‘Voice’ is needed high note for NBC
With “The Voice,” it looks like NBC has finally gotten the hit it desperately needs.
The second week of the singing competition delivered an average of 12.4 million viewers, up 5 percent from last week’s impressive premiere, according to the Nielsen Co.
“The Voice” thus becomes the only new series on any of the major networks this season to deliver a bump from the first to second episode, usually a reliable indicator of hit status.
Best of all for long-suffering NBC, “The Voice” is showing its strongest numbers among young adults. In the key advertising category of adults age 18 to 49, Tuesday’s airing scored a 5.6 rating/14 share, making it the night’s top-rated show.
It easily swept past “Glee,” which delivered a 3.6 rating/10 share.
Last week’s premiere of “The Voice” had a median viewer age of 40.6 – which might not sound all that youthful, but is compared with much of the competition on TV, especially crime shows.
Joining the ‘X’ men
The Fox network says British pop superstar Cheryl Cole will be seated at the judges’ panel for “The X Factor.”
Cole will join Grammy-winning music producer Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Simon Cowell on the much-anticipated singing contest debuting this fall, the network announced Thursday.
The series is based on Cowell’s hit British show, where Cole has been a judge in the past.
Paula Abdul, who teamed with Cowell on Fox’s “American Idol,” has been mentioned as a possible fourth judge.
“The X Factor” is open to solo singers and vocal groups age 12 and up, with auditions currently under way. The winner gets a $5 million record contract.
‘Glee’ in 3-D
“Glee” creator Ryan Murphy and Fox’s television and film studios are teaming to produce “Glee Live! 3D!”
The movie will bring the upcoming “Glee Live! In Concert!” North American tour to the big screen Aug. 12 for a limited two-week engagement.
“This tour was all about going out and performing for our amazing fans who have supported our show from the beginning, but due to the limited time we had to travel during our hiatus, there were only so many cities we could get to before we had to resume work on the television series,” Murphy said in a statement.
“We promise every passionate ‘Gleek’ a cinematic experience that will have them singing and dancing in the aisles.”
The tour begins May 21 in Las Vegas.
A ‘Big C’ CD
The Showtime series “The Big C” is joining Hollywood’s fight against cancer.
Songs from and inspired by the TV series will be released on CD and digital download June 7 by Epic Records in collaboration with Showtime and Sony Pictures Television.
Net proceeds will go to Stand Up to Cancer, a nonprofit program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
Artists on the soundtrack include the Staple Singers, Franz Ferdinand and Alex Cornish.
“The Big C” stars Laura Linney as a housewife finding her own way of dealing with cancer. It returns for its second season June 27.