Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

Vedo and Garrett Gardner leave "The Voice"The first two top 12 finalists to be voted off by America said goodbye to "The Voice" this Tuesday, and it can be argued that both singers were the victims of questionable song choices by their respective coaches. I'll cut both of those coaches some slack, since they were the two newbies, Usher and Shakira, who are still learning how to play the game. But hopefully they'll make wiser choices for their remaining contestants on future shows.

Last night, "The Voice" Season 4 literally heated up, as the top 12 competed live without team quotas...and without air-conditioning. Some of the contestants still kept cool under the pressure, so to speak, and they delivered fantastic performances. But others were really really sweatin' it out, in more ways than one.

Who will prevail? [photo Michael Becker/Fox]This week, Candice Glover and Kree Harrison will square off in the "American Idol" Season 12 finale, and this may be the closest "Idol" race since Ruben vs. Clay a decade ago.

Both girls are very strong but very different singers, and while song selection (particularly when it comes to the coronation songs) might sway on-the-fence voters and affect this Thursday's verdict, it's likely that pre-existing loyal fanbases and musical-genre affiliations will ultimately determine this year's champion.

If you force me to make a prediction--something I'm usually all too eager to do, but not this year--I'll go with Candice. She'd be a deserving winner, for sure. But I absolutely wouldn't count out Kree; after last week's top three shocker, anything is possible on this show.

"The Voice" top 12 competed this Monday, for the first time this season without any team quotas or coach saves. It was every man, woman, and coach for him- or herself, and everyone was feeling the heat. Literally.

You see, the air-conditioning in the NBC studio was on the fritz, on a Los Angeles day when it was 100 degrees outside, so the contestants were sweating it out in more ways than one. Host Carson Daly warned that if the room got any hotter the stagelights might blow out, and while that statement was probably just for dramatic effect--as was Usher's stripping down to a skimpy black undershirt--the sweltering conditions surely only made things tougher for this week's competitors. But some of the singers delivered still fiery performances, in the best possible way.

Christina Aguilera at "The Voice" Season 4 premiere [photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic]Christina Aguilera has barely been off "The Voice" long enough for her temporary replacement, Shakira, to keep her spinning red chair warm. But reports say she's already coming back to the show in Season 5, and she may be getting a substantial raise.

L.A.'s very first F*** Yeah Festival took place as a free underground event way back in 2004, founded by a then-18-year-old indie fan with a dream named Sean Carlson. Nine years later, the festival is now a legit, Goldenvoice-promoted, two-day music marathon at Downtown Los Angeles's 20,000-capacity Historic State Park, and this year's FYF lineup is the most impressive yet.

The 10th annual FYF Fest, taking place August 24 and 25 in Los Angeles, will feature headlining performances from British shoegazers/eardrum-destroyers My Bloody Valentine (playing their first U.S. show since 2009) and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, along with sets by TV On The Radio, MGMT, Beach House, Devendra Banhart, the Breeders (performing Last Splash), Yo La Tengo, Solange, and many more.

photo: FoxWhile the 12th season of "American Idol" certainly had its share of amazing musical performances, the focus this season was often not on the talented contestants themselves, but on scandals, shockers, and controversies. From the judges' petty infighting, to endless industry gossip, to epic Twitter rants, "Idol" brought the drama week after week.

Adam Lambert at the GLAAD Media Awards with his mother, Leila [photo: Adam's Instagram]At Saturday night's 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco, "American Idol" Season 8 runner-up and openly gay pop star Adam Lambert was presented with the Davidson/Valentini Award, which is given to a member of the LGBT community who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights. Adam also tied with Frank Ocean in the category of Outstanding Musical Artist.