Well, taking cues from Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Love Hewitt before them, Mariah Carey and Scarlett Johansson are the latest famous ladies to bite back at bloggers for focusing on their weight. Both stars are no strangers to tabloid drama and both would like you to know that you can't believe everything you read.

After Carey was snapped on Easter Sunday in a form-fitting pink dress, blogs were reporting that the singer was pregnant. Mariah took to her Twitter account yesterday to set the record straight. Carey Tweeted that the reports were "B.S." and that "she could've definitely lived without" the unflattering pictures.

"I don't know what was worse, the bleak angles and bright peach dress just to be festive ... or the B.S. commentary/blogs," she wrote. "For the record [the] dress and hair were not 'red carpet' attire!"

Then, Carey let the world know that she does enlist professional help to maintain her figure. "And if I gained a few pounds, my trainer [is] back living w/me again. Yippee!" she Tweeted.

On the flip side, Johansson took to the Web to clear up rumors about her recent weight loss. Scarlett took the more eloquent route and addressed the tabloids via the Huffington Post. In a heated and impassioned blog post, Johansson lashed out at critics who said she was binge-dieting and going to drastic lengths to slim down for her upcoming role in "Iron Man 2." According to some reports, the curvy bombshell had dropped a whopping 14 pounds.

"I'm a petite person to begin with, so the idea of my losing this amount of weight is utter lunacy," Johansson wrote. "If I were to lose 14 pounds, I'd have to part with both arms. And a foot. I'm frustrated with the irresponsibility of tabloid media who sell the public ideas about what we should look like and how we should get there."

The actress insisted that she has simply been eating balanced meals and increasing her amount of physical activity to get in "superhero" shape. And though she was upset by the negative attention she's received, she concluded the post on a positive note.

"In a way, I'm glad some dummy journalist (and I use the term 'journalist' loosely) is banking on my 'deflating' so that I can address the issue straight from my healthy heart," she wrote. "For more information on eating disorders and/or treatment options, please visit: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/."

You go, Scarlett!

New York City is filled with legendary music venues, from Radio City Music Hall to Town Hall to the big kahuna itself, Madison Square Garden. But there's absolutely no place like Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater, which has hosted just about every soul legend in its 75 years in business — Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and countless others, and of course it was the site of three live James Brown albums: in 1962 (which many consider the greatest live album of all time), 1967 and 1995.

On June 8, the legendary theater will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a star-studded bash, and to mark the event Mariah Carey and Jamie Foxx will induct singer Patti LaBelle and producer/musician Quincy Jones into its Hall of Fame,
according to The Associated Press.

The event will be hosted by radio personality Steve Harvey and is set to include performances by Anita Baker and vintage R&B group the O'Jays, who scored hits in the 1970s with songs like "Love Train" and "I Love Music." Along with the evening's musical guests and Hall of Fame induction, the theater will also present its Art and Humanitarian award to Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille.

Also adding to the festivities will be other special performances including a newly revamped production of "Dreamgirls," based loosely on the history and career of the Supremes (who performed at the venue many times).

The Apollo is also collaborating with the Smithsonian Institution on an exhibit that showcases the theater's rich history and impact on music around the world. With its famous marquee that says "Where stars are born and legends are made," the Apollo Theater has been a cornerstone of the music industry from its inception.

It was a very exciting 2008 here in the MTV Newsroom. It was a year of triumph and tragedy, a year of secret weddings and pregnancies, a year of overcoming adversity and a year of inspiration and change.

2008 brought us everything from the shocking death of Heath Ledger and the tragedy that befell Jennifer Hudson and her family, to the reinvention of Britney Spears and the successes of "The Dark Knight" and Tha Carter III. Your favorite artists and celebrities eloped (is it legal yet, Speidi?), married overseas (nice tats, Mariah and Nick) and got hitched in secret (thanks for finally admitting to that, Jay and B). They had babies and — in true Hollywood style — named them strange things (I am available to babysit when Bronx befriends Brooklyn and they have a play-date in Manhattan. Just saying.). And, Chinese Democracy actually materialized, to the delight of Dr. Pepper fans.

As 2008 reaches the finish line, we have compiled a collection of the best photos of 2008 that represent the stories that filled the pixels of our Web site all year long. We look forward to all the excitement and insanity 2009 will bring!

But this year, things are different. In an attempt to spice up the nominations, the Grammy brain trust has decided to throw a giant concert, where acts like Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, the Foo Fighters, B.B. King and John Mayer will perform and (presumably) also announce the nominees. It's been dubbed "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown to Music's Biggest Night" (note the use of double exclamation points to convey excitement). It will take place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on CBS from 9 to 10 p.m. Wednesday.

There will probably not be any coffee or Danishes served.

And while a live concert event seems like a great idea, we're not so sure. Is this whole thing really necessary? Do we need to watch a bunch of artists perform songs that — assuredly — they'll perform again on the Grammy telecast in February? Are we clamoring for a duet between King and Mayer? Is there anyone left on the planet who hasn't seen Swift perform on a televised event at this point?

Aside from all that, we sort of liked the old nominations routine. It was an industry tradition, right up there with getting drunk at South by Southwest or covering a DMX trial. There was something comforting about the routine ... the fact that, the night before, you'd go to bed pissed off because you'd have to get up at 5 a.m. the following morning to stand around in a ballroom and eat breakfast pastries. You could set your watch to the fact that Recording Academy Chairman Jimmy Jam would deliver a keynote speech and look dapper in a fedora. And it was always fun to try and guess just how Avril Lavigne would butcher David Bowie's name each year.

And now, all those traditions are gone. So, we've gotta ask: Why, Grammys, why?!?!? Why have you messed with the formula? Why have you taken our beloved nominations announcement away from us?!?!? And why have you replaced it with a TV concert that no one seems particularly interested in watching?

Then again, perhaps we are overreacting.

So we wanna know — are you excited for tomorrow night's Grammy concert? Or could you care less? Let us know in the comments.

Lately, there's been a mess of speculation that Mariah Carey and hubby Nick Cannon are expecting a little bundle of joy. And Mariah's appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which airs today, is only raising the alert level on the baby-bump watch.

When asked by the talk-show host if she is pregnant, the singer gave this response, "No, that's OK [to ask]," E! Online reported. So, the wily Ellen instead offered the pop star a glass, saying, “You don’t have to answer that. Let’s just toast with champagne.”

Mariah then gave her a whole slew of excuses, other than being pregnant, for not drinking the bubbly. "It's just fattening!" she said. "This is peer pressure! ... It's too early for me. I only drink after 3 p.m."

You can't blame Ellen for trying. "No, let's toast to you not being pregnant," she ventured. Mariah, who only pretended to sip her champagne, wasn't down for that sort of toast either. "I can't believe her," Mariah said. "Why would we toast to that? How about to the future? For both of our futures, who knows what they hold."

Ellen again insisted that Carey was pregnant, but Mimi still resisted: "I didn't say that. No, no, no. My mother would be at home, like, on the computer, like, 'What are you talking about?' We will let you know when we're going to have a family."

Will she really? Let us know what you think!

It's been a long, strange week for me at MTV News. While many of my co-workers jetted off to L.A. to work on the VMAs, I stayed behind to hold down the fort. A handful of MTV Newsers and I spent all weekend cutting 30-second promos teasing our red-carpet show, a show I was really looking forward to seeing. Why? Because it was supposed to feature a piece I had written.

In the week leading up to the VMAs, I was asked to script a package about Britney Spears and Mariah Carey — neither of whom had ever won a Moonman. It was supposed to showcase the amazing videographies of both Britney and Mariah and play up the rivalry between the two. I spent hours working on the script, and my editor, Lee Dultz, estimates he spent nearly 48 hours over the span of a week carefully crafting a video package worthy of the the VMAs. But when our red-carpet extravaganza aired live, there wasn't enough time to air the video.

Of course, Britney was the big winner at the VMAs this year, taking home trophies for Best Pop Video, Best Female Video and Video of the Year, while Mariah once again went home empty-handed.

I thought my piece would never see the light of day, but we decided to give it a second chance on the Newsroom blog. So, without further ado, check it out. Britney and Mariah: A tale of two VMA losers.

We asked a lot of celebs about "love you long time" recurring in pop culture — thanks to Mariah's new single — and now we're asking you: Do you find the phrase offensive or empowering?

Here's a sample of what some New Yorkers had to say:

Valerie Stahl: "It was used as derogatory in the film, and it's a sort of sexual joke, I'd say. It's more derogatory towards Vietnamese culture than women in particular, because of how it was used in the film, but it's also a shot at a woman as a sexual object. It's kind of ironic that a majority of these pop singers using it are women, so in a sense, it could be a term of empowerment of sexual freedom."

Catherine Sharp: "I think it's degrading, absolutely. To me it means someone, usually someone of Asian descent, in an area where prostitution is more common and where they're treated worse, even worse than they are here. I think it refers to that. I think a lot of people will just listen to the songs and not really notice it, but when you hear it, it's kind of a ridiculous thing to hear."

Sunjeoung Lee: "I feel like it's an issue of freedom of expression. It's OK to use it, but you have to be responsible. When you use whatever phrase, you have to know what kind of impact you're going to have on other people, especially if it's going to be Asian people, Asian women listening to that music."

Kai Kuroiwa: "Among Asian-Americans, it's kind of like a running joke, like something you might see in a pornographic film. I didn't even know it was being used in these songs. Among males, it's a different issue, but it is a race issue."

Cassy Wheeler: "I wouldn't listen to Mariah anyway. It seems like every time you turn on the radio they're talking about slamming women, just treating women without respect."

Join the debate — tell us what you think!

Yesterday afternoon, while John Norris was interviewing Mariah Carey in the greenroom after "TRL," I was in shock because I was able to attend. I was trying to get my eyes to adjust to the ice on her finger & wrist (which was pretty fantastic), when John asked how she felt about Barack Obama having a shot at the presidency. Being that I'm of mixed heritage as well, I perked up to hear her answer — and I was in for a surprise.

First of all, you need to know that when John asks an artist a question, 10 times out of 10, the answer is about them — even if the question is about someone else. So when John asked about Obama, I was not expecting Mariah to turn her head, look directly at me and say, "I have another biracial partner in this room right here, and we met on an MTV moment. I know I'm not directly [answering the question], but can we discuss this?" [Editor's note: That's Kristin, the author of this blog, with Mariah and MTV News staffers Nick Neofiditis (left) and Luther Burke (right) in the photo above.]

As my face flushed, the camera turned to me, and John put the microphone in my face. What was going on? This does not happen.

"Can you tell us?" she asked. "Can you explain how we met and how we connected?"

I was so embarrassed and I said so, not because Mariah asked me a question, but because everyone was suddenly staring at me.

"Why is it embarrassing?" she asked me.

Um, maybe because Mariah is supposed to be the focus of the interview, not me! But I put my game face on and told the story of how we met.

I began to rattle on — at a very accelerated speed, I might add — about how we met on MTV's "Shining Through the Rain" special back in 2002 when I was given the chance to interview her. I cried, she cried, we all cried. Hugs were given and a weight was lifted off of my chest because I was finally able to tell Mariah how she changed my life. She helped me to see the beauty of being mixed and how I could "make it through the rain" regardless of those trying to bring me down in my small town. Trying not to cry, yet again, I explained that ever since that moment, she has never forgotten me, always included me on events and made a point of making me feel special at every turn. A diva? Maybe for those tabloid stories. For me? Just an amazingly real woman who can make you feel love with every smile and embrace.

I continued on about my journey to get where I'm at now. I have a job here at MTV News and couldn't be happier. I had realized that I could do whatever I wanted and told her it was all because of her.

"Yeah!" Mariah said to me. "Look at that success story! Darling, it's because of you."

Then she turned back to John and said, "The point is, there's a lot of us [with biracial backgrounds]. It was difficult for me growing up to have someone where I could say, 'I look up to this person, I fully relate to this person,' and I felt like an outcast, an outsider." So Barack Obama having a shot at the White House, she said, "couldn't be more exciting to me. It's an amazing, incredible moment."

As far as Mariah goes, I'll be lovin' her long time. And it was an incredible moment for me too.

With the biggest names in baseball flying into town this week for what will be the last-ever
All-Star Game to be played at New York's legendary Yankee Stadium, we here at MTV News' New York offices have been stricken with baseball fever. It's hard to escape baseball this week. No matter where you turn, there's some sort of reminder that the fastest fielders, the strongest arms and the biggest bats in the game are all here, to ensure home-field advantage for their respective league in the fall classic.

All this baseball in the air got us thinking about music's all-stars — the artists who've shattered sales records this year, produced hit after hit and have been packing out arenas coast to coast. If music had an all-star game, who would we want to see in the dugout? After careful consideration, here are some of our picks — and feel free to let us know who'd go in your team in the comments section below. So, here goes.

Disturbed: With their new album, Indestructible, topping Billboard's albums sales chart last month, selling 252,800 copies its first week of release, there's no denying Disturbed are some of rock's heaviest hitters. Over the course of their career, they've sold millions of records and have seen three of their records debut at #1. With that kind of consistency, Disturbed might be a solid starting pitcher for our all-star team, and with them co-headlining the inaugural RockStar Mayhem Festival with Slipknot this summer, there's no question they're big draws. Plus, frontman David Draiman does a wicked impression of late baseball announcer Harry Carey, which is kind of awesome.

Katy Perry: In three short weeks, Perry has gone from unknown to flavor of the month, and her debut LP, One of the Boys, has sold nearly 115,000 copies, mostly on the strength of her infectious summer hit, "I Kissed a Girl," which is dominating the nation's airwaves. While a rookie, this kid's got some spunk and could be a perfect fit for first base. She'd also be valuable at the plate, because, let's face it — she's a self-proclaimed switch hitter.

Santogold: Andrew Millard's casting his vote for this former lead singer of Philadelphia-based ska-punk outfit Stiffed. After spending nearly seven years in the minors writing music for Res, Lily Allen and Ashley Simpson, Santogold finally earned a call up to the "Show" when she released her eponymous debut album back in April. Though this Cracker Jack's indie-rock/electronic-dub sound seemed straight out of right field, it scored big with some industry Hall of Famers (Rolling Stone gave her four out of five stars). Not only can she come through with hits, but she can pitch, too. Singles "Creator" and "Lights Out" got major playing time in Bud Light commercials — what's more American than that? And most recently, she teamed up with Pharrell of the Neptunes and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes to record "My Drive Thru," a tune performed for team Converse.

Girl Talk: Could he be the perfect head coach for our team? John Ochoa thinks so. "Compare his music to any release of the year, and you'll see that his broad knowledge and embrace of musical genres and influences will drive the team's overall offense (sound)," Ochoa explained. "Plus, he's perfect party music for the halftime show."

Spencer Krug: Between Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, Spencer's been responsible for at least one of the top 10 albums of the year (in Matt Harper's humble opinion), for the past four years, his most recent being Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer. Talk about consistency. How many musicians can say that they front two bands that are both amazing? With his versatility and speed (his two bands aside, he also finds time to work with side-projects Swan Lake, Frog Eyes and Fifths of Seven), perhaps Krug would be an ideal outfielder and lead-off hitter.

Lil Wayne: The man comes through in a clutch. When you need a single, you can always count on Weezy, and he's music's MVP right now. The ultimate team player, sparking every guest appearance he's on (and there a million of them) like a ninth-inning rally, and at the plate, he took out the park with a mammoth shot called Tha Carter III. He's your slugging third baseman, makes the entire infield better and is a Barry-Bonds-in-his-prime threat to go deep every time at the plate.

T-Pain: According to our hip-hop editor, Shaheem Reid, T-Pain is "my Derek Jeter." Like Jeets, Pain would make any team better, à la his guest appearances. Also, like Jeter, when he does his thing on his own (solo LP and singles), his stats aren't monster, but mostly above average and formidable.

The Ting Tings' Katie White: Aside from her fun, poppy indie-rock creations, some of us feel she could probably win in a fistfight. That winning spirit could come through big for our team when the chips are down. Plus, she can do backflips. With that kind of athleticism and spring in her step, she'd be dangerous at the warning track, climbing the outfield wall and pulling those deep shots back into the park.

Slipknot: If White can't handle the yard, Slipknot certainly could. Not only do these guys have egos bigger than Steinbrenner, there are so many of them, we could stick all nine guys out there, and nothing would get by them — although they may lose some pop-ups if they insist on wearing those masks on the field. Unfortunately, we'd have to relegate all of their fans to the bleachers — don't want them ruining the game for everyone else.

Nas: Rahman Dukes' pick for our team. According to Rahman, the veteran Queens native "releases the best hip-hop album of 2008 (sorry Lil Weezy), arguably the best in his 10-plus-year career, so it's only fitting Esco represents the East Coast rap squad, which this year has seen OK releases from G-Unit, Prodigy and Fat Joe." Because his album's called Untitled, the verdict's out on his exact position. But Rahman thinks "he'd be a great umpire, only because Nas calls the shots."

Mariah Carey: Our resident Mariah fanatic Kristin Grimmett thinks Mrs. Cannon would provide a nice boost to our all-star squad, because of her sales prowess and her five-octave range. She's one of music's best comeback stories and, unlike Jason Giambi, she didn't have to cultivate a mustache to turn her career around. And don't be fooled by the fact that she couldn't even reach the plate when she tossed out the first pitch during a major-league game in Japan a few months back — when the pressure's on, Mariah steps up her game and could prove a valuable asset for our team. But, of course, there are no bikinis in baseball, so perhaps Mariah would be best suited as a bench coach.

Amy Winehouse: Gil Kaufman's pick for our fantasy team is Wino, "because her antics — from the alleged drug snorting in videos to the emphysema diagnosis, fan-punching and banana-sandwich diet — are like the drama of an extra-inning World Series game seven between the Yankees and the Red Sox, multiplied by a seventh-inning stretch featuring a slow tango by A-Rod and Madonna across home plate ... times two." Assuming she wouldn't have the strength to actually stand for an entire inning, let's make Amy our designated hitter. After all, you can't really rely on her to show up to play her position, and it's hard to balance a smoke, a highball and a mitt when trying to catch a pop fly.

Now, you go. Who's on your all-star music team?

To enter, fans and aspiring producers need create a profile on Indaba, so they can download the song stems; all entries must be submitted no later than August 26.

"Mariah is the queen of the remix," the singer's manager, Mark Sudack, told Billboard. "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."

But the remix challenge is more than just a contest, Sudack confessed. "It's a marketing tool as much as it is a contest," he told the magazine. "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."

MTV News' resident Mimi fanatic Kristin Grimmett had a few tips for anyone interested in trying their hand at a remix:

1. This song already has a remix with rapper T.I. For a remix of this particular track, it would be smart to go with a club beat.

2. Underneath it all, Mariah is very simple and prefers simple beats. Keep in mind that the song is about her voice, and the beat is there to accentuate her voice.

3. You can speed up the track, but don't forget that her lyrics are important. We should be able to understand every last line.