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Published May 19, 2015
Mariah Taunts Ex | Bashir's Promises | Oscar Notes | Hollywood Swinging
Mariah Carey is still having fun with ex-husband Tommy Mottola.
It's not enough that she made a video, "Honey," in which she's saved from an older gangster-type by a young stud riding a jet ski.
In her new video, "We Belong Together," Carey wears the Vera Wang wedding dress she sported during her 1993 wedding to Mottola.
As in "Honey," Carey is attached in the video to an older man who only wants to go ballroom dancing and partake in activities preferred by older people.
She's rescued by another young stud who wants to show her the good life. The title, "We Belong Together," is a reference to the young man ... not the old one. Ouch!
Mottola may not be amused when he's shown the finished product. Ironically, he and Carey are both at the same record company again (Island/Def Jam) after leaving Sony Music separately in the last couple of years.
"We Belong Together," by the way, is one of a half dozen very strong tracks on Carey's upcoming album, "The Emancipation of Mimi."
The whole CD is excellent, especially a track produced by the Neptunes and featuring Snoop Dogg. Called "Say Anything," I predict this single will help re-launch Carey and catapult her back onto the charts. More on "Emancipation" tomorrow.
Maybe you're wondering how or why Michael Jackson allowed his daily routine to be filmed by Martin Bashir for the documentary that has just about ruined the King of Pop's life.
Well, I can tell you that the impetus came from Uri Geller, the spoon-bending mentalist who was friendly with Jackson at the time.
Geller, who also introduced Jackson to his now ex-associate Shmuley Boteach, was busy cutting a commission deal for himself with Bashir for helping to land Jackson.
I have not one, but two letters sitting on my desk written by Bashir and sent to Geller on June 10 and 12, 2002.
So you can forget the idea that a letter of recommendation written by Princess Diana convinced Jackson to let the British filmmaker follow him around day and night. It was Geller's pushing that sealed the deal.
In the first letter to Geller, Bashir enticed him with praise: "The work that you are planning to do, along with your friend Michael Jackson, is worthy of commendation and not criticism."
He then makes what turns out to be an ironic promise, one he ultimately does not keep: "I am determined to do something constructive and positive."
Bashir ends the short letter with an assurance that Jackson might find funny now, if he could laugh at all: "For the avoidance of any doubt, I want to confirm that any discussions that take place between us will remain strictly confidential and will not be recorded, published or repeated to a third party."
The first letter would be interesting enough, in light of Bashir's role in the Jackson scandal and his testimony in trial yesterday. But the second, longer letter is even more enlightening.
Bashir assures Geller: "ITV [the British network] would be prepared to offer you a large percentage of the worldwide net sales of any project and would also ensure that you were paid a separate fee for your assistance."
Forget about bending spoons. Jackson should really be bent out of shape when he learns how his magical pal was busy negotiating for him. Geller, of course, could not have imagined how the "Living With Michael Jackson" film would impact his friend and meal ticket.
That's because Bashir wrote in the same letter regarding Jackson: "He stands at a crossroads and we are talking about things that will affect the rest of his life. I have complete confidence in our ability to do justice to his remarkable life/story and I remain deeply grateful for all your help in this."
Right now, Geller's is just one of dozens of names on the defense's proposed witness list. I will tell you tomorrow and Friday about more witnesses who may be called for both sides, and not just celebrities.
I'm talking about the real people who may help decide Jackson's future.
For example, on the prosecution list are all the members of the Chandler family who were involved in the 1993 case that did not come to court, but was instead settled for $20 million.
At Vanity Fair's Oscar party, I ran into singer Nick Lachey. He informed me, with great relief, that filming has ceased on MTV's "Newlyweds," the show on which he and his wife Jessica Simpson appear.
Is there a big finale, a last bow, so to speak?
"Nothing special," he said. "They just take it all back and cut it up. We have no idea."
Rocker Gavin Rossdale was happy to talk about his small role in the movie "Constantine," but even happier that he was cut out of the bomb "Little Black Book" last year. The husband of Gwen Stefani has a new group and a new album ready for launch shortly on Interscope Records.
"Antwone Fisher" and "Spider-Man 2" actress Joy Bryant — a knockout beauty — told us that she's been cast as the love interest in Jim Sheridan's movie about rapper 50 Cent. Bryant is 75 cents, and all that. "Fitty" is lucky to get her.
Emmy Rossum of "Phantom of the Opera" talked about her Christmas dinner with legendary writer Kurt Vonnegut and his famed photographer wife Jill Krementz. They're old family friends.
Sean Combs and Kim Porter were the only guests I could find who did a complete costume change coming from the Oscars over to Morton's. Porter wore two Zac Posen-designed outfits Sunday night. Posen is the man behind Sean John's women's line, which debuts in the fall.
At Elton John's soirée, Denise Rich's recently married daughter, Danielle, worked the red carpet for a new cable fashion show. She looked great.
John Stamos and "South Park"'s Matt Stone worked the room together. Stamos, who has a new series on ABC, was like a magnet all night for babes who wanted to replace ex-wife Rebecca Romijn.
Leonardo DiCaprio skipped almost all the Oscar partying on Sunday night, choosing to spend his after-hours with pals at home.
Mischa Barton, star of "The O.C.," hit Ago in West Hollywood last night with boyfriend Brandon Davis. At another table was TV chef Rocco DiSpirito, while Miramax's Harvey Weinstein held court on the patio and Elton John's partner David Furnish dined with a Malibu real-estate agent.
Furnish was happy to report that Sunday night's Oscar party for the Elton John AIDS Foundation raised $1.5 million.
Meanwhile, Frank Stallone (Sly's brother), stopped by to tell me and FOX News's Bill McCuddy about his NBC reality show "The Contender." Stallone said the suicide of one of the boxers from the show will not be addressed, but Najai Turpin's participation as a contestant remains intact on film.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/mariah-carey-dresses-for-her-ex