Mariah Carey

A few decades ago, guessing the type of music a person liked was a simple game. Teen-agers swore allegiance to the Top 40, while their parents preferred the big bands; farmers loved country music, and big-city sophisticates sought the sounds of jazz.Giving someone an album for the holidays was simpler then.Now, anything goes. In some households, it's mom who follows the Top 40, while the kids tune in to classic rock; there are brokers whose BMWs cruise to a country beat, and farmers who groove on Guns N' Roses.

Not sure what's better -- the auditions or the nutty antics between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey? Regardless of which, this season has proven to be very entertaining so far. Auditions were held in the Windy City -- the same town that gave us Jennifer Hudson, if this place could produce the Oscar-winning superstar, surely there must be others. First up, look what the wind blew in -- little Mackenzie, who Keith Urban described as "Dolly Parton-esque. " So we begin tonight with a little bit of country.

IDON'T know why everything I like has to be, like - the most expensive limestone that was somebody's antique floor in France. For some reason, I always gravitate toward that."

Oh, "American Idol" Season 12. Where else would the show premiere but in "The City That Never Sleeps," and New York offered up  its biggest and brightest budding stars. Enter the judges: Randy Jackson, country heartthrob Keith Urban and the two "ladies" that could barely contain themselves right out of the gate -- Mariah and Nicki Minaj. Nicki immediately gave us what we wanted, proclaiming "this is so Barbilicious. " How many Barbie references we will be subjected to this season?

This Glitter is not gold, unless you're talking about the fool's kind. No disrespect intended to Mariah Carey, a talented singer who by all accounts possesses a work ethic that would put us all to shame. But if working on this movie is what drove her to a nervous breakdown, she needs to think about her priorities. Girl, it wasn't worth it. Glitter is the (perhaps semi-autobiographical) tale of a poor girl from New York who grows up hard but triumphs thanks to talent, tenaciousness and a guy named Dice.

She may have eclipsed Madonna as the most successful woman in popular music, but Mariah Carey has yet to match Ms. Ciccone on the critical front.Some of that lack of acclaim may a function of age -- Mariah, being a dozen years younger than Madonna, hasn't left quite so long a shadow on pop history -- but mostly, it's a matter of focus. From the first, Madonna was unabashed about adding an arty edge to her music, if even it cost her commercial ground.So even though the intensely personal "Oh Father" was nowhere near as big a hit as the fluffy, inconsequential "Who's That Girl," Madonna was cheered for daring to address such deep issues.

If ever Mariah Carey had the right to play diva, it would be now.She is, after all, one of pop music's leading ladies, with a string of hit albums to her credit and her 12th No. 1 single on the charts at the moment. She isn't just another pretty voice, either, having taken an active role in both the writing and production of her albums.Factor in pop radio's fondness for over-the-top vocalizing, and Carey would seem to have every reason to cut loose on her current album. Yet the sound she goes for on "Butterfly" (Columbia 67835, arriving in stores today)

"This wasn't even going to be an album."It's just past 6 on an October Saturday evening, and Mariah Carey is in a room in Manhattan's Four Seasons Hotel, doing what she's been doing all day: Talking about her soon-to-be-released new album, "Rainbow" (arriving in stores Tuesday). Her ninth album in less than 10 years, it's sure to be one of the season's biggest sellers, as well as one of the most significant albums of the 29-year-old singer's career.But, as Carey explains, a new CD wasn't even on the drawing board a few months ago. Originally, she had hoped to spend the latter part of the year shooting "All That Glitters" -- "my long-awaited movie" -- and had started the summer writing songs for specific scenes in the film.

The weeks before Thanksgiving are traditionally a busy time for the recording industry, as big stars race to get new albums out in time for the Christmas rush. But today's slate of new releases is so star-studded that industry pundits have already dubbed it "Super Tuesday." Among the biggest stars coming out today are Garth Brooks, whose "Double Live" recaps his 1997 Central Park concert; Jewel, who follows up her septuple-platinum debut with "Spirit"; and Mariah Carey, who celebrates her string of chart-topping hits with "#1's."

Mariah Carey is losing her voice.Well, one of them, anyway. She has two. One is a full-throated, octave-spanning powerhouse, the kind of voice that can bring an audience to its feet. That's her public voice -- the one she used to power her way through hits like "Vision of Love" and "Hero," the one that built her reputation.Her other voice is more private. Airy and intimate, it's the sort a mother would use to soothe her children. Until recently, it has been the voice Carey has kept for herself.

You'd be forgiven for not recognizing Mariah Carey in her role as a dowdy welfare caseworker in the urban drama "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire." The legendarily high-maintenance pop diva underwent a soup-to-nuts physical transformation, checking her glossy celebrity patina at the door in order to convincingly portray the film's Ms. Weiss: a drab but deeply empathetic soul helping a troubled teenager in 1980s Harlem. Far from the image Carey has cultivated for years, the character is no oil painting of music-video pulchritude, with her lank hair, a wardrobe of rayon sweater-coats and, yes, even a sparse mustache creeping across her upper lip. "I had to lose all vanity," Carey said.

Isn't it good to be Beyonce? One would think, right? With a No. 1 movie, Obsessed, with the honor of performing for the president and first lady's Inaugural dance, with Jay-Z as her lawfully wedded man. ... What's not to like about being B? Something, apparently. As the pop star launches her latest megatour, which comes to 1st Mariner Arena Tuesday, she's not exactly Beyonce. She's Sasha Fierce, a harder-edged, more aggressive, more in-your-face version of herself. Sasha, or Ms. Fierce, even has her own MySpace page that talks about how her influences are "life," "love," "empowerment," and "passion."

TELEVISION 1.American Idol (Wednesday), Fox 2.American Idol (Tuesday), Fox 3.Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday), ABC 4. Dancing with the Stars (Monday), ABC 5.CSI, CBS FILMS 1.Iron Man, Paramount 2.Speed Racer, Warner Bros. 3.What Happens in Vegas, Sony 4.Made of Honor, Sony 5.Baby Mama, Universal SINGLES 1.Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis 2.Lollipop, Lil Wayne 3.No Air, Jordin Sparks 4.Love in This Club, Usher 5.Sexy Can I, Ray J and Yung Berg ALBUMS 1.Hard Candy, Madonna 2.E=MC2, Mariah Carey 3.Spirit, Leona Lewis 4.Lyfe Change, Lyfe Jennings 5.Songs From the Sparkle Lounge, Def Leppard DVDS (SALES)

Mariah Carey declared her "freedom" in 2005, bolting back to the top of the charts with the album The Emancipation of Mimi, which sold 6 million copies and resuscitated a career that seemed dead after 2001's dismal Glitter. On her new album E=MC2, in stores today, Carey tries to replicate the feel and sound of its Grammy-winning predecessor. But this time, the musical formula that set "Mimi" free largely fizzles. By transforming herself into an eternally youthful diva - playing up a juvenile, hyper-sexual image and playing down her incredible pipes - Carey strangely rose triumphant three years ago. The emotional power ballads that established her career in the early '90s gave way to vapid club jams, where the singer's voice served more as an accent.

IDON'T know why everything I like has to be, like - the most expensive limestone that was somebody's antique floor in France. For some reason, I always gravitate toward that."

TAMPA, Fla.-- --The breakup rumors are true. The nightly dinners have stopped. The sleepovers, too. The duo isn't officially separated, but the fire sure ain't what it used to be. Apparently, A-Rod and Jeet just don't love each other like they once did. That's according to Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees third baseman and baseball's most talented and intimidating princess (sorry, Barry Bonds, but the crown has been passed). Rodriguez decided to come clean yesterday in his first spring chat with the media.

Mariah Carey Divalicious singer Mariah Carey brings the Adventures of Mimi tour to Verizon Center tonight at 8. Reggae star Sean Paul is also billed. Verizon Center, formerly MCI Center, is at 601 F St. N.W., Washington. Tickets are $19.50-$125 and are available through Ticketmaster at 410-547-SEAT.

HOT FIVE 1. "Hollaback Girl," Gwen Stefani 2. "Oh," Ciara (feat. Ludacris) 3. "We Belong Together," Mariah Carey 4. "Hate It or Love It," The Game (feat. 50 Cent) 5. "Just a Lil Bit," 50 Cent Billboard ALBUMS 1. With Teeth, Nine Inch Nails 2. The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey 3. ... Something to Be, Rob Thomas 4. The Massacre, 50 Cent 5. Devils & Dust, Bruce Springsteen Billboard CONCERT TOURS 1. Eagles 2. Kenny Chesney 3. Rod Stewart 4. Cher 5. Josh Groban Pollstar DVD SALES 1. Blade: Trinity (widescreen)