Mariah Carey Can Still Draw a Crowd? Relax, She's Not Singing This Time

Who knew Mariah Carey could still draw a crowd? And no, I don't mean her singing, although I admit I used to have some doubts about that, too. OK, I still have doubts. But this time we're not talking about Mimi the entertainer with the languid vocals that some love and some absolutely hate, but about Mimi the lady exercising her womanly charms (I know, it sounds hilarious just saying it) - in other words, putting her public appeal to the test with the launch of her new fragrance, "M" by Mariah Carey (courtesy of Elizabeth Arden).

What I still find funny is that the people at Elizabeth Arden still seem a little deluded when they promote their fragrances. Remember they were also behind Britney's disastrous "Believe" ad campaign and had the utter nerve to plaster her heavily photoshopped image in all sorts of very visible places, right until they burned it into our retinas and nearly made us all go blind with the headache of seeing so much myth and so little truth.

And with Mimi, they're at it again. "Undoubtedly the best-selling female artist of all time, Mariah Carey recently made an appearance in New York City to showcase her new fragrance. M by Mariah Carey captures the intricate beauty of Mariah's music in a sophisticated harmony of fragrance notes and accords. Drawing up on her own personal experiences, each of the three key elements of the scent embodies a part of her, eliciting her warmth, sensuality and glamour", they say. However, I tend to believe (OK, that came out nicely) that it's less about Mariah's intricate glamour and more about filling her sophisticated pockets with some good money.

To my utter surprise, the launch of Mariah's first fragrance has actually been credited with contributing to the first quarter success of Elizabeth Arden. According to published reports, Elizabeth Arden's revenue for the period was $271.8 million up from $254.8 million, showing a 6.7 percent rise. And since the company was deep in debt before this, it's actually a win-win situation. The fans still have to cough up $90 for a bottle of the miracle fragrance, though - at least it comes with an autograph. But at least they do it by choice. So it looks like Mimi's back, y'all - aren't you happy about it?