American Idol 2012: Philip Phillips or Jessica Sanchez?

Photo Michael Becker / FOX

I wrote an earlier post on Jessica Sanchez after hearing her sing ‘I Will Always Love You’. Like many others I am blown away at Jessica’s angelic voice. I listened to the playback over and over again. It gave me goose bumps. It felt like discovering a gem. But… I have to admit, I haven’t written since. (Sorry Jessica, I absolutely love you and your voice!!)  

If you asked me a month ago who would win in a finale between the two, I would have obstinately chosen the voice from heaven despite sincerely enjoying Philip’s artistry. Jessica has a power voice that can do wonderful things like growl, fill the entire auditorium, sustain high notes with perfect pitch and angelic sweetness to die for. Her talent is unmistakable and she will no doubt go on to have a platinum career in the business.

But here’s the thing that Philip has that Jessica just doesn’t…yet: creative license and knowing how to use it.

Lady Gaga on creativity

Photo courtesy of People.com

Lady Gaga revealed a bit about her creative process during a recent interview with Oprah. She views her larger journey as a long hallway with wooden doors. The open doors lead to albums she already created. Looking forward down the hall, she can see the next door, but it’s closed and she must try to open it.

Only to get there and to open the door is a journey in itself. It’s not just walking up to the door and turning the knob. There is a process to it. One of the things she does to nurture her creativity is to tune everything out, turning the volume down on the ‘noise’ of everyday life, so she can better receive inspirations. Within her creative cocoon, she is able to struggle with that task of marrying the material with the divine.

Disneyland an American rite of passage

Yesterday, I took my almost 4-year old toddler to Disneyland. First, I rounded up extended family for the pilgrimage from Hawaii to Anaheim, California. After all, experiences are hardly worth much unless they are shared, right? This is hardly a revelation. Any day of the week and all-year round, countless little toddlers with extended family are found at Disneyland with exactly the same bright idea as mine.

The meaning of the Hunger Games

Book cover, 1st edition of The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

Everyone is abuzz about the Hunger Games after apparently all going to the theatres to watch it this past weekend. The movie raked in $152 million domestically in its debut, indicating an appeal on par with that of ‘Harry Potter’, and claiming the number 3 spot on box-office charts.

A friend of mine mentioned he was planning to see the flick on its opening night. Having vaguely heard of the Hunger Games, and still relatively in the dark about the phenomenon, I asked what the movie was about. He said, “It’s about a bunch kids who go in the jungle and fight to the death.”

American Idol stardom for Jessica Sanchez

Jessica Sanchez’s big performance of ‘I Will Always Love You’ was so moving, that everyone who saw it is still buzzing from it, including me. In fact, I watched the playback on YouTube at least 5 times already and I’m sure I’ll watch it one more time before the day is over. What’s the obsession?

Well for one thing, she has the voice of an angel, reaching high notes easily, and bringing us all along with her to somewhere else. Ms. Jessica Sanchez held her own against all the expectations that come with Whitney Houston’s signature song.

But what I just can’t seem to get enough of is the unfolding of such a large talent by a sixteen year-old who, until now, only knows that she loves to sing.  Now, today, she finally knows America loves her singing too.