Showing posts with label BLIND AUDITIONS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BLIND AUDITIONS. Show all posts
Friday, March 16, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
[NEWS] WHY 'THE VOICE' IS HITTING THE HIGH NOTES
The Voice is suddenly on a hot streak - the kind of streak reserved for lightning-in-a-bottle pop-cultural phenoms that elevate hope and talent over hype and humiliation. The kind of streak that suddenly threatens to cast American Idol in the shade.How is The Voice better than American Idol? Let me count the ways.
. The Voice has coaches, not judges. Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, and country vocalist Blake Shelton have a vested interest in the success of their 12 chosen team members.
. The Voice auditions focus on performing ability; American Idol auditions focus, as often as not, on humiliation and the vocal train wreck. The Voice's contestants are chosen in advance, based on their singing ability; Idol's contestants are chosen from whoever walks in the door.
. The Voice is tailored to the individual performer's chosen field of singing. American Idol forces contestants into a box. This week, disco, next week, power ballads, the week after that, duets with Pauly Shore. The Voice simply asks: Do you have a good voice? Good. Now show us how good. And do it your way.
. The Voice's coaches are singers themselves. They're working in the industry now, and their music is contemporary, relevant and on the song charts. Shelton is on tour now, with his finalist from The Voice last season, Dia Frampton.
. The Voice is changeable and adaptable to shifts in musical tastes and tracking trends. American Idol is locked into more of a stiff format. The Voice bends and moves with the times; American Idol is trapped in the past. The Voice is karmic; American Idol is dogmatic.
. The Voice is inclusive. Last season, two of the four finalists were openly gay, and no one cared. American Idol appears uncomfortable with the subject, at least during the competition phase. (One theory holds that, because Idol's core fan base lies in the conservative, U.S. red states, alternative lifestyles are deliberately downplayed on the show.)
. The Voice makes no secret of the fact that many of its contestants have previous experience in the recording industry. In some cases, they've had record deals, only to be dropped by their label over time. American Idol, on the other hand, likes to pretend its contestants fell off the back of a turnip truck, even though some of them have experience, too.
. The coaches are expected to be themselves, not play TV versions of themselves. Levine is high-energy, uptempo, combative, sarcastic and outspoken. He's all about the music, not the fame. As he told me last month, "I trust this show more than I trust the business," when it comes to finding new talent. Green is soft-spoken and watchful; he listens more than he talks. Aguilera is effusive and open-hearted, but also given to moments of reflection and introspection. And Shelton, who some Voice insiders have tabbed as the standout coach, is as much about nurturing and encouragement as he is about album sales and tour dates.
TV-reality competitions are not quite the same as real-world talent contests. They're designed for TV, for one; the talent part is secondary. They have to deal with issues of pacing, suspense, empathy and old-fashioned storytelling. They work best - as TV shows - when there's an element of challenge and overcoming the odds, and self-affirmation. There has to be a rooting interest, and a reason to watch other than mild curiosity about who will win in the end. There has to be a reason for viewers to come back, week after week. And when talent alone won't do it - some Idol seasons are stronger than others - there's always engineered drama.
The Voice has its share of contrived drama. Every second contestant, it seems, is an HIV-positive recovering addict or a 50-something lifelong music devotee looking for that one last shot at fame and stardom.
On Idol, though - especially this season - the contrived drama has overwhelmed the singing, at times.
There was no need, for example, to shamelessly keep replaying the moment when a 16-year-old fell off the stage during Idol's Hollywood audition phase. Contestant Symone Black, already suffering from dehydration, took a tumble off the front edge of the stage after performing a credible rendition of Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. There was no need to show the accident what seemed like 67 times - no need, that is, except ratings and the fact that, thanks to the magic of video editing in the digital age, the moment could be packaged and used as a teaser for nearly two hours, followed by an episode-ending cliffhanger. Was she hurt? Did she injure her back? Will she ever sing again? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
Idol has now reached the audience knockout phase. A dozen contestants remain, following last week's systematic mauling of Adele songs. Idol will dial back on the engineered drama, in theory, from here on in and let the singers take over.
There's an inescapable feeling, though, that this year's field is weaker than in some past seasons, despite the judges' constant crowing about how this is "the best group ever!" It didn't help Idol's cause that Interscope Geffen A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine told one contestant last week that his "shtick" was getting old and that the show is called American Idol, not American Comedian.
Iovine remarked that another contestant was screechy and annoying, and said of one performance - which got a standing ovation from judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez - that it was cheesy.
Meanwhile, The Voice has wrapped its sensational blind-audition phase - the search for the mystery voice - and is now in the so-called "battle rounds," where the coaches assign a pair of singers in their teams to perform a duet, and choose the singer most likely to advance. The singers will be helped in their task by guest mentors: Lionel Richie and Jewel with Aguilera's group, Kelly Clarkson and Miranda Lambert with Shelton's group, Ne-Yo and Babyface Edmonds with Green's group and, perhaps most intriguing, Alanis Morissette and Robin Thicke with Levine's group.
Levine told Anderson Cooper recently that he's angling to get Kanye West involved with his group. Not so long ago, the very suggestion would have been laughable. Now, not so much. The Voice is suddenly serious business.
And music to the ears. The Voice has risen lately in the ratings, where American Idol has dropped.
For once, though, the bottom line is not just about the bottom line.
The Voice is simply the better show, pure and simple.
The Voice is more relevant, more meaningful, more compelling and more entertaining right now, because it's good to listen to, not just fun to watch.
Source: TheStarPhoenix
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
[NEWS] CARSON DALY RECAPS EPISODE 5 OF 'THE VOICE' AND REVEALS CHRISTINA AND SERA'S MOMENT WAS COMPLETELY IMPROMPTU
I really enjoyed last night’s episode. The theme now is prepare for battle! If the blind auditions are about falling in love with artists, the battle rounds are about earning your respect and earning your keep. It’s one of the things we really liked about this format, and it’s one of the things that’s really risky, too. America’s in love with the blind auditions, but all of a sudden there’s an evolution here, and we’re switching gears next week. Watch a sneak peek of the battle rounds. But last night was about filling up the team, and although the coaches were still very picky, there was some really great talent.
I loved how the show opened with Whitney Myer. I love her story. She tours with her family, and it’s like the 1970s in her world, like the Brady Bunch. But more importantly, I really liked her voice a lot. I thought she was really a strong artist, and got the show off to a great start.
I think the Shields brothers are a good example of Cee Lo proving time and time again that success in music is as much about talent as it is entertainment. Cee Lo is definitely the most business savvy of all of our coaches. Cee Lo sees more than just a good voice. He’s already a step ahead; he’s looking to who’s marketable, who can put butts in seats, if you will, and that’s the way an entrepreneur thinks. You’ve got to entertain a crowd, and you’ve got to put on a show. He looks at the Shields brothers like he does Tony Vincent, as artists that could really be entertaining, which is an equally important weapon to have in your team of 12.
One of my favorite artists last night was Lex Land, who’s actually been on my late night show before. I saw her at South by Southwest several years ago and my staff and I loved her so much. She was really nervous and gave sort of a lackluster performance — she almost didn’t sound good at points — and I know that she’s capable of more, but she still got 3 out of the 4 chairs to turn around. She’s an exciting artist to watch and it’ll be fun to see her battle. That was a real highlight.
With Cameron Novack, I think the coaches made the right call. There was this talk about “Can we break the rules?” but as Cee Lo said, it jeopardizes the integrity of the whole show. The coaches are going to have regrets, and Cameron was Cee Lo’s regret. Cameron seemed to be a lightning rod on Twitter. People wrote to me, “I loved him in an Adam Lambert way!” or they said, “Absolutely not.” I got no gray area on Cameron.
I liked Wade’s version of “Rehab.” I like it when our artists give us their own take on a song. Wade is a student of music, as we learned, and he showed great respect for old school music and the Marvin Gayes of the world. He showed originality, he paid homage to the music that he loves most, and he showed so much talent and range. Really, that was a smart move by him. And he looked like a mini Cee Lo! They had a little brother, big brother thing going on, and their immediate affection for one another was contagious.
I really loved Sera Hill. I liked how the show closed with her, and I loved her personality. When Christina came out on stage, Sera looked as surprised as Taylor Swift looked the very first time she won an award. And when Christina kissed her on stage, she was just trying to hold on to the kiss, grabbing it out of thin air. A couple people asked me last night whether Christina’s performance was planned. The truth is, there are microphones around those coaches at all times if they ever feel inspired to get up and sing. What you saw there was an impromptu jam moment, which is the most fun to witness, just to see the look on Sera’s face. It’s one thing for her to be on Christina’s team, but it’s another for your coach to immediately want to sing with you. That was a really great moment and a looking glass into how, when the show is firing on all cylinders, it provides moments like that.
There was a lot of concern about my well-being after Adley Stump’s mother jumped on me, literally, leaped across the room, like a scene from Black Swan. This was like my audition for Dancing With the Non-Stars. But I caught her, because safety first, Mrs. Stump. Everybody asked, “Are you okay!?” and I want America to know that I am very strong and I proved it last night. I am recuperating!
Another thing I want to mention that America will be thrilled about in the battle rounds is… new wardrobe for all the coaches! What Purrfect the Cat was for conversation during the blind auditions, Christina Aguilera’s compact-disc hat will be for the battle rounds.
What people are watching throughout The Voice is a snapshot into what the music business used to be able to do well and just doesn’t do anymore. There is a process to music: There is a discovery process, there is a mentoring process, and then there is a “let’s see how far your dove can fly” process. Those are the three pillars of real A&R, and this is how the process happens. And there’s a fight in it all, and the fight is the battle rounds. The battles are in the ring and they’re ferocious. The coaches want to enter the live shows with the most diverse teams that they can get. It’s like Gladiator: Win the crowd, win your freedom. It’s been about building these teams, and now it’s about fighting to stay on them.
Source: EW
Monday, February 27, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
[NEWS] 'THE VOICE' FIRST LOOK: WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT THE BLIND AUDITIONS?
If you’ve never watched NBC’s The Voice before, there’s one good reason you need to give it a chance when Season 2 premieres Feb. 5 after the Super Bowl: The blind auditions.
Picture this: No bad singers. Seriously, the show’s casting producers aren’t lining up people for failure and humiliation or giving attention-seekers a stage in front of a national audience like other talent competitions. Every singer that hits The Voice stage has just as much chance as the next one to sing their heart out and will those coaches into swinging their red chair around or not.
But, why take my word for it? The show’s coaches Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Cee Lo Green along with the singers themselves describe the uniqueness, the gravity and the possible glory of The Voice’s blind auditions for you in this first look video from NBC below.
[SMART-PHONE FRIENDLY]
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Picture this: No bad singers. Seriously, the show’s casting producers aren’t lining up people for failure and humiliation or giving attention-seekers a stage in front of a national audience like other talent competitions. Every singer that hits The Voice stage has just as much chance as the next one to sing their heart out and will those coaches into swinging their red chair around or not.
But, why take my word for it? The show’s coaches Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Cee Lo Green along with the singers themselves describe the uniqueness, the gravity and the possible glory of The Voice’s blind auditions for you in this first look video from NBC below.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
[NEWS] 'THE VOICE' SNEAK PEEK: 'A BLIND AUDITION THAT'LL MAKE YOU CRY!'
If reality competitions know how to do one thing, it's tug on those heartstrings.In this exclusive first look at a contestant's blind audition on The Voice, a single father puts his future in one song, all in hope that one judge turns that giant chair around…
Jesse Campbell's story is one straight out of the movies: his wife left him, he ended up homeless and he had to sleep in his car with his little girl on his chest. He found a new life through singing, at weddings and churches, and now in his 40s, he's counting on his voice to bring him and his daughter the future they deserve.
But of course, it's up to judges Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton if he makes it to the next round. Do they press the button and swing around? Watch the video below to find out, and then tune in to E! News tonight at 7 p.m. for the whole story (NBC and E! are both part of the NBCUniversal family).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)