Net again

What is it about Mariah Carey and e-mail hoaxes? Last year, a faux missive claiming the singer had opined that she wanted to be skinny, like an Ethiopian, made the rounds, causing grief for the Carey camp. (A spokesperson denied that Carey ever made the comment.) Last week, an equally guffaw-worthy e-mail was circulating. Supposedly taken from the Feb. 8 USA Today, it reads, in part: ''Carey was one of the first celebs to comment on the death of the King of Jordan. Mariah told CNN, 'I'm inconsolable...he was probably the greatest basketball player in this country.''' Carey was then ''led away by her security in a state of confusion.'' The source of the e-mail is unknown so far, but the singer's spokesperson says it is ''absolutely false. It's scary that the Internet can do that.'' USA Today director of communications Steven Anderson confirms the paper never printed the item: ''Whoever quoted it is obviously mistaken.'' Now, about that cookie recipe from Neiman Marcus...