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• THE VOICE: SEASON ONE: EPISODE TEN – SEMI-FINALS RESULT SHOW

Xenia was one of the four contestants eliminated on tonight’s episode of The Voice. America’s votes were counted along with Blake Shelton‘s votes and Dia Frampton snagged one of the top four spots, leading her into next week’s finale. “I am heartbroken about Xenia but like I said last night, I know I’m going to hear her voice on the radio,” Blake said, in a statement released to HollywoodLife.com.

“She undeniably has a great voice. Her time on the show may be over but I will continue to work with her and help her in any way I can in the future. I absolutely love her.”

The coaches each received 100 points and were able to distribute the points as they wished amongst their two final candidates. America was given 100 points as well, and the two were added together. Blake voted 50/50, but America’s vote brought the final count to Dia: 106 and Xenia: 94.

Team Blake was a tough decision to call, and it was the smallest gap in votes. Many of The Voice contestants we spoke to last night struggled when we asked them whether they thought Dia or Xenia would continue on to the next round. Blake put it best today when he tweeted that there’s no way for him to lose or win tonight. It’s so sweet how torn he was!

Last night we asked Blake if had planned how he would vote. He said, “I knew what I was going to coming into this thing and I think it was the right thing because man those two girls are so special. It crept up on me. When I watch how this show has progressed and watch how Dia and Xenia both went from people probably didn’t even notice them to once they got a chance to do their thing it was just an explosion.”

Blake continued, “Now that’s all I hear about when I talk about the show with somebody. It used to be Javier, Javier, Javier, Javier. That’s all you heard about! And rightfully so, the guy is absolutely amazing. Now when I read articles it’s like who is this Dia Frampton, here’s why we think Blake picked Xenia. There’s a buzz about these two girls. It’s because they’re artists, they’re not just vocalists. They have unique tones. If you shut your eyes and listen them, there’s no way to mistake who you are hearing.”

Xenia gave her close friend Dia and Blake a hug before walking off stage, leaving teary-eyed winner Dia with coach Blake who called Xenia a “superstar”. The others eliminated were Casey Weston, Nakia, and Frenchie. Vicci Martinez, Javier Colon, Beverly and Dia are moving on to the finals.

Source: Hollywood Life

The hit NBC singing competition, “The Voice,” became popular much faster than anyone could have imagined. The judges were even surprised when millions of fans tuned in each week to watch. Blake Shelton believes it has a lot to do with the judges and how well they get along with each other.

“All four of us when we got there — I remember that first meeting, we were all sitting there looking at each other like, ‘What the hell is this show?,’” Blake told The Boot. “We were seeing these chairs spin around, and we didn’t even know. Once we figured it out, and more importantly once we figured out we had some chemistry with each other, that was just luck of the draw. Thank God. That’s what’s helping the show as much as anything, is that we do all get along, and we’re not afraid to pop off to each other on TV, because we know that as soon as it’s a commercial break, we’re going to high-five and laugh about it. That’s why we’re relaxed, is because you’re looking at four people who, when the show is over someday, we will remain friends.”

The show has already been renewed for a second season, but that is not the only thing the “Honey Bee” singer has on his plate right now. He is currently on the “H2O II: Wetter and Wilder” tour with Brad Paisley. On top of those, the newlywed is also juggling trying to spend time with his new wife, Miranda Lambert. Despite the busy schedule he keeps, he is working through it to keep his career on the right track.

“I don’t think you get the luxury of saying ‘I’m not doing this right now,’” he said. “You have to figure out a way to balance that. And sometimes you don’t even get that opportunity. But now that we know there’s a second season of ‘The Voice’ coming, I know that touring and ‘The Voice’ is too much for me, so we’re going to not tour for a month or so, and then we’ll pick back up again after that. I think you have to prioritize. As far as handling all that stuff and the things going on, I’ve never changed my priorities.”

“The Voice” now airs live on Tuesday nights. Blake will be performing in Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado this weekend. His latest album, “Red River Blue” will be in stores July 12th.

Source: Nashville.com

Country music star and Voice coach Blake Shelton is getting a small taste of fatherhood while working with the up and coming artists on the hit NBC reality show. But after having to send home two contestants during this week’s show — and the sudden boom in his career — the newlywed says that he and wife Miranda Lambert are holding off on plans to start a family.

“We talked about it a couple of times — just enough to say, ‘You know what? We need to revisit this later,’” Blake reveals to Access Hollywood.

Just married last month before 550 of their closest family and friends, Shelton and Lambert are still getting used to being Mr. & Mrs., and working on their careers.

“My thing is taking up all my time right now,” explains Blake, 34, “and her career is taking up all of her time, and it just doesn’t seem like the right time right now.

“I’m sure at some point it’ll happen, but I don’t know when,” Shelton adds.

So, no baby yet, but in the meantime, we’re looking forward to lots more music (and The Voice) from Blake and Miranda.

In fact, Blake Shelton’s new album, Red River Blue, drops on July 12.

Source: Celebrity Baby Scoop

This week Cracker Barrel released a new three-CD series, “Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection,” as well as a contemporary “Our Kind Of Country” CD.

“The Classic Collection” includes live performances on the Opry stage from the mid-1950s to the 2000s from artists like George Jones, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. It is divided into three segments: Duets, Outlaw Performers and Classics.

“The classic collection is truly ‘classic’ in every sense of the word,” said Julie Craig, marketing manager for Cracker Barrel, in a news release. “It’s as close to an Opry experience as you can get without actually being in the Opry House. Listeners will enjoy high quality sound on every track, songs by historically renowned artists and enduring examples of some truly great performances. And ‘Our Kind Of Country’ is an incredible showcase of the Opry’s current superstars and more recent additions—a dozen of the Opry’s best available on one CD for the first time.”

“Our Kind Of Country” includes some of the biggest hits of the last ten years. Artists on the CD include Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Diamond Rio, Terri Clark and Montgomery Gentry. Collectively, the artists have won every major award given by the Country Music Association. The project offers 12 studio recordings and is available in Cracker Barrel stores and Grand Ole Opry retail locations.

Source: Nashville.com

I’ve added photos of Blake from his appearances on Jay Leno last week! Enjoy.

Gallery Links:
PUBLIC APPEARANCES > PUBLIC APPEARANCES FROM 2011 > THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO
SCREEN CAPTURES > TV APPEARANCES > TV APPEARANCES FROM 2011 > THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (06/15/2011)