Man Crush Monday: Josh Groban

The best thing about writing about Josh Groban for #ManCrushMonday is also the worst thing — it’s really difficult to know where to start and what to include! Sure, I can focus on the fact that he went to the LA Public HIgh School for the Performing Arts (hosted on the campus of UCLA). I can talk about how he actually originally studied to be an actor, not a singer (and apparently pretty much slayed as Tevye in their production of Fiddler on the Roof). Or there is the fact that he started to study at Carnegie Mellon, but left 4 months in because he had been offered a recording contract. Yeah, and right after that got his BIG break and was asked to fill in for Andrea Bocelli for the 1999 Grammys (yeah, at 18 he was filling in for ANDREA FREAKIN’ BOCELLI with Celine Dion at the Grammys) and sang The Prayer. 

Despite the fact that studio executives didn’t think they’d be able to get a voice like his on the radio,  something incredibly disproved this by his charting at number 1 when his 2003 hit “You Raise Me Up” came out.

But I think at the end of the day, my favorite thing about Josh Groban is his sense of humor. He frequently guest stars and cameos on television, and even occasionally movies, and is the first person to make fun of Josh Groban (and other people too, I can’t lie about that).  

In fact, I first fell in love with Josh Groban when he appeared as himself on Glee. I believe in one episode he actually hit on Will’s mom? Classic, you should definitely check it out. But then my undying love and devotion for the angel who walks among us were truly born from his spots on Jimmy Kimmel Live– the best, in my humble opinion being his musical renditions of the tweets of Kanye West. One weekend I was away at a wedding with friends and I believe I viewed the clip at least 100 times. For weeks, all of my status updates were Kanye tweets, confusing AND confounding a large portion of my friends and followers (with zero regrets). I mean, the life-changing wisdom and the melodic meanderings of a true mad genius… who could ask for anything more than bon mots as such as “Fur pillows are hard to actually sleep on” or “Does anyone know where I can find marble conference tables? I’m looking to have a conference, but looking for a table, though.”

Mr. Groban has also accumulated the distinctions of:

• Appearing on Oprah SIX TIMES. OPRAH!
• Playing Andy Bernard’s brother in The Office
• Appearing with Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell in Crazy, Stupid, Love
• Making guest appearances on The Crazy Ones, Aly McBeal, Parks & Recreation AND Crazy Ex Girlfriend, in one of the best songs of Season 3.

Of course my Broadway loving heart can’t not mention his concert performance with Adam Pascal, Kerry Butler and Idina Menzel as Anatoly Sergeievsky in Chess or his Tony nominated performance in Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet. Not to mention that because of all these amazing, brilliant things and his incredible talent and charm (not to mention- have you LOOKED at the man? He’s pretty much the epitome of male perfection and beauty), I think I have a little bit of a hunch as to why he was asked to host the FREAKIN’ TONY AWARDS with the inimitable Sara Bareilles on Sunday, June 10. And although I continue to be angry and heartbroken that neither Caissie Levy or Patti Murin were nominated for their work in Frozen and the idea that Sponge Bob could possibly beat… well, ANY OTHER SHOW OUT THERE, has me physically sick, I can’t wait to watch what this dynamic duo and my second favorite Josh in the world do.

Let us know if you’re going to be watching Josh host the Tony Awards on Sunday night in the comments below. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.