An 'Idol' night out

Davetta Seals fell asleep Tuesday night after "American Idol" with the phone still in her hand.

She was one of 74 million people who voted for "American Idol" contestant Jordin Sparks.

Sparks was named America's newest idol in the show's finale Wednesday night, beating the only other contestant, Blake Lewis.

Seals, 54, and dozens of other Sparks fans eagerly watched the two-hour finale at Buffalo Wild Wings on Starkey Road in Roanoke.

"She's the total package," Seals said of Sparks. "She's on the road to fame."

Other Sparks fans said they like her because at 17, she packs a lot of talent into her voice.

"She has a huge voice, and she's so young," said "Idol" fan Rachel Brown, 28. "She has a really long career path."

Some of Sparks' performances have been criticized, but Brown said that doesn't matter.

"She has room to grow. She can only get better with time," she said.

Brown hosts an "American Idol" party at her house every week.

Her friends come over in their pajamas and watch a recording of the show, Brown said.

"We like to pretend that we're the judges," she said.

They'll play a few minutes, and stop the tape, talk about a performance, and then hit play.

And, when judge Simon Cowell says something nice about a performer, which Brown says doesn't happen often, the women rewind the tape and watch it again, astonished.

Jennifer Wilcox, 22, hasn't been as dedicated a fan this season as Brown and her friends.

In fact, she didn't know who the contestants were until Wednesday night when they stepped onto the big-screen TV above the bar at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Her pick? Lewis.

"I'm not going to lie. The second we saw the two contestants we thought he was really hot," Wilcox said.

It was people like Wilcox who had Lea Deaver nervous about Sparks clinching the title.

"Blake draws a different crowd," she said. "They are big competition for each other."

Deaver, who uses her DVR to record every episode of "American Idol," was pulling for Sparks to win because, like others, she's inspired by the singer's age.

"She's young. She can belt it out. She's just got it going on."