Special American Idol Issue Of Entertainment Weekly Features Cover Selected By Readers
By Joe Reality on American Idol
For the first time ever, Entertainment Weekly and EW.com allowed four images to audition for the cover of a special American Idol issue of Entertainment Weekly. The public has spoken and the reader's choice image of Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks graces the cover of the Idol issue. Entertainment Weekly's special American Idol collector's issue is scheduled to hit newsstands nationwide on Monday, May 28.
In the weeks leading up to the May 23rd finale, Entertainment Weekly's website EW.com featured four different cover options – two shots of each finalist – and allowed visitors to vote for their favorite. Fans could vote as many times as they wanted for their favorite Blake Lewis shot and their favorite Jordin Sparks image. In a tight race, 54 percent of voters chose the image of Jordin in a leopard print dress, which is now on the cover of the special issue.
Teenager Jordin Sparks truly bucked the odds and came out of nowhere to become an American Idol. The youngest Idol ever was even obsessed with the show when it debuted in 2002 – "I watched it and was hooked on it since season 1," Sparks recalls. "I was like, 'Kelly!' I voted for her. So I feel proud that she was our first American Idol, because I had a contribution in that."
Despite being the baby of the group, the other Idol hopefuls were able to learn from her. "I call her my baby girl; she always calls me Mama," Melinda Doolittle has told EW. "I learn from her on a daily basis, how she's handling all of this. It can overwhelm me, and if I've got 12 years on her – how in the world does she handle it with such grace?"
According to the judges, she did it by stepping up her game and evolving her performances. "I know with Jordin, she really grew," host Ryan Seacrest says. "We saw her get better, so there was an evolution."
During auditions, the producers were so unsure about Sparks that she just barely made it to see the judges. "[A producer] made me sing a couple songs," Sparks recalls, "and she was like, 'I really like your voice, but there's something missing.' And I was like, 'Are you sure?!' [Giggles] And they were like, 'Yeah, sorry, sweetheart, maybe try out in another city.'" She did, and finally reached the judges' room in Seattle.
And now the girl who followed Kelly Clarkson's every move is literally following her every move. "When I was 12, I remember the show was just starting out," she recalls. "We were actually watching the finale and I was just like, 'I want to do that, Mom.' I said I wanted to do it and now I've done it. It couldn't have been more perfect." |
