Mariah: They just called me and asked me if I wanted to do it and I said, "Hey, got a little extra time, might as well." It's fun. It's a little scene. A cute character named Candy, that's who I play.

MTV: You actually sing on the show?

Mariah: I sing at the end of the show, but in the beginning I'm in a courtroom skit. The character I'm playing in the courtroom scene isn't a music character. She's kind of out there. It's funny.

MTV: How do you feel about acting?

Mariah: It's very different than singing. To express myself creatively as a singer, a songwriter and a producer is one thing, and then being able to act is a whole other side of my creative self. I think separating the two is probably the best thing for me. I did a movie called Wise Girls this past year with Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters, and that's a character that's completely the opposite of me in some ways. I really enjoyed doing that, because to jump back into music after doing that, your creative self is fully satisfied.

MTV: What are the differences between doing a music video and doing a movie for you?

Mariah: For me, a music video is about the editing and big concepts. Basically you could pluck anyone off the street and put them in a video. Write a song, put a group together, and here you go, superstar. But acting is different, 'cause it's not about the lighting and the hoopla. You have to let go of that stuff and be in the moment and be available emotionally, which you really don't have to in singing. I mean, some people are naturally in their music, and some people are just in the moment of living in their hairstyle. [RealVideo]

MTV: You put yourself into your music, though. You're definitely feeling it. When you're watching a music video, you can see it in your eyes.

Mariah: I love making videos now that I'm in charge of the videos I make. When I was just told, "You are going to make a video today, and you're going to be wearing a turtleneck and a jacket that covers it and also probably some pants down to the floor, and some boots that come up to the knee under the pants," I was a little bit distraught. Basically I like to be able to express myself. I have a lot of fun doing this. It's like playing dressup for me. Today we did "Cribs." I changed my outfit, like, six times. What's the point if you can't laugh through stuff? People take life and situations and the press and all that drama so seriously, when half the time it's 90% untrue. If I don't laugh at it, it takes you under. You have to laugh at it. [RealVideo]

MTV: It's good you can have a sense of humor about it.

Mariah: Sometimes it takes a minute to get your sense of humor back, but it's what's driven me and carried me throughout my whole life, 'cause I had a very dysfunctional childhood. I had a lot of problems growing up, but I made up characters. I made up different things. I acted out as a class clown, and I made up song lyrics and I sang and wrote poetry, and that's what got me through. You've always got to be able to laugh. Like it says in "Loverboy," "You can laugh now or cry later." [RealVideo]