Jordin Sparks, 17, becomes youngest 'Idol' winner

When Ryan Seacrest announced Jordin Sparks as the Season 6 ''American Idol,'' the crowd at Starters Riverport in Bethlehem went wild.

The 150 ''VIP listeners'' gathered on the second floor of the bar and restaurant Wednesday night for WLEV radio's ''American Idol Gone Wild'' party clapped, whistled and cheered.

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It was the most energy and excitement that burst forth from the party-goers, after what had been a largely mellow, subdued two hours of Idol-izing.

Karen Salaski of Bethlehem, decked out in an ''American Idol'' tee, mouthed ''yes'' to show her approval. She turned to her friend and said, ''Oh, I'm so happy for her.''

The big voice overwhelmed the beatbox Wednesday night as Jordin Sparks was crowned the newest and youngest ''American Idol.''

Jordin, 17, of Glendale, Ariz., became the youngest ''American Idol'' after out-singing Blake Lewis of Bothell, Wash., in a performance that wowed the show's judges and viewers, who gave her a majority of the record 74 million votes cast.

''It was a bit more predictable than past seasons,'' said Salaski, ''but it was still exciting. It's always exciting.''

During much of the two-hour finale, the mostly middle-aged crowd was glued to the many flat-screen TVs that hung throughout the bar and restaurant, including one that's 18 by 22 feet.

Leading up to Jordin's coronation, celebrity guests such as Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Doug E. Fresh, Green Day and Bette Midler sounded off on stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Past ''Idols'' also performed, including Carrie Underwood, Ruben Studdard, Kelly Clarkson and last year's ''Idol,'' Taylor Hicks. Underwood received recognition from record executive Clive Davis for her debut album reaching the 6 million sale mark in the United States.

The top 12 ''Idol'' contestants from this season also shared the stage. The highlight, though, was Sanjaya's solo performance, backed by Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. The crooner known for his crazy coifs and sub-par singing let it rip on the The Kinks' ''You Really Got Me,'' which he performed earlier in the season during punk week.

But what engaged the Starters crowd most was not the singing, but the ''Golden Idol'' awards that Seacrest handed out to ''Idol'' rejects from the audition round.

People burst into fits of belly-laughs when the Big Mama-esque Margaret Fowler -- dressed in the yellow chicken-lady outfit she auditioned in earlier in the season -- took the stage to claim her award for most eccentric. She planted a big, wet one on Seacrest, evoking many ''ewwws'' from the party-goers at Starters.

Though Jordin stood a better chance of winning, based on a stronger Tuesday night performance, at least two women at the restaurant were pulling for Blake. When WLEV DJ Mark Shepperd took the mike to ask if there were any Blake fans out there, they were the only ones to scream for the beatboxer.

One of them, Bethlehem phlebotomist Pam Smith, said she couldn't help but root for him because ''he's got charisma and he's a cutie-pie.'' Smith, who saw last year's ''American Idols Live!'' tour and will also be attending this year's, also said she liked his originality. ''He's just so much fun to watch,'' she said.

Still, it was Jordin who had won the hearts of most of the Starters crowd -- and much of America. Before the show's conclusion and the party's end, Jordin, with a tear-stained face, sang ''This is My Now.'' And it really was.