Idol Chatter & Voice Views

If it seems like Jordin Sparks is everywhere these days, it’s because she is.

She’s on the cover of Redbook; an article inside talks about how she shed 50 pounds. She’s on the cover of Shape, flashing the bikini body she has because of that weight loss.

And she’s doing interviews everywhere — this morning it was on Live! With Kelly — to promote “Sparkle” prior to Thursday night’s premiere in Hollywood. The film debuts in local theaters Friday.

If you’re unaware of the plot, Jordin plays the title role, one of three sisters trying to make a name for herself in the music business. Whitney Houston, in her last film role, plays the mother of the three young women.

In a recent interview with USA today that I’ve embedded below, Jordin says she knew Whitney Houston was an executive producer of “Sparkle” when she signed on for the movie.

She did not know Whitney would be acting in the movie, let alone in the role of her mother.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just see her in the hallway or whatever when she visits the set,'” Jordin said.

“Then she signed on to play the mother, and the pressure just seemed 100 times more because I’m like, ‘I can’t come in here and be horrible.'”

As it turns out, Whitney was very “motherly,” and Jordin says the cast bonded well.

And, of course, she’s honored to have recorded “Celebrate” with Whitney. The song was released as the first single off the “Sparkle” soundtrack earlier this year.

“And the song is encouraging and uplifting,” Jordin notes. “I feel like it’s a great thing for her to be leaving (as part of) her legacy — a song about celebrating people and celebrating each other.”

Jordin, 22 and five years removed from her Season 6 Idol victory, told The Associated Press she just stumbled upon the film role while waiting out a music label shakeup to record her third album.

“I read the script and fell in love with it,” she said. “I related a lot to Sparkle. She’s a girl with a dream, and she’s gonna do whatever it takes to get to the top.”

As for that third album, there’s no timetable, but she told Billboard she has “about seven songs” ready to go. Her last album, “Battlefield,” was pop/rock and pop/R&B. Fans should expect more R&B/pop on her next album, she said.

Here’s the USA Today interview. And check back later this week. I’ll round up all the reviews of “Sparkle” I can find once the film is released.