There’s no other way to put it: On Monday night, The Voice season 25 Semi-Finals got…weird.
The Top 9 remaining artists were asked to do double duty as they performed for America’s votes to earn a spot in the final five for next week’s big finale. First, they each got to sing a solo song dedicated to their hometowns. Business as usual, right?
Where things got strange was in their second performances of the evening: The artists were placed into trios and asked to perform songs inspired by the new Paramount Pictures movie IF, about imaginary friends, and imagination in general. IF writer-director John Krasinski even taped some messages for each group to get them motivated. The movie tie-ins on stage for each performance were…let’s call them strong. Perhaps, too strong, some might say?
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
NBC
Out of the three performances, the only one that doesn’t end up feeling like some sort of Furry fever dream is the country trio, made up of Karen Waldrup, Tae Lewis, and Josh Sanders, who performed Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” around a cartoon campfire. It’s very sweet! And not at all alarming!
On the flip side, there is the trio of Bryan Olesen, Nathan Chester, and Maddi Jane tasked with using their imagination to dream up something big — like a performance of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” but one where backing band members wear animal headpieces. Is it meant to represent imaginary friends? Or a wild (no pun intended) dream you might have when you eat too close to bedtime? I don’t know, but the horse head costume is very disconcerting. The three artists do their best to sing around it, but the musical menagerie is quite distracting.
Speaking of, the third trio of the night — Asher Havon, Serenity Arce, and Madison Curbelo — get saddled with the toughest job of all: singing an emotional Coldplay song whilst a giant blue bear attempts a contemporary dance representing imaginary friends supporting a child through a hard time on stage in front of them. The vocals on “Fix You” are gorgeous (Asher HaVon, especially, was meant to sing this song), but they are mostly overshadowed by…well, you know. The bear is a lot, okay?
The trio performances are meant to be more for fun than to be voted on (that’s what the solos are for), which is good news for everyone. As far as marketing for IF, well, it certainly was memorable.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.
News
How did Jodie Foster typecast herself by being so good at her job?
Jodie Foster has portrayed a wide range of characters on screen. She captured hearts as the precocious teen in Freaky Friday and stunned audiences with her role in Taxi Driver. In The Silence of the Lambs and Panic Room, she demonstrated a steely resolve paired with human…
Jodie Foster sets her next film, and more casting news this week
Jodie Foster is going from Night Country to wine country. According to Variety, the Academy Award-winning actress has set her first project since starring in True Detective‘s fourth season earlier this year. She’ll lead the film Vie Privée, an upcoming French language project from director Rebecca…
Justin Bieber has ‘alienated’ people around him amid ex-mentor Sean Diddy’s arrest: ‘His family members are…’
Justin Bieber has “alienated” people around him as he “doesn’t trust them”, said an insider, claiming that the singer has done “some really crazy s-t.” While Justin Bieber has strongly rejected any connection with the allegations against Sean Diddy Combs, the American…
Oscar-Winner Jodie Foster Cast in Rebecca Zlotowski’s Latest French Film
Jodie Foster Cast in New French Film Academy Award-winning actress, Jodie Foster, has come on board the latest film from director Rebecca Zlotowski, Vie Privée. Jodie Foster, who is fluent in French, will be starring in the upcoming international film, Vie Privée. This film…
‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3: Everything To Know So Far About The Doomed Team’s Return To The Wilderness
Yellowjackets has been streaming on Paramount+ for years, but the survival/coming-of-age series recently received the famed Netflix boost. The series’ second season did lose some momentum while it aired, and that season isn’t on Netflix as of yet (and hopefully, you aren’t reading…
Jodie Foster Reacts To First Emmy Win
Jodie Foster, one of the most celebrated actresses of our time, has made headlines with her recent Emmy win, marking a remarkable comeback year in her illustrious career. After being nominated for an Academy Award for the first time in…
End of content
No more pages to load