Tag Archives: Christina Aguilera

Mar 23 2013

‘The Voice’: New Coaches For Season 4

‘The Voice’: New Coaches And Season 4 Talent Preview (VIDEO).

NBC’s The Voice premieres this Monday with a two-hour episode followed by a one-hour episode on Tuesday, March 26.

On April 30 and May 7 the show will again feature a two-hour episode. Struggling in ratings, NBC is hoping The Voice will provide a boost.

The two new coaches, I’m predicting, may be just what NBC need to increase ratings. Usher is filling in for CeeLo Green and Shakira is filling in for Christina Aguilera. Both CeeLo and Christina are taking breaks from The Voice to focus on their own projects.

Personally, it will be nice to have two new coaches added to the mix. I was always one to believe that a change in cast wasn’t all bad.

Click the link to read what Adam Levine and Blake Shelton have to say about the new coaches plus you can preview the talent AND see what other networks have renewed, cancelled or are “on the bubble” about.

Nov 13 2012

Update: The Voice down to 12 Contestants

The Voice: 12 Contestants Sing for Their Lives and Christina Aguilera is a Bundle of Nerves

Published – Nov 13 2012 05:00AM CST

Keely Herrick, RR.com Original

(ASSOCIATED PRESS) The night started off with 12 contestants – three on each team – but now that we are in the live shows, two artists will be sent home each week, based on audience votes. Carson Daly teased Christina Aguilera about the difficulty of leaving the decision in the audience’s hands, and she admitted to being a bundle of nerves. New this season is the twist that the final four contestants standing are not guaranteed to represent each of the four teams, as each artist is competing on his/her own for votes.

The Voice hosted by Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine airs Mondays on NBC at 8:00 pm ET.

“Blow Me One Last Kiss”

Blake’s anime-cartoon-come-to-life, Michaela (Page), was up first with her cover of Pink’s latest hit. She fought a bit against the low pitch of the song and the extreme length of her fake eyelashes, but the judges enjoyed it as a solid performance. Blake begged the audience to please vote for his star. She did not sport her trademark mohawk tonight, and her luck may be gone with her locks.

“Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”

As sentiments for a singing competition go, this title is probably more optimistic than the last one. Team Christina Aguilera’s sole male member, Dez (Duron), grooved his way through the Lauryn Hill version of this song. I imagine this is what the entertainment looks like on a Disney cruise ship. Christina made her pitch for Dez, touting his “heart of gold” as a reason to vote for him. Based on the screams of the girls in the audience, he should survive tomorrow night’s eliminations.

“Good Girl”

Adriana (Louise) was the next member of Team Christina Aguilera to take the stage, in front of an unfortunate and distracting shooting star graphic. She was the first one to bring a hungry-for-the-win attitude to the stage, and she ended her version of Carrie Underwood’s song by leaning playfully over Adam Levine, which he evidently enjoyed. It was a confident, fun performance overall.

“The Best”

Another statement I can get behind is Cody (Belew) belting out Tina Turner’s “The Best.” A country boy wearing a sparkly suit and singing an 80s power ballad? That’s pretty much the way to my heart, yup. Blake Shelton stated that Cody is “meant to be on stage,” and Christina requested “more bopping around” from future performances. Cee-Lo Green was proud of the fun, natural performance from the contestant he saved last week.

“Spectrum”

Team Adam Levine’s, Amanda Brown, was up next. She emerged like a golden goddess in a long gown and hot pants. As much as I like her voice, I can’t say I was a fan of this performance, which was uncharacteristically screechy and uncomfortable. Christina rambled on for a little and I had time to ponder her ensemble — I’m guessing that either she lost a bet or her stylist just hates her. Even Amanda’s coach, Adam, admitted this wasn’t her best performance; she will need votes based on her history on the show to save her.

“Back to Black”

The Voice doesn’t really pretend to be cool, per se, but Bryan Keith’s version of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” was perfectly slinky and suave. The judges all agreed that this was Bryan’s breakout moment of the competition, and Adam was proud of his prot’eg’ee. He should cruise safely into the top 10.

“Behind These Hazel Eyes”

Cassadee Pope from Team Blake Shelton discussed her estrangement from her father with her coach, relating how she had hoped to hear from her father during the course of the show. Note to Cassadee: the show that seems to reunite children most with their parents is RuPaul’s Drag Race, just saying. Christina related to Cassadee’s pain and all the judges cheered her very sincere delivery of this Kelly Clarkson song.

“When a Man Loves a Woman”

Okay, one of my favorite contestants (Trevin Hunte) on this show was taking on one of my favorite songs of all time, so I was just hoping against hope that he would stay out of Michael Bolton territory. He didn’t go Bolton, but he did steer the ship straight into church, and it was a bit too gospel for my taste. He certainly has a beautiful voice, though, and as the most likeable contestant, he should easily proceed to the next round.

“Cough Syrup”

Team Adam Levine’s bow-headed Melanie revealed that her signature look is recently inspired by Cruella De Vil, much to her mother’s chagrin. Blake praised her as having the most unique sound in the competition, and Christina enjoyed the emotion displayed, as Melanie (Martinez) seemed to be near tears the entire song. She’s just not my cup of tea, but I do appreciate the coaches finding something nice to say about every performance this year. (Edited)

“The Power of Love”

Cee-Lo Green’s hip-hip-hippie Nicholas David took on the Huey Lewis classic “The Power of Love.” The song seemed to get away from him a bit, and the coaches even found a way to spin that in a positive light. This was one of my least favorite performances of the night, even though he is such a sweet guy.

“My Heart Will Go On”

Team Christina Aguilera’s Sylvia Yacoub boldly chose Celine Dion’s Titanic anthem, “My Heart Will Go On.” I think anyone covering this song would sound like a high school talent show contestant, and the judges all praised Sylvia’s ambition while noting her nerves. Verdict: meh, not likely to bring in the votes.

“More Than a Feeling”

Terry McDermott closed out the night with “More Than a Feeling.” This guy might like the 70s more than Lenny Kravitz does, and his voice is perfectly suited to the era. If there are enough nostalgists in the voting public, he should move on again.

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Oct 8 2012

The Voice Heads into The Battle Rounds

Over the weekend (10/6 & 10/7) I got caught up on all my blind audition episodes of The Voice. That’s about 10+ hours (minus commercials). On Oct. 2 I watched the Best of the Blind Auditions show as it aired, which was an hour recap show.

That’s the advantage of have things on DVR. If you time things right, then when you’re ready to sit down and watch it, you can zip through commercials.

As I was watching the blind auditions I realized why I liked them and how different The Voice is from those “other” shows.

Carson Daly is the Host of The Voice.

First and foremost – Carson Daly. Not only does he carefully manage the entire show, he’s right there with the family and friends while the potential “Voice” is on stage, cheering them on, high fiving when they get picked, offering a sympathetic ear when they don’t.

Then there’s the judges – Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera. All music powerhouses in their own right; now in their third season together. The only infighting theses judges do is when they’ve all turned around for the same talented “voice” and are trying to get them on their “team.”

Even when the judges don’t turn around, they offer constructive advice which has actually brought several contestants back from previous years to try again. Two from Season 2 returned this year and were chosen to be on CeeLo’s team (Daniel Rosa) and Christina Aguilera’s team (Dez Duron).

The backstory of the contestants, which is a big part of the blind auditions, is inspiring and uplifting and sets The Voice apart from all of the other “performance” type reality shows.

Then there’s the BLIND auditions. Take for example Melanie Martinez who did her rendition of Britney Spears “Toxic.” She weighed 100 pounds and had a noticeable gap between her teeth. Half of her hair was brown and the other half was black. During her 90 seconds on stage she played the guitar, sang and played the tambourine with her feet. On any other singing competition, she wouldn’t have made it through screening. On The Voice, she got three judges to turn around. She chose Adam Levine who complimented her on her artistic vision.

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/melanie-martinezs-audition-toxic/1417215

Brian Scartocci from Austin, Texas is a single father of two. He sang “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. He got three judges to turn around. CeeLo said that Stevie had written that song for his daughter and asked Brian if that was his reason for singing it. Brian said yes, that he supports his kids with his music, “that he pays someone $60 to watch them so he can go make $25.”

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/brian-scartoccis-blind-audition-isnt-she-lovely/1417248

Not all the backstories are sobering. The last chosen performer of Season 3 (though he didn’t know it at the time) was 27 year old Cody Belew. His father first recognized his talent for singing every time Cody would do yard work. He’s inspired by Dolly Parton’s greatest hits and stated that he thought he lived a past life as an elderly black lady because of his affinity for soul music. CeeLo, who was the last judge needing a team member hit his buzzer at the very last second of Cody’s song (who sang “Hard to Handle”). When he realized that CeeLo had actually hit his buzzer he ran across the stage and hugged CeeLo (still not aware that he was the last performer).

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/cody-belews-blind-audition-hard-to-handle/1419237

Sep 14 2012

My Reasons for Watching “The Voice” – Reality Show #1

It’s not my hate for Simon Cowell (X Factor) or the fact that I play the office pool during American Idol (but don’t watch the show).

I was drawn to The Voice from the beginning probably due to my eclectic choice in music and my love for Maroon 5. I DON’T LISTEN to Britney Spears and I couldn’t tell you the name of a song by Demi Lovato.

I predicted that Javier Colon would win Season 1 of The Voice (and he did) and I’m predicting that Bryan Keith will win Season 3. I even tweeted Adam Levine and told him so.

I enjoy the chemistry between the judges on The Voice. I like hearing that Blake Shelton took Dia Frampton from Season 1 on tour with him and that Javier Colon was in South America recently with Maroon 5.

You don’t hear about those things coming out of the X Factor or American Idol camps. Mainly because the “star” judges on those panels are more interested in their 8-figure salaries than they are in the talent.

The Voice has pioneered a new way of auditioning in case you haven’t caught the show. The judges sit with their backs to the stage and all they hear is the … Voice. On Tuesday night a young man sang La Bamba entirely in Spanish and Blake Shelton was so excited he could hardly wait to hit his buzzer. Blake and CeeLo Green were fighting to be his coach. That’s not something you’ll see on X Factor or American Idol.

The Voice is still in the audition stages. The judges will have teams made up of 16 members this season. You can catch it on NBC Television or go here:

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/

Sep 14 2012

Celebrity Judges of The Voice, X Factor and American Idol steal spotlight from contestants

Celebrity Judges of The Voice, X Factor and American Idol steal spotlight from contestants.