April 17, 2009

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent or Don't judge a book by it's cover???

So, little less than a week ago, another reality show, another ITV Simon Cowell brain baby, 'Britain's Got Talent' started it's third series. After last years winner, George Sampson, dancing onto kid's television and straight off rather quickly (with his debut single entering the chart at 30 and slowly disappearing), I again was unsure how to approach this seemingly apparent way to make money, get ratings and to perhaps give Cowell yet another ego boost- Oh! did I forget to mention Cowell's underlings? Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan, this seems like nothing other than a orgy of fun where the only celebrity endorsements are those with bad press and arguments. And finally not forgetting ITV's golden boys, Ant & Dec, just another show where ITV can plug them- show that all the money that is being spent on them is going to good presenting.

Anyway, you may be able to tell that I am rather disinterested in Britain having any talent, disinterested in the fifteen minutes of fame and disinterested in the Royal Variety- maybe the point is to start at home, to clean ourselves up and out of this rut we find ourselves. I don't mean about some of the talentless baboons our country and others push onto the rest of the world but instead the education some find themselves in or for that matter uninterested in, the financial status we find ourselves in... any of this ring bells with anyone???

Susan Boyle, 47 was a prime example of judging a book by it's cover, which of course we are told at the primary never to do. Read the back, take a ponder at the first few pages but never just look at the mundane picture at the front. This was exactly what the audience of last week's 'Britain's Got Talent' did... did I say audience, I meant the three judges as well. These celebrity judges are meant to uphold the standards by which we are meant to live, we see them in the newspapers, we see them on our televisions, we follow their dramatic lives and we try to replicate what we see- these people enforce our dominant ideologies of the country and culture we live in today and therefore when Susan Boyle came onto that stage, the cheeky chappies offstage were grinning larger than the Cheshire cat and Simon, Amanda and Piers looked just about ready to click their buttons to reprimand this woman for wasting their time and wondering what she is doing on stage, let alone our television sets. A yet something wonderful happened, after quite enough laughter from those in the room, Susan opened her mouth and out came the most wonderful voice, 'I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Mis ripped through the room and literally the mouths of everyone dropped, from laughter to applause to three 'yes's' from the judges.

Susan became an overnight sensation and her fame spread by links posted on the Twitter website, including praise from celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. When told about this Boyle was said not to have heard of Kutcher and although recognised the name 'Demi Moore' knew little about her but thanked them for their support. The video has also attracted the attention of Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore. Following her performance on Britain's Got Talent, Boyle was a guest on STV's The Five Thirty Show.She was interviewed via satellite on CBS's Early Show and ABC's Good Morning America, and via a telephone interview on FOX's America's Newsroom. In an interview, Simon Cowell said Boyle had received an invitation to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show and predicted that if she did appear "there's every chance Susan Boyle will have the number one album in America".


The most popular YouTube video submission of her audition garnered nearly 2.5 million views in the first 72 hours. As of April 17, 2009, the video had been viewed more than 20 million times, making it the most viewed video of the month worldwide.

Commenting on the audience's reactions before she started singing, Boyle stated:
Modern society is too quick to judge people on their appearances. ... There is not much you can do about it; it is the way they think; it is the way they are. But maybe this could teach them a lesson, or set an example.

—Susan Boyle, The Washington Post

After Boyle's performance, Holden stated:

I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical and I think that's the biggest wakeup call ever. And I just want to say that it was a complete privilege listening to that.

—Amanda Holden, Britain's Got Talent


And so, here I suppose is my point- how wonderful it is to be able to see something with genuine talent, who hasn't pushed herself into the limelight and people's face and who has lived a steady and blanketed life practising what she loved. Then one day, she surprises people and suddenly has acclaimed international stardom. Where are the other Susan Boyle's for today- those people who show a little glimmer of hope for humanity and that through solidarity and living a life not consumed by celebrity and leisure, one day your dreams may come true.



Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more Funny Videos

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