Rolling Stone talks to Mariah and Oprah about the movie Precious

I'm looking so forward to seeing Precious, surprisingly not because of Mariah Carey, but because it looks like one of the more important films that have come out in this decade. I haven't read the book yet--thinking about reading it before I see the film. What do you guys think, movie first or book first? Pretty sure I'm gonna go with the book. Just caught this article about it in the feeds from Rolling Stone that includes quotes from both Mariah Carey and Oprah Winfrey on their feelings about the book and the film. Here's an excerpt:

Like Winfrey, Patton, Blige and Sidibe, Carey had long been a fan of Push, the original title of the novel, written by Sapphire. “It changed my life and Sapphire knows this,” she said, nodding to the author. “Just being involved in this is just incredible for me. I don’t even know if I could have fathomed how this could turn into a film. After being such a fan of the book, I think I read it twice in a row and it was overpowering."

Carey has one of the most intense scenes in Precious, a probing, revealing interview with Precious and her mother, Mary, played by Mo’Nique. She refers to it as “the answer.”

“My character is not really a likeable person, but she does bring this to the surface. I had to really stay strong as an actor and I had to thank Lee for giving me that chance and letting us really be free with that scene,” she said. “I feel like it was a great chance for me to exercise and me to work and I feel like we connected on such a level. We were crying between scenes. It was emotional for us."

Winfrey added, “When I finished watching that movie, I literally had to breathe. I didn’t cry until the card came up with ‘For Precious Girls Everywhere.’ And that hit a nerve. And I recognized myself in that character. Most of all, I recognized that I have seen the Precious girls of the world and they have been invisible to me."

link: full article

I have a feeling if we looked closer and without any filters, we'd recognize ourselves in more than just one character in this movie. We've all been the victim and the abuser in big and small ways, if not with others, then certainly with ourselves. My goal in life is to heal myself and others with my music, so I have a lot of respect for creative projects like this movie that aim to do the same. I have a feeling this movie will inspire some new music from me too...

photo credit, and for more info on the movie visit: WeAreAllPrecious.com