ALL THE NEWS THAT’S
FIT TO DIGITIZE

After three weeks of blind auditions, NBC’s The Voice began its battle rounds last night, with mentors Pharrell Williams, Sheryl Crow, Hilary Scott and Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden joining the fray to sort out the contestants. With a 5.1/4 rating, the show was the most watched of the night, with 14.29 million viewers, posting its best numbers since March, 2012, rising 2% from last week in adults 18-49 and total viewers.

will.i.am’s forthcoming solo release #willpower, out April 23, is streaming today on Vevo. The 18-track deluxe version, minus “Fall Down” featuring Miley Cyrus, is streaming until release date.

Motown: The Musical’s not the only jukebox show taking Broadway by storm. The Rascals’ Once Upon a Dream opens tonight for a limited run at the Richard Rodgers theatre, produced by Steven and Maureen Van Zandt, a project that began with a successful Kickstarter campaign. The show, billed as a hybrid of a “rock concert and Broadway musical,” features the original band playing their hits interspersed with interviews airing on a huge video screen behind them.

Record Store Day Ambassador Jack White penned a missive for this Saturday’s event dubbing a visit to “your local record shop one of those honors and privileges in this life that we shouldn’t take for granted,” adding his Third Man Records store in Nashville will boast a “one-of-a-kind machine that lets you not only record your own vinyl record, but send it to anyone, anywhere in the world to share a song, poem or private message with…For those still skeptical or not sure if they're brave enough to do it, think of it this way; it's almost the same thing as illegally downloading an mp3 and emailing it to someone. Well... almost. Enjoy Record Store Day everyone. I hope that you find that special song and someone makes you smile in the process."

In other Record Day news, longtime Lower East Side fixture Bleecker Bob’s Golden Oldies is closing its doors after 45 years in business. The location at 118 W. 3 rd Street will be taken over by a yogurt shop after rent was raised to $20,000 a month. Bob Plotnik opened the store in 1968, featuring a giant selection of punk, rock and rare vinyl. As the longest continuously running record store in New York City, it attracted the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Robert Plant as customers.

Drake has posted a new song, “Girls Love Beyonce,” on the SoundCloud page of blog October’s Very Own here. The song features James Fauntleroy singing the hook, which samples the refrain from Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.”

Ozzy Osbourne apologized on Facebook for his “insane behavior” over the last 18 months, blaming it on “drinking and taking drugs,” but insists he’s now 44 days sober and not splitting with Sharon, his wife of 31 years, who was spotted moving into a new Beverly Hills house and not wearing her wedding ring. “For the record, Sharon and I are not divorcing,” he wrote. “I’m just trying to be a better person.” Black Sabbath is about to release its new album, 13, on June 11, its first with Ozzy on vocals since 1978’s Never Say Die! The band has also announced four North American concert dates in August and September, including PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ (8/4), Air Canada Centre in Toronto (8/14), Gorge Amphitheatre in Seattle (8.24) and L.A. Sports Arena (9/3).

A researcher told an audience of theater owners this morning that they should cater more to baby boomers in their presentations. Capstone Global Marketing and Research CEO Catherine Paura said boomers frequent movie theaters more than youngsters “who are not as habituated to going to the movies as the older generation.” Paura urged theaters to consider more sophisticated concessions for the 55+ crowd, including espresso, red wine, cookies or cake, cheese or “something that doesn’t make my cholesterol go up.” Boomers also like to see movies on big screens.