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"    I recently had the chance to interview last season&amp;#039;s American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Her self-titled first album came out in the fall, and she&amp;#039;ll sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl this Sunday. For a girl making a music career in the world of Britney Spears, for someone who met the likes of Diana Ross and Gladys Knight before her 18th birthday, she couldn&amp;#039;t have been more sweet and well-spoken. Her mom, Jordin says, supported her when she wanted to pursue music, encouraging her to work hard. Her dad, a former NFL player for the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, taught her to let hurtful comments roll off her back\u2014and if you&amp;#039;ve read some of the tabloids, you know she&amp;#039;s received more than her share.     So, what&amp;#039;s appearing on Idol really like? &amp;quot;I was surprised by how much work really goes into everything. And since I was under 18, I had to fit in three hours of school,&amp;quot; Jordin says, who adds that she still keeps in touch with several of the contestants\u2014including Sanjaya. Her message for young girls? &amp;quot;Respect yourself and others will respect you. You don&amp;#039;t have to take off your clothes to get people to like you.&amp;quot; At the end of the interview, she asked me nicely to include a special message: &amp;quot;Thank you to all the moms who let their daughters stay up late to watch American Idol.&amp;quot; How&amp;#039;s that for manners?\u2014Jennifer Conrad Visit Jordin&amp;#039;s website to listen to samples of her songs, including the hit &amp;quot;Tattoo.&amp;quot; Which Idol winner is your favorite? Have you bought any of the winners&amp;#039; albums? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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