Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen and loosely based on Homer's Iliad. It features an cast that includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando Bloom as Paris, Diane Kruger as Helen, Sean Bean as Odysseus, Brian Cox as Agamemnon, Rose Byrne as Briseis, Garrett Hedlund as Patroclus, Peter O'Toole as Priam, Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus, and Tyler Mane as Ajax.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.

Plot[link]

Prince Hector (Eric Bana) and his young brother Paris (Orlando Bloom) negotiate peace between Troy and Sparta. Paris has fallen in love with Helen (Diane Kruger), the wife of king Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), and smuggles her back to Troy with him. Infuriated, Menelaus vows revenge. Menelaus approaches his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), a king who has conquered every army of Greece, and now commands them. Agamemnon, who has wanted to conquer Troy for years (which would give him control of the Aegean Sea), uses this as a justification to invade Troy. General Nestor (John Shrapnel) asks him to take the legendary warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt), to rally the troops to the cause.

Odysseus (Sean Bean), a king commanded by Agamemnon, visits Phtia to persuade Achilles to fight, and finds him training with Patroclus (Garrett Hedlund), his cousin. Achilles, pondering his decision, visits his mother Thetis (Julie Christie) for advice. She tells him that, before he was even born, she knew this day would come. She also tells him that if he does not go to Troy, he will live a long, happy life and have children, but after he dies, his name will be forgotten and nobody will remember him. If he does go to Troy, he will find great glory in battle, his name will be written into history forever, but he will die there. Achilles, wanting his name to be remembered, chooses to go.

The Greeks sail for Troy. Achilles and the Myrmidons are the fastest rowers and land before anyone else. They kill many Trojans and desecrate the temple of Apollo. Briseis (Rose Byrne), a member of the Trojan royal family, is captured and taken as a prize to the Greeks, despite Achilles claiming her as a war prize himself.

Achilles and his Myrmidons do not fight the next day because of Agamemnon's unfair claim to Briseis. With Greeks surrounding Troy, Paris challenges Menelaus to a duel to settle things. Menelaus agrees; however, Agamemnon plans on attacking the city regardless of the outcome. Paris is easily defeated, and wounded. Hector intervenes and kills Menelaus. The Greeks charge the Trojan lines but are forced to fall back when they are nearly wiped out by archers on Troy's walls. Ajax is slain in the battle as well at the hands of Hector.

Agamemnon gives Briseis to his men, but Achilles rescues her. He carries her back to his tent and tends to her wounds. Briseis then tries to kill Achilles but realizes that she has feelings for him and the two make love. The next day, Achilles is readying his men to leave, much to Patroclus' indignation.

That night, the Trojans launch a surprise offensive against the Greek encampment, aiming to destroy their boats and prevent their escape. As the Greeks seem to be on the verge of defeat, Achilles appears with the Myrmidons and joins the battle, eventually fighting against Hector. All are shocked when Hector cuts Achilles' throat; Hector removes his foe's helmet, revealing the face of Patroclus. After Hector finishes the mortally wounded youth, both armies agree to end fighting for the day. Before he leaves, Odysseus informs Hector it was Patroclus whom he had killed.

Achilles, who had slept through the battle, is told by Eudorus of his cousin's death. The Greeks had also mistaken Patroclus for Achilles, since he had put on Achilles' armour and moved like Achilles. Furious, Achilles attacks Eudorus and when Briseis tries to stop him, he throws her to the ground. Later that night, Achilles lights Patroclus' funeral pyre. Meanwhile, in Troy, Hector realizes that Achilles will seek revenge for the death of his cousin, and begins making preparations to save his loved ones. He leads Andromache to a secret path out of the city, asking her to use it if the city falls. He also passes on the Sword of Troy to Paris (who has begun training in archery), claiming that the city's people have a future so long as the sword is in the hands of a Trojan.

The next day Achilles approaches the gates of Troy alone and shouts for Hector to come out and face him. Hector knows he must face him alone, so he says his goodbyes to his family and friends and then confronts Achilles. The two fight an evenly matched duel at the start, but Hector begins to tire against the relentless assault of Achilles. Eventually, Achilles slays Hector by stabbing him in the chest. He then ties Hector's body to the back of his chariot, dragging it around the city, leaving all the Trojans shocked. That night, King Priam (Peter O'Toole) visits the Greek army's camp to convince Achilles to let him retrieve Hector's body. Moved by the king's plea, Achilles acquiesces to his request and allows him to take his son to be buried, promising him the 12 days for funerary rites. He tells Priam that Hector was the best he had ever fought. Achilles lets Priam take Briseis back as well. He later apologises to Eudorus for harming him and gives him one last order: to take the Myrmidons home.

Maquette Trojan Horse, used in Troy film, a gift from Brad Pitt to the Turkish town Canakkale.

During the 12 day-truce, Troy mourns Hector's death, while Agamemmnon fumes at the loss of an opportunity to end the war once and for all. Seeing that the mad king will sooner see every one of his own men slaughtered before he gives up his ambition, Odysseus plans to infiltrate the city by building a hollowed-out wooden horse. The Greeks leave the horse at their camp, then depart, hiding their ships in a nearby cove. Priam trusts his priests that the horse is an offering to Poseidon and a gift, despite the misgivings of Paris. Assuming victory, the Trojans take the horse into the city and celebrate. A Trojan scout finds the Greek ships hiding in the cove, but is killed by the Greeks before he can spread the news. A band of Greeks led by Achilles and Odysseus come out of the horse at night, opening the gates to the city, allowing the main army to enter. The Greeks commence the Sack of Troy, massacring the inhabitants and looting buildings. The Trojan army attempts to defend the royal palace but fails, and the Greeks storm in, killing Glaucus and Priam in the process.

While Troy is burned, Paris sees Andromache, Helen, and many others escaping from Troy through the secret passage Hector showed his wife. Seeing a man named Aeneas, Paris hands him the Sword of Troy, repeating his brother's words that the Trojans will have a future as long as the sword is in Trojan hands. After seeing the survivors off, Paris heads back into the city, bow and arrows at the ready.

Achilles searches for Briseis, who is being threatened by Agamemnon. She kills him with a concealed knife and is saved from his guards by Achilles. While Achilles is helping Briseis to her feet, Paris, seeing them together and misinterpreting Achilles' actions, shoots Achilles several times before Briseis manages to stay his hand. Achilles urges Briseis to join Paris and escape from the city, then dies of the wound to the one spot on his body that was vulnerable, his heel. The soldiers arrive to see the fallen Achilles with only the single arrow through his heel, as he had removed all the others, in keeping with the myth that Achilles was killed by a single arrow to the heel. Funeral rituals are performed for him in the ruins of Troy the next day. The film ends with a speech from Odysseus "If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles."

Cast[link]

Greeks members, advisers and servants (Mycenae and Sparta)

• Brian Cox as Agamemnon
  He is the king of Mycenae and the main antagonist. He is the brother of Menelaus.
• John Shrapnel as Nestor
  He is the adviser of Agamemnon.
• Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus
  The king of Sparta and husband of Helen. He is the brother of Agamemnon.
• Ken Bones as Hippasus
  He is the adviser of Menelaus.
• Siri Svegler as Polydora^{[disambiguation needed ]}
  She is a Spartan entertainer.
• Diane Kruger as Helen
  She is the queen of Sparta and wife of Menelaus. She is the lover of Paris.

Myrmidons

• Brad Pitt as Achilles
  He is the son of Peleus and Thetis. He is the cousin of Patroclus and leader of the Myrmidons. He is the lover of Briseis and the main protagonist.
• Garrett Hedlund as Patroclus
  He is the cousin and student of Achilles.
• Vincent Regan as Eudoros
  He is the general of the Myrmidon army.
• Julie Christie as Thetis
  She is the mother of Achilles and aunt of Patroclus.

Kings and Warriors of other Greek states (e.g. Ithaca, Thessaly e.t.c)

• Sean Bean as Odysseus
  He is the king of Ithaca and friend of Achilles. He is considered the most clever of the Greeks.
• Julian Glover as Triopas
  He is the king of Thessaly.
• Nathan Jones as Boagrius
  He is a Thessalian champion.
• Tyler Mane as Greater Ajax
  He is the king of Salamis

Trojans

• Peter O'Toole as Priam
  He is the king of Troy, father of Hector and Paris, uncle of Briseis and father-in-law of Andromache.
• Eric Bana as Hector
  He is the prince of Troy and the best warrior among the Trojans. He is the elder son of Priam, brother of Paris, cousin of Briseis and husband of Andromache.
• Orlando Bloom as Paris
  He is the prince of Troy. He is the younger son of Priam, brother of Hector, cousin of Briseis and brother-in-law of Andromache. He is the lover of Helen.
• Rose Byrne as Briseis
  She is the priestess of Apollo, niece of Priam and cousin of Hector and Paris, cousin-in-law of Andromache. She is the lover of Achilles.
• Saffron Burrows as Andromache
  She is the princess of Troy and wife of Hector. She is the sister-in-law of Paris and daughter-in-law of Priam.
• James Cosmo as Glaucus
  He is the commanding general of the Trojan army.
• Nigel Terry as Archeptolemus
  He is the Trojan high priest and adviser of Priam.
• Frankie Fitzgerald as Aeneas
  A Trojan youth.

Production[link]

Major sets for the city of Troy were built in the Mediterranean island of Malta at Fort Ricasoli from April to June 2003.^[2] Other important scenes were shot in Mellieħa, a small town in the north of Malta, and on the small island of Comino. The outer walls of Troy were built and filmed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.^[3]

Music[link]

Composer Gabriel Yared originally worked on the score for Troy for over a year, having been hired by the director, Wolfgang Petersen.

Yared wrote and recorded his score and Tanja Carovska provided vocals on various portions of the music, as she later would on composer James Horner's version of the soundtrack. However, after having screened the film with an early incomplete version of the score, the reactions at test screenings were against it and in less than a day Yared was off the project without being given a chance to fix or change his music, while Warner Bros was already looking for a replacement.^[4] According to Yared, his score was removed due to a complaint by the screening audience that the score was too "old-fashioned".^[5]

The replacement score was written by composer James Horner in about four weeks. He used Carovska's vocals again, and also included traditional Eastern Mediterranean music and brass instruments. Drums are conspicuous in the most dramatic scenes; most notably, in the duel between Achilles and Hector. His instrumental scenes have themes very reminiscent of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1, Gustav Holst's The Planets, and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. The score also quotes themes from Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings and Dmitri Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. A suspenseful note progression introduced in Willow was played numerous times in the score, particularly in battle scenes. However, the main theme of the score mostly resembles Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. His theme also can be heard in the song performed by Josh Groban, "Remember", on the soundtrack of the film.

Horner also collaborated with American singer/songwriter Josh Groban and lyricist Cynthia Weil to write an original song for the film's end credits. The product of this collaboration, "Remember" was performed by Groban with additional vocals by Tzarovska. The song is available on the film's original soundtrack.

A commentator, Alex Ross, claims that large portions of the score were essentially plagiarized from the pieces of which they are reminiscent.^[6]

Around the time of the film's release in theaters, Gabriel Yared briefly made portions of his rejected score available on his personal website, which was later removed at the request of Warner Brothers. Bootleg versions exist on the Internet. Yared's score has since gained much attention from the fans of film music. Several petitions were made requesting the release of Yared's score either on a limited edition CD or as a bonus feature or secondary audio track on the film's DVD. Those requests however, have been denied by Warner Bros.

Director's cut[link]

Troy: Director's Cut was screened at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2007, and received a limited theatrical release in Germany in April 2007. Warner Home Video reportedly spent more than $1 million for the director's cut, which includes "at least 1,000 new cuts" or almost 30 minutes extra footage (with a new running time of 196 minutes). The DVD was released on September 18, 2007 in the US. The score of the film was changed dramatically, with many of the female vocals being cut. An addition to the music is the use of Danny Elfman's theme for Planet of the Apes during the pivotal fight between Hector and Achilles in front of the Gates of Troy.

Various shots were recut and extended. For instance, the love scene between Helen and Paris was reframed to include more nudity of Diane Kruger. The sex scene between Achilles and Briseis is also extended. Only one scene was removed: the scene where Helen tends to the wound of Paris is taken out. The battle scenes were also extended, showing much more of Ajax's bloody rampage on the Trojans during the initial attack by the Greek Army. Perhaps most significantly was the sacking of Troy, barely present in the theatrical cut, but shown fully here. Characters were given more time to develop, specifically Priam and Odysseus, the latter being given a humorous introduction scene. Lastly, bookend scenes were added: the beginning being a soldier's dog finding its dead master, and the end including a sequence where the few surviving Trojans escape to Mount Ida. In one of the commentary sequences, the film's writer, David Benioff, said that when it came to deciding whether to follow Iliad or do what was best for the film, they always decided with what was best for the film.

Reception[link]

When the film was completed, total production costs were approximately $175,000,000. This made Troy one of the most expensive films produced in modern cinema. It was screened out of competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.^[7]

Troy screenings have earned US$133,378,256 in the United States.^[8]

Troy made more than 73%^[8] of its revenues outside the U.S. Eventually, Troy made over US$497 million worldwide,^[8] placing it in the #60 spot of top box office hits of all time.

Troy met mixed reactions by reviewers. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an average approval rating of 55% from a base of 215 reviews,^[9] while Yahoo! Movies gave it a critic rating of "B-" based on 15 reviews.^[10] Roger Ebert, who disliked what he saw as an unfaithful adaptation of the Iliad, gave it two stars out of four. Ebert claimed that Troy "sidesteps the existence of the Greek gods, turns its heroes into action movie clichés and demonstrates that we're getting tired of computer-generated armies."^[11]

Box office totals[link]

• Budget – $175,000,000^[8]
• Marketing cost – $50,000,000
• Opening weekend gross (Domestic) – $46,865,412
• Total domestic grosses – $133,378,256
• Total overseas grosses – $364,031,596^[8]
• Total worldwide grosses – $497,409,852

Accolades[link]

2005 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards

• Won – Top Box Office Film — James Horner

2005 Academy Awards

• Nominated – Best Achievement in Costume Design — Bob Ringwood

2005 Japanese Academy Prize

• Nominated – Best Foreign Film

2005 MTV Movie Awards

• Nominated – Best Fight — Brad Pitt & Eric Bana
• Nominated – Best Male Performance — Brad Pitt

2005 Motion Picture Sound Editors (Golden Reel Award)

• Nominated – Best Sound Editing in Foreign Features — Wylie Statesman, Martin Cantwell, James Boyle, Harry Barnes, Paul Conway, Alex Joseph, Matthew Grime, Steve Schwalbe, Howard Halsall, Sue Lenny, Simon Price & Nigel Stone

2005 Teen Choice Awards

• Won – Choice Movie Actor – Drama/Action Adventure — Brad Pitt
• Nominated – Choice Movie Actor – Drama/Action Adventure — Orlando Bloom
• Nominated – Choice Breakout Movie Star – Male — Garrett Hedlund
• Nominated – Choice Movie – Drama/Action Adventure
• Nominated - Choice Movie Fight/Action Sequence

See also[link]

• Epic film
• Greek mythology in popular culture
• List of films based on poems
• List of historical drama films

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Petersen, Daniel (2006). Troja: Embedded im Troianischen Krieg (Troy: Embedded in the Trojan War). HörGut! Verlag. ISBN 3-938230-99-1.
• Winkler, Martin M. (2006). Troy: From Homer's Iliad to Hollywood Epic. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-3183-7.

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Troy (film)

• Official website
• Troy at the Internet Movie Database
• Troy at AllRovi
• Troy at Rotten Tomatoes
• Troy at Metacritic
• Troy at Box Office Mojo

Josh Groban
Josh Groban, February 6, 2009
Background information
Birth name	Joshua Winslow Groban
Born	(1981-02-27) February 27, 1981 (age 31) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Easy listening, vocal, operatic pop, pop rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, musician, actor, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, drums, percussion
Years active	1997–present
Labels	143, Reprise
Associated acts	Tenacious D
Website	joshgroban.com

Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country.^[1][2] To date, he has sold over 24 million albums worldwide,^[3] and is the top selling classical artist of the 2000s in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[4]

Groban originally studied acting, but as his voice changed, it developed into a "significant instrument". Groban attended the Los Angeles High School for the Arts, a free public school where students received a conservatory-style education. His life changed when his vocal coach, Seth Riggs, submitted a tape of Josh singing "All I Ask of You", from The Phantom of the Opera, to Riggs' friend, producer, composer and arranger David Foster.^[5][6] Foster called him to stand in for an ailing Andrea Bocelli to rehearse a duet, "The Prayer," with Celine Dion at the rehearsal for the Grammy Awards in 1998.^[7] Rosie O'Donnell immediately invited him to appear on her talk show.^[8] Foster asked him to sing at the California Governor's Gray Davis' 1999 inauguration.^[5][9] He was cast on Ally McBeal by the show's creator, David E. Kelley, performing "You're Still You" for the 2001 season finale.^[10]

Early life and education[link]

Groban was born in Los Angeles, to Lindy (née Johnston), a school teacher and full time mother, and Jack Groban, a businessman.^[11][12] He has a younger brother, Chris, who shares the same birthday, four years later.^[13] Groban's father was born Jewish, and is a descendant of Russian and Polish immigrants;^[14] he converted from Judaism to Christianity when marrying Groban's mother.^[13] Groban's mother's ancestry includes Norwegian (from Toten), German, and English; one of her own grandfathers had been Jewish.^[15][16][17] Groban's parents practiced in the Episcopal Church.^[8]

Groban debuted as a singer in the fifth grade. His music teacher chose him to sing a solo of "S'wonderful" at the school's Cabaret Night, where he sang alone on stage for the first time. At this time, he was more focused on theatrical arts.^[8] In the summers of 1997 and 1998, he also attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp in Michigan,^[14] majoring in music theatre, and began taking vocal lessons. Groban went on to attend the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a theatre major and graduated in 1999.^[14] He was admitted to Carnegie Mellon University, intending to study drama, but he left four months into his first semester. Offered a recording contract, he decided to pursue his singing career.^[14]

Music career[link]

1998–2001: debut[link]

In late 1998, the 17-year-old Groban was introduced by his vocal coach to Grammy-winning producer/arranger David Foster and future manager Brian Avnet.^[18] At the time Groban had no recording experience and was preparing to begin studying at Carnegie Mellon University.^[18] Groban worked for David Foster as a rehearsal singer on a series of high-profile events, including the January 1999 inauguration of Gray Davis as Governor of California and the 1999 Grammy Awards where—as a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli—he rehearsed Foster's "The Prayer" with Céline Dion. According to manager Avnet, Groban was very nervous about standing in for Bocelli and had to be talked into it, but his performance prompted the show hostess, Rosie O'Donnell, to ask him to appear on her show the following week, which then led to an appearance on the Ally McBeal show.^[18] David E. Kelley, creator of the television series Ally McBeal, created a character, Malcolm Wyatt, for Groban in the season finale aired in May 2001. The character of Malcolm Wyatt was so popular, prompting 8,000 emails from viewers,^[19] that Groban was asked to return the next season to reprise his role and perform "To Where You Are." Avnet claims this sequence of events effectively got Groban's career off the ground.^[18]

Groban was offered a recording contract at Warner Bros. Records through Foster's 143 Records imprint. Avnet told HitQuarters that Warner initially proved resistant to the deal because "They were afraid they wouldn’t be able to get a voice like that on radio."^[18] Explaining his reasons for signing the artist, Foster said: "I love his natural ability in the pop and rock arena, but I love his sense of classics even more. He's a true musical force to be reckoned with."^[19] Under Foster's influence, Groban's first album focused more on classics such as "Gira Con Me Questa Notte" and "Alla Luce Del Sole."

Groban performed "There For Me" with Sarah Brightman on her 2000–01 La Luna World Tour, and was featured on her "La Luna" concert DVD. He recorded "For Always" with Lara Fabian on the movie soundtrack to A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). Groban performed in many benefit shows, including: "The Andre Agassi Grand Slam Event For Children," singing alongside Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, and Robin Williams; "Muhammad Ali's Fight Night Foundation" which honored Michael J. Fox and others; "The Family Celebration" (2001), which was co-hosted by President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and David E. Kelley and his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer; and Michael Milken's CapCure event, which raises funds for cancer research.

The singer's self-titled debut album Josh Groban was released on November 20, 2001. Over the next year, it went from gold to double-platinum.^[20]

[edit] 2002–05: Closer

On February 24, 2002, Groban performed "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and by November, he had his own PBS special, "Josh Groban In Concert" (2002). In December 2002, he performed "To Where You Are" and sang "The Prayer" in a duet with Sissel Kyrkjebø at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. He joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie, and others for a Christmas performance at the Vatican in Rome, Italy. In 2003, Groban performed at the David Foster concert for World Children's Day, singing "The Prayer" with Celine Dion and the finale song, "Aren't They All Our Children?" with artists including Yolanda Adams, Nick Carter, Enrique Iglesias, and Celine Dion.

Groban in concert at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH

Groban's second album Closer, produced and written by Foster, was released on November 11, 2003. Groban said that he believed that this second album was a better reflection of him, and that his audience would be able to get a better idea of his personality from listening to it. "What most people know about me, they know through my music. This time, I've tried to open that door as wide as possible. These songs are a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. Hence the title."^[19]

Two months after Closer was released, it rose on the Billboard charts from number 11 to number one.^[6] His cover of "You Raise Me Up" became very popular on the adult contemporary charts. Groban also performed the song "Remember" (with Tanja Tzarovska) on the Troy soundtrack, "Believe" on the soundtrack to the 2004 animated film The Polar Express, and a cover of Linkin Park's "My December".

In the summer of 2004, Groban returned to Interlochen, performing and discussing his earlier experiences with local residents and campers. On November 30, 2004, his second live DVD, Live At The Greek, was released; it was also shown as a Great Performances special on PBS. Also in 2004, Groban performed "Remember When It Rained," backed by a full orchestra, at the American Music Awards, where he was nominated for Favorite Male Artist in the pop category; he was also nominated for a People's Choice Award in that year. His recording of "Believe" secured a 2005 Academy Award nomination for the song's two writers, Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri,^[21] and earned them a Grammy in the category Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the ceremony held in February 2006.^[22]

[edit] 2005–10: Awake

Groban earned his first Grammy nomination in 2005 for his single "You Raise Me Up", in the category of "Best Male Vocal Performance". During the first week of September 2006, Groban's single entitled "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" was released exclusively on AOL's First Listen. His third studio album Awake was officially released on November 7, 2006. Groban performed "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" as well as two other tracks from Awake at his recording session for Live from Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios on 26 October 2006. On that album, Groban also collaborated with British musician and songwriter Imogen Heap, on the single "Now or Never". He performed two tracks with the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, "Lullaby" and "Weeping." Groban's "Awake" world tour visited 71 cities between February and August 2007, and travelled further to Australia and the Philippines with Lani Misalucha as his special guest in October 2007. He performed a duet with Barbra Streisand ("All I Know of Love") and with Mireille Mathieu ("Over the Rainbow"). As to his future, Groban is open to a plethora of possibilities. He said, "I am fortunate enough to have had many really big moments in my career. I think the mistake a lot of people in my position make is to always search for the next big thing. I am looking forward to playing some small theaters. I'm looking forward to writing more. I want to delve further into my acting career and explore some of the film and TV opportunities that I haven't had time for. My outlook is to expect the unexpected. And when the next step comes, I'm prepared to take it."^[10] Groban has also expressed an interest in performing on Broadway.^[23]

2010–present[link]

Groban finished his fifth studio album, entitled Illuminations, and the album was released on November 15, 2010.^[24] Most of the songs on the album are about "specific situations that I've had where love has existed and ultimately failed," Groban told The New York Times, adding: "And other songs are about the quest, and it just not working out." Groban wrote 11 of the 13 songs on the album.^[25] The first single from the album, "Hidden Away," was made available for free download via Facebook on September 8.^[26] “For me to sit in a room with a piano in one take with some of Johnny Cash’s musicians — that was totally new for me.” Josh added. “and I think that excitement is on the record.”^[25] On October 12, a second single from the upcoming album, "Você Existe Em Mim", was made available on iTunes.^[27] This song is sung in Brazilian Portuguese and was written by Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown. The Washington Post said: "Illuminations" is not a revelation, but it offers a perfectly fine, and often quite lovely, glimpse at a pop-classical crossover artist in the middle of crossing over."^[28] Josh plans on making one more record with Rick Rubin.^[29] Beginning May 12, 2011 and continuing through December of that year, Groban undertook the 81-city Straight to You Tour to promote Illuminations, encompassing appearances in North America, Europe, and South Africa.^[30]

Notable performances[link]

Groban at the ET Post-Emmys Party, Walt Disney Concert Hall, September 21, 2008

On April 14, 2008, Groban joined Idina Menzel for a PBS Soundstage taping. The next day, he held his own taping for the same PBS TV series at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall at Jazz in New York City.

In June 2007, Groban recorded a Christmas album in London with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Magdalen College Choir, which he discussed on the DVD from "The Making of Noël". It was released on October 9, 2007, and is titled Noël.^[31] The album has been highly successful in the US, breaking numerous records for a Christmas album, as well as becoming the best selling album of 2007 in only its tenth week of release, at sales of 3.6 million.^[32]

On July 1, 2007, Groban performed with Sarah Brightman at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium; it was broadcast to over 500 million homes in 140 countries.

On February 10, 2008, Groban performed at the 2008 Grammy Awards with Andrea Bocelli in a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti.

On May 12 and 13, 2008 At Royal Albert Hall, London, Groban performed as "The Russian" Anatoly Sergievsky; joining with Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal in "Chess in Concert" a live concert version of the musical Chess composed by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA fame. This performance has since been made into a DVD and CD recording.^[33]

On September 21, 2008, Groban performed a comical medley of well-known TV theme songs at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

In December 2008, Groban appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He performed a duet with Only Men Aloud! at the Royal Variety Show at the London Palladium for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.^[34]

On January 18, 2009, Groban performed as part of the Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, performing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" in duet with Heather Headley.^[35]

On January, 19. 2009, Groban performed with Herbie Hancock as part of Feeding America's Rally Against Hunger in Washington DC. The event was also attended by Martin Luther King III and actor Ben Affleck.

At the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, he performed the Star Spangled Banner on Jan. 7, 2010, with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.

Film and television appearances[link]

Groban has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show six times,^[10] as well as on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Larry King Live, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,^[36] 20/20, Today, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, the Rockefeller Tree Lighting. He has also been a guest co-host on Live with Regis and Kelly many times from 2006 to 2012.

Groban played Malcolm Wyatt, a preacher's son, on Ally McBeal, episodes "The Wedding" and "Nine One One" (2001).

Groban has made two guest appearances on the series Glee as himself.^[37]

Groban appeared on BBC Two's hit British music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks. His first appearance was as a guest on Omid Djalili's team. On December 21, 2010, he returned to Never Mind the Buzzcocks, this time as guest host/quiz master and ending the show duetting with Michael Ball in a version of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

Groban appeared in The Office as Andy Bernard's brother in the episode "Garden Party" (2011).^[38]

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011, Groban appeared as a mystery guest star on the season 12 finale of Dancing With the Stars to surprise Petra Nemcova by singing "You Raise Me Up" to her dance. When she saw that it was he who was actually singing the song and not one of the usual performers, she momentarily was too stunned to continue dancing.

In the comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love., a film starring Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling, released on July 29, 2011, Groban played a character named Richard, a caddish and nerdy attorney.^[39][40]

In 2012, he appeared in episode 5 of series 12 of the revived British comedy panel show Room 101.

Voice type[link]

Various music critics have described Groban's voice in different ways, with some referring to him as a tenor^[41][42] and others as a baritone.^[43][44] In performance, Groban's music goes as low as G₂ (as in the songs "To Where You Are" and "Higher Window") and extends up to at least B♭₄^[45] (as heard in "You Raise Me Up" or in "February Song").^[46] This places his voice lower than the tenor range on the low end, and just short of Tenor C, and therefore above the baritone range, on the high end.^[47][48] There is currently no authoritative system of voice classification in non-classical music. The problem lies in the fact that classical terms are used to describe not merely various vocal ranges, but specific vocal timbres each unique to those respective ranges, and produced by the classical training techniques with which most popular singers are not intimately familiar and which are not universally employed by the few that are. In a 2002 New York Times article, Groban described himself as a "tenor in training".^[49]

Charity[link]

Josh Groban in concert at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall

Under the guidance of his mentor David Foster, Groban performed for many charity events that included VH1 Save the Music (2005), Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope (2005), Fifth Annual Adopt-A-Minefield concert (2005), 2nd Annual Grammy Jam (2005), Live 8 (2005), The Heart Foundation Gala (2005), and David Foster and Friends Charity Gala (2006). He also sang a solo on the recording of We Are The World 25 for Haiti (2010). Inspired by a visit with Nelson Mandela during a 2004 trip to South Africa, he established the Josh Groban Foundation to help children in need through education, healthcare and the arts. Mandela appointed Groban as an Official Ambassador for Mandela's Project 46664, a campaign to help raise Global awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. On April 25, 2007, Josh Groban performed with the African Children's Choir on American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" episode. Also on September 2, 2007, Groban donated $150,000 to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to fund music education.^[50] On February 28, 2008, he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program. In honor of his 27th birthday, his fans set out to raise $27,000 in a project called "Raise 27". They ended up raising a total of $44,227 for the Josh Groban Foundation, to benefit the Noah's Ark children's orphanage called Siyawela in South Africa. Groban has since referred to this donation as "the best birthday present ever".^[51] For those who could afford the $1500 ticket, Josh Groban performed at the The Angel Ball on October 21, 2010. Proceeds went to the Gabrielles Angel Foundation for cancer research.^[52]

Impact[link]

Some of Groban's musical influences have been Radiohead, Steve Perry, Paul Simon, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Freddie Mercury^[53] and Björk. He cites as vocal influences "anyone who told a story with their songs," including Mandy Patinkin, Klaus Nomi, George Hearn, and Luciano Pavarotti.^[54]

He was named the #1 Best Selling Artist of All Time on Barnes & Noble in 2007. Groban has sold more than 20 million albums in less than ten years.

In 2002, Groban was listed as "100 Sexiest Newcomer" and in 2008, he became one of People's "100 Most Beautiful People".

Personal life[link]

Groban dated actress January Jones from 2003–06.^[55] Although maintaining a home in Los Angeles, he recently moved his primary residence to New York City, where he indicates that "dating can be very easy or very tough."^[56][57]

Discography[link]

• 2001: Josh Groban
• 2003: Closer
• 2006: Awake
• 2007: Noël
• 2010: Illuminations

Concert tours[link]

• Closer Tour (2004–2005)
• Awake Tour (2007)
• Before We Begin (2010)
• Straight to You Tour (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Josh Groban

• Official website
• BroadwayWorld: Idina Menzel & Josh Groban to Star in 'Chess' Musical UK Concert?
• Chess in Concert (2008)
• Brown, Bob. "A Star in the Making: Who is Josh Groban?."^{[dead link]} ABCNews. com: 20/20
• Josh Groban at the Internet Movie Database
• Josh Groban video interview on Virgin Red Room
• Watch Josh Groban make a northern cuppa in this exclusive interview with Virgin Red Room

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2011)

Shero Rauf (born 15 May 1979) is a Kurdish-Iraqi actor and stuntman. He is the first Kurdish Iraqi to work as an actor, stuntman, 3D visual effects animator, lead artist, and assistant director in Hollywood movies.^[1]

Filmography[link]

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director:

• The Tournament (2008) - Assistant Director

Visual effects:

• Rambo (2008)
• The Gene Generation (2007)
• Finding Rin Tin Tin (2007)
• 88 Minutes (2007)
• Gryphon (2007) (TV)
• Home of the Brave (2006)
• A.I. Assault (2006) (TV)
• Black Hole (2006) (TV)
• Lonely Hearts (2006)
• Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
• The Mechanik (2005)
• Edison (2005)
• Today You Die (2005)
• Zerkalnie voyni: Otrazhenie pervoye (2005)
• Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy (2005) (TV)
• Raging Sharks (2005) (digital artist)

Stunts:

• Troy (2004)
• The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008) ...(utility stunts)
• Heroes and Viliains: Attila the Hun (2008) (mini) - Warrior *1

Actor:

• Heroes and Viliains: Attila the Hun (2008) (mini) - Warrior *1
• Hero Wanted (2008) ... Razor Room Dancer
• Dalida (2005) (mini) TV Series .... Dalida's Bodyguard
• Alien Siege (2005) (TV) .... Striker
• Boa vs. Python (2004) (V) .... Dancer
• Troy (2004) ... Trojan Archer
• Epoch: Evolution (2003) (TV) .... TV Reporter
• Soraya (2003) (TV) .... Guard
• Out for a Kill (2003) (V) .... Prisoner

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Shero Rauf at the Internet Movie Database

Jahmal Ara 'Johny' Hendricks^[2] (born September 12, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist and an accomplished former collegiate wrestler. He currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Welterweight division. As of March 2012, Hendricks is ranked as the #4 welterweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.^[3]

Collegiate wrestling career[link]

While competing for Oklahoma State University, Hendricks won the 2005 and 2006^[4] NCAA Division I wrestling title at 165-pounds, and he finished second in 2007^[5] after falling to Mark Perry from the University of Iowa. The loss to Perry was Hendricks' only one suffered during his senior year at OSU, during which he had compiled a 56-0 record coming into the bout.^[6]

In addition to his two national championships, Hendricks was a 4-time All-American at OSU and a three-time Big 12 Conference champion (2005, 2006 & 2007).^[4] During his high school wrestling career at Edmond Memorial High School, Hendricks won three Oklahoma state titles and the 160-pound high school national championship.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Early career[link]

After graduating from OSU in 2007, Hendricks moved to Las Vegas and signed with Team TakeDown,^[4] along with two other former OSU wrestlers, Shane Roller and Jake Rosholt. Hendricks began training for an MMA career and made his professional MMA debut on September 28, 2007, in which he scored a third round TKO (punches) over Victor Ratcliff at Masters of the Cage 16 from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.^[7] Hendricks fought once more in 2007, and defeated Spencer Cowley with a second round TKO (punches) at Snakebite Fight Night from Tulsa, Oklahoma.^[8][9]

Hendricks made (and won) his television debut on March 15, 2008 with a first round submission (brabo choke) victory over Richard Gamble at HDNet Fights Xtreme Fighting League,^[10] also from Tulsa, before signing a multi-fight deal with World Extreme Cagefighting (along with Roller and Rosholt).^[11]

While in the WEC, Hendricks won two more fights—a December 2008 TKO over Justin Haskins at WEC 37^[12] (Hendricks' first fight outside of Oklahoma) and a unanimous decision win over Alex Serdyukov at WEC 39,^[13] which was the last 170-pound fight in WEC history due to the company's decision to dissolve its welterweight division and focus on lighter fighters.^[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

With the WEC eliminating his weight class, Hendricks had to find another place to fight and chose to make the jump to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In May 2009, it was announced that Hendricks would be making his UFC debut against Ultimate Fighter 7 champion Amir Sadollah at UFC 101 from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 8, 2009.^[14] In the opening seconds of the first round, Hendricks blocked a high head kick from Sadollah and countered with an uppercut knocking Sadollah to his knees. Hendricks continued to land punches until referee Dan Miragliotta pulled him off and ended the fight 29 seconds into the first round. After beating Sadollah, he jumped up and ran across the cage with a huge smile on his face, earning him the unofficial nickname "Happy Beard Guy" among fight fans. Some people criticized Miragliotta for stopping the fight too early, as Sadollah seemed to be trying to get up, but Miragliotta defended his stoppage saying Sadollah was "out of it" and "still looked glassy eyed and asked me what happened." ^[15]

Hendricks defeated UFC newcomer Ricardo Funch on December 12, 2009 at UFC 107.^[16]

He defeated TJ Grant at UFC 113 via majority decision, improving his record to 3-0 in the UFC.

Hendricks next faced Charlie Brenneman on August 7, 2010 at UFC 117.^[17] Hendricks defeated him via TKO (punches) after 40 seconds of the second round.

Hendricks fought Rick Story on December 4, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.^[18] Hendricks suffered the first loss of his MMA career, losing via unanimous decision.

Hendricks was expected to face Paulo Thiago on March 3, 2011 at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann.^[19] However, Thiago was forced out of the bout with an elbow injury.^[20] Instead, Hendricks fought TJ Waldburger on March 26, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 24, replacing an injured Dennis Hallman.^[21] Hendricks won via first round TKO, earning Knockout of the Night honors.

Hendricks faced Mike Pierce on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133.^[22] Hendricks won by split decision.

Hendricks fought longtime World Number #2 Welterweight Jon Fitch on December 30, 2011 at UFC 141.^[23] Hendricks became the first man to finish Fitch in the UFC, winning via one punch KO just 12 seconds into the first round, also earning the Knockout Of The Night bonus.

Hendricks next faced Josh Koscheck on May 5, 2012 in the co-main event at UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller.^[24] He won the fight via split decision.

Personal life[link]

Hendricks and his wife Christina have a daughter named Abri who was born on October 18, 2009.^[25]

Hendricks is of Dutch, German and Native American descent.^[26]

Championships and achievements[link]

[edit] Collegiate wrestling

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Division I All-American out of Oklahoma State University (2004), (2005), (2006), (2007)^[27][27]
  • NCAA Division I 157 1b - 5th place out of Oklahoma State University (2004)^[28]
  • NCAA Division I 165 1b - Champion out of Oklahoma State University (2005)^[28]
  • NCAA Division I 165 1b - Champion out of Oklahoma State University (2006)^[28]
  • NCAA Division I 165 1b - Runner-up out of Oklahoma State University (2007)^[28]
  • Big 12 Conference Championship out of Oklahoma State University (2005), (2006), (2007)^[29]

[edit] Amateur wrestling

• USA Junior Freestyle Championship^[28]
  • USA Junior Freestyle Championship 165 1b - Winner out of Oklahoma (2001)^[28]
  • USA Junior Freestyle Championship 165 1b - Winner out of Oklahoma (2002)^[28]

[edit] Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Knockout Of The Night (Two times)
• World Extreme Cagefighting
  • Fight of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official UFC Profile
• Oklahoma State wrestling biography
• Johny Hendicks on MySpace
• Team TakeDown Fighters Official Web Site
• Professional MMA record for Johny Hendricks from Sherdog
• Johny Hendricks profile at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame