Melbourne: The trailer of Whitney Houston’s ‘Sparkle’, which was to be the singer’s comeback movie, made its debut on NBC’s ‘Today’ show.
The singer stars as the mother of three girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and drug addiction.
The brief trailer displayed the daughters in performance and Houston telling them “I always knew you had the gift,” the Herald Sun reported.
No drug references were evident, nor was Houston - also an executive producer for the film - seen singing.
The TriStar remake of the 1976 Supremes-inspired flick, due to hit theatres in August, marks Houston’s first return to movie acting in 16 years.
Her role as a struggling single mom to three singing sisters was meant to be the centrepiece of a planned professional resurgence - a comeback attempt cut short by the cocaine use and heart disease that led to her accidental drowning at age 48.
“I was flooded with emotions as I watched it,” said ‘Today’ co-host Kathie Lee Gifford.
“It reminded me of how much we loved her in ‘The Bodyguard,’ and in the other films. There’s a vulnerability that she had that was – that really came through the camera,” she added.
ANI