Blake Shelton Reveals His Strategy for Season Two of ‘The Voice’

It feels like only yesterday that Blake Shelton‘s charge Dia Frampton was the runner up on the debut season of ‘The Voice.’ Well, season two is upon us, and Shelton is already raring to go and plotting his methods for another round. Shelton revealed that he will retain last season’s strategy of picking the singers with the most unique and different voices for his team. Obviously, Shelton has no interest in cultivating a poker face during the audition round. “I am picking polarizing voices,” Shelton reveals to The Boot. “That really worked out well for me last time around. There were a lot of great singers on that show, but there was only one Dia and one Xenia. They are so different from any other voices you ever hear. That’s what the show means to me.” Shelton, who serves as a coach and a mentor to each singer on his team, thinks this season will be an improvement from last year, which was by no means a flop. In fact, it was a huge ratings hit. He thinks his show stands out from other reality talent competitions because of the way it’s structured. “That’s the cool thing about having artists be the coaches — we all have a different vision for what ‘The Voice’ is,” he theorizes. “I think it will become even more dynamic this year, as far as how different each one of our teams are. Now we know what we’re looking for and how to go about the game we play.” The second season of ‘The Voice’ will premiere on Feb. 5 on NBC, immediately following the Super Bowl.

(A Taste Of Country)

Oregon's Rose Bowl Uniforms Channel Darth Vader.

Ever wonder what it would be like if Darth Vader played in the Rose Bowl?
You'll find out on January 2. The University of Oregon will debut the latest Nike Pro Combat gear that claims to be the most advanced football uniform system in the world. It's certainly the scariest. Much like the iPhone, the Nike Combat Uniforms -- which first debuted at last year's BCS title game -- keep introducing new versions. This outfit features 11 different materials in the jersey and pants, and 16 in the complete uniform. Oregon fans, always delighted to see their Ducks set trends, will be happy to know that the new unis include larger, bolder numbers with an iridescent sheen similar to that of a mallard duck's feathers. Or Lord Vader's coat.

Two Women Charged for Making False Claims Following Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse.

Sadly, there will always be a few bad apples who attempt to make selfish gains from the misfortune of others. Thankfully, in this case, two women who made false claims in order to get free money following the Indiana State Fair stage collapse have been caught — and are being charged. According to Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry, Stephanie Murry, 25, and Sandra Hurn, 38, of Indianapolis attempted to collect money from both the State Fair Remembrance Fund and the Indiana Tort Claim Fund, though it is believed that neither of the two women were at the fair on the night of the stage collapse.

The pair attempted to collect a total of $22,500 from the available funds. Murry and Hurn claim to have been injured in the crash, which killed seven and injured 58 others just minutes before country duo Sugarland were due to take the stage.

Hurn, who was able to collect a total of $7,500 from the remembrance fund, is looking at a maximum of 36 years in prison if convicted on charges of forgery, perjury, theft and attempted theft. While Murry was denied money because she did not meet the qualifications, she is still looking at a maximum of 14 years behind bars. In order to catch the crooks, officials ‘approved’ both of the women’s requests — and arrested them when they came to get their checks.

“It is particularly troubling that individuals would attempt to illegally profit upon a tragedy such as the State Fair stage collapse. We have zero tolerance for those who wish to gain at the misfortune of others,” Curry said in a statement. “We will not stand idly by while greedy individuals take from those who are truly deserving of compensation from this tragedy.”

(A Taste Of Country)

The Band Perry to Perform National Anthem at Cotton Bowl.

The Band Perry had a banner year in 2011, due in large part to the crossover success of ‘If I Die Young.’ They will soar into 2012 with another heralded appearance. The trio of siblings will perform the national anthem at the AT&T Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 6, reports CMT.
The game is scheduled to take place at 8 PM ET on Fox and will feature a match between the Kansas Sate Wildcats and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Band Perry will sing ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ beforehand. Kimberly Perry and her brothers are of course stoked about the chance to sing the national anthem at a heavily viewed sporting event. Of the opportunity, the singer said, “Cowboys Stadium is one of the biggest and best venues in the entire world when it comes to country music. We are excited and honored to be singing our country’s anthem on such a national stage.”

(A Taste Of Counrty)

Country Weddings and Engagements in 2011.

It seemed that in almost every month of 2011, a new country couple was sneaking away to get married. Beginning on New Year’s Day with Shania Twain, Kellie Pickler and their respective grooms and continuing through to Sunny Sweeney‘s magical wedding date of of 11/11/11, it appears that country stars eloped more often than not in 2011. There were also plenty of high profile proposals, including two members of Lady Antebellum getting engaged to their significant others. There are plenty of pictures and stories of romance to click through in this list of 2011′s country weddings and engagements.

(A Taste Of Country)

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"A Christmas Story" is Our Favorite Holiday Movie and "The Grinch" is Our Favorite Holiday Special.

Harris Interactive just conducted a huge holiday poll. Here are some of the results:
Favorite Christmas Movie: "A Christmas Story" . . . but not by much. 20% of people chose that one, while 19% went with "It's A Wonderful Life", which NBC is airing on Christmas Eve this year. TBS will have your hookup for "A Christmas Story". Favorite Christmas Special: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". This is the animated version, not the JIM CARREY movie. It was chosen by 23% of respondents. This was another close one. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" got 22%. Sadly, I must report that there was very little love for my personal favorite, "The Year Without a Santa Claus". It finished in 5th place with only 3% of the vote. Have you no love for Heat Miser and Snow Miser? The Holiday Song People Most Look Forward to Hearing is "White Christmas". Followed by "Silent Night" and "Oh Holy Night". The Holiday Song People Want to Go Away is "Jingle Bells". Followed by "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". No percentages were given for the songs.

John Rich Finds Irony in Scoring Six Drink Tickets on Southwest Flight!!!

Just a few weeks ago, John Rich was kicked off of a Southwest flight home to Nashville for being too drunk. So you can imagine why he found it especially ironic that while boarding yet another Southwest flight early Tuesday morning, he received not one, but six free drink tickets. “IRONY: just checked in for my Southwest flight to New Orleans, and they give me SIX drink tickets!! Its 9:30am….are they setting me up??” Rich tweeted, making light of the situation. The singer was leaving Las Vegas to return home following the American Country Awards in early December when it was decided he was too intoxicated, and thus “not fit for travel under governing federal aviation regulations.” Rich was removed from his flight by Southwest personnel and had to make other travel arrangements, but he obviously harbors no hard feelings about what went down, given his lighthearted tweetS. Rich is currently in the Big Easy to find a location to shoot a new music video. Just before boarding his flight and snagging a handful of drink coupons, the Big and Rich hitmaker tweeted some info about his latest venture, saying, “Off to New Orleans to scout locations for a video shoot on a NEW John Anderson song featuring Haggard and Willie!!! Just WAIT till you hear!”

(A Taste Of Country)