Jessica Sanchez, 'Idol' finalists arrive in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – The top 10 finalists of American Idol Season 11, including Filipino-Mexican-American Jessica Sanchez, arrived in Manila early morning Tuesday.

Sanchez and fellow Idol "alums" arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at around 5:30 a.m. and were greeted by fans who waited as early as midnight.

In a brief interview with the media at the airport, Sanchez thanked her supporters and said she is excited for her concert with fellow Idol finalists at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, September 21.

"Thank you guys for all the support that I'm getting at this place where I'm at right now. I'm so excited to be in the Philippines. Let's get ready for this," she said.

The Idol finalists are expected to stay in the country for a week, while Sanchez is looking to stay longer for her commitments such as projects and commercial endorsements. – report from Ginger Conejero, ABS-CBN News

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Pinoy fans gush after Jessica Sanchez does Whitney in finale

For Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips, it’s finally over. They have done their best throughout the Season 11 of the singing reality competition "American Idol."

Now, all that the final two contestants have to do are to rely on the votes of their supporters and wait for the verdict during the final show tomorrow -- May 23 in the US (May 24 in the morning in Manila).

Sanchez and Phillips battled it out on performance night on Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Manila) when they had to sing three songs each.

According to an earlier report, the crowd went wild after "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson said Round 1 belonged to Filipina-American-Mexican Sanchez, 16, who sang “I Have Nothing” by the late Whitney Houston.

In Round 2, the finalists sang their favorites in this season.

While Sanchez sang "The Prayer," Phillips chose "Movin' Out" by Billy Joel.

Judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler had different opinions when they handed it out to Phillips and Sanchez respectively.

Jackson, on the other hand, thought both second round performances were “dead even.”

For the third and final round, the two finalists sang songs that would be their first single if they win the finals.

Sanchez's song is the pop ballad "Change Nothing", which is about love, picked by Simon Fuller, creator and executive producer of "American Idol."

Lopez and Jackson both agreed that the song choice ‘limited’ her performance though they commended her for making more out of it.

On Twitter, fans were full of praises for Sanchez:

Patricia Q.: “Jessica Sanchez sings I Have Nothing . OMG. #TotallyWinning”

Maxine Colby: “Yesterday, LADY GAGA,Today, CJ CORONA, Tomorrow, JESSICA SANCHEZ: mga GAGA si Jessica mag-uuwi ng CORONA now ! #Round 2 #Corona in ICU.”

Raven Blu Jay™: “Ohh God!! Jessica Sanchez just sent everybody into the heavens when she sang The Prayer.”

♫ Menox ♫: “Jessica Sanchez - "The Prayer" may have been her most stunning perf all season. Ugh! Poise. Musicality. Emotion. Conviction. Wow. #idol”

Ariana Nova:“Change Nothing- Jessica Sanchez ....I'd buy it.”
- VVP/HS, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com