• Team Christina’s Moses Stone on being the show’s first MC
• Team Blake’s Naia Kete on why she chose a different coach than she thought she would
• Team Adam’s Orlando Napier might surprise you
• Team Cee Lo’s Justin Hopkins is just plain awesome
• And Team Cee Lo’s Tony Vincent isn’t just Broadway

See you next week at the live shows!

• Team Cee Lo’s Juliet Simms and I talk about her coach and his cat;
• Team Adam’s Kim Yarbrough shares her thoughts;
• and Team Christina’s Lee Koch got recruited to the show via a source you might not expect!

Enjoy! Live shows are less than a month away!

The night started off with a battle between Tony and Chris from Team Adam. They performed a decent version of U2′s “Beautiful Day”. The entire time I was hoping that Tony would get chosen to continue, but was resigned to the idea that he would probably be sent packing. Adam did tell one of the other contestants he’d do everything in his power to make sure they won. Winner: Tony 

Team Blake was next, with Adley and Raelynn being chosen. I loved their meetings with Kelly and Miranda and the song choice (“Free Falling”, Tom Petty). Sadly, I was not too impressed with the performance by Raelynn and felt that Adley was the stronger vocalist by far. It was pointed out by CP that a similar thing happened last season and there is probably a method to Blake’s madness. He’s most likely right, but I was still sorry to see Adley go. Winner: Raelynn.

Monique and Chris from Team Christina were the next pair to battle it out. They were given Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love” and both did a great  job, although I agreed with Jewel when she was giving Monique the edge and her reasoning. He’s a power singer and classically trained, but sometimes that’s a bad thing- sometimes you can be so trained that you lose the emotion and I felt Monique had the most emotion in her performance and her vocals were strong. Winner: Chris

Team Cee Lo was next, with Angie being chosen to go against Cheesa. I absolutely loved the song he chose (“Total Eclipse of the Heart”) and was really looking forward to seeing what those two could do with it. The song ended up highlighting a weakness in Cheesa for me- she can belt it out with the best of them and sounds incredible doing it. Unfortunately, when it’s time to tone it down, her voice is too hard sounding. Winner: Cheesa (Sensing a theme here?)

Blake and Christina got a chance to have one more pair each this past week and Blake chose to pair up Jordis with Brian for a version of Alanis’ “Ironic”. I hate to say it, but this was the one battle that was completely and totally painful for me. I honestly do not know who I would’ve chosen to move forward based on it. I do know that a certain person on Team Blake will need to get their head straight soon because they’re letting their head get in the way. If anyone can help with that, it’s Blake. Winner: Jordis 

Christina finished the night by pairing Jessie with Anthony for a version of “If I Ain’t Got You”. It was a great choice and the two really stepped up to give a great performance. As sad as I am to see one go, I see Xtina’s strategy. She wants a very diverse team and they’re so similar. Winner: Jessie

So what about you? Did you pick the winners or are you smacking yourself like I am? Already know whose team you’re on? Comment and let’s talk about it, then head over to Caron Rider’s blog who was kind enough to host me today! I leave you with a little taste of what to expect tonight as well as a cute video:

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1389429

• Season 1 champ Javier Colon caught me up on where he’s been and if he’s happy with his success post-show
• Team Christina’s Chris Mann said my favorite phrase ever: “Idol can suck it”
• His duet partner Monique Benabou talked about the causes she supports
• Team Cee Lo’s Cheesa Laureta cracked me up
• Her duet partner Angie Johnson discussed her feelings on going from Afghanistan to Hollywood
• And Team Christina’s Jesse Campbell gave advice to fellow single parents

I’m far from done: there will be more interviews next week! Stay tuned!

The episode started with Whitney Myer, who performed Alicia Keys’ “No One”. She did an amazing job; I thought she sounded better than Alicia herself on it. I guess the judges agreed because all four chairs turned around. She ended up choosing to work with Adam.

Another great act was The Shields Brothers. They performed a version of “Dancing With Myself” that had Cee Lo chair dancing. He, of course, was the one who got them.

Cheesa, another member of Team Cee Lo, performed Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy”. She started out a bit rough to me, but her voice really shined later into the song. I think Cee Lo can do a lot to help her out.

Lex Land was another one who managed to get more than one judge to turn around. Her version of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” had everyone but Christina fighting for her. She ultimately chose to work with Blake.

Orlando Napier’s bluesy version of Waiting on the World to Change earned him a spot on Team Adam. I’m not really a fan of that song, but he actually made me like it a little.

Lee Koch won over Christina with his version of “Like a Rolling Stone”. I loved the gritty tone to his voice during his performance and looking forward to seeing how he does.

One of the more interesting performances for me was Wade’s version of Rehab. He took one of Amy’s Winehouse’s most famous tracks and made it his own. I was pulling for him to win a spot, too, after he mentioned being scared no one would turn around.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1387660

Finally, I want to talk about Sera Hill who tackled an old favorite of mine, “I’m Going Down”. What a voice! She definitely deserved to be the one to fill Team Christina and I love how she actually got Christina to jump up and sing it with her. One of the highlights of the night.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1387662

The biggest disappointment of the night, for me, was Cameron Novack. He performed Alanis’ “You Oughta Know”. It was an interesting version that showed off his powerful voice. He also did a little Opera and Rap during the episode. So much talent to spare…. how no one turned around I don’t know. I loved how they kept begging to break the rules and take him on anyway.

So what are your thoughts? Anyone you would’ve picked that they didn’t? Was there a contestant who shouldn’t have gone ahead? Comment back and let’s talk about it. In the meantime, with the battle rounds about to begin on Monday I leave you with this clip….

First one mentioned on the site I’d like to talk about is Monique Benabou, who ended up on Team Christina. She did an awesome version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All”. I’m looking forward to seeing what Christina can do with her.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1386172

Next on the video list is Mathai, who got everyone but Christina to turn around. She performed Adele’s “Rumor Has It” and did an excellent job. I especially loved the high notes. She ultimately chose to go with Team Adam.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1386173

Another great performer last week was Nicolle Galyon, who sang Kenny Chesney’s “You Save Me”. I think what was most interesting about her was the fact she plays piano. I’m a huge Phil Vasser fan, so I think it’d be great to see another piano player in Country. Her voice has lots of soul along with the twang and I’m excited to see how far she can go with Team Adam.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1386175

I was happy to see Cee Lo add Jamie Lono to his team after a great version of a Johnnie Cash classic. I was surprised by him because his voice was much more gritty and rough than I was expecting when he came onstage. Let’s see if Cee Loo can keep him from going back behind the sandwich counter….

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1386298

There were some other great performers last week including one that sounded so much like the original artists, at least one of the judges thought it was a joke. If you want to see who that was and some other great artists, check out the site here. See y’all next time and feel free to comment below with your thoughts on performers and anything else to do with The Voice.

The blind auditions powered on last Monday on The Voice. Blake Shelton added three more members to his team – Erin Willett, Brian Fuente, and Jordis Unga. Cee Lo Green also added three more members to his team – Sarah Golden, Erin Martin, and James Massone.

The newly minted contestants from both Team Blake and Team Cee Lo took questions from various media outlets this week about their experience on The Voice, how it felt when the coaches turned their chairs around, and why three of the contestants called out Adam Levine for not turning his chair around for them.

How’s the experience of being on the show so far?

Erin Willett: I definitely didn’t expect as much second guessing. You only see what happens on television and you forget that there’s a lot of sitting around and waiting and marinating on your decisions. Did I do that right? Did I do that wrong? So, I think that all the second guessing was something that I wasn’t prepared for. [There’s] some sort of confidence with it all, because you realize that you are one of the very few who get to be a part of this awesome show. I think that was my biggest surprise in coming into the show.

What’s it like for you to actually see your blind audition on air and see the reaction [that] the coaches were having to you?

Jordis Unga: It was absolutely bizarre, actually. I think everybody would agree with me that, you know, the stress levels during those blind auditions – I was totally zoned out. I don’t remember what the judges said to me. So, it was really fun to actually see what happened, and the responses were amazing. It’s overwhelming and exciting, I mean, I don’t really know what else to say beyond that – incredible.

A lot of you have gained a lot of fans online just overnight from seeing your audition. James, you got a tweet from Leah Remini from King of Queens. How does it make you feel to have gained so many new fans and even some celebrity fans?

James Massone: Oh, wow! It’s kind of overwhelming. It’s a great feeling. I’m getting a lot of love right now and with love, it comes with haters. The love is what I’m really taking in and I’m trying to soak everything in right now and it’s not really real right now to me. I’ve got to pinch myself a couple of times. But yes, everything’s amazing. Everything – all the compliments are amazing. That’s about it.

Erin, we really enjoyed how happy your father seemed to be that you’d gotten through this. I read here that he had passed recently. Could you tell us when was it that you taped this one and how [long] after that did your dad pass, and how much did this actually mean to him at the time before he passed?

Erin Willett: We filmed it in September from what I remember, and he passed away in December. On December 19. First of all, it was just a crazy experience watching him on the TV. I knew that at the station from, you know, knowing that I was going to be on the episode. But it was definitely awesome seeing, you know. So many conversations happen behind the scenes. It’s just like, him being so proud of me and you know, sometimes as a child, you sort of second guess that, but especially like in a horrible situation like that, you really kind of take in every word he says and then, you know, I just couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity, especially at that time.

And yes, it’s kind of weird not having him here now that the show has aired. But, it’s kind of something that I know I can hold on to forever, and I know that he had such an impact on the people around me at the show. You know, the people on the call right now. I remember sitting with Jordis, talking to her, and she was sitting there crying with me when everything was going on. And you realize how much [supportive] everyone is with each other on the show; it’s kind of like a family, because you spend so much time with each other. And our family was out there filming with us, so it was really great for him to be a part of the experience.

When you guys are up there and you’re singing, and the chairs aren’t turning, and suddenly you look and see that somebody’s chair is turned around, does that change how you guys are performing? Are you aware when the chair turns around and then you suddenly go, “Alright, I’m in. I’m going to give it more.” Does it alter your performance in any way?

James Massone: Yes. Well, I was just kind of going up there , and I just kind of wanted to get the performance done. I didn’t think in any way that a chair would really turn for me, to be honest. But yes, when the chair turned, you kind of noticed it with me. I don’t think I sang to my best potential once the chairs turned around, because I was just shocked that they even turned for me. When a face like that turns around and they’re watching you sing, it’s kind of overwhelming and it’s tough to take in, you know.

Sarah Golden: I remembered just kind of feeling kind of calm-ish until starting to sing. And then as soon as the chair turned and I noticed it right away – when I got to the “You and I” part, my voice totally cracked. I was just like, “Oh my gosh.” And it was just like trying to overturn this crazy rush of emotions and say, “Keep it together. You have like 16 more seconds. Just don’t totally ruin the whole end of this.” It was definitely overwhelming to say in the least.

Brian Fuente: When Blake turned around, I almost felt numb. It was like, “Okay, this just happened.” I went out there, it felt so amazing to be on the stage first of all, but when that happened, it’s was just like, “Okay, wow! I’m on this show. This is the real deal, and this is the coolest feeling I’ve ever had.” And just the smile on Blake’s face- that was just so great.

Jordis, this is your second time at this. How did it feel to be on Rock Star INXS and then have the years in between and now getting another chance on The Voice?

Jordis Unga: I don’t even know what to say about it. I mean, it’s absolutely incredible. And all those years in between Rock Star and The Voice, I mean, there were ups and downs. There were record deals, there weren’t. There were poor jobs. You know, it’s been such a journey for me to keep doing here for a living and to be able to. I mean, not a lot of people get as many chances as I’ve gotten. And to be in this position again, I’m just so thankful and overwhelmed. It means a lot to me to be here, and I think it means a lot to the people who have followed me throughout the years. I’m just holding on tight to this one and take it as far as I can, for sure. It feels really good to be here.

Obviously the singer we saw last night (Monday, February 13) is significantly different than the one we saw on Rock Star. Can you sort of tell us how you’ve gotten to this point musically and also, what do you hope to get from this show that maybe you didn’t get from that show?

Jordis Unga: I was really young when I did Rock Star. I think I was 22. And, you know, it’s been a lot of years. There’s been a lot of growth. There’s been a lot of changes. I’ve experimented with different types of music, different genres, different looks. Everybody’s wondering where the dreads are. I haven’t had those in years. And yes, I’m different.

It was years ago. I don’t think the core of what I do as a vocalist has changed. And the beauty about this experience happening for me right now is that I’ve experimented and done all those things and really my only interest is to go back to why I started doing music in the first place, singing songs that are meaningful, and trying to make people feel. That’s always been my gift, as musicians like to really pull at people’s heartstrings.

And that’s what I enjoy about doing what I do, is the emotion and everything about that. So, what would I do differently? I really just want to do me right now – that’s it. And hopefully I can come out of this with music that my fans can play in their homes, because I haven’t gotten there yet. It’s ridiculous. That’s my goal.

Who are your musical influences, and what type of artist would you like to become in mainstream music?

Sarah Golden: My musical influences definitely vary. I know that’s very cliché. Everybody’s like, “I love everything.” I do love everything, but I’d say my strong influences are along the lines of the Indigo Girls, not to be totally type cast into the lesbian card role, but I love Joan Osborne. I love Ani DiFranco. I also like a lot of Texas artists – Terri Hendrix, Trish Murphy. These are all singer/songwriter, female, acoustic musicians that are just amazing in their own right.

Unfortunately, Folk is just not a very popular genre. But it’s not that I’ve chosen to be a Folk musician, because I know it’s not popular, it’s just what comes out. So, if terms of what I’d like to be when I grow up, I guess, I’d love to just continue being able to do what comes naturally and do the kind of acoustic songwriter/Folk thing.

How did you come to audition for the show?

Erin Martin: I auditioned for The Voice, because I’ve been a fan of The Voice ever since it came on television. And the funny thing is, my manager Roger Jansen, I’ve been with him a couple years now. And he’s been getting me out there, like showcases for different labels, like major labels. And I sort of get like, not turned down, but I just get like, “Well, she needs more development.” And the labels aren’t really developing people now. They want someone with a huge fan base.

If you audition for The Voice, and then you make it, then you’ll be in front of millions of people. It’s great exposure. And I was like, “Okay fine, I’ll do it.” So, I auditioned, and it’s like millions of people at the audition, “There’s no chance that I would ever get on this show,” kind of thing. That was kind of my mentality going into it. I’d be lucky if I got on it. And then I get in the call back session, and I then I got flown out to L.A., and I was just like, “Wow, okay. So, it’s really happening. I could be a part of this show.” And then walking on stage, I was having a mini panic attack and thought I was going to die, but I didn’t. I survived. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life doing that final audition.

I was totally entertained by the way Jordis, James, and Erin Martin all challenged Adam as to basically why you didn’t attract his interest. I’d like to know why that came to you to do that?

Jordis Unga: It’s pretty funny when I watched it, because I’m like, “I can’t believe I just said that to him. I was rude. What was I thinking?” But before I went out there, Carson actually told me that “Maybe I’m Amazed” was on of Adam’s favorite songs. So, I was genuinely curious as to what I missed for him.
And when Carson told me that, I thought I would have Adam for sure. I guess my head swelled a little bit, because I got the rest of them. I had to ask why he didn’t turn around. But if that’s one of his favorite songs, it makes sense to me that he wouldn’t hold it close to his heart and really listen carefully to what I was doing and be critical with that. So I can’t believe I challenged him on stage, but I did. And I’m not sure why, but that’s my answer.

James Massone: I don’t know. I just like to fool around and Adam didn’t turn, and I was wondering what happened? What the hell took you so long? And why didn’t you hit your button? But Adam’s a good sport, and I kind of wish he did turn around for me. I was thinking about going on Adam’s team, because I know how hard he works with his team, but I don’ know. That was kind of spur of the moment, and that was really what I was thinking. So, I just kind of said it. That’s about it.

Erin Martin: First of all, I was up there and I was highly distracted, because there was a lot of stuff going on and Cee Lo turned around, and by the time they turned around, all four chairs were turned around. So, I wasn’t sure who had turned around. But, the audience cleared that up for me quickly. I knew Christina wouldn’t want to be my coach, just because I’m so unique. I guess you just listen to my voice, and you’re like, “What am I going to do with that? Like, it’s so weird and so out there.” It’s unique and honestly, Cee Lo turned around and he was like, “I just heard something that was so bizarre and unique and wonderful.” It was like, he couldn’t wrap his head around it, but he was willing to try. And for Adam, I think it was just so unique that he just couldn’t, you know, like when you hear something that’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard, it’s like seeing a new color. So, it’s like, you’re dumbfounded for a second, and you’re like, “What is that?”

But I just feel the amount of time that you have to put two-and-two together, it just wasn’t enough time for him to just wrap his head around what he was hearing. And I don’t think it was bad. I just think it was just unique. And I honestly thought he was going to turn around. I thought that all the coaches were going to be open to new horizons, and I thought that I had something really cool and different to offer, because they were looking for something really cool and different and unique, and that it like the embodiment of my voice. And, you know, he said he liked it, but he just couldn’t figure it out, so I was like, “Adam, why didn’t you turn around?”, because I don’t know.

Jordis, what was it about The Voice that made you want to audition for it, as compared to maybe The X Factor or even American Idol? And why did you choose Team Blake?

I had just gotten released from a record deal and within a few weeks the opportunity to audition came up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.

My voice is what has always been the driving force and I really, after that experience, needed that reminder. And to be honest, I was terrified. But, I spent a lot of time in L.A., and I don’t care you are, it can brainwash you a little bit. So when I hit that stage, I just wanted to do what was in my heart, and it came off really well, I think.

I chose Blake, because he said everything that I needed to hear. And he turned around before I had any breath, before I did anything that I thought would get people to turn around. He heard something genuine in the soft part of my voice. And I really like that about him. And I think that working with Blake could bring out something that maybe would never have even occurred to me.

The Voice’s next round of blind auditions air this Monday, February 20 at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

The performance of the night for me was Pip doing “House of the Rising Sun”.  What a talent! I was begging for the judges to turn around as soon as the first line came out. I was thrilled to see all four turn around. He sadly went with Team Adam.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1384781

Jordis Unga performed the Paul McCartney classic “Maybe I’m Amazed” and did it justice. She has a great rasp to her voice and puts a lot of passion into her performance and managed to get three out of the four coaches to turn around. Blake was the one who finally won her over.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1384804

Another great performer was Erin Willet who chose to sing “I Want You Back”. This one ended up being another victory for Blake, as he was the only one who turned around for her.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1384780

Finally, I want to talk about Chris Cauley, who sang “Grenade”. I think his voice surpasses the original performer and I like how he slowed it down and made it into a bluesy number. I also loved how he asked the judges to arm wrestle to pick who’d win before finally going with Adam.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1384802

So, did you have a favorite? Comment back and let’s talk about it…

Also, this week’s edition of Brittany’s The Voice Blog introduces you to your new singers, as I get thoughts from the likes of Jesse Campbell, Chris Mann, Gwen Sebastian, Angie Johnson and more. Check out what they had to say by clicking here.

Tje Austin from Team Cee Lo released a new single.

And former social media correspondent Alison Haislip is now starring in a new TV series!

To find out about all these things, visit my column at Starpulse.

CR: NBC

Curious what happened to your favorite artist from season 1 of The Voice? Look no further. Since the end of season 1 I’ve been interviewing all the contestants to get the scoop on their post-show activities and favorite memories.

Find out what’s new with winner Javier Colon – but also with other Team Adam members like Casey Desmond, Jeff Jenkins, Rebecca Loebe, Tim Mahoney and Casey Weston.

Catch up with Team Cee Lo‘s finalist Vicci Martinez and fan favorite Nakia.

Or maybe you’re interested in hearing what Team Christina‘s Beverly McClellan has planned.

Stay tuned as I am constantly updating Brittany’s The Voice Blog with new interviews and tidbits about the artists. Is there someone you want to hear from? Let me know!

Totally called Adam saving Casey. To each their own. I liked Casey’s performance last week, but Jeff Jenkins was pretty good, too. Actually all of Team Adam was fantastic last week. Moving on…

Frenchie Davis (Team Christina) kicked off the performances with Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” I have to say that I’ve been unfortunately very underwhelmed by her performances on The Voice. I was hoping to get to see her really bust out some crazy notes on this show, but she seems to be holding back, which is probably why America didn’t vote her through to the semi-finals.

Nakia (Team Cee-Lo) was up next performing Adam Lambert’s “Whataya Want From Me.” I thought this was an interesting song pick for him. He really has to reel his voice in and keep it under control, or else it sounds like he’s shouting. I thought he did a good job at doing that. But, I don’t think he fully connected to the song, like Adam Lambert is when he performs it. That said, Nakia’s take on the song was alright.

I know Adam Levine said in his feedback that he had never heard the song before, which probably made for some fun @replies on Twitter, but cut the man some slack. He wasn’t rude about it, he just said he didn’t know that song existed.

Adam’s been bouncing around different countries since Maroon 5′s Hands All Over album debuted last September. He also revealed last night that he’s never heard of that song by The Script, which is what made me raise an eyebrow. I think someone needs to take Mr. Levine music shopping, and maybe turn on the radio for him in the car.

Alright, Dia Frampton (Team Blake) performed REM’s “Losing My Religion.” I really think Dia has come into her own during this competition. She seemed a lot more confident last night, and it really helped her out performance-wise. I do just love the unique quality of her voice. I definitely think she’s moving onto the finals.

Casey Weston (Team Adam) performed Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Why, why, WHY? Christina should have had one of her divas tackle this one. “I Will Always Love You” is not an understated song, and no matter who the singer is, they will always be compared to Whitney Houston. Kind of disappointed with that song selection from Adam.

One of the best performances of the night came from Beverly McClellan (Team Christina), who sang, “The Thrill is Gone.” I was absolutely in awe of this performance. I thought she did such a great job, and she sounded just fabulous. Beverly mentioned that she was nervous, because of how good Frenchie is, and honestly, it should be the other way around.

If you know me, then you know that I am not a Coldplay fan. Funny enough, when people cover Coldplay songs, I tend to like them. I can’t explain it.  Anyways, I was super bummed to hear that Javier Colon (Team Adam) was singing “Fix You,” not just because it’s a Coldplay song, but because it’s another slow, boring ballad. 

That said, I love when the arrangement picked up and the song all of a sudden had that rock edge to it. So awesome! Javier managed to really put his mark on a song that most music fans don’t think should be touched. To me, that says something. I thought he sounded fantastic.

Xenia (Team Blake) sang, “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by The Script. It was a shaky performance, but I think she did really well. I just love the tone to Xenia’s voice. I feel like if she wasn’t so affected by her stage fright and was able to utilize the stage more, she’d soar past Dia to the finals next week. Not even gonna front, I totally voted for her last night.

The last contestant performance of the night came from Vicci Martinez (Team Cee-Lo), who just rocked out on Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” She was a little pitchy in spots, but she sang that song like it was the last song she’d ever sing. I love singers with that kind of passion.

Switching gears, the coaches also took part in the show gettin’ their sang on. Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera performed their new single, “Moves Like Jagger,” which is such a hot track. I’ve been jammin’ to it since it debuted on the radio yesterday morning. I thought it was funny that while Adam tried to engage with Christina during the performance, she was just off kind of rockin’ the stage. It made for a lot of wide camera shots, but that’s okay. I thought the combo of M5 & Christina just rocked, and I hope y’all go buy the song on iTunes! Check out their performance below!

Blake Shelton performed his single, “Honey Bee,” which I had never heard before, and I just loved it. It’s such a cute song! Blake definitely knows how to work the room. He was all over the stage throughout his performance. I loved the end when Xenia and Dia joined him on stage to sing the chorus. Too freaking cute. Check out Blake’s performance below!

Overall, I thought the contestants did pretty amazing last night. It kills me that four of them are being cut on tonight’s results show. I don’t feel like I’m super invested in The Voice, but all these contestants just seem like rad, talented people. Can’t we keep them all for the finale next week?

Before I get to the answer, there’s a pretty big local event going on here in Hollywood – The Los Angeles Film Festival. It’s a 10-day affair that kicks off tonight in downtown LA. Okay…you know how there’s perception and reality –  and how the two are often vastly different?  Well, there’s definitely something to this when it comes to film festivals. To backtrack:  as a kid, there weren’t any US film festivals to speak of, but when I got a little older a few had cropped up – notably Sundance – and the images they conjured up were a sort of bleak. They just didn’t look like much fun.

Thus, when I first relocated to the west coast – a temporary thing, mind you – I had some pretty strong opinions about film festivals. I’d never even been to one of course —  although that’s never stopped me from forming an elaborate opinion. Besides, I knew people who knew people who knew people who had. Apparently they were strange holier-than-thou affairs filled with boring, obscure movies that smug, Prius-driving people called “art”.  And since Chicken Run, Notting Hill and Pretty Woman are all permanently ensconced on my All Time Top Ten List, festivals were not my speed. In fact, I was sure they held all the appeal of a bridal shower you’re obligated to attend for a distant relative you don’t really know, held in a foreign country where you do not speak the language. Plus, I’d been warned that they only show weird films with unknown actors and creepy subjects and there’s rarely a happy ending in sight. Nor, people told me, should I go to a film festival expecting to make any friends because the other attendees would sense how ignorant I was about film and “film culture”. They would take one look at my pink tortoiseshell eyeglasses and my sensible flats and walk away, unimpressed. I was sure if I ever made it to a film festival I’d find myself seated all alone at a documentary about say, the History of Precious Metals or maybe Third World Cattle & Livestock Migration Patterns and there would be no popcorn and no Diet Coke and no Junior Mints, just dismissive people sighing audibly every time my seat squeaked.

Turns out? I couldn’t have been more wrong. The good news is that nowadays there are great film festivals cropping up everywhere – all across America, in cities big and small. Miami, Cleveland, Telluride, Seattle, Little Rock, Austin – you name it. Most of them actually have something genuinely interesting going on. And about those obscure films no one’s ever heard of?  Well, Pulp Fiction, Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Clerks, All About Eve and Taxi Driver? All came from film festivals. Not to mention  Up In The Air, and The King’s Speech. I bet you’ve seen at least one of those movies.

The first festival I ever went to was Sundance, in Utah. I was working for a radio station and my boss sent me and told me to do daily live reports back and to make sure the two well-known rock stars I would be ‘looking after’ had a ‘really good time’. I was terrified, both of the festival and of the rock stars who were completely certain I was an idiot. I delivered daily reports back to the station standing in four inches of beer-soaked carpet in the basement of a bar, waiting for the cleaning crews to turn off their vacuum cleaners long enough for me to squeak out my name and tell listeners which celebrities had walked by me on the icy streets. My reports were pretty awkward, and the rock stars disappeared the minute we arrived in Utah, eager to find other rock stars and cool parties (which they did). But the point is, I ended up having a really good time, saw several amazing movies, and decided then and there to stop making snap judgments (about some things). Now, whenever there’s a film festival, I try and go. Los Angeles Film Festival is just such an animal, so I’ll be there. Plus, they’re screening a little film called Green Lantern, too, so it can’t be that bad. My point is simply that if you ever get a chance to see movies at a film festival, you should try and check it out – they’re definitely a lot more fun than you might have heard. In fact, some of them are downright awesome.

Today’s featured poll:

Did you watch The Voice this week? Which member of Team Cee Lo is your favorite?

1) Tori & Taylor

2) Vicci

3) Nakia

4) Curtis

Before I talk about last night’s performances, let’s talk about the Top 8 results. America saved Beverly McClellan (Team Xtina)and Dia Frampton (Team Blake). Christina Aguilera saved Frenchie Davis, and Blake Shelton chose to save Xenia.

Maybe it’s just me, but I do not understand how people are “shocked” over Blake choosing Xenia over Jared Blake and Patrick Thomas.

Jared Blake’s voice is just average, at best. There are a handful of lead singers that sound just like him on the radio. Nothing about his voice stood out to me, personally. With Patrick Thomas, I don’t think he should have gone past the battle round. Tyler Robinson completely outsang him. Plus, his performance last week was just okay.

From the begining, it’s been fairly obvious that Blake has a soft soft for Xenia’s voice. Their rehearsal footage is always charming and endearing. I figured he would pick her if America didn’t save her. I think as soon as Xenia gets over her stage fright, she will just soar.

Moving on to last night’s show. It was Team Adam (Casey Weston, Devon Barley, Jeff Jenkins, and Javier Colon) and Team Cee Lo’s (Thompson Sisters, Nakia, Curtis Grimes, and Vicci Martinez) turn to get their singin’ on.

Let’s start with Team Cee Lo, and Tori & Taylor Thompson’s performance of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Oh man. The girls are adorable. They were adorable when they were on American Juniors back in 2004, but this competition is just not going to be their meal ticket. I never thought these two would get past the battle round of the competition.

Their vocal performance last night was kind of all over the place. The song Cee Lo gave them didn’t highlight any aspect of their voices.  I don’t see them moving on any further in the competition.

Curtis Grimes sang “Addicted to Love.” I thought this was a great song to countrify, but his performance fell flat for me. I thought he should have done more with his twang and inflection of his voice, and he should have infused way more personality into his overall performance.

Another Kings of Leon song made an appearance on The Voice this week. Nakia performed “Sex on Fire.” I think Nakia has a great personality, and that’s why so many people love him. I haven’t been sold on his voice at all during this competition, until last night.

I thought Nakia had a very controlled vocal performance. He tends to shout some when he sings, which is what I don’t like, but I really liked the notes that were drawn out during the chorus. I have a feeling if he doesn’t get America’s Save next week, that he’ll be Cee Lo’s pick to stay in the competition.

The true star of Team Cee Lo is Vicci Martinez. This girl can sang. “Jolene” wouldn’t have been my first song choice for her to sing, but I thought she did an incredible job.

If you follow me on Twitter (and if you’re not, get on that!), then you know I am supporting Team Adam. And last night was pure testament to why I think someone off Adam Levine’s team is going to win the whole competition.

Casey Weston sang “Black Horse & the Cherry Tree” last night, and it was just fabulous. Adam helped her choose a song that would highlight the unique quality of her voice, and would allow her to show growth as a performer. I think Casey has a shot of moving on to the Top 8. I think if push comes to shove, Adam will put her through as his pick, because he seems to have a soft spot for Casey’s voice.

Devon Barley sang OneRepublic’s “Stop And Stare.” It was probably the weakest link in Team Adam last night, however it was still a pretty decent vocal performance. His voice was really flat in the beginning, and that was probably due to nerves, but towards the end I thought he came into his own. As much as I like Devon’s voice, I don’t see him moving on next week.

Team Adam’s country star, Jeff Jenkins sang “Jesus, Take The Wheel.” That’s not the easiest song to sing, and oh my gosh, Jeff pulled that performance off just seamlessly. Jeff has a tremendous stage presence, and it was the one time during the show that I forgot I was watching The Voice, and not a concert special. He comes off as a seasoned entertainer, which allows him to not only emotionally connect with his songs, but also the audience. 

Javier Colon sang “Angel” last night, and brought the house down with his sincere vocal performance. I have never heard a guy sing this song before, and I just loved it. I could tell during his performance how much he wants this. There’s passion to be found in his performances that so far have gone unmatched by the other performers. My only advice would be for him to lay off the vocal runs just a tad. I’m all for showing vocal restraint. We know you can sing, so just sing.

A couple other things about the show, I kind of love how the singers are legitimately nervous and are overcoming stage fright to share their voice with the audience. This is truly the mark of finding undiscovered talent. The coaches really get to coach their team, and I love that. I feel like Adam and Blake are really helping to mold future singers, and are giving them the necessary feedback they need to hear.

I know that people have been giving the coaches crap for not critiquing more harshly, but I think constructive criticism is where it’s at, and during the rehearsal footage we see some of that. I think we as the audience have to remind ourselves that the artists are coaches and not judges. They are there to build their team up and help them succeed, not tell them what they did wrong.

Overall, I really liked last night’s show! What did y’all think? And who do y’all think is moving on next week?

I think I’ll end this with Team Adam’s performance of “With a Little Help From My Friends.” Enjoy!

On Team Adam I like Casey Weston a lot. To me she’s kind of like Haley Reinhart. I never watched American Idol this season and got into Haley afterwards. Casey’s performance made me really happy. I also like Vicci Martinez of  Team Cee Lo. Even though I don’t like her that much. I like Kelsey Rey and kind of glad I didn’t watch her episode when she gets elinmated. I would have cried like a baby. I did like Javier Colon doing “Angel” but I didn’t pay too much attention since I was slowly closing my eyes at this point. I liked Devon Barley as well. That was surpring, because I really don’t like him at all. I like how Chrinstina Aguilera said, “It feels like I’m stepping out of my Candyman music video.” towards Tori & Taylor Thompson from Team Cee Lo. That’s exactly what I was thinking as well. They weren’t bad, but you could defintely see where one sister was taking most of the vocals than the other.

The results of last night’s show from last week. For Team Christina: Beverly McClellan was saved by the people. Frenchie Davis was saved by Chrinstina herself. That was what started off the show. Of course I was happy for Beverly because I loved her performance last week. Melissa Elridge would have been proud. Not happy that Raquel was elinmated though. I loved her and will keep my eyes open for her in the future. The last few minutes of the second hour was vote off time for Team Blake. I actuall thought it was going to be one of the boys, but I was wrong. Dia Frampton was saved by the people. Which was a given. She killed it last week. Blake Shelton was a good boy last night and kept my girl Xenia! I screamed after he chose her because I was so happy for her!

So who’s going home next week from Team Adam? Casey Weston, Jeff Jenkins,Devon Barley, or Javier Colon? What about Team Cee Lo? Curtis Grimes, Tori & Taylor, Nakia or Vicci Martinez? I know who I want to stay, but who do you want to stay?

CASEY WESTON  Black Horse & the Cherry Tree:

I was NOT impressed with Casey during the auditions.  I remember when Adam picked her and I was like…NO!  She wasn’t that good.  But seeing her tonight?  She was a LOT better.  Must’ve been a BIT tough for her since it seemed like she wasn’t too keen on that arrangement…she wanted a more mellow, slow version.  But Casey did a great job with it!  Her voice sounded a LOT better than I remember!  She may not be as seasoned as some of the others…but she’s got potential!

VICCI MARTINEZ  Jolene:

Vicci was another one that I wasn’t too impressed with in the Battle Round.  But now hearing her sing alone…she’s got a great voice!  I wouldn’t have necessarily picked a Dolly Parton song for her to sing…but she really pulled it off!  Great job!

NAKIA  Sex on Fire:

Nakia really does have a great voice.  He’s very consistent.  And he’s great because he’s unorthodox.  He just does what he does…and does it well.

JAVIER COLON  Angel:

Everyone who has been watching this show knows that Javier is a FAN FAVORITE.  And watching him perform, you’ll immediately see why.  The guy’s got something special.  Just the way he performs.  Great song choice too.  He was able to once again make it his own.  The ONLY bit of criticism I have is that for ME, he did a LITTLE BIT too much with the runs.  Sometimes he could’ve just held out a strong, pure note WITHOUT any runs attached to it.  But other than that, can’t deny that the guy is GOOD.

Now for the team performances:

TEAM CEE LO  Everyday People:

Umm…Without a doubt the WORST team performance.   It was NOT good.  Gotta love Cee Lo’s sense of performance and style…but gotta focus more on VOCALS.  They were not good.  Especially Curtis and Tory&Taylor. *ouch*  Vicci & Nakia sounded great, but even they couldn’t save that number.

TEAM ADAM  With A Little Help from My Friends:

OK, now THIS was a lot better.  Nice song choice…song filled with much comraderie.

Hmm, I think this week’s voting results will be more difficult.

What did YOU think?

The Voice judges

So we’re at the second live show and tonight four people are going to get eliminated, and we are going to see some more performances. We’ll also see if my predictions about who is going home were correct!

So the show gets stared with Christina’s eliminations, hate to say I told you so, but it went down just the way I said it would. America saved Beverly and Christina saved Frenchie, now I have to wait until the end of the show to see if my predictions on Team Blake are correct (I’m sure they are). Now on to the performances. Sidenote: I have more hair that the rest of Team Christina combined   LOL.

I think Cee Lo handicapped Tori and Taylor, picking a song that people are not familiar with will not garner them any votes, and they will be eliminated next week. Casey gave an alright performance, but nothing memorable they didn’t pick a good pair of performances to start the show out this week.

Finally the performances pick up with Vicci, who won the best battle of the battle rounds, she has a very strong voice, and gave a good performance, I believe she will be safe next week. Devon put on a solid performance of “Stop and Stare,” which could save him depending on how the rest of tonight’s performances pan out, definitely a good song choice for him.

As far as Nakia’s performance, I thought it was weird that Cee Lo and Nakia thought “Sex on Fire,” wouldn’t fit him when I heard that was what the song he was doing,  I thought it was a perfect choice, and he did a great job with the song, much better rendition of Kings of Leon than Jared last week.

Cee Lo and his misfits put on a good performance, the song selection was good considering all the different styles of music his team represents. Come to think of it his team is perfect for him as they are all so different, which is a great word to describe Cee Lo.

Jeff put on a solid performance, and adding the personal story to it will definitely get him some votes, all of the judges being enamored with him as well as his performance will help him out as well. Team Adam put on a pretty solid performance as well, some of the members should have considered singing “The Wonder Years,” song for their individual performance, because they sounded a lot better on that than their solo performances. Javier hasn’t even performed yet tonight, but you can tell he’s the favorite to win this show, he’s so far ahead of the competition it’s ridiculous. As far as Team Performances go, Lady Marmalade was clearly the best one. Let’s watch it again:

If they didn’t announce that the song Curtis was performing was a Rock song, I would have never known it was, not sure if that’s a good thing. His voice is another one that’s unique, but I don’t listen to much Country so that could be why I think that way. WOW! Like I said Javier is the favorite in this show hands down, which is why they saved him for the last spot, he’s the main event and like I said the clear cut favorite to win this show.

Before we get to Team Blake’s elimination I will give you my predictions for Team Cee Lo and Team Adam:

Team Adam:

Fan’s Vote: Javier (obviously)

Adam Saves:Jeff

Team Cee Lo:

Fans Vote: Vicci

Cee Lo Saves: Nakia

Ok here we go with Team Blake, and right on cue Dia is saved, and Blake saves….. WHAT?!?!?!?! Are you serious he saves Xenia, she’s so timid, when I watch her I don’t see a star, he definitely made the wrong choice in my opinion. He has to know something that we don’t, since he kept harping on the fact that they make a good team and complete each other (that’s not weird at all). This is why I wish they gave all the rules ahead of time, because as of now this makes less than ZERO sense to me.You can even tell that Carson was shocked by the tone of his voice when he interviewed the rest of Team Blake.

Overall I think last week had a lot better performances overall but another solid episode of the show! I will be back later in the week with some more thoughts on the show, I will say though it seems like Javier is on a crash course to the finals with Team Christina and Vicci. Make sure you “like” Thoughts of a Jeanius on Facebook for site  updates! What did you think of the show? Hit the comments and let me know!

Check Out Other Jeanius Reviews!

• Jeanius Review: The Voice Live Show
• Jeanius Review: The Voice Battle Rounds
• Jeanius Review: NBC’s The Voice

Alison Haislip, The Voice’s Social Media Correspondent spoke with the press last week about how her role on the show is changing now that The Voice has gone live, how important it is for the contestants to connect with their fans via social media, and what she thinks about the reports on the lack of critiquing from coaches Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, and Cee Lo Green. 

Haislip has a unique opportunity as the show’s Social Media Correspondent to connect with fans through Twitter and other social media outlets as a way to encourage their participation in building The Voice contestants’ individual fan bases, connecting with the contestants, and most importantly, voting. Haislip feels like the excitement to participate has grown, since fans realize that they can get their questions/comments shown on the air.

“I had so many people hitting me up with all sorts of questions from, you know, how did Lily feel about her performance to where did Raquel get her shoes. So we were trying to acknowledge as many of them as we could,” Haislip said.

For fans that want their tweets to show up on the air, Haislip commented that the more specific the tweet is, the better chance it will have of appearing onscreen.

“You know, we get so many generalized tweets of just people saying I love the show or I love Frenchie, things like that. But the tweets that we – at least the tweets that we used last night were the specific ones, the ones that were like, you know, “Lady Marmalade” gave me chills and, you know, those kind of things. Like the ones that just had a bit more to them that would lead to more excitement on the show,” she said.

As much as it is important for Haislip to encourage fans of the show to interact on different social media platforms, such as Twitter, it’s just as important for the contestants to engage with their fans, as well. Haislip said contestant, Raquel Castro is probably the most internet-savvy due to her age, where as Jared Blake and Patrick Thomas had issues logging in to their accounts from a tablet; Haislip shared that she had to help them out. She thinks that it’s crucial for the contestants to utilize social media, especially for the contestants that are getting their second shot at a singing career.

“Some of those artists who are being given a second chance on the show have said that the reason they didn’t have their first chance is because labels or managers or whoever it was said that they just did not have a strong enough online presence, like they did not have a big enough fan base online to get, you know, to get their news out there. So this is a show that’s really embracing that and regardless of what happens to these artists, like regardless of who wins the show, everyone who is on the show has got a huge leap forward because of the social media aspect of it,” Haislip said.

According to Haislip, Frenchie Davis, one of the contestants who considers The Voice to be her second chance, was probably the most nervous during last Tuesday’s live show.

“You can tell that this means a lot to her and that she was – like, she wasn’t messing around backstage,” Haislip shared.

“When I first walked into the V Room and all the artists were sitting there I was like there are nerves in this place. I think it was the first time that the artists realized how big the show was going to be that night and they all had their game faces on. Normally they’re all like really happy and goofing around and like best buds and last night they were just like in the zone to perform.”

At one point Haislip was asked about the coaches and their critiques, due to there being reports of the coaches refusing to say anything negative about their singers.

Haislip addressed this saying, “Well, you know, they haven’t been told that they can’t say any critical but I think it’s part of the show the fact that they are their coaches and they are mentoring these people that they’ve come to care about these artists. And it’s a different beast when you aren’t put up there as their judge, jury, and executioner. When you’re put up there because you’re supposed to be coaching them you’re obviously going to give them criticism in a different way.”

“And I believe that more of their critiques come during the rehearsal process, during those sort of behind-the-scenes moments that we get throughout the show as opposed to after the actual performance. Because once the performance is done, you know, it’s in America’s hands at that point.”

When asked about her interaction with the coaches Haislip said that her dressing room is set up with them and that the vibe is that of “a summer barbeque.”

“Blake just always leaves his door open and is like kicking it with his buddies in there. Carson’s always blasting music. I mean, everyone’s just kind of friendly and out there and really excited to be doing what they’re doing. It’s kind of got this cool kind of summer camp feel to it,” she said.

So which one of her fellow summer campmates would she want to sing a duet with?

“Honestly I think I would want to duet with Blake just because he and I have this fantastic kind of witty repertoire in person that I feel like that would translate into a song as well.”

The Voice airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on NBC.

Originally posted on Blogcritics.