Live blogging The Voice RIGHT HERE!
Vicci Martinez, Nakia, Javier Colon, Casey Weston, Frenchie Davis, Dia Frampton, Xenia, Beverly McClellan will compete tonight.
Wow THAT deck is stacked with girls…
Tonight’s results weren’t that surprising. Also, it’s much easier to second guess a reality show judge than it is to second guess AMERICA! Funny that the deck ended up totally stacked with girls. But it’s not like AMERICA is in control here, right? The judges have a lot of control over who advances. Half the contestants tonight were chosen by the judges, and I think…If I understand the scoring correctly, the judges will have a big impact on which 4 contestants move on to the finals. The producers are in a good position to get the winner they want. Or at the very least, eliminate the ones they definitely DON’T want. I suspect the whole “look at all the females competing on OUR show compared to that OTHER show” will become a passive aggressive talking point in upcoming interviews. Whatever.
I have to admit that I haven’t really warmed up to this show yet. I like it well enough, I’m just not that invested. The “blind audition” rounds were stupid and gimmicky, I thought. The “battle rounds” were also gimmicky, but then add a heaping helping of “interminable”. The live shows have piqued my interest, but it may be a little too late. Ultimately, I don’t really care about any of these contestants.
Having said that, I’m going to list the contestants that I hope will advance tomorrow to the finals: Vicci Martinez, Dia Frampton, Beverly McClellan, Dia Frampton, Vicci Martinez and Javier Colon. It’s really an either/or competition between two people times 4. It’s kinda like 4 mini Idol finales! Ha.
Dia and Vicci are my favorites. If either one, I’d be perfectly fine with that.
Vote for your favorite The Voice contestant by calling, voting on line at NBC.com or downloading iTunes. Voting closes tomorrow at 10 am EDT.
After the show, track the contestants iTunes rankings using the Apple RSS Feed
Blake Shelton performs his hit country single, “Honey Bee” plus Maroon 5 & Christina perform their new single “Moves Like Jagger”.
Adam and Cee Lo team RESULTS are up first.
Cee Lo’ Team is first. – VIDEO
Tori and Taylor, Vicci, Nakia and Curtis are Cee Lo’s team. When it’s revealed that Vicci was America’s choice, Cee Lo says, “America has good taste.” He loves and respects all the contestants equally.
Cee Lo says Curtis is the only cowboy he’s got. Nakia is a brother from a different mother. Tori and Taylor are sweet and innocent, his little flowers, he would never want to hurt them. BUT for the good of the team, he chooses Nakia. No surprise there.
Moving to the semi-finals and singing later:
America’s choice: Vicci Martinez
Cee Lo’s choice: Nakia
Adam’s Team is next – VIDEO
Casey, Devon, Jeff and Javier stand on stage! Adam wants to let go of Carson. YES PLEASE. Jeff Jenkins blew Adam’s mind the first time he sang. Devon is the most improved, says Adam. Adam thought they made a BIG mistake not picking Casey the first time during the blind auditions. HE DOES NOT WANT TO PICK. But he chooses. He almost chose Jeff, he says, but decides to save Casey Weston.
Moving on to the Semifinals and singing later:
America’s choice: Javier Colon
Adam’s Choice: Casey Weston
Frenchie Davis – Christina’s Team – “Like a Prayer” by Madonna – She’s got the full-on choir. The choir also dances. I’m usually underwhelmed by Frenchie. Sure, she’s got a big big voice, but she doesn’t do anything special with all that power. She’s also breathy and off-pitch in spots. This performance is actually kind of boring. She hits the requisite high notes. But, as a dance club diva, she’s more than adequate. I’m surprised she hasn’t recorded a dance record yet. “That’s my soul sister throwing down, ” says Cee Lo. Adam says, “Man, I love you.” Cee Lo just did something gross. Adam thought she was even better this week. Blake thinks her performance was a giant middle finger to all the folks who thought she shouldn’t advance. That took some lungs! says Christina. And she should know! 1-855-864-2301 – VIDEO
Nakia – Cee Lo’s Team – “Whataya Want From Me” by Adam Lambert – *SKEERD*. Nakia DOES NOT WANT TO SING IT. Smart man. But he changed his mind after he read through the lyrics. Does he realize he’s in for a world of hurt? j/k. Nakia sings sitting at the piano. Cee Lo looks like he ate a bad clam. It’s just a’ight. He sorta tries to rock it up, then it turns sorta dancey. He runs out into the audience. The song arrangement is choppy. Bandzilla is drowning out his vocals, especially as he’s running around the audience. Well, you know…he’s no Adam Lambert. But then, who is? Levine claims he is not familiar with the song “But you probably sang it better than the original.” NO YOU DIDN’T ADAM. Levine has no idea about the tsunami that is just about to come his way. OMG. – 1-855-864-2302 – VIDEO
Dia Frampton – Blake Shelton’s Team – “Losing My Religion” by REM – Hmmm…I think Dia might be my favorite contestant right now. Here she goes with another intriguing cover of a song you wouldn’t expect. She’s got such a lovely, compelling vocal tone, and her phrasing is beautiful. I like this a lot. I like that there isn’t a whiff of karaoke in her performances. Christina says she’s seen her grow so much. Cee Lo calls her performance “very inventive” “You wowed me” he says. Adam thought it was awesome. Blake is allowing Dia to choose her own songs. Blake says the show just did what it was supposed to do. “She left her heart and soul out on the stage, ” he says. – 1-855-864-2303 – VIDEO
Casey Weston – Adam’s Team – “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton – Adam tells Casey to NEVER try to be Whitney. Adam wants her to be more emotionally invested in the song. This is a tough song to give to a girl. The comparisons to Dolly and Whitney are inevitable. Having said that…the performance feels like it’s clearly her own. It’s got a bit of a country vibe, but she brings power to the performance. “Every week I’m never expecting to be blown away by her, but then I am, ” says Blake. Also, Blake thinks she’s hot. *pervy* Adam admits that they battle a little bit, but he’s glad she’s got her own opinion. “Our arguments paid off, ” he says. – 1-855-864-2304 – VIDEO
Adam Levine and his band, Maroon 5, are joined by Christina Aguilera on stage to sing their new single, “Moves Like Jagger”. – VIDEO
Beverly McClellan – Christina’s team – “The Thrill is Gone” – Beverly says it makes her nervous that Frenchie is so good. I like this performance more than her others, because Beverly is sitting down at a piano and it forces her to calm down. I find her performances a little too frenetic, but this is intense and powerful. Oh no. She just stood up. Less is more Beverly! Killer Bee! says Cee Lo. Your every action, inflection is so innocent and pure. He likes that she’s an accomplished musician. “If somebody didn’t allow you to be yourself, you’d kick their ass.” Christina says she is one of the reasons why she is so thankful she decided to do the show. – 1-855-864-2305 – VIDEO
Javier Colon – Adam’s Team – “Fix You” by Coldplay – A very frank discussion about Javier’s failures in the music business reveals that he did not just fall off a turnip truck. It’s good to be upfront. I usually like Javier, but I’m not totally crazy about this, until the tempo quickens in the middle. The slower section was surprisingly weak. But when the band and background vocalists kick in, the song ignites. I like this arrangement. I think we have another winning performance from Javier. Javier takes off his hat and he’s…bald. Blake is so pissed off that he didn’t catch his hat “It’s going to be worth a lot of money, ” he says. Christina was also happy when he took the hat off. Christina would love to hear him sing something soulful. Cee Lo thought it was a great song choice. He drops Gwynnie and Chris’s names. Adam’s like “I know some celebrities!” Adam said he knew he was going to sing the hell out of the song. You are the real deal. “You have one of the best voices I have ever heard.” Why are they so obsessed with Javier’s hat? – 1-855-864-2306 – VIDEO
These visits with this Allison chick in the media room are lame. She just told Casey she should say yes if a fan asks her out. Uhm. NO SHE SHOULDN’T. And now nutbars everywhere think they are going to land a date with her.
Blake Shelton sings his #1 country hit “Honey Bee”. Aw. His girls, Dia and Xenia join him on stage! – VIDEO
Xenia – Blake’s Team – “The Man Who Can’t be Moved” by The Script – We’re watching a person bloom before our very eyes, says Blake. “You’re representing your whole generation” he adds. Well, that’s a little over the top! She’s got an interesting, throaty tone. But, she’s not quite fully baked yet. She’s a little shaky on the high notes, and loses her timing in places. But she’s got a ton of potential. There are some really lovely moments in her performance. “You have such a unique tone, ” says Adam. “You can’t teach that. The song was a little sleepy, but you made it good.” Adam never heard that song, either. Christina is baffled by the level of maturity in her voice. She’s one of Xtina’s favs. Cee Lo loves that she’s cool, quaint and unaffected. Blake says “One day when I’m done with the show, I’m going to hear your voice on the radio. I’ll be glad that I knew you when”. – 1-855-864-2307 – VIDEO
Vicci Martinez – Cee Lo’s Team – “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine – Vicci and and Cee Lo talk heavy about her Dad who passed away. She’s living the dream for him. OK. I really love Vicci too. Although, not that weird blue eyeshadow…or her outfit. I don’t love this as much her powerful performance last week. She’s off-pitch in parts and a little screamy. But she eventually finds her groove. She’s in the zone here, owning it. A band of drummers come out and she’s dancing. It’s part half-time show, part Indian ceremony. Adam loves Vicci’s hair! “That’s strong! Your a visual dynamo. Coolest performance of the night, ” he says. “Someone threw gasoline on the stage and lit a match…most powerful of the night, ” says Blake. “What I loved so much, your mic pack came out, and you didn’t miss a beat. Great job, ” says Christina. “I’m sitting on the edge of my seat. The future is so bright for you, ” says Cee Lo. He explains that the drums represent the warrior spirit. “We dance to a different drummer, he says.” – 1-855-864-2308 – VIDEO
At the end of the show, the coaches handed in their scores to be combined with the audience vote. That confused me a tad, so I found this explanation of how the coaches scoring works and how it will be combined with the viewer vote:
Each coach will have 100 points to split between the two artists on his or her team. The number given to each artist is their “Coach Score.” Each artist will also receive an “Audience Score” that reflects his or her share (or percentage) of total votes cast for the team. This number is calculated by dividing the votes the artist received by the total votes received by that artist’s team. Each artist’s “Coach Score” and “Audience Score” will be added, and the artist with the higher overall number on each team will advance to the final performance round.
Hm. Ok.
