Josh Groban!

Well, no, not just yet…It’s just been announced that Josh has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Noel. We will have to wait until next year before we actually find out if the gong goes to him, but oh man, this is exciting! Remember the debate that has been around as long as Josh sang?: Just how do you classify Josh’s voice and his music? To me, this has been a major reason why it has been for Josh to be recognised at the Grammy Awards. With Josh’s Grammy nod, it certainly seems that people are accepting what Josh himself as long said: that his music is pop, and not opera. This nomination not only recognises the music of Noel, but also embraces Josh as a mainstream artist with a unique point of view.

Now, as the awards season for film and music comes around the corner, Josh’s Grammy win is definitely on my wish list. Of course, topping that list also is Kate Winslet finally winning her Oscar. But like Kate who has garnered a whopping five nominations at the Oscars, I think Josh has only just gotten started…

Michael Bublé, Renee Olstead and, of course, Josh Groban. These are just a few of the many talents that David Foster has helped to nurture back when they were just emerging. David Foster’s latest release, Hit Man, crowns him with a title that he rightly deserves: his collaborations with musicians have led to countless Grammy and Oscar nominations. So, it’s only fitting that they reunite on Hit Man, a recording of his show on Las Vegas last spring, to honour his star-speckled career.

Included in this CD/DVD release are performances by names you are no doubt familiar with: Josh himself, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Brian McKnight, and more. What’s especially exciting is that amongst the songs Josh performs, including Alla Luce del Sole and You Raise Me Up, he also duets with Brian McKnight on Bridge Over Troubled Water. The CD/DVD contains two hours of concert footage, nine live audio tracks and behind the scene footage. If you can’t go to where the music is happening, you bring to music to you!

To all Grobanites in America and all over the world, Happy Thanksgiving!

Don’t forget that the contest to win free copies of A Collection is still on and open to readers all over the world. I did say that the contest ends on 1 December, but many of you may be too busy with your Thanksgiving preparations or just chilling out over the holiday, so I’ll wait a few days after the contest ends for any late entries. Do keep your photos and entries coming!

Some of you asked if you can still enter the contest even if you don’t have a Josh CD physically nearby. My answer is, of course, you sure can! All you have to do is keep is creative and find a way to best express your fan-ship of Josh Groban, as it were.

As some of you may know, 2GB radio presesenter Alan Jones has been a supporter of Josh’s music for a long time. The photo of Josh above was taken here in Australia last year. In fact, during Josh’s promotional tour here–not the full-on one in September when he performed all over the country, but the one in May when he just did interviews and performed for industry people at an invite-only show at the Sydney Opera House–2GB was holding a little competition giving away a few free tickets to said show. Apparently, they were flooded with calls from fans who were frustrated at the limited number of tickets they were giving away. But, of course, they took it in good humour, and anyway, it all worked out since it was so successful that Josh confirmed he was returning at the end of the year for those concerts that literally rocked Australia. I mean, did any of you see how fast his Sydney show sold out that they immediately added 3 more? I’m telling you, I did not see that coming.

But I ramble. This coming Monday, 2GB is airing an interview between Alan Jones and Josh in the morning show, at 7.40am specifically. It is actually pre-recorded, due to the time difference.

Also, I’ve been told to look out for Josh in one of the forthcoming Sunday Telegraph issues. So, keep an eye out for that too.

In other news, the launch of A Collection in Australia saw that it instantly became the bestselling CD at Undercover, a music retail store. As Gigi has said, you can also get the CD at CDWow.com.au at a low AU$20.95 (and free delivery!). Even better, it ships overseas. The drop in value of the Aussie dollar has meant that I can’t eBay or do online shopping from USA much now, but it certainly works for you if you’re buying from Australia.

While it’s very exciting that for the first time ever, such a special release as A Collection has premiered in Australia, it’s not so swell that other countries are missing out. True, A Collection will be available in Europe next month, but there’s no word about a release in Asia or North America or anywhere else. Though…it’s actually understandable: A Collection is a strategic move to re-launch and re-introduce Josh in Australia and Europe, where his name hasn’t achieved the same star power as in North America and Asia, for example. What better way to introduce a new listener to Josh’s music than through a compilation of fan favourites and greatest hits?

As a gift to Grobanites all around the world, I will be giving away copies of A Collection, courtesy of Warner Music Australia, to both Australian and international fans. Here’s how:

1. You will need: a camera, a copy of your favourite album of Josh’s, a smile.
2. Take a picture of yourself holding your favourite Josh CD in a place that is characteristic of your locale. Since GrobanWire’s readers are not just from Australia, but all over the world, I’d love to find out more about your cities or hometowns. For example, I live in Sydney and my favourite album is a tie between Closer and Awake. Sometime this weekend, I’ll be going to the Sydney Opera House and taking a picture of myself holding one of the albums (I’ll decide which one later) on the steps of the Opera House. Part of me argues that picking the Opera House is too obvious, so I might find some other landmark, like the Botanic Gardens. I’ll let you know later.
3. In 3-5 sentences, tell me about your favourite song on the album and why you like it so much.
4. Email me the picture at pristine@grobanwire.com along with the your first name, city and country, and the blurb on your favourite song before 1 December 2008 at 9 am AEST, which is 2pm PST. (Update: For any late entries, I’m happy to wait a few days after the competition closes before I pick the winners. Many of us are still on holidays and spending time with families, so just enjoy yourself! :)) With your permission, I’d like to share the photo on the site. I will pick one Australian winner and one international winner, to whom I will then post the CD.

So, how far do you have to go to get A Collection? As it turns out, not far at all, just as far as your backyard. If you just can’t wait to get it, though, you can buy it now from Sanity (AU$22.99) or JB HIFI (AU$18.99). HMV.com is taking pre-orders from UK residents, but will also ship worldwide.