[IMG:L]After two hours of suspenseful stalling via great performances by the contestants and special guests like Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Bette Midler, Green Day and Gwen Stefani, and a quartet of former Idol champs, 17-year-old high school junior Jordin Sparks was anointed the sixth American Idol live before a star-studded audience at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre and millions nationwide on Fox.
The festivities began five hours earlier, when Fox series celebs, judges Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, and contestants past and present crowded the red carpet, answering questions about their pick to win—not surprisingly considering the outcome, most joined the majority of viewers who cast 74 million finale votes in rooting for Jordin.
Nearly two interview-filled hours after her emotional coronation, Ms. Sparks made her way to the pressroom for a conference with the media, as runner-up Blake Lewis and several of the guest musicians had done earlier. Following are highlights from these Q&As and interviews on the red carpet.
[IMG:R]Jordin Sparkles
On her whispered exchange with Lewis before the announcement: “Blake was holding my hand and he was like, ‘I love you, sweetheart.’ I said, ‘I love you too.’ He squeezed my hand and I knew that whatever happened that I’d be okay and that everything would be fine. He’s such a great supporter. He’s so encouraging and I’m one of his biggest fans and he’s one of mine. It just turned out pretty cool, I guess.”
On her performances: “I love each and every performance that I did. There were some that I liked more than others, but I don’t know, I tried to top myself with every performance. I like them all and I don’t regret anything.”
On getting emotional Tuesday night: “I can’t believe that it’s all over. It seems like years ago that I auditioned in Seattle, but at the same time it’s gone by so fast and it was a mix of everything ending. I looked up at all of the people and I saw my parents sitting there and I realized that I said what I wanted to do a long time ago and I was doing it. It just totally overcame me.”
On post-show congratulations: “Simon gave me a hug. Smokey Robinson was back there congratulating me. Taylor Hicks said, “It’s going to be very fast, but just take it one step at a time.’ I met Bette Midler and was just like, ‘Holy Moly!’ She was so amazng and so nice. She said, ‘Enjoy the ride and don’t take it too seriously.’ I told her that I wouldn’t and so I’m going to try and stick to that.”
On her future album: “I might be getting some material during tour and then I guess right after I’d start working on it. I have written some things and I hope that I can write a little bit on my album. I would love to do duets with other people. I don’t know who yet.”
On her journey: “I’ve been watching the show since I was 12 and I’ve always wanted to do it, and I’ve always told my mom every year at the finale or during the show, ‘I want to do this. I want to be able to sing on that stage. Whether I win or not I want to be there.’ Now, I’m actually doing it and it’s so crazy and I know she’s proud of me. I know that my dad is too and my brother and we’re just going to take all of it one step at a time… I think that I’ve become a better person and a better performer throughout all of this by interacting with the audience and being able to convey my emotions better. I don’t know. I’m just thankful that everyone kept me around and I hope that I make you proud.”
[IMG:L]Blake Speaks
On finishing second: “I feel good. I picked Jordin Sparks in the top 24 as the American Idol winner and I was right. I was actually going to try and wear a Jordin Sparks t-shirt last night, but they wouldn’t let me do it.”
On the Idol experience: “The experience has been so amazing that I can’t explain it in words. It’s bittersweet right now because it’s over. The journey has truly been a blessing.”
On “This is My Now”: “It’s not my style. I knew Jordin would kill it, but it was not my cup of tea. If I could’ve remixed it and made it mine I would’ve totally done that, but we had to be true to form. Jordin made it hers. I said to her, ‘’If it comes down to me singing this last song, will you do a duet with me?’”
On his favorite performances: “The Bon Jovi [song] and ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ by Diana Ross were the moments for me on this whole entire competition where I’ve really felt true to form and true to self as an artist and keeping the integrity of my heart. During Bon Jovi week I was hoping I’d get that song but six of us were fighting for it and I didn’t think I would get it.”
On performing with Doug E. Fresh: “I’ve been beat boxing for like 18 years now and he’s one of my main inspirations and so that moment tonight was probably one of the best experiences that I’ll have as a musician. it was hip-hop on American Idol and to me you can’t beat that. I’m in New York next week and we’ll probably hook up then and just lay something down. So working with Doug E. Fresh is definitely a dream and it came true tonight.”
On his debut album: “I listen to everything from Harry Connick Jr. to Bjork I probably won’t have a lot of country on it, but you never know. I talked to BT. I really want to work with him. He’s one of my main inspirations. I’ve gotten to work with Nick Hexum from 311, which has been amazing. It’ll have like an electro-pop that’s very easy to dance to, like take Jamiroquai and make it a little electro, mix it with Michael Jackson‘s ‘Bad.’”
Doug E. Fresh
Impressed with Blake’s beat-boxing skills, Fresh pronounced him “incredible. I’ve been talking to a few of my friends in the hip-hop community and I’ve been telling them that Blake is not a novelty. He’s for real. That’s the truth. We’re definitely going to do something together.”
Joe Perry
While he’s can’t hit Steven Tyler high notes, Sanjaya Malakar impressed the Aerosmith guitarist. “He’s just such a great guy and so easy going. It was just a lot of fun for me.” So much so that there’s talk of Aerosmith mentoring contestants next season. “After talking to some of the contestants and hanging around it’s such a really cool and loose thing for such a huge show,” he reflected. Aerosmith is gearing up for an international tour that will include the Middle East, Russia and the Hyde Park Festival in the U.K. “We’re playing in places that we haven’t played in years. We’re going to be over there for two months.”
Smokey Robinson
Accompanied by his granddaughter Lyric, who he introduced as “American Idol 2012,” Robinson praised Idol as a talent showcase. “Even the ones who don’t win, even the ones who don’t even make it to the last 12, they’re known all over the world instantly, and nothing has ever done that before for a young singer. I really enjoyed so much seeing Jordin win,” he continued. “. I talked to her after the show tonight and I told her to remember that she’s very blessed and to keep her feet on the ground and to go get it.” As for Lewis, “I just told him to not take anything for granted. The entertainment world is very fickle. You’re up today and down tomorrow. So always keep your feet on the ground and know that it’s a blessing.”
Bebe & Cece Winans
Having performed with their former backup singer Melinda Doolittle, the newly reunited Winans found a plus in her not making it to the finals. “There’s less pressure to be number three,” Cece pointed out. Sure the winner would be Jordin Sparks, she had this advice for her, “Surround yourself with the right people and have fun “ Added Bebe, “Know your self worth and you’re gonna have a great time”
Red Carpet Tidbits
This season’s Alaina Alexander did some hindsight reflecting. Had she the chance to do it over, “I wouldn’t have sung The Dixie Chicks song. I think that got me booted off. I think that I would’ve done some Sheryl Crow, definitely.” Not a part of this summer’s AI tour, “I’ll make my own tour,” she vowed. “I’m making a record right now. It’s a little like Sheryl Crow and Mariah Carey. I write and play the guitar. I’m working for Celebtv.com, which is amazing. [Idol] just opened so many doors.”
20-20 hindsight also had this season’s Jared Cotter contemplating changes he could have made. “I did Stevie Wonder‘s ‘If You Really Love Me.’ It’s a great song, but Blake and Chris Richardson were doing younger songs and I needed to step it up on that level. I would’ve done Usher‘s ‘Caught Up.’” As for the judges, “I will definitely miss Simon the least. I think that he gave me the hardest time for no apparent reason. It’s cool though.” Now readying an album for early 2008, “It’s going to be like me, soulful and sexy and hopefully everyone can move to it,” he said, naming Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and Brian McKnight as inspirations. “ I have my own show on Fuse Network with an MTV TRL type vibe, but we’re playing a lot more videos. It’s on from 6 PM to 7 PM live,” he noted.
George Huff (Season 4),who is 13 pounds trimmer these days thanks to dieting and treadmill workouts, expected Jordin to win but admitted a fondness for Sanjaya Malakar, particularly his ‘ponyhawk’ performance. He’s recording an album he hopes to release next spring. “This is going to be an album of inspiration. I like the good music that we’re missing these days. It’s going to be upbeat, very soulful and you’ll have a good time listening to it,” he promises.
“Enjoy every moment of being here. Things are crazy and it never stops and so you have to be ready for the big world,” Season 5 AI alumna Paris Bennett advised this year’s finalists. She admitted not watching consistently this season, having been busy recording an album that was released May 8. “It’s a little bit of everything that I did on American Idol.’ It’s very versatile.“ She’s gearing up for a tour in July.
Blake fan Carmen Rasmusen (AI Season 2) offered this advice to whoever won: “You have to remember why you’re doing this. When you’re waking up at 3 AM to do an east coast feed, and you have to do your hair and your makeup and the interviewer doesn’t know who you are and they haven’t done their homework, you just have to remember why you’re doing it and it pays off in the end.” For her, the Idol experience “was completely worth it. It took me four years to get a record deal and it was really frustrating at times, but now it’s all paid off. My album is now coming out in August. It’s called Nothing Like the Summer. It’s new and fresh for country music.” Her video for the single of the same name premieres on CMT this week. Rasmusen married Brad Herbert in December 2005 after meeting him when she performed with Reba McEntire. “He was in the audience and I signed his program and gave him my number, and he called me. So I married a fan.”
Season 3 finalist Diana DeGarmo was almost unrecognizable thanks to a dramatic hair color change. “I was blonde for a long time and then about this time last year I did a show where they chopped my hair off and made it black and for a second I was having an identity crisis and then I thought, ‘I’ve always wanted to be a redhead.’ That’s the fun thing about being a girl.”
Constantine Maroulis (Season 4) revealed that he used to work at a New York deli and made sandwiches for Jordin’s father, former Giants star Phillippi Sparks. He had this advice for the newest Idol: “Think ahead and plan ahead and be smart, get a great team and do great projects, and just be yourself. Don’t get caught up in this whole hysteria, all of this fame thing because it’ll end very quickly.” Now part of the cast of daytime TV’s The Bold and the Beautiful, Maroulis will release an album Aug. 7. “My first single is ‘Everybody Loves.’ I started my own label.”
Vonzell Solomon (Season 4) almost didn’t make it to the finale. She lost her Florida house—and her dog—in a fire last Thursday. Upbeat nevertheless, “I’ve got so many things to be thankful for,” she said. “I’m here having a great time and my album is going to be released in a few months and I have some singles coming out that I wrote and produced. It’s my label. Check it out on officialbabyv.com.”
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?’s host, Jeff Foxworthy, had Sparks pegged from the beginning. “I live in a house full of women and so it has to be Jordin,” he said, and Til Death’s Brad Garrett, attending with daughter Hope, was similarly prescient. “I think Jordin’s going to take it.”
Jordin fan Joely Fisher, with her daughter Skylar, marveled at the eventual winner’s talent. “We voted for Jordin from the beginning,” she said, noting, “When I was 17 I was in Ohio doing summer theater, not on the Kodak stage.” Before going back to Til Death on July 16, she’ll spend her summer break relaxing and watching another Fox reality show, So You Think You Can Dance.
2003 Idol winner Ruben Studdard wouldn’t commit to a prediction but did give an update on his own musical endeavors. “I have an album out now called The Return and I’m about to start recording a fourth. It’s going to be R&B, a lot more ballads.” He’s doing concert dates now. “I’ll be in Little Rock [Arkansas] on Sunday.”
