Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The Voice Season 14: Night 2 of the Blinds, and It Don't Need No Doctor!

Davison sang To Love Somebody by The Bee Gees-- All the coaches debated turning but only Adam and Blake did. I agreed with Alicia's comment that he has a storyteller type of voice. Blake said you have a vintage quality to your voice. Adam said before I released my first album I listened to the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and if that's the kind of record you wanna make, I know who you are. Blake promised that Davison would be the centerpiece of his team.
Davison chose Adam

Jaclyn Lovey sang Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley-- She may have been the person I have liked the most so far this season. At 16, wow, I loved her interpretation of that song. I loved the liberties she took with that song, her courage to change and add her own nuances. One of my favorites, loved this! Blake and Alicia turned. Blake said as I was listening to you singing, I was picturing myself riding a unicorn and holding a care bear.
Jaclyn chose Alicia

Sophia Dion sang What A Man-- No one turned, there were some pitch issues here. Kelly said she was looking for a little extra. Blake said the lyrics needed to be cleaned up a little.

Molly Stevens sang Heavenly Day by Patti Griffin-- Blake and Kelly turned almost immediately. Kelly said do you want to do soulful country rock? Kelly said I love all genres of music. Adam said Kelly would be a great fit for you, and Blake said how am I not surprised you said that. Truthfully, I felt like I didn't love her as much as they did. I almost felt like her voice was too husky!
Molly chose Kelly.... Blake dodged a bullet

Dylan Hartigan sang Danny's Song by Loggins and Messina-- I liked his voice, but I did NOT like the song choice. He's into folk rock. I have never been a huge fan of that song. His voice seems versatile though and Kelly was the only coach to turn, so we have a match!
Kelly chose Dylan

Pryor Baird sang I Don't Need No Doctor by Ray Charles-- Pryor has so much soul! There is a bluesy feel to his voice and there's this grit and rasp in his vocal. Adam loved the way he sang and played, and believes Pryor would be at home on his team. Blake said you're an incredible vocalist, you have that weathered sound, and I want you on my team. Alicia said you have such power and range.
Pryor chose Blake

 My prediction: I see Jaclyn and Pryor making big strides in this competition and being around for a good while! ;-)

Monday, February 26, 2018

The Voice: Season 14, Kelly Clarkson joins as a Coach, and The Blinds Begin

Britton Buchanan sang Trouble by Ray LaMontagne-- Britton has a mature voice. Alicia turned first, and then Blake who blocked Adam turned. Britton talked about how much he loved when Adam did I love L.A. with Randy Newman and Adam is bummed that he was blocked. Adam thinks he should choose Alicia Keys. Blake admitted he blocked Adam because he wants Britton on his team so much.
Britton chose Alicia

Brynn Cartelli sang Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth-- Brynn is from Massachusetts and is only 14. She sounds young but she has a great voice. Kelly and Blake turned, and Kelly tells her she could win with her. Brynn admits she has been a fan of Kelly forever. Adam advocates for Kelly.
Brynn chose Kelly

Rayshun LaMarr sang Don't Stop Believing by Journey-- Wow, he had cancer, and maybe it was his life experiences but Rayshun made me believe in him. I loved this, and it was an unexpected song on him but it was the right song for him. Adam, Alicia, and Blake turned.
Rayshun chose Adam

Kyla Jade sang See Saw by Aretha Franklin-- Kelly and Blake turned. Kyla is a back up singer for J. Hud. Kyla is someone with a definite vocal style, she kind of reminds me of La'Porsha Renae in many ways. Kelly loves her sass and reminds Kyla that she has won a musical competition before. Blake doesn't say much but happens to get Kyla on his team. Kyla tells Kelly that they have Aretha in common but that Wynonna gave her her first big break so she needs to go with Blake.
Kyla chose Blake

Blaise Raccuglia sang Wanted by Hunter Hayes--  I saw where he was going with this and it was good but he didn't have enough vocal dynamics in his voice to warrant a turn.

Kelsea Johnson sang Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Meaghan Trainor-- Adam, Kelly, and Alicia turn. Adam said I am the most experienced coach. Alicia said you have talent, and I am a monster, a beast, I don't stop. Hmm, on this one, I liked her voice, but I'm not sold. I need to hear her again.
Kelsea chose Alicia

Drew Cole sang Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground-- Adam turned almost immediately, he sounds a lot like Adam with the falsetto. Blake turned near the end. Drew said he partially chose that song because of Adam's cover. Blake said that although you might choose Adam, think about choosing me. Adam seems to believe that Drew will be the winner of this whole thing. I am not sure about that, but he could get far with the right song choices.
Drew chose Adam

D.R. King sang Believer by Imagine Dragons-- D.R. was a teacher, but was not happy with that. I agree with Blake's comments; he has a powerful voice. Kelly said D.R. sang a soulful rendition of that song, and made it his own and that's why she loved it. Blake thought his voice was explosive.
D.R. chose Kelly

Caleb Lee sang Never Wanted Nothing More by Kenny Chesney-- I like Caleb, I think he was the first real performer on the stage tonight. I hadn't been moved til now. Blake said your voice is very Texas red dirt country style. He said his voice is very graveley and bluesy--- radio ready. Kelly broke out singing her hit with Jason Aldean, Don't You Wanna Stay. She was convincing!
Caleb said his kids all love Blake, so Caleb chose Blake

Makenzie Thomas sang Redbone by Childish Gambino-- Makenzie is really into singing R&B. Adam and Alicia were both close to turning.

Justin Kilgore sang Tomorrow by Chris Young-- Justin is a country singer, and what do you know, Alicia blocked Blake when he went to turn. This was a 4 chair turn! Blake said I know that's you, I got screwed. Alicia said you move my spirit, I definitely have a vision for you. Kelly said do you know Reba McEntire? My mommy in law is Reba. Adam said he will call anyone he wants him too. Do whatever you want to do because one thing is for sure, you're not choosing Blake, cause he's blocked. Blake blocked is a victory for me. With the exception of Blake Shelton who is disqualified, AMEN, who do you choose said Adam.
Justin chooses Kelly

Big Prediction: Caleb and D.R. are going far in this competition for me.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Olympic Inspirations: Pyeong Chang 2018

Since I was a child, I have been captivated and inspired by the Olympic Games. As I got older, I imagined myself as an Olympic reporter, there on the sidelines, being mesmerized by the power of these athletes being on such a large stage--- the world's stage!

I am still mesmerized and I still watch in awe.

Pyeong Chang has had its ups and downs, the wonky 19 hour time difference has made it tough at times to watch the main events without staying up too late. What has not changed is the stories that have come along with the Games.

At only 17 years of age, Red Gerard won the first gold medal in these Games for Team U.S.A. The snowboarder, who didn't have a coach til he was 13, wiped out on his second run, and yet despite that, came back to win gold in Men's Slopestyle. Gerard's family looked on in surprise and then celebrated on the sidelines when he stuck his third run and earned an 87.16!

Snowboarding: Men's Slopestyle
1. Red Gerard, USA, 87.16
2. Max Parrot, Canada, 86.00
3. Mark McMorris, Canada, 85.20

Chris Mazdzer won a silver medal in Men's Singles Luge; this is the first medal for Team U.S.A. in this event! The Massachusetts native finished 13th in the 2014 and 2010 Games, and was determined to make his mark in Pyeong Chang. He had his breakthrough moment in 2015-16 when he won 2 World Cup races and finished 4th at Worlds!

Luge: Men's Singles
1. David Gleirscher, Austria, 3:10.702
2. Chris Mazdzer, U.S.A., +.026
3. Johannes Ludwig, Germany, +.230

Jamie Anderson has been one of the most fun athletes for me to watch during these Games. You can tell that she has a true love for her sport and is genuinely happy when other athletes do awesome tricks. She won the first Slopestyle medal at the 2014 Games and this time around she repeated in her event, and added another event. Big Air made it's debut at these Games and Jamie finished second, winning a gold and silver medal in Pyeong Chang. Jamie has undoubtedly been the most consistent female rider in Slopestyle but is now being pushed to do more difficult tricks by competitors like Anna Gasser (who won gold in Big Air), and Julia Marino (fellow U.S. teammate) who is always ready to take a risk. At only 27 years of age, Jamie could return in 4 years to defend her title. Her teammate Hailey Langland said, "what I admire most about Jamie is her resistance to failure".

Snowboard: Women's Slopestyle
1. Jamie Anderson, U.S.A., 83.0
2. Laurie Blouin, Canada, 76.33
3. Enni Rukajarvi, Finland, 75.38

Snowboard: Women's Big Air
1. Anna Gasser, Austria, 89 + 96 = 185
2. Jamie Anderson, U.S.A, 90 + 87.25 = 177.25
3. Zoi Sadowski Synnott, New Zealand, 65.50 + 92 = 157.50

The Figure Skating team event brought out the best in every team, but at the end it was Canada who shined the brightest taking home a gold for figure skating veterans -- Patrick Chan (men's), Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (ice dance) who have become the most decorated Figure Skating Olympians in Olympic history! More on them and their amazing partnership later! The U.S.A. represented well with solid performances from Adam Rippon who definitely made a name for himself in these Olympics by being tough, personable, and outspoken. The Shib Sibs, Alex and Maia, showed why they are one of the up and coming teams in ice dance.

Figure Skating: Team Event
1. Canada, 73
2. Olympic Athletes from Russia, 66
3. U.S.A., 62

This post isn't all about amazing U.S. athletes, Ireen Wuest from The Netherlands is a LEGEND in Speedskating. She has won 11 medals, more than any Olympic Speedskater. She picked up three medals at this Games, 1 gold and 2 silver. She picked up a gold in the Women's 1,500, and silvers in the Women's 3,000 and the Team Pursuit.

Ireen Wuest is not the only female speedskater to make history, Arianna Fontana from Italy became the youngest Italian Olympic medalist in Sochi 2006 at only 15! In this Olympics she picked up one of each medal proving that she is not slowing down and  has more career to come.

Short Track: Women's 500m
1. Arianna Fontana, Italy, 42.569
2. Yara Van Kerkhof, The Netherlands, +.687
3. Kim Boutin, Canada, +1.312

One of the big personalities at this Olympic Games was Snowboarder Chloe Kim. The daughter of Korean immigrants, Kim's gold medal in Women's Halfpipe, was particularly special because it happened in Pyeong Chang. Viewers found Kim relatable, tweeting about being hungry and wanting some ice cream in between runs during her competition. Despite her "hanger" pains, Kim never lost the #1 spot in qualifying or the finals. She also became the youngest female to win a snowboarding medal at 17....another athlete with a bright future ahead of her.

Snowboarding: Women's Halfpipe
1. Chloe Kim. U.S.A., 98.25
2. Jiayu Liu, China, 89.75
3. Arielle Gold, U.S.A., 85.75
4. Kelly Clark, U.S.A., 83.50

Unfortunately, few events pass without there being some sort of controversy. This Olympics had the Russian doping scandal and Shaun White winning a gold in Men's Halfpipe again. This was a comeback from Sochi where White finished off the medal stand. The controversy wasn't in White winning, but rather something that surfaced from White's past regarding a former band member and harassment claims that were settled out of court. It's hard for me to believe that the athlete, once dubbed a boy wonder nicknamed the "flying tomato" would ever be involved in something of this nature. Whether or not it is true remains to be proven. White ducked questions with reporters regarding this issue saying he'd rather not focus on this. What is not in question and can be proven is White's commitment to the sport that has been such an integral part of his life for so long.

Snowboarding: Men's Halfpipe
1. Shaun White, U.S.A., 97.75
2. Ayumu Hirano, Japan, 95.25
3. Scotty James, Australia, 92.00
4. Ben Ferguson, U.S.A., 90.75

Mikaela Shiffrin had BIG plans coming into these games. She was potentially looking to medal in 5 events, slalom, giant slalom, super g, downhill, and combined. Because of the unsteady weather conditions, namely wind and cold, the alpine events got pushed off and scheduled closer and closer together. Shiffrin became exhausted just trying to qualify for the finals. She missed medaling in Slalom, her favorite event, and withdrew from the Downhill siting that she didn't have time to prepare. At 22 years of age, Shiffrin most likely has 2-3 more Olympics in her. Lindsay Vonn has said she will retire and doesn't plan to be competing in Beijing in 2022. It will be Shiffrin's torch to carry, and in a sport like Alpine Skiing where the U.S. doesn't have many prospects right now, her talent and commitment will be more important than ever.

Alpine Skiing: Women's Giant Slalom
1. Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S.A., 2:20.02
2. Ragnhild Mowinckel, Norway, +.39
3. Frederica Brignone, Italy, +.46

Alpine Skiing: Women's Slalom
1. Frida Hansdotter, Sweden, 1:38.63
2. Wendy Holdener, Switzerland, +.05
3. Katharina Gallhuber, Austria, +.32
4. Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S.A., +.40

Alpine Skiing: Women's Combined Downhill and Slalom
1. Michelle Gisin, Switzerland, 2:20.90
2. Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S.A., +.97
3. Wendy Holdener, Switzerland, +1.44

Finally! She did it! Aliona Savchenko finally got the gold, in her fifth Olympic appearance with partner Bruno Massot (his first appearance). Savchenko is originally from Kiev in Ukraine, and Massot hails from France. Massot got his German citizenship just in time so that they were able to compete at this Olympics together. Savchenko previously competed for Ukraine and Germany and won 2 bronze medals with a former partner.

I want to give a personal shout out to Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres who were my favorite pair to watch in these Olympics. I loved their contemporary edge, I love how passionate and committed they are to the sport and to each other as partners. Every program they skated was full of heart. I cannot wait to watch them grow and progress!

Figure Skating: Pairs
1. Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, Germany, 235.90
2. Wenjing Sui and Cong Han, China, 235.47
3. Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, Canada, 230.15
4. Yevgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, Olympic Athletes from Russia, 224.93
5. Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres, France, 218.53

In Women's Skeleton, Great Britain's Lizzy Yarnold became the first skeleton to win two medals in the event and it was back to back golds. She is also the first Great Britain athlete to win back to back golds in any event.

Women's Skeleton
1. Lizzy Yarnold, Great Britain, 3:27.28
2. Jacqueline Loelling, Germany, +.45
3. Laura Deas, Great Britain, +.62

John Henry Krueger ended an important drought for the U.S. in speedskating. He became the first U.S. speedskater to win an individual medal since 2010! He finished in silver medal position in the 1,000m.

Speedskating: Men's 1,000m
1. Samuel Girard, Canada, 1:24.650
2. John Henry Krueger, U.S.A., +.214
3. Yi Rah Seo, Korea, +6.969

Nathan Chen redeemed himself after a disappointing short program in the Men's Figure Skating event. He actually won the free skate becoming the first man to execute 6 quads in a program and he landed all of them. Unfortunately, the comeback was not enough to stop Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan from taking home his second consecutive gold medal. Javier Fernandez of Spain became the first athlete from Spain to medal in a figure skating event. Lots of first and so much to do proud of for the men in this event.

Figure Skating: Men's Event
1. Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan, 206.17 (2), total: 317.85
2. Shoma Uno, Japan, 202.73 (3), total: 306.90
3. Javier Fernandez, Spain, 197.66 (4), total: 305.24
4. Jin Boyang, China, 194.45 (5), total: 297.77
5. Nathan Chen, U.S.A., 215.08 (1), total: 297.35
6. Vincent Zhou, U.S.A., 192.16 (6), total: 276.69
7. Dmitry Aliev, O.A.R., 168.53 (13), total: 267.51
8. Mikhail Kolyada, O.A.R., 177.56, total: 264.25
9. Patrick Chan, Canada, 173.42 (8), total: 263.43
10. Adam Rippon, U.S.A., 171.41 (10), total: 259.63

I'll be adding more tomorrow.....