Is Whitney Houston Returning to Acting?

Whitney Houston has had some major ups and downs in her attempt at launching a comeback career.  While fans and music lovers were supportive and excited when she returned to the stage, her performances were sometimes lacklustre and mediocre at best which, unfortunately, was less than everyone had hoped for.  Her voice just is not the same as it used to be and the years of substance abuse seemed to have left a permanent mark.

Perhaps, for those reasons, Houston has been quitter lately but some new possibilities and rumors suggest that she hasn’t given up on saving what was (and could be) a very promising career – she might be returning to acting.

When Houston starred in 1992’s The Bodyguard, she was at the height of her career.  The movie did well but it was the soundtrack that everyone remembers.  With songs like “I Will Always Love You” and “I’m Every Woman,” Houston’s vocals seemed to be in every car, at every wedding and even on talk shows (Oprah adapted “I’m Every Woman,” originally performed by Chaka Khan, and used it as a theme song for her daytime talk show). 

After that, Houston went on to appear in movies including “Waiting to Exhale” and “The Preacher’s Wife” before her personal and professional lives imploded. 

Now, it would appear she’s being given a second chance at her second chance.  Houston is reportedly in talks to star in the remake of the 1976 music-themed drama, Sparkle.  She would be acting alongside American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks and actor, Mike Epps.  The plot follows the lives of the Williams sisters (loosely based on the Supremes), who start off singing in church but sadly watch their lives fall apart after skyrocketing to fame. 

Yes, it does sound a bit like Dreamgirls, but if we can have Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached, this doesn’t seem so bad.  Sparkle will be portrayed by Jordin Sparks while Houston gets to be the unsupportive mother.  Meanwhile, Epps plays comedian, Satin, who marries one of the girls and introduces her to drugs.