Josh Groban
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"Who is Josh Groban? Kill yourself! He is an angel sent from heaven to deliver platinum records unto us. And if he were here right now, I'd club you to death with his Critics' Choice Award."
—Sandy Ryerson, Glee
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"Sons and daughters of England. I urge you not to purchase my record. Do something nice, make a card, buy a puppy for her. Chocolates, there are really so many things you can do to make your mother happy than buy a Josh Groban CD, so please, from Josh Groban... stay away" |
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Josh Groban is a singer, famous for looking like a 15-year-old, and having the voice of a 300 pound, 50-year-old baritone (He's in his thirties, by the way).
Groban got his start thanks to a discovery by mega-producer David Foster, who is responsible for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Groban's contemporary Michael Bublé. He got his start as a rehearsal stand-in; during the 1999 Grammy Awards, he subbed in for Andrea Bocelli, and was noticed by such personalities as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen De Generes, and Ally McBeal producer David E. Kelley. The Grammy rehearsal led to California governor Gray Davis hiring the 17-year-old to perform for his inauguration, as well as David E. Kelley hiring him for a two-time role on Ally McBeal.
He was offered a record contract by Warner Bros. Records after the inauguration, and WB's PR team hatched a plan to promote him as a boy band-type singer. Groban decided to decline the contract after WB had him do a series of fairly embarrassing photos for promotional purposes; Foster then backed the teenage Groban up, giving him a contract with his own division of WB records, 143 Records. His debut was redone as a mix of pop and opera, a formula that has given him platinum records ever since.
Along with Ally McBeal, Groban has done a number of TV performances. Notable examples show his sense of humor, including the 60th Emmy Awards, where he performed a love-it-or-hate-it medley of famous TV show themes. He also did the "Panda Sex Song" and "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck" (cameo starts at 4:12) for Jimmy Kimmel, and the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! for Adult Swim (link). He also parodied his own image on the Glee episode "Acafellas", making himself out to look like he Likes Older Women.
He is also famous for spearheading a revival of the musical Chess, appearing twice as protagonist Anatoly Sergievsky. The latest appearance was at the Royal Albert Hall, starring alongside Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal.
His fandom are self-dubbed the "Grobanites". And thus, has his share of Fandom Wank; he has his own entry in the wiki.
He dated Mad Men's January Jones for three years, and has been (falsely) linked several times to singer and friend Katy Perry.
- Award Bait Song: "You Raise Me Up"
- Break Up Song: Groban's songs are generally split up into either love songs or this. Best examples: "Broken Vow". "Awake", "Now Or Never" (done with Imogen Heap).
- Embarrassing Old Photo: Several from WB's attempt at making him look like he fit in with the Backstreet Boys. There's also a photo out there that will get you banned on the official forums within 5 minutes for posting. Reason? Drinking before a concert when you can't handle it + hot chicks in the front row + thin pants... Poor guy. Half the fandom erupted in "how dare the photographer", and the other half laughed their asses off.
- Mr. Fanservice
- Grief Song: "Broken Vow"
- Holy War: Easily started on his official forums.
- Incredibly Long Note: One of his specialties.
- Moral Guardians: Official forum Grobanites often act this way, invoking Think of the Children when Groban makes any off-color jokes.
- Not Christian Rock: Often confused for it.
- One-Woman Wail: Backs him up in the song "Remember Me", from the soundtrack to the movie Troy.
- The Phantom of the Opera: Performed "All I Ask Of You" with Celine Dion.
- Think of the Children: See Moral Guardians.