Mariah Carey Online

• 7/11/08,

"I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" REMIX Contest

Professionals and amateurs alike will have the chance to remix the third single from Mariah Carey's platinum-plus album "E=MC2" via a contest hosted on a startup social network Web site for musicians, Billboard has learned.

Starting July 15, the complete stems of "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time," from Carey's Island release, will be made available to the members of Indaba Music, an online community for aspiring and established producers and artists.

"Mariah is the queen of the remix," manager Mark Sudack says, citing the pop star's work with dance producers like David Morales -- for whom she resang the vocals of 1993's "Dreamlover" -- and Junior Vasquez, as well as hip-hop greats like Sean "Diddy" Combs, DJ Clue, Ol' Dirty Bastard and the Lox. "This contest is a way for her to continue being a pioneer in the remix world, potentially finding a new sound, a new power, a new energy in the online space, as opposed to just the go-to producers of the moment."

The contest involves elements of fan voting, user-generated content and social networking. Entrants must join Indaba by creating a profile and can then download the song stems, work on their mix and submit it via the site by August 26. The Indaba community will pick its 10 favorite mixes via online voting. Three judges -- including Sudack, who co-executive-produced "E=MC2" -- will then select the winner. The producer of the winning mix will receive $5,000, be designated as Carey's No. 1 MySpace friend for four weeks and possibly have his or her work released.

The contest is more than just a unique way to promote the single, according to Sudack. "It's a marketing tool as much as it is a contest," he says. "But nowadays all you need is a laptop and a drum machine, and you have all the equipment that you need to go and make something that's hot and sounds special. There's so much potential talent out there that's untapped. You could have the next Jermaine Dupri sitting in a room somewhere, and he's got all the talent and all this genius with just no options to connect the dots."

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News Tidbits

• "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" debuted at #10 on 106 & Park's Top 10 video countdown today! Great job, everyone!

• The picture of Mariah wearing a hot pink dress can in fact be found in the printed version of ELLE, in full page on page 243. A high-quality scan will be added here later. In the meantime, go check the behind-the-scenes video from Mariah's cover shoot now up at ELLE.com!

• The "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" music video is now available for download for $2.99 on iTunes.

• Remember to vote for Mariah once a day for the Choice Music: Female Artist and Choice Music R&B Track (for "Bye Bye") awards at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards. Voting ends August 1st.

• "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" Mediabase airplay as of week ending July 10, 2008: 16.414 million audience impressions with 2424 spins (Urban - 810, Pop - 761, Rhythmic - 760, Urban A/C - 61, Alternative - 5).

• Respondents to Parade.com's annual Summer Pop Culture Poll thought First Daughter Jenna Bush and new hubby Harry Hager were most likely to succeed as a couple (80%). Newlyweds Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon and Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz each came in last with 2%.

• Radio 1's resident film critic, James King, evaluates the 10 Worst Musician Actors on this month's "The Q List" in UK's Q music magazine. The Top 10 are Phil Collins (Buster), Sting (Dune), Ice-T (Tank Girl), 50 Cent (Get Rich or Die Tryin'), All Saints (Honest), Madonna (Body of Evidence), Britney Spears (Crossroads), Roger Daltrey (Buddy's Song), Mariah Carey (Glitter), and Spice Girls (Spiceworld). Here's what King has to say about Mariah:

Glitter put Carey at the centre of a camp fantasy about a rags-to-riches singer. Released in US cinemas soon after the World Trade Centre terrorist attacks, it sank without trace. JK: "This is the standard for bad pop films. I actually own it, and it has become a bit of a cult film because it's so camp. The worrying thing is that Mariah Carey can't even play her own life story. She's trying too hard to be a serious actor and she just doesn't cut it."

• "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" has premiered on Italian radio, Radio Dimensione Suono (RDS), and is currently at #1 on the RDS Web Chart. Keep voting for the song here!