Sparks leads star lineup at 1st Phooson concert

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is scheduled to appear in Casa Grande today as emcee of the first Phooson concert, which will star Latin pop singer Enrique Iglesias, rapper Fabolous and rising R&B star Ne-Yo.

Staged by deejays Johnjay and Rich, who are heard weekday mornings in both Phoenix (KISS-FM, 104.7) and Tucson (KRQQ-FM, 93.7), the concert also will feature the Jonas Brothers, a New Jersey pop-rock band; Kat DeLuna, a Latin-influenced R&B singer; and Paula DeAnda, whose music mixes R&B and pop.

Sparks, a Glendale resident who has been touring and recording an album since her May American Idol victory, will introduce the Phooson acts.

Organizers were still trying to firm up whether Sparks will sing as part of the show.

Also scheduled to appear are Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart and Phoenix's Allison DuBois, upon whose life the NBC drama Medium is based.

Criss Angel, a modern-day magician whose Criss Angel: Mindfreak series airs on the A&E network, also is lined up for an appearance.

The event, whose name is a phonetic combination of "Phoenix" and "Tucson," emerged after Iglesias started calling Johnjay and Rich's show on a regular basis.

The three joked about organizing a concert halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, and Phooson became a reality.

"We were talking about this fake concert that we were going to have between Tucson and Phoenix," deejay Rich Berra said.

"Then we struck up this friendship with Enrique and thought, 'Why don't we wrap the whole thing around him?' "

Berra said organizers are trying to get local authorities to rename the area of the concert Phooson on Friday.

The deejay said he hopes the event will help soften any rivalry between the two cities: "It's about bridging the gap, and let's face it, it's all going to be one big town soon."

The show will take place at the Pinal County Fairgrounds, about a 45-minute drive from downtown Phoenix (though rush-hour traffic could slow the trip).

source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1012phooson1012.html

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