Glitter

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Glitter is a 2001 American romantic musical drama film produced by 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures, starring Mariah Carey. The film was written by Kate Lanier and directed by Vondie Curtis Hall. Set in 1982, Carey plays Billie Frank, who wants to be a famous singer, and along with her friends Louise and Roxanne, is a club dancer. Timothy Walker (Terrence Howard), who offers a contract as backup singers/dancers to a singer. In the premiere of the song they recorded, Frank meets Julian "Dice" Blac (Max Beesley), who is a DJ in a night club, and helps her in her solo career. In the process, Frank and Dice fall in love with each other.

Carey began working on a film and soundtrack project titled All That Glitters in 1997. However, during that period, herrecord company Columbia Records pressured Carey to release a compilation album, in time for the favorable holiday season in November 1998. Consequently, Carey put All That Glitters on hold. Following this, Carey aimed to complete the film and album project for the summer of 2001. Shooting began in Toronto and New York at the end of September 2000. Carey utilized the time to work on the soundtrack of the film, along with Eric Benét and Da Brat, who also appeared on the film.

The film was released on September 11, 2001. Before its release, Carey was suddenly hospitalized, citing "extreme exhaustion" and a "physical and emotional breakdown". Due to this, the film and its soundtrack were postponed for three weeks. Glitter was a major commercial failure and critical flop. Reviewers were highly disappointed with the film, and Carey's performance as an actress was considered by many to be amateur. This also caused the film to receive a lot of hateful comments on social media sites. Some went on to call it one of the worst films to be released, while others found Carey's hospitalization as its failure. Glitter opened in 1,996 American theatres, and grossed $2.5 million in its first week. Its worldwide total was about $5.3 million. The accompanying soundtrack of the film had some commercial success and it went on to sell three million copies worldwide, considerably less compared with previous Carey's releases.


Plot:


Lillian Frank (Valarie Pettiford) is a performer at a nightclub. Lillian tries to rouse the crowd with her torch song, "Lillie's Blues", with her daughter Billie Frank (Isabel Gomes) accompanying her on vocals. The plot fails and Lillian is fired. Lilian feels defeated and lights a cigarette, accidentally falls asleep with it and starts a fire, causing the building to be evacuated. Due to her mother's actions, Billie is fostered.

Years later in 1983, the adult Billie (Mariah Carey) is a club dancer along with her foster-care friends Louise (Da Brat) and Roxanne (Tia Texada). They meet Timothy Walker (Terrence Howard), who offers a contract as backup singers and dancers to the singer Sylk (Padma Lakshmi) and the three are contracted. Later at a nightclub, played by Julian "Dice" Black (Max Beesley) — Sylk debuts "All My Life". Dice discovers that Billie is the real singer of the song. Impressed, he wishes to produce her but Billie raises concerns about her contract with Timothy and he eventually agrees on the provision that Dice pays him $100,000.

Billie and Dice start working on songs. Ultimately they sign with Guy Richardson of a major record label. With success in their hands, he asks her up to his apartment and they sleep together. Billie's first major single, "Loverboy" is a success. Billie is called to perform at an awards, where she meets singer Rafael (Eric Benét). Billie gets a threat from Timothy concerning the debt that Dice failed to pay. Billie, upset about how Dice lied about her contract and his arrest, argues with and leaves him.

Billie begins writing a song, due to her emotional pain. Dice also misses Billie, and also begins writing a song. Billie discovers that the music he has written is and Billie realizes they wrote the same song: "Never Too Far". Dice plans a reconciliation, but is shot dead by Timothy. She would play at Madison Square Garden, and onstage after noticing that Dice was dead, Billie commands the band to stop playing "Loverboy", and she then starts to sing "Never Too Far". Afterwords, Billie reads a note Dice had left her, where he tells that he has found Billie's mother. Billie's limo takes her to the secluded rural property where she is united with her mother once again.


Theme Songs:


Never too far away


"Never Too Far" is a song performed by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey for her first soundtrack album,Glitter (2001). It was written and produced by herself and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song was released as the album's second single on October 23 2001, by Virgin Records. The song is a mid-tempo ballad which lyrically deals with heartbreak. "Never Too Far" was used on the charity single "Never Too Far/Hero Medley", which combines the first verse of the song with a re-recorded version of the second verse and bridge of Carey's previous single "Hero" (1993).

The single did not make much impact on the U.S. charts; however, it did reach the top forty in the UK and Australia, as part of a double A-side with "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)". Carey was unable to film a music video for the single as she was recovering from a breakdown. Instead, a video was created using a scene taken directly from the film Glitter, where Billie Frank (played by Carey) sings the song at Madison Square Garden during a concert. Carey promoted "Never Too Far/Hero" medley through live performances at the 2001 Radio Music Awards and her A Home For The Holidays With Mariah Carey TV special.


Reflections


"Reflections (Care Enough)" is a song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and Philippe Pierre for Carey's eighth studio album, Glitter. The ballad has Carey, in character as Billie Frank in the film Glitter, reflecting on how her mother didn't "care enough" for her. The song is also featured on Carey's 2009 compilation album, The Ballads.


"Reflections (Care Enough)" was released as the album's fourth single in late 2001, but wasn't promoted in the United States. Because of contractual obligations, Sony Music Entertainment, Carey's former record label and the international distributor of the Glitter soundtrack released a CD single for "Reflections (Care Enough)" only in Japan.

A clip from the film Glitter in which Carey (as Billie Frank) performs the song in her apartment right after her character finishes writing it (the song is Frank's first attempt at songwriting) was used in Asia as a teaser for the film







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