MARIAH SABOTAGED By Her Inner Circle
Mariah Carey’s manager defends herself to In Touch after she’s accused of ruining the singer’s career
The performance was cringeworthy. When Mariah Carey stepped onto the Times Square stage on New Year’s Eve, the backing track for her hit song “Emotions” blared, but instead of singing, the diva walked around on live TV muttering that she couldn’t hear the music so “I’ll just go through the motions.” Mariah’s manager, Stella Bulochnikov, blasted Dick Clark Productions for the humiliating technical snafu and tells In Touch exclusively that Mariah, 47, was sabotaged. “They had ample opportunity to fix the West Coast feed to make her look better,” Stella says. “If you think they aren’t thrilled with this going viral, you are kidding yourself.”
But many believe Mariah was in fact sabotaged — by her own team. “She needed someone looking out for her and no one, including Stella, was doing that,” says a source close to Mariah. “The problem right now is that Mariah has surrounded herself with ‘yes’ people.” Multiple sources agree that more experienced handlers, like her former manager Benny Medina and her ex-husband, former Sony Music chief Tommy Mottola, would never have let the debacle happen. “The consensus among those close to her,” says a Mariah insider, “is that she needs to cut off everyone, get a new team and start fresh.”
Not so fast, says Stella. “Since I started working with her Mariah has had nothing but unbridled success,” she tells In Touch. “Her career has not taken a hit. Everything that she has touched since I started managing her has been a huge success.”
Tommy, who launched Mariah’s career in the ’90s, would disagree. After the New Year’s Eve fiasco, he penned an open letter to Mariah advising her to “hire more seasoned and respected professionals to help her with her career.” Stella’s response? “How dare he! Whose career has he managed in 15 years? He couldn’t walk a day in our shoes. We work our asses off. I wear bigger heels than his b---s.”
But Mariah’s second ex-husband, Nick Cannon, also has con-
cerns about Stella’s management style, insiders say. “Blaming the Dick Clark team for her disastrous performance is too much,” says a Nick source. “It’s not the professional thing to do and totally makes Mariah look out of touch. Stella shouldn’t have let it happen.” (Mariah insists Dick Clark Productions “foiled me,” while they say, “To suggest that [Dick Clark Productions]...would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd.”)
It’s not Stella’s first brush with controversy. “People have questioned Stella since she and Mariah began working together [two years ago], because she came from reality TV and not a music background,” says the source close to Mariah, explaining that many, including Tommy, think the over-the-top E! show Mariah’s World was a terrible idea. But Stella defends Mariah’s World, telling In Touch, “The whole point is to show her beautiful personality. She is so beautiful and vibrant and fun and festive. Why not show that side of her?”
Because it’s embarrassing, argues the Mariah insider. “The problem is, she’s only been listening to Stella, and it’s turning her into a punch line. She needs a complete overhaul, and that means no more reality show, new management, higher production standards and someone who really has her best interests at heart.” ◼