'Sparkle' Star On Her Gay Fan Love

It's Jordin Sparks's moment. The American Idol alum got her big break when she was cast to star in Sparkle, which opens this weekend nationwide and is sure to have everyone talking--both about her performance and what ended up being Whitney Houston's last after her untimely death.

When we spoke to the young star-in-the-making earlier this summer, she said, "I didn't know it was going to be my big-screen debut. It was my first time auditioning for a movie, and I saw the name and thought, Oh my gosh, Jordin Sparks in Sparkle! That made me excited. Then I read the script and it jumped off the page."

Jeremy Kinser at The Advocate recently caught up with Sparks as well. Among other questions about the film, he asked about the video of her first visit to a gay bar (on her 21st birthday, at Oak Lawn in Dallas, Texas), Sparks responded: "I had so much fun that night. I'd never seen a drag show and their makeup was so fierce! [Laughs] I was having the best time... They gave us shots in those little tubes. [Laughs] I went with my hairdresser who has been in a relationship with his partner for eleven years and we just had a blast."

She explains how much she loves her gay fans and that "members of my band are gay and members of my family are gay, as well." She goes on to say, "So I've always enjoyed being friends with them and hanging around them because they're just like everyone else. I had no idea they love my music so much until I performed at the Factory [a gay club in Los Angeles] and it was wall-to-wall packed. It was amazing to see."

Here's to hoping she has an amazing opening weekend for her film.