Life Is Not a Fairy Tale is a memoir by Fantasia Barrino, describing her life prior to national prominence as winner of the third season of American Idol. The book was adapted into a 2006 Lifetime television movie.
Fantasia recounts her rise from high-school dropout to music star in her autobiography, which became a New York Times bestseller.
As an American Idol contestant, she captured the hearts of millions with her extraordinary voice and sassy style, with those qualities she won the talent contest and became a nationally prominent singer. But her life began much more humbly. At the age of seventeen, despite her remarkable talent, Fantasia was an uneducated, unmarried teenage mother living in poverty. She was faced with many tough battles growing up in the city of High Point, North Carolina, which is mainly famous for its furniture Market. She shows respect and admiration to the strong women who raised her, her mother and grandmother, both preachers who instilled in her a strong faith in God. Both women struggled with the same issues as Fantasia at a young age which made Fantasia realize that she would only be headed down the same dead end path if she didn't make a change for the better.
| Life Is Not A Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story | |
| Director: | Debbie Allen |
| Music: | Rickey Minor |
| Cinematography: | John Simmons |
| Editing: | Lillian Benson |
| Distributor: | Lifetime |
| Runtime: | 84 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Life Is Not A Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story is a 2006 American biographical film directed by Debbie Allen, based on the life of American singer Fantasia Barrino, adapted from her book of the same name.
The movie begins with Fantasia's humble beginnings, growing up in a close knit God-fearing family that faced its own personal demons of struggling with their dreams. Fantasia faces problems with her self-esteem, sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, and her faith as she fights to overcome her mistakes at a young age.
The movie premiered on August 19, 2006, with more than nineteen million viewers during the August 19–20 weekend, becoming Lifetime's second most-watched movie in its 22-year history. The movie was ranked the top cable movie premiere of the year among women ages 18–49.
No soundtrack was released, but many songs appear throughout the film.
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAACP Image Awards | 2007 | Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Life Is Not a Fairytale | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Fantasia Barrino | ||||
| Loretta Devine | |||||
| Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Kadeem Hardison | ||||
| Teen Choice Awards | 2007 | Choice TV Movie | Life Is Not a Fairytale |