If there’s one NYC tourist trap that’s hard for even sensible tourists to pass up, it’s the glorious cheesiness of saying hi to your friends from the set of The Today Show, and actually, getting on the set is surprisingly doable. Unlike late-night shows such as SNL and Letterman, you don’t have to send away in advance for tickets or queue up all night for standbys.

For Today, you can just show up and be on TV, provided you beat the crowds of course. Most days, you’ll want to be outside the Rockefeller Center studios by 7am for any hopes of getting near the cameras.

And what about the Today Show Summer Concert Series, which brings the music out on to the Rock Center plaza starting tomorrow? That’s a little more difficult, but also not so bad. You can email NBC for a chance to get randomly selected “fan passes” for a specific show, which put you right up front and center. If you don’t luck out with those, you can also just show up at the plaza, but you’ll usually need to be there by at least 6 a.m.

The concert series kicks off this Friday with Kings of Leon, then continues every Friday in August with live sets from Jason Mraz, Flo Rida, Natasha Beningfield and Mariah Carey.

Related Stories:
· TODAY concert series schedule [Official Site]
· Want fan passes for the TODAY concerts? [NBC]
· Is Peter Greenberg Through With 'The Today Show'? [Jaunted]

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If you're going away this Christmas, at some point you have to pick: Sun or snow? Mariah Carey, original artist behind one of the best modern Christmas songs ever, picked snow--specifically, celeb magnet Aspen. (Probably just so she can hang out with longtime resident Jack Nicholson, right?)

Well, at least the ski patrol won't have trouble finding her. She might be alone up there--a lot of celebrities have opted for the beach instead of the slopes this year, from Simon Cowell and Gwen Stefani to president-elect Barack Obama, whose trip home to Hawaii must be bittersweet after losing his grandmother earlier this year.

Related Stories:
· Baggage Fees? But I'm Mariah Carey! [Jaunted]
· Ice Fishing Too Easy For You? [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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We're guessing Mariah Carey won't be taking puddle-jumpers anywhere anytime soon. The R&B singer took an astonishing 20 suitcases with her on a recent trip to London... that was only three days long.

Carey was scheduled to appear on Britain's "American Idol"-ish "X Factor" (the show that discovered singer Leona Lewis) to coach contestants assigned to sing one of her songs. Rumor has it Carey may even join the show as a judge, replacing Kylie Minogue's sister Dannii.

To be fair, she and husband Nick Cannon are planning to travel to Monaco after the weekend. So that accounts for at least three suitcases right there. But then again, Carey didn't actually carry any of those suitcases herself, instead leaving them to two poor Heathrow employees with carts.

Related Stories:
· Mariah Carey Arrives Ahead Of X Factor Performance [Daily Mail]
· The Hamptons, Mariah Carey Style [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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Back to being yourselves! Heidi Klum enjoys the one day a year she has license to be ugly as the goddess Kali at her 9th annual Halloween bash, held at NYC nightclub 1Oak. "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano was there dressed as Cruella De Vil, Pink was a clown, and Heidi's husband Seal went as some kind of Fu Manchu overlord... we can't figure it out.

Cute couples made sure their costumes were a matched pair: Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon went to the party they hosted their party on Thursday night dressed as milk and cookies, and Hilary Duff somehow got boyfriend Mike Comrie to dress up like Brangelina with her. (Complete with American Girl brood!) And the "Today" show hosts mostly got together on a fairy tale theme, incorporating Pinocchio (Meredith), the Gingerbread Man (Al), Humpty Dumpty (Matt) and Cinderella (Ann).

And just like in the larger world, the default for Hollywood starlets was anything sexy: Lauren Conrad was a flapper at a party in Vegas (though we loved Lo's Little Red Riding Hood better!), former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day was the Little Mermaid and Kim Kardashian dressed as Wonder Woman. But the costume that garnered the biggest "awww"s? Britney Spears' boys, who trick-or-treated with dad Kevin Federline as a pair of wee bumblebees.

Related Stories:
· Heidi Klum brings her annual Halloween party back to New York [Monstersandcritics.com]
· Kevin Federline: Happy Halloween! [Just Jared]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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No summer share for Mariah Carey! When the songstress decided to take an impromptu vacation in the Hamptons with husband Nick Cannon, she didn't call one of her famous friends to clear off the couch -- she dropped $125,000 on a one-week rental in East Hampton.

And she's planning to trash the place, or at least give it a go, with a belated post-wedding party thrown by Def Jam. Why buy when you can rent? No need to make real estate commitments more solid than her commitment to Cannon, who defied all forecasts by staying married to Carey for at least 3 months.

The Hamptons pad will be a convenient landing pad when Mariah performs at Fashion Rocks in Radio City Music Hall on September 5th.

Related Stories:
· Mariah's Summer Splurge [NY Post]
· Rumored Concert Travel: Casino Life for Mariah? [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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Is it time to put Mimi out to pasture? A Vegas casino has reportedly made an offer to Mariah Carey for a residency there--with a $100 million price tag.

The Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, which rose out of the ashes of the Aladdin this year, thinks the singer could be the next Celine Dion or Elvis. It's the same place whose clubs called in Heidi Montag's employer, Bolthouse Productions, to help them get with the times.

Vegas is a great place to make money (just ask Dion, who raked in almost $400 million over five years at Caesars) but we're not sure it's really Mariah's style!

Related Stories:
· Mariah Offered Vegas Residency [ICYDK]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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The couple who packs together, stays together? Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, the celebrity newlyweds HotelChatter called "destined to be divorced," recently boarded a flight to Japan from LAX.

Note Nick's military-style backpack and Mariah's lack of any carry-on at all. Maybe one of the bodyguards at left is holding it?

Three weeks after getting hitched in the Bahamas, Carey and Cannon are still together; he's tagging along on her tour stops. Will they make it to Labor Day? Place your bets!

Related Stories:
· Impulsive Travel: Did Nick and Mariah Marry in the Bahamas? [Jaunted]
· Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Hotel Love Affair [HotelChatter]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Just Jared]]]> egw 2008-05-27T09:00:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/