Sparkle Expected to Dazzle

By Jonathan Ng

Upalnd,CA- Coming to theatres August 17th is the upcoming movie event of the year, Sparkle, a dazzling story about a teenage girl and her sisters struggling to make their way to stardom while overcoming family issues and balancing romances with their challenging career.

Set in the Motown-era in an affluent Detroit area, Sparkle and her sisters’ surprise the world with their musical talents and shatter the racial barriers of the typically viewed African American woman.
During their adjustment to fame, Sparkle and her sisters become a lightning rod of attention and excitement for the whole city, but simultaneously, are tempted by the darker side of show business by the abusive, treacherous drug lord, Satin.

Starring American Idol Jordan Sparks as Sparkle, and musical legend Whitney Houston as the overbearing, bible thumping mother, Emma, this movie brings a magical story to life that is designed to inspire African American women everywhere around the country to follow their hearts and pursue their dreams of becoming a star.
The original movie did just that for singing sensation Whitney Houston back in the year of 1976, when Houston was just a diva in training.

According to online reports, “Houston… was hooked. For the next several months, she spent every Saturday going steady with “Sparkle,” starting with the matinee and staying through to the evening show.”
Houston explained her obsession to reporters last fall, “This was kind of like positive reinforcement for young African-American women,” she said. “It was just anybody who wanted to pursue their dream, their desires, their goals and present their gifts. It just appealed to me.” She added: “And I never let go of it,” said online wires and reports.
This movie set itself apart from the other Blaxploitation films in the 1970’s, which is where Houston and other African American woman were inspired, including the idea for the movie “Dream Girls”.
While Houston saw this as an inspiration for African American women, she also saw this as a comeback opportunity for her acting and singing career.

During the time she was on set, Houston deviated from her reputation as a past drug abuser and really molded into her role as a loving, caring mother.

Sparks describes Houston in an interview, “She has this certain Star-Power about her… she wanted to get to know us and wanted us to shine. She wanted to do that and she was genuine in that. We told her that we love her and she told us that she loves us back. It was really good, we really meant it,” according to online wires and reports.

Tika Sumpter, the actress that plays Delores in the film, also describes Whitney’s impression, “She treated us as if we really were her children. One day, she just came over to me and said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ I got teary-eyed, just the way she said it,” according to online reports.

Three months after the movie was shot, Houston unfortunately fell back into her self-destructive ways and passed away on February 11, 2012. Leaving the whole world in tears at her funeral, “Sparkle” remains the last of Houston’s work.
Producer Debra Martin Chase, Houston’s business partner and friend while working together on “The Preacher’s Wife” as well as the 1997 TV special “Cinderella, is dedicating the movie in honor of her memory and life as an inspirational entertainer.

“I view this movie as my gift for her…People will be able to remember her in this way. Beautiful, healthy, radiant. Not with pictures from bad times,” said Chase, according to online reports.
This movie plays a big role in boosting Houston’s image, but it also plays a huge role for Sparks as a debut for her acting career.

The anticipation for the movie continuously builds as the day arrives for this movie to premiere that took over a decade to compose.

The excitement is moving, and the audiences are ready for the remake of a movie that once shaped the American perspective of the African American woman.

While Houston and everybody that was on set for the movie is waiting for the premiere, they are hoping to deliver a dream once more that inspired millions of women to follow their heart.