marionbreen7: 'The Voice' Unveils 24 Finalists Before Going Live

Cee Lo appears most moved by his teams' performances as he breaks into tears during rehearsals.
By James Dinh

It's the final round of face-offs for the contestants of <a href="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/476736/moviemain.jhtml">"The Voice."</a> On Monday night (March 26) the remainder of the aspiring singing superstars dueled it out in the last stage in front of judges <a href="/music/artist/aguilera_christina/artist.jhtml">Christina Aguilera</a>, <a href="/music/artist/levine__adam/artist.jhtml">Adam Levine</a>, <a href="/music/artist/shelton_blake/artist.jhtml">Blake Shelton</a> and <a href="/music/artist/cee_lo/artist.jhtml">Cee Lo Green</a>. Fans of "The Voice" will begin to have their say in the performance outcomes when the NBC series goes live next Monday. <embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:752989/cp~vid%3D752989%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A752989" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed> <big>Team Christina</big> As one of the night's most interesting duels, Xtina paired up THE LiNE and Moses Stone to tackle the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Worried about how they'll sound, the country twosome tried to take advice from their pop-star judge. "If you're going to be a career artist, I think you're going to need to know how to morph into kind of someone else's energy," she proclaimed. Alongside mentor Lionel Richie, Xtina urged Moses to explore his voice and utilize his gift to its full potential. Problems arose over at THE LiNE's prep time, with Jewel criticizing their "wedding band" similarities. But everyone caught heat during rehearsal time when Xtina called her team out for not using the stage entirely. Moses sounded like the champion mid-performance when he broke off for an original verse during the performance, but ultimately Adam and Blake favored THE LiNE. Xtina ended up going her own way and choosing Moses. "Just to know that I made my couch happy and she was really proud of me means the world to me," Moses said backstage. <big>Team Blake</big> With only one pair of contestants left in the game, Blake told Naia Kete and Jordan Rager they would take on Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours." Even though the country superstar admitted that the tune would probably fit more to Naia, he said Jordan had a more of an opportunity "to blow people away." Later on, Blake's decision to take Jordan out of his element appeared problematic as he revealed that he doesn't harmonize very often. And mentor Miranda Lambert wasn't completely impressed with Jordan's take, admitting that he had a lot of work to do. "A lot of the work is not about singing. It's about inside his heart and his mind," she said. Kelly Clarkson served as Naia's mentor and suggested that the singer take some vocal risks toward the end of the number. Both contestants took a friendly approach to their battle as they spent much of the number circling each other with smiles. Even though Jordan lost some of his nerves, Naia shined the brightest with her vocal acrobats and styling, and because of that, all the judges, including Blake, sided with the neo-soul songstress. <big>Team Cee Lo</big> Cee Lo's first pairing of the night exemplified how unpredictable some battles can get as he brought together James Massone and WADE. Upon telling the couple that they'd be battling it out to Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," James showed some major hesitation and lack of confidence, saying the song is simply "not his style." Putting in some rehearsal time, the duo ended up bringing the judge to tears as they make their way through the 1986 classic. "Oh my God. It's something about that song that makes me cry. I'm proud of y'all, man," Cee Lo said. Even though the odds appeared in WADE's corner, he struggled to stay on pitch and lacked the confidence displayed during rehearsal time. After some words from the judges, the vote was unanimous: James was sent to the next stage in the competition. For the first time in the night, Justin Hopkins and Tony Vincent appeared content to battle it out over one of Cee Lo's all-time favorite songs, Journey's "Faithfully." In pairing up two very different singers, Justin admitted his fear over Tony's range and Broadway background. Emotions got the best of Cee Lo once again during prep time, as he removed his sunglasses and wiped away some tears. During mentoring time, Babyface came in to advise Tony and suggested the vocalist step up his strengths. "Tony's a pro!" the R&B veteran admitted. Justin appeared to take more away from his one-on-one mentoring time with Cee Lo and Ne-Yo, as he attempted to mirror some of their notes. Once the duo began their performance, it became clear that both contestants put a very different spin on the Journey classic. However, Cee Lo found Tony's vocal styling more suitable in comparison to Justin's rough twist and advanced him to the next round. <big>Team Adam</big> Mr. Maroon 5 wasted no time in announcing that Nicolle Galyon and Mathai would go head-to-head, covering Sara Bareilles' "Love Song." Surprised that the judge would pair such a contrast of vocalists together, Mathai appeared worried about how she would fare against Nicolle. And, as expected, Nicolle talked to Adam about beginning the song on the piano — only to be warned that her vocals shouldn't be compromised because of the instrument. "I'm really excited to rock out on the piano," she said, adding, "It's really an advantage. It makes me ... me." With the guidance of Adam and mentor Robin Thicke, Nicolle feared Mathai's abundance of attitude. Mentor Alanis Morissette was on hand to help out Mathai in techniques the young singer wasn't familiar with. Rehearsal time shook things up for the duel, as Adam decided to eliminate Nicolle's piano. Ultimately, it is Mathai who prevailed over Nicolle for stage presence and the skill that was emphasized during rehearsal time. Up next for Adam's team was a duel between Karla Davis and Orlando Napier. Despite his initial song pick (Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl"), Karla and Orlando were relieved when Adam switched up his choice in favor of the Commodores' "Easy." Leaving her nerves behind, Karla let go and used her 20-minute prep time to shake off reservations with Alanis Morissette as her mentor. Orlando benefited from his time with Robin Thicke by learning about note enunciation. Orlando kicked off the performance with some strong notes and confidence, but Adam picked Karla as his winner, citing how much she's blossomed throughout the competition. <big>Moving On</big> » James Massone (Team Cee Lo) » Mathai (Team Adam) » Moses Stone (Team Xtina) » Karla Davis (Team Adam) » Naia Kete (Team Blake) » Tony Vincent (Team Cee Lo) <big>Going Home</big> » WADE (Team Cee Lo) » Nicolle Galyon (Team Adam) » THE LiNE (Team Xtina) » Orlando Napier (Team Adam) » Jordan Rager (Team Blake) » Justin Hopkins (Team Cee Lo) What did you think of tonight's eliminations on "The Voice"? Share your thoughts below!

Esther Cañadas Eva Green Eva Longoria Eva Mendes Evangeline Lilly

marionbreen7

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

'The Voice' Unveils 24 Finalists Before Going Live

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