NBC's The Voice - The Coaches

NBC's The Voice seem to be turning heads last week as the audiences loved watching the four coaches turn their chairs based on what they heard, just to the could get a peak at who they were listening to. The show holds the interesting premise that the Coaches are going to define the sound of The Voice of the next generation. So I thought it might be nice to spotlight the music of the Coaches before we head into the second episode. I must admit, they are an impressive lot.



I'm going to start off with Country star Blake Shelton. To say he towers over the others is no joke - at 6'5" tall, he's got the them all by at least 6". He made his record debut 10 years ago, when his first single, Austin, hit #1 on the country chart. He has not looked back since, scoring eight #1 County songs, including one earlier this year. But one I really like, She Wouldn't Be Gone, was released in 2009.



I don't know what it is about Adam Levine, but he sure is a sexy beast. As frontman for the band Maroon 5, they have sold over 15 million album with only three studio albums out, starting with 2002's Songs About Jane. They were awarded the Grammy as Best New Artist in 2005, and have had several chart-topping song. Their latest, Misery, made it to #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in the summer of 2010.



Cee Lo Green is a quiet yet potent tour de force in music today. He broke onto the scene in 1995 as part of the Goodie Mob, rapping and singing on songs he had written. The group was well-received by the critics and the audience. He went on to formm Gnarls Barkley with Danger Mouse, and co-write the monster hit Crazy. As a solo artist, he just recently had the huge single, Forget You, the "PG" version of the song F*ck You. He was featured on the Grammy Awards in a glittery production that featured muppets and Gweneth Paltrow.



It is hard to figure out just what to say about Christina Aguilera that hasn't been said by countless others. For the last 12 years, her voice has been taking up top spots on all the charts, ever since her first single, Genie In A Bottle, went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. When the girl sings, there is no mistaking the talent and ability she has. Check out her singing Ain't No Other Man, which went to #6 on the Pop chart.



To open the first show, the four coaches did a great version of the Gnarls Barkley mega-hit, Crazy.



Catch the second episode of The Voice this Tuesday, May 3, on NBC at 9PM/8Central. Looks like there several more performers who will score big with the audiences once again. I am looking at you, Nakia!

GLEE Redux - The Substitute

Clockwise from Upper Left: Conjunction Junction, Cee-Lo, Catherine Zeta Jones & Rene Zellweger, Gene Kelly, Rihanna, and Donal O'Connor.

Once again I am recapping the latest episode of Glee, only using the videos of the original songs rather than the covers. Hope you enjoy.

The show opens up with the discovery that Sue is the acting principal, as a nasty flu is spreading throughout the school. Seems an explosive sneeze, which we witness, takes out Principal Figgins, as well as Mr. Shue. Next we see Mr. Shue in a tissue-strewn bed, being waited on by a surprise nurse, Terry. Shue is less than impressed, even when he discovers Terry is seeing a therapist and is medicated. He is even less impressed when she asks him to flip over to take his temperature. He asks Terry to leave, only to have her leave him the one DVD that will make him feel better, Singing In The Rain.

Although Rachel thinks the time is right to take over the Glee Club, the other kids are less impressed by the coop. Kurt has the fine idea to ask the substitute teacher who is covering Shue's Spanish class, Ms. Holiday as played by Gweneth Paltrow, to take over the reigns of the club. After all, he loved when she was the substitute English teacher, and had the class sing Conjunction Junction.



Right away, we learn that Holiday is one of 'those' teachers, who is wanting to be best friends with the kids, askinig the kids what they want to sing. Puck suggests Cee-Lo, and Holiday takes it on herself to do just that. Gweneth sings Cee-Lo's Fuck You, only it is Forget You in prime time television. This video is in the intended state, so it might not be safe for work or kids.



Sue steps into the boys locker to tell the Beiste that Sue is officially disbanding the football team. The Beiste reminds Sue with no football, there is no cheerleaders. Sue needs to rethink her plan. Next we have will having a dream, as he performs Make 'Em Laugh from Singing In The Rain.



Mr. Shue is at home, still recovering. Terry offers to rub a bit of Vick's Vap-O-Rub on him, which he resists at first. I would guess it was because he was embarrassed to have recently waxed his shockingly smooth chest. This, of course, leads to more, as Mr. Shue seems unable to make a good decision about love and sex. Mercedes has her Norma Rae moment to get her well-deserved tater-tots. Seems Principal Sue has banned all food she considers junk, and Tater-Tots are on that list. Rachel & Ms. Holiday have it out by Rachel's locker, and Holiday tells Rachel to let loose, and choose the song she wants to do. Rachel has one in mind, a duet, and Holiday offers her own assistance. They do a song from Chicago, Nowadays.



Shue makes his way back to the school, only to be intercepted by 'Principal' Sue, and discovers she has fired him, cause she likes Ms. Holiday's hair better. I think she might not have fired him if he still had his chest hair. But I might be wrong. A night out with Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes is less than enthralling for her. She is lost between the talk of Prop 8, DADT, marriage equality, and Patti LuPone's autobiography. And her need for Tater-Tots. Mercedes is ultimately uninterested in the conversation of the two gay boys. Soon we are observers at a heart-to-heart between Shue and Holiday, when Holiday tells Shue she has failed, not able to be the teacher she once was. As they talk, they are interrupted by Terry, who accuses them of being bad. Shue admits he made a mistake making love to his crazy ex-wife, and asks her to leave, for good. That has never worked before, so we will see what happens...

Mercedes and Kurt are chatting about Tater-Tots, and love problems. Kurt is really happy about his mysterious relationship with Blaine. But he takes it on himself to mention that all Mercedes worries about food might just be her need for love in her life. Mercedes decides it is time to talk to the cute guy Kurt wanted to set her up with, and Kurt gets threatened by Karovsky, who still has a thing for the cute crooner.

After an odd conversation with Principal Sue, Shue is back as Glee leader, following the kids all saying sweet things about him. On his return, he tells them he would like to do Singing In The Rain at Regionals. The kids balk, as they wanted something more current. Shue decides to seek help, and asks Holiday to help him sell the old musical. She is more than happy to assist, and they break into the mash-up, starting with Rihanna's Umbrella.



While Gweneth and the kids are sloshing around on the rain-filled stage, Shue joins them to sing his part of the mash-up, Gene Kelly's Singing In The Rain.



End scene.