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Attorney General & New York Mafia Knock Out FanDuel & DraftKings

Shane Mclendon
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Attorney General & New York Mafia Knock Out FanDuel & DraftKings

attorney general new york mafia knocking out fan duel 2015 fantasy football

New York Mafia to Take out FanDuel and DraftKings

First it was online poker. Now it’s daily fantasy sports that’s caught in the crosshairs of the New York Mafia. The Attorney General of New York State Eric Schneiderman has ordered FanDuel and DraftKings to stop taking bets from New Yorkers.

Schneiderman has determined daily fantasy sports to be illegal gambling and he intends to save you poor peasants from the pitfalls of illegal activities like betting a dollar that your fantasy football lineup is better than mine.

There are smaller DFS websites that the attorney general could have included in his investigation, but I assume he wanted to get to the two heads of the DFS families that would make the biggest splash possible.

This Vito Corleone is setting up DraftKings and FanDuel to meet the same fate as Moe Greene and Virgil Sollozzo at the end of The Godfather.

Who did these two upstart fantasy sports businesses thinks they were, horning in on the government’s gambling action. Didn’t they know how a Vito Corleone type would react to them blatantly making money hand over fist and not offering a chance for he and his cronies to wet their beak?

They know now. Mr. Schneiderman is starting the ball rolling that will give fellow Dons in other states the confidence to start outlawing DFS in their territories. The attorney general has been helped by Preet Bharara, a lawyer who was instrumental in whacking online poker back in 2011.

Politicians are very good at protecting their interests and don’t even have to use the weapons that a Corleone might employ, like a .38 duct taped behind a toilet or a car bomb for one of the DFS CEO’s new bride. No, these attorneys use what they call LAWS, which are simply words written on paper by those who believe they are superior to the underlings for which the LAWS are written.

They will also use propaganda to make daily fantasy sports look like baby killers and home wreckers. These politicians have the “protect young people” card locked and loaded. They will have the rare story about a 16-year-old kid racking up $50,000 on his step dad’s credit card on DraftKings or a bankruptcy caused by a poor sanitation worker who thought he could flip his weekly paycheck into one of those giant cardboard checks he saw on a FanDuel ad.

Make no mistake this New York Mafia does not play around. They will not be stopped by silly petitions or even a million tweets to the attorney general’s twitter account. They intend to stop daily fantasy sports by any means necessary and ultimately that means they are willing to use violence just like Michael Corleone was forced to use eventually.

Don’t believe it? Just let either CEO of DraftKings or FanDuel disobey the commands of the AG in New York. Schneiderman will send men with guns to have them arrested eventually. Fines and penalties will come first, but make no mistake; violence is how laws are enforced.

So what should the good DFS playing citizens of America, once land of the free, do in response to the New York attorney general’s orders?

First we should get good and pissed off.

Then we should disobey any law that prohibits us from playing daily fantasy sports for money. That’s what a good American would do in response to bad laws. Bad Americans would just go along like docile little peasants so as not to anger the heads of the most successful gang in history….government.

As for DFS players in New York, they should protest by not buying another state lottery ticket ever. The hypocrisy of the lotto games not being the same as gambling is sickening at best.

New Yorkers should also employ any way possible to keep playing on the DFS site of their choice. If that means changing an IP address or getting a Paypal account set up in another state that has more freedom than New York, then why not? Breaking bad laws isn’t immoral. Breaking bad laws may be one of the most moral acts possible and one of the best expressions of freedom that a supposedly free populace can make.

I sure hope DraftKings and FanDuel survive the hit put out on them by New York’s Attorney General. I feel like daily fantasy sports will survive, unlike online poker for a couple of reasons.

For one, fantasy football which drives DFS is immensely more popular than online poker ever could have been. Surely players like me won’t just stand aside while “our” government just crushes this innovative new hobby.

Next and more importantly, DFS companies have major investors including Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, the NBA,  Google Capital, Fox Sports, Major League Baseball, The Madison Square Garden Company and Legends, The Kraft Group (owners of the New England Patriots) and more.

Obviously all these investors aren’t going to let their big stacks of cash infusions just get flushed down the toilet. That will mean a lot of campaign contributions and lobbyist flying to Washington DC and New York right now to protect DraftKings and FanDuel from the Mafia that just can’t stand the thought of their power being threatened.

I don’t know the best way for DK and FD to defend their territory. I do know they can’t keep saying that their games are skill based and therefore not really gambling. Fantasy sports already had a loophole that made it legal, but now that politicians see that they have something to gain by closing that loophole, DFS companies need to use a different tactic.

Some politicians are arguing that the loophole is out dated and wasn’t intended for DFS style of play that has erupted over the past couple years. That’s code for “DraftKings and FanDuel are now making too much money for us to ignore.”

I would argue that most the gambling laws on the books that keep intelligent people from wagering their own money are outdated. This isn’t 1965 where information isn’t easily available. It is very easy to find out online if wagering at a casino, state lottery hub, or on DraftKings is a good idea. The house always wins if you play long enough.

We get it and don’t need the protection of any Mafia to keep us from blowing through own hard earned money. It’s 2015 and Americans should be able to play DFS online for any amount they can afford.

If Eric Schneiderman’ move against DraftKings and FanDuel results in the momentum that eventually results in this new industry being shut down completely, it will be another dark day for America. Old school fantasy sports opened up an entirely new industry that actually creates jobs. Daily fantasy sports has increased those jobs exponentially. There is also extra tax money going to governments as these fantasy reporters, writers, and software creators make more income.

Taxes and jobs are a big topic in the political debates we see on TV and here the government is trying to slow down an exploding industry that will help with both those issues.

If the DFS industry is crushed then investors and bright entrepreneurs should look to other countries for future business startups. They should seek out a nation that truly believes in freedom. Clearly the United States Mafia isn’t interested in any freedoms that threaten their authority.

Champions League Match Day 4 Soccer Review

Luka Alario
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Champions League Match Day 4 Soccer Review

champions league match day 4 soccer review real madrid 2015 imagesReal Madrid were 1-0 winners against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The reigning French champions squandered many a goalscoring opportunities and ultimately succumbed to a fortunate strike from Los Blancos’ defender Nacho, who tried to cross the ball, but it ended up in the back of Kevin Trapp’s net to help Rafael Benitez’s men secure all three points from the encounter in the Spanish capital. In the other match of Group A, Shakhtar Donetsk secured their first European win of the campaign as they trounced Malmo 4-0 at home.

Manchester United were 1-0 winners against CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford to secure their second win out of their first four Champions League games. PSV Eindhoven were 2-0 winners at the Phillips Stadion against Wolfsburg.

Kazakhstani champions FC Astana held Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid to a scoreless draw at home, having lost the corresponding fixture 4-0, the Champions League newcomers were expected to be at the receiving end of another defeat, but they held their own against the 2014 European Cup finalists to secure a valuable point from the game. Benfica were 2-1 winners against Galatasaray in the other game of Group C.

Borussia Monchengladbach held reigning Italian champion and 2015 Champions League finalists Juventus to a 1-1 draw at Borussia-Park on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Premier League table toppers Manchester City grabbed all three points from a difficult trip to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium against Sevilla courtesy of a 3-1 win. Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho and Wilfried Bony were the goalscorers for the Premier League giants.

On Wednesday, reigning Spanish and European champions Barcelona ran 3-0 winners over BATE Borisov at the Camp Nou. Neymar grabbed a brace for the Catalans while Luis Suarez completed the scoring with his solitary strike against the Belarusian giants. In the other match of Group E, Serie A giants Roma were 3-2 winners against Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen at the Olimpic Stadium. It was the first European win for the Giallorossi this term.

Bayern Munich spanked Arsenal 5-1 at the Allianz Arena. The reigning German champions fell 2-0 to the Gunners in their previous European encounter and avenged their loss in style at their home ground. Robert Lewandowski, David Alaba and Arjen Robben grabbed a goal apiece while Thomas Muller scored a brace in the encounter. The defeat has greatly compounded problems for Arsenal as they attempt to make it to the round of 16 from the group. In the other game of Group F, Olympiacos won 2-1 against Dinamo Zagreb.

Reigning English champions Chelsea won 2-1 against Ukrainian rivals Dynamo Zagreb at Stamford Bridge. The win has helped the Blues resurrect their European campaign as their struggles continue on the domestic front after they succumbed to yet another league defeat, this time against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. Maccabi Tel Aviv lost 3-1 to Porto at home.

Gent were 1-0 winners against Valencia while Zenit Saint Petersburg won 2-0 against Lyon in Group H.

‘Scream Queens’ 108 Mommie Dearest Recap

The Curvy Girl Diva
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‘Scream Queens’ 108 Mommie Dearest Recap

scream queens 108 mommie dearest jamie lee curtis 2015 imagesThis week on Scream Queens, suspicions about different plots and storylines are confirmed on so many levels with ‘Mommie Dearest.’

Grace meets with Dean Munsch with the hope of finding out what happened to the baby in the tub. In an around about way, Munsch tells her what “may or may not have happened 20 years ago.” Grace gets a little “bout it” and tells her that she is not going to really do anything about what’s going on at Kappa House until it hits her in the face.

And it does later that night while she takes a shower. The Red Devils and a person dressed in a Supreme Justice Antonin Scalia costume show up, and she cracks open a can of whoop-ass on all three of them. She tells them how she learned how to fight thanks to an affair she had while in college and lays it on them, especially Scalia.

Chanel Prime meets with her minions who all give her “grade A intel” to link both Grace and Zayday to the murders. But of course, their information is nothing and Chanel grills them because time is running out. As they conclude their meeting, Officer Denise Hemsfield moves into the house because it’s time for her to have her room. So she takes Chanel #2’s spot because she doesn’t care about the bloodstain. Chanel #3 offers her $3 million to prove that Zayday is the killer. She is on the case.

Grace and the Dean meet again, and she tells her what she wants to know, “hypothetically” speaking about every detail of what “hypothetically” happened all those years ago. The Dean also gives her a folder of information about the woman who had the baby in the house. Grace looks at the folder and sees the girl’s name is Mulligan, which is her mom’s last name.

Back at the Kappa house, Denise seeks out information to possibly prove that Zayday is the one to blame for the murders. Jennifer mentions the time Zayday told her that one of her goals in life is to reap revenge on rich girls everywhere for what a group of them did to her in high school. As she finishes her story, oops, she didn’t realize that her suitemate was in the bathroom. Zayday hears everything. She tells Denise to take her “black ass” to the police station and get a warrant if she wants to charge her with a crime and tells both of them to stay away from her. Later that night, Jennifer is killed during her social media video stream about her candles. The Red Devil strikes again.

Grace and Peter go through the folder Munsch gave her, and they map out the possible things that could have happened to Grace’s mother and the baby. It leads them to a mental institute and a lady who paints pictures shows them a painting of a woman who looks just like Gigi who came there 20 years ago with not one but two babies. A boy and girl. Ahhh, the plot thickens.

Grace rushes to Gigi’s house and confronts her about it. But instead of giving into the young girl’s accusations, she turns things around on her making Grace question her theory. She also breaks the news to her that she and her father are engaged. Whaaaat?

She has to get to the bottom of this, so Grace heads to her dad’s and questions him. Only Gigi got to him first, and he tells his daughter to let things go. She defends why she has to keep searching and also asks him about his engagement. He tells her, however, that he didn’t ask Gigi to marry him and that she just went out to get some stuff for the house and came back with an engagement ring. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings and wanted to have great sex, so he let her think they are engaged.

Chanel continues her quest to take Grace and Zayday down. She hires two foreign investigators who find no dirt on the two but does find incriminating information on Grace’s mother, which gives Chanel all the leverage she needs to blame the murders on her.

And boy does she let her have it. When Grace finally returns to the house, Chanel rips into her. She calls her mother all kinds of names, she tells her she was a horrible person and goes on and on and on. I mean it’s like she carefully crafted all the most hurtful words and phrases you can say to a person and said them to Grace, who is tearing up, obviously. Grace slaps her and then walks away, speechless.

Later, not only has Denise now moved into the house, she has given herself the title of house mother and is wearing the girls’, well Chanel #5 clothes. When Chanel comes in to see what’s going on, Denise calls her to the side and tells her about herself, in particular that she was wrong to say all those things about Grace’s mom. She tells her to apologize to her, or she will sleep with Chad, again. Chanel reluctantly complies.

In the end, we see that Boone has returned to campus looking like Joaquin Phoenix that time he went all hippy bohemian on late night Television, only Boone is not very stealthy. He goes to the gym to pump iron dressed in a dark wig and fake beard. Everyone calls him Joaquin, takes pictures of him and posts them on social media, which is not a good idea. Also, we know that he is one of the Red Devils and that Gigi was in the Justice Scalia costume.

The top is definitely about to blow off this machine.

‘Survivor Second Chance’ 3108 You Call We’ll Haul Recap

Julie Wein
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‘Survivor Second Chance’ 3108 You Call We’ll Haul Recap

survivor second chance 3108 you call 2015 imagesOn this week’s episode of “Survivor: Second Chance,” at the Orkun camp Andrew said his dream was coming true and it was his job to keep his alliance silent. Ciera said she was on the bottom of the totem pole and that she thought Stephen had to be convinced it was the time to make a big move.

For this week’s rewards challenge the tribes had to paddle out to a bunch of crates they then had to stack in a particular order. Whoever won would get treated to iced coffee, cream cheese and cookies. The Orkun tribe won the challenge. Kimmi said this was the first time she had ever been on the receiving end of the rewards challenge. Ciera said this was the perfect time to talk strategy because everyone was relaxed. Joe said he needed to make the right move at the right time with the right people.

Stephen said losing this week’s rewards challenge really set him off. He said the people he needed to make a move with were bonding with Joe instead. Jeremy said every time Joe won something the bulls eye on his back got larger. Spencer said Joe was always a good bet to win immunity challenges. Andrew said he had a great alliance with Joe and so he had to go head to head with Stephen. Joe said he knew this was coming but didn’t expect it so soon.

For this week’s immunity challenge the survivors had to balance a ball on a disc attached to a rope. Wentworth and Ciera were eliminated right away, followed by Wigglesworth and Jeremy. It quickly came down to Keith, Joe and Spencer. Then Spencer was eliminated, leaving Keith and Joe competing. Keith was then eliminated, leaving Joe as the winner. Joe said now that he was safe he wanted to get Stephen voted out.

Stephen said he was frustrated trying to get Joe voted out. Joe said getting rid of Stephen was a big move but it had to be done and he was using the three girls on the bottom to make it happen. Kelley said she has the hidden immunity idol but didn’t want to use it this early in the game if she didn’t have to. Jeremy said getting rid of Stephen would be a bad move for him but that Andrew wanted Stephen out because Stephen doesn’t like Joe. Andrew said Jeremy made a valid point in wanting to keep Stephen in the game, but Andrew is a lawyer and is used to winning arguments. Ciera said she was begging people to wake up and play the game.

At that night’s tribal council, Kass was brought in as jury member #1. Ciera said no one was fighting for their spot at the top of the game. Kelley said four people were running the whole game but no one wanted to make a move. Jeremy, Andrew, Steven and Joe were the ones running the game. Joe said perception was truth. Ciera said that someone was on top of an alliance and someone was on the bottom. Spencer wondered if there was in idol in play. He also said he thought people assumed the idol had already been found. Andrew said Ciera was making please because she was at the bottom. The votes were then placed and tallied. Kelley then pulled out the immunity idol and cashed it in. Jeff read the votes and announced that Andrew was being voted off the island.

‘The Voice’ 917 Playoffs Results Recap

Ricki Reay
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‘The Voice’ 917 Playoffs Results Recap

the voice 917 playoffs results 2015 imagesThe 24 contestants faced the first round of Live Eliminations tonight on NBC’s The Voice. On Monday and Tuesday, contestants from all four of the coaches’ – Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams – teams performed a “stripped down” song. Based on votes, two members of each team are staying in the competition and moving on to the next Live Rounds. In addition, if the singers land in the top 10 charts on iTunes they also get a specified amount of extra votes added to their totals.

Each of the four coaches also gets to choose one more of the remaining singers that they want to keep on their team and in the competition.

So here is a recap of what happened tonight during the Live Eliminations:

The night kicked off with a performance from Team Gwen’s 6 remaining artists. The singers collaborated on The Five Stairsteps’ song “Ooh Child.” During the performance, contestants Jeffrey Austin, Regina Love and Ellie Lawrence were the standouts. Meanwhile, young Braiden Sunshine seemed to be struggling from the get-go, as his vocals were relatively shaky throughout.

Shortly after, Gwen’s artists were subjected to the elimination results. Just a reminder, the six singers left on the team is Jeffrey Austin, Regina Love, Ellie Lawrence, Korin Bukowski and Viktor Kiraly.

The two artists that were saved by the audiences’ votes were Jeffrey Austin (who sang “Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware) and Braiden Sunshine (who sang “Everything I Own” by Bread). Braiden was a complete surprise for me, as I felt his performance was very weak, and he was one of the few singers who received criticism from the coaches during the Live Playoffs.

Gwen decided to keep Korin (who sang “Aida” by Sarah McLachlan) on her team.

Thus, Viktor, Regina and Ellie head home.

Between teams, The Voice welcomed back their season 8 winner, Sawyer Fredricks. The Team Pharrell alum sang his latest single, “Take It All.”

Team Blake was next to take the stage. Shelton’s six contestants came together to perform “Stand” by Rascal Flatts. Their overall performance felt much more cohesive than Team Gwen’s, but lacked any stand out moments – except one from Ivonne Acero and Morgan Frazier.

Afterwards, Team Blake faced the results. Recall that the six singers left on the team are Zach Seabaugh, Barrett Baber, Ivonne Acero, Morgan Frazier, Nadjah Nicole, and Emily Ann Roberts.

Carson Daly announced that the two artists that are saved by America’s votes were Barrett Baber (who sang “I Drive Your Truck” by Lee Brice) and Zach Seabaugh (who sang “Brand New Girlfriend” by Steve Holy). Honestly, looking back I am not surprised Zach was saved, and I guess there were enough classic country fans voting to save Barrett.

In the end, Blake ends up saving Emily Ann Roberts, ridding away all of his non-country artists (as Ivonne, Morgan and Nadjah were sent home).

The third team to take the stage was Team Pharrell. The six singers – Darius Scott, Evan McKeel, Madi Davis, Celeste Betton, Riley Biederder, and Mark Hood – collaborated on the R.E.M. classic “Everybody Hurts.” Pharrell definitely has the soulful singers of the competition, and they were all able to get their moment during the performance.

The Live Results revealed that the two artists saved by the audiences’ votes were Madi Davis (who sang “Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac) and Evan McKeel (who sang “Overjoyed” by Stevie Wonder).

After a long, drawn-out deliberation, Pharrell ended up choosing Mark Hood (who sang “What Do You Mean?” by Justin Bieber) as his save. Personally, I think he should have saved Riley, who had one of the best, most dynamic performances of the Live Playoffs. Furthermore, Celeste, Riley and Darius were sent home.

Last up, was Team Adam, who sang the Johnnyswim song “Diamonds.” Their group performance seemed fairly disheveled. Blaine Mitchell was the only one who had any real breakout moments, while Amy Vachal’s soft voice got drowned out.

The six artists who entered the Live Eliminations on Adam’s team were Blaine Mitchell, Amy Vachal, Shelby Brown, Chance Pena, Jordan Smith and Keith Semple. Host Carson Daly revealed that the two artists saved by votes were Jordan Smith and Shelby Brown.

Surprisingly, Adam decided to keep Amy Vachal – who I definitely agree deserves it, but did not think Adam would go for. Thus, Blaine, Chance and Keith were sent home.

Thus the Top 12 of The Voice this season is:

Team Gwen

Braiden Sunshine, Jeffrey Austin and Korin Bukowski

Team Blake

Zach Seabaugh, Barrett Baber and Emily Ann Roberts

Team Pharrell

Evan McKeel, Madi Davis and Mark Hood

Team Adam

Jordan Smith, Shelby Brown and Amy Vachal

You can catch the next Live Rounds on The Voice next Monday, November 16 at 8 pm.

‘Paranormal Witness’ 412 Beneath the Rock Recap

Julie Wein
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‘Paranormal Witness’ 412 Beneath the Rock Recap

paranormal witness 412 beneath the rock 2015 imagesOn this week’s episode of “Paranormal Witness,” Corp. Lena was deployed to Afghanistan with his fellow Marines. They came across a giant rock that had a strange vibe around it. They found a dog they named Betty, and they adopted her as their own. At their post, the men took shifts. Over their radio, they heard a crackling voice that kept fading in and out. They called the base asking if they had sent a message but were told they hadn’t. After turning up the volume on it they thought the batteries in the radio were bad so they changed them.

At their observation post they felt exposed. The trenches weren’t deep enough so the men made them deeper. One of the men hit metal while digging and found an object with Russian writing on it. They found pieces of ceramic pots and cups in the ground. They found a human femur bone also. They put the femur bone back where they found it but everywhere they dug they found more human bones. They realized bodies were buried in the ground and they were on top of a graveyard. Corp. Hoyt said he was the youngest man on the mission and he got very bored overnight because the area was so quiet. Then he started to feel like he was being watched and he became chilly.

Lena heard a scream and went to investigate. Wilson, another soldier, said he didn’t know who had screamed. Hoyt saw something through his binoculars, and they thought someone was taking a shot at them. They gave up on figuring out who, until the next day.

The next day they left their assigned area to explore. That night Zolik, another soldier, said he was sitting and thinking when he was told to put his helmet on. Hours later Zolik felt a cold chill move across him. He said there was no reason why he should have felt cold and that he then felt breath on the side of his face and heard someone whispering into his ear in Russian. He heard a crunching noise that sounded like footsteps above him when he was under their post. Using his thermal scope to scan the top of the base he saw nothing suspicious. He then saw a figure in front of him that he wanted to shoot but when he looked again the figure was gone. He felt the chill again that he had felt before. He said that all of his training wasn’t helping him with this. Zolik said it was a lonely feeling knowing their base camp was haunted so he requested to be transferred to another one.

After Zolik had left the camp, Lena heard a dog barking. He saw something through his binoculars, and it was a figure staring at him. The binoculars were all that allowed him to see the figure. He then felt a tap on his shoulders even though he was alone at the time.

In the middle of the night Hoyt said he heard footsteps but no one was there. Betty was upset and barking and Hoyt didn’t know why. He then heard a crunching noise and something made his skin icy but he couldn’t see anything around. Wilson said he never believed in ghosts. Yet he experienced a sudden cold chill. Then he heard faint whispering but no one was around. The voice kept becoming more distinct until it became very loud.

Their last night at the camp everyone was on edge. Both of their radios stopped working within 10 minutes of each other, and they tried their last batteries on it, which didn’t work. Wilson was waiting to hear whispering in his ear again. A machine gun then went off next to his year and none of them had shot it. They looked for an enemy but there were none to be found. After a shootout at the barracks silence fell. The main base then told them they could leave the area, which made them happy. After wards, two of the corp. that had been there were later killed and another one suffered horrific injuries.

‘Law & Order SVU’ 1708 Melancholy Pursuit of DNA Chain Recap

Julie Wein
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‘Law & Order SVU’ 1708 Melancholy Pursuit of DNA Chain Recap

law order 1708 melancholy pursuit of dna chain 2015 imagesOn this week’s episode of “Law & Order: SVU,” Benson was at the park with Noah. Sonny and Finn went to the home of a teenager who hadn’t come home from school. Then Benson realized Noah had disappeared. At the teenager’s house her mom said she had an older boyfriend. Benson then found Noah playing with another child.

Sonny found photos the girl had texted to an older boy named Diego. Benson went to the station to find out about the case of Lilly, the missing girl. Peter, a friend of Lilly’s, came to talk to Benson about finding her. Peter said Lilly had been acting weird lately and that she smelled like cigarettes and maybe even pot. He also said she couldn’t talk to her parents because they didn’t understand her. Lilly went to hang out with the cool girls at a nearby frat house. Sonny went to the frat house, found Diego, and took him into custody.

Sonny talked to a homeless man who found a credit card on the street and used it. The homeless man pointed them to a bag that turned out to be Lilly’s. In a nearby alley Sonny and Finn found a dead body. When they uncovered the body, they saw it was Lilly. Benson told Lilly’s parents that they found her body and asked them to ID it. ME Warner said Lilly took a blow to the head and bled to death. They found blood and semen on her from the killer.

Sonny questioned the homeless man who said he was happy to find the cart with Lilly’s body in it because he was looking for bottles and cans to cash in for change. ME Warner suspected a male relative of Lilly’s killed her. Finn went to see the male relative at work and said they needed a list of all of his male relatives. That’s when he told Finn he was adopted. Finn got his mother’s name and went with the sergeant to talk to her. She then gave them names of male relatives. Mr. Marino was one of the men on the list, and he was brought into the station for questioning. They said his brother Robby was suspected of killing Lilly.

Benson told Finn to call Melinda Warner and put pressure on her to help them solve the case. Meanwhile, Sonny and the sergeant questioned him about what he did to Lilly until he finally admitted she was in his van and was coming on to him before changing her mind. Warner told them Robby was not the person who killed Lilly. Warner suspected a deceased relative of Robby would help them solve the case, so his body was excavated. Ray Marino turned out to be the deceased relative, and the team continued to suspect that he was related to the real killer. Benson talked to Ray’s widow and told her Ray had a son she didn’t know about. Ray’s brother said he had a son with a woman named Stella.

Benson talked to Stella, who said her best friend Helen’s sons may be who they are looking for. Daniel, Gary and Mark were Helen’s sons, and they wanted to investigate all three of them. However, Sonny cleared all three brothers. Warner said the DNA on Lilly’s body was Gary’s DNA. Gary was apprehended and arrested by the sergeant and Sonny.

Benson told Gary they found his DNA on Lilly. He said she got into his van, and he wanted to talk to her. He saw her every day and thought she was cute. He confessed he tried to kiss her, and she said no. He wanted to prevent her from screaming, so he shook her to death in his van. Gary said he was going to let her go but then realized she wasn’t breathing and had no pulse. He wrapped her body in a blanket after dark that night. Gary maintained killing Lilly was an accident.

Finn, Benson and Sonny went to visit Rollins at home.

‘Fresh Off the Boat’ 207 Dirty Dozen Recap

The Curvy Girl Diva
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‘Fresh Off the Boat’ 207 Dirty Dozen Recap

It’s Eddie’s birthday on Fresh Off the Boat, and Jessica is excited to use her thrifty tactics to make it another great day.  This year though, he wants to have a sleepover, and she is against it because ya know, it’s expensive, he decides that he just wants to do “nothing.”

He tells his parents, to their excitement, “I don’t want to have a party, I just want to chill.” They say sure, “If that’s what you want,” but they also don’t know how to feel about it. On his birthday, his brothers surprise him for his birthday but are disappointed that there is no party.

At the investment property, Honey and Jessica talk about he fact that they have termites (remember the handyman told her to get the house sprayed but she insulted him instead) and Jessica tells her that she has nothing planned for Eddie’s birthday since he said he didn’t want a party. Honey can’t believe it because in her experience, a kid saying they don’t want a party means that they do want a party. This sends Jessica into a panic. And, you guessed it, she decides to plan one anyway.

At the mall, she and Louis get birthday balloons for the surprise shindig they are going to have for Eddie when they see something very disturbing- Eddie with his friends… having a party. They play it off telling themselves he didn’t plan it or that it’s just a spur of the moment thing. But we see that not only is the party at the mall planned; Eddie has even invited Mitch, who called out of work (he works at Cattleman’s Ranch) to be there.

Later that night at the house, when asked how things were at the mall, Eddie tells his parents a dull story about walking through the stores, eating ice cream and just chilling with his peeps. Jessica can’t take it any longer and tells him that she and Louis saw him having a birthday party at the mall with his friends… and Mitch. Eddie gives in telling his parents that he wanted to have his own party his way without all the rules his mother inflicts on him. Jessica objects telling him that the rules are to keep him and his brothers safe. Eddie doesn’t buy it.

After giving it some thought, Jessica realizes that hey, maybe she can tone the rules down a bit. So she starts small. You know, a pop tart here, a pop tart there. Then, the real test of her progression happens- Eddie wants’s to sleepover at Dave’s, one of his “homies.” She makes the grade; he sleeps over at Dave’s!

And it is everything you can ever dream of as a young 12-year-old boy. As far as Eddie is concerned, the way things happen at Dave’s house is the way life should be. They take 2-liter sodas to the head, eat Cookie Crisp cereal for dinner, fart on each other (and Dave’s mom) and stay up as long as they want. He is in heaven.

Jessica and Louis deal with their attachment issues by barging in on Honey during a family crisis (her husband’s brother died) so that they can see into Dave’s house through her window. They have a mini meltdown (well mainly Jessica) but stand strong as their eldest son grows up.

While they put all of their attention on Eddie, Emery and Evan make plans to run away, you know since their parents don’t care about them. All of their other ideas to be “problem children,” like eating Nutella out the jar, going to see a PG-13 movie alone and throwing Legos all over the living room, didn’t work, so it’s time to pull out the big guns. Eddie keeps their parents’ hands full, so they pack their bags and plan the time of their escape. Their parents will be sorry they ever forgot about them; Such a good plan.

Things are going great at Dave’s until things aren’t going great at Dave’s. Yea they can go to sleep whenever they want, and eat cookie cereal until their stomachs hurt. And yes Dave and his mom keep points of who had the best fart between them, but Eddie is used to order and parental authority. So it is a no go for him when Dave’s mom comes into the room, tells them it’s time for bed and they all but cuss each other out. Who lives like that? Dave and his mom apparently.

Back at the Huang house, Louis and Jessica are proud of themselves for letting go, and while talking about how good it feels, Eddie walks into their bedroom. All those good feelings about not being a ‘smother’ go out the door and Jessica takes in her baby. She and her husband are happy he’s home, in the middle of the night, and Jessica gets up to make her first born birthday noodles. Even though they take six hours. Anything for her baby.

In the end, as Emery and Evan get ready to “hit the road” they are shocked to see their parents and brother awake. Their plan is then happily foiled, and they join the breakfast table to eat birthday noodles with the rest of the family.

See everyone wins!

Google Play Music Review

Shane Lambert
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Google Play Music Review

google play music review 2015 tech imagesGoogle Play Music is a paid service that is a part of the Google network of applications. I signed up for it a few months ago after getting sick of all the advertisements that littered my playlists on another website that I used. After using Google’s music for the last three months, I’d like to offer a review to our website’s readers, one that is very favorable.

Firstly, I will start with the price. While we all want something for free, it seems that the models for service these days is either to pay a membership fee or to get interrupted by ads. For ten bucks, I’ll opt for the former, and I’m glad that Google doesn’t interject advertisements into my playlist. Paying monthly, I only pay $9.99 per month which is value for me based on how much I use it. Those contemplating whether or not to get this music service will have to form their own conclusion about the value of the price. However, I probably listen to about 20 hours of music per month which makes the price worth it for me.

For selection, Google has had practically everything I have ever searched for. However at times I have had to dig hard in the site for a song while on rare occasions I have not found a title that I thought should be popular enough to be on the site. For example, I can’t find Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” in Google Play Music, and I do not know the reason behind that. It seems likely to me that the song might be in the site, but, if that is the case, how come it’s not easy to find. I can find the song sung by a lot of different artists, like cover bands, but just not Seger.

On the other hand, some very fringe songs that I like, songs that never really went mainstream, are available on the site and easy to find. Overall, the selection is very diverse but some music fans might have very occasional trouble finding something.

Google Play Music is interesting in that it offers a network of radio stations with all kinds of varying genres. For examples, there are stations dedicated to indie artists, to alternative rock, 80’s college radio memories, and more. If you get sick of your playlist or if you are the type who are constantly searching for something new, then Google Play Music is definitely recommendable.

I also think Google deserves some praise for their presentation. The website has delivered in a simple, fairly unstylish, and straight-forward way. When you are listening to a song the band or solo singer is pictured in a crisp photo, there’s a small write up which often comes from Wikipedia, and the songs that are going to play sequentially follow. It’s not flashy or bling-bling, but that keeps it easy to use as well.

Of course, Google Play Music doesn’t offer video so if you like a song alongside the video you will lose out in using this service. For me, there are a couple songs that are like that. However overall, I would give Google Play Music a score of 95/100. They offered a free trial when I signed up, and that’s definitely a clincher.

UFC’s 2015: Making the Best out of a Series of Poor Occurrences

Max Smith
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UFC’s 2015: Making the Best out of a Series of Poor Occurrences

ufc 2015 making the best out of a series 2015 mma imagesAlthough the year has been rough, the UFC has still managed to make the most out of a plethora of tumultuous situations.

There’s no telling what UFC President Dana White and his company brass would do if they, at the start of 2015, were informed of every negative occurrence that the year would hold for the promotion—that the company’s dominant light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, would have yet another encounter with the law—a felonious hit-and-run with a pregnant victim, to be exact—which would lead to his arrest, as well as the stripping of his title.

That the man who captured the UFC Lightweight title—and a series of large sponsorships— and was called “the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world” by White, Anthony Pettis, would be defeated convincingly over the course of five rounds by current- champion Rafael dos Anjos.

That the UFC’s returning (and very popular) heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, would be upset by current champion Fabrício Werdum; frankly, Velasquez was a large part of the UFC’s entrance into the Mexican market.

That the UFC’s long-time battle for the right to hold an event in the state of New York—despite all of the speculation indicating otherwise—would once again fail.

Separate from these largely published headlines covering the more “clickable” bad news facing the UFC, a series of more subtle—yet still painful—blows were inflicted to the company.

First, UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson, despite being very dominant in performance, and pushed time-and-time again by the UFC through extensive advertising, still has yet to command a wide—or reasonably sized—audience. His UFC 186 title defense against Kyoji Horiguchi garnered only one hundred and twenty-five thousand pay-per-view buys. Additionally, Johnson’s second title defense of the year—a rematch against John Dodson—commanded the lowest Las Vegas gate that the promotion has seen in over a decade.

Additionally, the UFC’s heavily anticipated title bout between Conor McGregor and José Aldo—which was massively promoted through traditional advertising, as well as a large-scale World Tour—was cancelled at the last minute (eleven days before the scheduled bout date, to be exact) when Aldo sustained a rib injury during training. While the lost revenue of the promotion was commonly discussed after this (the money which would no longer be earned from the event), the funds that were already spent were not. Official figures weren’t released, but one can assume that, through traditional advertising—as well as the World-Tour costs—the UFC likely spent millions on the fight’s promotion. And while the bout is currently re-scheduled for December 12th, 2015 at UFC 194, it remains to be seen how much of this original advertising effort will carry-over; clearly, the organization will need to re-promote the fight.

Despite all of this (and a great deal of additional) bad news, the promotion still found a good amount to, for lack of a better term, promote.

Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has continued her dominant reign inside the Octagon this year, defending her belt twice (with the Holm bout currently scheduled for UFC 193) in under one minute total. In addition to being short in length, Rousey’s 2015 title defenses—specifically the bout against Correia—have the distinction of being overwhelming financial successes (once again, this piece was written prior to Rousey’s defense against Holm). Outside the Octagon, things were also bright for Rousey, as she had film roles in both Furious 7 and Entourage, released a successful autobiography, My Fight/Your Fight, and enjoyed a good deal of success in other endeavors—too many to list, certainly.

Perhaps most telling about Rousey’s success and popularity is the public (and UFC) reaction to her love-life. Rousey began dating UFC heavyweight Travis Browne—who was accused of assault by his ex-wife—this year. Although the accusations from Browne’s wife were found to be false (by a private firm that the UFC hired), the reality is that only Rousey could date a large, gritty, assault-accused, and divorced UFC heavyweight with so little resulting (essentially non-existent) public or company backlash. To be clear, Rousey’s success is so valuable that not even the UFC is willing to challenge her.

The promotion’s other breakout star of the year—the wildly popular Interim Featherweight Champion, Conor McGregor—has also demonstrated (through his rise) just how well the UFC can turn a shoulder to negative occurrences and focus solely on the positive. The Irishman has commanded an unprecedented amount of success—inside and outside of his home country—which has proven to be very beneficial to his employer.

The point being made by the examination of these two examples of 2015 success for the UFC, as well as the countless others that exist (the well-received emergence of Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Daniel Cormier’s retention of the title, which sets up a perfect rematch against Jones, etc.) is that the company is seasoned and knowledgeable enough to know how to deal with the negative occurrences that a huge roster of athletes bring, but not dwell upon them. Moreover, the fans are also willing to look past these occurrences.

This admittedly impressive series of (company-made) reactions—and actions—begs the question: How well will the UFC operate and perform financially during a year with noticeably less negative occurrences? Certainly, one of the promotion’s superstars could become injured, lose their title, and/or run into trouble outside of the Octagon, but these situations—particularly the trouble outside of the Octagon—are historically unlikely.

It’s certainly very, very unlikely that Jones will be arrested again, the promotion’s key into an entire market comes up short in a fight, and millions and millions of dollars be entirely lost on advertising in 2016, as was this year. But, if these occurrences—or their rough equivalents—were to take place next year, fans can be assured that the organization will respond in an effective—and self-preserving—manner. While the company’s focus on positive financial interests in the face of controversy and adversity may not appear important to some, this kind of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth; the UFC’s actions this year have been nothing short of integral to the history of MMA as a whole.

In its twenty-third year of operation, the UFC has proven that it has the ability to alternate between stars—and even build new ones—as necessary. No longer is the sport of MMA—or the UFC—tied-down and dependent upon the success of a single athlete, or a small set of fighters. The number one and number two pound-for-pound fighters in the organization—regardless of the list which is being used—in José Aldo and Jon Jones have barely set foot inside the Octagon this year (in Aldo’s case, at the time of this writing, he truly hasn’t had a fight yet this year). And that’s fine.

The wheels have kept moving without these stars, just as they did when the dominant—and financially valuable—Georges St-Pierre stepped away in 2013. Similarly, when the day does come for Rousey to step away from the sport (and it will come reasonably soon as she herself has said), the company will not only survive, but thrive.

The days of MMA and the UFC being a spectacle are long gone, as the UFC’s Fox deal—and the above facts—have cemented. Fans will tune-in to see whoever the big star of tomorrow is, just as they do in the well-established mainstream sports. To be clear, the UFC and MMA as a whole aren’t anywhere close to these mainstream sports in terms of interest, popularity, or public acceptance. However, the recent breeding of stars and continued success—in the face of company-based adversity—have proven that the UFC, and the sport of MMA, won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

In defending its financial interests in the most intelligent and well-executed method possible, the UFC has (perhaps inadvertently) demonstrated that, for the first time in its quarter-century or so existence (by today’s standards), the sport of MMA is standing upon a solid foundation of fans and interest. Stars will come and go, issues will arise and need to be dealt with, and financially negative occurrences will still be a part of business—but fan interest in the sport of MMA will not cease today, tomorrow, or anytime in the future.

For the first time ever, we can be certain that MMA is here to stay.

Matt Hasselbeck to Lead Indianapolis Colts with Andrew Luck Sidelined Again

Chris Maurice
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Matt Hasselbeck to Lead Indianapolis Colts with Andrew Luck Sidelined Again

matt hasselbeck to lead indianapolis colts 2015 nfl imagesmatt hasselbeck to lead indianapolis colts 2015 nfl imagesIf you asked me last week if Andrew Luck deserved to start over Matt Hasselbeck, I probably would have said no. Luck has been nothing but a liability to the Indianapolis Colts this season, and with Hasselbeck under center they were actually winning a few games (which is all it takes to earn a playoff seed when you’re in the AFC South.

Maybe Luck heard me because he absolutely tore up the Denver Broncos and Wade Philips’ supposedly No. 1 defense, much to the chagrin of yours truly. Nothing makes me happier than watching Peyton Manning wipe the grin off Jim Irsay’s drunk, smug face. Sorry, I’m ranting again…

Anyways, just as Luck seemed to be getting into form, he’s sidelined with yet another injury, and he will be missing anywhere from two to six weeks with a torn ab and a kidney laceration suffered in the fourth quarter of the Broncos game, most likely on that hit by linebacker, Danny Trevathan.

“It is one heck of blow,” said head coach Chuck Pagano on losing Luck in the heat of the division race. “You don’t want to lose anybody, especially your starting quarterback. Our guys will respond like they always do. We’ve been through a ton already this season and in the past, and we’ll get through it. We’ll get through it.”

Fortunately for the 4-5 Colts, they are heading into a bye week before a matchup with the struggling Atlanta Falcons. That, and they are still sitting on top of their division with the Houston Texans as their only real “competition.”

40-year-old NFL veteran Matt Hasselbeck won both of his starts for the Colts earlier in the season when Luck was out with that shoulder injury, tossing for 495 yards and three touchdowns in his limited play-time this season.

“We have all the confidence in the world, and obviously we’re very fortunate to have Matt Hasselbeck as our backup quarterback,” said Pagano. “We’ve won with Matt. We’ll do the same thing, and certainly we will not put Andrew back out there again until he’s 100 percent healthy.”

At least the Colts actually reported this injury.

‘The Voice’ 916 Live Playoffs 2 & Zach Seabaugh Kills It With His Grindr

Ricki Reay
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‘The Voice’ 916 Live Playoffs 2 & Zach Seabaugh Kills It With His Grindr

the voice 916 live playoffs zack seabaugh 2015 imagesThe Live Playoffs continued on tonight’s episode of The Voice. Although earlier today Gwen Stefani shot down claims that she is dating fellow coach Blake Shelton (despite her representative issuing a statement saying she is), the show continues to play up the rumored romance.

Tonight’s stripped down performances are from the five members of Team Pharrell and Team Blake. In addition, both Blake and Pharrell get to bring back one eliminated artist as their “comeback pick” to try and make the cut on Wednesday. Currently, there are 24 singers in the competition (6 per team). However, by next week there will only be 12 artists left (as voted by America).

So here is a recap of tonight’s performances:

Darius Scott

Team Pharrell

“Love Lockdown” by Kanye West

Darius tries to enhance the hit Kanye song and bring his own artistry to his performance. He claims he stayed up all night trying to figure out how to add an edge to the song. The arrangement was definitely worlds away from the original. However, I didn’t think it fit well with the song. There was weird piano accompaniment that sounded out of place. Overall, it was very choppy.

Ivonne Acero

Team Blake

“One of Us” by Joan Osborne

Ivonne is a return performer, who was unsuccessful at getting any chairs to turn last season. However, this season she has made it all the way to the Live Playoffs and is aiming for a spot in the Live Rounds. It took a while for her performance to gain momentum, but she did have a few moments that showed off her strong vocals and range.

Morgan Frazier

Team Blake

“Lips of An Angel” by Hinder

Morgan decides to take on the countrified version of “Lips of An Angel.” Luckily, Blake saved Morgan from going home during the Knockout Rounds and got her back on his team. I am not a huge country artist, but as far as country performances go I thought Morgan did really well. Her vocals were crystal clear. However, I do feel she could improve her stage presence.

Evan McKeel

Team Pharrell

“Overjoyed” by Stevie Wonder

During the blind auditions, Pharrell asked Evan to do an impromptu acapella performance, where he sang “Overjoyed.” Therefore, Pharrell decided that the world should be able to see him sing the entire song.

Evan is one of those singers who can sing every note perfectly but doesn’t bring anything extra to their overall performance. So while he may have been incredibly accurate, he wasn’t much else.

Madi Davis

Team Pharrell

“Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac

Madi takes on Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird,” which just so happens to be one of her mother’s favorites. The 16-year-old has both youth and a polished voice working in her favor. Somehow, Madi was able to command the stage while also strumming her guitar. She adds unique quirks to her vocal performances such as yodels and interesting dynamics. Overall, I thought she was really strong throughout.

Rival coach Blake Shelton even confessed that he felt Madi had a “breakout moment.”

Celeste Betton (Comeback Artist)

Team Pharrell

“Something in the Water” by Carrie Underwood

Fortunately, Celeste was given a second chance after she lost her battle against Mark Hood. The singer decides to take on a country song and put her pop-R&B spin on it.

I thought her performance was really good, as she was obviously connecting with the lyrics about growing and gaining strength. I also liked how the performance started upbeat from the get-go, and I didn’t have to wait till the last 10 seconds for the song to actually go somewhere. I think Celeste definitely earned her second shot at the title.

Zach Seabaugh

Team Blake

“Brand New Girlfriend” by Steve Holy

The 17-year-old country artist is the proclaimed “heartthrob” of the season. Blake advises him to make every girl in the audience feel like they are the brand new girlfriend that he is singing about.

Again, I am not too big of a fan of country music, so I didn’t find his vocal performance to be anything special. However, I do commend his charisma, and I am fairly confident he earned a spot in the top 12 simply from his flirtatious visual performance.

If he improves his vocals, Blake may have another winner on his hands. Even Adam admits that not just anyone can pull off the amount of “gyrations” that Zach had in his performance. Zach also earned himself a comparison to Elvis from his coach.

Riley Biederder

Team Pharrell

“Should’ve Been Us” by Tori Kelly

After some help from Pharrell, Riley begins embodying the lyrics of the song and unleashes her enviable confidence on stage. She definitely stood out from the rest in terms of attitude and stage presence. Not too mention, her vocals were incredible – giving off some Arianna Grande vibes when she belted out several impressive notes. She is definitely a big contender for the title this season.

Nadjah Nicole (Comeback Artist)

Team Blake

“Upside Down” by Diana Ross

Blake claims that he knew from the second Nadjah was sent home during the Knockout Rounds that he would be bringing her back. Blake believes the Diana Ross hit will allow Nadjah to show off her “fun, playful” side.

Nadjah hit the stage looking like a whole new person, and it wasn’t just her Rapunzel-esque extensions. She brought a new attitude to the up-beat song, but her vocals did fall a bit flat for a good portion of the song. In addition, she didn’t work the stage – at all really. I am not too sure about her fate in the competition.

Emily Ann Roberts

Team Blake

“In the Garden” by C. Austin Miles

This week, 17-year-old Emily Ann Roberts celebrated her birthday in the rehearsal room with her coach, Blake Shelton. She chooses “In the Garden,” as it not only showcases the type of artist she wants to become, but it also was one of her grandfather’s favorites.

Unfortunately, the song was very slow and only allowed Emily to show off her range and power in short glimpses. I don’t think it will be enough to keep her in the running.

Mark Hood

Team Pharrell

“What Do You Mean?” by Justin Bieber

The last singer of the night from Team Pharrell was Mark Hood, who was assigned the Bieber hit, “What Do You Mean?” This is definitely a stretch, as Mark is more accustomed to singing classic R&B songs.

In past seasons of The Voice, typically taking on a lyrically shallow Bieber song was like digging your own grave. Therefore, I was not expecting much from Mark’s performance.

I will admit that Mark did the best with what he was given, but I think Pharrell missed a big opportunity by assigning the contemporary song to Mark. It took until the last 30 seconds of the song for Mark to be able to show off his true vocal abilities (which he did quite well). However, judging from the audience’s reaction, those 30 seconds will most likely be enough to get him a spot in the top 12.

Barrett Baber

Team Blake

“I Drive Your Truck” by Lee Brice

The last performer of the night was Barrett, who decides to go the emotional route with his performance. Barrett is a country singer, who has a bit of a Kings of Leon tone to his voice. Unfortunately, I don’t think he brought enough to the stage to make it through the cut tomorrow. However, if there are enough country fans watching the show this season (which there always seems to be plenty of), I could be wrong.

Next:

You don’t even have to wait another week to catch more of The Voice! On Wednesday, November 11th, two artists on each team will make it through based on the viewer’s votes. In addition, each coach will choose another one of their remaining four artists to perform in the next Live Rounds. Thus, the contest will be cut down from 24 to 12 by tomorrow night.

You can catch The Voice on NBC at 9 pm tomorrow night.

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