Sunday, March 4, 2012

A little note from the blogger himself here-if you're trying to reach me, well...

Hey there, guys, I've found out a couple people have checked out my blog, but are having problems trying to get a reply in.  Please bear with me, since all this is kinda new to me, and I will do my best to fix the problem.  But, just in case, if you're interested in getting a response out to me (and I may be able to plaster it on her somehow), and just can't do it here, just drop me a line at my email---CCWolffeNC1962@aol.com--and I'll be glad to muse over all the comments, good and bad.  But believe me, I look forward to the chance to find out what we do and don't have in common.  :)

Saturday, March 3, 2012

My take on The Voice, Season 2-Who SHOULD Be Heading To The Live Shows?

All right, guys. I've been intrigued by NBC's "The Voice" since last year, ever since a big blues brother named Nakia got me to tune in,  and last year's performances got me to stay, as you found out last time.  Last year's performers were good, but the competition this year has improved tenfold (as well as the playful "bickering" between the stars), and I'm glad more artists have the chance to compete this year (48 this year, with only 36 last year).

Therefore, I'm gonna put my two cents in and give you an idea who just might make the live shows this time around. The artists are about to head into what are called the one-on-one battle rounds, where two acts sing the same song, but only one is selected by the coaches to win and move on in the competition. But as to who should be around when the live shows start? Here's my blow by blow, starting with the "weakest" team, up to the strongest, and my top 6 for each team, along with a "wild card" that just might make the cut IF he, she, or they come up with a good round.....

TEAM CEE-LO-sorry, "RedZone," but the fact that it seems the team got a little weaker since last year, when it had powerhouse vocalists Vicci Martinez and Nakia. The team is known for being eclectic like its coach, but it needs to come out swinging out HARD, and right now. I hope Cee, along with advisers Ne-Yo and Kenny "Babyface" Edmunds (TAKE THAT, Simon Cowell, and especially LA Reid), can muster the strength this guys need. Anyway, its best six (in my opinion) for the live shows are...
6) James Massone-a young man from Boston with a pop-ish like voice to his quality (reminds me of the boy band singers of the last few years). His weakness is he needs to develop some power in his vocals.
5) Wade-he knows how to put an R&B spin on most rock/pop tunes, as he showed with the Amy Winehouse tune. But he also needs to develop his vocal strength.
4) Jamar Rogers-he sounds like a young Cee-Lo himself, just needs to polish his style a bit.
3) Staff Sgt. Angie Johnson-this military lady is bad to the bone, now just needs to carry that attitude.
2) Tony Vincent-a Broadway trained actor/singer who has the chops (as Christina eluded to, or "vocal ability," Blake), just needs to fine-tune his ability.
1) Juliet Sims-this is a rocker who knows she's got some serious ability, I can see her being another Vicci Martinez.
WILD CARD (in case one falls by the wayside)-Erin Martin
This girl has one of the quirkiest voices around (think another Macy Gray), and just might be able to capitalize on that IF she gets the right song.

TEAM BLAKE-Blake, you pulled off some surprises last year, most notably the runner-up Dia Frampton (and I admit to now being a fan of hers, thanks to her development). I hope you can do the same thing for yours, but you do have work ahead of you. Be glad your wife Miranda Lambert and singer Kelly Clarkson (TAKE THAT, Ryan Seacrest, and Randy Jackson) are there to help you out this time. OK, here's my picks...
6) Naia Kete-she herself has a very distinctive voice of her own, she just needs to right song to complement her.
5) Jermaine Paul-a great singer, for sure, but his problem is there's already one too many powerhouse soul brothers in this competition. And I hope he can find a way to get your voice (so to speak) in the mix.
4) Gwen Sebastian-this North Dakota country star could wind up being the next Jennifer Nettles, the way she's going. But she just needs some strong material to help her out.
3) RaeLynn-a little Miranda (much less a country-fried Xenia) in the making? That's definitely her strength here, being so young.
2) Charlotte Sometimes-took a minute to get used to her voice, but it's that different enough she could wind up being a top pick overall, period.
1) Jordis Unga-there's a good chance this lady could be another "wild card" for the Finals. If she keeps up her strong rock roots, she's got it.
WILD CARD-Lex Land, she's got a very distinctive jazz feel to her voice, a quieter and more gravelly version of Bonnie Raitt. Don't be surprised if she might get the right song coming her way.

ADAM'S TEAM-he had the success last year with Javier Colon winning the show last year. But I know he's got a tough road ahead, even with the fact he picked up three "home run" artists (what I call the ones who get all four coaches to discover them). If he's gonna win, he needs to get in the game and get them ready for the big battle, much less the battle rounds. Actor/singer Robin Thicke (a new star himself, and the son of actor Alan Thicke) and alternative rock "diva" Alanis Morissette are along for the ride, and hopefully these guys will also be....
6) Kim Yarbrough-hopefully, this R&B diva will be able to match her powerhouse audition, she just needs to focus
5) Angel Taylor-she's become a powerful singer, using her inner strength to get thru much in her life, and will hopefully use that same strength to do so here
4) Whitney Myer-she's mastered power and presence in her audition, much like a couple of my past favorites. She just needs to make sure her youth won't be a negative (and just might be the next Raquel Castro, actually).
3) Mathai-she also presents a strong presence and a great vocal ability. Blake called it right when he said she could be a star before long, even after The Voice.
2) Pip-how does a 19 year old with suspenders and a bowtie become the coolest kid since Urkel? By showing a vocal power and a unique choice in music styles. I think we have the next Justin Beiber developing (hate to admit it), folks.
1) Tony Lucca-he's an artist who really paid his dues, and I think that experience will give him a definite edge in making the live shows.
WILD CARD-Chris Cauley-sometimes, it is a little experience that gives an artist an edge in this show. As long as he's not going against Tony, he's got a shot for the live shows.

TEAM CHRISTINA (or XTINA, as we know it)-I had thought Cee-Lo would be the winner this go-around. But it turns out the diversity of artists Christina has this time, if she's not the champ, I know we'll hear about it, long and loud. And it won't be for lack of trying, much less advice from R&B/pop legend Lionel Richie and folk/country rocker Jewel. Anyway, my top picks.......
6) Johnathas-this is a smooth silky R&B artist that may be able to charm his way into the live shows.
5) Chris Mann-he's opera trained, but he's got to learn the material that will help him along, and make sure it's right for him.
4) Sera Hill-I think she's got some good R&B skills, maybe it'll help carry her into the live shows.
3) Lindsey Pavao-her voice is such a distinctive alternative voice, she might be able to use that to her advantage as well as Charlotte should.
2) Hayley and Leland, aka The Line-this duo knows how to have fun and still rock the house, as the coaches discovered. I hope that united spirit will carry them thru. (BTW, of all the artists I've watched, these guys are my "Number 2 Seed," which means it's gotta be THEM winning the season, if not...)
1) Jesse Campbell-an R&B version of last year's champ, Javier Colon, his sound is so smooth, so strong, so powerful. I have VERY little doubt this guy is THE ONE to beat this year.
WILD CARD-Geoff McBride-this guy has old school soul in his being, I have a feeling he might just make an impact with the right tune.

I miss last year's artists like crazy, true, but it's nice to know the show has evolved into the powerhouse show that it is. And it also make sure to have artists that are talented, but also have backgrounds that make you want to follow them along the journey, and beyond. Please keep this up, guys, and I'll forgive you coaches for that "Crazy" blunder there.  <G> This show is the perfect opposite to all the egos and stupidity the other talent competitions still seem to be stuck in. And from what I hear, The Voice and American Idol are now almost in a neck and neck battle for the top rated show of the year-and it would be nice to crown a new champion for The Voice, and the TV season in general. And I can't think of a more worthy show. That's my take, from the Wolffe's Den!  NUFF SAID!


The Voice-what's the deal, and why I'd become a big fan

OK...one of the big reasons I'd been asked about getting online is that I wanted to go ahead and write about things I do get passionate about.  One of the things I've gotten to yap about a little bit in the last few years is reality TV.  I know, I know, sometimes there's a lot of it I don't care about, such as the Kardassians and screaming moms for whatever reason.  But there have been a few things I admit to liking about reality TV, such as interesting locales (from here in the US, as done on MTV's "Road Rules," to far off places mentioned on CBS' "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor") and even being able to lend a hand when needed (such as on the now-expired ABC hit "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition").  But talent contests never scored very high with me, even when the highly touted Fox hit "American Idol" was on.  I admit to enjoying Season 2, with the likes of Kimberly Locke, Josh Gracin, Clay Aiken, and Ruben Stoddard.  But I'll admit that the public may have gotten it wrong-or that something was going on behind the scenes-when North Carolina native (and my favorite Idol male performer) Chris Daughtry was voted out of the top four in Season 6.  I never understood that, and I am glad he had the success otherwise (and I am a fan, he's a solid performer), but "Idol" lost my respect for the most part.  And the fact they still insisted on being critical with the contestants, much less offering no-talent doofuses (as I call them) like Sanjaya and William Hueng the chance to audition, folks, give me a break, if you can't sing or perform well, DON'T audition.  As much as I'D like to audition, my voice gave out a number of years ago, thanks to too many second and third shifts on my jobs, and even my current "lifestyle."  <G>

But...speaking of "voice," NBC decided last April to take a chance on a new talent competition that was unlike "Idol" and the rapidly emerging "X Factor" (created by ex-"Idol" judge Simon Cowell), at least in concept.  Jon DeMol (who helped create the American versions of "Big Brother" and "Fear Factor") took the idea from a talent show he'd seen in Denmark, and upped the concept.  But the "alliance" really came together when reality mega-mind Mark Burnett-the man behind "The Apprentice" and "Survivor" (and I'm still a "Survivor" fan to this day, considering)-found out and joined forces with DeMol.  They sought to go ahead and make this production big and bad, but there were a number of folks that were a bit skeptical, including me.  Was ANYTHING gonna be a challenge to the very smug boys and girls of "Idol" as far as a real rival?

That's when "The Voice" debuted this past April, with former MTV VJ/NBC late night talk show host Carson Daly at the helm, along with four stars-known as the "coaches"- who started making a name for themselves, especially the last few years....
---Adam Levine, the Grammy winning leader of the alternative rock band Maroon 5
---Blake Shelton, award winning country star and one of country music's new "bad boys"
---Cee-Lo Green, member of the rap/hip-hop group Goodie Mob, and more recently both solo artist ("Forget You," or rather, "F-You") and part of the duo Gnarls Barkley ("Crazy")
---Christina Aguilera, former teen idol ("Genie In A Bottle"), now one of the baddest babes on the pop music scene

Mind you, I'd gone ahead and caught part of the first episode, briefly, but from what I saw, I thought "this isn't all bad."  There were a couple artists that caught my eye, particularly when they caught the attention of all four coaches.  BTW, the way it's done is during the "blind auditions," the singers perform for the audience and the coaches-but the coaches are in mechanical chairs, turned to face the audience and away from the performers.  Thus the artists are judged by their "voices" alone, not the performances or how they look.  IF the performer gets the coaches' attention enough they're interested in making them part of one of the coaches' teams, they push a button, activating a mechanism that turns the chair around with lights that flash "I WANT YOU" for their team.  And if more than one chair turns, the artist has the power to decide which coach that they want.  To say two chairs turn is good, but a lot of people wait to see three or even all four chairs (which I refer to as a "home run" or "grand slam"), and if that happens, you're damned good.  And even more, you'll build up the support you need to go ahead and win the competition, much less get the coaches to really pull out the stops to get you to join their teams.  Even if you DON'T get one of the coaches to turn around, unlike "X Factor" or "American Idol," what you won't get are the smarmy remarks that the X or Idol judges offer (some are well deserved, true, although it's now tiresome), but some wise words from the foursome, probably because all of them do know what it's like to be in the contestants' shoes, so to speak, and that advice is better than outright criticism. 

Anyway...the first show on NBC turned out to be pretty decent, from what I'd seen of the competition, and I know I didn't stick around for the full show.  I'd missed the second episode because of my work schedule, and fortunately, for me, E! (Entertainment Television, which I call the "Ryan Seacrest Entertainment Network," actually) chose to rebroadcast the shows (and still does this season, too).  I'd had the inclination to catch the show, just to catch one artist in particular which I'd seen in the preview, and tuned in just as this artist took the stage.  The gentleman, a big, burly Texan, belted out his rendition of Cee-Lo Green's own hit "Forget You" (the "clean" version of his R&B/pop hit "F--You," and no, I don't need to translate here on a PG-rated blog <G>), and won the heart of Cee-Lo himself, as well as fellow judge Blake Shelton (and from what I've heard, even though they didn't choose him, Adam and Christina as well).  I will say this, they weren't the only ones intrigued with this gent that day, thanks to a great performance, showing off not only his powerful voice, but his stage presence and definite likability, all of which I respected the hell out of him for, even to this day.  But seeing him was like him and the show saying "Matt, I know you think I'm good, but you gotta see some of my pals perform here and find out what this show is about, this is a good bunch."  I AM a fan of his, but thanks to him, I also got to see what I found to be a show with heart, passion, talent, and power, and a number of people to really root for, as I would later revisit the show via "on demand" and check out for myself.  For that decision to check out the show, much less you, Nakia, I can't thank you enough, good sir, I owe you more than you will ever know.

Well, turns out I was right in re-visiting the show, thru "on demand," and even on NBC.com.  I then trained my ear to kick in this time, as well as my eyes-an ear that learned to love just about any kind of music, thanks in part to a little training from one of my longtime "heroes," a disc jockey known to many by the name of Casey Kasem.  (And truth be told, I had studied broadcasting very briefly so I could one day be the one who carried on Casey's legacy-if you hear me talk, you'll understand why people say that I should have followed that path, sadly.)  And what I heard AND saw blew me away, and the stories behind a number of these folk were enough to make me want to follow them further.  Seeing folks like Jeff Jenkins following a music career to honor his recently deceased mother (and getting a "home run" from all four coaches), to folks like the duo ElenOwen and rocker Rebecca Leoebe trying to better their lives, to "comeback kids" like Jared Blake and former "Idol" contestant Frenchie Davis getting their second chance at music stardom, is heartwarming, indeed.  If you watch this show and can't find a reason for at least one contestant to push your own "button" and cheer them on, I'm sorry to hear that.  This does offer the heart that, sadly, shows like "American Idol" and "X Factor" lack severely, much less the performance skills that can make or break any artist trying to break out into the music world.  One recent contestant said that the show offers integrity to its contestants, the people behind the show, and to its audience, and I damned well believe that. 

The performers can bring some of the biggest surprises, at least they did during Season One.  Pop/R&B crooner Javier Colon proved he has vocal skills (I call it "pipes," Christina recently called it "chops") that are so much in control, it's scary, so much so it all but guaranteed he'd win the original season, to a lot of people, even by me checking it at my early glance.  But it also proved that sometimes rockers can even match or beat the original artists by a mile-the case of Vicci Martinez being a good example, where her version of Adele's "Rolling In The Deep," in my mind, killed Adele's, considering she's the "it" artist on the planet at the moment.  And the more artists that took the stage, the more you couldn't help but think "damn, there's so many good people to listen to, and to cheer on."  And it took about four go-arounds in about a several hour period, honestly, before I finally gave in, and made myself a fan of the show in general. 

However, there was one other factor, the music, and the fact that the four coaches, themselves some of the hottest stars on the charts at the moment, also had their shining moments as well, singing with their teams, or even as a foursome themselves (even Adam Levine had penned a tune with his band Maroon 5 called "Moves Like Jagger," which featured his biggest rival on the show, Christina, and became a massive hit).  But one moment I will NEVER forget was the first musical number of the series-Adam, Blake, Cee-Lo, and Christina singing the song "Crazy," which Cee-Lo performed as one half of the duo Gnarls Barkley and took to the top in 2005.  Cee-Lo has done at least a few different performances of the song in various fashions, but something about the four of them singing together (even with only limited vocals from Adam and Blake), there's no other way to say it, I hit the damn roof.  <G>  "Crazy" is one of my favorite all-time tracks, but that version with all four coaches is one I could listen to and jam with, time and time infinitum.  (And to say I'm more than a little miffed it was never released on iTunes, like many of the show's performances were given the green light to do, but I THINK I can forgive them a little.  <G>)   If seeing Nakia was the "bait" to get me to watch "The Voice," the foursome doing "Crazy" was the show's way of saying "GOTCHA," lock, stock, and barrel-and I will never, ever regret that decision.  (I'll have to say it also allowed me to resurrect a near-dying Twitter account and take it from life support to Warp 5, in a matter of hours, as well.  <G>)

Well, the show has now gone into a second season, stronger than before, and thanks to a well-placed berth after the Super Bowl (which Mark Burnett planned, after doing the same thing over 10 years ago on CBS when his other show called "Survivor" did the same thing for its second season), the ratings are now hotter than ever, with "The Voice" and "American Idol" in a dead heat for the number one show of the year, and the "X Factor" fading fast in its debut season after people thought IT would be the next big thing this past fall.  But the numbers have now shown-and the public and critical support (including a number of award nominations, save for the Emmy, which also may not be far off) has as well-that this show is the hottest show of the year, and NBC, Mark Burnett, and John DeMol and company have a right to be proud.  This show has proven you don't need the stupidity and guile of the Fox shows just to get someone to try and make someone else a new star.  All you need to do is give it a stage where the performances are good, and the contestants are for real.  Mind you, as has been noted by some, some of the contestants have been offered "second chances," after maybe having had some measure of success before applying to "The Voice," and that they compete alongside the fresh new faces looking to be discovered.  But then again, as has been seen with the likes of Frenchie Davis and Jared Blake, everyone deserves a second chance, if needed.  If you have talent, passion, and heart, and want it bad enough, you GO for it.  The coaches certainly get it, and maybe that IS the reason why the people have fallen for "The Voice," yours truly among them. 

All I can say is, if you're looking for a talent show with heart, passion, and performance, you just may need to give "The Voice" at least a couple minutes of your time.  What you'll find is that, plus the fact that the show and its coaches are a lot better folks than people realize.  There may be criticisms thrown about them, but let's be fair....
----Blake Shelton IS a smartass, but a smartass with a good sense of humor and the judgement to learn WHEN not to get too comical or too serious.  And his down to earth nature is good for this show.  (And NO, I don't consider him homophobic, and I don't think he does, either, maybe just a little cautious.)
----Adam Levine may be a calm guy one minute and a schmoozer the next, but you can see his sincerity for the show and his own team, and even a considerate nature towards his fellow stars.
----Cee-Lo Green may be eccentric and eclectic, but he's one of the most creative forces on the planet, and just good natured all around.  Even Randy Jackson could learn some cool lessons from this "big poppa."
----Christina Aguliera-YES, she ticks off half the planet and half the pop world.  But she's a diva who's earned her stripes the hard way, and is a fighter.  When I call her larger than life, I refer to her voice, not her figure (and those doing so right now need to back OFF and cool down). 
----and the man who can keep it so under control, as he did at MTV's "Total Request Live," and as I tweeted him recently, Carson Daly is one tough, but fair dude.  Trust me when I say I would kill right now to become something of his "sidekick," or heir to the throne.  :)

And to those who seem to think that this sort of talent competition can't be the real deal unless you have all the crap that goes on at "Idol" and "Factor," you'll sooner or later have to know that I'm going to wind up staring at you in the face, and looking at you with two fingers near my eyes in a V shape (think the British version of the "bird," as much as I hate to say it), and with a smarmy grin, just saying...."Factor THIS!"

Thanks for the time, folks.  I will be back soon to blog again, hope you didn't get too winded...and take my advice, catch "The Voice," I can promise you that you might just get a nice surprise, and a song in your heart.  And maybe even someone to cheer for, much less a new favorite show.







Welcome to the Wolffe's Den, Part 1

Greetings, folks!  

Welcome to the Wolffe's Den (or as I might call it, the rants and raves of a 50 year old misfit).  :)   

To those of you who are reading this and wondering who I am, let's get it out and in the open.  I'm Matt, better known as the "chubby chasing wolf," or "cool chilling wolf," online, and to my friends.  But usually I go by the online nickname of CCWolffeNC (with the NC, of course, representing my home state and residence, North Carolina).  Some of you have already run into me on Twitter (@CCWolffeNC) and on my Facebook page, and I appreciate the fact you've talked to me, at least a little bit.  One of my pals suggested that since I've done such a good job writing on Facebook that I ought to get onto Blogger and have my own site, and expand out my writing a bit.   And believe me when I say that even though I've had issues with this person in the past, to comment that well about my writing is a big compliment to me.  And that was actually part of the reason I chose my particular nickname in the first place, not just for an online nick, but as an actual pen name. 

Therefore, I decided to take that chance-hey, that's one less item on my "bucket list," in wanting to be seen and read online, and here I am.  I'll be making sure to give you some of my observations in the next few days or so, pertaining to some of my current interests and life in general.  And I appreciate you guys putting up with my rants and raves, hopefully this will be a fun experiment for all involved.

As I mentioned, I am a 50 year old nitwit-actually, I TURN 50 this year (that comes up in August)-who loves life, fun, new friends of all types, and is just insatiably peeking around to see what's coming up at the bend.  To look at me, most people usually go "you CAN'T be 50 years old, you run around like a freakin' maniac," when I'm doing stuff like my job (I work for the clearance chain, Big Lots, BTW).  Blame good genetics for that one, folks.  I've been blessed with a metabolism that lets me run around at top speed, and a frame that rarely suffers any injuries or maladies.  I do have my little "quirks," but I am grateful to be around this long, and I've only in the last year or two really "felt my age," as the saying goes. 

I'm keeping this short for now, but I'll be back around in the next day or so to start this little adventure here on Blogger.  And I hope you'll join me in discovering more about me, the things I love, and the things that bug the hell out of me.  All I ask is that you keep an open mind, and I hope that you feel comfortable.  One thing you'll discover is that I don't care WHAT kind of background you have or what kind of differences we have, there are things to discover about each other.  And I hope to learn more about you as well.