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    Blog Posts by Naivasha Dean

    • ‘The Sing-Off’ Week 6 Recap: This Week’s Top Five

      By Naivasha Dean | Fall TV – Tue, Oct 25, 2011 5:35 PM PDT

      Pentatonix locked down the top spot this week (Lewis Jacobs/NBC)Pentatonix locked down the top spot this week (Lewis Jacobs/NBC)

      (Hulu) — "The Sing-Off" was back for a sixth episode after last week's devastating double elimination, where two groups were sent home after hitting a sour note with the judges. Eight groups out of the original 16 were back this week for their hardest challenge yet: hip-hop track night, where contestants were tasked with re-interpreting popular hip-hop tunes by stripping them down to the bones -- no synthesizers, no instruments, just human voices. According to R&B royalty judge Shawn Stockman, this episode is the first time a show on primetime has ever devoted an entire night to hip-hop, making it momentous for contestants and viewers alike.

      "The Sing-Off" had another "first" this week: The bottom two groups went head-to-head at the end of the night for the first ever "Sing-Off" battle, taking on Nelly's club classic "Just a Dream." Nashville's The Collective faced off with The Yellow Jackets from Rochester University, but the country crooners had to bow out of the competition out

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    • ‘The Sing-Off’ Week 3 Recap: This Week’s Top Five

      By Naivasha Dean | Fall TV – Tue, Oct 4, 2011 4:53 PM PDT

      Kinfolk 9 were silenced this week (Lewis Jacobs/NBC)Kinfolk 9 were silenced this week (Lewis Jacobs/NBC)

      (Hulu) — Twelve groups survived the first round of NBC's fierce a capella competition "The Sing-Off," and six are back to compete for the Sony Music recording contract and $200,000 prize. The stakes are high this week with two rounds of challenges: Each group must first perform one of today's most popular radio hits and then return to interpret a chart-topping tune from the 1960s.

      There were high and low notes as the contestants struggled to keep their names on the marquee, but the judges ultimately sent home Hollywood's Kinfolk 9, despite their stirring and well-received performance of The Beatles' "Let It Be."

      Kinfolk 9's stiff competition this week included BYU college buddies Vocal Point, girl-powered Delilah, rap-infused Urban Method, soulful Afro-Blue, and Rochester's high-achieving YellowJackets. Here are our top five songs of the week:

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    • ‘The Sing-Off’ Week 2 Recap

      By Naivasha Dean | Fall TV – Tue, Sep 27, 2011 5:24 PM PDT

      The Dartmouth Aires sure know how to rock a cardigan (NBC)The Dartmouth Aires sure know how to rock a cardigan (NBC)

      (Hulu) — Season 3 of "The Sing-Off" is shaping up to be as feel-good and glamorous as always.

      This week, we got to meet the final eight a cappella groups that will compete, along with last week's top six, for the prize: $200,000 and a Sony Music recording contract, along with the chance to serenade America week after week. Contestants in "The Sing-Off" re-imagine familiar songs without the aid of a single instrument -- but it's the energy, emotion, and attitude brought to the task that makes for must-see TV, and wins the respect of the judges: "musical mastermind" Ben Folds, singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, and Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman.

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