As they things tend to go, Whitney Houston's tragic death earlier this year has given the otherwise under-the-radar "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 movie, an extra bit of shine. Following a brief preview this morning on "Today" followed by a brainshattering discussion about it with Kathie Lee Gifford and Pat O'Brien, the whole thing has now landed at Yahoo.
And well, it's…inoffensive. Following the music movie template pretty dead on, the film tells the story of a Supremes-like Motown group on the rise from humble beginnings. Whitney Houston plays a singer who never realized her potential and serves as a matriarch for the gals led by "American Idol" winer Jordin Sparks while the ensemble cast includes Michael K. Williams, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, Derek Luke, Mike Epps and Omari Hardwick. All told, it looks a bit more like a TV movie, but it has the crowd pleasing potential to be a sleeper hit (thought, the music will have to be more memorable than it is here).
We'll find out soon enough when it opens on August 10th.
