MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-Mexican Jessica Sanchez is Entertainment Weekly’s top bet to win in this season’s “American Idol.”
Sanchez is number one on the magazine’s “Power List” for this week, followed by Phillip Phillips, Jr. and Skylar Laine. Colton Dixon and Joshua Ledet round up the magazine’s Top 5.
Sanchez pole-vaulted into the position following a series of fantastic performances on the hit show, which earned her humongous support from audiences as well as the admiration of the shows’ celebrity judges.
She delivered again Wednesday night, blowing away strong performances from Laine and Hollie Cavanagh as she took on Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."
Not only did she get a standing ovation, she also prompted Jennifer Lopez to say, "Just amazing, I'm speechless. ... God bless you!"
Apparently impressed, Steven Tyler added, "You may be the one -- you just made 40 million people cry."
Not that it was her first standing ovation in the show.
Prior, she earned a standing ovation for her rendition of Jennifer Hudson’s “I Love You I Do” – this, despite suffering from swollen vocal chords.
Sanchez’ mother, Editha, is from Bataan. Her dad, Gilbert, is from Mexico. She started singing at five. She was trained at the Theater of Arts in Hollywood on a full scholarship. At age 11, she appeared on" America 's Got Talent" but didn't make it to the finals.
Sanchez sang Aretha Franklin's “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” during her audition in her hometown of San Diego, California.She also took on Celine Dion's "The Prayer" as her final solo number during the Las Vegas leg of the show.
source: mb.com.ph
