Blake Shelton says

Blake Shelton says 'Voice' judging panel chemistry is 'as strong as it's ever been'

When NBC announced at the end of last season that popular judges Christina Aguilera and Ceelo Green were temporarily leaving "The Voice" in order to pursue their own musical endeavors, viewers were skeptical the show would be as good with Shakira and Usher sitting in their places.

Adam Taylor / NBC

"The Voice" judges, from left, Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher, and Blake Shelton.

On Monday, at a panel discussion for "The Voice" held during NBC Summer Press Day, mainstay judges Adam Levine and Blake Shelton revealed that they, too, were worried the new judging panel wouldn't be as good as the original.

"I was a little nervous. [The show] was beating the odds," said Shelton. "It was a [successful] music talent show in a world where there's a lot of those. I never met [Usher or Shakira] before, and one thing you can't fake is chemistry. And damned if its not as strong as its ever been."

"We were certainly curious to see what the chemistry would be when the new guy and gal came," Levine told reporters after the panel discussion. "I think that we're beyond happy ... It's obvious, too, if you watch the show that there's a lot of chemistry."

Levine and Shelton weren't the only ones that didn't know what to expect in regards to the new format.

"I didn't get any preparation for this show," Shakira told the audience. "I was thrown to the lions with no rehearsal time. There really was no guidance whatsoever. [The producers told me] 'just be yourself.' There are no poses here. It's just all about being spontaneous."

Usher, too, remarked that he was worried about being able to find his place on a show that was already a big hit.

"They didn't need us in order for the show to work," he said. "I was very proud of what I saw before [and] I brought years of experience and opinion ... being able to mentor other artists."

Shelton had nothing but praise for his new co-stars, and the production team that chose them to replace Green and Aguilera after last season.

"[Whoever] picked these two knew they weren't dealing with artists with egos," Shelton said. "They [are] really good people."

From Usher's signature "one leg up" judging stance ("The network was originally against it," Usher told the audience. "[They said] we don't think that will read well. But it worked!") to the foursome's playful ribbing of one another, the new formula is certainly working, something executive producer Mark Burnett also attributed to the show's focus on keeping things fresh.

"'The Voice' has clearly been claimed by young America. It's fresh, the music is current. [These judges] are current super stars," he said, slightly jabbing at other singing shows that use judges whose careers may be past their prime. "This is not their day job -- their day job is touring and making music."

With all the talk about how great the new judging panel has been working out for the show, audience members were eager to find out if Green and Aguilera would even be invited to return next season, but even NBC doesn't seem sure on what to do. A rep announced during the panel discussion that no decision had been made yet in regards to who would be sitting in the judges' chairs for season five.

Blake Shelton Gets Crash Course on Usher

Blake Shelton Gets Crash Course on Usher and Shakira From Miranda Lambert

NBC Universal

Season four of "The Voice" is off to a great start and the camaraderie between the coaching panel -- Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and new additions Usher andShakira -- has never been better. Putting any conflict rumors to rest, the mentors fielded questions from reporters at NBC's Summer Press Day in Pasadena, Calif. on Monday (April 22), but spent most of the time exchanging friendly and funny barbs.

"I was a little bit nervous [about adding new coaches] because I knew how well the show was doing and it was beating the odds," says Blake. "It's a music talent show in a world where there's a lot of those. We knew we had something that worked and I had never met either one of these two [Usher and Shakira] before. The one thing that you can't fake is chemistry. I'll be damned if it's not as strong as it's ever been with the four of us. I'm lovin' it. I'm proud of that. Whether it was NBC or [executive producer] Mark [Burnett], whoever picked these two knew they weren't dealing with artists with egos, they were dealing with really good people and that's what makes it work."

In an effort to educate her hubby on his new coworkers, Blake's wife, and fellow country superstar, Miranda Lambert gave him a history lesson on Usher and Shakira's impressive careers.

"I can tell you a true story right now," he started to say.

"These tend to be long," joked pal Adam. "There goes Grandpa Shelton telling his stories."

"Last week my wife was with me here in Los Angeles," Blake continued. "Every now and then I get to have her here with me on her days off. We spent probably three hours one night, Miranda was educating me on Shakira and Usher and showing me videos. She's such a fan. She was like, 'You don't appreciate how ...' I was like, 'Oh my gosh, they're awesome, babe. I swear to God, they're awesome. I know they are.' She's like, 'No, look at this video and then tell me!' I swear I saw all of their videos, I listened to all their hits and that's been the last week of my life. She sold me on them."

One sore point among the coaches is the steals during the battle rounds, although, as it was pointed out, contestants who are stolen by another coach may still be sacrificed in favor of a singer they've been working with since the beginning of the season.

"That makes the decision even tougher because you do feel loyalty to the ones that picked you to begin with after you picked them," says Blake. "There is a trust and a bond there. If you're really doing your job as a coach, you have to make the decision based on talent and not a relationship. That's tough. The lines get blurred and it's a gray area sometimes. Sometimes that makes a difference in a winner and a loser in those type of situations."

Blake Shelton To Officiate At Kelly Clarkson's Wedding

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock will be wed at a yet to-be-announced date, and their marriage will be refereed by none other than Blake Shelton.
Clarkson announced the news to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the 48th ACM Awards.
"He's not only singing, he's marrying us," Clarkson said. "He totally is, he's done it before with people."
Clarkson announced her engagement to Blackstock on Twitter in December, including a pic of her engagement ring.
"I wanted y'all to know!! Happiest night of my life last night! I am so lucky and am with the greatest man ever," she said. Shelton, speaking previously with Hollyscoop, said he was integral in getting Blackstock to ask for Kelly's hand in marriage.
"I told Brandon, 'Man, you need to grow up and figure out that you need to marry this girl'," Shelton said.

Blake Shelton Weighs In on Kelly Clarkson

Blake Shelton Weighs In on Kelly Clarkson's Country 'Rush'

Getty Images for InStyle It's no secret that Kelly Clarkson has country roots. In 2010, she topped the country charts with "Don't You Wanna Stay," a duet with Jason Aldean, had a Top 5 hit with Reba McEntire -- her future stepmother-in-law -- with "Because of You" in 2010, and even released a country mix of her pop hit, "Mr. Know It All," in 2011. Sitting in the 20s on the charts now is her collaboration with Vince Gill, "Don't Rush," which she performed at the ACM Awards this past weekend, but will she ever "go country"?

"I think the way to get Kelly full on into country is for us to start letting her in. That's the trick," says Kelly's pal, Blake Shelton. "The Voice" coach, who will also officiate the songbird's wedding to his manager Brandon Blackstock, adds, "She's clearly shown an interest in it and it clearly means something to her. I've talked to her and I don't think it was until the 'American Idol' thing that she went down that road of rock and found her voice that way. She grew up a country music fan -- she'll be the first to tell you that and obviously a huge Reba fan."

The Texan isn't shy about her musical inspirations either, posting about her excitement to see George Strait, Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks at this past weekend's ACM Awards. "You should get Kelly going on the stuff she used to listen to in high school and growing up, it's country," Blake continues. "It's amazing that it hasn't happened already, because that's the music that she buys ... Kelly's excited and she's nervous and she's giddy about this. She wants it badly. I think she'll be there as soon as it's handed to her, she'll take off with it."

The Season 1 "American Idol" winner has seen a lot of acceptance from Music City, having even been nominated for the Female Vocalist of the Year title at the 2012 CMA Awards (which inevitably went to her friend, Miranda Lambert).

"So far, I know it hasn't clicked yet, but her single's starting to get some traction," Blake concludes. "I've seen this before where those singles come out and there a little bit slow and then all of a sudden they get some research in and find out that country fans do in fact worship Kelly Clarkson and we do accept her as one of us. I think we'll see that song take off."

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert share CMA Award nomination for “Over You”

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will compete for four awards each when the Country Music Association hands out its annual trophies Nov. 1 in Nashville, Tenn.

But the common number of nods wasn’t all the Tishomingo residents wound up sharing when the 2012 CMA Awards nominations were revealed Wednesday.

The country music power couple is nominated together for song of the year for Lambert’s heartbreaking hit “Over You.” The song of the year prize is awarded to songwriters.

The pair, who wed in 2011, penned the emotional ballad about the death of Shelton’s older brother Richie in a car accident. Blake Shelton was just a teenager at the time, so his wife never met his brother.

“’Over You’ means so much to me and to my husband and to our family,” Lambert said during the June CMT Music Awards, where “Over You” earned the female video of the year trophy.

Shelton and Lambert are among the few married couples to share a CMA song of the year nod. Ed and Patsy Bruce were nominated in 1978 for “Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.” Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer wrote “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” with his third wife Darlene Shafer in 1985 and “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” with his fourth wife Lyndia Shafer in 1987. Tammy Wynette and George Richey, who wed in 1978, wrote the 1976 nominee “’Til I Can Make It on My Own” with Billy Sherrill.

Along with song of the year, Shelton earned a shot at the CMA Awards top prize, entertainer of the year, along with Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and current titleholder Taylor Swift.

The Ada native also is nominated for male vocalist of the year, an award he won the past two years, and single of the year for his chart-topping ballad “God Gave Me You,” produced by Scott Hendricks. Plus, contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Dave Barnes received a song of the year nomination for penning “God Gave Me You.”

“I never get tired of these ‘Oh-My-God-How-Did-This-Happen?!!’ moments,” Shelton said in a statement. “Thank you to country radio and everyone who casts a CMA vote. I am truly honored.”

Along with her song of the year nomination, Lambert is nominated for music video of the year for “Over You,” directed by Trey Fanjoy. The Texas native also will vie for female vocalist of the year, an award she earned the past two years, and album of the year for “Four the Record,” produced by Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf. Her previous album, “Revolution,” won the category in 2010.

Thompson Square, another husband-and-wife team with Oklahoma ties, received two CMA Awards nominations. Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson and wife Shawna are nominated for the second straight year in both the vocal duo and new artist categories.

Norman resident Toby Keith received his 28th career CMA nomination in the music video of the year category for his viral smash “Red Solo Cup,” directed by Michael Saloman.

Carrie Underwood, who hails from Checotah, received her seventh nomination for female vocalist of the year, a trophy she claimed in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

In addition, Underwood and Paisley will return to co-host the awards show for the fifth consecutive year. The 46^th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 1 on ABC.

Blake Shelton’s Year-Round Christmas Cheer

Blake Shelton enjoys the double-take. Towering above most people at 6’5″, it’s impossible for him to not stand out.
He’s already turned some heads, announcing his release date for his Christmas album, “Cheers It’s Christmas” in the middle of summer.
The album, which consists of duets with the likes of Michael Buble, Reba McEntire and his mother, Dorothy Shackleford, is being released Oct. 2.
Shelton said he’s been looking to do a Christmas album for the last three years, but the project really came together when he pitched Buble, who is also working with Shelton as a mentor on Season 3 of “The Voice.”
Shelton thought Buble’s “Home,” a 2005 track from his album “It’s Time,” “embodied my idea of Christmas,” said Shelton. Via email, Shelton pitched Buble, asking the Canadian singer to rewrite the song to make it holiday appropriate.
“I was too nervous to call and ask him something like that, at least if it’s in email I can feign hacking,” said Shelton. Buble agreed and re-wrote the song, recording a duet with Shelton.
Oklahoma native McEntire also recorded a duet with the country singer. Shelton’s mother, Shackleford wrote and sang “time for Me to Come Home” with Shelton. “The Voice” coach lost his father at age 71 last year, so working with his mother “meant a lot” to Shelton.
Over half the album is made up of duets, although Shelton won’t reveal who else he’s collaborating with. “It’s very personal to me, but this album has definitely taken me out of my element and pushed me to really work through a lot of ideas,” said Shelton.

 

Best bets: Blake Shelton and Hugh Laurie

Best bets: Blake Shelton, Hugh Laurie, Phife Dawg and more

 

1. Mike Trainor and Kevin McCaffrey

TruTv tends to put all of its cards on the table. You get what you expect, like its popular "World's Dumbest" series. Comedian Mike Trainor narrates the whole thing, elevating dumb to funny. The commentator, along with his co-quipper Kevin McCaffrey, will bring their stand-up to Morty's next week.
Trainor says, "It's hard to pick my favorite," dumb criminal at this point, as he's done more than 100 episodes. "I was pretty happy recently with a clip where a woman stuffed a mink coat down her pants. It allowed me to say, 'A mink coat? More like a stink coat!' on television. Yes, I have a strange job."
Trainor insists the show isn't just for laughs. It teaches lessons, too. Namely, that we must realize we live in a world with cameras.
"One guy broke into a store that sold security cameras," said Trainor. "There must have been 30 angles of the guy."
8 and 10:20 p.m., Aug. 24-25, Morty's Comedy Joint, 3625 E. 96th St., $12, (317) 848-5500

2. Recalling the Beatles

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra presents a Beatles tribute concert for the fifth year in a row -- cast members of "Beatlemania" performing their "Classical Mystery Tour" show, a touring hit since its creation in 1996. Performers and the Beatle personas they create in the show are: Jim Owen (John Lennon), Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney), John Brosnan (George Harrison) and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr). The ISO will not perform.
8 p.m. Aug. 17-18, Conner Prairie, 13400 Allisonville Road, $22 in advance, $27 at the gate, ages 2-12 $11 and $13

3. New West Guitar Group

An all-guitar trio performing music described as ranging from jazz to chamber music to Americana will make its Indianapolis debut. Guitarists Jeff Stein, Perry Smith and John Storie constitute the group, whose newest CD, "Round-Trip Ticket," (Summit) peaked in the Top 20 list of the JazzWeek radio charts. The group was formed several years ago by guitar students at the University of Southern California. It has been honored by Los Angeles Sister Cities Committee.
7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 22, Earth House Collective, 237 N. East St., $5 suggested donation, 

4. Hot Club of Detroit

Putting a 21st-century touch on the classic gypsy jazz guitar style of Django Reinhardt's Quintette du Hot Club de France, the Hot Club of Detroit goes into modern jazz, such as "Seven Steps to Heaven" (a Miles Davis classic), as well as refreshing the Reinhardt repertoire. Band members are Evan Perri, lead guitar; Julien Labor, accordion; Carl Cafagna, sax; Paul Brady, rhythm guitar; and Andrew Kratzat, bass.
7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 18, Jazz Kitchen, 5377 N. College Ave., $15, 253-4900.

5. Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton's singing voice made him a country star, but his speaking voice made him one on TV. The Oklahoma cowboy had been releasing successful country albums, including "The Dreamer" and "Pure BS," for a decade before he was drafted as a judge on "The Voice." Catch Shelton when he hits Indy for this Indiana State Fair appearance.
7 p.m. Aug. 17, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., $40-$75, (317) 917-2727

6. Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest

Can I kick it? Yes, I can. So here's the scenario: A Tribe Called Quest rose in the 1980s, along with De La Soul, as pioneers of jazz-influenced, enlightened hip-hop. A few decades later, those groups remain highly influential. MC Phife Dawg, who led Tribe with Q-Tip, will be at Blu Lounge this weekend. What's more, he's got a new solo record out just this year. Ladies, extra points if you introduce yourselves as "Bonita Applebum."
9 p.m. Aug. 17, Blu Lounge, 240 S. Meridian St., $10, (317) 955-8585

7. Locals Only finale

And that's the show folks. Tonight's three-billed set, featuring Whoa! Tiger, Jenn Cristy Band and Breakdown, is on the books as the last show at longtime independent music stronghold Locals Only. Grab a beer and enjoy this unique, creative space while it lasts. The club's motto "You don't have to be from here to be local. You just have to be here now" sure makes sense tonight.
8 p.m. Aug. 17, Locals Only Art and Music Pub, 2449 E. 56th St., (317) 255-4013

8. Benjamin Harrison's 179th Birthday Celebration

President Benjamin Harrison may be turning 179, but he sure looks good for his age, thanks to the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site keeping his memory and legacy alive. The celebration will include a concert featuring Alexandra and the Good Batch's original, engaging children's music. The museum will offer free walk-through tours, and there's free ice cream and birthday cake.
1:30 to 4 p.m. Aug. 19, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, 1230 N. Delaware St., free, (317) 631-1888

9. Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band

Dr. House was, for eight years, one of the most riveting characters on television, aggravated, passionate and fiercely intelligent. The guy behind House, Hugh Laurie, isn't the same character. He's British, for starters, and actually quite friendly. But they do share one thing: talent. Outside of acting, Laurie is a successful blues musician. His first full album, "Let Them Talk," a collection of classic blues cuts, was released in 2011 to mostly positive reviews.
7:30 p.m. Aug. 22, Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts, 355 City Center Drive, Carmel, $45-$145,

10. Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction is the living, breathing definition of "alternative rock," when it meant an alternative to mainstream, watered-down radio metal. Led by Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro, the band was on-again, off-again for much of the past two decades, but they've held it together since 2008, with a new record, "The Great Escape Artist," released earlier this year.