Happy and healthy: First look at Whitney Houston in her final film Sparkle as much-awaited trailer is released

By Jade Watkins
PUBLISHED: 16:21, 2 April 2012 | UPDATED: 17:58, 2 April 2012


Viewers got a first glimpse of Whitney Houston's final film today.
NBC's Today show premiered a trailer for the much-awaited release of Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 original.
The film stars Houston, who passed away last month at the age of 48, as the mother of three girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and drug addiction.
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Houston, who died in February after her own battle with drug abuse, was poised for a movie comeback with Sparkle, 20 years after her defining film portrayal in The Bodyguard.
She also served as an executive producer of the flick.
The brief trailer displayed the daughters in performance and Houston telling them, 'I always knew you had the gift.'
No drug references are evident, nor was Houston seen singing.
Rumours about the state of Houston's health have been swirling since her untimely death.
Houston's official cause of death, released last week by the Los Angeles County Coroner, reveals that Houston died as the result of accidental drowning and the combined effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine.
Whitney sunk into the bathwater after suffering a massive heart attack caused in part by her prolonged drug abuse.
In the trailer Houston looks happy and healthy.
A behind-the-scenes clip which featured on U.S. network Entertainment Tonight earlier this month, also saw presenter Mark Steins saying that he heard the star's voice was '100% back' as he went on set of the film last October and November.

Steins gave his thoughts on interviewing the star, who is shown on set performing and interacting with the crew.
He revealed that she didn't want to be interviewed alone, instead opting to sit side by side with director Salim Akil and co-star Jordin Sparks.
And in an eerie foretelling, Whitney animatedly discussed a connection between the movie and the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where her funeral was held last month.
She revealed that in the movie, the church is called the New Hope Baptist Church, where her character sings in the choir.
She added the film's writers 'had no idea' that it was the same name as her own childhood church 'I grew up with in New Jersey.'
The singer was laid to rest in the church in a moving service.
Houston's last performance hits the big screen on August 17 of this year, though it was originally slated for an August 10 release.
The film was inspired by the story of 1960's girl group The Supremes and is a remake of the 1976 film of the same name starring Aretha Franklin.
The 2012 version of Sparkle takes place in Detroit and is set in the Motown era.
Musical prodigy Sparkle (Sparks) has to deal with the hardships of becoming a star and keeping her family together, while Houston plays her struggling mother Emma.
The film also stars Derek Luke, Mike Epps and The Voice judge Cee Lo Green.
It is Sparks' début performance as an actress, and it was meant to be the role that relaunched Houston's career.
It’s been over 15 years since she starred in a Hollywood picture, the last silver screen appearance being in 1996 for The Preacher’s Wife.
Houston said of the film: ‘Part of the fun of making this movie is definitely the costumes and the hairstyles. The movie is set in 1963, and we had a great wardrobe, hair and makeup person and I loved wearing the outfits.’
Co-star Sparks also spoke highly of the diva to People magazine.
‘She was so cool and very motherly toward me. If I ever looked like needed something, here she came saying 'Are you okay?'
‘I sang her songs into a hairbrush when I was little. Now she's acting as my mum and scolding me. It was a dream come true.’
The film will be dedicated to her memory.





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