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Mariah Mayhem at Macy's

A royal purple carpet flanked by a drumline in matching purple T-shirts with a large "M" emblazoned on the front, and so many security guards, you'd think the Queen were arriving.

Though this wasn't for the Queen of England, it was for pop royalty, nonetheless. The grand setup at the Macy's flagship store in New York on Tuesday afternoon, October 23, signaled the launch of Grammy Award-winning artist Mariah Carey's debut fragrance, M by Mariah Carey.

The department store was in a tizzy as shoppers and store employees crowded the center aisle of the cosmetics department and even the mezzanine balcony with camera phones in hand and necks craned, hoping to get a glimpse at the singer when she arrived to greet the 200 lucky fans who ponied up $130 for a fragrance set, guaranteeing a chance to meet Carey and get her autograph. The first 50 to purchase the "VIP" package, priced at $305, got a photo opp, a T-shirt and the pure parfum.

The fragrance, created by Elizabeth Arden with input from Carey, is a blend of rich scents like Moroccan incense, the Tahitian tiare flower and toasted marshmallows

Tom Green, 26, from Leeds, England was one of the first ten people in line, and waited 23 hours with other fellow fans, including Nicole Randall, 22, from King Park, NY; Sapphira Hendrix, 22 from Brooklyn, NY and Davidia Rosshu, 25, from Tampa, Fla., who came to New York especially for the Macy's event.

"I've always been a fan," said Green, who camped out on the street overnight in order to meet Carey.

"With the cockroaches! Don't forget the cockroaches! We were killing them all night!" said Kristina Spencer, 18, of Commack, NY, who also waited 23 hours.

At 5:10 p.m., the drumline, from the Brooklyn Music and Arts program, began enthusiastically chanting and drumming a welcoming cheer for Carey with so much gusto that it was impossible not to give it one's full attention. "Nobody's even shopping anymore!" joked one Macy's employee. After several minutes, Carey finally appeared, though her walk down the purple carpet was less a grand procession and more a slow jog, surrounded by security as though she were trying to avoid a crush of paparazzi.

After all the fanfare, some onlookers were a little bit disappointed by the brief arrival.

"I'm not impressed," said one employee to another, and headed back to the sales floor.

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