They’re baaaaaaaaaack! Christina in an ultra-short coral dress with sky-high Louboutins. Adam with a full beard and newly engaged. CeeLo sporting an intricate head tattoo, at least in the sizzle reel.
And so it was that three-fourths of “The Voice” coaching crew, along with host Carson Daly, appeared before a packed session at summer TCA (Television Critics Assn.) press tour, capping off NBC’s day of programming panels.
For the few of you who may not know (or care), Christina and CeeLo gave up their red chairs for season four, which were ably filled by Shakira and Usher. He finished just one step away from winning the competition with his artist, Michelle Chamuel.
While things may have been a little unsettled at the beginning of their tenure– Usher was mercilessly teased for calling Nashville a state and Shakira seemed to have a limited repertoire of comments to give the contestants – both coaches ended the season with high marks and many fans of the show expressed a desire to have them stay.
But not so fast. CeeLo and Christina made it clear they are firmly back in their leadership positions of “The Voice” family.
When asked about those who had filled their seats, Christina made nice-nice about Shakira while Cee Lo talked about how awkward he felt watching Usher – and wasn’t heard to compliment the job he did.
Reigning champ Blake Shelton– his artist Danielle Bradbery was crowned the winner last month – was unavailable to attend due to a concert engagement, but his presence was still felt.
“I feel like I’m coming back the Blake Shelton show,” said Aguilera. “We laugh all day. It’s always fun to press our buttons, see the person, get ’em on our team. We want them to win, but we can all agree it’s the contestants that do win at the end of the day. Blake keeps it funny with his trophies.”
Adam, known for his bromance and rivalry with Blake, seem eager to praise the the show’s contestants. “It’s great to work with these guys and help them to win the show,” he said about the hopefuls. “But it’s more amazing to work with these people, whenever they go home they go home with these amazing experiences. Winning is great, but winning isn’t always the point. As long as we do our jobs and teach them what we know, we win. We’ve been very lucky in our careers. It’s more about preparing our people not to win or lose but do have a great experience.
Levine then reflected back to his early days when all he wanted to do was pay rent. He also noted that Daly was the one who first put his band on television, a bit of pop-culture trivia that may not be widely known.
CeeLo’s exotic pets have become a trademark on “The Voice,” and although he didn’t bring one to the Beverly Hilton, he was asked about the head tattoo he sported in the sizzle reel for the upcoming season five. “It’s fun to be different,” he noted.
And much as “The Voice,” has become a huge powerhouse – whether it makes stars of its winners or not – it’s still fun to watch, listen and vote.
