Whitney Houston’s Movie ‘Sparkle’ to Premiere One Week After What Would Have Been Her 49th Birthday (VIDEO)
The world mourned the death of Whitney Houston on February 11, 2012. The renowned singer and actress would have celebrated her 49th birthday on August 9th. Houston continues to live on in the memories of her friends, family, and fans.
We get the final glimpse of Houston’s work in the posthumous movie Sparkle.
In 1976, Whitney Houston fell in love with a movie. Sparkle followed the lives of three sisters who were living in Harlem with big singing dreams. Whitney plays the god-fearing mother Emma of three young girls.
“I think her sister-in-law, Pat, said it most eloquently at her funeral. That doing Sparkle was one of the happiest times of Whitney’s life. It was magical,” reveals Carmen Ejojo who plays the eldest sibling, Sister Williams.
The Sparkle remake was pegged to star 22-year-old Aaliyah, who tragically died in a plane crash. It was put on the shelf and every now and then people would ask Houston and Debra Martin Chase (the film’s producer) what was happening with the film.
Houston said she never gave up on the movie: ”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. And I never let go of it.”
Then came Jordin Sparks, the winner of American Idol’s sixth season. The 22-year-old woman with a larger-than-life voice now takes on the role of Sparkle Williams.
“I view this movie as my gift for her,” says Chase. ”People will be able to remember her in this way. Beautiful, healthy, radiant.”
The 1976 cult classic was an inspiration for a 13-year-old Whitney Houston, and later became the groundwork for Dreamgirls.
Sparkle will be released on August 17.
