Finale Predictions For American Idol 11 - Philip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez

Philip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez have emerged as the final two on the 11th season of American Idol. These two outlasted Joshua Ledet in what was arguably the best top 3 in the history of the show.

Next week, Philip and Jessica will be going head to head in the finale, which is spread out over two final episodes.

Here is a look at the schedule for the American Idol 11 finals:

Tuesday, May 22, 2012: Finale Performance Show - 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern

Wednesday, May 23, 2012: Finale Results Show (Final Episode) - 8 to about 10:07 p.m. Eastern

Note that overrun time and fit it into your schedule, especially if you are recording for later viewing.

Predictions:

Philip was my prediction to win from the beginning, so I am not going to change now. From the minute he auditioned, I figured the Idol demographic would latch right onto him. He is also probably the best musician in Season 11 with the possible exceptions of Elise Testone and Reed Grimm. However, it is not hard to see why Philip has made it over them since Idol is also a popularity contest. Is he there only because he is cute? Of course not. But it is a factor.

One could argue that Jessica should or will win because she is the better singer. It is not that simple to predict, however. First, it is just a subjective opinion that she is better. Sure, a lot of people hold that opinion, but it depends on how you measure talent. By my way of measuring singing talent, Philip had the best performance in the Top 3 with "We've Got Tonight." Only Jessica's "My All" was in the ballpark. While I do think that Jessica is the better pure singer in terms of range and power (and her soft high notes), I also think that Philip is the more soulful singer and connects with the song on a more emotional level.

Jessica is a hit-and-miss singer just as much as Philip falters at times. Like most singers, they are both inconsistent. But if you actually dissect the performances, Philip has shown the ability to excel and both fast and slow songs. Jessica has only been excelling at ballads. And she is a complete mess in the group performances.

So it's pretty much a wash when it comes to assessing the talent of Philip and Jessica. Other factors will likely determine the winner.

Jessica is 16 years old, and no one of that age has won. She was also saved by the judges in the Top 7. No saved singer has ever won, either. While it is possible for her to win, she is going to have to set a lot of records to do it.

Like Jimmy Iovine said, Jessica is probably going to have to have her best performance night of the season to beat Philip in the finale. Can she do that on three songs in one night? And what exactly will she do? A bunch of runs, trills and growling? I doubt that is going to get her a win. She better hope that 5 million Filipinos throw her some invalid votes through Skype or fake Facebook accounts. That's about the only way Jessica Sanchez is going to win American Idol 11. I could be and often am wrong. But I predict Philip Phillips will win American Idol.