Live blog: “The Voice” first season finale
7:00 p.m.: Host Carson Daly is introducing to the stage “four of the most talented voices in America,” and they’re all dressed in formal black for the occasion. After 10 weeks – has it really been that long? It’s gone by so fast – we will find out whether Dia Frampton, Javier Colon, Beverly McClellan or Vicci Martinez will be the first-ever “The Voice.”
Miranda Lambert (AP file)
7:02: Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton gives a fist-pump and a big “yes” when Carson announces that Mrs. Shelton, fellow country star Miranda Lambert, will be performing a duet tonight with Dia. Other superstar duet pairings for the finalists tonight: Tulsa native and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder will do a duet with Beverly. Legendary Fleetwood Mac songstress Stevie Nicks will pair with Javier. And Train lead singer Pat Monahan will sing with Vicci.
7:05: Former members of “The Voice” family are in the house, and we’re getting some other members of the NBC family involved with a behind-the-scenes look at the finalists’ recent visit to “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” It’s been a long time since NBC has scored a hit, so expect this Peacock to strut, preen and show off the rest of its feathers a lot tonight.
7:07: Cross promoting aside, “The Tonight Show” bandleader Rickey Minor did make a great observation about “The Voice” finalists: We have a great variety of singers represented tonight. Dia has her unique vocal tone and indie folk-rock vibe; Javier is an R&B crooner with smooth pipes; Beverly is the straight-up rocker with the raw voice to match; and Vicci is the soulful firebrand with what Cee Lo calls her “war dance.” It’s an interesting range of performers (especially when you consider that the “American Idol” finals featured two teenage contemporary country singers. Just saying.)
7:12: After a series of flashbacks and prerecorded interviews, Vicci Martinez from Team Cee Lo becomes the first finalist to do her superstar duet.
Pat Monahan (AP file)
She and Pat Monahan are crooning Train’s hit “Drops of Jupiter.” Is it bad form is the finalist upstages the star? Because I like Vicci’s soulful croon much better than Monahan’s nasally whining. I’ve never been a Train fan, and much of it has to do with his grating voice. I don’t think he’d get far in this competition. Plus, I prefer her dynamic stage presence.
7:16: In a video clip from last night’s memorable “Beyond Thunderdome” version of Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield,” Vicci comments on how much Cee Lo’s sense of style has rubbed off on her. She’s certainly glitzed it up in her time on the show. I mean, just check out the NBC promo photo taken after the blind auditions.
Carson gives Cee Lo a chance to say a few words about Vicci after her finale performance on “The Voice” stage and he being Cee Lo, he comments on her uniqueness, saying she is the “first Vicci Martinez.”
7:18: Alison Haislip is look very glamorous tonight with her purple dress and dramatic up-do. She’s talking to Javier about “The Voice” experience, and he’s thanking the fans for their support. Always a good idea.
7:22: It’s time to recap Javier’s time on “The Voice.” Coach Adam says “my favorite moment is still the first time I heard him sing,” adding he was astounded at his powerful pipes. The family man, Colon repeats that the hardest part for him on “The Voice” has been to being away from his two young children, adding he knows they will understand someday.
7:23: Great song choice for the Javier Colon-Stevie Nicks’ duet: Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” It’s a gorgeous ballad, and that’s what Javier does best. Plus, I love hatless Javier showing off his beautiful bald head. Stevie’s legendary voice unfortunately has begun to fray, but she sounds better as she warms up over the course of the song. And her stage presence, well, she still has that in spades. I mean how many women can still rock the fingerless gloves as a fashion statement?
Stevie Nicks (AP file)
7:27: “The one-and-only Stevie Nicks,” as Carson puts it, gets a standing ovation. “Rock ‘n’ roll royalty.” After all, she is one of the few true legendary rock ‘n’ roll divas.
Adam comments that other than getting married and having his kids, that has to be one of the most amazing thing Javier has ever done. “She’s one of my heroes, I know she’s one of your heroes, now you’re one of my heroes because you sang with her on national television.”
The Maroon 5 frontman also says he told Stevie he wasn’t going to cry on live TV tonight. I’m betting that tough ol’ country boy Blake has to wipe away a few tears when he gives his final praise of Dia, particularly since she’s singing with the wife.
7:32: Carson just keeps saying “we are so close to naming the winner of ‘The Voice.’” I’ve not piled on to Carson-has-no-personality train, but he needs to stop saying that because WE KNOW.
Beverly McClellan says she is the oldest contestant there but maybe the youngest at heart. Coach Christina says that Bev has hurdled the level of greatness.
Ryan Tedder (AP file)
7:34: Beverly is all spiffed up in a dapper suit, and Ryan is rocking a pair of bright-white jeans and a black shirt. They’re singing OneRepublic’s “Good Life,” and the contrast between her gritty rocker voice and his smooth, high pop star pipes is interesting.
But, really, I wish she wouldn’t insist on doing her head-shaking hooting every. single. song. Still, I have to give her props for doing something really different: a straight-up pop song.
Christina Aguilera (AP file)
7:37: Christina is again expressing her love for Beverly and thanking her for trusting in her as her coach. Then, Xtina thanks her fellow coaches for trusting in her as she has in them over the course of the show and likens them to the big brothers she never had. Wow, Xtina getting classy. Go her.
7:39: Carson notes that we’re getting ready to hear from “two of the most important women in Blake Shelton’s life.” I’m interested to hear what Miranda and Dia have worked up. One of the reason I’ve rooted for Dia since “Heartless” is that I get a sense of anticipation every time she gets ready to perform. She always comes up with something intriguing.
7:43: “I definitely don’t think I would be here if I had gotten another coach,” Dia says in her recap interview. Blake again praises her for her “vision.”
He also says, “Dia reminds me of my wife Miranda. They’re both mold-breakers. There’s no one else like ‘em.” Wow, high praise. Let’s see what the come up with.
7:44: Wow, Ran is sharing her Grammy-winning, career-altering hit “The House That Built Me” with Dia. She must really love her. Dia starts out strangely raspy on her first verse, but then she kicks those pretty pipes into gear for the chorus, matching very nicely with Mrs. Shelton. Blake already looks like he’s about to cry. Lambert recently recounted in a new interview with me the now-famous story of how this song was first pitched to Blake but he gave it to her after the demo made her cry. (I’ll have that new interview for you guys Friday before Ran’s Saturday concert at Fort Sill, BTW.)
7:48: Dia started a little shaky, but that ended so strong. “It finally hit me watching that … I know now why I get so emotional why I’ve been around you the past few weeks,” Blake says. “You’re family to me now, and I love you. And I’m so proud of you.”
7:52: From the @Team_Blake Twitter feed: “The sound like 2 angels don’t they?” By the end, they certainly did. We’re about to find out if Blake’s girl is “The Voice,” or if the title will go to Javier, Vicci or Bev.
7:54: “In just moments, one of their lives will change forever,” says Carson, recapping the finalists and their teams one more time….
They’re definitely dragging it out …
Here we go …
“The voting was extremely close,” Carson says. “It was so close, in fact, that the top 2 were within only 2 percent of each other. How incredible is that?”
Right now, he’s going to reveal the two artists with most votes in no particular order, I’m betting Dia and Javier.
7:56: Yep! It’s Dia and Javier. So, we’re saying goodbye to Vicci and Bev. Blake Shelton looks sick. I think he’s more nervous than Dia.
7:57: It’s not final results, but Carson points out that Dia was No. 1 on iTunes after show and Javier was No. 1. We’ll see how it comes out in the end …
7:58: And the winner is …
Javier Colon!
7:59: Fireworks blast and confetti rains down as Javier praises his three runners-up and thanks “everyone who believed in me” and, voice cracking, thanks his family.
8:02: After rooting so hard for Dia and Team Blake, I’m disappointed but not heartbroken or even surprised at the result. I had hoped “The Voice’s” cool variation of letting iTunes downloads count as votes – what do you want to bet “Idol” steals that next season? – would help Dia when the day.
With her iTunes track record – along with her previous experience with her band Meg & Dia on Warner Bros. Records and the Vans Warped Tour – I’m sure Universal Republic will snap her up along with Javier. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the label inked all four finalists just to keep another label from doing so.
So, Adam Levine emerges as the victorious coach. Hopefully, the charming quartet of musician-coaches will all be back in the winter when the second season of “The Voice” begins.
-BAM
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Who cares. It’s a stupid tv show.