Interview: First Part
The Interview: Second Part
The Interview: Third Part
5/5 stars
On that beautiful sunny mornTing, I woke up to see the good tidings on the coming of the new holiday CD. I smiled, slowly stretched a bit, warmed my muscles, stood up, closed my eyes and started to play the CD. No, I’m not going back to sleep. I will be listening for the first time in 16 years, Mariah’s sequel to Merry Christmas aptly called Merry Christmas II You. This is my standard of giving my first listen to any new Mariah CD. It deserves a good 1-1.5 hours of taking me to fantasyland and back to a real musical enchantment.
And lo! I was forewarned before this first listen. Her album, for the first time, will contain lush strings and a full orchestra, and that ultimate piano ribs inflecting every track.Mariah for one thing evolved from creating an album as collection of songs to creating an album sequenced to bring stories delivered in an unsullied treat of superb musical production. Perfectionist that she is, she made sure that each track would flow perfectly to the next track courtesy of inspiring Interludes or musical arrangement. Top that with proficient songwriting skills peppered with words totally unheard of in any song. And she just goes through them as articulate and charmingly Mariah-ish. Anyway, only Mariah can sing one word in more than twenty notes scaling her famous five octaves.
And here comes the intro via Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The production is a new introduction to a wide range of genres that a Mariah Carey album explored. This time, it’s like Mariah would take us to go to the dreamy world of festive, fun and enthusiastic Christmas experience. Again. But in a whole new level.
Then her lead single fittingly follows the queue with Oh Santa! And you will know, it’s Christmas in October already. Well, kinda late for the Philippine tradition though as we start our Christmas in September. LOL. We can see that this track is bound to be a new future Christmas radio staple. Then, she goes earnest with crooning classic Christmas standards in O Little Town of Bethlehem/Little Drummer Boy. I was cheering for this track when it shifted from one song to another and hear the seamless weave. It just snugly fits in perfectly. And this Christmas song mashups will also appear on her duet with mom Patricia on Oh Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah – a rare musical treat as mom and daughter divinely exchanged vocal workouts that would soon soar to the heavens. Must be their way of thanking God for the gift of song genetically imprinted in them.
The way the album was sequenced takes you to an exciting journey of fun and festive moments to old soul groove (mood transition is stirringly mastered via The First Noel/Born is the King (Interlude) bouncing its way to introduce the groovy old soul vibe When Christmas Comes) then back to delight your ears with cheerful songs (Here Comes Santa Claus, Charlie Brown Christmas) culminating to bring back glory to God (OCAYF/Hallelujah, Oh Holy Night, One Child). Then a surprise rearranged orchestra introduction to make the classic All I Want For Christmas Is You extra festive. The album ended with a blast with Auld Lang Syne’s relaxing piano introduction ending in a disco jam. She sang this once on her Angels Advocate’s first stop on MSG joking about not memorizing the lyrics and pointed “does anybody really know the words?”
And I opened my eyes and felt Mariah’s soft kiss on my cheek.
Just few hours earlier, Mariah confirmed her pregnancy due in springtime. Tis the season to be happy.
Listen to the new songs: One Child, When Christmas Comes, Christmas Time Is In The Air Again
Almost in the verge of tears as I listen to each of the tracks from Mariah's Merry Christmas II You CD. The nostalgia in the chosen tracks to decorate this festive album is giving me goosebumps and makes my eyes swell. I miss Christmas and even before Halloween begins, Christmas is in the air. Now. Mariah also infuses the yearning for a festive, joyful and meaningful Christmas as she co-wrote new tracks: the festive Oh Santa!, the-giving-back-to-God-track One Child, the old-soul When Christmas Comes and the pensive Christmas Time Is In The Air Again.
Mariah is genius! Nobody comes close.
The singer builds anticipation for "Merry Christmas II You," due Nov. 2, with first single "Oh Santa!," which debuts at No. 1 on Billboard's new Holiday Digital Songs chart (one position above her original version of "All I Want for Christmas Is You"). The follow-up album to 1994's "Merry Christmas" includes a duet with Carey's mother, Patricia. Source: Billboard
*USA
Merry Christmas II You Collector's Box Set will now be released two weeks later on Tuesday, November 16. It is available at Amazon for $53.99. The limited Autographed Edition (only 500 available) can be purchased at ShopMariah for $99.99.
The following are the different versions of Merry Christmas II You to be released in the USA:
| • Standard Edition - CD, $11.88 • Deluxe Edition - CD/DVD exclusive at HSN, $14.95 • Collector's Box Set - Regular, $53.99 • Collector's Box Set - Limited Autographed Edition, $99.99 • iTunes Edition - Digital, with bonus "Oh Santa!" Remix (pre-order only), and digital booklet, $9.99 • Walmart Exclusive Edition - includes a Die Cut Ornament and 5 Holiday Cards, $14.88 • Sam's Club Exclusive Edition - Details N/A |
**Japan - the Japanese edition copy will include a bonus track: Oh Santa (Jump Smoker's Remix)
*Source: *MariahDaily, **MariahConnection
Just fresh from a day old release of her newest holiday hit, Oh Santa, Mariah once again showed how new Christmas songs must be constructed. And she succeeded once again as Oh Santa stormed the iTunes Holiday Chart at #1, while her 16 year old new Christmas classic, All I Want For Christmas Is You, clinged at #2. Another enchanting Mariah remake O Holy Night also made the list at #55.iTunes Store: Top 100 Holiday and Christmas Songs
| 1. Oh Santa! - Mariah Carey |
| 2. All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey 55. O Holy Night - Mariah Carey |
MERRY CHRISTMAS II YOU
1. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Intro) 00:23
–Written by J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
–Produced by Mariah Carey and Marc Shaiman
–Orchestra arranged and orchestrated by Marc Shaiman and Brad Dechter
–Orchestra recorded and mixed by John Richards
–Additional engineering by Brett "Snacky" Pierce
–Assistant Recording Engineer: Steve Genewick
–Orchestra Conductor: Shari Sutcliffe
–Concertmaster: Ralph Morrison
2. Oh Santa! 03:31
–Written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox
–Produced by Mariah Carey for Maroon Entertainment, Jermaine Dupri for So So Def Productions, Inc. and Bryan-Michael Cox for Blackbaby, Entertainment, Inc.
–Recorded by Brian Garten and John Horesco IV at Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA and Guardian Angel Studios, Bel Air, CA
–Mixed by Phil Tan at Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Additional and Assistant Engineering: Damien Lewis
–Bass: Randy Jackson
3. O Little Town of Bethlehem/Little Drummer Boy Medley 03:32
–O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Written by Phillips Brooks, Lewis H. Redner
–Little Drummer Boy - Written by Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone
–Produced by Mariah Carey, James "Big Jim" Wright and Randy Jackson
–New Arrangement by Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and James "Big Jim" Wright
–Orchestral sessions produced and arranged by Marc Shaiman
–Orchestra recorded and pre-mixed by John Richards
–Recorded by Brian Garten
–Additional engineering by Keith Gretlein, Kevin Guarnieri, Brett "Snacky" Pierce and Scott Riesett
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Drums: Teddy Glendon Campbell
–Bass: Reggie Hamilton
–Guitar: Michael Thompson & Doc Powell
–Keyboards: Randy Waldman & Big Jim Wright Bass
–Percussion: Luis Conte
–Orchestra Conductor: Shari Sutcliffe
–Background Vocals: Maryann Tatum, Melonie Daniels, Sharlotte Gibson, Sherry McGhee
4. Christmas Time is in the Air Again 03:02
–Written by Mariah Carey, Marc Shaiman
–Produced by Mariah Carey and Marc Shaiman
–Orchestrated and arranged by Marc Shaiman
–Orchestra recorded and pre-mixed by John Richards
–Recorded by Brian Garten
–Additional engineering by Brett "Snacky" Pierce and Scott Riesett
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Drums: Victor Indrizzo
–Upright Bass: Mike Valerio
–Guitar: George Doering
–Piano: Marc Shaiman
–Percussion: Luis Conte
–Orchestra Conductor: Shari Sutcliffe
5. The First Noel / Born is the King Interlude 04:33
–The First Noel - Written by Traditional
–Born Is The King Interlude - Written by Traditional
–Produced by Mariah Carey, James "Big Jim" Wright and Randy Jackson
–New arrangement by Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and James "Big Jim" Wright
–Orchestral sessions produced and arranged by Marc Shaiman
–Orchestra recorded and pre-mixed by John Richards
–Recorded by Brian Garten, Keith Gretlein and Kevin Guarnieri
–Additional engineering by Brett "Snacky" Pierce and Scott Riesett
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Keyboards: Big Jim Wright
–Drums: Jerohn Garnett
–Bass: Randy Jackson
–Guitar: Doc Powell
–Orchestra Conductor: Shari Sutcliffe
–Background Vocals: Mariah Carey, Cindy Mizelle, Sharlotte Gibson
6. When Christmas Comes 04:46
–Written by Mariah Carey, James Poyser
–Produced by Mariah Carey and James Poyser
–Recorded by Brian Garten and Kevin Guarnieri at Guardian Angel Studios, Bel Air, CA; Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Henson Studios, Los Angeles, CA and Germano Studios, New York, NY
–Additional engineering by Keith Gretlein
–Assistant Recording Engineers: George "Tre" Ammatuna, Tucker Robinson, Alex Guarpera and Stephen Spencer
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Drums: Nisan Stewart
–Bass: Alex Evans
–Guitar: John "Jubu" Smith
–Keyboards: James Poyser
–Trumpet: Rick Baptist, Greg Adams
–Saxophone: Dan Higgins
–Flute: Dan Higgins
–Trombone: Nick Lane
–Background Vocals: Mariah Carey, Melonie Daniels, Sharlotte Gibson, Nicki Richards
7. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)/Housetop Celebration 03:28
–Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - Written by Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman
–Housetop Celebration - Written by Benjamin Hanby
–Produced by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox
–New arrangement by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox
–Recorded by John Horesco, Sam Thomas and Kevin Guarnieri
–Vocals recorded by Brian Garten
–Additional engineering by Keith Gretlein and Kevin Guarnieri
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Drums: Jermaine Dupri
–Bass: Randy Jackson
–Keyboard/Percussion:: Bryan-Michael Cox, Melonie Daniels, Cri$tyle, Nicki Richards
8. Charlie Brown Christmas 02:49
–Written by Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson
–Produced by Mariah Carey, James "Big Jim" Wright and Randy Jackson
–New arrangement by Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and James "Big Jim" Wright
–Recorded by Brian Garten
–Assistant Recording Engineers: Marcus Johnson, Peter Mack and Martin Cooke
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Drums: Teddy Glendon Campbell
–Bass: Reggie Hamilton
–Guitar: Michael Thompson & Doc Powell
–Keyboards: Randy Waldman & Big Jim Wright
–Percussion: Luis Conte
9. O Come All Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus feat. Patricia Carey 03:38
–O Come All Ye Faithful - Written by Traditional
–Hallelujah Chorus - Written by G F Handel, George Frideric Handel
–Produced by Mariah Carey, James "Big Jim" Wright and Randy Jackson
–New arrangement by Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and James "Big Jim" Wright
–Orchestral sessions produced and arranged by Marc Shaiman
–Orchestra recorded and pre-mixed by John Richards
–Recorded by Brian Garten
–Additional engineering by Keith Gretlein, –Brett "Snacky" Pierce, Scott Riesett and Kevin Guarnieri
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
10. O Holy Night - Live from WPC in South Central Los Angeles 05:00
–Written by Traditional
–Original version produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey
–Vocals and music recorded and mixed by Dana Jon Chappelle
–Choir: Voices of Judah/Greater Bethany/City of Refuge
–Background Vocals: Maryann Tatum, Melonie Daniels
11. One Child 04:26
–Written by Mariah Carey and Marc Shaiman
–Produced by Mariah Carey and Marc Shaiman
–Arranged by Marc Shaiman
–Orchestra recorded and pre-mixed by John Richards
–Recorded by Brian Garten
–Additional engineering by Brett "Snacky" Pierce, Scott Riesett and Keith Gretlein
–Children's Chorus recorded by Martin Cooke
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Drums: Steve Schaeffer
–Orchestra Conductor: Shari Sutcliffe
–Background Vocals: Mariah Carey, Brian Garten, Melonie Daniels, Sherry McGhee, Nicki Richards
12. All I Want for Christmas is You - Extra Festive 04:02
–Written by Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
–Produced by Mariah Carey, James "Big Jim" Wright and Randy Jackson
–Recorded by Brian Garten
–Additional engineering by Brett "Snacky" Pierce, Kevin Guarnieri and Keith Gretlein
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Drums: Jerohn Garnett
–Bass: Lloyd "Sonny" Thompson
–Guitar: Doc Powell
–Keyboards: "Big Jim" Wright
–Background Vocals: Sherry McGhee, Melonie Daniels, Sharlotte Gibson, Angie Fisher
13. Auld Lang Syne - The New Year's Anthem 03:48
–Written by Robert Burns
–Produced by Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and Johnny "Sev" Severin (for RedOne Productions)
–Recorded by Johnny "Sev" Severin, Keith Gretlein and Brian Garten
–Mixed by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA
–Assistant Mixer: Damien Lewis
–Piano: "Big Jim" Wright
–Background Vocals: Melonie Daniels, Sherry McGhee, Onitsha Shaw
Mariah follows up with her 16-year old holiday tune "All I Want For Christmas (Is You)" with another festive tune in "Oh Santa!" from her upcoming 2nd holiday CD "Merry Christmas II You." "Oh Santa" opens in a jingly cheers with Mariah's trademark coos splattered all over the 3:21 minute track. She's saving her whistles towards the end to remind people she's still got it. Most of the vocals she showcased are reminiscent of standard holiday tunes via the midrange chest voice (which would make it more doable for live performances). Mariah has always been tacky with her lyrical content and she nailed it once again to specifically glaze her song for the purpose it was written: pure pop bliss. So, are we saying goodbye to MiMi and say hello to the pop queen Mariah Carey we have known before?Her new CD drops in stores on November 2. It's also available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Nobles. Amazon has lowered the price of the Merry Christmas II You Collector's Box Set to $47.99 (was $59.98); and a much lower price at Barnes & Noble at $35.90 (was $43.53).
NOTE: Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have updated their listing for the Merry Christmas II You Collector's Box Set with a new retail price of $53.99.
NOTE: Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have updated their listing for the Merry Christmas II You Collector's Box Set with a new retail price of $53.99.
Oh Santa will impact US Radio on October 11th and iTunes on October 12th.
Lyrics:
OH SANTASanta's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas
Santa's gonna come and make him mine, mine
Oh Santa
Santa's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas
Santa's gonna come and make him mine, mine
Oh Santa
Santa
If you get this letter
Won't you help me out
I know you're kinda busy with your elves right now
And I don't know how
You do the things you do while I sleep on Christmas eve
But it's amazing
And I bet that you could bring me back my baby
Because every time I see Christmas lights
I feel this burn inside
And I just can't take it
I saw them shopping last week
And his new girl was so bleak
And then I swore to myself
Santa's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas night
Oh oh oh
Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas
Santa's gonna come and make you mine, oh oh oh
Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas night
Oh Santa
I heard that it's really gonna snow this year
So I hope Rudolph and them all the 8 reindeer
Get you safely here
So you can scoop him up
And scoop him right down my chimney
I've been really, really, really good this year
So put on that red suit and make him appear
Make this Christmas cheer
Just ain't the same without my baby
Come on oh Kris Kringle send me help
They say it's unrealistic
But I believe in you Saint Nick
So grant this wish for me right quick
Santa won't you come and make him mine this Christmas night
Oh oh oh
Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas
Santa's gonna come and make you mine, oh oh oh
Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas night
Oh Santa!
Oh Santa Claus
If you get this letter
Please don't make me wait
Cause all December I'll be counting down the days
So hop on your sleigh
I promise that I won't forget the milk and cookies
The trees all sparkly and gold
But inside I feel so cold
So soon as you leave the North Pole
Santa won't you come and make him mine this Christmas
Santa's gonna come and make you mine oh oh oh
oh oh oh this Christmas
Santa's gonna come and make you mine oh oh oh
Santa's gonna come and make you mine, mine
In addition to traditional yuletide fare - "The First Noel," "Little Drummer Boy," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "O Come All Ye Faithful" and more - MERRY CHRISTMAS II YOU also contains four original songs composed by Mariah, including the new single, "Oh Santa," and many more surprises for the fans. Producers on the new album include American Idol's Randy Jackson, multi-platinum hit-making producer Jermaine Dupri, James Poyser (acclaimed producer for Aretha Franklin, The Roots, Lauryn Hill and more), and five-time Oscar nominee and Grammy/Tony/Emmy award winning composer Marc Shaiman.
Since it was first released, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," written by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, has become one of the essential musical hallmarks of the holiday season, and continues to set sales records each year. The song hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Recurrents chart every year from 2005 to 2008. After ringtones began to be charted in 2006, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" hit #1 for the next three consecutive holiday seasons. It became the first seasonal Mastertone to be certified RIAA gold (2006) and RIAA platinum (2007), and is ranked as the top-selling seasonal ringtone of all-time. "All I Want For Christmas is You" was the featured single from MERRY CHRISTMAS, which has sold over 12 million to date.
MERRY CHRISTMAS II YOU is Mariah Carey's 13th studio album, and follows up her worldwide multi-million-selling Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (released September 2009), her multi-platinum E=MC² (2008), and worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation Of Mimi (2005). The Emancipation Of Mimi generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles, and countless more honors during its 18-month chart stay. Soundscan's biggest-selling album of 2005, Mimi featured "We Belong Together" (Grammy winner for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song) and "Don't Forget About Us," Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 career singles, respectively. They tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's.
Three years later, Mariah surpassed Elvis when "Touch My Body" (from E=MC²) became her 18th #1 Hot 100 hit. "Touch My Body" spent two weeks at the top, Mariah's 78th and 79th cumulative career weeks at #1, which tied Elvis' long-standing all-time high of 79 weeks at #1, as calculated by Billboard. Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits. The success of E=MC² brought total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to more than 200 million worldwide, distancing her even further from the pack as the top-selling female recording artist in history.
Source: www.MariahCarey.com
Photo belongs to MariahCarey.com
Related News: Billboard: Mariah Carey Releasing Second Christmas Album
To celebrate Mariah's 20 years in music and Butterfly CD's release on September 16, 1997, at 3:27PM today, I would like to present this little project as a tribute to her gift of music. The concept of this video evolved from capturing some favorite scenes from her MVs (Butterfly, Don't Forget About Us, Obsessed, Can't Take That Away, My Love, Don't Stop, We Belong Together, H.A.T.E.U., Say Something, Heartbreaker) plus visions that are vividly emblazoned in my mind as I play this song over and over again.
The choice of song is obvious. Mariah loves candy and blings. And I do too. HaHa! Kidding aside, this "obscure track" is hypnotic with its sensuous coos and smooth vocal glides laid out in a perfect synthesis of melodic harmony. This cut is just refreshing that you can listen to over and over again, through the years, imho.
Kudos also to the unstoppable talented individuals who collaborated to create the visuals of this dream a reality: Doreen (our Mariah) and the 4Rs: RaeRae (video editor), Rob and Ram (for location), and Rainier (for production assistance).
Enjoy the show.
I just wish this first tribute will find its way into Mariah's iPad/Blackberry or whatever medium she's holding at the moment. And MariahDaily publishes this on MOAIA's 1st anniversary on September 29th.
Shooting the Video
The Music Video Premiere of Mariah Carey's "Candy Bling" featuring Doreen Cardinal
All I want for Christmas is that Mariah's song - one of the six new songs from her upcoming Christmas album dropping in stores on November 2nd - to peak Billboard Hot 100. And stay there for the entire holiday season. She may have been wanting to complete production of this album since 2-3 ages ago and finally it's near. It would be a festive holiday too to blast your airwaves with her voice soaring the Christmas air. I'm excited! Ha HaHer new Christmas album will contain 6 new songs, a number of old covers and a hot new remix of "All I Want For Christmas (Is You)."
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Mariah's new Christmas album will be called "Merry Christmas II You"
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Mariah's new Christmas album will be called "Merry Christmas II You"
I would always be enchanted by Anne Curtis' charm since I personally met her one Sunday afternoon after ASAP. She was sweet, fragrant, warm, gracious and engaging. It made me an instant fan.Upon hearing about this movie made me want to see it immediately. And Anne never failed to amaze me with her stunning performance and svelte screen presence. She's delectable to watch, luxuriant and lusciously wild. Her acting chops never disappoint a somehow sloppy direction. Her aggressive take to equal Claudine's acting brilliance sizzles in every sequence she appeared in.
Okay, enough of Anne. She's as good as she can always be. This movie somehow tackles the inimitable take on love. Finding love. Love triangles. Love lost. Love found. And shared between sisters. Good plot. Not too bad. Screenplay has some slips but it manages to catch up on succeeding sequences. Richard Gutierrez still can't act. That much. He tried but yeah, he just can't act. But lo! he knows how to shed a tear on cue. And then there's Claudine. She is hot! One hot hot momma!
On the side note. GMA Films must come up with conversational dialogues that sounds real (hello Joel Torre-Claudine hospital scenes) and not sounding quoted or something. Indescribable! It just doesn't fit sometimes. Take Star Cinema's dramatic lines and punches. That is just right on the dot. Well, anyway, GMA Films is just starting and it's not too bad.
Not to forget: the music! I wish Regine's old trio version of herself was featured here. Her cover was much more stirring and appealing than Rachelle Ann Go's take, or that it was upped for a contemporary arrangement. Well, it's just my opinion.
Not to forget: the music! I wish Regine's old trio version of herself was featured here. Her cover was much more stirring and appealing than Rachelle Ann Go's take, or that it was upped for a contemporary arrangement. Well, it's just my opinion.
I've been blogging lately about love. Love found. Love lost. Unrequited love. Love hurts. Love pains. Love gains. Love triumphs. Forget the dramas. Forget the ensembles. Forget the sorrows. Whatever! (hands open wide, smiling, spoken like Mariah's Billboard 1999 Artist of the Decade speech.. LoL)
Yeah! It's been quite a looong while that I have drifted away from it unconsciously because of this and that. Somehow, along the way, I realized it did not abandon me. After all. It just went past the the two lowest forms of love: eros and philos. And it was gratifying to see that change. A huge leap.
And I just love to talk about it now. With or without a definitive object of affection, it will not matter anymore. Love is just noble. It gratifies the soul and fills a hungry spirit and keeps you moving. It makes you feel alive. Specially when you are not expecting anything in return.
After all, it is the "greatest form" there is.
Thank God for this grace. For this gift.
Butterfly was co-written and co-produced by Mariah and Walter Afanasieff, released in September 16, 1997. It was one of the first few songs I was able to appreciate when I first got this album.
I remembered running to my bedroom right after I got my copy and played each track, and then skipped tracks that I did not feel repeating on second listen. Then Butterfly came into play. The melancholy in Mariah's vocal runs cannot be missed. The pain in her soaring vocals and constant whispers even took me inside her soul. I forgot the lyrics. I forgot what Mariah implied in her songwriting. It did not matter. The song was just ecstatically beautifully produced and sung. It was enough. I just let her voice consume me, my existence.
Around five years later, I came across the Classic Bossa Nova mix and Sambatterfly/Meme remixes and saved it for posterity. It served its purpose last year. I went back to this catalogue and appreciated this mix existed. Then I turned to the original album track to find this lingering bass line thugs that kicks you out in punches. Then the lyrics synced what I was going through at that time. It was a perfect song. Those sentimental piano runs over carefully programmed percussion and scattered finger snaps/drum beats. Ah, simply irresistible. HaHa
It was a love song. "When you love someone so deeply / They become your life." A sad love song about unrequited love. "I have learned that beauty / Has to flourish in the light / Wild horses run unbridled / Or their spirit dies." It was about pain you have to go through betting your best foot forward to love and seeking to be loved in return. "I can't pretend these tears / Aren't overflowing steadily / I can't prevent this hurt from / Almost overtaking me." It was also a song about hope. Hope that no matter what happens you have to "spread your wings and fly." And it's about giving yourself a push, "You have given me the courage / To be all that I can / And I truly feel your heart will / Lead you back to me when you're / Ready to land."
I remembered running to my bedroom right after I got my copy and played each track, and then skipped tracks that I did not feel repeating on second listen. Then Butterfly came into play. The melancholy in Mariah's vocal runs cannot be missed. The pain in her soaring vocals and constant whispers even took me inside her soul. I forgot the lyrics. I forgot what Mariah implied in her songwriting. It did not matter. The song was just ecstatically beautifully produced and sung. It was enough. I just let her voice consume me, my existence.
Around five years later, I came across the Classic Bossa Nova mix and Sambatterfly/Meme remixes and saved it for posterity. It served its purpose last year. I went back to this catalogue and appreciated this mix existed. Then I turned to the original album track to find this lingering bass line thugs that kicks you out in punches. Then the lyrics synced what I was going through at that time. It was a perfect song. Those sentimental piano runs over carefully programmed percussion and scattered finger snaps/drum beats. Ah, simply irresistible. HaHa
It was a love song. "When you love someone so deeply / They become your life." A sad love song about unrequited love. "I have learned that beauty / Has to flourish in the light / Wild horses run unbridled / Or their spirit dies." It was about pain you have to go through betting your best foot forward to love and seeking to be loved in return. "I can't pretend these tears / Aren't overflowing steadily / I can't prevent this hurt from / Almost overtaking me." It was also a song about hope. Hope that no matter what happens you have to "spread your wings and fly." And it's about giving yourself a push, "You have given me the courage / To be all that I can / And I truly feel your heart will / Lead you back to me when you're / Ready to land."
One can really appreciate life and its beauty when you give yourself a chance to love and be hurt. Well, to be hurt would really be subjective and should not always be the case. But hey, it's what, imho, would give you this ultimate pleasure of appreciating love and its core context when you were able to overcome the pain and be able to "fly again abandonedly into the sun." Afterall, love without hurting is too bland and boring. Excite your self once in a while. Life is all about the adventure that you are willing to take. Pikon talo. To be hurt is human and is also a beautiful experience.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return." - Nature Boy
Feeling grumpy and in pain as the morning mist slips through the window, I could not help but play some mellow songs. Celine's cover of Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" then stuck the playlist. It's a good song, I realized, so I played it once again, and over again. Then the famous line of chasing love and being loved in return kept ringing. Celine's wails just emphatically resonated its brilliance and I started to marvel: did I find it yet or I still kept on chasing love? Or maybe I am playing around with it that I no longer know what is real or not, or maybe not?
I become bothered. Confused. Fascinated. Perplexed.
I'm also in pain due to a helpless workout routine yesterday. And it's not great to have your arms and tummy in a constant chill, like they're helpless for a while. LoL. That funny feeling that all over your body would somehow drift you in random soliloquy. For a while. Well, seemed like it. I'm drifting drifting.
Finally, the most anticipated hot remix from Jump Smokers for Candy Bling.
Download
I heard this song from way back when. It was mesmerizing as I vividly remember Sad
e plunged into that body of water. Her body on the water, the fabric extending the angles of the frame, the mermaid, the sad exotic face, the chase, the voice. Damn, that soothing voice. Ughh.
e plunged into that body of water. Her body on the water, the fabric extending the angles of the frame, the mermaid, the sad exotic face, the chase, the voice. Damn, that soothing voice. Ughh.Just yesterday, I grabbed this playlist from a colleague which included this song. Oh, okay, so I thought. Hey, I remember this song. Let me play it once again until it caught me - it was such a not so ordinary love. Yeah, the perils of loving and leaving and staying can really be painful. And you never knew when that pain is vanquished.
I played it once again and googled the lyrics. Then it struck me. Screw love. LoL. No, really, this one love song is for keeps. I'm keeping it in my playlist for a while.. HaHaHa
Uhmm, anyway, love is such a positively beautiful feeling, expression or state of being. So whatever happens in between or before or after that loving is never a negative state. I won't believe it is. Because what we had is no ordinary love.
Lyrics
NO ORDINARY LOVE
Artist (Band): Sade
Words: Sade Adu
Music: Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman
I gave you all the love I got
I gave you more than I could give
I gave you love
I gave you all that I have inside
And you took my love
You took my love
Didn't I tell you
What I believe
Somebody say that
A love like that won't last
Didn't I give you
All that I've got to give baby
I gave you all the love I got
I gave you more than I could give
I gave you love
I gave you all that I have inside
And you took my love
You took my love
I keep crying
I keep trying for you
There's nothing like you and I baby
This is no ordinary love
No ordinary love
This is no ordinary love
No ordinary love
When you came my way
You brightened every day
With your sweet smile
Didn't I tell you
What I believe
Did somebody say that
A love like that won't last
Didn't I give you
All that I've got to give baby
This is no ordinary love
No ordinary love
This is no ordinary love
No ordinary love
I keep crying
I keep trying for you
There's nothing like you and I baby
This is no ordinary love
No ordinary love
This is no ordinary love
No ordinary love
Keep trying for you
Keep crying for you
Keep flying for you
Keep flying I'm falling
I'm falling
Keep trying for you
Keep crying for you
Keep flying for you
Keep flying and I'm falling
and I'm falling
Hot weather plus nostalgia makes for a potent mix (or mixtape). Billboard Magazine combed the Hot 100 for the summer months of each of the past 25 years to bring you the top ten jams pumping out of stereos everywhere for the last quarter century.
These hot tunes are ranked based on each track's performance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the summer and are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.
Five Mariah songs made the different top 10 lists (the most any artist scored) including two that placed at #1!
Vision Of Love (#1)
I'll Be There (#4)
Always Be My Baby (#8)
My All (#6)
We Belong Together (#1)
1990
1. "Vision Of Love" - Mariah Carey
2. "Step By Step" - New Kids On The Block
3. "She Ain't Worth It" - Glen Medeiros feat. Bobby Brown
4. "Cradle Of Love" - Billy Idol
5. "It Must Have Been Love" - Roxette
6. "If Wishes Came True" - Sweet Sensation
7. "Hold On" - En Vogue
8. "The Power" - Snap
9. "Rub You The Right Way" - Johnny Gill
10. "Unskinny Bop" - Poison
1992
1. "Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix-A-Lot
2. "End Of The Road" - Boyz II Men
3. "Baby-Baby-Baby" - TLC
4. "I'll Be There" - Mariah Carey
5. "Under The Bridge" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. "Achy Breaky Heart" - Billy Ray Cyrus
7. "Just Another Day" - Jon Secada
8. "This Used To Be My Playground" - Madonna
9. "Life Is A Highway" - Tom Cochrane
10. "November Rain" - Guns N' Roses
1996
1. "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" - Los Del Rio
2. "You're Making Me High / Let It Flow" - Toni Braxton
3. "Tha Crossroads" - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
4. "Give Me One Reason" - Tracy Chapman
5. "How Do U Want It / California Love" - 2Pac feat. K-Ci And JoJo
6. "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" - Quad City DJs
7. "Twisted" - Keith Sweat
8. "Always Be My Baby" - Mariah Carey
9. "Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion
10. "I Love You Always Forever" - Donna Lewis
1998
1. "The Boy Is Mine" - Brandy & Monica
2. "You're Still The One" - Shania Twain
3. "Too Close" - Next
4. "My Way" - Usher
5. "Aida" - Sarah McLachlan
6. "My All" - Mariah Carey
7. "Come With Me" - Puff Daddy feat. Jimmy Page
8. "Everybody [Backstreet's Back]" - Backstreet Boys
9. "Make It Hot" - Nicole feat. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott & Mocha
10. "All My Life" - K-Ci & JoJo
2005
1. "We Belong Together" - Mariah Carey
2. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani
3. "Don't Cha" - The Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes
4. "Behind These Hazel Eyes" - Kelly Clarkson
5. "Don't Phunk With My Heart" - The Black Eyed Peas
6. "Pon De Replay" - Rihanna
7. "Lose Control" - Missy Elliott ft. Ciara & Fat Man Scoop
8. "Just A Lil Bit" - 50 Cent
9. "Let Me Hold You" - Bow Wow feat. Omarion
10. "You And Me" - Lifehouse
On my first full length music video shoot, I intend to lose myself and just be on that video, on every scene.Finally, the music video shoot for "Candy Bling" was done, shot and sequenced. It's now on the editing machine of LambsGoHard, courtesy of MirageLamb.
Looking back, it was pretty daunting to look for that one talented girl to do the "Mariah" role on the video. I got lucky to finally confirm "Mariah" in Doreen Cardinal to play the role, who just turned 18. Amazingly, she just got new curls and that would be exciting to watch onscreen. Location would also prove to be the next challenge. Initially, I had several places in mind but an old friend, Rob & Ram (collectively known as Mobe's) got all these locations in one place - their suburb. And it would be convenient for Doreen too. Lucky me!
Looking back, it was pretty daunting to look for that one talented girl to do the "Mariah" role on the video. I got lucky to finally confirm "Mariah" in Doreen Cardinal to play the role, who just turned 18. Amazingly, she just got new curls and that would be exciting to watch onscreen. Location would also prove to be the next challenge. Initially, I had several places in mind but an old friend, Rob & Ram (collectively known as Mobe's) got all these locations in one place - their suburb. And it would be convenient for Doreen too. Lucky me!
But wait, I would need some help on this shoot. I was able to track Rain to check and confirm this 2-day shoot schedule, and after some long wait for confirmation, I got it. I'd admit that looking for help is rather difficult. Thank goodness, coordination was completed.
So, I packed my bags and paraphernalias and off to Quezon City.
Then next two days would be worth remembering.
"Candy Bling" is a track taken from Mariah's latest CD "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel." It was obviously my favorite track from the album given its lush smoo
th groove and rolling vocals. It was ages ago when I tried gathering resources to shoot a video for Mariah but it was only now that this dream will be realized. Marking her 20th greatest years in music this month, I can simply smile that we shot the video on June 12th Eastern Time (LoL) just the perfect timing in celebrating her 20th year releasing her debut album Mariah Carey.
Day 1: past lunchtime, we started rolling the camera and ended the day at the pool at 10:30PM. Doreen was such a pro she's got no qualms setting foot and submerging her body on the cold water and acting her heart out. It was my first time and was the longest video shoot I would have at 8 hours straight. LoL. It was festive. Fun. The team was just great. I'd love to do this again.
Day 2: after breakfast, we started at the street walking the dog, on the car and back on the street. And back indoor for the chroma shot. We finished 4 hours ahead of schedule.
Nothing can be better than that. It was such a great team. Great work. I had a blast. Now, I miss them all. But I will still have to finish the video.
So, I packed my bags and paraphernalias and off to Quezon City.
Then next two days would be worth remembering.
"Candy Bling" is a track taken from Mariah's latest CD "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel." It was obviously my favorite track from the album given its lush smoo
th groove and rolling vocals. It was ages ago when I tried gathering resources to shoot a video for Mariah but it was only now that this dream will be realized. Marking her 20th greatest years in music this month, I can simply smile that we shot the video on June 12th Eastern Time (LoL) just the perfect timing in celebrating her 20th year releasing her debut album Mariah Carey.Day 1: past lunchtime, we started rolling the camera and ended the day at the pool at 10:30PM. Doreen was such a pro she's got no qualms setting foot and submerging her body on the cold water and acting her heart out. It was my first time and was the longest video shoot I would have at 8 hours straight. LoL. It was festive. Fun. The team was just great. I'd love to do this again.
Day 2: after breakfast, we started at the street walking the dog, on the car and back on the street. And back indoor for the chroma shot. We finished 4 hours ahead of schedule.
Nothing can be better than that. It was such a great team. Great work. I had a blast. Now, I miss them all. But I will still have to finish the video.
Photos courtesy of Rob
Ring Pops and a Marriage Proposal Inspire Mariah Carey Fragrances When the singer Mariah Carey and her husband, the actor and rapper Nick Cannon, appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last September, Mr. Cannon told of how he proposed in 2008: he presented Ms. Carey with a Ring Pop, the gem-shaped lollipop on a ring. Inside the package was a proper engagement ring. Upon hearing the story, executives at Elizabeth Arden, the cosmetics company that since 2007 has sold a Mariah Carey fragrance collection, began to develop a proposal of their own.
Mariah Carey's Lollipop Bling, three fragrances that Elizabeth Arden based on candy flavors and that will appear in stores soon, is the product of a partnership with the Topps Company, which makes Ring Pops. Print advertisements for the perfume in August issues of publications like Cosmopolitan, Elle and People Style Watch will show Ms. Carey wearing three Ring Pops. The fragrances, named after Ms. Carey's songs "Ribbon," "Honey" and "Mine Again," will be introduced by July 1 at department stores including Macy's and Dillard's, where with each purchase consumers will get a free Ring Pop.
Early next year, before Valentine's Day, when romantics flock to both the perfume and candy aisles, the fragrances will be available in mass retailers like Wal-Mart and in drug stores. There, stand-alone display racks will feature both the fragrances and Ring Pops, with the candies in a special "Bling Collection" three-pack that promotes the fragrances. Ms. Carey was not available for comment. A one-ounce bottle of the perfume will retail for $35, the 1.5-ounce candy three-pack will cost about $1.50. "Topps sells tens of millions of units of candy," said E. Scott Beattie, chief executive at Elizabeth Arden, which also has fragrance licensing deals with celebrities including Britney Spears, Danielle Steel and Elizabeth Taylor. "Combining their customer base with Mariah Carey's fan base and our fragrance base is a great way to cross-promote all the brands."
Since its introduction three years ago, the Mariah Carey line, with three fragrances, has grossed more than $150 million, Elizabeth Arden said.In 2009, the company spent $5.2 million advertising the perfume, while Topps spent $750,000 advertising Ring Pops, according to Kantar Media, a unit of WPP. Noreen Dodge, senior vice president of global marketing at the cosmetics company, said that the current fragrances draw the younger end of the singer's fan base of 18- to 45-year-olds, mostly those 18 to 24, and that the new ones will appeal to still younger fans. "We think it will bring an even younger customer into the Mariah Carey franchise," Ms. Dodge said.
The Lollipop Bling line will be advertised in youth-oriented publications where ads for the celebrity's fragrances had not previously appeared, like Seventeen and Teen Vogue. But Ms. Dodge emphasized that these "are not your typical teeny-bopper fragrances." While the scents "take a candy element as a thread to be woven in a fragrance," they do so in a way that "elevates candy into a prestige environment," she said. Laurent Le Guernec, a perfumer at International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. who designed the fragrances, said that while typical candy flavors like grape and banana have "cheap and very common" scents, he was able to build on the Blue Raspberry Ring Pop flavor for one fragrance, Ribbon. Into the "juiciness and sweetness notes" of that flavor Mr. Le Guernec said he layered floral notes.
While the Ribbon fragrance is reminiscent of a particular Ring Pop flavor, the other scents have notes only broadly associated with candy, like chocolate, raspberry, pineapple and honey. The new perfumes are far from juvenile, said Mr. Le Guernec, who before joining International Flavors and Fragrances designed popular scents including Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. Founded in 1938 by brothers Abram, Ira, Philip and Joseph Shorin, Topps Chewing Gum, as it was known then, introduced Bazooka bubble gum in 1947, and in 1953 began including a tiny comic featuring Bazooka Joe, who was modeled after Joseph Shorin.
The company introduced its popular baseball cards in 1951 and the Ring Pop in 1977. Today the Ring Pop (tag line: "The flavor's always on hand") is turning more mouths blue than ever. Ari Weinstock, director of marketing for the confectionery division of Topps, said that the brand was forecasting record annual revenue this year. In the 52 weeks that ended May 16, it posted $14.9 million in revenue, outpacing other novelty candies like Pez and Pop Rocks, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a market data company whose totals do not include Wal-Mart.
In 2007, Topps was acquired by an investment firm led by the former Walt Disney chief executive Michael D. Eisner, who is chairman of the company. Ryan O'Hara, the former president of the TV Guide Network, was installed as chief executive in February. Recent advertising campaigns have "played up the emotional connection that people have with Ring Pops," Mr. Weinstock said. "What we hit upon is that the Ring Pop is ultimately the only candy that you can show off, unlike a chocolate bar that you just consume," he said. "It's a candy that you put on your finger and flaunt, and it transforms you from just eating a piece of candy to being in the spotlight." Now the brand itself will be in the spotlight, thanks to its association with Ms. Carey and Elizabeth Arden, and will provide Ring Pop samples to shoppers at retailers like Macy's, where the candy has never been sold. "It's a case," Mr. Weinstock said, "of one plus one plus one equals 10."
Lollipop Bling, a candy-inspired trio of fragrances inspired by Mariah's marriage proposal - an engagement ring hidden inside an iconic Ring Pop package.Each fragrance in the Lollipop Bling collection is named after one of Mariah's hit songs and is bright, sparkling and multifaceted with its own signature spin.
MINE AGAIN - A combination of Chocolate Raspberry with a touch of Magnolia creates an addictive fragrance.
RIBBON - A mouthwatering fragrance inspired by the flavor of the Blue Raspberry Ring Pop is combined with a beautiful floral bouquet.
HONEY - An irresistible fragrance combined with a touch of Honey and Pineapple, creating a bright and sunny fragrance.The 1.0 fl oz scents, Honey, Mine Again and Ribbon, will retail for $35 each, and will be available at select department stores nationwide July 2010. Candy-inspired promotions, including a gumball machine gift set and a lollipop rollerball fragrance set, will be available beginning in Fall 2010.
I went in there. Inside the dark cinema. On the balcony. And expected nothing.
Or I would say, I expected it to be more of a documentary film. Trivializing how taxing it can become for production people working on this film trailing Senator NoyNoy on his campaign all over the country.
I went in there too a little bit tired from a day's work. So expect me to be sleepy. Closed my eyes, took a breath. Open my eyes again, of course. Haha. The movie will now start.
Then the first rushes of the film came. I was confused at first. It's like watching Blair Witch Project with camera shots too fast and shaky. And there's a lot of noise. It just doesn't make sense. Or so I thought.
Then cut to NoyNoy's campaign trail. After a few rushes, Coco's character Noy, the presidential frontrunner's namesake, entered the scene. So, it was made clear that Noy, this movie is not about NoyNoy Aquino's story. It would be about him. He told us later, what we will see about NoyNoy is true, but not about him. Ironic. So, his story unfolds.
True enough, he made his way as a journalist after faking his credentials. His first job is to cover NoyNoy.
Covering NoyNoy in real-time must be a very difficult task for the entire team. You can see and feel it here. There must be lots of running here, taking shots, getting the best angles, directing the crew, getting the best lighting, checking the emotions required for each shot - all amid the hottest summer season ever experienced in the Philippines. I never saw anything like this before - a real campaign on the backdrop and a movie's plot is concocted against it.
The movie is not pretentious on its shots. The production took time to make it look good. Editing is tight. The lighting took off with its dramatic shots specially on raft rides on those floody streets. Then there's superb performances from the cast against a very disturbing plot and screenplay. So if you would say your Php 150 movie ticket is worth it, technically it is. Until you actually see the movie in its entirety.
"Noy" does not lie about how some people tried to survive. Amid the chaos and disorder of society, "Noy" plainly captures the painstaking battle of people living on the edge. In most scenes, it was shown (that) a family has to struggle to eat decent meals on a regular basis. And rising from those mediocrities to complete the thought of hope in a dream.
One scene that disturbed me though is the fight against two brothers played by Coco and Joem Bascon. There is an intense physical fight between them and they keep cursing "P*tang Ina Mo" while their mother, played by Cherie Pie Picache, is on the side. I mean, what the fudge would this mean! It's like cursing your mother up out her face real-time! How bad can that become? Okay, let's say that this scene was critical for the plot, can the writers just remove those lines and instead replace it with "G*go Ka" or "T*rantado Ka Ba at dinala mo pa itong droga sa bahay?" or something like that. But those P.I.'s are really prevalent in local movies and they just don't seem to care. Tsk. Anyway, it's just one scene that I seem not to forget!
Anyway, so despite that turbulence on how I see it, the movie was a good watch. It's definitely worth your time. It is so real. A gripping drama. And with comedic slews on the side, thanks for the fierce you-still-have-to-learn-how-to-act-onscreen-though Vice Ganda.
And I was not sleeping all throughout the movie. The adrenaline is just too much to even blink. It's reality at its best.
Leaving the cinema gave me this big hope that something good, something bigger will happen. NoyNoy will make this nation great again. This movie just reminded me, it's gonna be.
4/5 stars.
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started 2009-0618
