I wouldn’t be surprised, Mariah Carey seemed a little bored these few months what with being pregnant and flogging her cheap clothing on HSN! The fact that she hasn’t turned to the studio – just makes me asks, why didn’t she do this sooner? The diva tweeted at good friend JD over twitter saying “@LTLline ok JD..now that u told everyone about this song can we finish it already?!? Call me!!! X0 Mimi” and Island Record sources have confirmed that Mariah is “developing a new LP” – however they couldn’t confirm a release date. I’m happy for Mariah, in the past few months Sony Music managed to ship three compilation albums including   “Mariah Carey The Essential”, “Mariah Carey The Collection” and “Mariah Carey Lovesongs” ! – come on now, that’s a bit too much!

“I’m extremely excited about bringing new life into the world,” Cannon said, “It’s a journey every single day. It’s something new. I’m nervous. I’m excited. We’re just taking it one day at a time.” Indeed Nick Cannon who married 40-year-old diva-extraordinaire Mariah Carey on April 30, 2008, had nothing but praise for his pregnant wife (she’s kept you in shape then). He spoke about what they are doing for the arrival of the twins and what he’s getting Mariah for valentines day“She’s holding up beautifully. To see this strength! It’s a different type of strength to carry around two babies,” Cannon says. “She’s not even concerned with her aches and pains which I’m sure are great. She’s so nurturing right now. It’s wonderful. It’s amazing to see.” And don’t expect Mariah to be carrying around baby weight after she’s given birth! Cannon shares with us Mariah’s cooking secret that curbs her pregnancy cravings.

“I think she’s figured out brilliantly that when she craves stuff she doesn’t necessarily have to eat it,” Cannon says. “When she cooks, she cooks everything from scratch and then the cravings go away. So I get stuck with eating all the food. I’ll be gaining weight during this pregnancy.”

The always jovial Cannon was mum when asked the sex of the twins and what he and Mariah plan on naming them. But he did dish some details on what he and Mimi have bought for the twins’ room.

“Last night we went nursery and furniture shopping,” he told us. “They’re going to have a very interesting layout. We picked a lot of colors and one of the main colors is green.”

And as Valentine’s Day approaches, Cannon says he’s got something special planned for Mariah.

“I’m a hopeless romantic so Valentine’s Day is very important to me,” the actor says. “I’m going to bring Valentine’s Day to my wife. I’ll probably Valentine’s the house out. We’re gonna put balloons, flowers, all of that stuff everywhere.”

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are about to be parents twice over. Nick revealed that he and his wife are expecting twins. “My wife at one time, she referred to her stomach as they and that probably wasn’t the wrong thing for her to do. That’s all I’m gonna say,” he told “E! News.” The “America’s Got Talent” host also mentioned “new additions” to his family in an online holiday greeting card. The babies are due early next year, but Nick wouldn’t disclose their gender.

Mariah Carey received an early Christmas present. The festive diva’s second holiday album in 16 years, Merry Christmas II You, makes a top 5 debut this week on the charts.

Led by the cheery single “Oh Santa!,” the new collection of holiday recordings entered at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with 55,000 copies sold in its first week. This marks Mimi’s 16th album to bow in the top 10, putting her only behind Barbra Streisand (30) and Madonna (19) to have as many albums enter the territory in their first week out.

With a little more than a few days to go until Christmas, the expectant mom bests the first week of her 1994 seasonal release Merry Christmas, which debuted at No. 30 with 45,000 units sold. The album went on to sell 12 million copies worldwide,making it one of the best-selling X-mas CDs of all time.

Despite slow sales during the opening week of “Merry Christmas II You” but as the festive season approaches and in many ways begins the sales of the LP have rocketed (yet, still Mariah’s first Christmas album still manages to gather enough sales to stay 7 places ahead on the sales chart). With the project being constantly question of the purpose it serves in the current market – it’s clear Universal wan’t a little slice of a Merry Mariah!

With that aside, I was shocked to see Mariah’s “exclusive” line of tacky and over the top clothing line on the home shopping network, really? Is this what she has come to? I understand Mariah Carey is pregnant and so the motherhood begins, but please Mariah just stick to the fragrances this is not a good look at all! Only time will tell what happens to this, I do feel another “Glitter” moment coming real soon, so now that Mariah has ticked off Sony, EMI and (maybe soon – don’t quote me) Universal, I guess the only one left is Warner Bros. – Roll on Mariah Carey the cartoon series.

Mariah’s lambs were treated to unforgettable renditions of yuletide classics and original tunes from her two holiday albums, including her latest hit “Oh Santa!” The pregnant songstress also surprised some fans by helping make their holiday wishes come true. Mariah also spoke about the up and coming rap queen Nicki Minaj who she recorded a single with off the “failed” album “Angels Advocate“.

Pop fans were introduced to Nicki Minaj when she appeared on the remix to Mariah Carey’s “Up Out My Face.” Nicki shares the encouraging words the pop diva told her that gave her a boost of confidence (of course! Nicki is now best friends with everyone apart from Lil Kim!). “I was shaking,” she recalls after meeting the Grammy-winning songbird. “After we shot the video, she gave me a little pep talk that was really sweet and sentimental. She was like, ‘You’re going to make it. You’re going to be really big!’”

Mariah was right. Since then, she’s appeared on tracks for Christina Aguilera, Usher, M.I.A., and many more. Her debut album Pink Friday drops tomorrow, but Nicki is not worried about the sales.

“It doesn’t matter if I sell 80,000 or 800,000 in the first week,” she says. “Eventually the album will be multi-platinum, because it’s a body of amazing work. I don’t have any fear about dropping the same day as Kanye. People like good music and when they hear good music, they’re going to buy it.”

Mariah Carey has another reason to celebrate other than her pregnancy. The diva’s new Christmas album, ”Merry Christmas II You“, is set to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 150,000  units sold, giving her her 16th top 10 debut on the tally. And that’s right “Oh Santa!” worked it’s way up to #1! I guess this proves to everyone Mariah Carey is back on top of her game. The video is surely a more age embracing look for Mariah and work really well! But in true Mariah Carey she had to squeeze in her own endorsement! (you never let us down do you MiMi!).

Only Barbra Streisand and Madonna have more top 10 premieres with 30 and 19 entries respectively. Carey’s first Holiday album, ”Merry Christmas“, was released in 1994 and entered the chart #30 with 45k copies in sales. ‘Merry Christmas II You’ has the distinction of having one of the highest debut rankings of any seasonal album of the last 10 years.

Another notable entry this week is N.E.R.D’s Nothing LP which comes in at #24 with 18,559 units sold. However, there is no stopping Taylor Swift’s Speak Now which managed to remain in the #1 spot with an impressive 327,493 copies sold in its second week on the charts. These numbers and placements may change when the official Billboard 200 chart is tallied later this week. – And when the album is released to the rest of the world next week “Merry Christmas II You” is expected to have increasing sales right up until the festive season really begins! (That’s not during November!)

The singer laughs easily, shortly after confirming what had long been rumored: that she is, at 40, expecting her first child. Mariah Carey and her husband of 2 ½ years, America’s Got Talent host Nick Cannon, 30, broke the news in an interview that aired this week.

Though it has been reported that she is about four months along, all Carey will say is that she’s expecting in the spring. ‘We don’t know the sex yet,” she adds. “I guess we should find out. But people didn’t used to find out, you know.”

Mariah Carey does allow that she already was pregnant while working on Merry Christmas II You, which she delivers soon to the UK. It’s her second holiday album and features a new version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” her smash hit from 1994′s Merry Christmas. The original version is No. 2 on Billboard’s holiday chart, while the similarly bubbly new single Oh Santa – one of four new tunes on Merry Christmas II You– is at No. 1.

“I was recording up to the last minute it was due” – the album, that is. “It was down to the wire,” she says. Make sure you grab your copy of her new #1 Holiday album Merry Christmas II You which hit UK stores in the coming weeks

It’s not even Halloween yet, but Mariah Carey is already ushering in Christmas. The pop songbird and Island Def Jam chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid turned Allen Room at Lincoln Center in New York City into a winter wonderland to host a festive listening session for Merry Christmas II You, the follow-up to her 1994 best-selling Christmas album.

Munching on candy canes and Hershey’s Kisses and sipping Mariah’s own Angel Champagne, guests including Gayle King, singer Trey Lorenz, and “Extra” correspondent A.J. Calloway shuffled from the reception room to the soundstage, where Reid took the podium situated on a stage decorated with white pine trees, giant ornaments, and silver boxes of presents.

“It’s challenging. It’s Christmas in October, I know,” joked Reid before introducing the album. “Mariah started making this album in June after three years of asking.” – I suppose Mariah always gets what she wants…roll on the Christmas banter!

Remember: Mariah told us through her rep a few weeks ago that she was very “superstitious” about discussing such matters. Meantime, Mariah’s first single from the new album, “Oh Santa,” is pretty catchy. Expect to hear it four times a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

“Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown breakout superstar Nicki Minaj has decided to dismiss rap mogul, Sean “P diddy Combs” as her music manager and has recently signed a new deal with mega-manager Benny Medina, whose current and past clients include Multi Grammy Award winning recording artist, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Brandy, and more.”

Of course Nicki Minaj did get her word in saying, “By now, everyone should now that I am really strict when it comes to my representation. I had sympathy for Sean however I feel as if I haven’t gotten the guidance the manager is supposed to give his client. Personally, I feel like I’m being managed by mother. Even if you play the smallest role on my team, I wish to see progress. I’d like to thank him for everything he has done for me; for taking me under his wing. I wish him the best with repping Rick [Ross]. But now that my album is about to drop, its time to get serious and stop playing games. If I could turn back time…I wouldn’t have made the decision to let Troy go.” – Wise words from the newly crowned Queen of hip-hop.