Headlines: Jennifer Hudson, John Legend Global Citizen, The Voice Artists Speak

The Voice Season 17’s Ricky Duran Took His Mother’s Advice About Blake Shelton and Now He’s in the Semifinals! – This season of The Voice has made Ricky Duran a believer in second chances. The 29-year-old blues singer from Team Blake Shelton had originally auditioned for the singing competition in season six, and at his Blind Audition, he didn’t get a single chair turn. “My mom always loved Blake Shelton, and when my mom would say something about something, she was usually right,” Ricky told Parade.com “She’s like, ‘Oh, I think he’s a genuine person who’s really nice.’ I think that’s huge as far as having a coach and someone guide you, because you’re putting a lot of faith in them that they’re going to help your career and actually care about you. Besides, beyond just that, he’s been on the show the longest and he’s delivered a lot of winners. My genre doesn’t necessarily go with his, but I think that at the time I was thinking I would stand out on his team.” – Read more at Parade

Rose Short Reveals the Story Behind Her Emotional Voice Performance Which Made Coach Gwen Stefani Cry – After the live show, Short told reporters that she didn’t think she was “going to make it through” the performance, adding that she feels “really connected” with Stefani. “She checks on me,” she said. “I didn’t think [the coaches] did that. She genuinely is like, ‘Hey, you aight?’ I’m like, ‘I’m okay.’ She knows. So she’s very hands on. She’s very sweet. It’s real. I think that’s why I was so emotional.” “This week was a real emotional week for me because at the start of the lives, I lost a really good friend,” she explained. “I couldn’t go down to the funeral. I think I could’ve asked if they would’ve let me go just for one day, but then I talked to her mama and she was like, ‘Just stay there and do what you have to do.’ It was just a lot, so I was real emotional. I think it all just started coming down tonight.” – Read more at People

‘The Voice’: Marybeth Byrd Admits BeingIn The Bottom 3 ‘Lit A Fire’ In Her AheadOf Semifinals – “I’ve been completely going with the flow during this whole season, because I trust in God’s plan for me,” Marybeth explained to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “Being in the bottom three last week has lit a fire in me to do even better this upcoming week. Through hard work and practice, I’m going to give it 100% on Monday.” – Read more at Hollywood Life

The Voice Coaches Weigh In on the Top 8 and the Best Advice They Can Give – Season 17 of The Voice is winding down, and that means the coaches are at the point where they don’t feel like they have to do much coaching. At least that’s how Gwen Stefani feels. “At this point, and even like last week, I mean nobody’s flawless but it felt flawless. There was nobody that wasn’t so good that it was shocking me,” she told E! News after last night’s performance show. “So all I’m doing right now is like a cheerleader, you know what I mean?” – Read more at ENews

Carrie Underwood Sums Up Linda Ronstadt Perfectly – At Sunday night’s (Dec. 8) Kennedy Center Honors event, Carrie Underwood was on the red carpet on her way into the show, and stopped to describe one of the night’s honorees Linda Ronstadt in a succinct and flawless 30-second answer. “One of the things that I have always admired about her is her ability to do whatever she wants. She always broke the rules and sang music that she felt like was true to her,” Underwood said. “She was a chameleon. She loved music and she sang so many different kinds and genres. She wanted to sing country music, rock music, she would sing Spanish. “She is just somebody I think the rest of us should all be more like.” – Read more at CMT.com

Jordin Sparks and Husband Dana Set the Record Straight After He Shares Photo of Female Friend (Exclusive) – ET’s Kevin Frazier caught up with the couple at the premiere of Jumanji: The Next Level, and they spoke out about the controversy surrounding a photo Isaiah posted last month. In the pic, a grinning Isaiah is out to eat with his friend, McKenna Roice, who’s photographed with her arm draped over his shoulders. “I was like, ‘Well, I know what it is so I’m not trippin,'” Sparks said of the photo in question. “It is what it is,” Isaiah added, to which Sparks agreed saying, “We know what it is.” – Read more at ET.com

American Idol’s Katharine McPhee Talks Waitress

Kat teases that she’s going back to television starting in February. It’s a project she can’t announce yet.