The melodrama takes place in 1960s Detroit, where three sisters (still living at home with their mother) dream of the music business. Sparkle (played by “American Idol” performer Jordin Sparks ...

You see, Sparkle longs for a career in the music business, but strict ... most-interesting performer on-screen, that’s a bum note. There are more bad notes in the story. It’s a melodrama ...

Asked whether the music industry has been portrayed accurately ... Regarding the differences between then and now, Sparks notes that “you really had to have talent” before the days of reality ...

Sparkle is an age-old story from a 1976 ... "Motown was not exclusively black folks' music," the director notes. "It was America's music first and then it was the world's music.