Jessica Sanchez Owns US National Anthem During Her NBA Finals Performance

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-Mexican Jessica Sanchez could very well be touted as the “official national anthem singer” of the “American Idol Season 11” batch as she has performed the American national anthem no less than thrice at several big occasions.

The 16-year-old “little girl with the big voice” kicked off Game 1 of the NBA basketball finals between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 12 in Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City with her stellar performance of the “The Star-Spangled Banner."

The performance came right on the heels of her stint at the controversial Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight last June 9 [US Time] at MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas where she sang the US National Anthem; and at the US Memorial Day Concert at the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 28 [US Time].

Sanchez clearly left a lot of Heat and Thunder fans in awe as deafening applause filled the arena after she sang the last note. Online, countless Netizens affirmed Sanchez’ singing prowess once more as praises about her performance on the opening of the first out of the seven part game rained on Twitter. Sometime after her performance, the hashtag “#JessicaonNBA” even landed on the top trending topics locally.

Twitter User Rissa Piano ‏(@ucancallmerissa) piped out how her performance surely made the Filipino community proud and said, “What a shining moment for @JSanchezAI11!She makes the Filipino community proud! Go Jessica!: http://youtu.be/5FJm_AINaAU via @youtube #JessicaonNBA.”

While Jovel wrote, (‏@HaleysAndroid), “Jessica Sanchez nailed it again!!! #JessicaOnNBA @JSanchezAI11 Hahaahahah!!”

Kapuso actress Say Alonzo, on the other hand, also thought that Sanchez did a “great job” as she retweeted the post, “RT @anemoraine: RT @JSanchezCrew: @JSanchezAI11 is the Queen of the US National Anthem. #JessicaOnNBA - Great job Jessica!:)”

Speaking of national anthems, Sanchez’ was reportedly invited by the Sarangani representative himself to sing the Philippine national anthem on his upcoming rematch with Bradley. Sanchez confessed in a Bombo report that she’s praying for Pacman to win back his belt by then.

Recall that the “Idol” runner-up wasn’t able to contain her dismay over the result of Pacman-Bradley match, tweeting: “Congrats to the new winner but I'm still really upset about the results :(“

article source: mb.com.ph

What Could’ve Cost Jessica Sanchez The 'Idol' Crown

MANILA, Philippines – Many deemed that Jessica Sanchez would bag the coveted “American Idol” crown, but could it be that she ruined her own chance with her choice of coronation song and potential first single?

“AI” mentor and Interscope Records founder/chairman Jimmy Iovine admitted to The Hollywood Reporter, “It did bomb, didn’t it? The song didn’t work well live.”

The 16-year-old Filipino-Mexican Jessica performed “Change Nothing” as one of her three songs during the final showdown night (May 22 in the US), to the apparent dismay of judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson. They collectively felt that the straight pop ballad didn’t bring out the soulful swag and urban vibe in Jessica.

Iovine said Jessica had “three or four different songs” to choose from, and that “we don’t force the kids to do anything.” The latter did intimate after her performance that “Change Nothing” was her choice.

Foreign scribes put in not-so-pleasant reviews on “Change Nothing.” Entertainment Weekly, for one, wrote that the song “just feels too old for a 16-year-old to be singing.”

“This disconnect between content and personal experience reveals Sanchez’s biggest weakness—although she has some serious pipes, she’s clearly not sure what she wants to say (or if she has anything to say) musically just yet, and the generic drum-machine beat doesn’t help make the song feel any more organic. “

USA Today, meanwhile, deemed that Jessica “made a grave tactical error at precisely the wrong time, choosing to sing a pop ballad—and a not particularly good one—as her potential first single.”

Jessica got “sucker-punched” with “Change Nothing,” MTV wrote, adding that “the song was too poppy and tame and completely stalled any momentum Jessica built up.”

The budding young diva, born in Chula Vista, California to a Filipino mother and Mexican-American father, acknowledged the judges’ reaction to the song in an interview after “American Idol” final show on May 23.

She was quoted by The Hollywood Reporter as saying, “I kind of agreed with them. We only had one day to pick a single. Now that I have time to put myself into my music, it’s going to be all me—100 percent me.”

The “100 percent me” that Jessica refers to is “like a Rihanna-Beyoncé kind of thing,” but pointed out that she doesn’t want to compare herself to anybody.

“I want to be somebody new, too,” she added.

Jessica has also expressed how happy she is over Phillip Phillips’ win, maintaining that he deserves the title. For her fans, though, she is not only an “American Idol” but a “World Idol,” as seen on the comments that poured in on Twitter after the result was revealed.

Some of the tweets read:

@Micolicious: “If Phillip Phillips is the season 11's AI then I guess Jessica Sanchez is the World Idol of all seasons! #WorldIdol @JSanchezAI11.”

@iLikeMariah: “Title or no title, @JSanchezAI11 our #worldIdol has raised the bar of #americanidol 's next season or shld I say raisd dbar of AmericanIdol!”

‏@Angeliquebruna: “Jessica is our winner, Jessica is our winner.She was the toughest among them all. :) 2 Thumbs up Jessica's our winner.#WorldIdol #idolfinale.”

@lyzafionaborjal: “I just can't wait to buy @JSanchezAI11's album! I'm gonna listen to all her AI songs so that I can put this feeling into sleep. #WorldIdol.”

‏@TheBarsss: “@JSanchezAI11 doesn't deserve to become American Idol. She deserves to become #WorldIdol. #JessicaSanchezWorldIdol.”

source: mb.com.ph

Malacañang urges Pinoys in US to vote for Jessica Sanchez

Malacañang on Friday congratulated Jessica Sanchez for making it to the Top Two of the reality singing competition "American Idol" and urged Filipinos in the United States to vote for her in next week's finals.

“Please show your support in any way possible for Jessica Sanchez. This is the last stretch and we know that when Filipinos gather and put their minds into it, it will happen,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte at a press briefing.

She said the Filipino-Mexican-American contestant inspires the people to pursue excellence in everything no matter how big or small the stage may be.

“Excellence knows no boundaries. The power of music uplifts us all. The entire Filipino people have united in admiration and enthusiasm over the performances of Jessica Sanchez in American Idol,” she said.

“Her perseverance and passion have inspired and surprised not just America, but the whole world with a voice that is as powerful as it is stirring,” she added.

She further said that “as we move on to the final stage of the competition, we stand in solidarity with Jessica Sanchez as she shows the world what Filipinos are capable of.”

Sanchez vs. Phillips

Sanchez, who hails from Chula Vista, San Diego, California, will be pitted against Phillip Phillips, the other finalist.

Joshua Ledet was eliminated after public voting determined he was the contestant with the least number of votes.

Sanchez's top 2 achievement is the highest attained by a contestant with Filipino heritage on the show.

Filipino-American Jasmine Trias made it to the top three of AI's Season 3, while Ramiele Malubay, another Fil-Am, placed ninth in Season 7.

Thia Megia, another Filipino-American, meanwhile, finished in the top 11 of last year's competition.

Sanchez's mother is Filipina from Bataan, while her father is Mexican. - VVP, GMA News

article source: gmanetwork.com