Mariah Carey's new album has opened at number one. Love her or hate her the lady has notched up the best opening sales of her questionably illustrious career with her latest offering.

"The Emancipation of Mimi", the long legged diva's eighth studio album, managed to knock 50 Cents from the top spot on the Billboard 200.

Over 404,000 copies of the album were sold in the United States.

50 Cent's "The Massacre" lost its long held top held position to the blonde bombshell.

The last time Carey held any noticeable Billboard 200 spot was in 1997. That particular week saw 235,000 Carey "Butterfly" albums shift. Over three and a half million have sold to date.