Jordin Sparks Crowned `American Idol'

LOS ANGELES - The big voice overwhelmed the beatbox Wednesday night as Jordin Sparks was crowned the newest and youngest "American Idol."

Sparks, 17, of Glendale, Ariz., prevailed over Blake Lewis, 25, of Bothell, Wash., after a triumphant performance Tuesday that wowed the show's judges and the viewers who gave her a majority of the record 74 million votes cast.

"Mom, Dad, I love you," Sparks, the daughter of retired NFL player Phillippi Sparks, said tearfully after a bearhug from Lewis.

In an interview backstage with The Associated Press, the overwhelmed winner recalled talking with her dad about how she used to watch him sign autographs.

Sparks said …