Hollywood Popular Artists

Jul 10th 2012, 17:26

By Zachary Swickey

NBC's hit "The Voice" is about to get a little more dapper with the announcement that lady killer (and one of our favorite Canadians) Michael Buble will be serving as an adviser to coach Blake Shelton's team of contestants when the competitive singing show returns for its third season this September.

While Shelton is known for his country roots and Buble is best known as the closest thing his generation has to a Frank Sinatra, the crooner still describes himself as a "big Blake fan." He began taping his appearances on the show just yesterday (July 9) in Los Angeles and is reportedly having a great time working with the aspiring singers.

We'll have to wait for an announcement on who will be advising the other three coaches – Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine – teams, but last year's roster included the impressive likes of Kelly Clarkson, Jewel and Babyface.

Moving from the spring to the fall, "The Voice" will now compete head-to-head with Simon Cowell's "The X Factor" for viewers.

Cowell has famously bad-mouthed his competitor, telling Radio 4's Today Show that he "didn't understand it" and felt the program was better suited for radio than television.

"That show ['The Voice'] puzzles me because it starts off and 'it's all about the voice'," he explained. "So my first thought is, 'Why isn't this on radio?' because what's the point in looking at them. Then suddenly I'm watching it a week or two weeks ago and it's the same as 'The X Factor.' They've got dancers behind them, graphics, lights. Same show."

"I see a lot of shows trying to rip us off. If you try and rip somebody off it always looks like a bad copy," he continued. Ouch.

But "the Voice" is the one laughing all the way to the bank – the show performed better in the ratings last season than Cowell's "Factor" … and even bested "American Idol" from time to time last spring.

Season three of "The Voice" kicks off September 10 on NBC.

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