Like Blake, Adam had appeared on every Voice season (all 16 of them), without a break, since 2011. But in the past couple years it had become abundantly clear that he was no longer happy sitting in that red chair. (In fact, People reported that Adam wanted to leave The Voice four whole years ago.) Things started to come to a head in Season 15 last year, when Adam threw his contestant DeAndre Nico under the bus on the most bizarre Voice episode ever and diehard viewers subsequently rallied for him to be fired. Then in Season 16, when a new-fangled and ill-advised Cross-Battles round (which has thankfully been scrapped this season) resulted in Team Adam getting almost entirely wiped out before the Live Playoffs even began, a disgruntled Adam reportedly became even more difficult to work with. A source told Yahoo Entertainment that by the end of the Season 16, “No one behind the scenes want[ed] him to return.
” During a performance by the coaches at NBC’s spring Upfronts presentation, Adam was so grouchy and scowl-y that a YouTube clip of the event was quickly taken down; another inside source that witnessed that debacle told Yahoo, “[Adam] sang, but he made it so clear he did not want to be there. It was disgusting. ... He made it impossible not to hate him.” Well, the feeling was apparently mutual. So now Adam is gone, and it’s like the “Beautiful Goodbye” singer was never even there. And with Adam’s onscreen bromance with Blake over, in Adam’s place/chair for Monday’s premiere was Blake’s showmance partner, girlfriend and returning on/off coach Gwen Stefani. (This season’s fourth coach is reigning champ John Legend.) And it was nothing but good vibes all around. Even with Gwen’s sneaky anti-Blake scheming — hey, all’s fair in love and Voice, right? — the mood felt lighter and brighter. I can’t say I missed Adam and his bad mojo at all, and I don’t think the coaches did either. (Amusingly, at one point Kelly actually said she missed Jennifer Hudson — who was a Voice coach in Seasons 13 and 15, and a very good one at that — but Kelly never uttered a word about Adam’s more glaring absence.) However, public reaction on Twitter was mixed. Some fans were missing Adam, while others felt him being gone was refreshing. One person tweeted: "I was worried about no Adam on @voicenbc — but we are LOVING this season!" It's true that — for better or worse — The Voice wasn't quite the same without Adam. But it was still an entertaining premiere with some solid auditions, as seen below. And isn’t the talent what this show is supposed to be about, anyway? Let’s get to it.
Judith Light Talks About The Finale Of "Transparent" & Her Role In Ryan Murphy's "The Politician"
"The Transparent Musicale Finale" takes the beloved Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series "Transparent" to new heights as a dazzling two-hour movie musical fantasia. When the Pfeffermans face a life-changing loss, they begin a journey hilarious and melancholy, brazen and bold.
As they face this new transition, they confront grief and come together to celebrate connection, joy, and transformation. Judith Light stopped by BUILD to tell us about the series finale and her guest star role in Netflix's "The Politician."
From What's Next In Music To Their New Memoir, "High School," Tegan And Sara Talk All
From the iconic musicians Tegan and Sara comes a memoir about high school, detailing their first loves and first songs in a compelling look back at their humble beginnings. "High School" is the revelatory and unique coming-of-age story of Sara and Tegan Quin, identical twins from Calgary, Alberta, who grew up at the height of grunge and rave culture in the nineties, well before they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons we know today. Written in alternating chapters from both Tegan's and Sara’s points of view, the book is a raw account of the drugs, alcohol, love, music and friendship they explored in their formative years.
Van Morrison Announces His Sixth New Album in 4 Years, Three Chords and the TruthMore
Van Morrison is back with more new music.
The legendary “Brown Eyed Girl” singer is set to release his upcoming album, Three Chords and the Truth, on Oct. 25. It’s his sixth record in four years and the 41st of his career.
Three Chords and the Truth will feature 14 new original compositions, including the first track from the album, “Dark Night of the Soul,” which was released on Sept. 18. All of the songs on the record were written and produced by Morrison, 74, except for “If We Wait for Mountains,” which was co-written with lyricist Don Black.
In a statement, Morrison said of recording the album, “You’re just plugging into the feeling of it, more the feeling of it … when they’re playing … It’s like reading me. So, I think there’s more of that connection.”
The album also features contributions from legendary guitarist Jay Berliner and a duet with The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley on the track “Fame Will Eat the Soul.” Other titles on the album include “March Winds in February,” “In Search of Grace,” “Nobody in Charge,” “You Don’t Understand,” “Read Between the Lines,” “Does Love Conquer All?,” “Early Days,” “Up on Broadway,” “Bags Under My Eyes,” “Days Gone by” and the title track, “Three Chords and the Truth.”
Starting on Oct. 2 in Reno, Nevada, Morrison will play several shows in the U.S. before heading abroad to play his shows in the U.K. beginning on Oct. 21. In January 2020, Morrison will return to the U.S. to play five shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Then, in March, he’ll kick off his residency at the London Palladium.
Pop Singer Livvia On Opening Up the Jonas Brothers and Attending 4 of Their Weddings: 'They Really All Found Their Perfect People'More
Dreams do come true — and no one can attest to that better than up-and-coming artist Livvia, who will open for the Jonas Brothers Sept. 25-27 on their “Happiness Begins” tour in Texas.
For the 25-year-old singer, born Olivia Somerlyn Hollins Christensen, it all started with being at the right place at the right time.
Back in February 2008, the “Dizzy” singer happened to run into the brothers and their family at a restaurant with her friends after their concert at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles during the group’s “When You Look Me in the Eyes” tour. Their security guard eventually approached her table and offered an introduction, which Livvia and her friends graciously accepted.
“It was weird because that was the first time we met, but their family was there and our parents were talking,” Livvia tells PEOPLE. “We kind of just hit it off and ran into each other in the neighborhood.”
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Livvia and her parents moved to Los Angeles when she was 13 to pursue her music career. The run-in with one of her favorite bands of all-time didn’t end there. She ran into the Jonas Brothers again at a recording studio, where they listened in on her rehearsal with the band she put together a few years back.
“Their dad [Paul Kevin Jonas, Sr.], who was their manager at the time, said, ‘You know, I can really see this working and connecting with that fan base,’” Livvia says. “So he started managing me and introduced me to [Creative Artists Agency] and I started touring.”
She adds, “So, I toured with the boys a little bit in 2013 on their last tour together as the Jonas Brothers.” Back then, she was known as Olivia Somerlyn. “But it was so crazy because I opened for them at the same venue that I had seen them at that time.”
Since their meeting, Livvia has grown close to the Jonas family. She’s co-written her single “Parachute” (2014) with Nick Jonas, considers their father “like another dad” and has even attended all the Jonas weddings from Kevin and Danielle’s “winter wonderland” fairytale to both Nick and Priyanka’s western and traditional Indian nuptials to Joe and Sophie’s surprise Vegas ceremony.
Though she’s a sucker for sappy wedding moments, the one that elicited a heartwarming reaction was the first dance at the youngest Jonas brother’s wedding. “It’s like Nick and Priyanka, and then Joe and Sophie, and Kevin and Dani all dancing. And you’re just like, ‘Wow. They really all found their perfect people,’” Livvia tells PEOPLE. “You could just tell these were the perfect counterparts for each other.”
After a stage name change and releasing singles like “Catch a Body” ft. Quavo, “Damn,” and “Dizzy,” Livvia has come full circle as she prepares to open for the Jonas Brothers once more in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
It’s been a while since her last big performance, so she’s admittedly “feeling as nervous as I did before my first tour ever.” But she’s rehearsing everyday and continues to grow her presence on Twitter, with support from an “active community” of JoBro die-hards.
She even designed t-shirts inspired by some of the tweets regarding her opening for the Jonas Brothers again. The front of the shirt says, “Livvia, Livving the Dream,” with “Jonas Brothers, Happiness Begins Tour” on the back.
“They have this dialogue going and group chats on Twitter that they have welcomed me into,” Livvia said. “So, it’s really fun for me to be able to connect with them and to have them really welcome me as one of their own. Because, in truth, I am.”
