Film
New this week: Sparkle ***This remake, which shifts the action from 1950s Harlem to 1960s Detroit, is notable for many reasons, chief among them that it marks the last movie appearance of Whitney Houston. She plays Emma, the strict single mother of three daughters who make a splash as a Supremes-like trio. If you're like me, you'll lose it when Houston takes uneasy flight with "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." Directed by Salim Akil (maker of the sprightly Jumping the Broom) with an updated screenplay by his wife, Mara Brock Akil (TV's Girlfriends), Sparkle is solid entertainment with a winning debut by Jordin Sparks in the title role (PG-13 for mature thematic content involving domestic abuse and drug material, and for some violence, language, and smoking) . - Carrie Rickey
