Jordin Sparks
News (Page 5)

It was a weird night that featured Joe Perry rocking out with Sanjaya Malakar.

In the end, though, viewers got it right: Jordin Sparks was named season six's American Idol.

The results weren't really in doubt after Jordin outperformed Blake Lewis by such a wide margin on Tuesday night, but there was still tension as Ryan Seacrest drew out the announcement at the end of the two-hour show.

Blake handled it like a true gentlemen and we have no doubt each singer will have a great career. Congrats to them both!

Following the results show Wednesday night., USA Today got a brief interview in with a pair of singers hoping to be named your next American Idol.

Here's what Blake Lewis had to say first:

As a musician who puts a lot of effort into arranging his songs, will it be easy or difficult to work with record producers?
“I work really well with other people. I’ve already started writing many songs and started recording demos the whole time I was here. Before American Idol, I was already working on an album. I’ve got at least six or seven tracks right now that could be on an album."

How important is it for you to win the competition and be the American Idol?
“I just view it day by day. I’ve never thought of it as a competition. I just want to go out and do my best each time I’m out there. If I win, that’s great. Jordin was my pick since the beginning to be the American Idol.”

Were you surprised by the elimination of Melinda Doolittle, considered by many to be the favorite?
“I think everyone was surprised each week so, I mean, yeah, I was surprised.”

Did you say anything to Melinda on stage after the elimination?
“I just told her I loved her and to knock it out.”

How’s your energy level?
"Well, from going home and staying up so late and the schedule’s grueling, I’m definitely tired this week. This was the first time I’ve ever fallen asleep, like I’d fall asleep in the Ford shoot or in rehearsals. I’ve never done that in my life.”

And now, let's hear from Jordin Sparks:

Is there a previous Idol you’d like to model your career after?
“I love Kelly Clarkson. I love her attitude and that she just stays the same no matter what. She’s amazing, a Grammy winner, beautiful. I want a career like that. Hello? Give me some tips … There are a ton of other Idols I look up to. I love all of them. I can’t name any more because I don’t want to leave anyone out.”

Simon Cowell has said some of your songs seem too old for you. What do you think?
“Half of me agrees and half of me is like, what am I going to do? I can’t help it if the songs I love are older or newer. I agree with him that it is more modern-day, so I understand that he wants me to sing stuff more people known. At the same time, if a song speaks to me, I’m going to want to sing it.”

Were you surprised by tonight’s results?
“It was one of those nights where anything could have happened, so I don’t know. I was very sad to see Melinda go, but she is going to be so fine. She is amazing and she is going to reach so many people and the world is going to be such a better place with her in it and singing her songs and what she wants to sing about.”

At some point, American Idol producers must have shaken their heads, wondering how they passed over Jordin Sparks, whose soulful singing and girl-next-door likableness have gained fans week after week.

Last summer, the Glendale, Ariz., native tried out for the FOX hit in Los Angeles and didn't even make it past the first round.

"I know she worked really hard to get in shape just to learn how to perform a little bit more," said Kris Siegrest, Sparks' personal trainer and a longtime family friend. "Even when she went the first time, I was shocked she didn't make it."

But since impressing the judges a few months later with "Because You Loved Me," the 17-year-old is now the youngest of three remaining "Idol" hopefuls. She is competing against Blake Lewis, 25, and Melinda Doolittle, 29, to win the big prize.

Siegrest said it is surreal that Sparks has to go out "incognito" when doing something as simple as cheering her younger brother, P.J., at a basketball game.

"She wore baggy clothes and a cap. Even there she got recognized," Siegrest said. "I thought that was really cool in the mix of all the business, she wanted to watch her brother play a junior high game."

The daughter of retired NFL player Phillippi Sparks, Sparks spent most of her childhood in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb. Singing was a passion from the beginning. Churchgoers and family were usually her only audience.

Bobb Cooper, artistic director at Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix, remembers a 13-year-old Sparks only being cast in ensemble roles, like a poppy in "The Wiz."

"She really has matured at gaining control of her voice. She gets better every week," Cooper said.

Siegrest said having a father who was a pro athlete should help Sparks deal with her growing fame. At an early age, she experienced what it was like being in the public eye.

"There's some responsibility that comes along with that, and I think she's very aware of it," Siegrest said.

Pandy Raye, Sparks' former guitar teacher, said the teen's family would make sure she stayed role-model material.

"Every decision they make, they really take a lot of time to see 'OK, how is this going to affect her?' She's just so grounded," Raye said.

During the last year, Sparks was home schooled so she could focus on music. In September 2006, she snagged the title Arizona Idol, a competition put on by the local FOX affiliate, and a second chance to audition for the show.

Glendale has been throwing support behind Sparks with elaborate, outdoor American Idol viewing parties at a local shopping complex.

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The following article is courtesy of The Chicago Sun-Times...

Where are the viewer votes for American Idol front-runner Jordin Sparks coming from? Possibly the Christian right.

A photo that seems to show her holding a "Stop Abortion Now" sign (courtesy of her MySpace page) is making the rounds of Idol fan postings online.

Most viewers are unaware, though. In Idol fashion, no one on air ever asks Jordin about politics because the show builds up these future musical properties with cotton candy profiles. Meanwhile, anti-abortion-rights people are definitely trying to politicize Idol.

A few weeks ago, the reality competition raised $70 million for poverty charities in America and Africa.

At least one overzealous outfit attacked the show in a press release, screaming in a headline, "AMERICAN IDOL NOW FUNDING PRO-ABORTION GROUPS."

You see, two charities that benefitted were UNICEF and Save the Children, organizations that feed the most starving-to-death families around the world.

But UNICEF and Save the Children also do family planning. If potential mothers die of hunger, their someday-unborn babies won't even become pre-unborn. True believers don't want to hear that.

So now, the trio of finalists is Jordin, Blake Lewis and Melinda Doolittle. Horrible Blake will probably get ejected next week. Paula Abdul loves Blake. My friend Ashley says that's because Paula is sexist and stands up to dance during male performances.

This week, Paula called Blake a "contemporary rebel" for the way he beatboxed to Bee Gees songs in falsetto. That would have made him a rebel in 1983, maybe. Also a dork. But based on the old ages of songs contestants must sing, the aggregate year Idol actually takes place in is 1982, so of course Paula thinks Blake is ahead of the back-to-the-future curve.

The judges truly need to catch up. A few months ago, Blake sang "All Mixed Up," a huge 1995 MTV hit that helped sell 3 million albums for the band 311. Paula, Randy and Simon beamed at how modern it sounded, since they'd never heard it.

In other words, Paula, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell are so out of touch with modern rock from 2007 and Top 10 rock from 1995 that they think Blake's subpar beatboxing is hip to be square.

Fortunately, voters probably won't stick with Blake. Melinda and Jordin look destined for a faceoff. Melinda should win, as the only contestant who interprets fresh arrangements of old songs and sings them strong in perfect pitch.

Christian rightists ought to be pleased with Melinda. In her official Idol bio, she says if she wins the first thing she'll do is thank "Jesus and my mommy."

For quite some time this season it appeared as if American Idol had a serious problem on their hands.

While Sanjaya was a part of that problem he certainly wasn’t the whole package. Rather it was the general lack of interesting contestants and distinctive voices that threatened to take the drama out of the competition. Early on there was the belief that it was a two way race between Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones for the title.

When LaKisha began to falter and strung together a few less than impressive performances, it seemed like the right thing for American Idol to do was just crown Melinda and call it a season. But as is often the case in life, when somebody stumbles there’s usually somebody waiting to fill the void - and in LaKisha’s place stepped Jordin Sparks.

Now things have gotten interesting. Perhaps Melinda peaked too early and won’t be able to withstand the growing number of voters that have rallied behind the 17-year-old Sparks. One thing is for certain: Simon, Paula and Randy won’t stop talking about the Jordin.

After Sparks sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” on Tuesday night’s show, Randy called it one of the best vocals the show has ever heard, on any season. Paula threw her normal compliments in about how fantastic Sparks is and added her ritualistic fare of generalized superlatives that highlight nothing specific about a performer. Simon then noted that Jordin could take the 60-year-old song and turn it into a hit record.

While the praise and accolades are fresh for Sparks, the judges are running thin on new things to say about Melinda.

Of course, she has consistently been the best performer on Idol - but when a judge tells you that he has run out of good things to say it kind of hurts your appeal. Melinda truly did a great job with “There Will Come a Day” and Randy told her that she had arrived. Not sure what he meant being that Melinda had been the only one to show up for the past six weeks.

The other four performers are really just in it now. The only thing to determine is the order in which they go home. LaKisha has found herself in a bit of a free fall as of late and covering a song from a former Idol champ might not be the best way to stop the drop. She sang “I Believe” from Fantasia Barrino and just didn’t present it in the same manner.

As for the guys, they’re interchangeable. One week one is hot, the next week their in serious trouble. Blake Lewis opted to sing “Imagine” and delivered a flat performance. The power behind that song was that John Lennon actually believed what he was singing and lived accordingly, hearing it from a kid just doesn’t carry the weight that Lennon projected.

Chris Richardson took on Eric Clapton’s “Change the World” and did a fairly good job, but everybody knows he is more than capable of coming out in a week and bombing, so it’s almost like you don’t want to give him too much credit. All the judges enjoyed the performance, but don’t expect Chris to be in the top three.

Phil Stacey is now realizing that he should have entered Country Idol rather than American Idol.

While it seems acceptable for the ladies to cross over from country to pop, it doesn’t happen often with the guys. The list of women from Faith Hill to Shania Twain to Carrie Underwood proves the women can do it. Not exactly sure who Phil could follow. Kid Rock? Bon Jovi? Phil did get a positive response form the judges, but he is just in the wrong competition.

After finding herself in the bottom two last week, LaKisha could be in big trouble. Who would have imagined twelve weeks ago that of the top five contestants, three would be guys?

Jordin Sparks is threatening Melinda Doolittle as the American Idol favorite.

And it turns out the 17-year old daughter of a former New York Giants player has the athletic vote going for her, as well.

"I played with her father, Phillippe Sparks, about eight, ten years ago," says retired NFL running back, Tiki Barber. "He was the cornerback. I remember Jordin when she was a little girl at the Giants games."

And Jordin remembers Tiki fondly, too.

"I saw an interview that she did and she said her favorite player was me! It's interesting how life brings itself back around ten years later," Tiki says to People magazine.

Interesting, sure, but doesn't he need to be hitting phones on Tuesday nights to vote for his old teammate's daughter?

"I know, right? I really do," he says. "Maybe I'll get all my friends to vote for her, too."

Jordin Sparks is only 17 years old. But she sings like she's been in the business for years.

Maybe that's because the daughter of a former NFL star has been dancing and carrying a tune since she was a tyke. Here Jordin is at three years old ... and on the American Idol stage.

Meanwhile, Gina Glocksen is gaining momentum in the competition, as well. Here are side-by-side photos of this rocker gal as a child and an adult:

Thanks to The Christian Post for this look at three American Idol finalists ...

Several Christians made the big cut to make it as the final 12 competitors in this year's American Idol: Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle, and Chris Sligh have all sang their way into America's homes - and each of them share a link to the Gospel Music Association (GMA) to some degree.

The trio stands as an achievement for Christians as they help break stereotypes in mainstream media, which has often looked down upon the Christian genre as lower in quality. Moreover, in addition to proving that people of faith can sing, these contestants are also becoming witnesses for Christ.

“I want them (non-believers) to know that God loves them, Jesus died for them, and that God has a plan for their life,” explained Sparks in her online e-profile at the GMA website. “I want them to see and hear that being a Christian and singing about it isn't weird!”

Each of the three artists has strong Christian accolades backing themselves.

Sparks and Sligh both have roots back to the GMA Music in the Rockies - a showcase event for aspiring, often unsigned, songwriters and artists in the Christian music industry. Today's renowned professional artists also attend to help these amateurs mature.

Sligh took home first place in the Pop-Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Song category during the conference in 2003 for writing "Only You Remain."

Sparks became the Overall Spotlight Winner at the 2004 GMA Academy in Washington, D.C., and grabbed top prize in the Country/Southern Gospel category.

As for Doolittle, she has performed as a backup singer in Nashville, home to most of today's Christian chief artists.

Now that they have all reached the current round, the twelve remaining singers on American Idol will all compete together and be eliminated one by one every week until a winner is crowned.

Last week, Sligh resonated one of Christian music's greatest hits by singing dcTalk's "We Just Wanna Be Loved."

Jordin Sparks is no stranger to fame. Her father, Phillippi Sparks, played professional football for a number of years.

Family connections remain a significant part of this American Idol hopeful's life - her maternal grandmother, Pam Wiedmann, is the singer's manager.

Sparks auditioned for both American Juniors and Star Search in 2003, before appearing on America's Most Talented Kids twice in 2004 and winning on her first appearance.

Finally, just like other Idols before her - such as Carrie Underwood - Jordin Sparks is a national anthem soloist, performing for various teams, such as the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Arizona Diamondbacks.