The NFL called on the singer who has sold more albums in the U.S. than any other Idol winner: Carrie Underwood.

Carrie’s the third straight Idol to get the Super Bowl gig: Jordin and Jennifer Hudson have sung it previously. Carrie joins an impressive list of performers who have sung The Star Spangled Banner at the game, including Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Cher, Faith Hill, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks and Beyoncé Knowles.

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Mariah Carey claimed on Wednesday night’s “Larry King Live” that in the past, she’d endured certain kinds of abuse. Plus, she also spoke out about Rihanna, who was involved in a domestic dispute with Chris Brown.

“Abuse has several categories,” Carey told King, who went on to ask her if she’d ever been emotionally abused. “Emotionally, mentally… it’s scary,” she said.

“I think you just get into a situation and you feel locked in,” she continued. “For me, to really get out, it was difficult because there was a connection that was not only a marriage, but a business thing, where the person was in control of my life.”

When asked about Rihanna, Carey said, “I can’t imagine what she went through.”

The singer also discussed the possibility of having a baby with hubby Nick Cannon: “It would be the happiest thing in my life, but what I’m saying is right now with this movie [‘Precious’] coming out, with the next few singles from the album and those things that I’m doing, I need to focus on that, because I cannot do the having-a-child thing halfway.”

Thousands of Michael Jackson fans will crowd into downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday for a star-packed memorial to the King of Pop whose sudden death nearly two weeks ago shocked the world.

Pop music singers Mariah Carey, Usher and Jennifer Hudson will mix with R&B veterans Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder while sports stars like Kobe Bryant and other celebrities such as Brooke Shields also are expected to turn out.

Some 18,000 fans and friends will crowd into the Staples Center sports arena and a nearby, overflow theater for the two-hour ceremony memorializing pop star Jackson, who died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest in his Los Angeles mansion.

Police estimate more than 250,000 people will cram onto the sidewalks outside the arena to pay their final respect to the “Thriller” singer and one-time member of Motown legends the Jackson 5, who was 50 years-old when he died.

“This is certainly a momentous occasion that is probably as big, if not bigger than, when Elvis (Presley) passed away,” said Steve Howard, a resident of Glendale, California, who won a ticket in an online lottery.

“The impact he had on American music and world music crossed all boundaries,” said Howard, who expects the service to feature performances by Jackson’s friends and fellow singers, along with eulogies for the fallen pop star.

Two people who will not be there are Jackson’s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, who said on Monday her attendance might be a distraction, and long-time Jackson friend actress Elizabeth Taylor, who said she was asked to speak but was too overcome by grief.

Media reports have said Jackson is expected to be buried in a private family service in Los Angeles ahead of the memorial, but a family spokesman declined to comment on that service.

Questions persist over who will pay for police security and other services such as sanitation required for such a massive gathering. Cost estimates were hard to come by, but Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine estimated as much as $2.5 million.

Like other cities, Los Angeles is strapped for cash in the current recession, and people have complained that public money should not be used for what is, in some ways, a private event.

Still, acting Mayor Jan Perry has said police and other agencies have contingency budgets for events such as this.

About 1.6 million people registered to be among the 8,750 who won two free tickets to the event, and police expect many who did not win tickets to show up outside.

The memorial will be televised live on major U.S. networks, as well as streamed on the Internet.

Shady pops up with another one off of his Relapse album, aimed at Mariah and Nick Cannon. Em delivers his usual off the wall lyrical style and content over another weird but decent Eminem-style beat. Usual Em….nothing special. Nick Cannon has recently wrote a response on his blog to Eminem in regards to this song. I didn’t care to read it, so let me know what he said. Enjoy.

From Nick “Well, well, well. Fresh off the plane with my wife from our second honeymoon on the beautiful secluded islands of the Maldives and what do I find in my email box? A mediocre (at best) Eminem record that sounds like it was written in 2001. At first I thought it was old material that had been dug up from when dude “fantasized” about having a pretend fling with Mariah. I was thinking to myself, “Hey that was before me so it is really none of my business, so I’m going to give him a pass.”

his blog

Last week, pregnancy rumors hovered around Mariah Carey when she refused to drink Champaign with Ellen on the Ellen Degeneres Show!
Mariah claimed that it’s too early for bubbly, but Ellen said: “You’re Pregnant!”
Today those rumors have been pumped full force as Mariah is seen exiting a well known ob/gyn’s office on North Crescent Boulevard!
Mariah was spotted leaving the doctor’s office with what looks like a sonogram.
Her rep says: “As far as I’m told it’s not true.” But maybe the rep isn’t told much!
We’ll know soon enough, it’s either a huge announcement or a bulging baby bump!