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The spinning red chairs and charming coach bickering are back
By John Kubicek
This is the first of three consecutive nights of blind auditions, so let's try to pace ourselves.
After a long intro, the show kicks off with the four coaches performing "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones. But I'm too distracted by the fact that Cee Lo Green has apparently traded Purrfect the Cat for a pink parrot. I'm starting to think he's turning into Dr. Moreau and soon Cee Lo will crossbreed his animal army. If you see any half-cat, half-parrot hybrids, run for your lives!
He's a 35-year-old Scottish rocker who was in a band called Driveblind. I wonder if they're similar to Driveshaft. He's got an insanely adorable son with an awesome mop of hair. Terry is a solid singer, but I'm not sure if there's anything particularly special about him other than the accent and his kid.
Coaches: Adam, Blake and Cee Lo all turn around at the last minute. He joins Team Blake. The combo of Scottish and country accents is enough to make this amusing.
Coaches: Cee Lo and Christina turn around at the last minute. She joins Team Christina. Wow, that's unexpected because De'Borah seems to have a lot in common with Cee Lo (misfits whose parents are preachers), but she was inspired by the music of Christina.
Gracia Harrison ("I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" by Patsy Montana)
Coaches: Adam, Blake and Cee Lo turn around, with Adam being first followed quickly by Blake. Adam is desperately trying to pick off the country artists from Blake, saying she's the best country singer the show has ever had. He's making the hard sell and then Blake throws Adam under the bus, saying he'd hate to see her talents wasted with another coach. She joins Team Blake. Adam then throws a temper tantrum and does a great impression of Blake. Suck it, Mr. Levine!
Coaches: No one turns around. They tell him he has a lack of control, which makes sense since he's so young and immature as a singer. Christina gives him a hug and calls him adorable while Adam tells him to keep working at it because he's better than Adam was when he was 16.
Coaches: Christina, Blake and Adam turn around. Obviously Christina desperately wants her own Mini-Me. Adam says he has a record label he could sign her to like he did with Tony Lucca, while Blake mentions that he took Dia Frampton on tour with him. This is bordering on bribery. She joins Team Christina.
Bryan Keith ("It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars)
Coaches: All four turn around. They all really, really want him, and Adam says he'll die if he doesn't get him, while Blake pulls the "I pushed my button first" card. He joins Team Adam. Something tells me Bryan Keith is going to make it very, very far in this competition.
Daniel Rosa ("Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye)
Coaches: Cee Lo and Blake turn around. Everyone recognizes him and Adam runs up to hug him. The whole "I love you, but I didn't push my button for you" aspect of this show is kind of annoying. The judges like Daniel's comeback storyline a lot more than I do. He joins Team Cee Lo. This is nice for Daniel, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna be cut right away in the battle rounds. Simply making a team is his prize.
Coaches: No one turns around. The judges think the performance didn't have enough heart and soul because it's a song that needs to be felt, not just sung. Then she does an a cappella version that is far more haunting. Now all the judges have non-buyer's remorse.
Joe Kirkland ("Gives You Hell" by the All-American Rejects)
Coaches: Blake and Adam turn around. It's another epic battle between these two bickering winners. Blake tries to play the "vest" card, because they both wear vests. He joins Team Adam. Adam tries to rub Blake's face in it, but he shouldn't, because I don't see Joe surviving that long in this competition.
Coaches: No one turns around. It was just OK, but the coaches all agree it lacked magic. It was just average, not great like what they're looking for.
Danny Hunter Jones, Jamie Pickett, Odiseas Georgiadis
Coaches: No one turns around.
Trevin Hunte ("Listen" by Beyonce)
Coaches: Christina, Blake and Cee Lo turn around. Christina turns around almost immediately and Blake yells at Adam for not pushing his button. Adam says he didn't push his button because he was scared of the other judges. Everyone wants him and they all think that teacher of his is an idiot. He joins Team Cee Lo. Cee Lo is understandably giddy because now he has a chance to win this season.
So at the end of night one, all four coaches have two team members on their 16-person teams.
"The Voice" airs Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Report says FOX has approached Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and others
"American Idol" is in need of a makeover, and that could mean turning past winners and contestants into judges.
FOX and the producers behind "Idol" have approached first-season champion Kelly Clarkson and former contestant Jennifer Hudson to become judges, reports Vulture. While FOX has yet to comment about the show's 13th season and who will be judging, sources tell the website the network has shortlisted Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken as well.
"I'd like to see a past 'American Idol' contestant," Angie Miller, who finished third this season, told TVGuide.com, when talking about future judges. "They really understand what this process is like and what you do during the week. (It should be) someone who gets it."
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Miller's wish could come true. According to The Wrap, all four judges from Season 12 -- Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban -- and even producer Nigel Lythgoe are getting the boot. But so far, Jackson has been the only one to officially wave goodbye.
But a change in personnel is inevitable. "American Idol" suffered a considerable ratings slump this season. The network and producers are also reportedly fed up with paying out huge sums to big-named stars who don't stick around. Although Clarkson and Hudson wouldn't be cheap, they should be more relatable because they've competed on the show.
They might also presumably attract a broader, younger audience. "Everything is on the table," Kevin Reilly, FOX's entertainment chairman, told reporters last week. And if the Vulture story holds true, that means fans of "Idol" could see a judges' table full of familiar and friendlier faces.
"American Idol" Season 13 returns to FOX in 2014.
| Tags: | American Idol |
Amy's Baking Company cancels press conference, part ways with PR firm
WENN
Lawyers representing Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" have warned Amy's Baking Company owners to stop discussing their "unflattering portrayal" or face paying $100,000 each. Amy and Samy Bouzaglo were sent a legal notice from the show's attorneys last Friday after "Kitchen Nightmare" bosses learned of the couple's plans to hold a press conference in advance of the restaurant's "grand reopening" to tell their side of the story, according to Radar Online. The couple ended up canceling their press conference. Shortly after receiving the cease and desist from FOX, Amy's Baking Company was dropped by their new PR firm, Rose+Moser+Allyn Public & Online Relations on account of what publicist Jason Rose describes as "differences on public relations strategies."
Bing: More about Amy Baking Company
According to reports, the letter claims that any media session, especially one derogatory against the show, would constitute a breach of contract and make the couple liable for $100,000 in damages each. It reads, "We understand that you are planning a public event on May 21, 2013, at which you will discuss your experiences and your 'unflattering portrayals' on the show. If you speak about the show without Upper Ground's and FOX's prior approval, and if you disparage the show, its host, or its producers, you will breach your obligations under Paragraph 10 of your Personal Release and Paragraph 14 of your Participant Agreement." The letter goes on to state, "These agreements prohibit you from speaking publicly about Kitchen Nightmares, other than to acknowledge 'the mere fact of your participation in the Series in personal publicity relating to yourself.' Your conduct exposes each of you to liability for liquidated damages of $100,000." In their episode of "Kitchen Nightmares", the Bouzaglos were unwilling to accept chef Gordon Ramsey's attempts to rehabilitate their struggling restaurant.
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'Voice' coach recounts experience at Denny's with fellow bandmate
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"Voice" judge Adam Levine swore off drugs early on in his career after a strange experience on prescription medication Ambien. The Maroon 5 frontman and his bandmate James Valentine mistook the sedatives for stimulants and took them while on tour. But instead of giving a much-needed boost, the drug knocked them out cold -- while they were waiting for dinner.
Levine explains, "We had a brief experience one time with what I guess was Ambien. James Valentine and I, we didn't really know what it was ... It was the first and last time we took this drug. But we were at Denny's at some shady part of the city of whatever part of the country we were in, and we took it and we ordered the food ... and we woke up at the table, what must have been an hour (later) ... I was like, 'Oh, no.' And James had his head down, so I was like, 'Hey, man. Hey, we should get out of here.' We didn't eat our food. We sheepishly paid our bills and walked out, and everyone's looking (at us) like, 'What's wrong with these guys?' And then since then I've never done drugs."
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Soap veteran and pop star join Jon Lovitz, Sebastian Bach, Darrell Hammond, more
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Actress Lisa Rinna and pop singer Debbie Gibson have joined the cast of the upcoming reality show "Sing Your Face Off." ABC recently snapped up the rights to the hit Spanish talent show "Your Face Sounds Familiar," where celebrities take on the identity of a legendary singer each week. Veteran soap star Rinna, comedian Jon Lovitz and former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach have signed on as contestants.
Bing: More about 'Sing Your Face Off'
Toronto Raptors basketball ace Landry Fields and teenage Disney Channel singer/actress China Anne McClain are also gearing up for the challenge. The show will be hosted by "Scandal" star John Barrowman. Their performances will be judged by Gibson and comedian Darrell Hammond. An air date for the show has not yet been set.
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'Giuliana and Bill' star returns for third year, Kevin and Joe set to appear with brother
WENN
NBC announced on Tuesday that Giuliana Rancic would return for her third year as host along with the 20-year-old singer, who will co-host for the first time. Kevin and Joe Jonas will also be on hand to back up Nick, as the trio are set to perform for the contest held in Las Vegas before kicking off their North American tour in July.
Bing: More about the Miss USA pageant
A statement from the President of the Miss Universe Organization, Paula M. Shugar, reads: "We are excited to announce a veteran and a newcomer as hosts for this year's Miss USA Competition. The diverse backgrounds of Rancic and Jonas in the entertainment industry will bring a new and exciting energy to the stage."
Plus: Summer shows we're excited about | 'Felicity': Where are they now? | 'The Bachelorette' Season 9
Host offers insight into why NBC series is beating 'Idol,' 'X Factor' in ratings
WENN
"Voice" host Carson Daly has credited the show's blind auditions as the reason for the its success. Unlike rival shows, the coaches on the show can't see the auditioners: Their evaluations are based solely on singing quality. Daly believes the format is the prime reason it has trounced "American Idol" and "The X Factor" in TV ratings.
Daly tells Zap2it.com, "We just liked the pureness of it, hearkening back ... Is there a place for pure? In this day where you have to be beautiful and popular ... Yeah, they can sing, but what do they look like?" Daly also pinpoints another interesting dynamic only present on "The Voice": the judges being rejected. He explains: "It's the power shift. A 24-year-old sandwich maker, and he gets three chairs to turn around. Now they are in it for the right reason, and he, all of a sudden, he gets to interview them. And where else do you get that shift in power? Multimillionaires interviewed by a kid who makes sandwiches for a living."
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'X Factor' judge says she and ex enjoy a 'great friendship'
WENN
"X Factor" judge Demi Lovato has developed a "great friendship" with Joe Jonas, three years after their breakup. In an interview with ABC's "Nightline," the singer admits to having been "really mad at him" following their decision to call it quits in 2010. But time has healed old wounds, and the two are good friends once again.
Lovato says, "I can fortunately say that him and his brother Nick have always been there for me and are literally family and like brothers ... We have a great friendship. And we may not be as close as we used to be, but that's OK." Jonas, 23, proved the former couple had buried the hatched by tweeting his support for her new album Demi on May 14. He wrote, "Congrats (Demi Lovato) on the new record! So happy for you!"
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Wanted star says he 'felt like a king,' eager for fans to see how group really lives
WENN
Wanted star Max George hopes the group's new reality TV show is a big hit because he became quite accustomed to life in Hollywood while filming it. "The Wanted Life" debuts June 2, and George, for one, loved the idea of having his own mansion with his band mates for the show. He says, "It was a little bit different than being in Manchester, England. I could definitely get used to it. First of all, it was nice to wake up every morning and see the whole of the city ... That was just insane. But it was the little things to me that meant the most, like having your own bar, your own swimming pool and the run of Los Angeles. I felt like a king."
George will definitely be watching the show because there were a few unexplained mysteries that might be solved on the program -- like which band mate left their underwear hanging from the chandeliers and who trashed the Jacuzzi. He tells Ryan Seacrest, "I think we'll have to watch. I think we'll find out a lot of mysteries when we see it ... I think I'm probably going to learn a few things about myself I didn't know." As for what fans will learn about him from watching the show, he adds, "Definitely the bond I have with my brother ... and the bond I have with my mom ... I'm very, very close with them two. As a group, I think people will realize when we say we get on like brothers actually do. I think a lot of the time bands have to say that or if they didn’t people will think, 'Surely it doesn't work.' But we genuinely do really get on, and we don't just work together. We actually do everything else away from work most of the time with each other, as well. (And) we actually do party as much as we say we do."
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primetime tonight
tv news
- 'Big Bang Theory' and 'American Horror Story' lead Critics' Choice Awards
- 'The Voice' stars to appear on 'Oprah's Next Chapter'
- Nick Jonas, Giuliana Rancic to host Miss USA
- Rumer Willis to guest star on 'Pretty Little Liars'
- Douglas, Damon dramatize a steamy show-biz affair
- 'Teen Mom' Farrah Abraham developing new reality show
- 'GMA' host Roberts to write memoir about illness
- Sofia Vergara: 'I don't know why people think stereotypes are so terrible'
- Blake Shelton organizing TV benefit for Oklahoma victims
- 'Dancing With the Stars' Crowns a Season 16 Winner
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
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