Friday 21 September 2001

Mariah Carey at "Glitter" screening Thursday night

A smiling but teary-eyed Mariah Carey made her first public appearance since suffering an emotional breakdown in July to watch a screening of her Hollywood debut, "Glitter", with her fans Thursday night. For Carey, who arrived at Westwood's Village Theatre in jeans and a black tank top adorned with an American flag, it was a form of therapy - not for her personal troubles, but for the heartache she shares with her fans in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks.

"My fans have gotten me through all my personal little issues, and I want to give them back, even if it's just for tonight, a few minutes of peace," she said as she made her way into the venue. "Definitely every American is grieving in their own way, so I'm just happy to be here." In between interviews, Carey stopped to autograph copies of the film's soundtrack and pose for pictures with fans.

Looking beautiful and rested, the singer spoke about her problems in a "such-is-life" tone, saying she simply needed a break from a merciless schedule. "I was exhausted, I needed to rest," said Carey, who underwent psychiatric care for what her publicist termed a physical and emotional breakdown. "I tend to work myself to the ground like a superhero. And guess what? I'm human, so you can't do that. But it really required me acknowledging that. There was nobody to tell me to stop working."

"Glitter", which opens nationwide this weekend, stars Carey as a singer named Billie who achieves pop stardom but struggles with the abandonment of her past, a shaky love affair with her producer and the pitfalls of success. Inside the theatre, Carey sat in the center section flanked by security guards and handlers. Fellow movie-goers, who had won tickets through Los Angeles radio station Power 106, regularly erupted into cheers, from the moment Carey's name appeared in the opening credits to her character's final performance at New York's Madison Square Garden. At one point, when Billie's boyfriend asks her, "Do you think because you swing your ass onstage and hit a couple high notes that makes you some kind of colossal success?," audience members answered with a resounding, "Yes!"

Carey said she hopes the mostly light-hearted "Glitter" will provide movie-goers an emotional escape during this time of turmoil. "But obviously nothing can overshadow the events that have gone on, and I need to stay focused on that," she said.

The singer will return to the stage for the first time since her hospitalization for the star-powered benefit show "America: A Tribute to Heroes" on Friday (September 21), joining such stars as Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and Faith Hill. "It's so difficult because everybody's been affected by this tragedy in a different way," Carey, who will sing "Hero" at the telethon, said. "I'm not a politician, but I would just say that my heart goes out to anybody that's been affected, all the victims and everybody in this country, because we're trying to come together as a nation and really be strong and it's hard, it's not an easy task."

Friday's commercial-free event, set to air simultaneously on several networks, will raise money for long-term relief efforts benefiting those directly affected by the attacks. "I hope [it] will create even more unity," Carey said. "The most important thing is to stay positive ... We can all do our part." The soundtrack to "Glitter" will debut on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart at #7 .

(MTV News)



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