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Jasmine sees star potential in rising singer McLean – but first, she saw Mariah cook up a storm for Thanksgiving dinner!

I CAN’T believe that in all the years I’ve been travelling to the United States, I have never witnessed Thanksgiving out there. So when Mr and Mrs Carey-Cannon recently requested the pleasure of my company out there, I knew it was extravagant but I couldn’t resist the chance to go and visit their new pad out in LA – as well as eat myself into oblivion.

I weighed up the pros and cons and my belly won the argument. So there I was in the California Hills for two days. On my arrival, Mrs C showed me around their new home. We spent the first day in aprons preparing a lot of food that was going to be devoured the following day. Mrs C even showed how to ‘rock the apron so that it looks cute’!

Then, her bro Shawn sneakily videoed my ‘how to rock an apron’ lesson and posted it on my Facebook wall!

Mrs C showed me how to make a real Thanksgiving dinner. I felt like I was on a Jamie Oliver/Gordon Ramsey TV show. She had me peeling armfuls of yam for the candied yam and chopping potatoes for the potato salad, which had many secret ingredients. (My eyes were certainly opened.) I mashed those potatoes until my arms went dead!

Stuffing was prepared, macaroni cheese sampled, turkey marinade concocted, long island iced tea was boiling away in a giant pot, the delicacies of real cranberry sauce was discussed – it was deep. Mrs C taught me how to braise short rib before partnering it with the roast veg and then roasting it in the oven until it’s so tender the meat falls off the bone like butter. Get this: when you add red wine to the fat stock on the stove, it breaks down the fat and acid and tenderises the meat. (Or something like that.) I was trying to pay attention but it was all very technical! Maybe she should host her own cooking show in the future.

On Thanksgiving day, we spent all day cooking up a feast fit for a kingdom, which was a good thing as there were about 35 people in attendance for dinner. Mr C had us all say grace before we ate and we all went around the table mentioning a couple of things in each of our lives that we were thankful for. It felt special and for once, I thought that being American may be more fun than being British.

The next day we took the family puppies for a walk to burn of all the food and listened to Mariah’s remix album, which features a host of legends dueting with her. I cant wait for you to hear it – it’s fire!

Someone else I heard a lot of in the States is female rapper Nicki Minaj. I’d heard about her ages ago and after seeing her perform at this year’s BET Cypher, I’ve been gripped by her many accents, languages and attitude. I really haven’t been excited about a female MC like this in years!

Another young, up and coming talent that I’m certain is about to blow is British singer McLean. I first had the pleasure of hearing him sing live at last month’s MTV Staying Alive dinner, where he performed a very well-received acoustic set. He told me: “The guys from Westlife came up to me afterwards and said they really enjoyed my set and that made me feel really good.”

Now, I hear his single Broken, which he originally released in 2007) all over the airwaves, and I see big things coming his way. He’s part of the YouTube generation where his first video picked up five million views. Signed to Asylum records, he’s on the Braaap Pack tour – which has been renamed the Bizarre Tour – so he’s really climbing musical ladder.

His father John McLean sang the lovers rock anthem, If I Gave My Heart To You, so music is certainly in McLean’s blood. I see him following in the mainstream footsteps of acts like Seal and Lemar.

Mclean is excited right now as he revealed, “I’m on the right path, connecting with lovers of music. Now, I’m just getting ready for Christmas when I’ll be spending it having breakfast with my daughter then going to my mum’s for that good dinner. I love this time of year!’’

Finally, in one of the most talked about shows of late, Los Angeles rapper Sibley rocked a packed crowd at YoYo with music inspired by London. A true diva, she wore a £2 Camden t-shirt with £2000 Stella McCartney thigh-high boots and was every bit a star who owned her stage. She had the audience yelling for more. Also spotted admiring her talents were Taio Cruz and Idris Elba. I first told you about her months ago…and it looks like she’s here to stay. Welcome to London, Sibley!

Jasmine Dotiwala is a TV producer, director and broadcast journalist. Email her at jasmine@hiphop.com

Published: 13 December 2009
Issue: 1402

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