Jordin Sparks Is 'American Idol's' Teen Queen

By Lisa de Moraes
Thursday, May 24, 2007

Jordin Sparks, the perky 17-year-old high school student from Glendale, Ariz., won the sixth round of "American Idol" last night, beating out 11 other finalists, including several who were better singers, but none with her winning package of big voice, big smile and teetering-on-womanhood.

Did we mention she's only 17, as the show's three judges reminded viewers at every possible moment in the four-month-long competition? That makes her the youngest "Idol" winner ever.

Sparks defeated Blake Lewis, the Beat-box Boy from Bothell, Wash., whose utter detachment from the rituals of the competition had to have given the "Idol" producers and the Fox network the vapors as he worked his way to the final two.

Sparks was the perfect contestant for this season of "Idol" as the show evolved from youth-market sensation to family-viewing experience. During taped interviews this season, Sparks wanted the audience to know how happy she is to come from an undivorced, intact family, and that she has been keeping up her grades (all A's and B's!) as she continued her schooling during the months of competition.

Her singing and song choices were made for family viewing as well. Sparks's breakout moment came during Diana Ross week sitting demurely on the stage, singing "If We Hold on Together" from "The Land Before Time," which judge Simon Cowell, generally supportive of Sparks, was moved to call "pageanty" and not just for her vocal style but for her floor-length prom dress.

Sparks's vocal style is straightforward -- clear tones, punctuated at moments of peak emotion by tantrum-y arm flings, raising some doubts whether she was singing about lost love or a lost American Girl doll. But her voice is undeniably big and pop-ready, though perhaps not yet deserving of the high praise heaped on her by celebrity guest coach Barry Gibb, who said that, at 17, "she is going to be, I think, one of our greatest female recording artists."

Sparks's win was practically a foregone conclusion when, during Tuesday's final performance show, she nailed the traditional "American Idol" Treacle Tune, specially written to be the first single released by the winner.

Blake, who had made one of the quirkiest, almost-hip runs ever at an "American Idol" championship, petered out in his performance of the song "This Is My Now," which, given the image he's so carefully cultivating, is probably just as well. When Sparks was announced as the winner, Lewis was utterly gracious -- and looked relieved.

The "Idol" producers having at long last cleared Beatles tunes, the two finalists had kicked off last night's finale singing "I Saw Her Standing There":

She was just 17

You know what I mean

And the way she looked

Was way beyond compare.

It cut in half the show's previous record time for getting a mention in that Sparks is just 17.

Not since "From Justin to Kelly" have we seen so much chemistry between the two finalist Idolettes.

It was just the first of many nods to the Beatles in the two-hour orgy of excess.

For the first time, all the "Idol" winners came back for the finale, except Fantasia Barrino, who couldn't get a night off from her starring gig in Oprah Winfrey's Broadway production of "The Color Purple."

But Kelly Clarkson showed up, singing her tune "Never Again."

Carrie Underwood, who received a big ol' plaque during the Trophy Show portion of the evening for having sold 6 million albums, and who had also performed during the "Idol Gives Back" charity fundraiser, sang "I'll Stand by You" -- only this time without an armful of bewildered African children.

Ruben Studdard sang a duet with Sparks, "You're All I Need." And Taylor Hicks performed; in case you, too, forgot, he was last year's winner -- not Chris Daughtry.

Gladys Knight performed a medley of her hits with this season's top six chick Idolettes, and Smokey Robinson sang some of his better-known tunes with the top six guys.

The Good Sport Award goes to Aerosmith's Joe Perry for agreeing to be part of the finale's Sanjaya Malakar Joke. The two of them performed the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" -- the song with which Sanjaya brought down the house during one week of competition.

Tony Bennett, who was one of this year's guest coaches but who didn't get to sing on performance night when he got the flu, performed "For Once in My Life" accompanied by a piano, in one of the show's most touching bits.

Green Day was the official Big Get of the night, singing a special cut off the CD "Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur" -- a collection of John Lennon songs recorded by various artists. Green Day sang his "Working Class Hero."

But all the celebs got upstaged by the adorable African Children's Choir, making a return appearance. They'd had the same effect when they appeared during the celebrity-studded "Idol Gives Back" fundraiser several weeks back.

Last night's show started on a somber note, and we're not talking about what Jordin and Blake did to a Beatles tune.

Just hours before the finale, Fox suits got word that Tuesday's final performance night on "Idol" had clocked a disappointing 25.2 million viewers -- "Idol's" smallest final Tuesday broadcast audience in three years and down 6.6 million compared to last year's Final Tuesday.

And, we're betting the network wished the "Idol" producers are also wishing they hadn't promised a precious slot in last night's "Idol" finale to Gwen Stefani -- the worst guest coach in the history of "American Idol" -- so she could sing her "favorite song" from her new album, "4 in the Morning." It was the taped performance that was supposed to have aired during an earlier program. Using the "American Idol" leftovers -- maybe not such a good idea in "Idol's" new ratings reality.