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MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – “American Idol” finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips each won a round on the hit American talent show on Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Manila), while the judges pronounced one round a draw.
Sanchez, the teen with the big voice, chose power ballads while Phillips went with an indie vibe as the two diverse " Idol" finalists sang on Tuesday for the hearts and votes of America.
Sanchez, 16, bidding to become the youngest ever winner of America’s most-watched TV show, was deemed ahead after performing songs made famous by Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.
But it was acoustic guitar-playing Phillips who brought all three judges to their feet at the end of the performance finale.
Rounds one and two
“Idol” executive producer Simon Fuller chose Houston’s ballad “I Have Nothing” for Sanchez for the first round, while Phillips sang the Ben E. King classic “Stand By Me.”
Judge Jennifer Lopez thought it was “very hard” to compare Sanchez and Phillips. “This is a tough one,” she said. “It’s like a battle of the opposites.”
But the lone female judge maintained that the first round went to Sanchez, agreeing with judge Randy Jackson. Judge Steven Tyler remained eerily quiet and did not comment.
For the second round, Sanchez chose to reprise Celine Dion’s “The Prayer,” the song which put her through to the Top 24 of the competition.
Tyler said Sanchez took the round again, while Lopez disagreed and said Phillips owned it. Jackson thought both singers were tied for the second round.
Round three
For the third round, the finalists got to sing the songs they would release as their first single if they won. Sanchez’s potential first single, a pop ballad called "Change Nothing,” fell flat with the judges, although they lauded how the 16-year-old gave more meaning to it, bringing tears to the eyes of the young singer.
Jackson thought the song was “just okay,” while Tyler said, “It didn’t feel like the proper song for you to sing.”
Lopez said Sanchez sang the song well but it was a bad pick, adding that she would have wanted a more soulful song from her.
While the three judges did not say specifically say that Phillips won the third round, they gave him the only standing ovation for the night.
"You were perfect tonight, and I think you are the man," said Tyler as Phillips closed the show with his potential first single "Home" -- a song that mixed the style of folk-rock band Mumford and Sons with Paul Simon and featured a marching band.
Jackson called the Georgia singer's performance "brilliant, genius" and added "Dude I loved the song! I loved you. I loved the production ... Everything about that was perfect."
“That was a Phillip Phillips song there's nothing on the radio that sounds like that,” said Lopez.
Buzz for Sanchez
But the judges’ impact is limited to potentially swaying audience votes. The “Idol” will be chosen by viewers and fans who have four hours to vote by phone, text and online after the show ended on Tuesday.
Results will be announced at the end of a star-studded two hour finale Wednesday (Thursday morning in Manila).
Based on social media buzz and Twitter postings going into Tuesday’s final, Sanchez had a 17% lead in Yahoo! searches, the Internet search engine said.
She also generated 6o% more mentions in social media than Phillips, according to a survey by analytics company General Sentiment.
Just minutes after Sanchez’s performance, “Change Nothing” was already the top trending topic on Twitter worldwide.
But Phillips, whose goofball humor has charmed millions of young female viewers, has never been in the bottom three. Sanchez, who is sometimes criticized for failing to connect emotionally with her lyrics, was saved by the judges from elimination in April after coming bottom in the public vote.
The young girl of Mexican and Filipino descent has a thousands of supporters in the Philippines, while Phillips has won sympathy for a kidney problem that has plagued his health during the show. "Pheel Better Phillip" read one poster in Tuesday's audience.
This year’s winner will receive a guaranteed recording contract, putting him or her on a potential road to the stardom enjoyed by early champions Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
But more recent winners have fared less well and audiences for “American Idol,” now in its 11th season, have fallen by 23% to an average 19.2 million viewers. – With report from Reuters
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – “American Idol” finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips each won a round on the hit American talent show on Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Manila), while the judges pronounced one round a draw.
Sanchez, the teen with the big voice, chose power ballads while Phillips went with an indie vibe as the two diverse " Idol" finalists sang on Tuesday for the hearts and votes of America.
Sanchez, 16, bidding to become the youngest ever winner of America’s most-watched TV show, was deemed ahead after performing songs made famous by Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.
But it was acoustic guitar-playing Phillips who brought all three judges to their feet at the end of the performance finale.
Rounds one and two
“Idol” executive producer Simon Fuller chose Houston’s ballad “I Have Nothing” for Sanchez for the first round, while Phillips sang the Ben E. King classic “Stand By Me.”
Judge Jennifer Lopez thought it was “very hard” to compare Sanchez and Phillips. “This is a tough one,” she said. “It’s like a battle of the opposites.”
But the lone female judge maintained that the first round went to Sanchez, agreeing with judge Randy Jackson. Judge Steven Tyler remained eerily quiet and did not comment.
For the second round, Sanchez chose to reprise Celine Dion’s “The Prayer,” the song which put her through to the Top 24 of the competition.
Tyler said Sanchez took the round again, while Lopez disagreed and said Phillips owned it. Jackson thought both singers were tied for the second round.
Round three
For the third round, the finalists got to sing the songs they would release as their first single if they won. Sanchez’s potential first single, a pop ballad called "Change Nothing,” fell flat with the judges, although they lauded how the 16-year-old gave more meaning to it, bringing tears to the eyes of the young singer.
Jackson thought the song was “just okay,” while Tyler said, “It didn’t feel like the proper song for you to sing.”
Lopez said Sanchez sang the song well but it was a bad pick, adding that she would have wanted a more soulful song from her.
While the three judges did not say specifically say that Phillips won the third round, they gave him the only standing ovation for the night.
"You were perfect tonight, and I think you are the man," said Tyler as Phillips closed the show with his potential first single "Home" -- a song that mixed the style of folk-rock band Mumford and Sons with Paul Simon and featured a marching band.
Jackson called the Georgia singer's performance "brilliant, genius" and added "Dude I loved the song! I loved you. I loved the production ... Everything about that was perfect."
“That was a Phillip Phillips song there's nothing on the radio that sounds like that,” said Lopez.
Buzz for Sanchez
But the judges’ impact is limited to potentially swaying audience votes. The “Idol” will be chosen by viewers and fans who have four hours to vote by phone, text and online after the show ended on Tuesday.
Results will be announced at the end of a star-studded two hour finale Wednesday (Thursday morning in Manila).
Based on social media buzz and Twitter postings going into Tuesday’s final, Sanchez had a 17% lead in Yahoo! searches, the Internet search engine said.
She also generated 6o% more mentions in social media than Phillips, according to a survey by analytics company General Sentiment.
Just minutes after Sanchez’s performance, “Change Nothing” was already the top trending topic on Twitter worldwide.
But Phillips, whose goofball humor has charmed millions of young female viewers, has never been in the bottom three. Sanchez, who is sometimes criticized for failing to connect emotionally with her lyrics, was saved by the judges from elimination in April after coming bottom in the public vote.
The young girl of Mexican and Filipino descent has a thousands of supporters in the Philippines, while Phillips has won sympathy for a kidney problem that has plagued his health during the show. "Pheel Better Phillip" read one poster in Tuesday's audience.
This year’s winner will receive a guaranteed recording contract, putting him or her on a potential road to the stardom enjoyed by early champions Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
But more recent winners have fared less well and audiences for “American Idol,” now in its 11th season, have fallen by 23% to an average 19.2 million viewers. – With report from Reuters
