The Voice

Jennifer Hudson is returning to work while still in the middle of the custody battle with David Otunga, and if nothing else ... she's determined to feel cozy.

J Hud was in Manchester Thursday, wearing big puffy slippers, sweats and a knitted hat. She's there to shoot her second season as a 'Voice UK' judge.

As we reported, Jennifer lifted the protective order against Otunga on Monday ... allowing him to have David Jr. while she's working overseas.

"American Idol" and "The Voice" are locked in an arms war over which superstars will judge and coach on the shows ... and now 'Idol' is stepping up its game after taking 2 big Ls.

A source familiar with negotiations between 'Idol' and Kelly Clarkson -- on the 'Idol' side -- told us they won't be fooled again. As we reported ... Kelly signed with the NBC hit, after 'Idol' balked at her salary demands.

We're told 'AI' plans to keep its wish list of judges under lock and key from here on out. They think they became sitting ducks the second Kelly and Jennifer Hudson's names got out.

One Idol source said, in their opinion, "The Voice" went "into overdrive to lock down" both singers as soon as they got wind the revamped 'Idol' wanted them.

Kelly Clarkson just turned things around quicker than 'The Voice' coach chairs -- instead of judging on the new "American Idol" ... she's joining NBC's hit singing competition.

Kelly made the announcement by video chatting with Blake Shelton on his Facebook page. The superstar singers joked they'd been trying to put the deal together for years, but Kelly kept getting pregnant. She's already been a mentor on the show multiple times.

The timing doesn't seem like a coincidence -- TMZ broke the story, 'Idol' producers wanted Clarkson to be a judge when the show returns on ABC in March 2018. Our sources say negotiations were underway, but the sides couldn't agree on money.

We're told Kelly's ask was just beyond their budget. Instead, she's now landed at "The Voice" for season 14 ... which, by the way, will be running at the same time Idol returns.

Remember, astronomical salaries for judges are mainly what ended the show's run on FOX. As a result, we're told ABC's mindful of overspending.

Another 'Idol' alum, Jennifer Hudson, signed on this week for 'Voice' season 13.

Kelly Rowland's hanging out in Australia, and so is much of her ass.

Kelly put on her own kinda show on a beach in Sydney. Her one-piece was riding up a bit, but she's making it work. She's Down Under to judge the new season of 'The Voice.'

Celine Dion's guest appearance on "The Voice" has been a long time coming, but it's not going down exactly how the show originally wanted it ... TMZ has learned.

Our 'Voice' sources tell us Celine's been approached to do the gig a few times, but politely declined given the demanding schedule of her Las Vegas residency. We're told she was first approached to be a full-time judge in the rotating chair like Adam Levine or Blake Shelton, but since it's a several month-long commitment, Celine declined.

She's accepted an offer to coach since it only requires two days of filming. As for getting in the rotating chair in the future, NBC knows they'd have to cough up a lot of dough since she banks so much off her Vegas shows, so it's probably not going to happen. Regardless, "The Voice" will go on ...

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton got an altitude adjustment ... making a weekend getaway to the mountains outside Los Angeles.

The couple headed up to Lake Arrowhead with her 3 boys for some family time. Plus, Blake needs a place to rock his favorite fashion -- camo.

Not that there's anywhere these 2 can blend into the crowd.

Kelly Clarkson clearly has closed the book on "American Idol" ... her go-to is now "The Voice."

We got Kelly in NYC where a hopeful soul busted out in song for the OG 'Idol' -- her song, of course -- and Kelly seemed impressed.

Check out the clip -- he might have a future with an assist from Blake Shelton and friends.

Producers Ashley Baumann-Sylvester and Barton Kimball were thrilled to have won an Emmy for "The Voice" ... maybe Ashley more so than Barton.

We got them leaving The Governor's Ball Sunday where they riffed on the suggestion that Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys would make good Supreme Court justices. Check out the clip -- Ashley loses sight of the question ... all in good fun.

We even asked about Jimmy Kimmel faking out the Emmy crowd with a Bill Cosby introduction ... they had some choice words for that too.

Christina Grimmie's family gathered in her hometown for a final farewell, and invited her fans to share in the experience.

The 'Voice' singer's family had a private funeral Friday morning, and then streamed a memorial service with friends and relatives from Fellowship Alliance Chapel in Medford, NJ.

The biggest tearjerker came when Christina's mom got up and thanked everyone ... especially her son, Marcus, who was with Christina last week when she was murdered in Orlando.

Cops were called to the home of Christina Grimmie's killer, Kevin Loibl, on at least two separate occasions for battery ... TMZ has learned.

According to a police report obtained by TMZ ... Kevin and his father's fiancee, Dawn, got into an argument in 2013 at their St. Petersburg home. Dawn told cops Kevin slammed the door on her arm and broke her wrist.

Kevin gave cops a different story claiming Dawn was intoxicated, and he slammed the door while fleeing to his room. He said he didn't know her arm was in the doorway.

Cops noted Dawn appeared to be "very intoxicated" and she couldn't tell officers if Kevin acted intentionally. No arrest was made.

Cops were also called in 2014 for a fight between Dawn and Kevin's father. Again, no charges ... but fair to say, it was a turbulent home situation.

As we've reported, Loibl's family taped an apology note to their door following Grimmie's murder.

Former 'Voice' competitor Christina Grimmie is dead after a shooting in Orlando.

Christina was doing a meet and greet with fans Friday night following a concert ... when a man walked up to her and simply opened fire. Her brother tackled the shooter, but the man was able to get free enough to shoot and kill himself.

This picture was taken minutes before Christina was shot.

Christina was rushed to a hospital, but died early Saturday morning from her injuries. Police are hailing her brother as a hero for stopping the massacre of countless more people.

Christina had opened Friday night for the band, Before You Exit. Since finishing in third place on "The Voice" Season 6 (2014) ... Christina signed with Island Records, and was reportedly working on an album.

Grimmie was 22.

We've learned Christina's twitter account was hacked, but her team has regained access and taken down the message.

The man who shot and killed "Voice" contestant Christina Grimmie had no known connection to her ... law enforcement tells TMZ.

We're told the investigation is still active, but so far homicide detectives in Orlando have found no ties between the shooter -- who killed himself -- and Christina.

We're told as far as law enforcement knows ... there were no red flags associated with the shooter in terms of doing bizarre or violent things in the past, but again we're told the investigation is ongoing.

4:45 PM PT -- The duet isn't going to happen, after all. Sources connected to the deal tell us Whitney's estate decided to pull the plug once they saw the finished product 2 days ago.

We're told they weren't satisfied because the hologram simply "didn't look like Whitney." Producers and the estate reps all agreed Christina was flawless, but until technology can do the same for Whitney ... no deal.

It appears the Christina Aguilera-Whitney Houston duet rumors are true -- what looks very much like video of the performance just popped up on the Internet ... briefly.

It was supposed to be a surprise for Monday's season finale of the "The Voice" -- though there's been a ton of buzz about it, so the surprise was already kinda blown. It's unclear who got the footage or how it ended up on a Facebook page ... but it's already been taken down.

We've seen the whole thing, and we won't blow the whole secret ... but it appears Christina will sing a medley of Whitney's hits with the hologram.

'Voice' reps haven't gotten back to us yet about whether the footage is legit.

"The Voice" winner Craig Wayne Boyd put a smile on his baby's face by making her an honest woman ... on the sly.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ the country star got hitched to his fiancee, Wilhelmina model Taylor Borland, on April 28, but there was no big fancy ceremony. Instead, they did the deed at the Franklin, TN courthouse. Craig's assistant and 2 of Taylor's family members were there too.

CWB's wedding ring is turquoise with diamonds, and we're told it set Taylor back about $10k. Don't worry, she's got a giant rock on her hand too.

The couple plans to throw a huge party at the end of the year for family and friends. Craig and Taylor got engaged last August, and already have a 4-month-old daughter.

Mazel.

Andy Biersack -- lead singer of rock band Black Veil Brides -- and Juliet Simms will tie the knot Saturday in a secret wedding ceremony. Oops.

The couple got engaged on the downlow a few months back and will seal the deal this afternoon in front of a select group of friends, family and bandmates.

Simms -- runner-up on season 2 of "The Voice" -- has been dropping Instagram hints for months.

We're told the couple dropped off their pooch at The Wagmor Luxury Pet Hotel Thursday on their way out of LA. They're keeping the location super secret.

Miley Cyrus is getting the chair. We've learned she'll be a coach on "The Voice" Season 11.

It's a big deal for lots of reasons. It's an extremely high-profile show, and producers have decided not to rotate Gwen Stefani back into a coaching role, currently held by Christina Aguilera.

Our sources connected with the show say Miley will be a key player because she appeals to the desired TV demo.

It also means Shakira's on the back burner.