Starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
Directed by Lee Daniels
Based on the book by Sapphire

After all the hype surrounding “Precious”—the critical acclaim, Oprah’s endorsement, and the back-and-forth between some bloggers and reviewers about Gabby Sidibe’s weight—I walked into the theater this weekend with one expectation and that was to cry my eyes out. And indeed, my eye makeup suffered. This movie left me a bit shell-shocked, to be honest, both positively—because of the incredible performances—and negatively, because it paints such a bleak portrait of a way of life that I don’t have any experience with. It was hard to watch and not one of those movies you walk out of the theater declaring as “wonderful.” But, man, was it powerful.

Thank goodness it’s Friday, because this daylight savings thing has totally killed any motivation to leave the house after 5pm. This will have to change, though, because new movies open this weekend and there are some good ones. If you’re in the mood to be an emotional mess, go see “Precious.” If you have ever wondered if you could take another person’s life in your hands, “The Box” is the movie for you. If you’re not a fan of goats but enjoy handsome men, “Men Staring at Goats” should work. And if you need a hand getting in the holiday spirit, go see “A Christmas Carol.” Your viewing choice is of course up to your discretion, but go see “Precious.” Oprah says so, too.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working alongside a lady named Erica Watson at a dreary desk job. She’s one-of-a-kind: nice as can be, whip smart, hilarious, and just an all-around bundle of good vibes. It was a total bummer Erica and I lost touch after we both moved on to other jobs.

Then I randomly saw Erica performing at a stand-up comedy club one night last spring and when we reconnected, I learned her career has blown up. The Fabulous Miss Erica Watson has a small, but significant, role in “Precious,” which you might have heard has OSCAR written all over it.

But not only is Erica a star on the big-screen: she’s also been performing a one-woman stand up comedy show about body image called—get this—“Fat Bitch.” After wrapping up performances in New York City this fall, Erica will be performing in a Chicago run of “Fat Bitch” at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts from November 19th-28th, 2009. (She’ll be back in NYC in February 2010—check Erica’s web site for more details.) 

After the jump, Erica and I chatted about playing an abusive mom in “Precious,” freaking everyone out by naming her show “Fat Bitch,” and how Erica wishes she could be more like Santa Claus:

“I felt completely rancid! With the music industry, it’s very like ‘Oh, she’s got a hair out of place! Go fix it!’ You know what I mean? And so this was such a liberating experience and yet humiliated me. But I needed that. We all need that. We all need to understand how to be humble, and it’s a difficult business to do that in.” [People]

—Mariah Carey, on her uber-unglamorous role as a social worker in the movie “Precious.” Seriously, it wasn’t until the second time I saw the trailer that I even realized it was her.

“[The media] try to paint the picture that I was this downtrodden, ugly girl who was unpopular in school and in life, and then I got this role and now I’m awesome. But the truth is that I’ve been awesome, and then I got this role.”

—”Precious” star Gabby Sidibe in New York magazine [via Feministing]