VARIOUS: Jordin Sparks says Whitney Houston's performance was "her last gift" to the world at 'Sparkle' premiere
Record ID:
220899
VARIOUS: Jordin Sparks says Whitney Houston's performance was "her last gift" to the world at 'Sparkle' premiere
- Title: VARIOUS: Jordin Sparks says Whitney Houston's performance was "her last gift" to the world at 'Sparkle' premiere
- Date: 17th August 2012
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2012) (REUTERS) PAN UP OF "SPARKLE" POSTER CICELY TYSON TALKING TO REPORTERS BOBBI KRISTINA WALKING THE RED CARPET PAN UP OF CARMEN EJOGO (SOUNDBITE) (English) CARMEN EJOGO, "SPARKLE" CO-STAR, SAYING: "I was in the back of the church really just to support Whitney, didn't know what to expect, nobody did, and then she opened her mouth. It's the moment in the movie that continues to make me cry to the point where I have to leave, which is why I'm not watching the film tonight. I'm going to be leaving, because I know it's just going to make me too emotional. She's incredible. That moment in the film is just magic." BEBE WINANS POSING FOR PHOTOS JORDIN SPARKS TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JORDIN SPARKS, "SPARKLE" STAR, SAYING: "I feel like it's her last gift to everybody. There were a lot of parallels in this film that Whitney lived herself and I think that was another reason why she was so excited to get it out because she had gone through that. It's a gift to young women and girls and men as well. It's what happens when you go through things and the decisions you make and the choices you make and how you deal with the consequences; that was very poignant for her, she really wanted to say something like that. If she were here, she would be the first person to tell you as well. She was very open that way. I feel like she always delivered in her performances and it's her last one and she delivers in this one too. It's one of her best." PAN FROM "SPARKLE" POSTER TO MIKE EPPS TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIKE EPPS, "SPARKLE" CO-STAR, SAYING: "This was her last film and we all know that Whitney Houston's work was outstanding. Her being an actress was just as good as her being a singer. People are going to see both worlds of Whitney in this film." PAN UP OF TIKA SUMPTER DEREK LUKE TALKING TO REPORTERS, PULLS OUT TO SMOKEY ROBINSON MARY WILSON ON RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARY WILSON, "THE SUPREMES" FOUNDING MEMBER, SAYING: "There was so much negativity surrounding her for so long. This is one of those statements, although she's not here to say it, she would say, 'See I told you I was great.' Her talent was just wonderful, so this is definitely a testament to that." (SOUNDBITE) (English) PAT HOUSTON, WHITNEY HOUSTON'S FORMER MANAGER AND SISTER-IN-LAW, SAYING: "She worked very, very hard for over 30 years and being here tonight for 'Sparkle' to witness a project that she so loved and wanted to do, the reality is that we are here and I'm extremely happy and honored to be standing here tonight talking about it for her." PAN FROM CARPET TO JORDIN SPARKS AND CARMEN EJOGO TALKING TO REPORTERS
- Embargoed: 1st September 2012 13:00
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- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA9NHMZ5VLN8YHSVUVUSJQRF9W9
- Story Text: Jordin Sparks, Mike Epps, Mary Wilson and Carmen Ejogo lined up to talk about Whitney Houston's legacy at the "Sparkle" premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday (August 16). The film's cast said the late singer left her mark on the world not just through her voice, but with her on and off screen persona.
"I feel like it's her last gift to everybody," said Sparks. "There were a lot of parallels in this film that Whitney lived herself and I think that was another reason why she was so excited to get it out because she had gone through that."
"Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 film of the same name, tells the story of three sisters who become Motown stars who have to deal with the pressures of fame. Houston plays Sparks' mother.
"I was in the back of the church really just to support Whitney, didn't know what to expect, nobody did, and then she opened her mouth," said Carmen Ejogo, "Sparkle" co-star who plays one of the sisters. "It's the moment in the movie that continues to make me cry to the point where I have to leave, which is why I'm not watching the film tonight. I'm going to be leaving, because I know it's just going to make me too emotional. She's incredible. That moment in the film is just magic."
The role was Houston's comeback to the big screen after a 15-year hiatus from acting in movies like "The Bodyguard" and "The Preacher's Wife." It is 22-year-old Sparks' first leading movie role, five years after becoming the youngest female to win "American Idol."
The rise to music stardom is a climb that Houston, a huge pop star of the 1980s and 1990s with hits like "How Will I Know," knew all too well, and by the time she made her acting debut, in 1992's "The Bodyguard," she was a huge star.
"This was her last film and we all know that Whitney Houston's work was outstanding," said Epps, who plays boyfriend to Ejogo's character in the film. "Her being an actress was just as good as her being a singer. People are going to see both worlds of Whitney in this film."
Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on February 11 from what authorities said was accidental drowning brought on by cocaine use and heart disease. She was 48 years old.
"There was so much negativity surrounding her for so long," said Mary Wilson, one of The Supremes' original members. "This is one of those statements, although she's not here to say it, she would say, 'See I told you I was great.' Her talent was just wonderful, so this is definitely a testament to that."
"Sparkle" hits movie theaters on August 17. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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