Mariah Carey has explained her reportedly drunken speech at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Tuesday, where she accepted an award for her performance in Precious. The star says that her long ramble at the podium was the fault of the film's director, Lee Daniels.
"The thing is me and Lee hadn't seen each other in a long time, and then he was presenting my award, so he starts off immediately with inside jokes," Carey later said backstage at Wednesday's People's Choice Awards.
She also mentioned that the two had engaged in some drinking beforehand.
"We had splashes of champagne, and I love Lee but he's a bad influence," she added with a laugh.
Carey explained that she hadn't eaten a lot on the day of the film festival, either, which is why the champagne got to her. She also said that the speech shouldn't be taken so seriously.
"If people . . . think I'm just this girl who stands by a microphone and sings 'Hero,' they're definitely not going to get me," she said. "If they knew me better, they would understand I have a sense of humor."
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