#FILMFRIDAY: CloseUP - BETCHA DIDN'T KNOW THAT...Whether Movies, TV, or Soundtracks, Mariah's Got Game!

Most people are unaware, that Mariah Carey’s film and TV credits go far further than Glitter and Precious. Did you know? I thought not! Well for this #FilmFriday Special, we're going to take a look at just a few of them...

Mariah actually has a host of roles on her CV that are never mentioned, because there is little bad to be said about them, especially where Mariah’s involvement is concerned.

In Tennessee (2008), she plays Krystal, a battered wife, desperate to escape her cop husband Frank (Lance Reddick), who knows that her talent could take her away from him, which it eventually does. When she runs, she meets a pair of brothers, Carter and Ellis (Ethan Peck and Adam Rothenberg) in search of their childhood home and father. One terminally ill without the key to life that only their estranged parent holds; the journey isn't as easy it sounds. Frank calls in the help of his cop friends, who keep him apprised of Krystal’s every move. Actually, Krystal’s journey steers what is essentially a too dark and too long road trip movie back in to the right lane. Not one that you can watch twice (ok maybe that’s just me), it’s great to watch Krystal’s plight land her on a stage, performing with her idol, Willie Nelson.

In WiseGirls (2002), she plays Raychel; a tough-talking, sassy waitress that unwittingly becomes involved in a mob sting, thanks to her friendship with undercover agents Meg (Mira Sorvino), and Kate (Melora Waters). She is funny, relatable, and surprisingly identifiable in the everyday, unglamorous role, stripped of her usual finery.

I suggest you check it out!

Then there is that other forgotten gem – Mariah’s turn as Candy Cushnip on Ally McBeal. A loopy little Single Sally; she is called as a key witness by John Cage (Peter MacNichol), in his case against a matchmaker who claimed that she could match anyone up. Crazy quirks and uncontrollable OCD landed her firmly in the undatable client pool. As some might know, when it comes to Mariah’s real life public appearances, she does actually take her own lighting specialist (hey, a Diva is, as a Diva does...); well in this role (which is where I believe she got the idea), another everyday character (a librarian, or some such regular person), hired a lighting specialist to follow her around everywhere, in particular, on her dates!

Shown in roughly 2002, the stint was a great turn on the small screen, after Glitter the previous year (and some obvious acting lessons).

As far as Soundtracks go, did you know that her Prince of Egypt duet with Whitney Houston brought the Song's writers home an Oscar? She's also done other Soundtrack work too; most recently, 'Almost Home', the theme song for last year's blockbuster Oz: The Great and Powerful:

And that, my friends, is what you call one seriously multi-talented Diva!

Until the next...
ES ;)