The Voice Plant Report: Tony Vincent, Charlotte Sometimes, Anthony Evans

None of these will win.  Their voices are just not good enough.

Charlotte Sometimes is interesting enough to make it far though. I’m going with a Mathai win (assuming we have seen all of the contestants and will just be doing callbacks/wild card next week)

Well, this is the danger of getting a lot of people who have had previous record deals.

**possible unpopular opinion alert**

Sometimes there is a reason they didn’t make it the first 4 times. They may be talented with good/unique voices, but they may also have zero star power or charisma. Or at least, not the type of charisma that makes one a mainstream music star. And that was the case with a lot of Voice contestants last year, and might be again this year. All 3 of these fall into that category I’m afraid.

Then again, they may just find the next Katy Perry, who had 2 or 3 failed record deals but just needed the right song. So you never know. They just need to find one.

I’m hoping your opinion isn’t really all that unpopular, because I completely agree with you :).

I enjoy the Voice as entertaining TV.  But honestly, how can I really care who wins or what happens to them, when it appears that most of them were doing just fine in the first place?  

Since we know that the show isn’t going to do much more for them than up their name recognition (based on last year’s result), it’s hard to get all invested in who might be the last person standing.  I’ll watch it because I think it’s a fun show, and I find the judges entertaining.  But, I couldn’t be bothered to vote for an outcome that has little bearing on anything at all.  

It’s interesting that each of these plants had at least one person turn around for them. Are there any cases of plants that no one turned around for? I wonder if the judges are told ahead of time that certain contestants must go through.

The 3 clips of Tony Vincent show how versatile he is and how expert he is in each type.  It’s surprising to see somebody with name recognition, and who actually gets cast, turn up on a tv show that promises much and delivers little.  Maybe a little more name recognition is all he’s looking for.   

http://music.aol.com/sessions/the-cast-of-american-idiot-american-idiot-sessions

Anybody doubting Tony Vincent needs to go listen to Last Night on Earth and interviews with Billie from Green Day about how brilliant he is. It was agreed upon by many in the theatre world that he was robbed of a Tony nomination as St. Jimmy (AI in general got robbed at the Tonys but that’s a whole other discussion…). His performance last night didn’t do him justice, I can seem him doing some awesome things on the live shows… 

As to why he’s doing the show: He’s in a rare position where if The Voice doesn’t work out, he can go back to what he was doing before and make a pretty decent living. But I think Tony wants more than that. He plays a pretty specific character in shows, and I think he’s ready to break out of that typecast box and show people what he can do á la Adam. 

I wonder why Tony Vincent wasn’t selected by Queen to sing with them at EMA and festival? He has the experience and talent.

But honestly, how can I really care who wins or what happens to them,
when it appears that most of them were doing just fine in the first
place? 

Maybe that is their new plan.

They realize that they cannot generate success due to their format, so simply cast already successful people and take credit for their continued success. If Tony wins, they can claim that their winner went on to be a leading man on Broadway!

Place me in the column of watching the show with no intention of voting.  At the same time I have watched 5 or 6 seasons of AI and only voted during 2 of them so we still could get the right contestant that would move me to vote and it will not matter to me if they were fresh off the farm or with many years of experience.  

I’m so tired of being screamed at though.

For entertainers: name recognition = money in the bank

I’m surprised that more artists with middling success don’t try to get on these shows. Even if they don’t get far, they would receive a boost.

I’m pretty sure that the fix is in.  These contestants who were delivered an “invitation” on their pre-performance video were all guaranteed to make it past the initial audition stage.  I think that beyond that, there’s probably no guarantee.

I wasn’t impressed with Tony Vincent’s voice last night, but it’s better in the videos.  Still, compared to the top musical stage performers that I’ve seen, his voice isn’t that outstanding.

He can sing and has some likeability but on the videos, I can hear him sounding reedy and grating recorded.

I think he’s already found the place his mojo works best… on a live stage. Maybe he’d work on a show like Smash. But a recording artist? I don’t see it frankly.

The name Tony Vincent didn’t really ring a bell last night. Once I watched the first vid, then I realized who he was.  I remember the song.  I really can’t see any of these three having a big career post show.

At least this time, they’re being honest about their inability to make anyone famous :).

I can’t fault the ringers & plants for using this to their advantage.  Showbiz is a tough gig, and I’d take advantage of the opportunity too.  

I can’t wait for Stacy Francis to receive her special invitation.

Is Charlotte the girl Lady Antebellum tweeted about yesterday as being a friend of theirs?

I must be missing something.  Why was it so horrible for someone, like, say – Carly Smithson, on Idol to have a previous record – but this is all a0k.  Different shows, different rules. yeah, but doesn’t seem fair somehow.

Weren’t most of them last year all basically plants who had previous stuff?  It didn’t help any of them so I am not sure it even matters.

I think it’s great TV-show is giving some exposures to those working-musicians, some unknown talents, it keeps up the appearance of more professional show than XF or AI. It should be named The Voice of the Plants,lol, and it’s interesting to see at the end who is winning The Voice of them.

Did you know Tony Vincent met Kris Allen? Kris had watched “American Idiot” over a year ago in NY. Here is a picture of them two:

http://www.broadway.com/shows/american-idiot/photos/american-idol-winner-kris-allen-takes-in-the-rocking-world-of-american-idiot/158309/kris-allen-idiot-kris-allen-tony-vincent 

Miz: Is Charlotte the girl Lady Antebellum tweeted about yesterday as being a friend of theirs?

No, they tweeted about country singer/songwriter Nicolle Galyon.

I guess Queen found someone they liked better.

I see no problem with The Voice having contestants with previous show business experience, if they are upfront about it. One doesn’t have to win the show to get a career boost-increased name recognition, a better resume that opens the door to casting opportunities, bigger audiences if they tour.
The Voice is a really entertaining show. They don’t have to find a superstar who sells platinum to keep me watching.

This is so awful because this show is basically irrelevant other than giving instant gratification a couple of hours per week to those who tune in.

Isn’t that kind of what TV is about though?  I really don’t expect more than a few hours of entertainment from any of my favorite shows.  

She’s probably been pestering anyone and everyone associated with The Voice since the X-Factor ended.  lol

It’s not horrible! It just is what it is. The judges are the best part anyway.

I do say though, if they ever find a contestant that can compete with the judges’ combined star power, that person is a future smash! LOL

It is no fault of the Voice finalists/artists that their record sales are so insignificant. In the case of Dia Frampton, the label Universal did virtually zero promotion in both media ( tv/radio/print ads) and at the retail store level. The week that Dia’s album RED dropped, I could only find 5 units of her CD buried in the CD shelves of Target..no retail flyers/ads, no decent stock on hand, no end cap location, no point of sale promotion whatsoever. Dia did not have a fighting chance in contrast to the marketing machines behind other best selling artists in the key Holiday selling season. Credit to Blake for supporting her by getting her to open for him on tour.

Ray Jay tried to calm Whitney down after her verbal altercation with Stacy by reminding Whitney that “Stacy is family”.

I have to say the fact that more people aren’t up in arms about the plants kind of annoys me. I personally am not annoyed by plants on any show, but people have bitched for many years about the plants on idol and how the show is rigged. Now on the voice, it’s okay. People bitched for years about idol not finding superstars and how it makes the show pointless, but on the voice it is okay. People bitch when the judges are too nice, or when JLO gets to perform on the show because the attention is too much on the judges, but on the voice it is okay. I just think the shows should be held to the same standard. If you aren’t okay with something on idol, it doesn’t make sense for me to be okay with it on the voice. 

Thanks, windmills. I couldn’t recall the name and didn’t want to search for the tweet. I know Melinda Doolittle had tweeted about loving Charlotte’s voice around the same time. So I guess my mind merged the tweets :)

I don’t think those are the same people saying both sets of opinions, or at least all of those opinions.

It’s not like we are the Borg here. Everyone doesn’t think the same things LOL.

The Voice has advertised that they are giving some established artists 3rd or 4th chances to have another opportunity to make it in the music industry. They have openly shown the fact that they are inviting certain contestants to the show. Just because they aren’t disclosing every detail of the background of every artist doesn’t bother most viewers. Most viewers are watching for enjoyment. They enjoy the judges, the audition process and the voices of some of the seasoned performers.

Idol says that everyone has to go through the cattle call auditions and no one is a “plant”. Whether that is true or not seems to be what people question AI about. Plus, there are millions of AI viewers who wouldn’t care if AI did have “plants”. Most casual AI viewers simply want to be entertained.

I guess the days of a reality show DISCOVERING  a Carrie Underwood on an Oklahoma farm who had never even been on a plane in her life and transforming her into a major recording artist and star are over.  That is the story that people relate to – plucking someone out of obscurity, giving them a chance, seeing a transformation (a la Jennifer Hudson)…..now it seems there are not only too many reality shows but too many ‘has beens’ all over the place.  With the internet and youtube…youd have to think that anyone who was truly unique could post a youtube video and ‘make it’ a la Justin Bieber or other kids who got signed.  Music is very difficult these days.  If you’re a songwriter, you have an advantage because you can create your own music vs relying on others (and you’ll also get paid for writing as well as singing)…Theres tons of talent out there – but not all of them make it…..Just look at past Idol contestants from Tamyra Gray to Melinda Doolittle.  But also wheres the marketing.  Javier Colon released a CD – you never heard about it -he didn’t seem to be booked on lots  of talk shows etc – no buzz at all…When you have Idol or XF or Voice signing 5-8 contestants per year, theres just not enough of a market for all of that.  They’re better off going after niche markets – like a Mandisa and gospel – where at least you can make a living doing music if thats what you want to do.  Will be interesting to see how many of XF finalists end up with a second album–they seem to have signed a lot of folks – Melanie, Astro, Josh, Chris, Drew, Rachel, Marcus….Last years Idol also seemed to land a lot of signees from Scotty & Lauren to everyone from James, Haley, Casey, Stefano etc….Many of these people crank out one album and then disappear into the bar mitzvah circuit.

Im surprised these shows are still getting 15 million – 20 million viewers.  Personally, Im bored.  The Voice is gimmicky but I don’t find it very compelling ; i find Carson Daly incredibly boring and uncompelling & the fake drama between the judges is just silly.  Theres not even an incentive for the judges to ‘win’ – and I wonder if they’re going to show us more mentoring this year.  All I remember is the judge giving people a song to sing in the battle rounds – and then with each team being widdled down – the contestants really don’t want to be on a team that has a lot of talent…For example, you’re better off being the only guy or gal – or the only one in your own genre…  These shows are all just seeming too similar and most of the contestants sound the same – Unless theres someone who’s not generic and who you can close your eyes and definitely hear them sing and identify them……  And if The Voice makes the mistake of airing 2 seasons a year, they will shoot themselves in the foot ala ABC and Millionaire.  Its one thing if they feel that Fall versus XFactor is better than Spring versus Idol – but 2 seasons a year is going to kill the golden goose quicker – — especially with both seasons having the same judges and format

Why do these record companies sign people if they’re not going to spend money promoting them?  Are they just throwing a bunch against the wall and hoping someone will stick?  Or do they sign someone and then somewhere down the line lose interest?  It makes no sense.

The thing I like about Idol is that anyone can go and sing and end up in the competition while the Voice is a vehicle for professional singers who are now struggling.

On Idol there is a mix of amateurs and semi-pros. The only thing Scotty won before Idol was Garner Idol. Haley traveled around with her family singing. Lauren and Thia sang karaoke in local places. Casey was a music student and James Durbin was a local performer, like Naima. None had previous records or worked on Broadway.

That is what hooks me into Idol, that ANYONE can try out, even some high school kid bagging groceries in a small town who sings in his school choir…AND THEN WINS.

;)

I’ve enjoyed their auditions; hopefully there are more of these great voices being invited next week.  I’m all for giving them chances to promote themselves; it’s a great opportunity.  As long as they do have great voices; I’m glad TVoice gave us the chance to hear them.  Most viewers tend to only listen to mainstream radio, Top 100 Charts etc; hence its wonderful for viewers to get the opportunity to enjoy listening to them.  Quite an education to discover the mass variety of talents out there with great voice.

Fuzzy, not all who got invitation (so far) guaranteed a place in top 48. The girl who know Hilton perez failed to impress the judges although she got the invitation.

But maybe she will get a wild card next week.

I had to disagree here. Not all singers in the Voice are professional. Like Xenia last year or this year The Sandwich Guy. Yes, most of them had already release album etc etc. But we still can see few newbie here.

And right from the start, the Voice never say that the show is about discovering unknown talent like Idol.

Thanks for the correction.  :)  You’re right.  If she doesn’t get a wild card, then I guess that there really is no “guarantee” that the invitees will be chosen by at least one of the mentors.

There are a huge percentage of big stars who just get world fame after the 3rd and 4th album. This is no exception at all. Actually, the exception are artists who sell a lot on the first album.

And most of the genuine and unexperienced idol contestants with “charisma” can’t get even thorugh the 3rd cd.

And if TPTB didn’t see “star power” and “charisma” on these folks, they wouldn’t have been signed even once.

I think the difference is in how the shows spin their various premises.

 American Idol tells us that it’s all about discovering unknown talent and fulfilling the big dream for some lucky singer, whether they are singing in the shower, on the farm, in a bar, or in the chorus.  It never bothered me that anyone in the finals had previous experience (like Cook, or Taylor, or even Carly), because they were new to the wider world.  The idea is that Idol plucks a diamond out of a crowd of 100,000 people, polishes it up, and then presents it in a great setting.  If, in a given year, it finds a couple rubies and emeralds along with a diamond, great.

The premise of The Voice is that four pals are going to have a friendly competition to see who can help a great voice to win a popularity contest — and they have to start without knowing anything but the voice about their champions.  The winning mentor gets bragging rights, and the winning voice gets to make an album.  That’s it — although the mentors are free to help their protegees after the contest ends. 

The X-Factor lies between the two.  It’s mainly a contest between the mentor/judges, but it isn’t friendly.  It’s cut-throat and there is no crying allowed.  The prize is huge, and therefore the talent must face huge challenges.  The entire premise of the show is that everyone in the world except Simon Cowell are idiots and that he will discover the one person that the idiots overlooked.  Everything else is window dressing.

:)

Oh, and the premise of The Sing-Off?  Singing is good, especially with other people.  Let’s have some fun!