Gomez Receives Do Something Award & Grant

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She may not be a Hollywood A-lister… But Katia Gomez is being touted for her A-list efforts to help those less fortunate.

The 24-year-old Latina philanthropist was the big winner at this year’s Do Something Awards, organized by DoSomething.org, which recognize celebrities and philanthropists for their charitable and activist efforts.

Gomez, who grew up in a single parent home where her mother always found time and money for Katia’s education, received the Do Something Award – along with a $100,000 grant – for creating Educate2Envision, which provides education for young citizens of Honduras.

While on a volunteer trip to Honduras, the third poorest country in Latin America, Gomez saw firsthand the effects of a young population in extreme poverty, where almost half of the population is 16 years old and younger and more than half of all Hondurans survive on only $2 a day. Gomez took her own passion for education and created Educate2Envision to show the opportunities that education can bring. Educate2Envision works in three remote and has brought secondary education to more than 450 students.

Lea Michele took home the TV Star: Female award. The 25-year-old part-Spanish Glee star thanked PETA’s Michelle Cho and reminded the audience to not ride horse-drawn carriages in New York, an issue she’s been speaking about alongside PETA.

New American Idol judge Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon picked up the Do Something Award in the Couple category.

The Do Something Awards, which also featured performances by Flo Rida and fun., will be presented on VH1 on Tuesday, August 21 at 9:00 pm ET.

Here’s the full list of winners:

The Do Something Award Katia Gomez
Athlete Hope Solo
Comedian Joel McHale
Couple Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
Facebook Ben Affleck and The Eastern Congo Initiative
Music Artist Will.i.am
Style Giuliana Rancic
TV Star: Female Lea Michele
TV Star: Male Cory Monteith
Twitter Kristen Bell

Winners revealed online following the show:
City Miami, Flor.
Film Invisible Children Kony 2012
Movie Star: Female Emma Stone
Movie Star: Male Josh Hutcherson
Reality TV Show Dancing With the Stars
TV Show The Big Bang Theory

Carey Returns to the Recording Studio

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s no Daydream… Mariah Carey has gone back to work…

The 42-year-old part-Venezuelan Grammy-winning singer—who recently performed a song she’d penned for President Barack Obama at a fundraising event in New York City—has returned to the studio to record songs for the first time since the birth of her twins Moroccan and Monroe in April 2011.

Carey announced her back-to-work status via Twitter, saying ”Summer 2012… Been in the lab, mixing up some concoctions for you, hope you like it!!

”Still working in the studio with friends o plenty! I love this new song 🙂 (sic)”

Carey last released an album, Merry Christmas II You in 2010. She most recently collaborated with Justin Bieber last December on the re-release of her holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

Meanwhile, Carey’s husband Nick Cannon previously revealed that the couple’s children were inspiring her songwriting.

”My beautiful wife is planning to make her return to the music scene after taking time off to focus on the pregnancy and the birth of our two wonderful babies, Moroccan and Monroe,” he wrote on his official website earlier this year. “’She’s rejuvenated and ready to start sharing some of the amazing new music she has been making in the studio! Our new family has definitely given her a great new source of inspiration and creativity. I’m so proud of her and can’t wait for her to release more phenomenal music!”

No word yet on when Carey, who has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, plans to release her 14th studio album.

Carey & Cannon Renew Their Vows in Paris

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Nearly four years after their tying the knot in the Bahamas to the surprise of many, Nick Cannon dropped to one knee before wife Mariah Carey during a Parisian vow renewal ceremony atop the Eiffel Tower on Friday night.

In a photo shoot beforehand, the 42-year-old part-Venezuelan singer is shown beaming in a white mermaid dress with spaghetti straps and a black bow at the waist as Cannon, in a white suit and black tie, locks his eyes with hers.

“Tonight was an incredible night,” the singer announced via her Twitter account. “I can’t express how amazing it was to renew our vows in Paris at the top of the Eiffel tower.”

The couple—the proud parents of nearly 1-year-old twins—will officially celebrate their fourth anniversary on Monday, April 30.

The couple had arrived in France by private jet around 1:00 am on Friday. During the day, Carey was spotted shopping at Baby Dior – the couple’s twins turn 1 on Monday – and at the Louis Vuitton flagship store on the Champs-Elysees.

Friday night, after they posed for their wedding renewal photos, the couple was spotted dining at the Le Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tower.

Carey’s First Performance Post-Babies

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey has made her glorious return to the stage a mere 10 months after giving birth to twins Moroccan and Monroe.

The 41-year-old part-Venezuelan Grammy-winning singer performed at Gotham Hall in New York City during the Caesar’s Entertainment “Escape to Total Rewards” event.

Carey, who gave birth to her twins with husband Nick Cannon in April, told the crowd, “It’s my first performance since having dem babies!”

Carey—who revealed her post-baby baby on the cover of Us Weekly last November—wore a form-fitting black dress onstage, and performed hits like “Shake It Off,” “Touch My Body,” “It’s Like That,” “Obsessed” and “We Belong Together.” Carey dedicated “Always Be My Baby” to her two babies.

Carey also told the crowd that she wanted to bring “dem babies” to the show, but said, “It’s time for them to be asleep.”

Later in the show, Carey gave a shout out to her husband Canon, who recently stepped down from hosting his radio show after suffering from health scares, most recently, blood clots in his lungs.

Carey Reveals Her Post-Baby Body…

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

It’s hard to believe Mariah Carey gave birth just six months ago, especially after seeing her on the cover of Us Weekly…

The 41-year-old part-Venezuelan songstress—who gave birth to twins Moroccan and Monroe in late April, who now have a dedicated website—shows off her slim physique and oh-so-toned stomach on the cover of this week’s issue of the celebrity news and gossip magazine.

“I gained an enormous amount of weight,” the Grammy-winning superstar tells Us of giving birth to her son and daughter on April 30—on her third anniversary of her wedding to Nick Cannon.

So how did Carey lose the baby weight? Starting in July, she began working with a nutritionist to create a 1,500-calorie-a-day menu. And, she partnered with Jenny (formerly Jenny Craig) to create a three-times-per-week workout plan.

“I feel incredible,” says Carey, just three months after beginning her body transformation. “It was a huge blessing to be able to have the babies, but I felt trapped in my body because I couldn’t move.”

During a recent appearance on The Rosie Show, Carey—looking fierce in a black mini and leather jacket—opened up about her first week on the Jenny diet plan.

“It was just water, initially,” Carey told show host Rosie O’Donnell. “When I started with the program, I lost at least 30 lbs. of weight that needed to be lost.”

Carey says she never weighed herself while shedding the pounds.

“I would tend to go, ‘Does this size dress fit me that I wore three years ago? I’m good, let’s go,’” recalled Carey. “I would go by what it looked like, how I felt.”

And by the grin on her face on that Us cover, it’s easy to see she’s pleased with the results!

Images courtesy of Us Weekly and The Rosie Show/OWN.

“Roc” & “Roe” with Carey’s Clan 24/7…

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

She may be revealing her babies on primetime television tonight… But Mariah Carey may soon give you an all-access pass to photos of the tykes!

During his radio show “Rollin’ with Nick Cannon,” Carey’s husband reported that sometime after their exclusive interview with Barbara Walters airs, the couple will launch Dembabies.com due to the overwhelming interest in the twins, Moroccan and Monroe.

Carey send this message to her Twitter followers: “BREAKING NEWS: Get all the information on dembabies site from me!!! Very soon-we will have REAL updates. Barbra W. FIRST! L4L-LYM.”

She later added, “Our site is exclusively family moments which you will see later, afterwards-but we’re keeping you posted so stay w/us! Big Kiss!”

The site will be dedicated to Nick’s photos of “Roc” and “Roe” that celebrate their family, including Mariah’s pregnancy. Rather than sell the photos, the couple has decided let the public peek into their private life for FREE.

Don’t miss the twins big reveal tonight on ABC’s “20/20.”

Image courtesy of ABC/Donna Svennevik.

Carey’s Twins Ready for Their Primetime Debut…

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

She sang about “The Beautiful Ones” on her “Butterfly” album back in 1997, but now Mariah Carey has two beautiful ones to show off…

The 42-year-old part-Venezuelan songstress’ six-month-old twins with actor/TV host husband Nick Cannon are ready for their close-up.

Carey and Cannon introduced their son Moroccan Scott and daughter Monroe to ABC’s Barbara Walters during an intimate visit to the couple’s lavish Manhattan apartment. It’s part of an exclusive “meet the twins” interview that will air this Friday on “20/20.”

During the special meeting, Walters bonded with “Roc” and “Roe”—as they’ve been nicknamed by the oh-so-proud parents. In the teaser image released by ABC, Monroe is seen wearing a puffy white dress with a matching bow in her hair, while Moroccan is dressed to the nines in a camel-colored suit.

Since their birth in Los Angeles on April 30, the only photo the couple has released was one on Twitter of Monroe with a hand covering her face.

“My son is laid back like me,” the 31-year-old Cannon told Us Weekly back earlier this year. “My daughter’s a diva like her mom!”

The special airs on ABC this Friday at 10:00 pm.