Mariah Carey
Photo: MTV News

It's not unusual for newlyweds to hole up together during their first year of marriage. But when you're Mrs. Nick Cannon and you also have an album to promote, that means tour, tour, tour — or at least perform at a lot of awards shows and then tour.

"We're looking at November right now," Mariah Carey said when asked when her next tour, in support of E=MC², would kick off. "Please don't hold me accountable if it turns out to be December 5 or December 7 or January 18!"

What does Mariah want to do this time around? After all, her Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, the Hits, the Tour was quite elaborate with nine costume changes.

"I'm thinking elaborate," she said. "I like elaborate. We only do substantial. That's what my jeweler says. I haven't gotten the looks in mind just yet, but we're going to figure it out soon enough."

So far, Carey's only slated performances are at the Teen Choice Awards on August 4 and Fashion Rocks on September 5 (airing September 9). No word yet on the VMAs, but Carey is hoping to at least attend — and to win, for once. "I don't own a Moonman [from] this country," she said. "Isn't that an abusive situation?"

Carey has two Moonmen from MTV Japan, for the International Video Icon Award in 2005 and for the Video Vanguard Award in 2008. But in America, she's Susan Lucci — a perpetual nominee, but never a winner. She's hoping this year will be different, as her fans are currently waging a campaign to get her clip for "Touch My Body" nominated for Best Female Video.

"I have faith in my fans," she said. "I believe they will come through for me, because they always have. My house is not complete without an American Moonman, and I would say 'Touch My Body' deserves one. Brett Ratner directed it, I have a unicorn in there, I have ['Guitar Hero'] in there — who else has that?"

(Speaking of fans, head here to read about how Mariah changed one MTV staffer's life, and how Mariah reached out to her during this interview.)

Even if she doesn't win, she'd be happy just to attend. "I haven't really gone, I've only performed," Carey pointed out, noting that she appeared in 1998 with Whitney Houston and again in 2005 to perform via satellite from Miami. And despite Carey's commitment to perform just two days earlier in New York at Fashion Rocks, "I will make it this year" to the Los Angeles ceremony on September 7, she promised.

Still, no offense to MTV, a Moonman wouldn't mean quite the same thing as her Teen Choice surfboard. That's because when she won Choice Love Song for "We Belong Together" in 2005, she first met Cannon, who presented the award to her with a kiss. Though they would later talk of their whirlwind romance as being love at first sight, the truth is, the couple have known each other for several years.

"I still have the award to prove it," Carey said. "I keep it in my mermaid room, which is inspired by the ocean. And every time I look over there, it's like, 'There's the first time we had the moment.' "

Carey debunked rumors that their relationship is on the rocks. "It's good," she gushed. "Life is beautiful, and things are going well."

When she hears talk that "things are rocky and hazy and messed up," she stops to wonder why. "I'm like, 'Why would we have gotten married to do that?' " she said. "People are going to say what they say, but what would be the purpose? I guess other people do those things for a purpose, but I don't know. I'm ecstatic, so be ecstatic with me! Be happy with me. Can we celebrate?"

• Mariah Carey

Usher's <i>Here I Stand</i>
Photo: LaFace

When you think of debonair R&B star Usher, you think hits — tracks like "U Remind Me," "My Boo" and "Yeah!" You think about the fact that the dude has sold more than 30 million records worldwide. You think about the legions of fans that make each of his live gigs sell-out events, and words like "icon" start popping into your head. So it should surprise you that, over the course of more than a decade, Usher has had just one album open at #1 on Billboard's albums sales chart.

That is until last week, when the soulful crooner issued his latest studio effort, Here I Stand. According to the latest Nielsen SoundScan totals, after selling more than 442,900 copies, Usher's latest knocks 3 Doors Down's self-titled album from the peak position of next week's chart. His previous release, 2004's Confessions, also bowed on top, but with significantly stronger sales: 1.1 million, to be exact.

But that stark difference in sales shouldn't taint Usher's latest victory one bit. In a market where albums are more often pilfered than purchased, 442,900 scans is no small potatoes. Besides, Usher basically crushed the rest of the field this week. His closest competitor, the "Sex and the City" soundtrack (featuring contributions from Fergie, Jennifer Hudson and Nina Simone), enters the chart at #2, with just 65,900 sold. The nation's third best-seller, 3 Doors Down, sold a mere 63,200 units.

Here I Stand and the "Sex and the City" set were among 16 new releases making their impact on next week's Top 200. Al Green's Lay It Down opened at #9 with 33,800 copies snatched up. But Green's was the only other newcomer to crack the top 10, which is rounded out by Bun B's II Trill at #4 (selling another 40,200 copies), Leona Lewis' Spirit at #5 (38,700), Frank Sinatra's Nothing but the Best at #6 (with 36,900 sold), Duffy's Rockferry at #7 (35,900), Mariah Carey's E=MC² at #8 (35,600) and Death Cab for Cutie's Narrow Stairs at #10 (with another 33,400 scanned).

Elsewhere on the chart, Fergie's Dutchess LP, which was re-issued last week with four bonus tracks, enjoyed a 131 percent spike in sales, ending the week with 14,800 and climbing from #104 to #28 on the chart. Down in the #46 spot, selling 11,400 copies, is Fergie's Dutchess EP. Meanwhile, Cyndi Lauper returns to the chart at #41, with her Bring Ya to the Brink, which generated 12,000 first-week scans. Underoath's Survive Kaleidoscope opens at #81 with 8,000 copies sold, and Charlotte Sometimes' Waves & the Both of Us enters at #145, with sales reported at 4,300.

36 Crazyfists' Tide and Its Takers bows at #155, selling 4,200 copies. Spiritualized's Songs in A&E claims the #157 spot with 4,100 sold. Lastly, debuting at #199 with 3,100 sold, is KT Tunstall's Live From Soho.

• Usher
• Fergie
• Jennifer Hudson
• Nina Simone
• 3 Doors Down

Usher appears on "TRL" Tuesday
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images

When Usher showed up on Tuesday's "TRL," he wasn't just there to promote his just-released new album, Here I Stand. He was there to actually take a stand.

During a segment of Tuesday's show, Usher launched into an impromptu rant that found him dismissing reports that he and his wife were separating, defending his marriage from naysayers and calling gossip about his personal life "trash." Members of the studio audience gasped and shouted their approval.

"I love my wife very, very much," he said. "There was a little rumor earlier this week about us separating. It ain't true. We in love. Get outta there," he said, raising his left hand and showing off his wedding band. "Matter of fact, I'm tired of people continuing to talk so much trash about me, know what I'm saying? And my relationship.

"My wife is not 40 years old. I love her to death and I'm a black, strong man in America standing up for my people — as a man to my wife, to my son, to my family," he continued, removing his sunglasses and talking directly into the camera. "I'm making a stand that a lot of us should make. I coulda been like any other man who has a child and live with that woman and continue to just play the game. ... I'm trying to do it the right way. This is the way your supposed to do it! Pay attention, fellas."

Usher then turned his back to the camera, while the studio audience applauded wildly. "TRL" host Damien Fahey then attempted to continue with the segment, only to be interrupted as Ush began part two of his verbal assault.

"And my wife had nothing to do with me firing my mother — nothing like that, that's trash," he said, referring to his mother, Jonetta Patton, ceasing to be his manager last year. "I hear y'all talking crazy out there, she's a beautiful black woman. Stop. Stop talking. And I love her. Stop it."

With that, Fahey threw to Usher's "Love in this Club" video, all while the crooner insisted, "I'm not done ... can I say something else?"

However, his broadside may not have had the intended effect. Within hours, many of the sites Usher targeted were already comparing his tantrum to Mariah Carey's infamous 2001 "TRL" meltdown, in which she bum-rushed the show, handed out frozen treats from an ice cream cart and performed and impromptu striptease, all while then-host Carson Daly looked on in befuddlement.

Still others — primarily fansites like UsherForever.com — called the tirade another example of Ush's wife Tameka having him under her thumb.

"What a damn fool. If he is a grown-a-- man like he say he is then he needs to shut the f--- up," one commenter wrote.

"Ursh STOP defending ur wife, it's getting old," another added. "The more you talk bout haterz the more your album will be collecting dust on the shelves. But this is the man you've become or should i say the man ur wife has made you into. You'll end up eating all your words soon than later."

• Usher
• Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey on "Ellen" Tuesday
Photo: Warner Bros.

Mariah Carey appeared on "Ellen" Tuesday (May 13) to talk about her recent wedding to Nick Cannon.

She said the pair used a "video shoot" as camouflage for bringing friends out to the Bahamas for the beachside ceremony, and noted that very few people were invited.

"[It was] mostly people to do my hair and help me with my dress ... and three of my friends and he had three people with him," she said.

"We wanted to be at the beach, we didn't want other people taking pictures, because we both experienced the hoopla of trying to make something into, like, a publicity stunt, which is what everybody thinks and will think anyway," she said. "We don't really care about that mentality. Instead of trying to be like, 'You're invited, but shhh, don't tell anybody,' we're just going to have another [wedding] next year. [Nick's] plan is to have one every year."

(Cannon himself squirmed when asked a battery of questions by MTV News about engagement rumors on the Monday before the ceremony.)

Host Ellen DeGeneres then held up photos of the pair's tattoos: Cannon's is a large "Mariah" across his back, while hers is a small butterfly on her lower back that incorporates the letters "MC" — which she said stood for "Mrs. Cannon," but DeGeneres quickly pointed out could also simply stand for the singer's initials, if the marriage doesn't work out.

"That's so mean, Ellen!" Carey said.

She continued, "I never had a tattoo before, and it's his first tattoo also — that's why it was a big deal. I fell asleep during my tattoo. People were like, 'What?' I was gangsta for that, a little bit."

Carey also said Cannon is the man she wants to raise a family with. "My parents divorced when I was 3 and I didn't have many examples of what was the 'norm,' " she said. But "I found the right person."

• Mariah Carey's E=MC²: Track By Track

• Mariah Carey
• Nick Cannon

Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey attend "Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World" gala in New York City on Thursday
Photo: Larry Busacca/ WireImage

After playing coy in the days surrounding their semi-secret wedding, Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey are finally stepping out as a married couple. The pair made their first appearance as man and woman at Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" event Thursday night, and more material has emerged from their interview with People magazine about their nuptials in the Bahamas last week.

Continuing an ongoing celebrity tradition, Carey, 38, and Cannon, 27, told the magazine that they got tattoos to mark the occasion — which was a tip-off to some friends about the wedding. "One thing [few people] knew was we got tattoos a few weeks earlier. So anyone who saw my tattoo wasn't surprised," said Carey.

Cannon added, "To me rings are special and exciting, but tattoos mean more than anything. They're forever and ever. They professed our love."

Carey said she only told "about four people" about the wedding, and only a dozen guests attended the sunset affair, where they dined on Maine lobster and sipped Dom Perignon champagne. The couple wed at Carey's Bahamian estate on April 30 after sparks began flying just a few months earlier in late March on the set of Carey's new video, "Bye Bye," in which she cast Cannon as her love interest.

"From the first time we sat down to discuss the video at the Beverly Hills Hotel, we connected," Cannon told the magazine. "We had so much in common spiritually, and we laugh at the same things. I didn't have to put on my mac-daddy-suave mode. I was able to be myself with her. We are both eternally 12 years old."

The wedding was presided over by Carey's pastor, Clarence Keaton, who flew in from New York. "The whole wedding was really beautiful and sweet," she said. "Being there with loved ones under the sky ... it was a spiritual moment." (The role of the Bahamian pastor who earlier said he presided over the wedding was unclear.)

Watching his bride-to-be walk down the aisle, the typically gregarious Cannon said he was struck speechless. "I was elated, but I was thinking, 'Don't pass out,' " he told People. "[The pastor] said, 'The eyes are the window to the soul,' then gave us an entire minute to stare into each other's eyes. So I was saying, 'Don't cry.' "

(Watch Cannon squirm, two days before the wedding, when asked by MTV News about engagement rumors.)

The newlyweds say they've already started talking about having children. "It's part of the whole purpose of getting married," Carey said. "I'd just want our children to have the best childhood and upbringing they possibly could."

• Mariah Carey's E=MC²: Track By Track

• Mariah Carey
• Nick Cannon

Madonna's <i>Hard Candy</i>
Photo: Warner Bros.

Mariah Carey's two-week reign as the music industry's leading lady has come to an end, thanks to the Queen of Pop.

With sales totaling nearly 280,000 — by no means her strongest opening — Madonna's 11th studio offering, Hard Candy, becomes the nation's newest #1 and the seventh chart-topping debut of the Material Girl's illustrious, 26-year career.

Hard Candy, tracks from which she performed last week during an intimate gig at New York's Roseland Ballroom, will also become the singer's fourth-consecutive LP to open on top, following the successes of 2000's Music (which generated week-one sales of 419,600), 2003's American Life (241,000) and 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor (350,000).

Madonna's latest pummeled Carey's E=MC², which, according to the latest SoundScan totals, suffered a 48 percent drop in retail interest to end the week with 95,400 scans. Mariah's record falls to the chart's #2 position on next week's Billboard albums sales chart.

Hard Candy was the highest-charting (duh!) new release of the week, but was one of almost 30 records that will be impacting next week's top 200 — and among seven to enter the chart in the top 10.

Following Carey at #3, selling close to 84,000 copies during its fourth week of commercial availability, is Leona Lewis' Spirit. The next five albums on the chart are all newcomers: R&B hunk Lyfe Jennings' Lyfe Change enters at #4 with 80,000 scans, while antiquated hair-metallers Def Leppard's Songs from the Sparkle Lounge bows at #5 with 54,800 copies sold. The Roots' Rising Down debuts at #6 with sales reported at 53,700, and Portishead's Third follows at #7, scanning close to 53,000 units. The self-titled LP from Mudcrutch — Tom Petty's pre-Heartbreakers band, which has reunited more than 30 years after splitting — sold 38,000 copies, which was good enough for a #8 debut, and Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits 1 & 2 rounds things out at #10, selling 29,300 copies.

Wedged in between Mudcrutch and McGraw, we find a top-10 mainstay: Now That's What I Call Music!'s 27th installment falls three chart positions to #9, with week-eight sales of 30,800.

Elsewhere on the chart, Steve Winwood's Nine Lives enters at #12 with 26,400 sold, while Carly Simon's This Kind of Love follows at #15 with 23,000 scans. Augustana's Can't Love, Can't Hurt opens at #21 with 21,400 copies snatched up, while Lil Mama's VYP: Voice of the Young People claims the #25 slot, scanning 18,600 units. Mindless Self Indulgence's If follows at #27 with 17,700 in sales, and Estelle's Shine enters the chart at #38 with 14,800 sold. "American Idol" alum Phil Stacey's self-titled new one bows at #43 with sales reported at 13,100 and change, while Forever the Sickest Kids' Underdog Alma Mater can be found two chart positions down, thanks to sales of 13,000-plus.

Thrash titans Testament return at #59, selling 11,400 copies of their latest, The Formation of Damnation, while Santogold's self-titled debut enters at #74 with 9,500 sold. Robyn's self-titled offering debuts at #100 with 7,200 sold, and New Found Glory's two-disc Tip of the Iceberg/ Takin' It Ova! opens at #136 with 5,000 copies sold.

• Madonna Reflects On New Album, Evolving Career

• Madonna, Justin Timberlake At New York's Roseland Ballroom

• Madonna
• Mariah Carey
• The Roots
• Portishead
• Lyfe Jennings

Mariah Carey (file)
Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

If there was any doubt remaining that pop diva Mariah Carey and actor Nick Cannon were married on April 30 in the Bahamas, it was dispelled on Wednesday morning (May 7), when People.com published a wedding photo and quotes from the newlyweds.

In the photo, Carey is shown wearing a white dress, and is all smiles while locked in an embrace with Cannon, who rocked an all-white suite.

The couple also made their first — albeit brief — public comments on the marriage. "We really do feel we are soulmates," Carey said. "I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me." Cannon added that Carey is "beautiful on the outside and 10 times as beautiful on the inside."

Perhaps not coincidentally, Carey's long-delayed video for "Bye Bye" surfaced earlier this week. It features the singer conspicuously cuddling with Cannon, along with footage of her greeting fans and, rather incongruously, photos of her with a number of deceased friends, including family members, Luther Vandross and her longtime dog Jack.

Not only did Carey and Cannon take the plunge, they even marked the occasion with permanent ink. "We got tattoos," Carey told People. "His is on one shoulder to the other and it says 'Mariah.' [Mine is] on my lower back and it says 'Mrs. Cannon.' "

In describing the couple's whirlwind six-week romance, Cannon said the two connected on an intimate level almost immediately. "In our minds, it was a love-at-first-sight thing," Cannon said. "Since we've been together, we've been inseparable." Carey added, "I don't think anyone realized what we already knew — that we were going to get married."

The development follows on the heels of last week's reports that the couple had secured a marriage license in Eleuthera, which is located next to the island of Windermere, where Carey reportedly owns a home.

In the absence of official comment on the wedding from Carey's or Cannon's camps, several people close to the couple confirmed it over the past few days. On May 2, People reported that Bishop Clifford Petty of the National Church of God in Governor's Harbour in Eleuthera confirmed he presided over the proceedings, but provided no further details beyond saying he did not give a sermon during the ceremony.

Cannon himself squirmed when asked a battery of questions by MTV News about engagement rumors on the Monday before the ceremony.

Earlier, a relative of Cannon's, Linda Cannon (her relationship to the singer was not detailed), reportedly told E! News that the couple were, indeed, husband and wife. "He called us and told us all about it," she said. "We are happy for him. If that is what he wants then we are happy for him. I'm not going to give you any details, but we are happy for him."

• Mariah Carey
• Nick Cannon

Mariah Carey
Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images/Tribeca Film Festival

While there was no official word at press time whether Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have actually gotten married, People magazine reported on Friday (May 2) that Bishop Clifford Petty of the National Church of God in Governor's Harbour in the Caribbean island of Eleuthera confirmed that he presided over their wedding. Petty provided no details except to say that he did not give a sermon.

Earlier on Friday, the magazine reported that Jacob the Jeweler, who reportedly made Carey's ring, confirmed the wedding. The magazine also cited an unnamed source as saying that the singer obtained a marriage license in Eleuthera, although a representative at the island's register's office told MTV News on Friday that she has no record of a license in Carey's or Cannon's names. However, Monique Gomez, a Bahamian attorney in Nassau who specializes in family law. told People.com, "The minister would make sure [the license] goes into the registry. It's still a valid marriage even if it's not filed. Anywhere in the world."

Eleuthera is located next to the island of Windermere, where Carey reportedly owns a home. The Web site of the island's register's office states that couples wishing to get married there need only spend one day in the Bahamas before submitting an application for a marriage license; they also must fill out the application together at the register's office, pay a fee of $40, and in Mariah's case, a certification of her divorce (from her ex-label head Tommy Mottola) must be produced. The license is valid for three months. People's report states that Carey herself obtained the license.

Some have speculated that Carey actually may have married or be marrying Mark Sudack (a member of her management team whom she has long been rumored to be dating), but TMZ.com claimed on Friday that those reports are untrue. Also on Friday, a rep for "The View" confirmed that Carey had been scheduled to tape the show on Monday (for a segment scheduled to air Friday, May 9) but had canceled.

Neither Cannon's nor Carey's spokespeople have returned calls for comment from MTV News, and Cannon evaded a series of questions from MTV News on the matter Monday.

However, a relative of Cannon's, Linda Cannon (her relationship to the singer was not detailed), reportedly told E! News on Thursday, "Yes, we know. He called us and told us all about it. We are happy for him. If that is what he wants then we are happy for him. I'm not going to give you any details, but we are happy for him."

Carey, 38 and Cannon, 27, reportedly have been dating for less than two months, which is half as long as Cannon was going out with Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks when he proposed to her with a 15-carat stone via a JumboTron in New York's Times Square. Cannon and Ebanks broke up in October.

Last week, Carey was spotted wearing a large diamond ring that began the speculation that she and Cannon were an item. According to The Associated Press, Jacob quickly put out a press release about the ring Cannon reportedly gave Carey, which described it as "crafted from platinum and features a square emerald cut fancy light pink diamond as the center stone surrounded by 58 intense pink diamonds and two half moon diamonds on each side. ... The total carat weight of the ring — center stone is 10 carats — is a jaw-dropping 17 carats with a value of $2.5 million."

On Friday, People.com reported that Jacob (whose last name is Arabo) told them, "The way he came into the store, the mood he was in, I knew this was very serious. He said 'Jacob, I'm in love. This is what I want to do.' He said he wanted something in pink, so he picked something in a light purple-ish pink. He was very involved and he trusted me to design the ring."

Arabo reportedly added, "He loves her. That's all I know."

A number of media outlets have speculated that this episode is a publicity stunt, though the couple have been seen in public numerous times since Cannon filmed a cameo in the video for Carey's new single, "Bye Bye," several months ago.

[This story was originally published at 2:41 p.m. ET on 05.02.08]

• Mariah Carey
• Nick Cannon

Mariah Carey
Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images/Tribeca Film Festival

While it remained unclear at press time whether Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are already married or are planning on make it official this weekend, People magazine on Friday (May 2) cited an unnamed source as saying that the singer obtained a marriage license in the Caribbean island of Eleuthera, which would be the first step toward making the couple's whirlwind romance official.

However, a representative at the island's register's office told MTV News on Friday that she has no record of a license in Carey or Cannon's names.

Eleuthera is located next to the island of Windermere, where Carey reportedly owns a home. The Web site of the island's register's office states that couples wishing to get married there need only spend one day in the Bahamas before submitting an application for a marriage license; they also must fill out the application together at the register's office, pay a fee of $40, and in Mariah's case, a certification of her divorce (from her ex-label head Tommy Mottola) must be produced. The license is valid for three months. People's report states that Carey herself obtained the license.

Some have speculated that Carey actually may have married or be marrying Mark Sudack (a member of her management team whom she has long been rumored to be dating), but TMZ.com claimed on Friday that those reports are untrue. Also on Friday, a rep for "The View" confirmed that Carey had been scheduled to tape the show on Monday (for a segment scheduled to air Friday, May 9) but had canceled.

With confirmation that the license was obtained, Bahamian family law attorney Monique Gomez told People that the "minister would make sure [the license] goes into the registry. It's still a valid marriage even if it's not filed. Anywhere in the world."

Neither Cannon's nor Carey's spokespeople have returned calls for comment from MTV News, and Cannon evaded a series of questions from MTV News on the matter Monday.

However, a relative of Cannon's, Linda Cannon (her relationship to the singer was not detailed), reportedly told E! News on Thursday, "Yes, we know. He called us and told us all about it. We are happy for him. If that is what he wants then we are happy for him. I'm not going to give you any details, but we are happy for him."

Carey, 38 and Cannon, 27, reportedly have been dating for less than two months, which is half as long as Cannon was going out with Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks when he proposed to her with a 15-carat stone via a JumboTron in New York's Times Square. Cannon and Ebanks broke up in October.

Last week, Carey was spotted wearing a large diamond ring that began the speculation that she and Cannon were an item. According to The Associated Press, famed blingmaster to the stars Jacob the Jeweler quickly put out a press release about the ring Cannon reportedly gave Carey, which described it as "crafted from platinum and features a square emerald cut fancy light pink diamond as the center stone surrounded by 58 intense pink diamonds and two half moon diamonds on each side. ... The total carat weight of the ring — center stone is 10 carats — is a jaw-dropping 17 carats with a value of $2.5 million."

On Friday, People.com reported that Jacob (whose last name is Arabo) told them, "The way he came into the store, the mood he was in, I knew this was very serious. He said 'Jacob, I'm in love. This is what I want to do.' He said he wanted something in pink, so he picked something in a light purple-ish pink. He was very involved and he trusted me to design the ring."

Arabo reportedly added, "He loves her. That's all I know."

A number of media outlets have speculated that this episode is a publicity stunt, though the couple have been seen in public numerous times since Cannon filmed a cameo in the video for Carey's new single, "Bye Bye," several months ago.

[This story was originally published at 2:41 p.m. ET on 05.02.08]

• Mariah Carey
• Nick Cannon

Mariah Carey
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

If the rampant online reports are to be believed, Mariah Carey's low-key second wedding was very different than the million-dollar extravaganza she put on for her first trip down the aisle. Latina magazine reported on Thursday (May 1) that Carey, 38, and actor/rapper Nick Cannon, 27, were married in a small ceremony on an undisclosed island on Wednesday in what an unnamed source called a "very impulsive" ceremony. Among the reported guests at the intimate affair was longtime Carey confidant rapper Da Brat.

Adding to the did-they-or-didn't-they confusion was a report from TMZ.com on Thursday afternoon claiming that the site had received several tips from the Bahamas — where Carey reportedly owns a home — that the singer, Cannon and a number of "other celebs" had arrived on the island and preparations "for a significant event are underway — a wedding?" Citing unnamed sources on the small island of Windermere, the site reported that evidence of an upcoming wedding included a "boardwalk that could be a makeshift aisle" that had been erected from Carey's house to the beach, as well as "workers rigorously raking up all the seaweed on the surrounding area."

And late Thursday, E! News reportedly received confirmation of the wedding from Linda Cannon, a member of Nick Cannon's family (although the site did not clarify their exact relationship). "Yes, we know," she reportedly told the site. "He called us and told us all about it. We are happy for him. If that is what he wants then we are happy for him. I'm not going to give you any details, but we are happy for him."

At press time, reps for Carey and Cannon either could not be reached for comment or had not responded.

A representative for the Register's Office in Eleuthera — Windermere has no such office and uses the nearest island's — told MTV News that no one named Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon or Mark Sudack (a member of Mariah's management team whom she has long been rumored to be dating) had applied for a marriage license. However, couples wishing to get married there need only spend one day in the Bahamas before submitting an application for a marriage license; they also must fill out the application together at the Register's office, pay a fee of $40, and in Mariah's case, a certification of her divorce (from her ex-label head Tommy Mottola) must be produced. The license is valid for three months. Calls to Antigua, where Carey is also reported to own a home, were inconclusive.

Of course, many are speculating that the entire thing is a publicity stunt.

While speculation has been swirling all week about a large diamond ring Carey has been sporting lately — which some gossip sites snarkily reported looked an awful lot like the ring Cannon had given to his ex-fiancee before they parted ways — UsMagazine.com reported Thursday that Cannon's ex, model Selita Ebanks, had nothing to say about the alleged nuptials. "I have no comment but wish them well," Ebanks told the magazine.

Cannon danced around MTV News' questions about rumors of the pair's engagement earlier this week. "I can't even know what to say. She's probably the most festive, remarkable person I've ever met. Good friend," Cannon told MTV News on Monday. When pressed further about the rumors, he said, "Rumors happen. They do."

The couple reportedly met in March when Cannon appeared in the video for Carey's new single, "Bye Bye," and Us reported that an unnamed "inside" source said the romance was "hot and heavy."

Carey, who divorced Mottola in 1998, has been linked to a few famous men in the interim, singer Luis Miguel and baseball player Derek Jeter among them, along with Sudack.

Rumors about her romance with Cannon heated up on April 15, when People.com reported that the couple had shared a romantic night out in Las Vegas. Spokespeople for Carey and Cannon had no comment on the rumored wedding at press time.

[This story was originally published at 2:59 pm E.T. on 5.1.2008]

• Mariah Carey
• Nick Cannon

Hilary Duff, Madonna, Mariah Carey, More At The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival

• Madonna
• Mariah Carey
• Da Brat
• Sting
• David Bowie

MTV's Artist of the Week 04.14.08: Mariah Carey

• Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey, Audrina Patridge, More At "The Hills" Season-Three Premiere Party

• Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey's Allure Cover Shoot

• Mariah Carey

Christina, Madonna, Beyonce, Ashlee, More Multiply Themselves

• Christina Aguilera
• Beyoncé
• Kylie Minogue
• Ashlee Simpson
• Mariah Carey

Ciara, Mariah And Rihanna At The 2006 BMI Urban Music Awards

• Ciara
• Rihanna
• Mariah Carey
• Ne-Yo
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Beyonce, Kanye, Paris Hilton, More Hit VMA Pre-Parties And After Bashes

• Jay-Z
• Beyoncé
• Diddy
• Busta Rhymes
• Ashley Parker Angel

Mariah Carey Kicks Off Her Adventures Of Mimi Tour In Miami, 08.05.2006

• Mariah Carey

Sketches From Mariah Carey's Adventures Of Mimi Tour

• Mariah Carey

The 2006 MTV Video Music Award Nominees

• Shakira
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Madonna
• Panic at the Disco
• Christina Aguilera