NBC's "The Voice" gives Idol a run for its money

By George Mattingly

A&E Editor

NBC's singing competition "The Voice", which finished its first season last week, has stirred up a buzz amongst viewers who were quick to compare it to American Idol, the king of Nielsen ratings for 10 years. A closer look uncovers the pros and cons of each for viewers.

The concepts of each the show differ completely right from the audition process. On American Idol, the contestants go through a long process starting with open auditions that focus on stage presence, talent, and appearance and where the most outlandish auditions are showcased. Then it's on the Hollywood week where the contestants are narrowed down until the judges decide the top 24 and the rest is up to America.

The Voice contestants partake in a much simpler process, with the coaches' backs to them to focus more on just the talent. If they want the person on their eight-person team, they push a button that spins their chair to face the stage. If only one coach turns around, the contestant becomes part of that coaches team; if more than one coach turns around, the contestant gets to choose which coach they would like to work with. Each team is narrowed down to four by the coaches' decision and then America steps in to vote.

It's no question to me that the quality of singers is higher on American Idol, and by the time America gets to vote, they have a choice of 24 strong competitors. On The Voice, there is a clear separation from the talented and the not-so-talented. However, American Idol seems to produce the same type of wholesome, commercial singers whereas The Voice is made up of a very diverse group of contestants ranging in appearance, personal style and musical style which gives them an edginess that American Idol lacks.

Next, the judges on American Idol are juxtaposed with the "coaches" on The Voice. The idea behind the coaches was to create a relationship between the contestant and coach based on guidance and mentoring.

I like that the coaches on The Voice are involved with each contestant throughout the entire process that allows them to see each contestant grow. However, I believe the judges on American Idol provide the contestants with more constructive criticism to each contestant which will help them to become better singers and performers, whereas on The Voice, the coaches are full of nothing but words of praise which don't help the contestants much.

Lastly, the voting processes of each show differ from each other. After the initial audition process where the judges narrow down the top 24, the decision is entirely up to America except for the judges' optional save. This voting keeps America involved with the show throughout the season but as we all know the have missed the mark quite a few times. Consider the elimination of several contestants like Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert, and Pia Toscano. On The Voice, the coaches have a hand selecting the contestants up until the final 8 contestants after which the decision is left to America. I think this process helps to keep the coaches' opinion involved throughout the show to make sure the right contestants have a chance.

Although it may be too early to tell whether The Voice will have lasting success like American Idol, it has stood out enough to let the viewers decide for themselves.

The food show reality: Chefs become more warriors than cooks

BY SHELLEY FRALIC, VANCOUVER SUN JULY 6, 2011  

Dial the television knob back a few decades and the world of cooking shows was but a tiny planet. The French Kitchen with Julia Child. The Galloping Gourmet with Graham Kerr. The Frugal Gourmet with Jeff Smith. Wok with Yan with Vancouver-based Stephen Yan. A handful of gifted, animated chefs turning out mostly exotic fare, and that was about it.

It's hard to believe, given that today there are not only entire channels, like the Food Network, devoted to roundthe-clock cooking shows, but dozens of once-unknown chefs who have become so famous that, like Cher, many have achieved rock-star status, recognized by their first names only -Emeril, Paula, Gordon, Rachael, Duff, Nigella, Guy, Giada, Alton, Jamie, Ina, Bobby.

So exalted have these cooks become that many spend more time hosting and judging other cooks, and finding new talent, than they actually do cooking. Bobby Flay, for instance, whips up German chocolate cake for his Throwdown series and is a restaurateur but is currently devoted to discovering the Next Food Network Star.

Alton Brown is as renowned for hosting Iron Chef America as he is for his popular Good Eats show. British chef Gordon Ramsay, the irascible, exacting Simon Cowell of the culinary world, has numerous international restaurants attached to his name, but also hosts half a dozen shows that range from rescuing failing restaurants to choosing master chefs from among rank amateurs. Giada De Laurentiis does a sweet turn on Giada At Home but pulls no punches as a roving Food Network judge.

Modern chefs have always been venerated, especially among foie gras snobs, though mostly in an only-James-Beardhas-access way. All those Michelin stars, Zagat nods and Grand Chef Relais and Chateaux honours mean little to the average burger lover, but to wannabe gourmands they are like Oscars.

So, when small screen cooking first hit our radar back in the 1960s, most of the shows on tap were designed to teach by example that which the great unwashed could not do when cooking with gas, whether it was demonstrating basic cooking skills for the harried postwar housewife or upping the game of the socialite trying to impress at the dinner party.

And then along came reality television, and the gloves came off, as the genre's intrusive cameras began doing for the TV chef what it has done for the Kardashians, generating far more interest in what goes on in the back of the house than in the offerings out front.

Reality television being what it is -that is, the more conflict and tension and drama, the better -has meant that Martha Stewart's cheery learn-by-rote instruction for a dainty hors d'oeuvre has given way to all-out culinary war, as challenges and contests and cookoffs pit pros against amateurs, amateurs against amateurs and Iron Chefs against Iron Chefs.

Which means it's not enough any more to show the viewer how to make a birthday cake, not when back-biting bakers and sweaty-browed breakdowns can be part of the recipe. It's not enough to barbecue baby back ribs in the backyard, not when the smoking of a brisket can be turned into a 24-hour parking lot rodeo of raging testosterone, where sauces are family secrets and braggadocio is the chief ingredient.

If it seems like conflict has redefined cooking on cable, the proof is in the schedule: Cupcake Wars. Hell's Kitchen. 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. Chefs vs. City. Chopped. Food Feuds. Food Network Challenge. Iron Chef. Ultimate Recipe Showdown.

It's an ethic, of course, that has infiltrated reality television across the dial, whether the battles are about building decks or losing weight, street krumping or decorating man caves, finding a mate or singing one's pants off in front of millions of judges.

And the stakes are high: not just industry bragging rights, but trophies and big paydays, fame and fortune, and, as with The Next Food Network Star, a show of one's own.

One of the best in the food wars is Master Chef, a British spinoff currently in its second season. Hosted and co-produced by Ramsay, it showcases the self-taught culinary skills of regular folks, like realtors and single moms, students and truck drivers. The timed challenges -individual, team and "mystery box" -are as tough as the judges, which include Ramsay, and the result is a compelling mix of ego and emotion.

In other words, perfect reality television and as unapologetically watchable as the genre gets.

And then there's Top Chef Canada, an equally addictive spinoff of its U.S. counterpart, which cast 16 of the country's best regional chefs against one other in a series of difficult challenges and was won Monday night by Vancouver's own Dale MacKay.

MacKay, who beat Connie DeSousa of Calgary and Rob Rossi of Toronto in the final, recently opened his own Vancouver restaurant, ensemble. As executive chef of the vaunted but now shuttered Lumiere, and a protege of chef superstars Ramsay and Daniel Boulud, Mac-Kay knows a thing or two about haute cuisine, and about stress and drama.

The latter were definitely on tap in Top Chef Canada, and are clearly the go-to ingredients for this new generation of cooking shows.

On Monday, MacKay held a fundraising celebration with family and friends at his restaurant - a dinner, just so you don't forget what it's all about, that included lobster salad, black cod, stuffed quail and pineapple souffle - and on Tuesday afternoon, the newly crowned top chef was already on the ground in Toronto for more press, and more celebration.

MacKay acknowledged that the series, filmed over six weeks last summer, was pressure-cooker gruelling, but that all that drama makes for great television.

"I love cooking shows, but I'm not a big fan of watching someone stand there and chop. These shows are so exciting and captivating and you get to see the personalities."

And there's also gold in them thar food fights: Not only has MacKay's win brought his talents and his restaurant more exposure, it came with a cheque for $100,000 and a $30,000 high-tech kitchen.

Just imagine Julia Child in a duck battle with Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

fralic@vancouversun.com

 more:http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/food+show+reality+Chefs+become+more+warriors+than+cooks/5056763/story.html#ixzz1RPl9Anz6

Will The Voice replace American Idol?

by: PEPE LOZANOjune 30 2011


Watch out American Idol, there's a new singing show in TV town, and it's called The Voice. Idol may have met its match in NBC's new singing competition, which featured raw unmatched talent and a heavy hitting pop star multi-genre musical cast.

Yes, it's true, Idol made a much-needed comeback in its last season with a noteworthy judges table that included Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler, veteran Randy Jackson and the lovely Jennifer Lopez. The show did well and was popular in TV ratings.

However The Voice reigned supreme in summer TV, which doesn't offer much. The new show crowned Javier Colon its inaugural winner after audience members and viewers at home cast their votes. The results were revealed this week in its season finale.

Voice used a new spin on TV singing competitions early on in the season, which had its star judges/mentors listen to contestants in blind auditions. During each audition, on a grand stage, the four judges had the choice to recruit the singer on his/her team by only listening to each singer's voice, with no visual contact. If the judges liked what they heard, they were allowed to turn their chairs around and put a face to that voice and then try to recruit that contestant to their team. If more than one judge, who later became the contestant's personal coach, picked the same singer, the judges then needed to convince that singer to choose his/her team.

Ultimately, if the singer had more than one option, he or she made the final decision as to which coach they wanted to be led by. Four teams of eight were created, and each singer faced off in singing matches week after week under the direction of their team's coach. Their performances and ability to move from one round to the next was decided on by the majority votes of viewers at home. The show ended this week with four remaining finalists, and neither of them disappointed.

Team coaches included popular artists Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine (from Maroon 5) and country singer Blake Shelton. The team leaders definitely encompassed a variety of genres. Each seemed to really like their roles as advice givers, given their success in the music business. All of them grew fond of their mentees and expressed great satisfaction and pride in how much their protégés grew over the weeks.

In the end Levine's team, with its finalist Colon, walked away victorious. Both Levine and Colon sang Michael Jackson's "Man In The Mirror" at the show's end. And they absolutely killed it. As a matter of fact, it's safe to say that Colon sounded better than his coach.

Colon, a husband and father, has had his ups and downs in the music industry over the years and has been turned down in record deals. He was hoping for a big break, and he certainly achieved that goal. Colon has amazing range and can reach high notes and rock a steady, soothing, soft yet crisp tone that most music ears would welcome. He will receive a $100,000 prize and a recording contract.

That's not to say the other finalists weren't at the top of their game.

For example, Green's finalist Vicci Martinez was exceptional. The two sang a duet of Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" and rocked the house wearing over-the-top costumes accompanied by kid dancers in an extremely well choreographed routine that was mind blowing. Their vocals were not so hot but the performance as a whole was spectacular, something Green fans can always expect from such an original artist and music producer.

Other finalist included Aguilera's Beverly McClellan and Shelton's Dia Frampton.

Although Aguilera has had her recent slumps in the movie business, she still has a powerful vocal range and a load of experience. It was encouraging to see her bring attention to McClellan's personal journey, which culminated in TV stardom.

Critics say what was especially unique about The Voice was that it highlighted the fact that finalists McClellan and Martinez are both openly gay. This welcoming fact is something American Idol has not been able to address with some of its past performers, some of which only revealed their sexuality after the season ended. Both McClellan and Martinez represent a historically underserved constituency on TV, and their coaches Aguilera and Green openly celebrated their orientation.

For the most part, singing competitions on TV have done well among viewers. But in the age of overwhelmingly bad reality-TV, there is little room for originality and good taste. Yet The Voice may have made a dent in that sphere. Time well tell if viewers at home have found yet another talent-searching and live singing show worth their time and support.

Photo: Javier Colon performs Feb. 5, 2004, at his alma mater, Bunnell High School, in Stratford, Conn. (AP Photo/Connecticut Post, Andrea A. Dixon)

Shaquille O'Neal's ex-Wife on the Portrayal of Black Women on Reality TV

Shaunie O'Neal on Black Women's Portrayal on Reality TV

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• By: Sheryl Huggins Salomon | Posted: July 3, 2011

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Shaunie O'Neal (VH1.com)

VH1's reality show Basketball Wives is clearly a guilty pleasure of ours (hence the weekly recaps), but can we honestly say that it helps the image of black women on reality TV? The show's executive producer and star, Shaunie O'Neal, seems to think so. In commentary published on CNN.com, O'Neal said that she tries to strike the right balance between drama and positivity in her show but recognizes that that doesn't always happen on reality TV in general.

I have gotten both good and bad responses from viewers about Basketball Wives, and I certainly understand the opinion that the shows portrayal of black women is beginning to look somewhat negative.

As you see on the show, I'm not a big supporter of the bickering, drink throwing and fighting, but when you put a group of strong, independent and vocal women who are going through or just came out of a bad relationship together, there's bound to be a little drama.

Let's face it, we all know women like the ones on Basketball Wives and countless other reality shows: Women who are vocal if you cross them.

The problem for me is when black women are portrayed as only being that way and labeled different than their non-black counterparts for the same type of behavior. That's when it becomes negative and damaging to our image.

I'm not saying we have to create shows that only paint a pretty picture about who we are, but there should be a balance and most of all some integrity to the shows we create.

Source: CNN.com.

At no point in her commentary does O'Neal actually call out the shows that she thinks aren't striking the right balance, undercutting her "At least we're not as bad as that" argument.

Read the rest of her op-ed at CNN.com and let us know whether or not you agree with her.

Lion King to be re-released in 3D, Zulu

20 June, 2011



Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa return to the big screen when Disney's The Lion King roars into theatres and homes in 3D.

The special re-mastered film premieres on August 26, 2011, showcasing the Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning film on the big screen in Disney Digital 3D for the first time.

"The all-new 3D format immerses viewers in the epic settings and puts them face-to-face with these beloved characters," said president of distribution at The Walt Disney Studios, Bob Chapek.

Zulu

The 3D-only presentation is a planned wide domestic release, nearly a decade since The Lion King last appeared on the big screen and will be the biggest since the film’s 1994 debut. In addition, a Zulu-language 2D version of the film will be made available in selected cinemas in South Africa.

The Lion King, first released in 1994, won the Oscar for Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer) and Best Original Song (Elton John/Tim Rice for Can You Feel the Love Tonight), earning Golden Globes in both categories, as well as for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.

The film also inspired an immensely popular, Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, which is currently featured on stages worldwide. It became the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history in January 2011.

http://www.channel24.co.za

SA singer to debut in American TV series

20 June, 2011
South Africa 

Just five months after releasing her first album, Izwi Lami, South African singer and actress Nondumiso Tembe is preparing for yet another debut, this time in big-time American TV. By Sameer Naik

The Durban beauty, 25, landed a role in the fourth season of popular American series True Blood, which will be screened on US television next weekend. Tembe, who plays a French-speaking supernatural, has signed up to appear in several more episodes of the hit drama.

The fourth season of True Blood starts next Sunday on entertainment broadcaster HBO and Tembe can’t wait for her fans to get a glimpse of her debut.

On Twitter, Tembe told her followers: “Wow! Am overwhelmed by all the support and well wishes. Having an amazing time on set so far, and can’t wait for you all to see season four.”

Tembe was full of praise for HBO and said she had thoroughly enjoyed her night shoots on the set of True Blood.

“Shooting on location tonight, my first night shoot. Big up to HBO for the dopest trailer ever,” she tweeted.

She added: “When I said ‘shooting all night’, I had no idea we would wrap up at 6.30am. I have a new respect for film acting. Very humbling experience.”

True Blood, created and produced by award-winning Alan Ball, is based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, and details the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional town in Louisiana.

Tembe joins a star-studded cast, including Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, and the series has garnered Golden Globes and Emmys.

Tembe is the latest South African actress to make it in the US, following in the footsteps of Oscar winner Charlize Theron and Terry Pheto, who recently landed a role in popular soapie The Bold and the Beautiful.

However, Tembe is no stranger to fame, having been born into an entertainment family. Her mother, Linda Bukhosini, is a well-known soprano and her father, Bongani Tembe, is a sought-after tenor.

Tembe spent her formative years in New York City while her parents studied music at the prestigious Juilliard School.

She began performing in opera and theatre at the age of six, before returning to South Africa at the age of 10.

She then returned to the Big Apple on her own to study musical theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, following this with a master’s degree in acting from Yale.

Now based in Los Angeles, Tembe is determined to make a name for herself in Hollywood and her next project will be the Boston Court Theatre’s production of new African musical Witness Uganda in Los Angeles, in which she plays a ferocious Ugandan woman who runs an orphanage.

She is also writing her first screenplay.

BBC pays £22m for successful U.S. show The Voice to take on the X Factor

By LIZ THOMAS

The BBC has splashed out an astonishing £22million on a reality entertainment show to take on The X Factor in the Saturday night ratings war.


BBC1 controller Danny Cohen signed a two-year deal to secure the UK rights for The Voice, which is already a success in the U.S. and Holland.

The cost to the Corporation is likely to be ramped up still further as it looks to sign up a big-name judging panel. Adele, Robbie Williams, George Michael and Cheryl Cole are among stars being touted for the role.



Cheryl Cole (left) and Adele (right) are being touted as judges for the £22m reality entertainment show, The Voice. The show has a similar format to talent shows such as The X Factor. However, at initial auditions, the judges are unable to see the acts and must base their decisions solely on the artists’ vocal skills.

It focuses more on constructive criticism rather than the pantomime put-downs and rivalry for which the ITV show has become famous. The eventual winner will get a record deal with music giant Universal.
But critics questioned why the BBC was spending such a vast sum on a derivative show at a time when it is supposed to be cutting back.

It is also questionable whether the Corporation, as a public service broadcaster, should be involved in a programme that will inevitably heavily promote Universal and its talent.

Last night the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘The BBC often justifies the licence fee by telling the public that it provides unique content. Spending millions on what viewers might consider to be a rip-off of X Factor risks making a mockery of that claim.’

Senior BBC figures revealed the deal for the show runs until 2014. It is estimated the programme will cost £650,000 an episode to make – which is more than Strictly Come Dancing, but around half ITV’s weekly bill for The X Factor. The length of the series has yet to be finalised.

BBC executives told the Daily Mail its bid was not the highest and ITV had offered more than £30million for the programme.

Mr Cohen said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted that The Voice will be coming to the BBC. It’s a big, exciting and warm-hearted series and will be a fantastic Saturday night event.’

The show is the brainchild of John De Mol, the man behind Big Brother, who said he chose the BBC because the broadcaster ‘shared his passion’ for the series, which he described as the ‘new generation of the [reality] show genre’.

Sources close to Miss Cole said she was ‘taking time out’ after being axed from the U.S. X Factor and had not been in discussions about The Voice.

But it is understood the BBC and Mr Cohen are keen to work with the singer.