TODAY (Sept. 12th 2012)
Blake Shelton
Up next, we're going to catch up with country music star and The Voice coach, Blake Shelton. He's live in our studio right after this.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Back now at eight twenty. Black Shelton's career is hotter than ever. His current single Over is his twelfth number-one on the Billboard country charts. He's just nominated for four Country Music Association Awards. You do. You rule. And tonight he returns as one of the coaches on NBC's The Voice.
(Excerpts from The Voice)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Blake Shelton, good morning to you.
BLAKE SHELTON: That wasn't very-- that wasn't very--
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: What? You don't like that clip?
BLAKE SHELTON: No.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Why?
BLAKE SHELTON: Because I don't like it when Christina and I agree ever on anything. It's not entertaining.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Well, to be fair, it doesn't happen that often.
BLAKE SHELTON: I know, I know. I guess that's why they threw that in there. It was such a rare moment.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Exactly. They're like, oh, we--
BLAKE SHELTON: Yeah.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: --have to show this.
BLAKE SHELTON: Right.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We do get along. You know, you're the reigning champion right now. Your guy, Jermaine Paul, won last--
BLAKE SHELTON: That's right.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Oh, I figured you were going in there gloating.
BLAKE SHELTON: I did.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: You did?
BLAKE SHELTON: I did.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: You just rub it in a little bit?
BLAKE SHELTON: I think it started actually irritating not only the other coaches, but like the production staff, network people, everybody. It was like, yeah, oh, really, you won? Really? Haven't mentioned that.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: You have a T-shirt saying I won last year--
BLAKE SHELTON: I found ways to bring it up now and then.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Yeah, how?
BLAKE SHELTON: Yeah. You'll just have to watch. You see.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Okay. I was going to--
BLAKE SHELTON: It comes on tonight.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: I was going to--
BLAKE SHELTON: Mostly I don't remember.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Well, okay. So it's Blake Shelton won, Adam Levine won, Christina and Cee Lo--
BLAKE SHELTON: That's been a long time ago though, when Adam won.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Yeah. True, it's true. How bad did the other two feel? They're feeling like the heat is on? They got to prove themselves?
BLAKE SHELTON: You know, they are just probably-- I'm sure they feel pretty crappy about it. I mean they have let not only themselves down but all of their teammates and--
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: America?
BLAKE SHELTON: Yeah, America, their families, their friends. I mean, it's got to be embarrassing to be Cee Lo or Christina at this point. Don't you think, Savannah? Don't you think?
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: I don't know how they get up in the morning.
BLAKE SHELTON: I don't either.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: I-- I was going to ask you how competitive is this group. I think I got my answer.
BLAKE SHELTON: May-- what's funny is the only time we really trash talk is if I'm sitting here doing something like this or one of the other three are doing an interview then I'll hear them mouthing off about me. I saw Adam making fun of me on-- on Jay Leno the other night, and it's just like he never does that to my face.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: No.
BLAKE SHELTON: What a wuss.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: I know.
BLAKE SHELTON: Yeah.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Anything else you would like to say right here now to Adam?
BLAKE SHELTON: No. I just-- I've-- I've got a box of old ripped up, crappy looking T-shirts I'm going to give him because that seems like that's all he wears.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Size extra small.
BLAKE SHELTON: Yeah. With the collar all stretched out, yeah.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: So-- I mean talking about the competition, I assume you've got some good contestants this year. Has the quality of contestants gotten better every year now that the show is more and more well-known?
BLAKE SHELTON: Well, it seems like we say that every season but it's-- but it's the truth. I mean, I honestly believe it's-- it's better than ever this year. And I think the-- I just think that the show overall-- you know, it was hard for me to-- on season two to compare it to season one because it was all brand new and so exciting and-- and-- and so those two are like how do you compare it. But I think season three just-- it really does trump both the first two seasons. I mean, for so many different-- so many different reasons. There's been a lot of rule changes, and-- and the-- the coaches, we've all kind of, you know, had our fights and got back together again and fights and got back together again.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: It's like a country song.
BLAKE SHELTON: It is. But it seems like it's made us as a group just-- that much tighter, and--
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Mm.
BLAKE SHELTON: --and, you know, we all have each other's back. So when it's time to and-- and we're stabbing each other in the back when it's-- when it's time to also--
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: When it's appropriate.
BLAKE SHELTON: Yeah.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: How-- who is the-- the easiest to get the red button pushed? Would you-- is that you? Who-- like the-- the-- the one who turns around most quickly and most often?
BLAKE SHELTON: Cee-- Cee Lo has the-- I think he has the-- the record this year. There was one day where I-- I think he filled up half his team in-- in-- in one day, it seemed like. I don't know how they edit-- edit the show, but I remember we-- the three of us were sitting there going, man, I-- I wish I was trying out for the show today because I know I can get picked if-- if Cee Lo is in one of those moods.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Do you ever press that button and then regret it like you wish there was another button--
BLAKE SHELTON: Oh.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: --you could turn back around?
BLAKE SHELTON: Many times.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Yeah.
BLAKE SHELTON: Many times, for lots of different reasons. I mean sometimes you'll turn around and you'll realize off the bat-- bat when-- when somebody starts talking that they have an ego or, you-- you know, it's a lot of different reasons, or you'll hit your button and-- and they still have thirty seconds left to the song and they start sucking really bad at that point. Oh, my God, turn me back around. But that's just-- that's part of the fun of the show. You know, you just-- you never know. You just never know.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: So real quick what's your approach to coaching? Are you like the tough love guy or encouragement, you're a softy?
BLAKE SHELTON: I don't know. I don't know.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: All right. Well, it's working, whatever it is.
BLAKE SHELTON: Well, I mean it just-- I think you just treat each individual differently, you know, based on where they are at in their career.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Well, we'll be watching. The Voice kicks off tonight eight, seven Central Time right here on NBC.
BLAKE SHELTON: This is The Voice.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Sing it again.
BLAKE SHELTON: Sing it with me.
(Blake Shelton and Savannah Guthrie singing)
BLAKE SHELTON: Okay. I wouldn't hit my button for you.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: I don't think so. You know what I wouldn't hit my button for me either. Another song from my playlist, Adele. He like-- he likes it. Your local news is next.