{alltv} The Voice Wins the Super Bowl as Battle Round Comes to a Close

NBC is taking the ball and running with it.

Although Fox lost a greater chunk of viewers than usual by airing a super-sized Glee after the 2011 Super Bowl, NBC is betting that an unscripted singing competition will fare better than a carefully choreographed "Thriller" mashup.

"There is no better showcase on television than to follow the Super Bowl, and we believe The Voice is deserving of such high-profile exposure," NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said of its freshman show (which, of course, will have kicked off its second season by Feb. 5, 2012). "The attention-grabbing blind audition phase of The Voice has mass appeal and will fittingly team up with the biggest sporting event of the year."

Sounds good. Now, let's check in with this year's MVP talent...

Humble country topped glam rock when Jeff Jenkins wowed coach Adam Levine with "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," despite Casey Desmond's best efforts. So Jeff, too, will be singing for votes when the the live round of The Voice finally begins next week. Jeff joins Casey Weston, Javier Colon and Devon Barley (remember them?!) on Team Adam.

On the bright side, high schooler Xenia already has a cool, one-word pop star moniker. Too bad she doesn't have the nerves to compete at this level. Lucky for her, fellow Blake Shelton protégée Sara Oromchi had an even worse time with the Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You," paving the way for Xenia to continue on in the competition.

"It was pitchy, nerves flying around, notes not being hit," observed Adam Levine. "It was not the right song for your voices." With her confidence probably pretty shaken, Xenia will sing for Team Blake along with Patrick Thomas, Jared Blake and Dia Frampton.

Meanwhile, Cherie Oakley didn't exactly have her chance and blow it, but Lily Elise did manage to out-belt her on "Since U Been Gone."

"My two angels," lamented Christina Aguilera before finally settling on Lily, whose "hot mama" look may have tipped the scales in her favor. Lily joins an all-lady team that includes Frenchie Davis, Beverly McClellan and 16-year-old Raquel Castro.

Rounding out next week's show is the last piece of Cee Lo Green's puzzle, country specialist Curtis Grimes, who out-dueled Lindsay Lohan look-alike (and Beverly Hills 90210 sound-alike) Emily Valentine on his own turf—Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now." Curtis joins the already packed team of sisters Tori and Taylor Thompson, Vicci Martinez and Nakia (yet another one-name wonder).

So, tonight didn't feature the best battles of the bunch, but so what? It's all up to America from here on out.

 

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{alltv} Sarah Palin Meets Donald Trump: Who's Auditioning for Who Here?

 

Is Sarah Palin gunning for Donald Trump's piece of the GOP pie?

Well, the only pie they shared Tuesday was of the pizza variety, but Palin did make a point of requesting a meeting with the Celebrity Apprentice honcho, who surprised everybody (and yet nobody) by announcing earlier this month that he would not be seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, despite lots of bluster about Barack Obama's birth certificate and other issues he has with the current commander in chief.

Palin, meanwhile, has made no such announcement yet, and is on the cross-country bus tour to prove it. But what did the upcoming documentary subject want from the Donald, besides stock tips?

Most likely she just wanted to chitchat about the crummy job they both think Obama is doing and high-five Trump over the birth certificate thing.

Of course, there's always the possibility that we're looking at Trump's new right-hand woman on Celebrity Apprentice once Ivanka heads off on maternity leave. Or, moving further down the likelihood spectrum, maybe there's a "Vote Palin-Trump in 2012" commercial in our future.

But really, by so effectively inserting himself into the national conversation, Trump is simply now a Republican worth courting.

"I think I'll go change his mind and make sure he's contributing to constitutional conservatives," Palin, on her way into Trump's gilded apartment building with daughter Piper, told one reporter when asked about his past contributions to Democratic candidates.

After a brief visit to his golden tower, Palin, Trump and his wife, Melania, made their way to Famous Famiglia, a pizzeria on 50th Street and Broadway, photographers in hot pursuit.

A Trump aide has said that Palin's camp requested the meeting, but no other details were forthcoming.

 

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{alltv} Out of the fog

Chelsea Handler had a close call getting to the Hamptons this weekend. She flew in on a private jet following a gig in Vegas on Saturday night, but it couldn't land on Long Island due to heavy fog. She told us at the Hamptons magazine Memorial Day party Sunday, "I flew in around 5 a.m., and we had to fly into Teterboro because of the fog, so [it took] 2½ hours to drive from Teterboro. But now that I am here and I've slept, [I feel better]." Hamptons cover star Handler hung out with her hotelier boyfriend Andre Balazs at the party at Southampton Social Club, hosted by Niche Media's Jason Binn and his wife, Hayley.

 

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{alltv} Stars unmasked

Entering the world of Macbeth in "Sleep No More," visitors to the interactive Chelsea show remain incognito wearing an "Eyes Wide Shut"-style mask. But Justin Timberlake and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen drew attention to themselves when they arrived Friday in three huge Cadillac Escalades. Timberlake was later spotted enjoying drinks after the show, created by British theater company Punchdrunk, at the McKittrick Hotel bar without his mask. On Saturday, Emily Blunt, husband John Krasinski and Matt Damon went to see the show separately, but met in the bar for a drink afterward.

 

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{alltv} Alec's new flame

Alec Baldwin is "smitten" with a 2007 NYU graduate, sources tell us. The "30 Rock" star, 53, has been dating 28-year- old Yoga Vida studio director Hilaria Thomas. The two were photographed together at Carnegie Hall's 120th anniversary after-party last month at The Plaza. "He's really into her," a source said. "He's taking her to the Tonys." But Thomas wasn't pleased to get a call from us. "I'm not going to answer these questions," she snapped. Baldwin's rep joked, "He's actually been dating Russell Brand down in South Florida."

 

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{alltv} Sightings

Giants chairman Steve Tisch and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross along with restaurateurs Marc Packer and Anthony Scotto at Southampton's T-Bar at Savanna's . . . HBO's Michael J. Fuchs, Jonathan Cheban, Impulsive Group CEO Hank Freid and Julianna Melamed, and attorney Jonathan Goldberg at a tasting at the new Nobu at Capri Southampton the night before Monday's official opening . . . HOWARD Stern and wife Beth Ostrosky dining on the front porch of East Hampton hot spot Nick & Toni's Saturday night, while taxi tycoon Andrew Murstein and Nathan Lane scored corner tables in the main dining room.

 

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