With the new version of 'Sparkle' to hit theaters on August 17th, it's perhaps a good time to look back and reflect.
By Douglas Byrne (Ocassional Sparkler)
"Everything old is new again." - Barbra Streisand
I was thrilled last year when I heard that Whitney Houston would be returning to the silver screen. I was a little less thrilled when I heard it was going to be a remake. Even less so when I heard it was a remake of Sparkle, an iconic movie from 1976.
I have to confess that my first introduction to Sparkle came in 1992 when "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" became a hit single for En Vogue.
I remember loving that song at the time, but had no idea it was a cover. (I was a white tween living in the midwest, and old movies with an African American cult following weren't presented to me very often.)
A couple years after "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" hit the airwaves, I had another introduction to Sparkle, although I still didn't know it. I bought A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield. I had long since been a fan of Whitney Houston and picked up this album because she had a track on it. (This was in the days before iTunes, and the option to buy just the song I wanted was not an option.)
Not long after that, however, the most wonderful thing happend. BET ran the original Sparkle. And I fell in love. Sparkle shined line rhinestones, and I loved Curtis Mayfield's music sung by the brilliant Lonette McKee, Irene ("What A Feeling") Cara, and Dwan Smith.
It just doesn't get much better than the original!
So, will I see the remake of Sparkle when it hits theaters next week? You better believe it! As I said, I am a long-time fan and supporter of Whitney Houston, and am looking forward to seeing her final movie. (Although, I'm sure that that in itself will be bittersweet... it is, after all, her final movie.)
Now, will I enjoy the remake? That remains to be seen, as I'll likely be comparing it endlessly to the iconic original.
Douglas Byrne sparkles.
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