Mariah Carey makes clapping look hilariously awkward in cringey new Christmas movie trailer

Mariah Carey has never been noted for her outstanding thespian skills, but considering her experience with applause, we figured she'd at least be able to clap convincingly.

How wrong we were. The 46-year-old singer makes her directorial debut in the upcoming TV movie A Christmas Melody, and judging from the new trailer, she should hold all her applause and let her fans do the clapping.

Watch 30 seconds of so-bad-it's-amazing Mariah in the clip above.

In the movie, Mariah plays a music teacher who helps a student write a future Christmas classic. Her role sounds like a cross between Mary Poppins and Cinderella's Fairy Godmother...in other words, get ready for a few spoonfuls of sugar.

It promises to be the schmaltz-fest of the season, complete with Mariah's own holiday classic, 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Hey, at least it's not a sequel to her notorious 2001 flop Glitter.

A Christmas Melody airs December 19 on the Hallmark Channel in the US.