The Voice (UK edition) 2012

The UK version of this kicks off tomorrow at 7PM on BBC1. Possibly combining the worst parts of Britain's Got Talent and X Factor into one abysmal show, but let's give it a shot, mmmkay? The coaches are Danny from The Script, Jessie J, Tom Jones, and will.i.am. The set looks like a new rollercoaster at Alton Towers.

That coach lineup is o_O

Also, will.i.am had better tell EVERYONE to "go hard or go home".

I love how Jessie J is considered to be some kind of music industry guru, having been on the X Factor and now this, despite her debut single only being released just over two years ago.

Basically if Tom Jones wasn't on this, I probably wouldn't be watching.

Also, will.i.am had better tell EVERYONE to "go hard or go home".

― Johnny Fever, Friday, March 23, 2012 5:53 PM (Yesterday)

His jacket actually has 'GO HARD OR GO HOME' written on it.

It's "Dragons Den" innit?

It's heavily edited. Maybe it'll loosen up once the blind auditions are over.

Holly: "Ooooooooooohhh... What if only one of you goes through?" <only one of them goes through>

If it's anything like the US show, it will remain heavily edited for the duration.

Thank god, I say

Watched about five minutes of this. Bloke half of couple doing the world's first and last Beatles/Eminem medley, and Rocket Man dude. Jones and will.i.am in some sort of name-dropping duel. Jessie J working out contortionist type ways of pretending to not hit her button. Irish bloke out-Louising Louis (you made that your own!). And a caption for one of the contestants' 'firends' (sic).

Sack of pish.

I got that same sinking feeling I had when I was watching 'Song For Europe' the year Jade Ewan was picked, ie, that things have been heavily heavily weighted in favour of certain candidates or at least certain types of candidates.

Still, at least it doesn't take up 4+ cocking hours like the X Factor auditions do. And BBC directors and producers can refrain from trying to press every single visual effects button on the editing console every 30 seconds.

I mean 4+ cocking hours every single weekend. For those that choose to watch all the ITV2 gubbins as well.

thought more of them would've picked will.i.am based on him actually having a history of producing music for other artists tbh

i thought this was mostly kind of shit then flicked over to Britain's Got Talent and dropped about four divisions into proper deluded insanity

Yeah, I wasn't even going to attempt switching over to ITV1.

amazing (to my untrained ears) huge-voiced 17 yr old opera dude on right now tbh but before that was pure madness

He's got no chance then - you know that it'll be won by a comedy dog on a skateboard, or a gap-toothed kid, or fursuited breakdancers or something.

Was a big-voiced bloke last year, so must be due another street-dance squad this year.

Mis-read that as 'street-dance squid'.

Or that.

A squid street-dancing on Britain's Got Talent is fast and bulbous, got me?

Alex Josh, "cheeky chappy" FFS. The closest this show will ever get to Frankie Cokehoser.

So, is this gonna lose out to BGT in the long run?

I keep thinking of BGT as the Magpie to The Voice's Blue Peter.

BGT has the slight freakshow angle that The Voice is never going to use. I don't know how it's going to work once the blind auditions are over, but The Voice is going to have to step it up to keep the GBP interested.

Ok this was a bit shit in the auditions stage, but holy mother of god, battle week is brilliant.

It was like X Factor Judge's Houses with most of the bullshit removed and compressed down into 90 minutes. With only another taped episode tomorrow and then live shows.

Possible contenders:

• Joelle,
• Sam - if he's himself more,
• Toni,
• Bo - if she builds up her confidence.

• Max,
• Vince - seems like a nice enough lad but also kind of an anonymous voice,
• Jaz - a bit Boyz II Men,
• Ruth.

• Tyler - a bit of a nob, he looks like a cross between Christian Bale and Jedward.

Oh, and fuck off Denise 'hey Ruth let me piss all over your big note by going wibblywibblywibblywibblylalalalalawoahowhoahowhohahawibblywibbly' Five Star.

Possible contenders:

• Ruth-Ann,
• Matt & Sueleen (could be interesting or could be a soft rock nightmare),
• Sophie (needs a bit of work but could be interesting).

• Cassius (depends on whether or not he can deliver),
• Barbara (technically good but zzz otherwise),
• Frances (a loud projecting voice, but is there much else?),
• Alex (yeah he managed to improve a bit, but Emmy was better),
• Hannah (needs to be herself more),
• Becky (voice is a bit rough when she's pushing it),
• David (he might get stuck in a generic rock singer rut).

• Adam (he's not a nob like Tyler, and he's progressed a lot, but not enough).

There was a whole lot of terrible in some of those battles tonight. The version of 'Ironic' might be the worst thing I've ever heard. Also, Becky sounded like the best singer in the world trapped in a ring with Pixie and Dixie.

What really bothers me is that no-one's coming into this with anything fresh. It's all rock for the older male contestants, various types of diva for half of the women, with the rest taken up with pop/R&B/dance stylings.

I think that David might go a long way in the contest, if there's a public big demographic overlap with X Factor, because he's the most Matt Cardle like.

OTM re song choice. It's so fucking DULL!

Particularly since a lot of the contestants did their own individual takes on certain songs. But now it's just BOOOOOOOOORING judge approved song picks. Not even X Factor stamps the individuality out of people that quickly. will.i.am might allow his acts to do something interesting, but even as I type that I can feel the despair - when will.i.am is the best bet for excitement, things are looking bad. And none of the acts have that Cher Lloyd / Misha B drive and presence, so there's not even the solace of hoping that the 3rd/4th/5th placed act 'wins' in the long term.

Did the judge's version of 'Beautiful Day' go on for hours or did it just seem like it?

this is a weird show that completely lacks tension. they need to rethink the format if this comes back. sad that becky didn't get to the final though, she had a real voice. totally unique.

Oh wow, someone actually watches this show apart from me.
'completely lacks tension' is exactly right. Not helped by the structuring of the eliminations to ensure that all the mentors have one act going into the final. I said upthread that the first few weeks of the show gave me the same feeling as 'Song For Europe' when they picked Jade Ewan, and that hasn't changed. Vince is dead weight, and it's criminal that Becky went instead of him. I would say the same about Tyler/Jaz, but Jaz is probably going to be the singer who people still hear about in a years time, regardless of who actually wins. Tyler is a twit, but not so annoying as Vince. Leann is boring. Bo to win?

the voice tour cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/18496105

More than seven million people tuned in to watch 28-year-old Leanne Mitchell, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, be crowned the show's first ever winner.

Her single, a cover of Whitney Houston's Run To You, failed to make it into the top 40 of the Official Chart.

i'm imagining a couple of thousand sales is all that's needed for top 40 atm? lol

Only watched two episodes (including final), found all the judges INTENSELY annoying, apart from Tom Jones.

I think will.i.am was the most annoying by a fair margin.

xp I didn't even realise that the winner's single was out.

I think will.i.am was the most annoying by a fair margin.

I'm going with Jessie J, unless the Irish one was crying.

Jessie was super annoying during the blind auditions, what with that 'trying to look as though she was about to push the button, but not really pushing the button' routine. If the series had been a bit longer, I probably would have been more irritated with Danny Script's whole soulful muso attitude. Luckily Jones canned the whole 'oh I've sung with Elvis/Sammy/Frank/Ghandi/Buddha/Jesus' act.