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Precious (108,322) by BFF from United States
Well, I think Mariah was actively discouraged by Tommy to take roles that she was offered in the 1990s. She has alluded to the fact that there were film roles offered to her that made other people movie stars. I also think a lot of her efforts to break into movies during the 1997-2001 period were derailed and sabotaged. If you recall, she cut her Butterfly Tour short because she wanted to do a movie called "Double O Soul" with Chris Tucker but then Tucker backed out, leaving Mariah with nothing to show for her investment in that project. She was also attached to a project called "The Sweet Science", which seemed very interesting but never came to fruition (most likely due to the response to "Glitter"). "Wisegirls" never went anywhere outside of the Sundance circuit, even though it was an interesting project.

The role she took in "Tennessee" was solid and her role in "Precious" was small but interesting. I think she could get away with another attempt at making movies. Whitney did "Sparkle" pretty late in her career. Diana Ross did a few made for TV films in the 90s when she was in her 50s. It's still possible for Mariah to do something different if she wants to.
(Friday 7 March 2025; 15:11)
this is a reply to message 108,319
Precious (108,317) by BFF from United States
I was also there in the 90s watching Mariah's career. Mariah was commercially successful in the 90s but not respected by the industry or by critics. It really all started when Nelson George referred to her as a "white girl trying to sing black" and also reverberated with the 1996 Grammys snub. I also remember Sandra Bernhardt directing some really racist statements at Mariah in the late 1990s (statements I won't repeat here because they are awful). It was never "cool" to like Mariah until very recently. I remember all of the thinly veiled homophobia that was directed at me during middle school and high school because I loved Mariah.

"The Bodyguard" has great songs on the soundtrack, but the film itself and the acting are not good at all. There was definitely a reason why the film had sat in development purgatory since the mid 1970s. It was originally intended for Diana Ross. I doubt that it would have been produced if Whitney hadn't been the huge star she was in the late 80s/early 90s. Whitney was good in "Waiting to Exhale", for sure, but that's as much due to Forest Whitaker's excellent job directing as it was due to Whitney's acting.

I believe "Glitter" could have done just as well as "The Bodyguard" if there hadn't been so much venom directed at Mariah in the late 1990s/early 2000s and if there hadn't been so many issues that Mariah had to deal with during the 1997-2001 period of her career.
(Thursday 6 March 2025; 12:32)
this is a reply to message 108,316
Precious (108,315) by BFF from United States
Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner had *zero* chemistry in "The Bodyguard", and the songs she recorded were all written by other people except for "Queen of the Night".

"Glitter" is a superior project in every respect. Mariah's approach to acting was more endearing and humble than Whitney's. The chemistry with Max Beesley, though he wasn't the first choice for the role, was better. Mariah poured her heart and soul into the songs she wrote for the soundtrack. The only reason why people retrospectively think of "The Bodyguard" as better is because the soundtrack and film were very commercially successful. The film itself received poor reviews and is just incredibly dull in comparison to "Glitter", which took more risks.

I'm willing to fight the battle for "Glitter" because the way people rejected it, for me, symbolizes the way that people rejected Mariah in the 1990s.
(Thursday 6 March 2025; 00:56)
this is a reply to message 108,313
Precious (108,312) by BFF from United States
I highly recommend that you watch "Wisegirls" and "Tennessee" in addition to "Precious" if you haven't. The roles that Mariah took in those movies are much more substantial and grittier than the parts in "Precious" and "The Butler", and they really allowed her acting talent to shine through. That song "Right to Dream" from "Tennessee" is just incredible.

I honestly think "Glitter" is worthy of reappraisal - I often wonder if substantial portions of the filmed scenes were cut out to get the PG-13 rating and to adjust for the fact that Tommy and J. Lo sabotaged the "Loverboy" single, which was an integral element of the movie's plot. They definitely had to add the new version of "Loverboy" in during post-production. To me, Mariah's almost "awkward" portrayal of Billie works well because it lends an honesty and authenticity to the insecurity Billie feels from being abandoned by her father and mother and how she feels as a mixed race person. You can tell that, like Mariah, Billie worries that the rug can be pulled out from under her at any moment.

She worked with a very non-mainstream director (Vondie Curtis-Hall), whose only other film credit at the time was "Gridlock'd" with Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth. She made very non-mainstream choices for which music from the 80s to focus on (R&B and club scene rather than pop). It seemed like all of the elements were there for something great and interesting. But the filming delays, the last minute pivot to the "Rainbow" album, the sabotage of the soundtrack, the delayed releases, Mariah's mental health struggles. It all felt so unfair to Mariah, and she just kept getting hit with poison darts left and right from basically 1998 to 2001. The reviews for "Glitter" were bad, but I think hardly anyone saw it (including critics). The film is definitely better than "The Bodyguard" in my opinion.
(Wednesday 5 March 2025; 15:20)
this is a reply to message 108,311
The issue I have (108,297) by BFF from United States
I always thought Mariah's best interviews with were people like Donny Simpson, Craig Seymour, etc. The interviews she did with them always went beneath the surface and challenged Mariah to reveal different sides of herself.
(Saturday 1 March 2025; 16:06)
this is a reply to message 108,295
Breakdown (108,292) by BFF from United States
It's like out lives are the Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton catalogues. Please make it stop.
(Saturday 1 March 2025; 00:43)
this is a reply to message 108,291
Breakdown (108,288) by BFF from United States
So I've gone from singing "Lead the Way" to pumping "Breakdown" in the span of three weeks. Mariah really knows how to sing/write a song about emotionally unavailable men. I was getting all of these signals from him for weeks and this week all of a sudden it's like I've been iced out. I'm all up in my feelings.
(Friday 28 February 2025; 23:41)
Free music (108,281) by BFF from United States
Randy, your post reminds me of how many artists missed out on #1 records because their labels wouldn't issue CD Singles. "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia, "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts, "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees, "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls, and the goes on.

Here's a full list of Airplay Only hits if you need it.
(Thursday 27 February 2025; 20:45)
this is a reply to message 108,279
My All live performances (108,265) by BFF from United States
"Just one more night. Just one more niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight."
(Tuesday 25 February 2025; 00:47)
this is a reply to message 108,256
Remaining Vegas shows (108,258) by BFF from United States
I became a lamb during that period. My first Mariah album was "Rainbow", and I absolutely loved all of the MTV specials. I remember going out to Best Buy and Sam Goody in middle school to buy the "Loverboy" single and "Glitter" album. I think I went out to Best Buy on 9/11/01 to buy the "Glitter" album because we were released from school early that day.
(Monday 24 February 2025; 15:34)
this is a reply to message 108,254
Remaining Vegas shows (108,251) by BFF from United States
I need a 25th anniversary deluxe version of "Glitter" with Mariah's recording of the "Lillie's Blues" song from the beginning scene of the film.

I also need full remix EPs on streaming for "Loverboy", "Never Too Far", "Never Too Far/Hero Medley", "Don't Stop (Funkin' for Jamaica)", and whatever else Mariah is holding back from the Glitter era. She worked on that project from 1997-2001. There's got to be more than just the original "Loverboy" and the cover of "Out Here On My Own". Weren't there a couple of other song titles that came up during that era - "Every Time", "Anything Can Happen", "The Flow", etc.

I'd also love a high quality release of that Fox Family documentary did on the making of "Glitter" - I still love watching it on YouTube. I also recall a really great podcast episode from "The Mariah Report" where the hosts dive deep into how different the original concept for "Glitter" was before it was filmed and when it was known as "All That Glitters".

The 1997-2001 period of Mariah's career is one of her most fascinating and prolific periods. She was working on so many different things (three albums, one compilation, multiple films, two tours) and she finally got her independence from Tommy. What a magical time period. And she looked gorgeous too, though the 2001 era platinum blonde hairstyle wasn't my favorite.
(Saturday 22 February 2025; 15:20)
this is a reply to message 108,249
Voice (108,233) by BFF from United States
I actually saw Jazmine Sullivan in concert and was not very impressed. There was definitely a lot more lip synching than I would have expected.
(Wednesday 19 February 2025; 00:22)
this is a reply to message 108,231
Loverboy (108,226) by BFF from United States
All I know is that Mariah should be sending the man she was writing about in "Loverboy" my way if she's no longer in need of his services.
(Monday 17 February 2025; 23:36)
this is a reply to message 108,224
Loverboy (108,223) by BFF from United States
Oh, Robert Anthony. You know all of those gospel types have tons of pent up sexual energy, that's why Aretha had to do secular music rather than just gospel lol. I care about Mariah's spiritual needs, but my girl needs to get loved down as well.
(Monday 17 February 2025; 15:02)
this is a reply to message 108,221
Loverboy (108,218) by BFF from United States
I have always wondered something about one of the lines in "Loverboy". When Mariah sings "When he invites me over, I come every time," did she mean she goes over to hang with him every time she is invited or does she mean that he brings her to orgasm every time? She was dating Luis at the time the song was recorded, so if it's the latter, he must have been loving her down.

The songs lyrics give me the same vibe as the "Honey" lyrics where I am unsure if Mariah's being intentionally provocative or doing her coquettish "I'm Mary Poppins" shtick and playing dumb about the double entendres lol.
(Sunday 16 February 2025; 15:22)
Mariah doesn't need no man (108,192) by BFF from United States
I've been very worried about Mariah for quite some time - her psychological and physical health. I think she's been very isolated since 2013/14 and has been on "autopilot" with residencies and Christmas tours to just "keep things moving". Maybe I'm projecting my own experiences onto Mariah, but I can attest to how taxing it can be on the body/spirit when you go for long periods of time without feeling physically/psychologically safe and without having anyone to talk to or rely upon. I've been in that space for a while now and have come in and out of it through my life. In a way, Mariah has always been very isolated but not having a close "safe" partner or friends who are not on the payroll alongside the stuff with her voice is a lot to deal with.
(Wednesday 12 February 2025; 16:07)
this is a reply to message 108,188
Lead The Way (108,180) by BFF from United States
"Lead the Way" has such a powerful lyrical message and the way she sings it is just amazing. The same with "Never Too Far", "Reflections", and "Twister". What wonderful and sadly overlooked gems in her catalog.

Experiencing what I'm experiencing with this person right now has given LTW in a whole new meaning. It's such a powerful song in the same way that "Vision of Love" was.
(Tuesday 11 February 2025; 19:21)
this is a reply to message 108,176
Frustrated lamb (108,178) by BFF from United States
I think the main problem for Mariah in relationships is that (other than Luis Miguel and Derek Jeter) she tends to date men who are less famous than her and who end up playing a role of "fan" rather than equal partner. Luis Miguel was a superstar in Latin Music, and Derek Jeter's baseball career made him a star.

With Nick and Bryan, it sometimes felt like they "worshipped" her rather than seeing her as a human being. That probably feels good for a while, but at a certain point, it probably becomes stifling for both parties involved. I'm not sure what her relationship with Mark Sudack was like because that was kept really private. But I'm sure Mariah herself is very afraid of getting into another situation like the one she had with Tommy Mottolla, so I can understand the temptation to want to be positioned as an "alpha" in the relationship. I really feel for Mariah in this regard. I'm sure it's very hard to trust people and let her guard down.

Hopefully Mariah can get back to a place where she feels inspired again. It's really hard to watch years pass and see nothing other than Vegas residencies and Christmas tours. Things really just seemed to go very wrong around 2013/14 when she couldn't get "The Art of Letting Go" out the door in its original iteration.
(Tuesday 11 February 2025; 16:01)
this is a reply to message 108,177
MC doing the Superbowl (108,172) by BFF from United States
People really seemed to have strong opinions about Kendrick Lamar's performance. I didn't watch the Super Bowl at all and have no plans to watch the performance. As Mariah would say in her best Austin Powers imitation, "It's not my bag, baby."

It's hard for me to get behind much rap music, specifically male artists. Too much of it is about excessive displays of masculinity and showing how hard one can be. There's no softness or vulnerability save for maybe a few artists. Common, Q-Tip, Andre 3000, etc are a few that come to mind as exceptions.

Mariah has done a good job of getting her rap collaborators to complement her sound, and her incorporation of hip-hop has been largely tasteful and done well.

But I don't usually listen to the solo stuff from Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, etc unless it has a decent hook from a good featured singer (i.e. "Run this Town", "Empire State of Mind").
(Tuesday 11 February 2025; 12:23)
this is a reply to message 108,171
Lead The Way (108,166) by BFF from United States
"I'd given up hope
Losing the faith that love
Could be mine to treasure..."

I've had this song on repeat the last couple of days. It's the perfect song for when someone unexpectedly comes into your life. You had thought about giving up and worried that you'd end up alone, but you can feel the winds shifting. That's the vibe I'm on right now.

Thank you, under-appreciated ballads of the "Glitter" era.
(Tuesday 11 February 2025; 00:58)
Daydream 30 (108,153) by BFF from United States
I wonder what, if anything, Mariah has planned for the 30th anniversary of the release of "Daydream" this year. We got "One Night" and "Slipping Away" on "The Rarities" track list along with the Tokyo Dome concert from the "Daydream" tour. But surely Mariah has other leftover material from the "Daydream" sessions outside of "Someone's Ugly Daughter"?
(Sunday 9 February 2025; 22:42)
Make It Happen live performances (108,149) by BFF from United States
There were some really great performances of "Make it Happen" on various stops of the Butterfly, Rainbow, and Charmbracelet world tours. It would be hard for me to choose one. I think the song became much more dynamic when she and the singers added the "Don't Let Go" chants near the end. Live performances of "Make it Happen" are vastly superior to the studio version for this reason.
(Sunday 9 February 2025; 14:18)
this is a reply to message 108,146
Barbra and Mariah (108,145) by BFF from United States
My only problem with the Streisand comparison is that Streisand does not write or produce like Mariah does. It's very easy to produce multiple albums a year when other people hand you songs to record.

Some singer-songwriters take long breaks between albums. Mariah's probably one of the few "pop/soul" singers who also writes/produces.

She is definitely overdue for a new album, but maybe Mariah has writer's block or has scrapped and started/restarted material that didn't feel right. I know Jewel said she often takes long breaks between albums because she needs new experiences to draw from.
(Saturday 8 February 2025; 22:34)
this is a reply to message 108,135
The Grammys (108,122) by BFF from United States
I agree. I think it's so regrettable that critics and the award shows did not properly appreciate Mariah during her prime years. "Butterfly" was such a great album and should have been nominated for more awards. Sony also should have promoted it better and allowed "Breakdown" and/or "The Roof" to be official singles in the United States. It's also frustrating that "Butterfly" received a radio-only release, as it definitely could have gone to #1 and is one of her best ballads.

"Butterfly" the song was nominated for best pop vocal performance but lost to Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery", which I thought deserved the award. But Mariah should have gotten something for the album.
(Wednesday 5 February 2025; 12:20)
this is a reply to message 108,114
The Grammys (108,111) by BFF from United States
Grammys that Mariah was nominated for and should have won by the year:

1991
"Vision of Love" should have won for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It's a better song and vocal performance than any of the others that nominated.

1996
"Daydream" should have won Best Pop Vocal Album. Joni Mitchell's "Turbulent Indigo" is not anywhere near Mitchell's best work, and "Daydream" is a better album.
"One Sweet Day" should have won "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" and "Record of the Year". I loved Seal's "Kiss From a Rose", but it didn't need to win Song of the Year and Record of the Year. And why wasn't "One Sweet Day" nominated for "Song of the Year"?

2000
"When You Believe" should have won "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals". "Smooth" by Santana and Rob Thomas did not need to win in this category.

2006
"We Belong Together" should have won Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It is undeniable that this song was the biggest of the year, and to give the awards to Green Day and U2 was slap in the face to Mariah when she had a great year.
(Tuesday 4 February 2025; 18:16)
this is a reply to message 108,107

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