More on Mariah Carey, "Time" Too

Time, Carey Making Questionable Decisions

Aside from a strange, alleged marriage to Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey is also one of the Time 100: The Most Influential People in the World. Myley Cyrus also made the list, falling under the category of Artists and Entertainers with Carey. As of right now, Cyrus certainly deserves to be there.

As for Carey, Stevie Wonder wrote a nice article about her in Time, saying she has a wonderful heart and a great spirit among other things.

That seems true. Mariah Carey is a nice person. But she also has this odd marriage thing going on. And I don't think she is more influential than Madonna.

My knock on Carey is that she has always been more of an entertainer, a performer with a great voice rather than a true artist. She's a recording artist, but not an artist in the general sense. The belief here is that, with her voice, she could have been so much more. Dancing and singing hip-hop songs in a bikini top isn't very artistic. I don't recall Madonna ever performing in a mere bikini top. She always wore lingerie and leather bustiers designed by Jean Paul Gautier. It makes a big difference. Madonna is an artist in every sense of the word.

Anyway, I think Time got it wrong with Mariah Carey. She is not as influential as claimed. Another thing the magazine got wrong was its decision to run a full-page ad promoting Carey's new album, E=MC². The ad suggests a conflict of interest where one might not exist.

Sometimes Richard Stengel, Time's Managing Editor, makes decisions I disagree with. Naming Vladimir Putin as Man of the Year was one. Running the Mariah Carey ad is another. Instead of looking fair and balanced, Time looks bought and manipulated. I just disagree with that kind of publishing. Carey's inclusion in the Time 100 was most likely made on her merits, but the ad detracts from the magazine's appearance of impartiality. That's unfortunate. Hopefully, Mr. Stengel and his staff can make different decisions in the future. Maybe they will see this post and consider it.