Just last week The Voice premiered, and like many reality show singing competitions out there, they had new faces on the judging panel with Usher taking over for Cee-Lo and Shakira taking the chair from Christina Aguilera for the time being. So far, Usher seems to be off to a good start on the show. He fits in with the banter the judges always engage in and many of the contestants find themselves under his spell and on his team with his bribes of the chance to meet Justin Bieber and straightforward pleas about their talents as opposed to why it would be so cool for them to be on his team. Shakira also holds her own well and doesn’t seem thirsty to turn her chair for every decent voice she hears. All in all, it seems they fit in nicely, and fans agree. The premiere of The Voice was a big winner ratings wise, increasing in viewership by 12 percent compared to last year’s season premiere, bringing in more than 13 million viewers.

This is happening while over on Fox, American Idol ratings continue to decrease to an all-time low, as the show did last Thursday when it only eeked out 11 million viewers. So why are the new faces on The Voice working well for ratings but the same can’t be said for Idol?

Honestly, The Voice ratings could dip just like Idol‘s have as the show continues. However, checking out reactions from different sites like E! and more, it seems that people actually seem to find Usher and Shakira very entertaining, maybe even more so than Cee-Lo and Aguilera, who are allegedly supposed to return to the series next season. But I think a fresh face is needed from time to time just to make people tune in. Yet at the same time, people will tune out if the new face isn’t necessarily a positive change. Many commented on The Voice premiere saying that Shakira and Usher seemed to have their egos in check, while we know from these last few months of American Idol that Nicki and Mariah were caught up in an ego-driven cat fight for a while there. The show has basically been based around the new judges over the contestants and the drama they may or may not have going on. It’s tired.

I tune into both shows and I can say that I like the Usher I see (his character has been in question since all that custody battle drama, but when he’s focused on music, he’s gets a boost), Nicki isn’t bad at judging, and Mariah is actually coming off a little stale in the judge’s seat for me. Keep it positive and about the talent of the contestants, and people seem to want to come back. All in all, reality show talent competitions are a dime a dozen these days, so for both of these juggernauts to keep their ratings on the up and up, I have a feeling they will need more than just new judges.

What do you think of the new season of The Voice so far? What about the new season of Idol?

WENN

Could it be that Cee Lo and his team made Christmas really sad for one company?

According to TMZ, the answer is yes. Cierra Management Group recently filed a lawsuit against Cee Lo Green’s team of people (no names have been specifically released) alleging that they took money from the management group regarding shows in 2011 that never happened.  According to Cierra, they believe Cee Lo was never going to perform.

Cierra says that in November 2011, Cee lo’s team approached them with an idea to do a tour called the “12 Days of Christmas” featuring Cee Lo. The asking price was $100,000 per show; Cierra declined because they could not afford it.  His team then came back with a shorter “6 Days of Christmas” tour at the same rate but again, because of price, Cierra declined to make that deal.

However, they say his team came back with yet another deal. This time, they presented a two show deal and Cierra would pay $243,000 for both shows, including expenses.  That deal wet Cierra’s whistle and they agreed to those terms.

But the shows never happened and Cierra believes that Cee Lo’s team knew all along it wouldn’t happen.  The lawsuit states they believe this was all “a scheme designed to finagle funding capital for concerts they knew would not manifest.”

They are now suing his team for $14.2 million.  Talk about wanting to see justice served, right?

While Cee Lo isn’t named in that part of the lawsuit, he is being sued for refusing to perform the shows.

So far, his reps have declined to comment.

Here’s the thing: If any of this is true, you have to wonder if Cee Lo was even aware of this signed contract. Often times, the talent doesn’t know anything about deals being made until they’re absolutely done. It looks like in this case, if true, that Cee Lo may not have known even after the ink dried on the contract.

Cee Lo is pretty well-liked so we’ll keep an eye out on this story to see if it actually holds any water.

Source: WENN

Cee Lo’s career has been on fire in the last few years with the super-talented singer-songwriter/rapper/producer performing at presidential fundraisers and most notably landing a spot on NBC’s reality singing competition “The Voice.” But all of that momentum could come to a screeching halt as a result of accusations of sexual battery that have been filed against the entertainer — even if he says it’s not true.

According to TMZ:

Law enforcement sources tell us … a woman recently filed a police report with the LAPD, accusing “The Voice” judge – real name Thomas DeCarlo Callaway – of a sexual assault.

Our sources say detectives have already visited a restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles in connection with the case and questioned several employees, including the manager.   We do not know if the alleged incident occurred at the restaurant.

The LAPD is mum on the identity of the alleged victim, when and where the incident allegedly occurred, and what Cee Lo allegedly did.

TMZ says they’ve spoken with Cee Lo and he absolutely denies any wrongdoing, saying he hasn’t even been to the restaurant in question in three months and adding:

 ”Nothing ever happened there or anywhere else.”

Cee Lo also has someone backing up his claim, as another source who is regularly with him told TMZ:

“I have never seen Cee Lo act in a physical way toward anybody.”

Though Cee Lo, who grew up in the ATL, considered himself a “goon” in his younger days, the only controversies he’s been involved in since hitting the national radar have been related to his lyrical content and performance style. This accusation is by far the most serious of his career.

So far the investigation is in its early stages and no charges have been filed. Hopefully the truth will come out — whatever that is.

Are you surprised by this accusation?

Source: WENN

While “American Idol” is going the cooky route to attract viewers, “The Voice” is opting for something much simpler, eye candy. NBC just announced that Shakira and Usher will be  joining their hit reality singing competition show, taking the spots currently held by Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo.

The move isn’t necessarily permanent, but more so a measure to allow Chrissy and Cee to focus on other projects, like new music for both artists and even a sitcom Cee-Lo is developing for the network. NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement that NBC is more than happy to have two amazing performers step in for them.

“We are thrilled to welcome Usher and Shakira to ‘The Voice.’ Doing two back-to-back cycles of this show requires a tremendous amount of time, and we are happy to accommodate the commitments made by Christina and CeeLo. The participants on our show benefit from our coaches’ expertise and their continued success in the music business allows for significant new contributions to the contestants when they return.”

Adam Levine and Blake Shelton will still retain their spots on “The Voice” judging panel so it will be interesting to see how this group measures up against Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, and Randy Jackson, who’s apparently back in the game, on “American Idol,” and Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell on “X Factor.”

What do you think?

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TV Land’s latest comedy “The Sou Man” starring Cedric The Entertainer and Niecey Nash is getting a lot of great buzz leading up to tonight’s premiere. Cedric plays a soul singer who decided to follow his heart and pursue a new life as a preacher. Problem is that his wife and daughter are not neccessarily feeling the change in direction.

Madame Noire got to visit the set of the new sitcom and talk to Cee Lo Green, who was filming a guest spot on the show, and actor Wesley Jonathan (“Roll Bounce”) who plays the Soul Man’s younger brother. Check it out.

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Source: Idolator

Sometimes we need a laugh and JET magazine has given us a good one while making one of Cee Lo Green’s lifelong dreams a reality in this week’s issue. In an interview, “The Voice” judge told the mag he’s always wanted to pose for their most famous section, “Beauty of the Week,” and JET not only said yes, they gave him a hot body to go with it.

Courtesy of photographer Derek Blanks and photoshop, Cee Lo was turned into a four-pack ab having, chest-baring, bowtie-wearing swexy man. And just in case you thought the artist’s buffed-up transformation was a little suspect, the mag features the “real” Cee Lo on the cover for a feature discussing his recent surge of success. Despite questioning whether he’s a crossover or a sellout,  JET points out: “either way he’s paid.” In my opinion, Cee Lo’s always been a diverse artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously. I think his “Beauty of the Week” spread makes that clear.

What do you think about Cee Lo’s JET centerfold?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Victoria Secret’s annual fashion show is one of the year’s most exciting television events, and this year the panty empire is bringing major black star power to the festivities. We already knew Kanye was performing, but now that Cee Lo had to cancel,  Juicy.com says that Nicki Minaj has been added to the hot lineup. It sounds like the perfect pair for this year’s show which will feature lingerie embellished with Swarovski elements,  the $2.5 million Fantasy Treasure Bra, and of course, angel wings.

The 2011 Fashion show airs November 29 on CBS at 10 pm. What are you most looking forward to seeing?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Photo courtesy of drfunkenberry.com

What’s more exciting than new heat from your favorite artist? A collaboration between two of your faves! While some folks are always taking advantage of someone else’s studio time (hello, Small Wayne), others are a little bit more combination shy. Here are some of our dream musical match-ups. Leave yours in the comments section!

While there were some really bright spots in last night’s BET Awards, unless I was looking at the wrong channel, the show as a whole was underwhelming.  Some of the performances were dope (we see you Kelly!), others, a tad bit too dry for my liking. There was less opportunities it seemed to give out awards, and when they did, they were saying the wrong winners. But you can only grow from your missteps. So BET, here’s a list of things we’d like you to keep in mind for next year’s show, because seeing them once was enough…