Why Phillip Phillips won American Idol Season 11

PINOY HEARTBREAK. Global sentiment favored Filipino-Mexican Jessica Sanchez but the American Idol for Season 11 is Phillip Phillips

MANILA, Philippines - If we go by total social media sentiment, Jessica appeared to be in the lead.

So why did Phillip Phillips win the Season 11 of American Idol?

A study which analyzed the geolocation of tweets concerning the popular show showed that while Jessica led in terms of Twitter mentions globally, Phillips was generally favored in the US. (Read the full study below)

The Twitter data was analyzed in an attempt to predict the American Idol winner ahead of the airing of the official result.

The study, which analyzed the fanbase of each contestant, both within the US and abroad, revealed that "strong regional polarizations occur" with respect to social media chatter concerning the contestants.

See world rankings against US rankings below.

GLOBAL SENTIMENT FOR JESSICA. But it was the US votes that mattered

The map below shows that the US social media denizens favored Phillip Phillips. It shows that Jessica’s fan base was from the West Coast and in other pockets of the US while Phillip was ahead with the rest of the country.

US WENT FOR PHILLIPS. The map shows states where tweets favoring Phillips dominated

Of course, things would have been different if the rest of the world including Pinoys were allowed to vote.

The study said that, "the advantage of Phillip in the U.S. is remarkably smaller than the one of Jessica in the aggregated dataset, and the voting coming from abroad might have a crucial role in determining the outcome of the ?nale."

The study also said that Jessica is the only contestant that had a strong Twitter signal originating from outside of the U.S. (and in particular from the Philippines). It added that this strong Twitter sentiment favoring the Filipino-Mexican has been increasing after the show on April 19.

The maps below show social media attention focused on American Idol Season 11 emanating both within and outside the United States.

IDOL WORSHIP? Social media attention focused on American Idol Season 11

The study was conducted by Fabio Ciulla, Delia Mocanu, Andrea Baronchelli, Bruno Goncalves, Nicola Perra, and Alessandro Vespignani--all from the Department of Physics of Boston's Northeastern University.

Vespignani is also with the Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation of Turin, Italy as well as with the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachussetts. - Rappler.com

Social Media Analysis: American Idol Finale

Click on the links below for more of the American Idol finale.

Click on the links below for previous social media predictions.

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Phillip Phillips wins 'American Idol'

ELEVENTH "IDOL." Winner Phillip Phillips performs onstage during Fox's "American Idol 2012" results show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Mark Davis/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines - America has voted: Phillip Phillips is this season's "American Idol."

Host Ryan Seacrest announced the winner at the end of a two-hour, star-studded season finale for American television's highest-rating reality competition show, broadcast worldwide on Wednesday, May 23 (Thursday, May 24 in Manila).

Phillips bested Jessica Sanchez, ending the weeks-long competition in the search for the "next American superstar." The finale was dubbed as the battle of opposites: the sassy "diva-in-training" pitted against the dreamy, boy-next-door singer with a guitar as his best friend.

An "Idol" world record of 132 million votes were cast by America during the 4-hour voting window after Tuesday evening's (May 22; Wednesday, May 23 in Manila) penultimate broadcast, Seacrest announced at the start of the show.

Phillips' win marks the 5th consecutive time a male contestant won the show. He also continues the winning streak of contestants from the US south (he is the 7th; only Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Lee DeWyze come from other regions).

Music megastars, as well as the other top finalists for the season - Joshua Ledet, Hollie Cavanagh, Skylar Laine, Elise Testone, Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, Heejun Han, Ericka Van Pelt, Shannon Magrane, and Jeremy Rosado - performed during the results night, broadcast live from the famed Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California.

The night was filled with music from different decades, with performances from Credence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty, Chaka Khan, Rihanna, Neil Diamond, Aerosmith, Wisin Y Yandel, Reba McEntire, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Holliday.

The male finalists paid tribute to the former Bee Gees member Robin Gibb in special number, while the girls performed a Donna Summer tribute.

There was even a surprise segment: season 5 finalist Ace Young proposed to girlfriend Diana DeGarmo, who was the runner up in Season 3.

Performance night

The previous night, the two finalists battled it out infront of 7,000 fans and millions more at home watching the proceedings live.

The two finalists tackled 3 songs each: Idol producer Simon Fuller's picks, the contestants' favorites in the whole season, and their potential first single if they win the competition - a song selected by the record company.

The two singers alternated in performing during the night, with Jessica going first.

During round one, Sanchez performed the Whitney Houston hit "I Have Nothing." Phillips, meanwhile, sang "Stand By Me," a Ben E. King original.

In round 2, the contestants performed songs they previously sang in the competition: Andrea Boccelli's "The Prayer" for Jessica, and Billy Joel's "Movin' Out" for Phillip.

Finally, original songs were the theme of the final round. Sanchez sang the ballad "Change Nothing," while Phillip performed the song "Home."

The judges - Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson - did not comment after each performance during the first two rounds, but gave their reactions after both contestants already finished singing.

The results were mixed. Round one of the last showdown went to Sanchez for her performance of a popular ballad that was right in her comfort zone, but Phillips snatched round 3 when he got a standing ovation from the judges. Round 2 was a draw, with one judge favoring Sanchez, one Phillips, and one saying it was a tie.

Predictions

Early on, Sanchez, the 16-year-old powerhouse from Chula Vista, California, was viewed as one of the favorites, with her performances of "I Will Always Love You," "The Prayer," and "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."

On the other hand, Phillips, the 21-year-old former pawn shop worker from Leesburg, Georgia, was a bit off the radar in the first few weeks of the competition, but came strong in later weeks, with his performances of "Volcano," "Beggin'," and "We've Got Tonight."

Phillips becomes part of the elite group of "Idol" winners:

Kelly Clarkson (Season 1)Ruben Studdard (Season 2)Fantasia Barrino (Season 3)Carrie Underwood (Season 4)Taylor Hicks (Season 5)Jordin Sparks (Season 6)David Cook (Season 7)Kris Allen (Season 8)Lee DeWyze (Season 9)Scotty McCreery (Season 10)

The show, once the top-rated show in all of American television, has been suffering from major ratings drops.

From a high of as much as 40 million people tuning in for the show, ratings for the most recent broadcast (the finale performance show) dropped to 14.39 million according to Nielsen, the lowest ever finale show since season 1. - Rappler.com

Click on the links below for more of the American Idol finale.

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American Horror Story – the First 5 Minutes

Watch the first 5 minutes of the upcoming horror series American Horror Story starring Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott.

Here’s the main cast of “American Horror Story”:

Dylan McDermott as Ben HarmonConnie Britton as Vivien HarmonJessica Lange as ConstanceFrances Conroy as HousekeeperDenis O’Hare as LarryTaissa Farmiga as Violet HarmonEvan Peters as Tate Langdon

The director of “American Horror Story” is Glee‘s Ryan Murphy.

The series is set to premiere on FX on October 5.

FX has not released an official premise yet on what the horror series is all about but you can find some clues in the first 5 minutes of the pilot episode below:

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Bill Richardson seeks release of American in Cuba

HAVANA — Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson arrived in Cuba on Wednesday to seek the freedom of a U.S. government subcontractor sentenced to 15 years in prison for bringing communications equipment to the island illegally.

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It was the first sign that intensifying calls for Maryland-native Alan Gross' release might bear fruit after months of false hopes and bitter disappointment that have overwhelmed efforts at improved relations between the two Cold War enemies.

A lawyer for Gross said Richardson made the trip at the invitation of the Cuban government, though Richardson himself would not confirm that, nor say what he hoped to accomplish on the trip.

"I don't have any comment," he told The Associated Press at the capital's Nacional Hotel. "Perhaps at the end of my stay."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the Obama administration was aware of the trip and was in contact with Richardson.

"While Gov. Richardson is traveling as a private citizen, we certainly support his efforts to obtain Alan Gross' release," she said.

Gross has been jailed since his arrest in December 2009. Cuba says he was distributing satellite telephones and other communications equipment that are illegal to use without authorization. It has also called the USAID-funded democracy program that he was on a thinly veiled attempt at overthrowing the government

Gross has said that he was only trying to help Cuba's tiny Jewish community improve Internet access, and that he had no desire to offend. In court testimony from March that was released earlier this week by his own lawyer, Gross described himself as a "trusting fool."

"I was duped. I was used. And my family and I have paid dearly for this," Gross told the court.

The court was apparently unmoved, convicting him of crimes against the Cuban state. The decision was later upheld by the nation's Supreme Court, leaving the American with no legal recourse.

That has led to growing appeals for Gross' release on humanitarian grounds. Those who have met and spoken with him say Gross has lost 100 pounds while in custody, and both his elderly mother and adult daughter are suffering from cancer, among other hardships the family has endured.

Richardson was last in Havana in August, when he met with Cuba's foreign minister and appealed for Gross's release. A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Richardson has experience with winning prisoner releases. As a congressman in 1996, he secured the liberation of three island political prisoners during talks with Fidel Castro in Havana.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter also raised Gross' case at the highest levels of government during a trip to Havana in March. The former president was received warmly by Fidel and Raul Castro and was even allowed to talk with Gross in jail, but he left empty handed.

Even before Gross was convicted, a senior State Department official said in January that she had received assurances from the Cuban government that he would soon be freed on humanitarian grounds. But optimism faded in recent months, as Cuban prosecutors sought and then won a stiff jail sentence against the American.

Gross' lawyer, Peter J. Kahn, said he welcomed Richardson's latest visit, which he said was undertaken at the invitation of Cuban authorities. He said he hoped it would lead to his client's freedom.

"We welcome any and all dialogue that ultimately will result in Alan's release," Kahn said in a statement on behalf of Gross' family. "We are grateful to Gov. Richardson for his continued efforts. We hope that the governor and Cuban authorities are able to find common ground that will allow us to be reunited as a family."

However, two senior Cuban officials said they were unaware of the trip.

"I know nothing about it," Parliament Chief Ricardo Alarcon, normally a leading voice on issues concerning the United States, told the AP.

Josefina Vidal, the Cuban Foreign Ministry's director of North American affairs, also said she had no information.

"I'm not up on that," she said.

___

Associated Press reporters Bradley Klapper in Washington and Anne-Maria Garcia in Havana contributed to this report.

___

Paul Haven can be reached at www.twitter.com/paulhaven

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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American working for Pentagon found dead in Kabul

KABUL — The body of a U.S. civilian engineer working for the U.S. Department of Defense has been found in the Afghan capital, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

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The man appeared to have been murdered, Reuters reported.

An Afghan intelligence official told NBC that the man left a Kabul military camp in a black Land Cruiser by himself on or around Sept. 2 and had been missing since.

The source said that the suspected abductors used the American's cell phone to call the man's bosses. On their third call they said the man had been killed and his body dumped somewhere in Kabul.

The vehicle and the man's IDs were still missing, according to the source.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) told NBC in Afghanistan that the civilian was working for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Security is tight in Kabul, amid rising violence across other parts of the country, and it is rare for a foreigner to go missing in the capital.

PhotoBlog: US troops toil at Afghan mountain outpost

Foreign military bases and diplomatic missions are among the most secure premises in the city, protected with high blast walls and coils of razor wire to ward off attackers.

Foreigners who work on these bases usually travel in convoys or under guard because of the threat of attack and kidnappings, a lucrative business in impoverished Afghanistan.

Scores of locals and foreigners have been abducted in recent years by criminals with financial motives and by Taliban-linked insurgents.

The Taliban struck last month when they raided a British cultural center in Kabul on the 92nd anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from British rule. Nine people were killed during the hours-long assault.

Afghan forces have had responsibility for security in the city since 2008, but there are hundreds of NATO forces stationed in and around the capital, and they are regularly called on to help during complex attacks.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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‘American Horror Story’ by Ryan Murphy Premieres October 5

American Horror Story is an upcoming TV series on FX starring Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott.

Cast:

Dylan McDermott as Ben HarmonConnie Britton as Vivien HarmonJessica Lange as ConstanceFrances Conroy as HousekeeperDenis O’Hare as LarryTaissa Farmiga as Violet HarmonEvan Peters as Tate Langdon

The director of “American Horror Story” is Glee‘s Ryan Murphy.

The series is set to premiere on FX on October 5.

FX has not released an official premise yet on what the horror series is all about but they are giving clues one by one via the teasers that you can watch below:

View the original article here

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