Tag / The Voice

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NBC Upfronts

Sports continues to be a big driver for NBC For the first time in 23 years, with the NFL, MLB, the NBA, and college football taking up a good part of the fall schedule, which was released on Monday.  The week gets off to a familiar start in September with two hours of The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Line of Fire, a new drama starring Peter Krause.  Come November, St. Denis Medical and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins take over the first hour as The Voice goes to a single hour.  Tuesday will belong to the NBA when its season begins in October.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and the two original entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  Thursday starts with a civilian version of the Peacock hit reality show The Traitors, hosted by Alan Cumming.  Happy’s Place and Newlyweds, a new comedy starring Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, kick off Friday, followed by a two-hour block of Dateline.  The weekend is dominated by football, with the Big Ten or Notre Dame on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday.

On the bench, NBC has one drama, one comedy, and a game show waiting for midseason.  The Rockford Files stars David Boreanaz in the role originally made famous by James Garner in the 1970s.  Sunset P.I. takes a comedic approach at the private investigator space, starring Jake Johnson and Jane Levy.  Finally, Today co-host Savannah Guthrie will host a live version of Wordle.

Shows gone from our television sets include Brilliant Minds and Stumble.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #81-90

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

We continue today with our next batch of ten artists, covering the genres of pop, alternative rock, R&B, and metal, stretching from the 1960s through the 2000s.

#90: P.O.D.
iTunes stats: 122 plays
Previous ranking: #78

The San Diego band responsible for the entrance music for former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks added just ten new plays in the last five years.

#89: Bell Biv DeVoe
iTunes stats: 123 plays
Previous ranking: #83

A small 19% increase for the former members of New Edition cause them to drop six spots in the rankings.

#88: Ozzy Osbourne
iTunes stats: 124 plays
Previous ranking: #89

The one-time Prince of Darkness, who passed away last summer, picked up 31 new listens, for the six different tracks in my collection.

#85: UB40
iTunes stats: 126 plays
Previous ranking: #105

The British reggae band move up 20 spots on the list based on their 45 new listens, now spread across five different tracks.

#85: Christina Aguilera
iTunes stats: 126 plays
Previous ranking: #86

The former Mouseketeer and Voice star sees a 30% play increase, enabling her to rise a single spot.

#85: The Beach Boys
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NBC Upfronts

For the first time in 23 years, the NBA is returning to NBC and that was the focus of their new fall schedule, released on Monday.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Brilliant Minds, the sophomore medical drama starring Zachary Quinto.  Tuesday will start off in September with a second installment of The Voice followed by On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, an unscripted series where the boorish Tonight Show host staffs a premier marketing agency with “the most creative, clever and competitive go-getters he can find.”  When the NBA season begins in October, it will take over the night.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and the two original entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  Thursday wraps up with another season of The Hunting Party.  On Brand with Jimmy Fallon will continue on Friday, followed by a two-hour block of Dateline.  The weekend is dominated by football, with the Big Ten or Notre Dame on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday.

Come November, things will shift again.  The two-hour Monday edition of The Voice will be shrunk to one hour to make room for the displaced Tuesday comedy block, which will be anchored by sophomore hit St. Denis Medical.  The Friday comedy block with also return, with fellow sophomore Happy’s Place back to lead off the night.  At this point, the second half of both hours is undetermined.

On the bench, NBC has three comedies and one nature documentary series. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins reunites Tracy Morgan with Executive Producer Tina Fey in a comedy where a disgraced former football player is on a mission to rehabilitate his image.  Stumble is from Jeff and Liz Astrof.  The final comedy is an untitled community center project from Sierra Teller Ornelas. In Surviving Earth, viewers will go back in time to see how life not only survived cataclysmic events but thrived.

Shows gone from our television sets include Found, The Irrational, Suits LA, Night Court and Lopez vs Lopez.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule last week, one in which they add three new shows to the lineup.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Brilliant Minds, a new medical drama starring Zachary Quinto.  Tuesday starts with new mockumentary-style comedy St. Denis Medical, starring Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier, followed by a third season of the new Night Court.  A second installment of The Voice followed by season two of The Irrational, closes out the night.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and the two original entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  Thursday wraps up with a second season of Found.  A second comedy block leads off Friday night, with Happy’s Place, led by Reba McEntire, followed by Lopez vs. Lopez.  Two hours of Dateline NBC wrap up the night.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

For midseason, NBC has The Americas, a ten-part nature series narrated by Tom Hanks which has been in the works since 2020.  Also waiting in reserve are The Hunting Party, a crime drama starring Melisssa Roxborough, the returning Deal or No Deal Island, and a new competition series titled Destination X.  Still under consideration are Suits: LA, a spinoff to the old USA show which has become a streaming juggernaut, and Grosse Point Garden Society, from the producers of Good Girls.

Shows gone from our sets include Extended Family, La Brea, Magnum P.I., and Quantum Leap.  Law & Order: Organized Crime moves to Peacock.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday, one which they hope is strike-proof, between reality programming and shows that were renewed early to keep them in production prior to the strike.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by The Irrational, starring Jessie L. Martin as the latest behavioral science expert who uses his skills to help governments, law enforcement, and corporations.  Tuesday leads off with the week’s sole comedy block, with the Night Court sequel followed by Extended Family, starring Jon Cryer and Abigail Spencer as divorced parents who continue to raise their kids in the family home.  That is followed by another hour of The Voice and the rebooted Quantum Leap.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and the two original entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  Found, starring Shanola Hampton as a public relations specialist who helps keep the spotlight on missing children, caps of the night.  The Wall kicks things off on Friday, followed by two hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

Law & Order: Organized Crime moves to midseason for its fourth season as a new show runner comes onboard.  La Brea will return for a shortened third and final season, as will the second half of Magnum PI‘s fifth season.  On the comedy side, the George Lopez comedy Lopez vs. Lopez, will be back for a second season while the futures of Young Rock , American Auto, and Grand Crew are up in the air.  A second season of Password is also expected, though it is dependent on the resolution of the writer’s strike.  New shows for midseason include The Americas, with Tom Hanks narrating a look at the “wonders, secrets and fragilities of the Americas – Earth’s largest landmass and the only one to stretch between both poles,” Deal or No Deal Island, which pits teams against each other and the banker to win lots of money, and an untitled America’s Got Talent spinoff series.

Shows gone from our sets include The Blacklist, New Amsterdam, and possibly others.

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NBC Upfronts

Comedy makes a return to the one-time home of Must See TV, as a single hour-long comedy block comes to Friday.  NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday that contained a single comedy and only two new shows making the cut.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by a reboot of Quantum Leap, where a new team looks to follow up on the mysteries of the original.  Tuesday leads off with more of The Voice, followed by a second season of La Brea and the fifth and final season of New Amsterdam.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and three entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  The Capital One College Bowl kicks things off on Friday until November, when it will be replaced by the new George Lopez comedy Lopez vs. Lopez, Young Rock.  Both will be followed by two hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

The Blacklist moves to midseason for its tenth go-around, though it is still producing a full 22-episode season.  Comedies waiting for midseason include a Night Court reboot, starring John Laroquette and Melissa Rouch, and the returning American Auto and Grand Crew.  Several drama pilots were not ready for consideration but may see life as midseason replacements.

Shows gone from our sets include This Is Us, The Thing About Pam, Ordinary Joe, The Endgame, Mr. Mayor, Keenan, and the never-aired Hungry.

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NBC Upfronts

In a sad state of affairs for the one-time home of the Must See TV comedy block that dominated the ratings and multiple nights of programming, NBC announced a fall schedule yesterday that contained nary a single comedy and only 3 new shows making the cut.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Ordinary Joe, a new heartfelt, life-affirming drama telling parallel stories about a recent college grad and the different paths he could take based on a single decision.  Tuesday leads off with more of The Voice, followed by La Brea, an epic adventure that begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths, and, finally, the new season of New Amsterdam.

Wednesday and Thursday have both been turned over completely to Dick Wolf, with his 3 Chicago series running back to back to back on Wednesday.  Thursday has been handed over to his Law & Order franchise, with the new L&O: For The Defense leading off the night, followed by the returning SVU and Organized Crime.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

The comedy lineup won’t be back until midseason, with new shows American Auto, a workplace comedy that takes the wheels off the automobile industry, and Grand Crew, a new comedy from the the Brooklyn Nine-Nine team that proves that life is better with your crew, joining the returning Kenan, Mr. Mayor, and Young Rock.  This Is Us will also return at midseason for a sixth and final season.  The fate of a number of other shows, including Debris, Ellen’s Game of Games, Good Girls, Manifest, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, are still up in the air.

Cancelled shows include Connecting and Superstore.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #81-89

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with the next batch of 10 artists, breaking past the 100 play plateau with the 2 remaining tied for 89th place, the single artist at 88, 2 tied for 86th, and the single artists at 85th through 81st.

#89: Chance The Rapper
iTunes stats: 93 plays
Previous ranking: #139

Somehow the two clips from his intro video for the 2016 White Sox jumped 50 spots due to a 182% increase in plays over the last 4 years.

#89: Roxette
iTunes stats: 93 plays
Previous ranking: #95

Sweden’s second best selling musical act after Abba, the pop duo nearly doubled their listens while moving up 6 spots on the chart.

#88: The Muffs
iTunes stats: 94 plays
Previous ranking: #70

A big 18 spot drop for the band most well known for a Fruitopia commercial back in the day, thanks to a mere 32 new plays.

#86: Soul Asylum
iTunes stats: 97 plays
Previous ranking: #88

43 new listens for the Minneapolis-based band pushes them up 2 spots in the rankings.

#86: Christina Aguilera
iTunes stats: 97 plays
Previous ranking: #84

The former Voice star sees a 73% increase, enabling her to drop only 2 spots.

#85: The Outfield
Continue reading →

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NBC Upfronts

Earlier this month, NBC presented their upfront presentation in the guise of a 30 Rock reunion episode.  Jack McBrayer’s Kenneth, who had been put in charge of NBC in the series finale, continues in that role in the special, putting together the fall lineup for the real NBC that will air… sometime.  The week will get off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by another season of Manifest.  Tuesday stays static, leading off with more of The Voice, followed by This Is Us and New Amsterdam.

Wednesday also stays the same, with Dick Wolf’s 3 Chicago series running back to back to back.  Thursday starts with a small comedy block, with Superstore followed by Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Law & Order: SVU moves up an hour for its 22nd season, followed by a new spin-off series, Law & Order: Organized Crime, bringing Christopher Meloni back to the L&O fold.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

New shows on tap for midseason include The Keenan Show, a family comedy starring Kenan Thompson, Mr. Mayor, a comedy starring Ted Danson as a wealthy businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles for all the wrong reasons, and Young Rock, inspired by and starring Dwayne Johnson.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday and very few changes are afoot, with only 3 new shows making the cut. The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Bluff City Law, a new drama about a Memphis family’s law firm and family nonsense.  Tuesday stays static, leading off with more of The Voice, followed by This Is Us and New Amsterdam.

Wednesday is turned over to Dick Wolf, with his 3 Chicago series running back to back to back.  Comedy still reigns supreme on Thursday, with Superstore, followed by Perfect Harmony, a new Bradley Whitford comedy.  The Good Place returns for its fourth season, followed by Sunnyside, a new comedy from Michael Schur.  Law & Order: SVU finishes the night in its 21st season.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

Will & Grace and Manifest will return at midseason, along with Blindspot, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Good Girls.  New shows waiting for spots on the air include Indebted, about a young couple who have to deal with their broke parents, The Keenan Show, a family comedy starring Kenan Thompson, Council of Dads, a drama about a man who overreacts to a health scare, Lincoln, a small screen adaptation of The Bone Collector, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, about a computer coder who starts to hear the innermost wants and desires of the people around her through songs.

The network has yet to make decisions on the future of Abby’s, The Enemy Within, and The Village.

Cancelled shows include A.P. Bio, I Feel Bad, Marlon, Mignight, Texas, and Trial And Error.