TV Gripes: The Voice

In general, CBS is my most-watched TV network and aside from Law & Order: SVU, I usually give shows on NBC a pass. I made an exception for The Voice which premiered on NBC on Tuesday night in the 9 pm time slot. Carson Daly serves as host (similar to Ryan Seacrest on American Idol) while Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are judges, of a sort. So, The Voice is a singing competition with a panel of judges and a host who greets contestants before and after their performances. From this little bit it sounds a lot like Idol doesn’t it? However, what sets The Voice apart is the fact that judges cannot see contestants as they perform and they select talent for their teams based solely on what they hear, not based on an image (what a concept!). Also, once each judge chooses their teams of eight, they will provide invaluable coaching and pit contestants against each other until they whittle their number down to four. The final four from each team will then go head to head until a single contestant is crowned The Voice. From there things get a bit convoluted… but I’m sure the producers will work it out in due time.

The premise of The Voice captured my interest, even if it didn’t blow me completely away, and from what I saw during the premiere I’ll definitely be tuning in to take a second and third look. After years of watching Idol (with the original set of judges), I know how tiring it is to watch people with marginal talent perform week after week. Still, there are things to recommend The Voice and here’re four reasons why I’ll be watching:

1.) I love the chemistry between the judges. Carson is a bit of a nonentity for me but all four judges are interesting and mesh well together; as the only female judge, Christina holds her own and especially during her banters with Adam, lets her spicy personality shine through. Adam is much more selective in exercising his options but when he does, his sales pitches are so well crafted that he could sell his own mother. Cee Lo is a colorful character and although I was surprised at some of his selections, there’s always some fun to be had when he’s around. Since I’m not much of a country fan, I didn’t know who Blake Shelton was until he came on Chelsea Lately to promote the show (somewhat) but he seems to be a funny and entertaining guy.

2.) Some of these people can actually sing. Aside from the mediocre selections who slip through the cracks with seeming regularity, a few contestants display genuine talent and throughout the two-hour premiere I felt a bit like a talent scout who matches artists with the right management company. I was invested enough that I felt bad for those who were not chosen (and rightly so). If producers would allow judges to throw some back or switch out their selections for more talented contestants in a pool of leftovers, all would be right with the show.

3.) Frenchie is back! Of American Idol notoriety (she was kicked off the show when it came to light that she posed topless to pay her way through college), Frenchie Davis did not give the best performance but I’m glad that Christina decided to take a chance on her. I’ve heard this girl blow on Idol and in the musical, Rent, and know that she is capable of much more. Hopefully she won’t disappoint.

4.) I just plain love music. Musicals, concerts, even karaoke! If singing is involved I’m there and with the entire premise of the show built around singing, The Voice is a must-watch. For now.

*Photo courtesy of NY Daily News

Random Gripes: On Friendship, Lost and Found

I have a small circle of friends. I like to take time to build my friendships and I like to think that most will last forever. Of course, I am aware that there are different levels of friendship and that some were only meant to last a season but it really warms my heart when one of those forever kinds— the kind of friendship that lasts through space and time— is rekindled after a long separation. Over the past month, I have been reveling in the joy of one such phenomenon when my childhood friend S., contacted me through a social networking site.

S. and I met as children and were best friends all the way from kindergarten through sixth grade (that's the way I remember it at least). Along with V. we made a venerable trio and as the three girls who consistently scored the highest marks in our classes, we were bound to be friends (or enemies). But as we left primary school behind us and as our circles expanded to include new friends, I could sense that our trio-friendship was changing. Still, as V. ventured off and formed new friendships S. and I remained as close as ever. I took it for granted that our friendship would remain the same… until my family moved away and we promptly lost touch. For over fifteen years!

The recent advances in technology have made staying in touch fairly easy. From smart phones to emails to webcams and social networking sites, there are many ways for us to stay in touch with those closest to us. But back then, staying in touch meant making long distance calls or writing letters. For the obvious reason, calls were out— I was not paying any bills and my mother would not have me running up a huge phone bill to call S. or any of my other friends. And as much as I like to write, letters were never my favorite form of communication. Besides, my life changed completely with that move and for a long time, I could not form the words to express how I felt in that new life. To anyone. So we lost touch and I adapted to my new life and made new friends. But I never forgot the friends who I left behind.

I am not a fan of social networking sites like Facebook and while I have thought of deactivating my account on many occasions, I have resisted for one reason. Through Facebook, I am constantly reconnecting with family and childhood and high school friends. In many instances, the friendships I remember are not the same, far from it, but with S. and two of my high school friends, K1 and K2, the years seem to have fallen away. It is going on two and three years since I reconnected with both Ks and I occasionally meet either of them for brunch, happy hours, dinners and other social events. S. is a bit further away which makes these types of meetings impossible but for now it’s enough to be able to maintain regular contact and to know that I have one of my oldest friendships back. I will take care not to lose it again.