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Mariah "Charms" Fans
Access
Hollywood's Billy Bush was road trippin' with Mariah Carey in
New York. He was on diva duty for her performance on the May 30 episode of The
Today Show. However, it was the story of Mariah's connection with two
fans that took center stage.
The celebratory mood at the show was dampened by a cruel joke that was
played on a disabled Mariah fan. The grandmother of a 10-year-old blind
Minnesota girl named Michelle Katz innocently sent an e-mail to a
bogus Mariah Web address and got back a nasty response from a fraud acting
as the star.
Billy spoke to Michelle's father Bill Katz by phone to get details
on the story. "What was your reaction to receiving this e-mail?"
asked Billy. "I couldn't believe it," said Bill.
"When it first hit me, I got mad. After a while I thought about it and
I said, 'There's no way she wrote this.'"
When Mariah learned of the unfortunate situation she took matters into her
own hands. "I called the girl. I spoke to her grandmother. I spoke to
her dad. She was playing Butterfly, Hero and stuff on the
piano," said Mariah.
Michelle's father described the moment that he handed the phone to his
daughter. "I went over to the piano and said, 'Michelle, the phone is
for you. It's Mariah Carey,' and her face just lit up."
"It's a really horrible thing for somebody to do. It's a total shot in
the heart and it's a shock because who expects someone to do that,
especially to a girl who's handicapped," Mariah told Billy.
Another e-mail to Mariah's official Web site wound up with a more positive
response for one diehard fan. Natasha Sullivan, whose brother was
killed in Iraq, broke down when she got to meet her idol face to face on The
Today Show.
Billy talked to Natasha after her encounter with Mariah. "I know
you've been through a lot. Does this maybe help a bit?" he asked.
"Yeah, because this was like a dream come true. I thought I was
dreaming the whole time."
"Her story is so touching. I read her letter. I was just so glad to
meet her and I'm looking forward to spending more time with her
today," said Mariah.
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