The Liz Smith Column | 10/05/2009 2:00 pm

Liz Smith: Mariah Carey – She's No Angel, But Pretty Close

Well, what was she thinking? "Oh, I’m not going down the list, which is really rather small. At the beginning of my career, I had to be very straightforward in my work and my image. But I have a lot of humor and zest for living and imagination. Once I broke free, I allowed myself to be who I was, who I wanted to be, as a woman and as an artist. This kind of album, with the great collaborations I have with Tricky Stewart and The Dream never could have been possible as my old self." (Mariah didn’t need to put a fine point on it. She was clearly referring to her infamous marriage to Tommy Mottola, the music mogul who discovered, elevated and eventually smothered her.) Also impossible back in the day was Mariah’s wicked tongue-in-cheek celebration of her sexiness – high heels in a snow drift! The old Rodgers and Hammerstein song, "I Enjoy Being a Girl," suits Mariah to a T. A wet tee.

Will Mariah tour to promote this CD? "Hmm … I really want to think about what I want to do next, how best to use my time, my life." Her life now includes an apparently blissful marriage to Nick Cannon. Tours rip months and years out of a performer’s life. I believe Mariah has a different plan. At the very least, she needs time to also promote her new fragrance, "Forever."

***

Before I let Mariah go – well, before her handler wrenched us apart: "Your 15 minutes are up!" – I told her how much I love her delightful 1994 Christmas album. This disc includes her own composition, "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

"Oh, thank you! When I realize how that song has become a part of Christmas tradition, it’s crazy to me, thrilling, humbling. You know, I didn’t want to do a Christmas album. It was Tommy’s idea. And I was all, ‘Please I’m a young girl. People don’t do Christmas albums until they are, like, 50. Some sort of last resort.’ But he insisted. ‘No, no. Do it. It’ll be a big hit. So I did and it was, and I’ll always be grateful for that."

Mariah paused and said, "I shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m going to record another Christmas song, with my mother. I’m going to sing in my style, and she is going to sing operatic, which is her style." (Patricia Carey, Mariah’s mom, is a former opera singer and vocal coach.)

"Mariah, when you say you shouldn’t tell me, do you mean you’ve told me something I can’t print?"

"Well, Liz. Would it be good for you if you printed it?"

"Of course it would be. But…."

"OK, then go ahead."

OK, then, go ahead. Words to cherish from a star, and words you don’t hear much but from the unique likes of Miss Mariah Carey.

21 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I understand why Madonna and Britney use sex to sell themselves. They cannot sing. Mariah Carey can. She has sold a zillion albums and can probably buy her own continent by now. Yet she continues to dress like a desperate hooker from the hood. Listening to her is pleasurable; seeing her is visually painful. She is an eyesore.

By Maggie W on 10/05/2009 9:58 am

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I agree. Mariah doesn’t need to overexpose herself the way she does, she has a great voice. Although she does show her "imperfections" in the precious movie when she’s on screen with no makeup.

-Nikki-

By Nikki Thomas on 10/05/2009 11:28 am

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Ha! At our house we call her "Scary Carey"…….

By A R on 10/05/2009 10:31 am

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Mariah reminds me of Barbara Striesand, Whitney Houston and Anita Baker, women who were blessed with beautiful pitch perfect voices. True musical talent unlike others who have to gain their fame with what I call "smoke and mirrors" with tons of back up dancers, fancy stage settings and recorded accompaniments. Instead you have a woman whose voice says it all.

I’ve heard good things about her acting in Precious, so I can’t wait to see the movie.

However her personal life…..I’m not so sure about the cradle robbing she did……

By Belinda Joy on 10/05/2009 11:57 am

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Belinda…So, true. Mariah needs nothing but her voice, though she inevitably falls back on the "smoke and mirrors" of her body, which is distracting and hardly necessary. On the other hand, Mariah has clearly gotten the message—life is short. She dresses to please herself. Likewise, she loves who she wants to love, to please herself, as we all should. I hardly call a ten year difference in age "cradle robbing." If a man was forty and married a woman of thirty, would that be robbing the cradle? And even if the disparity in age was greater, so what? As long as everybody is a legal adult, with the wits to know what he or she is getting into…casting the first, or even any stone, doesn’t play. Love is where you find it—which I think is an old Jane Powell song from a movie called "A Date With Judy."

Much more seriously, do see "Precious." I don’t think I need to warn you that it is grueling.

By Mr. Wow on 10/05/2009 1:45 pm

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Mr. Wow, I doubt if you have read all of my posts, but (especially as of late) the conversation of (which is why my attitude about Gay marriage has changed), what two consenting adults do doesn’t affect me. Women and men can date whomever they want. When it comes to a woman my age walking down the streets holding hands with what appears to be a guy in his 20’s. will I judge her in my mind? Yep, I must be honest I will.

But this is one of those areas where I freely admit to hypocrisy in my judgemental views. I only date men older than myself. I have a guy pursuing me now who is 61 years old. I’m 49. Although I’m not attracted to him, if I were, I would date him. So as I said this is completely hypocritical on my part and I define it as a personality flaw. But one I admit to and am trying to be more honest about. Trust me, 10 years ago I would never have admitted to having an issue with others and who they choose to love. I would be concerned about how I was viewed for being so narrow minded. Now I’m at a point where I can voice my objection while recognizing I have no control over their lives. My prayer is a year from now I will have full acceptance.

I equate it to being racially prejudice against a certain race of people who move in next door to you. You may not say anything aloud about your distaste for having them next to you, but you don’t like it. Then one day you’re honest with them about not wanting them there but recognizing their right to be. Then one day moving beyond simply tolerating and accepting them but genuinely embracing who they are. That’s where I am striving to get to when it comes to being less judgemental of those around me.

As for Precious, my sister just saw it and raved. She said it was a real tear jerker. I guess I’ll have to pull the false eyelashes off before seeing this one! :-)

By Belinda Joy on 10/05/2009 3:02 pm

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Dear Belinda—wrong! I have probably read a majority of your posts, on a variety of subjects. Even the serious ones. Mr. Wow is not altogether shallow. So, thank you for this very honest, fascinating reply!

Don’t even bother with the false lashes. Or mascara, even. Be like Mariah and go with a naked face. It’ll be…less messy as the credits roll.

And just for the record, Mariah is almost forty, and her husband is almost thirty. On the discomfort level (for most people, anyway) this is pretty low.

By Mr. Wow on 10/05/2009 3:46 pm

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Interesting post Belinda. I see nothing wrong with dating anyone younger, as long as all are of consenting age.

However, I do not feel that I must "embrace" anyone or anything. Tolerance is the only honest response. The rest is just hooey. We all have our preferences, some may call that "judgement" or " prejudice". It all depends on what angle someone wants to spin it all towards.

Tolerance is do-able.

By True Grit on 10/06/2009 10:16 am

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I would argue you are wrong. But then again I don’t know what your moral, spiritual or religious beliefs are. I can (say for instance) say I hate people of middle eastern descent. Every time I go into a store, pass them on the street or have to work along side one, "tolerate" them, but inside I hate their guts. They don’t know I hate them, they merely notice a cold manner in which I interact with them that tells them I am merely "tolerating them"

My hatred of them is eating away at my soul, not theirs. My judgement and prejudice is eating away at my mindset and heart, not theirs. However if I were to drop my judgment and prejudice and embrace who they are, how they live, walk, talk and believe, truly accept them, my world is all that much fuller.

Now, you may think that is "hooey" however I believe it is something we should all strive for. It is the primary difference between people who lead full and rich lives with tons of varied and different friends, family and associates - from people who are negative, bitter and for the most part alone.

By Belinda Joy on 10/06/2009 11:19 am

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Interesting how you added "hate" into this conversation. I never said that I "hated" anyone Belinda. Why would do something like that?

I am not negative or bitter either. I am however, truthful. Tolerance is admirable. I do not have to "embrace" all foods, music, art, or cultures. And I don’t. I have preferences. I have dislikes, those are personal choices.

Hate has nothing to do with it. Anyone that says that they do not have preferences or judgements is not telling the truth. It is a natural thing to do. My dog makes judgements. He is usually right, I might add.

By True Grit on 10/07/2009 12:40 am

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Belinda Joy, what ‘cradle robbing’? Barbra Streisand’s in her 60s, and James "Jim" Brolin is how old? They’ve been married a while, they’re ‘crazy’ in love and who cares that there’s an age difference. It’s irrelevant. My hairdresser/stylist is, I believe a little older than her second spouse. As long as there’s love, genuine love, respect, sensitivity and caring, why should something like age….really be an issue? If a man (or woman) married someone up to 30 to 50 years older or younger, then I might question that but whether the man’s older with a younger woman or the woman’s older with a younger man, even if there’s a 15 age or over/younger difference, since when does age trump being in genuine love. Kathy Lee Gifford is in her mid 50s and married to a former football player Frank Gifford who’s close to being in his late 70s. He might not be alive when his youngest is in her 20s or 30s or beyond, but they both knew that going into their marriage.

By Carol Harrison on 10/05/2009 9:51 pm

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Ummm….the response has to do with Mariah Carey, not Barbara Streisand. You may want to read it again for context.

By Belinda Joy on 10/06/2009 9:22 am

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"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry. I mean I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
—Mariah Carey

Enough said.

By True Grit on 10/06/2009 10:08 am

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That isn’t true.

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/carey.asp

By Belinda Joy on 10/06/2009 11:10 am

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Withthe song I want to know what love is, I do not think that she is not the first to use a choir with that song. It is a great song and I like how she has done it. As far as her dressing goes, she could use a very needed makeover..she does dress like a hooker and she does not need to do that…the things she wears well she is getting too old for that stuff..hey she is a beautiful women it would be nice if she dressed that way…it would be sexier. Her singing is of course fantabulous as always.

By T. BYNUM on 10/05/2009 1:24 pm