Mariah Emancipated from Hong Kong Date

Hong Kong? Phooey.

Just two days before Mariah Carey was due to perform a one-off gig in the Chinese city, concert promoters have called off the event, citing low ticket sales and "unreasonable demands" from the Grammy winner as their reasons for the abrupt cancellation.

Meanwhile, Carey's camp says she was the one doing the scuttling, because of a financial default by the promoter. "This has nothing to do with anything other than that," said her management company, Handprint Entertainment.

The they-said, she-said battle is playing out in dueling press statements. Concerts Asia, the promoter of the concert, which would have been Carey's first in Hong Kong, struck the first blow.

"As promoters of the Mariah Carey Hong Kong concert, we have decided to cancel the event effective immediately due to both the poor response of public ticket sales and also due to specific last-minute demands which we find wholly unreasonable and not with the best interests of Hong Kong, us and also the fans," Concerts Asia said in a statement on their Website.

While Concerts Asia remained mum on the nature of Carey's so-called outrageous requests, a quick glance at one of the singer's older concert contracts, excerpted on the Smoking Gun, suggests there are several possibilities:

• Maybe there was something in the (bottled) water: Carey has made mention that 16-ounce bottles of Evian are the only "acceptable" bottles of water in her dressing room, though for her requisite eight-person tea service, Poland Springs will suffice.
• A four-hour lunch service must commence no more than five hours after her crew has loaded in, and a four-hour dinner service must begin six hours after that. The latter must serve 100 people and feature at least one hot soup—obviously, different from the one prepared for lunch. Mimi & Co don't do leftovers.
• To ward off any would-be parching, she also requires copious amounts of beverages in her dressing room, including a bottle of Cristal, two bottles of Camus white wine, tea, milk, seltzer and very fine apple juice, none of which will be downed without the use of "bendy straws."
• For the few moments she has left after eating and drinking her way to showtime, Carey also demands the presence of a large vanity mirror, one director's chair and no fewer than—or greater than, for that matter—12 fluffy bath towels. Not too much to ask.

Aside from any fluffy towel or bendy straw disagreements, Concerts Asia also claimed that only 4,000 tickets were sold for the Saturday gig, despite the presumed international popularity of Carey and "a substantial advertising campaign." The outdoor Tamar Site venue has the capacity to hold up to 13,000 concertgoers.

But Team Carey disputed that version of events in its own statement.

"Due to a financial default by the promoter...and ONLY this, it is with great sadness that Mariah will not be able to perform for her fans in Hong Kong," said Handprint Entertainment. "This is very simple. We had a deal to appear in Hong Kong. Obviously, this promoter is having some financial issues and defaulted on the financial obligations of his contract. This has nothing to do with anything other than that."

"With legions of fans in Hong Kong and South East Asia, Mariah has always appreciated the love and dedication they have shown over the years," added the Universal Music Group. "She deeply regrets the disappointment caused to them due to unforeseen circumstances beyond her control."

Handprint boss Benny Medina told the Associated Press that ticket sales were double Concerts Asia's reported figure. Medina also said the Carey will eventually reschedule the Hong Kong concert.

With her newly acquired free time, whether voluntary or not, Carey will likely head back into the studio.

She has a new album slated for release in 2007.