Mary J Blige cheers on Mariah Carey at the Grammys

[MaryJane]

MARY J BLIGE was cheering on chart rival MARIAH CAREY at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last night (08FEB06) because she felt the R+B diva deserved to "clean up" at the event. Blige confessed before the show that she is a longtime Carey fan and thought a clutch of Grammys would seal an amazing year for her pal.

The FAMILY AFFAIR singer said, "I just want Mariah Carey to clean up. That is my heart, my baby. She's someone who got me through when I was in the projects just singing my heart out, didn't know if I was gonna get a record deal.

"Mariah Carey's songs were all (what) my girlfriends and I sang. We went to the clubs and sang Mariah Carey's songs and she's a beautiful person.

"I know her so I'm just so happy to see her come through and be that good woman that they can't hold down. I like everybody else but I'm rooting for Mariah."

Unfortunately, Blige's cheers weren't loud enough to help Carey claim the biggest haul at the 2006 Grammys - despite being nominated for eight honours, the R+B diva came away with three.

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