Mariah Carey was honored at the Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival on December 28, 2009 with the ‘Capri Award for Supporting Actress of the Year 2009’. She was also to be honored soon after at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Both awards recognize her portrayal of social worker Ms. Weiss in the critically acclaimed Precious . The movie has already picked up audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival and has received three Golden Globe nominations.
Carey Accepts Award in Italy
Carey was spotted attending the film festival, which is held on Capri, an island off the Italian coast, in a casual blue, figure-hugging combo, but still looked decidedly more glamorous than the dowdy character she plays in the film.
In a statement, the festival’s program director Pascal Vicedomini said: “This special award goes to an extraordinary and extremely gifted artist who has sold more than 200 million records worldwide making her the most successful female artist of all time. She has also achieved more number one records than any other solo artist in the history of the Billboard 100, including Elvis. In the Lee Daniels-helmed film Precious, Mariah Carey underwent a dramatic transformation to play the role of overworked social worker Ms. Weiss and lends credibility to her pitch-perfect performance.”
The fourteenth edition of the film festival opened on December 28, 2009 and will run to January 2, 2010. A high-profile event, it features movie premieres, screenings of Italian classics and talks with key figures in the international film industry. Past attendees have included Vanessa Redgrave, Faye Dunawaye, Danny Glover and Samuel L. Jackson.
Carey Also Honored at Palm Springs Film Festival
Carey will not have long to relax on the Italian island. On January 5, 2010 she is expected back stateside at the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), where she will be honored with the Breakthrough Performance Award for the same role. PSIFF runs from January 5 through 18.
Previous winners of this award were Jennifer Hudson for her role in Dreamgirls (2006), Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose (2007) and Freida Pinto for Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
Rocky Road to Movie Success
Carey’s movie career has not always been so exalted. The singer’s first outing as an actress was in 1999 with a small role in the mediocre romantic comedy The Bachelor, starring Chris O’Donnell and Renée Zellweger. A lead role in the widely derided Glitter (2001) did not help. Reviews of her performance in the independent Wisegirls (2002) were much more positive, however. Tennesseefollowed in 2008, when Carey first worked with Lee Daniels, who produced the movie.
Carey's performance in Precious has proved that she can act, but only time will tell if she continues to choose roles that will cement her status as a screen talent.
Cecily Layzell - Cecily Layzell is a food and travel writer and founder of restaurant review site www.eat-amsterdam.com.
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