Live blog: “The Voice” final performance episode
8:00 p.m.: Host Carson Daly announces that the musician coaches – Oklahoma country star Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine – decided a few hours ago to do a special performance inspired by the nerve-wracking conditions on the two-night finale. So they’re going back for another Queen cover, this time of “Under Pressure.”
I’m not sure I like the performance as much as their previous collaborations, but I do appreciate that it’s more equitably showcasing each star. It’s not just an Xtina number with the guys as backup singers. By the way, Christina finally looks really good on this show, so go her. (Note: According to NBC, they were originally slated to perform the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”)
8:04: Carson confirms that each of the four finalists – Dia Frampton, Javier Colon, Beverly McClellan and Vicci Martinez – will perform twice tonight. They will do a duet with their coach and then perform an original song. The public votes will be based on the latter. Also, Carson says there will be a special announcement later in the show.
8:07: We’re capping a clip montage with a reminder of what’s at stake: a recording contract and $100,000. And this time, the coaches don’t get to vote. It’s all up to the fans.
8:08: All the contestants are looking spiffy, but I’m particularly fond of Dia’s flowing red gown. And if Javier is going to keep the hat, I’m glad he got a new one that is much cooler than his usual ballcap. He’s expressing how much the four finalists all love each other, and he sounds sincere.
8:10: “It’s so loud in here. It’s crazy. It’s like ‘TRL’ 10 years ago,” Carson gives a shout-out to his old gig.
8:11: Adam hates being out of control; Cee Lo thinks Vicci will be an inspiration to women and Latino performers; Xtina praises Beverly as a powerhouse; and the emotional Blake says “I know, right, Dia” to the screaming crowd and talks about how much he has bonded with her. In the words of the Monty Python guys, “Get on with it!”
8:16: Carson confirms what was reported earlier today: The eight semifinalists will be going on tour starting next month in Los Angeles. There’s supposed to be more details released on NBC.com soon. Also, first up to perform will be Javier Colon.
8:18: Javier is debuting his original song “Stitch by Stitch,” and since it’s him, it will be a heartfelt ballad. He’s on the acoustic guitar and he sounds like he’s trying to follow his coach’s advice to let the vocal intensity build up. As usual, he sounds amazing, but I would love to hear the guy do a song that isn’t a ballad, just to change things up.
8:21: That was by far Javier’s best performance in my opinion. He really avoided oversinging that time. That ballad was better than most of the love songs on pop radio these days. The coaches, per usual, are lavish in their praise, but Blake notes that he has really come to respect Javier as a great person and not just a great singer. Adam seconds that emotion, while Cee Lo and Xtina talk about how well the song fits Javier.
8:28: Dia and Blake are rocking their matching camouflage electric guitars in the rehearsal footage of their duet, Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Blake says, “You’re taking over the world, sister,” and gushes that she has helped him rediscover his youthful passion for performing. She’s praising Shelton for teaching her to have confidence in herself. I think this is an inspired song choice to bridge their divergent styles, and I adore the matching “Blues Brothers”-esque black suits and sunglasses. Very cool all around. Go Dia and Blake!
8:32: OK, that was FUN! And I love that we’re getting to hear full-length songs tonight and not just 2-minute snippets. Carson notes that all the coach-finalist duets will be on sale on iTunes, BUT only the original songs from the contenders will count as votes for those finalists.
8:37: Here’s an important tweet from @Team_Blake: “And forgot to mention DO NOT download Dias song until after @NBCTheVoice It will not count until then.”
8:38: Vicci Martinez is up next to perform her original song, and she promises it will be “epic” and will build up from quiet to in-your-face. That’s what this little fireball does best, so we’ll see how she does with “Afraid to Sleep.” Unlike Javier, who played acoustic guitar partway through his competition piece, Vicci is going without any instrument except her big voice. It’s a dramatic power ballad that for some reason reminds me of Bonnie Tyler, but only in a more rough hewn way. It’s got that intensity, but I’m waiting for that trademark Vicci explosiveness.
8:41: Vicci’s kneeling on the fog-covered stage, the crowd is waving cell phones (or maybe glow sticks), but I’m just not feeling this performance like I have her past appearances. It’s pretty, but I didn’t feel like she quite nailed the huge soaring notes like she has in the past like on Pink’s “F—ing Perfect” or Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” But Adam says he was invested in every moment, Blake says she always insists on being a big deal (and makes a joke about Adam giving her a pair of jeans; it’s Blake, you can figure out the tone of that quip); Xtina praises the song as very suited to the performer; and Cee Lo says as her coach he’s confident she’s got this. I’m not so sure. Whereas I thought Javier’s original song was his best performance of the competition, I though this was Vicci’s weakest showing so far.
Ne-Yo (AP file)
8:49: We’re taking a break from the contestant performances with a special appearance by Pitbull and Ne-Yo, performing their global smash “Give Me Everything” from Pitbull’s new album “Planet Pit.” I really like Ne-Yo’s voice, although I’m not crazy about the dancers in their trashy Frederick’s of Hollywood underwear (I don’t think it even qualifies as lingerie).
8:53: Blake and Dia had Tom Petty trending on Twitter a few minutes ago; now they’ve got Ray Bans trending for their awesome duet performance.
8:57: Not surprisingly, Xtina has picked one of her own hits to use for her duet with Beverly McClellan. They will be doing “Beautiful.” Yes, it’s a fitting song choice, but after Christina used “Lady Marmalade” for her quarterfinals group song, I was hoping she might do a song that she hasn’t already wildly oversung.
9:00: Beverly and Xtina are doing “Beautiful” as a heartfelt acoustic anthem backed by some subtle strings. It is giving us at last the chance to hear Bev do something that isn’t a big rock ‘n’ roll blowout, and we’re finally getting to appreciate the prettiness and not just the power of her voice. Still, there’s too many vocal runs and flourishes happening here for my taste. However, I like that they’ve invited “Beautiful” songwriter Linda Perry to perform with them.
9:04: We’ve got an “American Idol” and “The Voice” collision with Katharine McPhee’s appearance to tout the upcoming NBC series “Smash,” which next season will be the lead-in for “The Voice” when it moves to Mondays. And she’s going to do “Beautiful,” too. I guess maybe it’s not all Xtina’s fault that we’re hearing that song tonight.
9:08: Just looked at the link for “The Voice” tour dates. Unfortunately, the closest they’re getting to Oklahoma is Vegas. Tickets and information: http://bit.ly/mmC7U7.
9:09: Now we’ve got the original song from Dia Frampton coming up, and I can’t wait to hear “Inventing Shadows.” Blake praises her as one of a kind, and she shares that her last album she recorded at her mom’s house. “You can actually hear the dishwasher in the background.” She’s back in that gorgeous red gown and back behind the piano, and her vocal tone just sounds so unique. We’re getting to hear more of her vocal range, which is great, but she also sounds more breathy than usual, which is not so great.
9:15: And Blake – “your proud papa,” as Carson puts it – again gives a standing ovation for Dia. Xtina says it’s really lovely but gets into it with Blake over how he had silhouettes in shadowboxes after making fun of her mimes/dancers earlier in the season during Lily Elise’s performance. Adam chimes in that Dia’s singing was great but he was distracted by all that stuff. “You know what else is going to be distracting to them? When they look at their phones tonight and you’re on the top of iTunes above their records,” Blake shoots back. “That’s going to be so distracting to them, all that iTunes domination.”
Dia truly has become a force to be reckoned with on iTunes, but unfortunately, that wasn’t her most compellingly downloadable performance. I did like it and probably will buy it, but I thought it was a bit gaspy. It wasn’t quite as commanding as her renditions of “Heartless” or “Losing My Religion.”
9:21: Adam Levine is showing no fear: He and Javier are going to cover a Michael Jackson song, “Man in the Mirror,” for their duet. It takes guts, but if they pull it off, it could be a show-stopper.
9:22: Dia’s “Inventing Shadows” is already trending on Twitter. She is going to be tough to beat.
9:23: Javier and Adam look very dapper in their matching black suits, and I love no-hat, bald-and-beautiful Javier. They’re doing “Man in the Mirror” as a thoughtful ballad, and their voices blend beautifully. I’m not fond of Adam trying to imitate MJ’s vocal inflections, but I’m glad he’s really showcasing his student here. Bravo. Overall, I like it very much.
Brad Paisley (AP file)
9:31: Another break for the contestants: Reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley is going to perform his raucous drinking song “Don’t Drink the Water,” featuring his current tourmate Blake Shelton. Love this song and Brad’s new album “This Is Country Music.” Blake is coming out of his big red “Voice” chair to sing along and playfully working Xtina’s name into the lyrics to boot. And now we get to see Brad’s amazing guitar skills. Country is killing on “The Voice”!
9:39: Beverly McClellan is going to give the last original, competition performance, titled “Lovesick.” “I think it’s a hit,” Bev thinks. The title sounds like a ballad, but McClellan is delivering another big, raw rocker. The song has a bit of a retro vibe with the backtracking lyrics on the chorus (“I’m lovesick, I’m sick of love, I’m lovesick”), and she’s nailing that phrasing.
9:43: After roaming the stage and working the crowd, Beverly plays a brief interlude on the piano and then goes back to stalking and singing. She’s getting a standing O from the coaching panel. She tells Carson she feels “energized,” and the host quips it’s a good thing she didn’t have a lighter, or she would have burned up the stage. Cee Lo and Adam indicate that her blowout performance transcends the competitive nature of the show. “If music was crack, you would have a serious problem,” Blake says. “I do,” she replies. “I love watching you,” he declares. Xtina is praising her for her big heart and great work ethic. I personally didn’t think it was McClellan’s most electrifying performance, but of the original competition songs, it was the most rollicking. The others were power ballads, and that could give “Lovesick” and Beverly the edge.
9:47: Carson just said that voting closes tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Eastern, which means it closes at 8 a.m. Central time. So there are some Oklahomans who are going to have to get to voting!
9:52: The final duet of the night is Cee Lo and Vicci’s rendition of Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield.” Wonder what they will be wearing. Vicci is promising epic and reminding us of Cee Lo’s rep for putting on a big production. Not like we needed a reminder.
9:54: No, they didn’t. Yes, they did. They are doing a full-blown tribute to “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” Complete with children in post-apocalyptic garb jumping, dancing and tumbling and a dramatic Vicci vs. Cee Lo face-off. As the other coaches give a standing O, I’m reminded of how much more compelling Vicci is when she rocks. I wish she had blasted through her competition piece like she just did through that.
9:59: Carson’s parting shot: “I’m gonna attempt to give Cee Lo a hug, but I’m terrified.” Yes, Cee Lo is decked out spikes, shoulder pads and a faux ‘hawk, all in his signature red, while Vicci is looking uber-cool all in black leather. Definite style points.
10:00: OK, it’s time to vote for the inaugural champion on “The Voice”! Here’s how I’m ranking tonight’s performances: Javier, Dia, Beverly and Vicci.
Overall, though, I rank them this way: Dia, Vicci, Javier and Beverly. We all have until early tomorrow to cast our ballots.
Remember, the duets don’t count as votes for the contestants, but they are available on iTunes. My faves, in order: Blake and Dia, Cee Lo and Vicci, Adam and Javier, Xtina and Bev.
10:23: Informal poll: Did you think the Cee Lo-Vicci duet costumes and staging were most reminiscent of (A.) Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (B.) Gwar (C.) Flamboyant cavepeople or (D.) Other ____? (I think my vote should be obvious.)
10:27: According to NBC.com, voting is actually open until 10 a.m. Eastern/9 a.m. Central Wednesday to determine the first-ever champion on “The Voice.” Go to NBC.com, or buy the original song performance of your choice on iTunes. Or if you prefer to cast your ballot by phone, here are the numbers:
Javier Colon 1-855-VOICE-01
Vicci Martinez 1-855-VOICE-02
Dia Frampton 1-855-VOICE-03
Beverly McClellan 1-855-VOICE-04
And tune in again at 7 p.m. Wednesday, when we’ll find out who won. Once again, I’ll be live blogging the season finale here on BAM’s Blog.
Thanks for following along tonight. Happy voting!
-BAM
Video: “The Voice” live show recap and preview – Two-part season finale begins at 8 tonight
The hit reality TV show “The Voice” begins its two-part process to crown its inaugural champion with its final live performance episode from 8 to 10 tonight on NBC (KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City). The season finale is set for 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
I’ll be live-blogging both tonight and Wednesday night episodes right here at BAM’s Blog.
Before we get to that, here’s my recap of what happened last Wednesday on the show’s first one-hour results show, when the eight semifinalists were pared to four finalists:
The show, which began 15 minutes later than originally scheduled after President Obama’s special report on the war in Afghanistan, opened with a group performance, a medley of the George Michael hits “Freedom ’90″ and “Faith.” Yes, Beverly McClellan, Vicci Martinez, Dia Frampton, Javier Colon, Nakia, Xenia, Casey Weston and Frenchie Davis all sang together on one mash-up, and it was a credit to these performers’ talents – and a canny song selection and arrangement – that they managed to blend their divergent voices on a single medley.
Since NBC is planning to send those eight out on tour together this summer, it will be interesting to see if the George Michael medley becomes a set piece of those concerts. (For more on the tour plans, click here.)
After the group performance, we learned that host Carson Daly was going to spend the evening doing his best imitation of sports journalist Roy Firestone, who was gently mocked in the movie “Jerry Maguire” for his uncanny ability to make his interviewees cry. Daly was determined to wring tears from as many semifinalists as he could, darn it, and he succeeded in getting several of them choked up.
We also got to find out how this phase of the scoring would work and what the coaches wrote on their secret ballots at the end of last Tuesday’s episode. Each coach had 100 points to divvy up between his/her final two contenders. The score from the musician-coach would be weighed equally with the public vote, cast by online voting, phone balloting and the all-important iTunes downloads.
Cee Lo Green was first up to crown his team’s finalist, though he read a free-verse poetry tribute to his final singers before allowing host Carson Daly to reveal his score. The “Forget You” hitmaker gave 51 points to Nakia and 49 to Martinez. Green said he felt that the latter’s vocals on her rendition the previous day of Florence + the Machine’s “Dark Days Are Over” were a bit drowned out by the powerful percussion on the performance, so he voted to give the edge to Nakia.
But the public vote put the fiery songstress Martinez decisively into the first finalist slot.
Before the rest of the finalists were determined, Cee Lo dazzled as usual with his single “Bright Lights Bigger City.” Wearing a spiffy white suit and another memorable wig, Green channeled Cab Calloway as he strutted and sang amidst “Lawrence Welk Show”-esque bubbles, feisty flappers and suave gentlemanly dancers.
Next on the hot seat was Adam Levine. In a taped segment, the Maroon 5 frontman surprised his team members by letting them sit in with his rehearsals with Gym Class Heroes, with whom he collaborates on the single “Stereo Hearts.”
When Levine revealed his scores for his final two singers, he gave quite the edge to front-runner Colon. Weston couldn’t conceal her surprised expression when Daly announced that the coach had given her just 35 points to Colon’s 65 points.
“I know that looks bad, Case, but this does not reflect you guys as artists or performers,” he said. “Javier, I had to make sure. I had to play the game a little bit because I had to advance him.”
He rambled a bit, but the gist of his decision was that Weston is 18 and would have plenty of time and opportunities to make it as a singer, while Colon, who was once signed to Capitol Records but eventually dropped, was facing his last chance.
The Maroon 5 frontman shouldn’t have worried, as Colon won the public vote in a landslide. Levine, who had confessed that he and Weston had butted heads over her coaching, was quick to give her a hug and more reassurances that she was going to have an amazing life and music career.
“This is not over, our friendship is not over,” Levine said.
“I love you, too, even though I’m kind of mad at you right,” she replied.
“I know, I know it looks bad,” he said, while Colon told Daly how blessed he felt.
In his prerecorded segment, Shelton took Xenia and Frampton to Cincinnati for one of his shows on Brad Paisley’s tour. He gave both singers pink camouflage electric guitars – to match his camo guitar and go with the acoustic Takamines he gave every member of his team at the start of the competition – and introduced them to Paisley. He then invited them onstage to sing along with his latest No. 1 “Honey Bee,” which they also performed on the previous night’s episode.
Shelton, who has repeatedly expressed surprise at the fatherly relationship he has developed with both his semifinalists, split his 100 points between the competitors, who both blossomed under his tutelage.
“I don’t feel like I can win or lose in this situation with either one of them … I believe in them both so much and I love ‘em. I really do. And you can’t put a score on that,” the emotional Tishomingo resident said.
When America’s vote was added, the teary Frampton beat out Xenia by a narrow margin. Along with Colon, Frampton is considered a favorite as the show draws to its conclusion. If she wins, the real loser will be Warner Bros. Records, who last year dropped Meg & Dia, her band with sister Meg Frampton.
Christina Aguilera also divided her 100 points equally between her two very different bald, big-voiced divas, McClellan and Davis. She said comparing them was like apples and oranges so she was going to let America decide who to send to the finals.
By another slim margin, the public vote went to McClellan.
So, that’s your reminder of what went on last week: Dia Frampton is the finalist from Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton’s team. Javier Colon is the finalist from Adam Levine’s team, Vicci Martinez from Cee Lo Green’s team and Beverly McClellan from Christina Aguilera’s team.
On the agenda for tonight’s episode: Apparently, all four finalists will be performing original songs as well as duets with their coaches.
In addition, all four musician coaches – Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine – will team up to perform the Rolling Stones’ classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”Also, country star Brad Paisley joins R&B/pop sensations Pitbull and Ne-Yo as special guest performers on the hit vocal competition series that same night.
For a narrow window following tonight’s episode, eligible voters will have four ways to vote for the favorite finalist on “The Voice”: through toll-free phone calls, through online votes via NBC.com and the NBC Live online and iPad companion viewing app, and purchasing songs on iTunes. Votes are limited to 10 times via toll-free phone call per artist per originating phone number; up to 10 times through NBC.com or the NBC Live app per artist per e-mail address; and up to 10 times per artist per iTunes account, by purchasing the contestant’s then-eligible song through iTunes (up to a maximum of 10 copies).
“The Voice” final performance episode begins in just a few moments. Get ready for the live blog.
-BAM
Video: “The Voice” semifinalists to go on tour in summer
NBC is sending its break out reality TV hit on the road this summer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network is planning a tour featuring its eight semifinalists: Beverly McClellan, Vicci Martinez, Dia Frampton, Javier Colon, Nakia, Xenia, Casey Weston and Frenchie Davis. Check out this video of the semifinalists performing a George Michael tribute on last Wednesday’s episode of “The Voice.”
The four remaining finalists – McClellan, Martinez, Frampton and Colon – will again be featured from 8 to 10 tonight on the last live performance episode of the season. The winner will be announced during the season finale from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Follow my live blog of both episodes here at BAM’s Blog.
The tour will not include the show’s four all-star musician-coaches, country music star Blake Shelton, pop belter Christina Aguilera, Gnarls Barkley singer Cee Lo Green and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. Citing multiple unnamed sources, the trade publication reports that organizers for the Live Nation tour wanted the chart-topping, genre-crossing foursome to join the show’s contestants but talks apparently broke down over compensation.
I imagine that scheduling difficulties also were a factor in keeping at least half of the coaching panel off “The Voice” tour. Shelton is opening for Brad Paisley’s “H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour” all this summer and into the fall. Paisley is set to perform his duet with Shelton, “Don’t Drink the Water,” on tonight’s episode of “The Voice,” airing from 8 to 10 p.m. on NBC.
Likewise, Maroon 5 has a full summer and fall tour slate with Train, including a Sept. 22 date at Oklahoma City’s Zoo Amphitheater. Train frontman Pat Monahan will perform a duet with “The Voice” finalist Martinez during Wednesday’s season finale, airing from 7 to 8 p.m. on NBC (KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City).
Although it’s unclear the planned series of live concerts will fare with the star quartet to anchor it, a tour should generate more buzz for the freshman show,which will return as a mid-season replacement on Mondays next spring. Revenues from the planned tour also will ofer another way for the network to cash in on its biggest success in years. “The Voice” –which at $2.3 million per episode is NBC’s priciest unscripted series ever– is garnering in the neighborhood of $250,000 per 30-second spot this season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Shelton has already taken to Twitter (@blakeshelton) to gush about the tour prospects for his semifinalists: “I feel like a proud papa with my two girls @DiaFramps and @X3NIA17 hitting the road this summer for The Voice Live On Tour. Show ‘em love!”
Levine also expressed his excitement about the tour on the micro-blogging site. Although his original tweet has been deleted, it lives on in this retweet by Colon (@Javstwtr) “RT @adamlevine: @Javstwtr & @casey_weston are hitting the road in July for #TheVoice Live Tour. You can thank me later> I’ll thank u now bro.”
Despite its innovations on the reality singing contest format, “The Voice” isn’t the first such show to spin off a finalist tour. Since its began 10 seasons ago, reality TV granddaddy “American Idol” has dispatched the top from its latest season on a summertime concert series.
In fact, “American Idol Live!,” featuring the top 11 from the show’s 10th season – Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Scotty McCreery, Stefano Langone, and Thia Megia – will stop July 19 at Oklahoma City’s Cox Convention Center. For more information, go to www.coxconventioncenter.com.
-BAM
Ryan Tedder, Stevie Nicks, Pat Monahan added to Wednesday’s “The Voice” finale
Ryan Tedder (AP file)
Tulsa native and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, rock legend Stevie Nicks and Train lead singer Pat Monahan have been added to the star-studded live results show and season finale for the “The Voice,” airing from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday on NBC (KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City).
The recording stars will sing with the four remaining finalists for each team. Nicks will pair with contestant Javier Colon, while Monahan sings with Vicci Martinez and Tedder will form a duet with Beverly McClellan.
They will join previously announced Grammy Award-winning star and Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert (who is married to Blake Shelton, one of the series’ musician coaches) who will sing with the fourth finalist, Dia Frampton.
Stevie Nicks (AP file)
Follow along with my live blog of tonight’s final performance episode of “The Voice” from 8 to 10 p.m. here on BAM’s Blog. Then, join me again Wednesday night when I’ll be live-blogging the finale.
Tedder is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and record producer who is the lead singer for OneRepublic, for which he also plays guitar and piano, among other instruments.
He has produced and written songs for such artists as Adele, Beyonce, Leona Lewis, and Rascal Flatts. He wrote two of the most played songs in radio history in OneRepublic’s “Apologize” (which became one of the best-selling singles of the last decade) and “Bleeding Love” for Lewis (which received a Record of the Year Grammy nomination in 2009). He has his own recording company in Patriot Records.
In November 2009, his band released its second album, “Waking Up,” which features the hit singles “All the Right Moves,” “Secrets” and “Good Life.”
Nicks is a multi-Grammy-winning member of the legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac, whose 1977 “Rumours” album (Grammy Album of the Year) was one of the biggest selling records in rock history. She is also a Grammy-winning solo artist whose “Bella Donna” debut CD sold more than 5 million copies.
Her current solo CD, “In Your Dreams” — her first studio CD in more than a decade — debuted last month at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Nicks is also a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame. She has written and performed such classic hits as “Landslide,” “Rhiannon,” “Edge of l7” and “Gold Dust Woman.” She is scheduled to begin a solo tour next month.
Monahan is the lead singer and songwriter for the Grammy-winning band Train. The multi-platinum group’s albums include “Train,” “Drops of Jupiter,” “My Private Nation,” “For Me, It’s You” and “Save Me, San Francisco,” which went platinum worldwide, became the biggest of their 16-year career and produced their smash single “Hey Soul Sister.”
“Hey Soul Sister” was the No. 1 iTunes track of 2010. Train’s many hit singles also include “If It’s Love,” “Marry Me,” the Grammy-winning “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me),” and the chart-topping “Calling All Angels” and “Meet Virginia.”
In addition, Train released “Alive at Last,” a live album. Monahan also released his first solo album, “Last of Seven,” in 2007. His album produced two hit singles in “Her Eyes” and
Pat Monahan (AP file)
“Two Ways to Say Goodbye.” Monahan provides the lead voice in the children’s show “Driver Dan’s Story Train,” which premiered last year.
“The Voice” is an innovative vocal competition series modeled after Holland’s top-rated vocal talent discovery show, “The Voice of Holland.” The series is hosted by Carson Daly and features the musician coaches working through the various phases of the competition with only the most talented vocalists. The show’s second season will air mid-season Mondays (8-10 p.m. ET).
In addition, “The Voice” continues to push the boundaries between broadcast and online by bringing social media conversations to the on-air show. Bridging the gap between on-air and online is Social Media Correspondent Alison Haislip (“Attack of the Show!”), who makes regular appearances during the live broadcasts.
Haislip engages fans and connects them to artists and coaches from “The Voice Social Media Room” via Facebook, Twitter, NBC.com and NBC Live. In the live shows, fans who use #TheVoice or tweet to the show, coaches or artists’ official handles may see their tweets appear in the lower third of the screen during cutaways during the live show.
For a period following each episode, eligible voters have four ways to vote for that night’s artists/contestants on “The Voice”: through toll-free phone calls, through online votes via NBC.com and the NBC Live online and iPad companion viewing app, and purchasing songs on iTunes.
Votes are limited to 10 times via toll-free phone call per artist per originating phone number; up to 10 times through NBC.com or the NBC Live app per artist per e-mail address, and up to 10 times per artist per iTunes account, by purchasing the contestant’s then-eligible song through iTunes (up to a maximum of 10 copies).
-BAM
“The Voice” coaches to cover Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” tonight
All four musician coaches – Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine – will team up to perform the Rolling Stones’ classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” on the final live performance episode of NBC’s “The Voice,” airing from 8 to 10 tonight. In addition, country star Brad Paisley joins R&B/pop sensations Pitbull and Ne-Yo as special guest performers on the hit vocal competition series tonight.
Be sure to follow my live blogs of the final two episodes of NBC’s hit reality TV show: from 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday and from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday here at BAM’s Blog.
The four finalists are Dia Frampton from Team Blake, Javier Colon from Team Adam, Beverly McClellan from Team Christina and Vicci Martinez from Team Cee Lo, who will perform on Tuesday’s show with the winner announced on Wednesday night.
The three-time Grammy Award-winning Paisley will perform “Don’t Drink the Water” with Shelton. The duet is from Paisley’s recently-released album “This Is Country Music,” which includes the song featuring Shelton. Shelton, who lives in Tishomingo, is currently touring with Paisley on his “H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour.” The Ada native’s current single “Honey Bee,” which he debuted on “The Voice,” is holding on to the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart this week.
Pitbull and Ne-Yo also will take the stage to perform their global smash “Give Me Everything” from Pitbull’s new album “Planet Pit.”
On Wednesday’s live finale, the four finalists will get to perform superstar duets, too. Frampton will perform with Shelton’s bride, fellow Tishomingo country superstar Miranda Lambert. Tulsa native Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic will do a duet with Team Xtina finalist Beverly McClellan, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac with Team Adam finalist Javier Colon and Pat Monahan of Train with Team Cee Lo finalist Vicci Martinez on the season finale, airing at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
“The Voice” is an innovative vocal competition series modeled after Holland’s top-rated vocal talent discovery show, “The Voice of Holland.” The series is hosted by Carson Daly and features the musician coaches working through the various phases of the competition with only the most talented vocalists. The show’s second season will air mid-season at 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays.
In addition, “The Voice” continues to push the boundaries between broadcast and online by bringing social media conversations to the on-air show. Bridging the gap between on-air and online is Social Media Correspondent Alison Haislip (“Attack of the Show!”), who makes regular appearances during the live broadcasts. Haislip engages fans and connects them to artists and coaches from “The Voice Social Media Room” via Facebook, Twitter, NBC.com and NBC Live. In the live shows, fans who use #TheVoice or tweet to the show, coaches or artists’ official handles may see their tweets appear in the lower third of the screen during cutaways during the live show.
For a period following each episode, eligible voters have four ways to vote for that night’s artists/contestants on “The Voice”: through toll-free phone calls, through online votes via NBC.com and the NBC Live online and iPad companion viewing app, and purchasing songs on iTunes. Votes are limited to 10 times via toll-free phone call per artist per originating phone number; up to 10 times through NBC.com or the NBC Live app per artist per e-mail address; and up to 10 times per artist per iTunes account, by purchasing the contestant’s then-eligible song through iTunes (up to a maximum of 10 copies).
-BAM
Video: Pistol Annies 1st single “Hell on Heels” released on iTunes, Amazon
New country music trio the Pistol Annies have released their first single, “Hell on Heels,” today on iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers.
The band consists of Tishomingo country music star Miranda Lambert and fellow singer-songwriters Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley.
The group made its debut in spring during the ACM’s “Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country” TV special, when they performed “Hell on Heels,” a country-blues maneater’s anthem.
In May, Lambert invited her cohorts to her native Texas when she hosted her fourth annual “Cause for the Paws” Benefit at the Festival on the Square in Tyler. The Annies played the hopeful song “Better Days” in front of the more than 7,000 people who packed the downtown area to enjoy the music of Lambert, the Annies and special musical guests Stoney LaRue and Josh Kelley. Through ticket sales, sponsorships and live auction items, “Cause for the Paws” raised $294,000 for MuttNation, Lambert’s foundation that supports animal shelters and the Humane Society of East Texas.
Lambert then asked her fellow Annies to help her close out the CMA Music Festival June 12 in front of a packed stadium at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. Lambert’s blistering, 30-minute set included her No. 1 singles, “White Liar,” “The House That Built Me” and “Heart Like Mine,” along with the trio’s self-penned song, “Hell On Hells.” Before today, the single was available for purchase only at www.pistolannies.com.
Lambert’s set will be among those featured in the TV special “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” airing Aug. 7 on ABC.
The Pistol Annies have been working on their debut album and revealed last week during a sold-out show at Joe’s Bar in Chicago that they have signed a record deal with Columbia Nashville, Lambert’s label. They previewed several tracks from their forthcoming album, including “One’s Drinking, One’s Smoking, One’s Taking Pills” and “Boys From the South.”
Each of the band members have nicknames: Monroe is known as “Hippie Annie,” Presley as “Holler Annie” and Lambert as “Lone Star Annie.”
Of course, Lambert also goes by the name Mrs. Blake Shelton, and she will appear Wednesday on the live season finale of the hit reality TV show “The Voice,” which features Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine. Lambert will perform a duet with Dia Frampton, the finalist for Team Blake. (NBC confirmed today that Tulsa native Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic will do a duet with Team Xtina finalist Beverly McClellan, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac with Team Adam finalist Javier Colon and Pat Monahan of Train with Team Cee Lo finalist Vicci Martinez on the season finale, airing at 7 p.m. Wednesday.)
Then, Lambert will join her idol Merle Haggard and LaRue for a Independence Day weekend show Friday at Fort Still in Oklahoma. For more information on the show, go to www.sillmwr.com.
Make plans to follow my live blogs of “The Voice” final episodes from 8 to 10 tonight and 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday on NBC, and look for my new interview with Lambert Friday here on BAM’s Blog.
-BAM
Video: David Cook performs “The Last Goodbye” on “Today”
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“American Idol” winner and former Tulsan David Cook performed his latest single, “The Last Goodbye,” this morning on the “Today” show in New York City.
“The Last Goodbye” is the lead-off single from his sophomore album, “This Loud Morning,” out today on 19 Recordings/RCA Records. He also chatted with “Today” co-host Ann Curry about the making of the album, which he said was a kind of therapeutic process after the death of his brother, Adam, of a brain tumor.
Executive produced by Matt Serletic (Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, Collective Soul), “This Loud Morning” features tracks written and co-written by Cook along with many acclaimed songwriters including, Tulsa native Ryan Tedder, David Hodges, Johnny Rzeznik, Kevin Griffin and Marti Frederiksen.
Cook also will perform Thursday on “Lopez Tonight,” airing at 11 p.m. on TBS.
Look for my review of “This Loud Morning” in the coming days here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman.
-BAM
New releases for June 28, 2011: David Cook drops sophomore album, “This Loud Morning”
David Cook (AP file)
“American Idol” winner and former Tulsan David Cook releases his sophomore album, “This Loud Morning,” today on 19 Recordings/RCA Records.
Executive produced by Matt Serletic (Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, Collective Soul), “This Loud Morning” features tracks written and co-written by Cook along with many acclaimed songwriters including, Tulsa native Ryan Tedder, David Hodges, Johnny Rzeznik, Kevin Griffin and Marti Frederiksen.
Look for my review of “This Loud Morning” in the coming days here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman.
In addition, look for my review soon of the movie “Bloodworth,” available today on DVD and starring Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakam, Val Kilmer and Hilary Duff.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and book, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
David Cook, “This Loud Morning.”
Beyonce, “4.”
Gillian Welch, “The Harrow & The Harvest.”
Various artists, “Rave On Buddy Holly.”
Selena Gomez and the Scene, “When The Sun Goes Down.”
Dolly Parton, “Better Day.”
Queensrÿche, “Dedicated to Chaos.”
Limp Bizkit, “Gold Cobra.”
Thievery Corporation, “Culture of Fear.”
DVDs
3 Backyards
Beastly
Beneath Hill 60
Bloodworth
Cyrus
Law & Order: Criminal Intent – Season 6
Lebanon, Pa.
Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete First Season
Season of the Witch
Sucker Punch
Warehouse 13: Season Two
The Warrior’s Way
Wild Cherry
Books
Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer Holland
The Help (Movie Tie-In) by Kathryn Stockett
The Aging Myth: Unlocking the Mysteries of Looking and Feeling Young by Joseph Chang PhD
Untold Story: A Novel by Monica Ali
The Deal from Hell: How Moguls and Wall Street Plundered Great American Newspapers by James O’Shea
Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson, Laura Park, Chris Tebbetts
David Cook to appear on “Today” this morning, “Lopez Tonight” Thursday
“American Idol” winner and former Tulsan David Cook releases his sophomore album, “This Loud Morning,” today on 19 Recordings/RCA Records.
Cook will be marking the release of “This Loud Morning” with a whirlwind series of appearances today in New York City, including a performance this morning on the NBC’s “Today” show. He then will head to the Paramount Hotel in Times Square for a special “This Loud Morning” performance for contest winners, hotel guests and VIPs.
He will celebrate the new album with a LIVE @ Best Buy performance at 6 p.m. today at the Best Buy’s Union Square location. The performance will be broadcast live at www.liveatbestbuy.com.
He also is set to perform Thursday on “Lopez Tonight,” airing at 11 p.m. on TBS.
Executive produced by Matt Serletic (Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, Collective Soul), “This Loud Morning” features tracks written and co-written by Cook along with many acclaimed songwriters including, Tulsa native Ryan Tedder, David Hodges, Johnny Rzeznik, Kevin Griffin and Marti Frederiksen.
After winning the “Idol” title in Season 7, Cook went on to sell more than 1 million copies of his self-titled debut album and set out on a year long nationwide tour in support of his multiple hit singles. Released on Nov. 18, 2008, “David Cook” (19 Recordings / RCA Records) entered the Billboard charts at No. 3 and the digital album charts at No. 1, marking the best debut from an “American Idol” winner since 2006. Collectively the songs from “David Cook” have sold more than 3 million tracks and ringtones combined. Cook’s coronation single, “The Time of My Life” was certified platinum and is not only the biggest single debut but the highest selling coronation single in the show’s history.
Look for my review of “This Loud Morning” in the coming days here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on June 28, 2011: Laugh with comedian Doug Benson at City Arts Center
Doug Benson
Today’s featured event:
Laugh along as comedian Doug Benson performs at 7:30 tonight at City Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., State Fair Park. Special guests for the event will include Graham Elwood, BradChad Porter and Cameron Buchholtz.
To read my fine colleague George Lang’s recent interview with Benson, click here.
For more information, go to http://cityartscenter.org or www.ticketstorm.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
