Kelly Clarkson Returns to TV as “The Voice” Welcomes Another Idol

The Voice kicks off its 14th season tonight on NBC with another round of blind auditions.  In addition to its signature spinning chairs (which have been updated for the season), the ever-revolving lineup of coaches changes once again as American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson joins Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Alicia Keys on the panel.  With the announcement late last year that Idol was to be revived by ABC, chatter that Clarkson might join that show as a judge was abundant.  According to Clarkson, whose association with The Voice dates back to Season 2 when she was a mentor for Blake Shelton's team, the possibility of her joining The Voice in a coaching capacity dates back to the show’s inception.  “We've wanted to work together forever, The Voice and I,” she explained during a recent conversation with MediaVillage.  “Years ago on a plane to Australia, before the show even aired, my manager was talking to me about it and I said, ‘That is completely brilliant,’” she recalled, adding that her manager also managed Shelton.  “The [blind auditions] make [the show]; they’re why America loves it.  At the core, people do love talent over just aesthetics all the time, and it is based on merit.”