| Wednesday 3 September 2014 |
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Nick Cannon doing book, sans Mariah Carey
With or without his estranged wife, Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon seems determined to write a children's book. In January, Scholastic announced that Carey and San Diego native Cannon, who hosts the TV show "America's Got Talent", were teaming up to write "Roc and Roe's Twelve Days of Christmas", a children's picture book that stars - in illustrated form - their 3-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe (whose nicknames are Roc and Roe). Due out this fall, it "follows Roc and Roe as they put their own unique spin on the Christmas carol", according to Scholastic, the international children's publishing, education and media company, which is publishing the book.
Carey, 45, and Cannon, 33, are now separated. "There is trouble in paradise. We have been living in separate houses for a few months," Cannon told The Insider With Yahoo on August 21. Trouble or not, Cannon appears determined to write a children's book on own. On Tuesday, Scholastic announced that Cannon, a 1998 graduate of Spring Valley's Monte Vista High School, is at work on "Neon Aliens Ate My Homework and Other Poems", an illustrated poetry book for children.
Due out in March, "Neon Aliens" will mix lighthearted and serious poems by Cannon, who will do some of the book's illustrations himself. However, the majority of of its black-and-white illustrations will be by such noted street artists Art Mobb (aka Michael Farhat), Califawnia (aka Fawn Arthur) and Queen Andrea (a/k/a Andrea von Bujdoss).
Cannon cites poetry and hip-hop as the twin inspirations for "Neon Aliens". "Writing is at the center of everything I do as an artist," Cannon said, in a statement issued by Scholastic. "Doing creative writing - especially writing poetry - is when I felt the calmest and freest. As a kid, it was my escape from the inner-city pitfalls. The first important writer in my life was Shel Silverstein - he made me fall in love with writing and seeing his whimsical sketches got me interested in art."
"When I was eight years old, I got a spiral notebook and wrote my first poem/rap. I filled that notebook with poems, rhymes, jokes, and witty stories. I still keep one to this day. I hope that poems in Neon Aliens will help inspire kids to want to get out a pen and paper to write or draw their own thoughts, rhymes, and stories."
Cannon's big break came when he was 17 and joined the cast of Nickelodeon TV's sketch-comedy series, "All That". This was followed by the "The Nick Cannon Show", stints as the host of "Kids' Choice Awards", albums, the starring role in the 2002 movie "Drumline" and more, including "MTV's Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out," an improvisational-comedy show that also features musical performances.
Cannon and Carey met after he appeared as her love interest in her 2008 video, "Bye Bye", which has more than 32 million views on YouTube. The two married the same year. Cannon's star has been on the rise ever since, while Carey's career is now at a low ebb. Her latest album, this year's "Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse," had the lowest first-week sales of any album she's done in the past 20 years. (U-T San Diego)
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