Pattie Mallette isn't just Justin Bieber's mom. She's an author -- of an autobiography ("Nowhere But Up") -- and now an executive producer of a controversial short film, "Crescendo." She joined TODAY's Savannah Guthrie on Thursday to talk about her son, who has just become the youngest artist with five No. 1 albums, the film, and Justin's upcoming "Saturday Night Live" appearance.
"It's tough letting go and letting our kids make the mistakes that they need to make," she said about her son's turning 18, and subsequently becoming even more of a subject of paparazzi interference and tabloid speculation. "I have to trust that he's made good decisions in the past and hopefully he's learned from some of my mistakes."
Meanwhile, her son will appear on "Saturday Night Live" as both host and musical guest this Saturday, and she admitted: "We're both nervous."
As to her film, which focuses on a small window of the life of the mother of Ludwig van Beethoven (Maria Magdalena Keverich), who reportedly attempted an abortion while pregnant with him and later also reportedly tried to commit suicide. (It may have spawned out of the argument known as The Great Beethoven Fallacy.)
Mallette is hoping the film will raise money to fund "pregnancy centers" (which traditionally try to provide alternatives to abortion procedures) like the one she was in while pregnant with Justin.
"I'm not trying to make a political stance," she said. "The media says all kinds of stuff about where I stand (on abortion and choice issues for women), and like Justin I'm not trying to get involved with that stuff. I'm just here to help the girls find a place to stay when they're pregnant and it really helped save my life."
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