MARIAH CAREY - CAREY TO SING HERO FOR OBAMA

MARIAH CAREY will sing HERO for BARACK OBAMA when the President-elect is sworn in as America's 44th leader on Tuesday (20Jan09).
The pop star will follow Beyonce at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. and admits her hit is the perfect song for Obama.
She says, "It’s fitting for him. It’s appropriate."
As Carey prepares for her big night by relaxing with husband Nick Cannon at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, she admits she's "nervous" about her performance, adding "I'm glad to be American."
Leonardo DiCaprio is also expected to jet in from the London premiere of Revolutionary Road for the ball, and soul legends Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin are also expected to be a part of the big night.

BEYONCE KNOWLES - PETA CLOSE CASE ON BEYONCE'S DOG

PETA bosses have closed their investigation surrounding BEYONCE's pet shih tzu after learning reports the singer has abandoned her dog are nonsense.
Internet reports suggested the pop star had dumped Munchie with staff at her record label in New York a year ago after growing tired of his misbehaving ways, but officials at the animal rights group have discovered there's no truth to the rumours.
The PETA people wanted to make sure Beyonce hadn't abandoned her pet - and that the pedigree mutt wasn't just a music mascot at Columbia, so they made calls and investigated.
And now they're happy in the knowledge Beyonce hasn't dumped her dog.
A spokeswoman for PETA says, "We've had an up and down relationship with Beyonce over her past fur-wearing, but lately it's been on the ups, as she hasn't been seen in fur the past two winters.
"We were happy to learn from Beyonce's rep that, as we suspected, the Munchie tale is far from the truth, and that the dog hasn't even been to the record company's offices in months."
The singer's publicist has told the PETA researchers that Munchie is "a pampered pooch whom everyone adores," adding Beyonce and her cousin, the dog's main caretaker, are "still crazy in love with him".
The spokeswoman says, "Because they travel quite a bit, Munchie is usually left with family or friends. Never at the record company.
"We are glad to hear that Beyonce isn't leaving her baby boy behind, and we're certainly happy to hear that Munchie is irreplaceable to his guardians."