Changing The Voice: The Quick Fix That Needs to Be Made Ahead of Season 28
As much as anyone, I know that we don't really want The Voice to change a whole lot. We nom nom on NBC's long-running sing-off like the comfort food that it is, over and over again picking our favorite contestants, only to as often as not watch them get eliminated before the winner is revealed. We're used to it, and, in a twisty way, we like being used to it. In uncertain times, it is a reassuring constant. But…
And you bet there's a 'but.' That doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement. In Season 27, it hit me like a ton of bricks when country star Kelsea Ballerini joined the coaching panel. What the show needs is more personalities like hers. She's not only sharp and fun, she gives a s—t.
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That's not to say that veteran coaches Adam Levine and John Legend don't care, or that Michael Bublé in his second go-round doesn't. It just feels as if their enthusiasm has waned, whereas Ballerini… she's a bottle rocket in a red swivel chair. If she's faking her investment, she's the freakin' Meryl Streep of reality competitions. I 100-percent buy what she's selling.
So who should join her on the coaching panel in Season 28 (assuming, and here's hoping, she returns)? Glad you asked. I actually have a few ideas about that. Keep scrolling and see if you agree with my picks.
Obviously, pop's It girl would be the 'get' of the millennium for the show. Not only is she hugely popular, she's crazy charismatic, witty as hell and as down-to-earth as the pavement. And her addition to the coaching panel isn't entirely out of the question, considering that she's already appeared on the show as an adviser (to Usher in Season 4) and Mega Mentor (in Seasons 7 and 17).
The rapper/singer on The Voice? To quote one of his own hits, that's what I want. The Grammy winner is funny and real, and his origin story has a lot more in common with that of most contestants than, say, Levine's. (His father founded the retail chain M.) Plus, Lil Nas X's presence on the panel might do what Chance the Rapper and Snoop Dogg's didn't, and give song selections a new flavor.
It took the then-future Glinda a minute to get her bearings as a coach in Season 21. But once she relaxed into her role, I never wanted her to leave. She was adorable — or as Reba McEntire would put it, cute as a button. On top of that, the 'Dangerous Woman' singer's laser focus on technical excellence made her not just an exceedingly appealing red-chair newbie, one whose input was exceedingly valuable. My one concern? Did she care too much?
Hilarious, irreverent and likely the smartest person in the room, no matter how massive the arena, the Grammy winner would make us, ahem, rush to the couch to watch him court and then coach wannabe hims on The Voice. And as far as I've seen, the 'One of Our Girls' singer is incapable of phoning it in. You could put a cell in his hand, and he still couldn't. He can't help but be present.
With her star not only on the rise but meteorically on the rise, she's probably as long a shot to join The Voice as Grande is to return to it. But we'd be remiss if we didn't suggest her as an ideal coach, especially after bearing witness to the warmth, class and wisdom that she brought to bear in Season 27 as buddy Bublé's Battles adviser. Even if the show couldn't keep her for long, damn, it'd be great if it could have her at all!
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Matt LeBlanc Is Being Praised For Doing 'Exactly What You Should Do When You Can Afford It' After A Clip Of Him Opening Up About His Low Work Ethic Resurfaced Online
Back in March, Matt LeBlanc went viral when the people of TikTok discovered his seriously refreshing approach to being wealthy. For reference, Matt, 57, got his big break when he landed the role of Joey Tribbiani in the hit NBC sitcom Friends back in 1994, which ran for 10 seasons before coming to an end in 2004. According to various reports, the six main cast members were originally paid $22,500 per episode during Season 1, and by the third season, this had jumped to $100,000. By Season 9, the cast had famously negotiated a salary of $1 million per episode — the largest-ever deal for a sitcom at the time. And if you're wondering, most seasons consisted of 24 episodes, with some as high as 25. At the time of writing, Matt has an estimated net worth of $85 million, and Marketplace previously reported that the cast earns around $20 million each a year through Friends reruns alone. This is because they started to receive 2% of the show's syndication profits after Season 6. And if any of the stars' bank accounts needed an extra boost, Variety reported that they were each paid $2.5 million to take part in the 104-minute reunion documentary that aired in 2021. The six actors all enjoyed successful careers after Friends, too, including Matt — although his jobs have arguably been a little less steady than some of his former costars. Between 2004 and 2006, the actor starred in a spin-off about his Friends character called Joey. Matt didn't appear onscreen again until 2011, when he landed a role in Episodes. His last screen appearance was in June 2020 after his show Man With A Plan was cancelled. We also can't forget Matt's stint as a host on the British series Top Gear between 2016 and 2019, which he eventually quit due to the show's "time commitment and extensive travel" requirements. Related: 21 Times Celebrities Revealed Wildly Juicy, Shady, Or Even Disturbing Things In Interviews And Matt has been incredibly open about how intentional his lack of TV work has been over the years, with the star making it clear that he only has one main priority at this point in his life, and that is to do nothing. Speaking on Conan back in 2017, Matt admitted that he'd like to retire as soon as possible, saying: 'I think I would like to do not a fucking thing, that's what I would like to do. Just nothing, absolutely nothing, zero.' 'Any typical day; sleep as long as you want, or get up early — if you want. It's just not having to go somewhere or someone else telling you what you have to do,' Matt went on. 'Maybe you go to the gym, or not go to the gym. Maybe you have nine cups of coffee, or none.' And the star doubled down on this mindset during a 2018 appearance on the Scandinavian TV show Skavlan, where he said of his post-Friends career: 'My plan was, I did 10 years of Friends, then two years of Joey, and then I said: 'Right, I'm gonna take a year off, I wanna take a year off and just relax.'' Chuckling to himself, Matt quipped: 'I had such a good time, I said: 'I'm gonna take another one,' right? And then that one was even better, so I said: 'Maybe one more!' And then it turned into five or six years.' 'My favorite thing in the world to do, like my absolute favorite thing in the world, is to do nothing,' he continued. 'I'm great at it. I should be a professional nothing. Because it's so easy, there's no rules! What are you gonna do today? I'll tell you: Nothing, pretty simple.' A compilation of these interview moments circulated on TikTok earlier this year, and many of its millions of viewers confessed to respecting Matt's approach to wealth. One of the comments even compared Matt's life to the definition of 'freedom,' with others saying that they would do the same in his position. And people have been reminded of Matt's relatable approach to working after another iconic interview moment recently resurfaced on TikTok. Related: Here Are 16 Actors Who Saved Their Skin By Turning Down Roles In Movies That People Notoriously Hated The exchange happened when Matt appeared on the British talk show The Graham Norton Show back in 2011, with host Graham Norton not holding back as he said to the actor: 'It does sound like your work ethic isn't that high, you don't like leaving your home that much?' 'Yeah, I've got to get out of here,' Matt quipped in response as he jokingly checked his watch. Graham then said: 'But seriously, you do like to do nothing, don't you?' 'Yeah,' Matt replied. 'I hate to say it, my mom probably won't be too proud, but my favorite thing to do is absolutely nothing. I would sit on the couch forever if you let me.' The host then pointed out that Matt has 'big toys' at his house to keep him busy, and Matt confirmed that he did with a huge smile on his face. He said: 'I've got some cool toys. I've got a big, huge bulldozer to play with. Big.' When fellow guest David Mitchell asked the star if he also had buildings he could destroy with the bulldozer, Matt explained that he has things he can build, knock down, and then rebuild, adding: 'It's kind of fun.' He also clarified that he doesn't keep the bulldozer in his garden, sharing: 'It's at this big piece of property I have. And I have a motocross track there, so we use it to make the jumps and do all that kind of stuff.' This interview clip has been viewed more than 760k times at the time of writing, and racked up tens of thousands of likes and comments — many of which say the same kind of thing. 'he does exactly what you should do when you can afford it. just nothing,' one person wrote, while somebody else echoed: 'That is the point of being rich.' 'He has the right idea, too many people work hard their whole life but forget to enjoy what they earn,' another user commented. One more added: 'work ethic pfftt hes got the work life balance down.' 'he makes MILLIONS off 'Friends' re-runs alone… i'd love to do nothing too if i had that kind of money 😅' somebody else confessed, while one more point out: 'Do you see the relaxed look on his face and forehead? Wish I had Matt LeBlanc money.' Another popular comment joked: 'He is actually joey just with money 😂😂' You can watch the clip below — let me know your thoughts on Matt's work ethic in the comments below! 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Friends' Matt LeBlanc Praised For Love Of Doing Nothing
Back in March, Matt LeBlanc went viral when the people of TikTok discovered his seriously refreshing approach to being wealthy. For reference, Matt, 57, got his big break when he landed the role of Joey Tribbiani in the hit NBC sitcom Friends back in 1994, which ran for 10 seasons before coming to an end in 2004. According to various reports, the six main cast members were originally paid $22,500 per episode during Season 1, and by the third season, this had jumped to $100,000. By Season 9, the cast had famously negotiated a salary of $1 million per episode — the largest-ever deal for a sitcom at the time. And if you're wondering, most seasons consisted of 24 episodes, with some as high as the time of writing, Matt has an estimated net worth of $85 million, and Marketplace previously reported that the cast earns around $20 million each a year through Friends reruns alone. This is because they started to receive 2% of the show's syndication profits after Season 6. And if any of the stars' bank accounts needed an extra boost, Variety reported that they were each paid $2.5 million to take part in the 104-minute reunion documentary that aired in 2021. The six actors all enjoyed successful careers after Friends, too, including Matt — although his jobs have arguably been a little less steady than some of his former costars. Between 2004 and 2006, the actor starred in a spin-off about his Friends character called Joey. Matt didn't appear onscreen again until 2011, when he landed a role in Episodes. His last screen appearance was in June 2020 after his show Man With A Plan was cancelled. We also can't forget Matt's stint as a host on the British series Top Gear between 2016 and 2019, which he eventually quit due to the show's "time commitment and extensive travel" requirements. And Matt has been incredibly open about how intentional his lack of TV work has been over the years, with the star making it clear that he only has one main priority at this point in his life, and that is to do nothing. Speaking on Conan back in 2017, Matt admitted that he'd like to retire as soon as possible, saying: 'I think I would like to do not a fucking thing, that's what I would like to do. Just nothing, absolutely nothing, zero.''Any typical day; sleep as long as you want, or get up early — if you want. It's just not having to go somewhere or someone else telling you what you have to do,' Matt went on. 'Maybe you go to the gym, or not go to the gym. Maybe you have nine cups of coffee, or none.' And the star doubled down on this mindset during a 2018 appearance on the Scandinavian TV show Skavlan, where he said of his post-Friends career: 'My plan was, I did 10 years of Friends, then two years of Joey, and then I said: 'Right, I'm gonna take a year off, I wanna take a year off and just relax.'' Chuckling to himself, Matt quipped: 'I had such a good time, I said: 'I'm gonna take another one,' right? And then that one was even better, so I said: 'Maybe one more!' And then it turned into five or six years.''My favorite thing in the world to do, like my absolute favorite thing in the world, is to do nothing,' he continued. 'I'm great at it. I should be a professional nothing. Because it's so easy, there's no rules! What are you gonna do today? I'll tell you: Nothing, pretty simple.'A compilation of these interview moments circulated on TikTok earlier this year, and many of its millions of viewers confessed to respecting Matt's approach to wealth. One of the comments even compared Matt's life to the definition of 'freedom,' with others saying that they would do the same in his people have been reminded of Matt's relatable approach to working after another iconic interview moment recently resurfaced on TikTok. The exchange happened when Matt appeared on the British talk show The Graham Norton Show back in 2011, with host Graham Norton not holding back as he said to the actor: 'It does sound like your work ethic isn't that high, you don't like leaving your home that much?' 'Yeah, I've got to get out of here,' Matt quipped in response as he jokingly checked his watch. Graham then said: 'But seriously, you do like to do nothing, don't you?' 'Yeah,' Matt replied. 'I hate to say it, my mom probably won't be too proud, but my favorite thing to do is absolutely nothing. I would sit on the couch forever if you let me.' The host then pointed out that Matt has 'big toys' at his house to keep him busy, and Matt confirmed that he did with a huge smile on his face. He said: 'I've got some cool toys. I've got a big, huge bulldozer to play with. Big.' When fellow guest David Mitchell asked the star if he also had buildings he could destroy with the bulldozer, Matt explained that he has things he can build, knock down, and then rebuild, adding: 'It's kind of fun.' He also clarified that he doesn't keep the bulldozer in his garden, sharing: 'It's at this big piece of property I have. And I have a motocross track there, so we use it to make the jumps and do all that kind of stuff.' This interview clip has been viewed more than 760k times at the time of writing, and racked up tens of thousands of likes and comments — many of which say the same kind of thing.'he does exactly what you should do when you can afford it. just nothing,' one person wrote, while somebody else echoed: 'That is the point of being rich.''He has the right idea, too many people work hard their whole life but forget to enjoy what they earn,' another user more added: 'work ethic pfftt hes got the work life balance down.''he makes MILLIONS off 'Friends' re-runs alone… i'd love to do nothing too if i had that kind of money 😅' somebody else confessed, while one more point out: 'Do you see the relaxed look on his face and forehead? Wish I had Matt LeBlanc money.'Another popular comment joked: 'He is actually joey just with money 😂😂'
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Emily Eavis reveals Glastonbury capacity cut to avoid overcrowding
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has revealed that the festival sold 'a few thousand' fewer tickets this year in an attempt to reduce overcrowding. Last year, complaints emerged of huge crowds at certain sets to the point that security were forced to shut down entry to more fans. The 2025 event is sold out but apparently will not use its full 210,000 capacity when it takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset later this month. Speaking to the BBC's Sidetracked podcast, Eavis said she wanted to see if the reduction could 'make an impact on some of the busier times'. 'It'll be interesting to see just how that affects the dynamics on site,' she said of the reduced crowd sizes. Organisers have apparently also created more room at the Other Stage, the festival's second-biggest arena, where Charli XCX will headline on the Saturday night. After the festival bought extra land, there will also be more room at the Shangri-La nightlife area. Eavis said she had held a meeting of around 250 Glastonbury staff and asked whether anyone believed the festival was overcrowded last year – apparently no one put their hand up. 'I was like, [that's] interesting because there's a lot of talk, some people think that it was,' she said. Ticket-holders will also be encouraged to use different routes and make use of the entire site in a bid to ease congestion. Eavis said that the festival's app planner, with which fans can note which artists they want to see, had helped organisers predict which areas were likely to be busiest at specific times. 'The app was really accurate last year. People plan what they're going to see,' she said. 'We can see what they're going to see, which is really useful for us from a crowd perspective.' She revealed that, since the Covid pandemic, people tended to move 'more in a herd' and so her goal was to emphasise that there are 'like 10 routes to anywhere'. This year's festival takes place between Wednesday 25 June to Monday 30 June and will be headlined by The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo. Other artists on the eclectic lineup include Grammy-winning rapper Doechii, rock band Wunderhorse, pop star Charli XCX, singer RAYE, Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap and mysterious band Patchwork.
