8/30/2023 0 Comments Sparkle 2012 songsSparkle sees Houston play second fiddle to American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, who portrays (not kidding) Sparkle Williams: the most musically-talented in a trio of sisters who rocket to fame during the late ’60s – as “The Motown Sound” is all the rage – and subsequently fall victim to the same cycle of clashing egos, drug use, and abuse that destroyed their mother’s (Houston) own budding musical career. Instead, the film will mark Houston’s final appearance onscreen. The tragic, premature death of modern music legend Whitney Houston earlier this year looms over the head of this summer’s Sparkle: a remake of the 1976 musical melodrama (of the same name), which was meant to serve as a comeback vehicle for the starlet of such popular ’90s titles as The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale. Or as Timon the meerkat sang in “The Lion King” – no worries. and continue our conservation research.”I’m sticking with the happy side of zoo life, a source of wonder and joy in a divisive time. National Zoo spokesperson Jennifer Zoon says in an email that the plan holds, but, she adds, “it’s our goal to have giant pandas. Nearly three years ago, during the pandemic shutdown, I wrote about the zoo’s surprise baby panda, called Xiao Qi Ji – “little miracle” – because of his mother’s advanced age.Now we’re counting down to the departure of our panda family to China later this year, per a long-standing agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. And it’s not hard to get wrapped up in the zoo’s highs and lows. I say “we” because the National Zoo is basically my backyard – close enough to hear the lions roar. The baby girl – named Zahra in a zoo website poll – earns her share of oohs and aahs as she cuddles with mama Calaya in the Great Ape House.This spring, we also welcomed baby black-footed ferrets, Panamanian golden frogs, and Andean bear cubs. Just as exciting was the birth a few weeks later of a western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species. Think Timon the meerkat from “The Lion King.”It was feeding time.Sadie and Frankie’s pups are the first meerkat births at the National Zoo in 16 years, and like all zoo births, they’re cause for celebration. Frankie the papa meerkat darted about, too, at times scurrying to the top of a log to stand watch. Sadie the meerkat mama darted back and forth between her publicly viewable habitat and an area “backstage,” her three pups close behind. ![]() Her emotional performance of the gospel hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" is a highlight of the film - and a sad reminder that sometimes fame really does kill.The excitement at the National Zoo’s meerkat exhibit was palpable. And, at the very least, Houston is given her last moment to shine on screen. Some directorial missteps make Sister and Satin's abusive marriage look borderline comical, but Sparks is well cast as a charmingly self-conscious singer. ![]() The three sisters are examples of the various paths to stardom: Sparkle is the authentic artist who lives and breathes to write and perform songs, Dolores is talented but is more interested in a professional career as a doctor, and Sister is the materialistic one who wants the bling and attention. With that in mind, Sparkle is a considerably less substantial movie, but it still has several entertaining numbers, a decent debut by Sparks, and a heart-wrenching (and almost prescient) final performance by Houston. But whereas Dreamgirls follows the rise and fall of full-blown celebrity, Sparkle focuses solely on the lead-up to fame. Both films feature an American Idol veteran in her feature film debut about a Motown-era trio of female singers who must deal with the dangers that accompany showbiz dreams. It's nearly impossible not to compare Sparkle to Dreamgirls.
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