It may not be scientific but Jessica Sanchez is getting rave reviews in online polls, with predictions saying she will be the next “American Idol,” with only two weeks left before the grand finale on May 23 (May 24 in the Philippines).
For many netizens, Sanchez will bring home the “Idol” crown.
The 16-year-old singer has consistently topped the poll of entertainment website The Hollywood Gossip.
When Hollywood Gossip asked “Who will win American Idol Season 11?,” the four remaining "American Idol" contestants received the following votes as of posting time:
Sanchez, 16, of San Diego, California: 57.1 percent;
Joshua Ledet, 19, of Westlake, Los Angeles: 14.9 percent;
Phillip Phillips, 21, of Leesburg, Georgia: 9.8 percent, and
Hollie Cavanagh, 18, of McKinney, Texas: 9.8 percent.
"Steal Away"
On performance night on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), Sanchez sang "Steal Away," the blog site Rickey.org said.
According to Rickey.org, judge Randy Jackson told Sanchez after her performance: "I love the whole vibe of that."
Judge Jennifer Lopez, on the other hand, said: "I’m happy to see that the growl was there from the very beginning."
Steven Tyler, the third judge, said: "You just nailed that."
Viewers' favorite
Sanchez is also the viewers’ favorite among other contenders in a survey hosted by poll site VoteFair.
VoteFair asked online users who their favorite “Idol” is and Sanchez emerged as the top favorite. She got 46 percent of the total votes, followed by Cavanagh with 25 percent, Phillips with 18 percent, and Ledet with 11 percent.
Most followed on Twitter
No wonder why Sanchez is getting most of the votes. Among the other four contenders, she got the most followers on Twitter counting at 288,220 as of posting time.
Phillips is second with 263,368 followers, Cavanagh with 93,284 followers, and Ledet with 87,041 followers.
This week, Sanchez so far received her fourth standing ovation from the judges over the entire season as she performed “And I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going)” by Jennifer Holliday. She also sang the hit song “Steal Away” by Etta James.
Member of the APO Hiking Society and musician Jim Paredes was impressed of her performance today.
“Just watched Jessica Sanchez (singing) 'Steal Away'… Wow.... What can she not sing well?” Paredes (@Jimparedes) posted on Twitter.
Former contestant Heejun Han (@HHanAI11), who finished ninth place and one of Sanchez’s closest friends in “Idol” praised her saying, “Jessica Sanchez and her parents deserve every bit of glory they are having right now.”
“No doubts, no ifs, no buts Jessica Sanchez nailed it tonight!” said Sofia Walsh (@sofiaLOVESethan).
Contestant momentum
Meanwhile, USA Today, a national American daily newspaper, had Sanchez coming in second after Ledet with a forecast they called as a “pseudoscientific gauge of contestant momentum.”
In a prediction titled “Eyeing the Idol Odds,” USA Today ranked Sanchez second with 46 points after Ledet with 71 points.
“Predicting the results on American Idol isn't a science,” USA Today said. “But it's fun to approach it that way. We've come up with a pseudoscientific formula to gauge each finalist's momentum heading into the next round of competition.”
The news site scores the contestants based on these criteria: song choice, performance order, performance quality, “exceptional circumstances,” judges’ verdict, Dial Idol, online buzz, and results show outcome.
Lacks personality
Some may have praised Sanchez for her “great voice” but some people think she lacks personality on stage.
“You look at Sanchez and you say, "Wow, great voice!" but you're left with very little sense of who she is. I think she'll make great CD's but won't necessarily be the best entertainer,” a Facebook user from Virginia commented.
Defending the young contender, another Facebook user said: “Whoever doesn't think that Jessica Sanchez is clearly the diamond in this competition is off their rocker. She is an amazing singer.”
“Jessica definitely transcends music to its highest form and artistry ,just watch how she conveys her version into profound emotions and amusement!” said Alfred Lim.
And I am telling you...
Because of Sanchez's rendition of Holliday's "And I Am Telling You," the song trended worldwide - with users posting what they think will make for the phrase "and I am telling you." Here are some of the posts:
(@KatyHudsonPurry): "And I am telling you... Jessica Sanchez deserves to stay."
(@BoyPierceTime): "And I am telling you, she got a standing O (ovation)."
(@gisolezejg): "And I Am Telling You, my heart is jumping up and down for (Jessica Sanchez)."
(@kimisinfinite): "And I Am Telling You, Jessica Sanchez did more than words can describe."
So far, among the contestants with Filipino blood, Sanchez has the second best achievement.
Filipino-American Jasmine Trias ranked third in "American Idol’"s third season. Before Sanchez, Thia Megia finished in the Top 11 of last year's competition.
Before Megia came Ramiele Malubay who placed 9th in the seventh season. - AM/VVP, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
