Latest news with #Groban
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘We really care. It's not just for TV': Josh Groban on being an ‘American Idol' mentor
Just a few months before 'American Idol' premiered in the summer of 2002 and introduced the world to a 20-year-old singer named Kelly Clarkson, a singer named Josh Groban was also trying to make a name for himself. Groban had released his debut album in late 2001, but he was still struggling with being a relative unknown. Then, he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, three days shy of his 21st birthday. 'It actually wasn't until after the Winter Olympics that my album started to blow up,' Groban previously told the Deseret News. 'I was still relatively unknown. In fact, I remember when NBC announced Charlotte Church and I, they said, 'And now, for the extinguishing of the Olympic flame, we're going to see a beautiful duet called 'The Prayer" — one half of which is sung by the superstar Charlotte Church.' And I'm thinking, 'Noooo! They didn't even mention the other half! They didn't even mention the guy that was standing next to her.'' But after that performance, Groban saw his profile rise. And he kept an eye on the new show 'American Idol,' which was showcasing other up-and-coming artists who were seeking their big break. 'I've been watching since the first season. ... There was an enormous amount of talent and it was really fun to see so many dreams on stage. So many young singers who at that point were my age that were giving it their all and leaving it up to America,' Groban recently told Billboard. 'I have followed it off and on throughout the entire time.' Now, in somewhat of a full-circle moment, Groban is appearing on the 23rd season of 'Idol' to mentor some of the top 24 contestants who have their eye on winning the show. On Monday night, he'll offer some feedback and guidance to a group of singers performing for a spot in the competition's top 20. More than 20 years later, Groban still remembers the excitement he felt watching 'Idol' for the first time. That inaugural season would go on to help launch the career of Clarkson, who Groban later collaborated with for his 2015 album, 'Stages.' 'It was such a novel thing for TV,' Groban told Billboard. 'I came up in such an old school way, being discovered by a big-time producer who discovered a tape of mine through a friend while I was in high school — pre-Internet, pre-competition television. When 'American Idol' started, we couldn't keep our eyes off of it because it was new and because of that newness, there was a lot of excitement and a lot of skepticism." Although Groban has previously appeared on 'Idol' — he performed duets with two contestants in 2021, as the Deseret News reported — this season is the first time he's serving in the official role of an 'American Idol' mentor. It's something he doesn't take lightly. 'Even though here we're making TV and there's a lot of production, a lot of cameras and a huge performance element about it, the stories are genuine. The talent is genuine and the notes we give are genuine. I wish that audiences could see us when the cameras aren't rolling,' he told Billboard. 'We're invested. We really care. It's not just for TV,' he continued. 'Because we've been there and we know how special this is for them and we also know that these are notes that will travel with them beyond the competition. ... They may decide to not continue with music, but we can also note that having this experience will be a foundation of confidence for them for the rest of their lives and we want to make sure that the things we instill in them allow them to have that for whatever they do.' Groban's appearance on 'Idol' comes as he is preparing to release his latest album, 'Gems,' which also coincides with an upcoming Las Vegas residency, as the Deseret News previously reported. The new album — which comes out May 2 — features highlights from his career and two new songs, per his website. The singer's five-show stint at The Colosseum runs from May 9-17, and will showcase the 'gems' throughout his career.
The Courier
08-05-2025
- The Courier
Thursday court round-up — Racist posters and sex scam blackmailer
A pensioner has admitted flyposting racist propaganda around Levenmouth in Fife. At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, admitted he displayed posters which contained racist and offensive material, referencing 'p**i rape gangs'. He admitted that on various occasions between January 30 and February 15 this year, he communicated material a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting. The 72-year-old posted the racist material at Overton Road in Kirkcaldy, Sainsbury's in Leven, Groban in Leven, Methilhaven Road in Methil and Wellesley Road in Methil. He admitted his behaviour breached of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. He accused stores in the Kingdom of being 'pedo shops'. McLauchlan, of Bayview Crescent in Methil, initially denied the offence when he first appeared in court from custody but tendered a guilty plea at a subsequent hearing. Sheriff John MacRitchie deferred sentencing until June 4 and ordered background reports. When the posters were discovered, one shopkeeper told The Courier: 'Unfortunately this is the reality of living in Scotland.' At the time, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'The content of these posters is very concerning and we recognise the impact this may have on our communities. 'The posters that have been discovered have since been removed, however, we would urge the public to report instances of this nature to police immediately if they come across it.' Convicted blackmailer made menacing phone calls to an Iraqi general, demanding the 'return' of his daughter to Dundee – then made up a stolen gold plot to convince him to drop criminal charges. The takeaway chef was jailed in 2022 for attempting to extort £37,000 from the officer by threatening to continue posting naked snaps of his adult daughter online. He was back in court to admit making abusive calls to his target's home in Iraq. A man has appeared in court accused of thefts in Perthshire. , 35, from Hamilton, appeared in private facing three charges of theft by housebreaking. He made no plea and was committed for further examination and granted bail. The brief court hearing took place after police revealed arrests had been made following alleged 'high-value' thefts from distilleries in Blackford and Crieff last month. A Perth blackmailer who tried to extort money from her vulnerable victim with a false sex assault claim has been jailed. lured the man to her flat, where he kissed her and placed his hand on her. She then told him she would have him charged with sexual assault and asked for his wallet. The man left after another male entered the room and told him: 'That's my girlfriend'. Perth Sheriff Court heard how the second man told Furlong: 'Don't let him leave. Lock the door.' The victim panicked and offered to withdraw money from an ATM but when he got outside he flagged down a passing car and told them he was scared of Furlong. She warned him: 'I have video of you grabbing my boobs and f***y and kissing me. 'You have 10 minutes until I phone the police.' The victim took screenshots of the messages and passed them to police and Furlong was arrested. She denied wrongdoing and claimed the victim had edited the incriminating messages to make her look bad. She told detectives the man had forced himself upon her and had subsequently offered her £400 not to go to the police. Furlong, 29, from Perth, admitted acting with another to menace the man with the intention of extorting £80 from him on December 28 2021. She was jailed for 10 months when she returned for sentencing on Wednesday. A drunken driver who demolished part of a village bridge and smashed into a parked car in Perthshire was weeks later caught motoring down the M90 at six times the legal limit. accelerated into the side of a stone crossing in Dunning centre, before steering her Volvo into a stationary Land Rover. 12 weeks later, she called for help from a motorway telephone, claiming she had run out of fuel near Perth. A man struck his ex-partner's head off a wall and dragged her down a set of stairs during a violent attack in Dundee. , 28, was previously found guilty by a sheriff of assaulting the woman on September 8 last year. Following his trial at the city's sheriff court, Kane was convicted of acting aggressively, damaging an oven by striking it, punching a door and smashing a glass off his head. Kane pulled a necklace off the woman, seized her hair and neck and struck her on the head to her injury. He struck her head off a wall, kicked her body, seized her hair and dragged her down a set of stairs. Solicitor Kevin Hampton said: 'He has maintained his position and the evidence he gave at trial but accepts that whatever happened that night is not what should have happened and is very remorseful about his behaviour. 'He understands he has to be punished.' Kane was ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to custody by Sheriff Alastair Carmichael. A two-year non-harassment order was also imposed. A prominent domestic abuse campaigner from Perthshire, who was found guilty of physical and sexual abuse of children, has been jailed for three years. – who ran the domestic abuse support group Brodie's Trust – denied assaulting the children over a 20-year period but was found guilty by a jury following a trial. A paranoid bricklayer went through his partner's phone, then smashed the device in a Premier Inn room after a wedding. Police were called to the St Andrews hotel after guests in an adjacent room heard 's alarming rampage. Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Taylor's partner was woken in the early hours of the morning by him aggressively shouting. Prosecutor Kate Scarborough said: 'He had been looking through the complainer's phone and this has been the trigger. 'There was a verbal argument between them. The accused took the phone and smashed it on the side of a cabinet, which caused the screen to smash. 'He became angrier and started to throw property and furniture around.' Taylor, of Edinburgh, pled guilty to behaving abusively and damaging property in a room at the hotel on December 29 2024. Solicitor Alanna Bryant said the 32-year-old was in the grips of a cocaine addiction at the time and is in recovery. She said Taylor and his partner are still in a relationship. As an alternative to custody, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael placed Taylor on supervision for 18 months with a requirement to engage with addiction services.
