Congrats to Vanessa Hudgens, Sarah Hyland, The Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks, Kat Graham and Diego Boneta!

They’re the 2012 Variety’s Power of Youth honorees!

The goal of Variety’s Power of Youth initiative is to encourage the next generation of entertainers to support the philanthropic and humanitarian causes closest to their hearts – and to use their positions in popular culture to encourage their peers and millions of fans who look up to them to do the same.

Vanessa will be honored for her work with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Jonas Brothers for Change for the Children Foundation, Sarah for the George Lopez Foundation, Kat for The Water Project, Jordin for I’m M.A.D., Are You? for ChildHelp and Diego for Vannie E. Cook Children’s Cancer & Hematology Clinic.

Sarah shared in a statement to JJJ, “The Lopez Foundation is really close to my heart and I have such a personal connection to it, especially since I’ve had my own kidney issues for a long time now. I am truly so grateful to be receiving an honor at Variety’s Power of Youth event this year. It’s so rewarding to be able to keep getting the word out about the Lopez Foundation and all the good it does.”

Head on over to JustJared.com to see what Diego told us about his honor!

More details about the event are inside the cut… More Here! »

Jordin Sparks wows in red as she arrives at the Cinema Society with Circa and Alice & Olivia screening of Sparkle held at Tribeca Grand Hotel on Tuesday night (August 14) in New York City.

The 22-year-old actress wore a hot red alice + olivia‘s “Victoria” peplum dress while posing with mom Jodi on the carpet.

“It had been 15 years since she [Whitney Houston] had done another movie and it was supposed to be her coming out moment — and it is. She definitely delivers,” Jordin shared with Billboard.

She continues, “This is my first film, so it was a huge thing already for me, and now that it’s the end of Whitney‘s legacy and I’m in this film that’s the last thing that people get to see of her, it makes it even bigger and just carry a lot more weight. The movie meant so much to her that now it means just as much to me, if not more because I want to represent it the way she would have wanted.”

15+ pics inside of Jordin Sparks… More Here! »

Jordin Sparks shows off her meetings with the Fierce Five at The Today Show in New York City on Tuesday (August 14).

The 22-year-old actress tweeted, “This just made my year! Jordyn, Gabby, Kayla, Aly, Kyla & their GOLD!! #TheFab5 :D”

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Promoting her new movie, Sparkle, Jordin recently told Collider, “I related to Sparkle a lot, with what she goes through, being young. You come in and she’s young and naïve and just wants to push everybody else to the front, and then she goes through all of the trials and tribulations, but at the end, she finds her voice and becomes a woman.”

FYI: Jordin is wearing a Nicole Miller Artelier dress.

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Jordin Sparks is all smiles during a visit to the Mall of America on Wednesday (August 8) in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The 22-year-old entertainer happily signed autographs and took pics with fans, before she hit the stage.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Jordin Sparks

“Thank you everyone who came to @mallofamerica today!! Loved meeting everyone of you! Xo.” Jordin tweeted.

In case you missed it, make sure you check Jordin out on the cover of Redbook, which hits stands on August 14th.

10+ pictures inside of Jordin Sparks at the Mall of America… More Here! »

Jordin Sparks takes over the September 2012 cover of Redbook, out on stands August 14th.

The 22-year-old actress chatted with the mag about her upcoming movie Sparkle, working alongside the late Whitney Houston and self-acceptance. Check it:

On working with Whitney: “For me, she took on the mother role because my parents weren’t there [during filming]. She was always asking: Did I feel comfortable? Did I need anything?”

On learning what she could from Whitney: “I can only talk about what I experienced. I do think there is a different aura around the film now. I think there was some skepticism before. And there are certainly some themes in the movie that everyone would have wanted to ask Whitney about like, ‘Did you relate your own life to this part,’ which I’m sure she would have answered honestly. The cool thing about Whitney was that she was not scared to talk about or confront the things she had gone through.”

On her recent weight loss: “My whole journey has been about self-acceptance. There’s no quick or magical way to lose weight. You just have to do it the natural way—diet and exercise and stick to it—and be able to do it at your own pace. Everyone has their own thing.”

For more on Jordin, head on over to Redbook.com!

Jordin Sparks meets up with legendary singer Aretha Franklin during a special screening of Sparkle held at the Emagine Royal Oak theater on Sunday night (August 5) in Royal Oak, Mich.

“The Queen of Soul herself!!! Huge moment for me here at the @Sparklemovie screening in Detroit!!” the 22-year-old actress/singer tweeted.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Jordin Sparks

“In one scene, she was scolding me really harshly. I had to focus to stay in character, because how cool is it to get scolded by Whitney Houston?” Jordin told Teen Vogue of filming the flick, out on August 7th. “Many times I couldn’t stop crying when the scene was over. Whitney would always come right over to soothe me.”

Jordin is also pictured at the private GRAMMY film screening and Q&A at Sony Pictures Studios earlier last week in Culver City, Calif.

Jordin Sparks puckers up in this behind the scenes video for her Seventeen magazine fashion photo shoot!

The 22-year-old entertainer was all smiles on set as she played dress up with tons of bold and daring looks.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Jordin Sparks

However, in real-life Jordin‘s personal style isn’t quite so high maintenance.

“I’m pretty simple. [I like] classic lines that show off my curves,” she explains. “I like evolving and trying new things.”

For more of Jordin, visit Seventeen.com and don’t forget to check her out August 16 in the movie Sparkle!

Click inside to watch the clip… More Here! »