Jordin to be in Sparkle movie with Whitney Houston Options

[jdanton2]

Jordin in a movie.


http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/whit...ar-music-234137





Whitney Houston in Talks to Star in Music-Themed Drama 'Sparkle' (Exclusive)
3:08 PM PDT 9/12/2011 by Borys Kit
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Whitney Houston Jordin Sparks Mike Epps - H 2011
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American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps are set to join the remake of the 1976 film loosely based on the story of the Supremes.

Whitney Houston, making her first return to movies since 1996’s The Preacher’s Wife, is in negotiations to star in Sparkle, Sony Pictures remake of the 1976 music-themed drama. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and actor Mike Epps also are set to star.

Mara Brock Akil, who created and executive produces BET's hit comedy The Game, wrote the script while husband Salim Akil, who has helmed every episode of Game and many episodes of the UPN hit Girlfriends, is directing. Derba Martin Chase is producing.

The original Sparkle was inspired by the story of the Supremes, and centered on the three Williams sisters, who begin singing in their church choir in Harlem in the late 1950s and become a successful girl group. Their sudden rise unravels their personal lives.

Sparks will play the title character, the talented member of the group while Houston will play her not-so encouraging mother. Epps will be Satin, a stand-up comedian who marries one of the sisters and gets her hooked on drugs.

Irene Cara played Sparkle in the original while Mary Alice, who played the Oracle in the Matrix movies, portrayed Effie. Tony King acted as Satin.

R&B icon Houston famously made her acting debut with 1992’s The Bodyguard, and also appeared in Waiting to Exhale and Preacher’s Wife. The last time she acted for the screen was in 1997’s TV movie Cinderella, with Brandy Norwood.

Houston was involved with the project as a producer when it was originally set up at Warners years ago (in an incarnation that was to star singer Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash) and will act as an exec producer on the new movie.

The movie will be the acting debut of Sparks, who won the sixth season of American Idol and had top singles such as “No Air.”

For Epps, Sparkle reunites him with the Akils, for whom he starred in the surprise hit Jumping the Broom. The actor, better known for his comedic turns, is clearly in drama mode and just wrapped the psychological thriller Vipaka with Forest Whitaker.

Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com

Twitter: @Borys_Kit

[Liat275]

[Mygecko18]

if i could like that post...no... LOVE that post a million times i would OMG so exciting and its whitney houston come on now!!!!!

[jdanton2]

another article .



http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118042676?refCatId=13







Posted: Mon., Sep. 12, 2011, 3:13pm PT
Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks 'Sparkle' for Sony
Thesps to star in remake of musical
By Jeff Sneider
"American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps are set to star in Sony Pictures' remake of "Sparkle," while Whitney Houston is in negotiations.

Salim Akil is directing from a script by Mara Brock Akil.

Debra Martin Chase, TD Jakes and Curtis Wallace are producing along with the Akils. Houston will exec produce with Howard Rosenman and Gaylyn Fraiche.

Tri-Star Pictures will distribute the film in association with Stage 6 Films. Production is skedded to star next month.

Pic is a remake of the 1976 music-themed movie which followed the three Williams sisters, who begin singing in their church choir in Harlem in the late 1950s and go on to become a successful girl group. Their sudden rise unravels their personal lives.

Remake will be set in 1968 Detroit, during the rise of Motown. Story will focus on the youngest sister, Sparkle (Sparks), a music prodigy and her struggle to become a star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart.

Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com




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© Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information , a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license.







i hope we do not have to wait till 2014 to see this .



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1876451/





This post has been edited by jdanton2: Sep 12th 2011, 5:46 PM

[stonash7]

amazing amazing amazing

[JSparksMCarey]

So excited!

[jdanton2]

about the original film.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparkle_%281976_film%29



Sparkle (1976 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sparkle
Directed by Sam O'Steen
Produced by Howard Rosenman
Written by Joel Schumacher
Howard Rosenman
Starring Philip M. Thomas
Irene Cara
Lonette McKee
Dwan Smith
Mary Alice
Dorian Harewood
Tony King
Music by Curtis Mayfield
Cinematography Bruce Surtees
Studio RSO
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s) April 7, 1976
Running time 98 min.
Language English

Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and friends.

The film stars Philip Michael Thomas (later of Miami Vice fame), Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, Dwan Smith, Mary Alice, Dorian Harewood, and Tony King. Curtis Mayfield served as the composer and producer of Sparkle's songs and score.
Contents
[hide]

1 Plot synopsis
2 Cast
3 History
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot synopsis

Harlem, New York, 1958. The Williams sisters - Sister (Lonette McKee), Dolores (Dwan Smith), and Sparkle (Irene Cara) - are singers in their local church's teenagers' choir along with their friends Stix (Philip Michael Thomas) and Levi (Dorian Harewood). The girls' mother Effie (Mary Alice), works hard as a maid for the Gerber family in Long Island, and struggles to keep her girls, especially the "high-spirited" Sister, safe. Stix, a budding songwriter is in love with Sparkle, wants to start a group, and arranges the five of them into a quintet called "The Hearts". The Hearts enter a local talent show contest, which they win with the help of Sister's stage appeal. Shortly afterwards, however, Levi drops out of the group so that he can become an important man in the operations of local gangster Satin (Tony King).

Stix decides to repackage the group as an all-girl trio, appointing Sister lead singer and reducing his role in the act to manager and songwriter. The girls, now known as "Sister & the Sisters", debut at the seedy Shan-Doo Club; their immediate success gains them a position as regular performers there. Satin, invited to the show by Levi, takes up with Sister, who leaves home to move in with him. Sister begins showing up at the Shan-Doo with bruises from Satin's abuse, and begins taking cocaine. When Dolores learns that Satin has gotten Sister hooked on drugs, she plots revenge, coming on to one of Satin's flunkies in order to set the kingpin up. Dolores calls the police to let them know when and where Satin's next drug pick-up will be, but Levi is the one caught in the sting. Regretful and weary of life in Harlem, Dolores packs up and leaves home in order to pursue her dreams of racial equality.

Sister's drug use and her life in the "big time" caused Sister to relinquish her position as lead singer of the group, and a frustrated Stix gives up on music. He leaves Harlem to work in construction upstate, breaking Sparkle's heart in the process. Several months later, Sister dies of a drug overdose, and Stix reconciles with Sparkle after her funeral. By this time, Stix has moved back to New York and gained employment with a record label, and offers to produce Sparkle as a solo star. He borrows money from Effie's employer Max Gerber (Paul Lambert), to fund a recording session, and Sparkle's first single becomes a smash hit. Stix lands Sparkle a gig at Carnegie Hall as Ray Charles' opening act, but finds himself kidnapped by Gerber's partners in the Mafia for refusing to agree to a partnership in owning the rights to Sparkle's fame. Despite being threatened with death, however, Stix refuses to give in, and the impressed Gerber lets Stix go free. Stix arrives at Carnegie Hall just in time to see Sparkle finish her set.
[edit] Cast

Philip Michael Thomas as Stix
Irene Cara as Sparkle
Lonette McKee as Sister
Dwan Smith as Delores
Mary Alice as Effie
Dorian Harewood as Levi
Tony King as Satin
Beatrice Winde as Mrs Waters
Paul Lambert as Moe
Joyce Easton as Lee
Otis Day as Ham
Norma Miller as Doreen
Talya Ferro as Miss Taylor
Bob Delegall as Mr Daniels
Armelia McQueen as Ann
Don Bexley as Bubbles

[edit] History

Sparkle was a successful film, and is something of a cult classic among African-American audiences. Its success was inspirational in the creation of the musical that would eventually debut on Broadway in 1981 as Dreamgirls. In fact, one of Dreamgirls' central characters is named "Effie", the name of the Mary Alice character in Sparkle. The film's soundtrack album, featuring Aretha Franklin in place of the actresses in the film, was also a success. Two of Sparkle's stars, Dorian Harewood and Irene Cara, portray Alex Haley's parents in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.

Sparkle was released on VHS in the early 1990s. After being long out of print and unavailable save for television broadcasts, Sparkle was belatedly released on DVD in 2007. An abbreviated edition of the accompanying Aretha Franklin album was included on a bonus disc.

In 2011, Sony Pictures announced that it was remaking Sparkle, with Debra Martin Chase as Producer, and husband-and-wife team Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil as Writer and Director, respectively. The Akils will also co-produce the film.[1]

[cj688]

This is very exciting! I'm happy for Jo, i guess this is what she was talking about a few months back when she tweeted something like "i know it seems like i'm off the scene but big things are happening". Awesome

I wonder what this means for album #3 though. And i wonder if she'll be able to get onto more tv shows now since the acting world is embracing her . I wonder how much better she got after broadway? omg im so excited and I cant see anything for a while .

[Mr.JordinSparks]

OMG is this real? This is massive for her

[jordinbsparks]

Are yall ready for jordin to do this...!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPzMdUH4dQU...feature=related

[stonash7]

I want jordin to act her heart out...i want her to jennifer hudson the role..do it like her life depends on it ! if she excels on it exceptionally she will always have a career to fall back on when music is being you know ..

i dont her to be like on of those singers that cant act like beyonce..kill it jordin

[Mr.JordinSparks]

I want jordin to act her heart out...i want her to jennifer hudson the role..do it like her life depends on it ! if she excels on it exceptionally she will always have a career to fall back on when music is being you know ..

i dont her to be like on of those singers that cant act like beyonce..kill it jordin

I want this to be her break out moment...critical acclaim, award nominations, all that good stuff

Are yall ready for jordin to do this...!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPzMdUH4dQU...feature=related

I wonder if it'll have the same music or an updated soundtrack.

[jordinbsparks]

Thank you @MWSupreme for sitting down w/ me & letting me pick your brain about the 60's & music! It was a pleasure & honor to meet you!


jordin's new bio:"Singer/Songwriter & bitten by the acting bug. 3"

[jdanton2]

some comments from Jordin on the movie.


http://www.accesshollywood.com/whitney-hou...e_article_53474



Whitney Houston To ‘Sparkle’ On The Big Screen?

Tags:
Whitney Houston,Jordin Sparks,Urban Access,Movies


FIRST PUBLISHED: September 13, 2011 8:38 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: September 13, 2011 8:44 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Whitney Houston could be headed back to the big screen.

The superstar singer is in talks to appear in “Sparkle,” a remake of the 1976 film, loosely based on the story of The Supremes, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Jordin Sparks is already on board with the film, set to star as the title character.

“It basically follows three sisters who start a group, but Sparkle, who I’m playing, she goes through a whole bunch of conflicts of really wanting to do music, but it’s… tearing her family apart,” Jordin told Access Hollywood at the premiere of “I Don’t Know How She Does It” on Monday night in New York City. “I’m very excited.”

The “American Idol” alum has already begun prepping for the role and is ready to go come October, but don’t expect her to leave music permanently behind for the big screen.

“Music is my lifeline, I’ll always be doing that,” she said. “The great thing about this movie is that there’s music involved — it’s not a musical — but there are musical numbers.”

Whitney was last seen on the big screen in “The Preacher’s Wife” in 1996, opposite Denzel Washington.

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[<3J.SPARKS<3]

This is what I'm happy about: this is BIG

This is what I'm not happy about: the release of her third album will probably be delayed because of this. Please Jordin, I want to get your new album before December!

[muttiwhc]

has this been filmed yet or not?

[stonash7]

yes this should be criticallly acclaimed !! jordin youbetter act like you life depended on it

[jdanton2]

has this been filmed yet or not?

according to articles it will start filming during October in Detroit.

[jdanton2]

Jordin already has the costumes she will wear for the movie.

JordinSparks Jordin Sparks
In my fitting for Sparkle. These costumes are amazing! I have 40 changes!
10 minutes ago

[Mr.JordinSparks]

This is what I'm happy about: this is BIG

This is what I'm not happy about: the release of her third album will probably be delayed because of this. Please Jordin, I want to get your new album before December!

Do you mean December of this year? Because theres no way that's happening.



If the movie comes out next year I want the album to follow it. If all goes well she'll have huge buzz at that time.