Sparks: Detroit is 'spirit and heart of movie'

By Lorena Blas, USA TODAY

Posted August 6, 2012

3159519
Aretha Franklin and Jordin Sparks attend a special screening of 'Sparkle' at the Emagine Royal Oak theater on Sunday in Michigan. (Credit: By Monica Morgan, WireImage)

Jordin Sparks was in metro Detroit Monday night for a special screening of the movie Sparkle, which opens nationwide Aug. 17.

The star of the film about Motown, which also features the late Whitney Houston, was joined by more than 300 fans, locals who worked on the film and celebrities, including Aretha Franklin and Martha Reeves, reports the Detroit Free Press.

"We spent more than two months filming here, the movie is based in Detroit and, for me, there was no other place to have the premiere," said Sparks, 22, who won Season 6 of American Idol.

"Motown has meant so much to me throughout my life, and the people have been so welcoming," Sparks told the Free Press. "Detroit is really the spirit and heart of the movie."