April 14, 2014 
Picture Credit: NBC/The Voice
I did not have a chance to watch the show last week, but I did watch the performances online.
That being said, does anyone not think that Sisaundra Lewis is going to run away with the top prize? If you are doubtful, have a listen to her magnificent performance of Billy Joel’s “New York State Of Mind”. She is so good she scares me – but in a good way.
And her poise on stage? The confidence in her performing ability just oozes from her pores and she works the stage and her audience like a lioness protecting her cubs. She slithers along just effortlessly, singing notes and runs that defy logic. She is going to be hard to ignore and to beat as this competition moves quickly to completion.
Congratulations to singers from Team Blake, Sisaundra Lewis, Audra McLaughlin and Jake Worthington, who have advanced to the live shows.
At this writing , I am not sure which Team will be featured this week, but I am still pretty invested in Bria Kelly from Team Usher. I would love to see a Bria/Sisaundra Top 2 but there is so much talent this season it is difficult to call.
The Voice airs Monday, April 14th and Tuesday, April 15th at 8:00 PM on NBC.
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I love the talent on the Voice this year…Delvin is my favorite so far! I would have chose the boy who sang stay (Country) over Kat, to many big voices this year! Other than that I loved it.
Gene,
Do you get the feeling DWTS is trying to give NeNe the boot? I didn’t like the switch at all…
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Sisaundra is everything you say she is but I don’t think she is a shoe in for the win. She has huge skills but can be unpleasant to listen to. I really enjoyed the first part of New York State of Mind and then it got way to big, which is what I don’t like about her singing style. She is probably the most skilled and experienced vocalist in the competition but how often does someone fitting that description win? I think she has limited appeal as a sola artist.
Brianna was my favorite from the audition rounds but she is in a position now of needing to make a comeback. I think she actually lost her last two rounds but was put through anyway. I hope she can get it together and get back to singing the Blues. They have been protecting her for some reason, so I suspect she has more to offer. We will see tonight.
One of the girls that Usher said Brianna beat was Tess Boyer, who I thought won that round as well her next round when Blake cut her after having saved her. Suddenly she’s the genius on Shakira’s team. I think all of the drama was prearranged and she is a contender. I also think that one of the new coaches are slated to win this season and she might be the one to take Shakira to the top.
Blake’s country boy Jake Worthington may be a contender as well. He’s got a decent voice and a lot of likeability and there has been good support for country artist in past seasons.
I also like Delvin, Christina and Kat and the country girl on Blake’s team is pretty decent. Kat could gain a full letter grade from me by simply removing the fish hook from her lip. Delvin needs to do something to show himself as a contemporary artist. I like Al Green as much as the nest guy but it won’t take him to the top. I haven’t really noticed the other two girls until this most recent round so i’m not sure what they are capable of.
I can’t recall anyone on Usher’s team except Brianna
If the judges don’t cross the contestants up too much with poor song choices, it should be a good season.
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Vonnie,
They weren’t doing her any favors but you have to wonder what the whole story was. Tony seemed hyper sensitive about the mention of Derrick’s name, which seemed pretty odd to me and Nene couldn’t stop crying about the whole thing. Pretty odd. Who is she anyway?
I liked the switch up but it shouldn’t have been on an elimination week. I thought Sharna did a good job on the swap week with the kid who was eliminated but it’s hard to have much longevity when you are paired with the newest dancer, even if she is as cute as young Whitney. I think most of the fan support and votes are for the pro dancer rather than the celebrity contestant.
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Gene,
NeNe is from one of the reality housewives shows, I’m thinking Atlanta!
Yeah! Not sure what the whole Tont/Derek thing was, but he sure was bristled up like a Banty Rooster! I wonder about some if the relationships on the show, I am sure Derek gets a lot of attention, but I see it as deserved, the guy is phenomenal. So maybe NeNe was embarrassed watching herself back, a little full of herself!
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Gene – thank you for your comments. I confess – I haven’t stayed on top of this show this season and ,with the Easter season in full swing here, I am very preoccupied preparing for Church services and family gatherings.
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I understand completely. I hope you and Vonnie and your other readers have a wonderful Easter celebration.
I was glad to see Brianna get back closer to the right path. She needs to resist the temptation to belt beyond her limits though. That’s what she did in the previous two rounds that really sunk her performance. “Wild Horses” was a good song choice for her. The Stones have always stuck close to the US delta Blues root. Kudos to her Dad for buying her a Gibson Les Paul. Nice.
I didn’t realize that Josh was still in the competition so I was glad that Usher picked him to go to the next level.
Cudos to Stevie Joe for bringing a little BB King to the Voice stage. His prep session brought to life the concern that I expressed earlier about Usher coaching Brianna. He doesn’t seem to see the distinction between Blues and R&B. Stevie Joe was on the right track in practice until Usher had him embellish the quintessential Blues song and turn it into R&B. He didn’t stand a chance from the get go.
I don’t know much about the third guy that Usher put through.
Vonnie,
One of the Housewife’s sounds about right. Derek is the bomb and I like his sister when she fills in at or joins the judge’s table. I think Val is Derek’s closest competition among the male professionals. As for the switch up week, I was surprised how much genuine affection had developed between the original pairs and how relieved they were to be back together. That may keep them from getting burned out with each other toward the end. PS, I think Maks is in love.
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Happy Easter to you too Gene!!! Here is a video for you to check out, this little girl is amazing!
I think you may be right about Maks…and I’m not sure Charlie likes it either!!! 🙂
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Yeah she is good Vonnie. Did you watch her other videos after this one? The Billie Holliday stuff was sort of freaky. I don’t think she speaks English yet she sings in English.
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I’ve been watching all of The Voice and DWTS this season–both MUCH more enjoyable than Idol!
As for The Voice, I haven’t yet learned all of the contestants’ names, but I love Josh who Usher chose for his team tonight. And I was sorry to see Stevie Joe leave. But there is some spectacular talent this year. And as good as Sisaundra is, I don’t expect her to win. She’s more polished than some of the newcomers, but I prefer other voices over her voice.
And the dancing on this season’s DWTS is some of the best in a long while. And I, too, think Maks is in love! 🙂 They look spectacular together. Charlie has a long-time girlfriend, so I think he must be fine with it!
I read an article earlier this evening which quoted Tony as saying that he was very upset that he was portrayed as the “villain” this week. He said they were both tired from traveling, and both apologized and put it behind them last Wednesday. So I guess both were upset that they were portrayed as they were. He was upset that he was portrayed to dislike Derek, when in fact he used to babysit him and they all get along really well. I guess the show needed a little drama since they can’t portray Maks as the bad guy this year.
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Hi Louise,
I really like Josh too and I was glad to see that Usher had saved him. I thought he had been eliminated in the last round.
I’m glad to see the effort that they are putting into DWTS to try and keep it alive. I think they have a harder task than Idol does simply because ballroom dancing is a harder sell to a young audience than a contemporary singing competition, but they are ahead of the curve. I agree that the level of competition is the best I’ve seen in a long time. The pairings are good as well. I’m glad to hear the additional information on the apparent strange behavior this week. I hadn’t considered the pesky editor being behind it. I have never heard that Tony baby sat Derek before. I knew Derek and Mark were best friends though.
So it’s Maks and the Ice princess. I’ve seen him in lust before but he looks like a school boy around young Meryl. I think they have a good shot at the coveted mirror ball trophy.
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Here is a song I like from Joey and Rory with a good message for Easter in it. There may be a brief ad of some kind before the song. I’ve been to the place where they are performing.
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Louise,
That is great info on Tony and Derek…I was watching and very confused, I have never seen Tony be any thing but gracious and very caring on the show! That is interesting that he baby sat Derek…it is sad when a show kicks their professionals in the shins just for ratings! Because in reality it put Tony and Derek in a bad light!!!
LOL…Yep! Maks is Twitter patted!!!
LOL, Charlie I don’t think is jealous of the romantic, but of the competitive aspect of Meryl and Maks…I would think it would be hard to see your life long skating partner have another partner, but he and she are both very supportive of each other on the show and always cheering each other on! I love that about them. This year is a very tough year to be a star on this show! Great year!
I too liked the guy last night that Usher picked, I actually liked all of his choices!
Somewhere along the line I missed Blake’s team final…who did he chose for his top three?
Gene,
Loved the video! Thank you!!! 🙂 I didn’t watch any more of this little girl, my son had sent me the video and I passed it on here! I will go back and watch more of her stuff. I just thought it amazing to have that much emotion and connection to a song at 8 years old…something some of the idols needs to watch!!!
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Vonnie,
You are welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I noticed the same thing about the little girl. She was speaking in one of the other videos and I suspect that she doesn’t speak English, which makes it even more amazing how she connects with her songs.
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vonnie wrote: “Not sure what the whole Tony/Derek thing was, but he sure was bristled up like a Banty Rooster!”
i had to chuckle at this because i’ve seen tony bristle like a banty hen (rooster) quite often, that seems to be his nature. i see him as a bit of a whiner.
and maks ‘in love’? that is interesting.
i’m not watching this season. i watched the first two shows because my sister is a giant hockey fan and there was a hockey player on who was eliminated in the double elimination in the second week. he would have been safe because diane nyad was the lowest scoring person.
what do you think of the new hostess? i was impressed in the two shows that i saw her do.
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i do agree that Sisaundra is very powerful (in persona as well as singing talent), however i don’t think she is as relatable as some of the others. and, i don’t think i’ve ever seen her ranking in the itunes list. however last year’s winner mostly didn’t rank in the itunes rankings until the very end.
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Hunter,
I think Erin Andrews is doing a great job as co-host on DWTS. Her post performance interviews are more lively than Brooke’s and she digs a little harder. Her personality is pleasing in this role. I didn’t really expect it to be so and, unlike a lot of folks, I liked Brooke.
You are missing one of the best seasons they have had. The pairs are well matched and very competitive. Plus Amy Purdy is phenomenal and inspirational.
I’m hoping the reset at Idol will work out as well and next season will be a great one.
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LOL, Hunter! Growing up my Grandmother had Banty Hens and Roosters and she would always say that someone was bristled like a Banty Rooster and I guess it stuck!!! She was a hoot and I loved hearing her say that!!! LOL, I had not seen Tony so ruffled, the spurs were out on he was ready to take somebody on!
I agree with Gene, you are missing a great year! I like the ice hockey guy too and wished that he would have gotten to stay a little longer!
I really like Erin too, I think she is doing a really good job, she has a lot of the same personality as Tom and it makes it fun to watch!
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vonnie, i know i’ve heard the ‘banty hen’ comment from my childhood. i remember it as banty hen, not banty rooster, but banty rooster makes more sense, and whatever, it fits perfectly with tony and actions i’ve seen from him in the past.
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i’m glad erin is doing a good job, i thought she would. gene, i too liked brooke. i liked *her*, i didn’t think she did a good job as hostess but i was so glad for her to replace samantha..and i didn’t like the person who did the first year either. i hope erin stays with it but she seems to have so many jobs i don’t know if this is too much. i’ll always remember how tears poured down brooke’s husband’s face as he watched brooke dance.
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vonnie wrote: “I liked the ice hockey guy too and wished that he would have gotten to stay a little longer!”.
i think he was eliminated early because not that many people knew him. he was good. i thought it would have been interesting to watch dianne nyad too, her personality was interesting to watch.
both should have stayed and billy dee should have gone the first week. it was difficult watching billy dee. it sort of gave me the creeps. 🙂 but apparently, he had fans voting him to stay. thank goodness he claimed injury so that other better dancers didn’t also have to go.
my sister, as i mentioned, is a giant hockey fan. she said that the hockey guy is universally disliked, by both players and fans. i think she used the word ‘hated’ which i didn’t want to use. he thought he was booted because he was presented as a ‘bad boy’. i told my sister that i don’t think enough people knew him or cared about him to even know that he was presented as a bad boy.
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Very descriptive blog, I enjoyed that a lot.
Will there be a part 2?
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