PAUL McCartney and Mariah Carey - or some combination thereof - might appear on this season’s “American Idol,” which premières Tuesday.The superstars’ names are the ones most prominently mentioned to grace the “Idol” stage at some point - and “Idol” executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz isn’t squelching the talk.

“Nothing’s locked,” she told the Associated Press about McCartney. “We’ve had discussions with him over the years.

“It’s always a matter of making it work.”

“Idol” judge Randy Jackson is a friend of Carey - and he says he and Mariah have “tossed it around a bit” about her appearing on the show.

No one would take this kind of talk seriously if reclusive rocker Prince hadn’t materialized unannounced on last season’s finale - shocking a Hollywood audience and viewers with an electrifying performance. Now, it seems like the show can attract the biggest music superstar. And who wouldn’t want to appear on TV’s biggest show?

“The fact we can get Prince is a real tribute to the show . . . [now] who knows who we can get?” said Frot-Coutaz. Sales is at the bottom of it. CD sales are seriously down again this year and TV is the way now to move records. Leona Lewis, the winner of “Idol” judge Simon Cowell’s British show, “The X Factor,” is also rumored to be making an appearance on “Idol” this season.

Her version of the “Idol” theme “A Moment Like This,” topped the British charts late last year.

Just before Christmas I flew out of Heathrow to NYC’s JFK airport to begin my yearly adventure with my Xmas cousin Mariah Carey. Once settled in MC’s Manhattan apartment, 15 of us (including MC’s bestest mates Maryann, Rachel, Trey Lorenz, and brothers Shawn and Mikey), took off in a convoy of black Maybachs to the sound of carols as we made our way to a private airfield where a Christmas-themed jet awaited us.

We toasted the start of our adventure with DP champagne as we headed to Aspen, Colorado. On our decent into Aspen the snow fell wildly and we could see reindeer and wild horses running about beneath us - it looked so cool. Our first night was spent exploring Mimi’s lodge in the mountains where we were staying: A marvellous six-bedroom house.

Many 4am-moments saw us swigging the Pinot in MC’s jacuzzi with the night sky twinkling above us as Evil G, MC’s brother Shawn, played the best hip-hop sets on his iPod. MC encouraged us all to slip into our bikinis - with the boys in their trunks - and jump in and out of the house hottub and snow.

Our housekeeper Maggie woke us daily with the aroma of breakfast cooking and boy could she rustle up a fingerlickin’ brekky. On our second night in Aspen MC had a surprise planned. She had 50 kids from a special care home driven from Denver to Aspen where she arrived with Santa on a sleigh pulled by nine real reindeer. The kids had the time of their lives as MC and Santa gave them gifts of cameras and CD players.

The following night our really cute 18-year-old driver Cody told me that Method Man and Redman were performing that very night. Yes. Really. This really rich, white, city had a hip-hop scene. It had to be seen to be believed so I told MC and we excitedly went to Bellyup, where the troublesome duo were in the flesh. The club show was ultra fun but not a touch on a real gully London street vibe.

Twenty of us spent Xmas day opening gifts, screaming, eating and lazing about in our Xmas T-shirts. Amongst my gifts were a Gucci candle, Juicy couture socks and bracelet, a Ralph Lauren cashmere scarf, a sexy little black dress, a shower scrubber with ’nuff accessories, a sequin clutch handbag, Elton John fireside aroma rocks, lots of silly board games, and some very pip jewellry.

I gave MC some cute undies (just the type she likes), a solid silver yo-yo (engraved with “MC you make my world go round, JD”) which she showed off doing tricks with, a very sexy slinky dress by London designer Kesh who made it extra low at the front and back with a big bow at the booty and a diamond hanging slinkily down MC’s back (which she paraded in), a blinging gold and grey Rolling Stones lips T-shirt from Topshop and the one she really loved - a black hoodie graffiti tagged by London-based graff artist Batlow who blazed the piece up with pink and violet diamonte. Heavy. (I can’t talk about her other gifts as they’re a little naughty.)

On our last night we attended a party for Aspen Peak magazine, where MC was the guest of honour. She wore the Rolling Stones lips T-shirt and looked ultra fly with her limited edition not-in-the-stores-yet Louis Vuitton boots. Once MC had worked the red carpet the party could really begin as she held court in the DJ booth with DJ Suss who was flown out from NYC specially. Suss threw down crazy beats but as you can imagine the Aspen crowd weren’t familiar with all the ones we were going crazy to. (In fact they requested stuff like Harry Connick Junior. Sheesh.)

Then Seal and his missus supermodel Heidi Klum joined us and we all hung out, danced and chatted for a bit - they were so sweet. At midnight we sped off to the Caribou Club before being whisked straight to Rifle (private) airfield at 2am for our flight back to NYC. MC has given me a lifetime of memories and adventures that I won’t believe took place when I look back at 80 years of age. My holiday adventure didn’t end there, eight hours later we jumped on another jet en route to South Africa for Oprah Winfrey’s New Year’s Eve party. Readers, can you bear to miss your “Juice” next week?

(The Voice)

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls officially opened its doors to the first 152 girls to start their high school careers with the hope of emerging as the future women leaders of South Africa.

It is the first school of its kind in South Africa, with the focus on structuring its curriculum towards shaping the young promising girls into power-houses in their future careers and endeavours.

The Academy boasts a 28-building campus that has every imaginable amenity to ensure that every educational need of the girls is taken care of. It includes state-of-the-art classroom, computer and science laboratories as well as a theatre, a boarding house and a hair salon, among many others.

The boarding house is home away from home for the girls. Ms Winfrey personally saw to all the details of what the hostel would be like to make it special for the girls. This home environment is especially important as the girls will go home every 3 months.

The Academy will be under the leadership of Ms Joan Countryman, who is the Interim Head of the Academy for the next year or so. Ms Countryman has extensive experience and expertise in the education field, having also served on several university boards within the United States. She undertakes to oversee the hiring of staff, developing policies, building programs and procedures, amongst other things.

The official opening saw the girls rubbing shoulders with local and international dignitaries and celebrities who came to witness and share Oprah’s 6-year dream come to fruition.

Former state president Nelson Mandela was the guest of honour, with Gauteng Education MEC Angie Motshekga and the country’s education minister Naledi Pandor giving heart-felt speeches at the ceremony.

Motshekga expressed how honoured Gauteng was to be the host of this great school and congratulated Oprah for the success of building a school that is set to equip and support the girl child.

Addressing the criticism that came in light of the announcement of this project Naledi Pandor said:” …this is a wonderful gift to South Africa and to the children of our country. We are indeed proud to be part of the chosen few who benefit in this way from the philanthropy for which Oprah has become extremely famous.”

Andrew Young, American civil rights activist and the former mayor of Atlanta was also present, saying that when one looks at any part of the world where women are in leadership, things flourish and he sees that the school will turn out future leaders of South Africa.

Wangari Maathai from Kenya, first female African Nobel Peace price winner of 2004 said of the Academy: “I am sure it will transform the lives of the girls who walk through these gates, so we are really privileged to be here as part of history of opening this new chapter in investing in the education of women and especially in leadership.

Kenny “Babyface” Edmond, who was among the many celebrity faces at the opening, jokingly said that he would think about being the music teacher at the school. Also making an appearance was Tina Turner, Tyler Perry, Kimberly Elise, Chris Tucker, Mariah Carey and many other celebrities.

The school so far has 16 teachers in its employ, all of whom are South African. The number will grow as each year 75 more students are enrolled in the Grade 7 class. There will eventually be 450 students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 in the school.

The curriculum will include English, Zulu and South Sotho languages, as well as arts and culture, life orientation and leadership, maths, natural sciences and technology, social, economic and management sciences.

With classes set to start on the 15th of January, the girls are going through orientation to help them fit in to the life of the school and to ready them for the academic demands ahead of them.

After high school, Oprah has also promised to personally see that the girls have the opportunity to attend any university in the world that they might want to attend.

Oprah’s involvement in the everyday running of the school will continue to be very close, and she is in the process of building her own house on the premises to ensure close contact with the girls and school.

Most of the teachers will also be residents of the school, living in the senior dormitories. The girls will also have two house mothers living with them in each dormitory.

The Academy’s COO, John Samuel, addressed the criticism that only black girls were admitted into the school, saying that other races were admitted to the school, and that the demographic of the school was representative of that of the country.

The Academy does not have a mission statement as yet, as Oprah wants the girls to participate in its development.

The Academy is however, not the only school project Oprah Winfrey has for South Africa. Later in the month, a school for both boys and girls is set to open its doors in Kwazulu-Natal. As many as 1000 children will have the opportunity to part the student body of the school.

Sunday Times Online