Unlikely diva grabs A-list attention/Fans of unlikely singing sensation demand album

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- In the space of a few minutes and a few notes, unemployed Scottish charity worker Susan Boyle won over 3,000 fans. In the space of a few days and YouTube, she has grabbed the attention of millions.

Simon Cowell described Susan Boyle's performance as "extraordinary."

And she also reportedly has A-list fans such as Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.

She didn't play or dress the part of a star on reality TV show "Britain's Got Talent," but within seconds of beginning to sing, the auditorium knew she was one.

Boyle, 47, told the show she had never been married or kissed, and lives in Scotland with her cat, Pebbles. She still lives in her childhood home in Blackburn, West Lothian, and believes a promise to her mother, Bridget, who died at 91 in 2007, got her on the TV show. The town, in northeast Scotland, is a former cotton and mining center that now attracts commuters to nearby Aberdeen, the key city for the region's North Sea oil industry.

"I wanted to fulfill a wish to my mother that I wanted to do something with my life. Not only that, but I felt like I had a bit more to offer,'" she told Scottish TV's "Five-thirty" show.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/15/talent.sho...

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Fans of unlikely singing sensation demand album

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- Fans of television and YouTube singing sensation Susan Boyle are demanding she releases an album -- now.

The 47-year-old Boyle, who says she has never been kissed, was catapulted into the spotlight after her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables," on the television show "Britain's Got Talent" at the weekend.

=snip=

A clip of Boyle's performance has now had more than 11 million views on YouTube and the world's media have beaten a path to her door in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.

Cowell is reportedly already trying to piece together a record deal for Boyle, an unemployed charity worker, who lives with her cat, Pebbles.

For fans of Boyle, who attracted laughs and sniggers when she first appeared on stage before winning a standing ovation, the album cannot come quick enough. CNN has been inundated with hundreds of messages of support for Boyle.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/16/susan.boyl...



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It sure is nice to have some good news like this to share, for a change...

Here's the video that's gone viral for those who may have missed it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I am sure there will be a movie about her life, multiple best selling albums, performance in front of the queen, singing national anthems in front of tens of thousands....high fives everywhere she goes...everything.

It's kind of amazing, isn't it? She came out of nowhere, and now everyone knows who she is.

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Notice how it's almost invariably the Rush Limbaughs of the world who make the cruel comments and jokes and not the George Clooneys.

hehe

WTF is your point?

Post your photo and let us make a few judgment calls about your appearance.

hey dude..your inner ugly is showing...and its nasty.

Are you that put off by a perfectly ordinary woman?

Yea.

pizza-inhaling very unpopular loser in the 10th grade (for the 3rd time). Someone nobody will eat lunch with because it's the Class Pest, the wannabe who tries too hard. The ones the girls elbow each other and snicker about as he waddles by, looking lewdly at their chests.

Put yourself out there and let us pass judgment on you or are you just OK with making degrading remarks about others?

all the way to the bank at you.

There's no better or more eloquent phrase necessary. You suck.

... being told she's not physically perfect.

Hekate

- That was the funniest slam I have heard in a while.

put their pics up next to each other. Its pretty amazing.

from just under 6 million to over 12 million is less than 24 hours.

for an account, just so i could cheer on this amazing woman.
What courage she has.

for an account, just so i could cheer on this amazing woman.
What courage she has.

It's called having an ace up your sleeve.

and singing in front of a large, sniggering audience are two entirely different things.

Even singing in front of a receptive audience is nerve-wracking. One of the first things to go is your voice -- ever hear of "getting all choked up?" It's real.

Her solid vocal technique held up, and her performance was simply fabulous. She wasn't just singing the song; she embodied it. It was deeply, deeply moving. All the moreso, considering the context.

I was impressed by how humble she was though when she was surprised by the three yes votes at the end. Why the surprise?! She CRUSHED it!

Amazing
10 thumbs up!

Terrified. But put me in front of a real audience and I'm quite fine. Auditions were killers; performing a joy. And I HATE playing charades. Refuse to do it.

when the music first started, and she prepared to sing. She knew what she had to offer. And about a quarter of the way through, when there was a pause in her vocals, she smiled and nodded subtly, knowingly, right at the judges. She's probably known all her life. It must have been so difficult for her. She deserves the world.

finest ever without qualification.

and beauty rises from the soul.

Some of the best weren't.


Ella Fitzgerald


Mama Cass


Janis Joplin

an awkward and/or overweight guy who showed up on that show, who then turned out to have an amazing voice, the reaction would have been the same...

This is a very judgemental world we live in, and neither sex escapes that judgement....

We're all supposed to look like Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie

Men are given alot more leeway regarding their looks.

How many movies, tv shows, celebrity shows,magazine covers, and so forth ad infinitum feature men of all physical types, from the gorgeous to the shlubby, young to old.

there is only one mold for women.

I've womdered many times, how much female talent is wasted or never seen at all because of the sex-babe requirement?

I Susan for breaking that mold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sure can't wait for her CD!!!!!!!!! the YouTube vid knocked me off my chair, and that was with crummy sound quality!!!!!!!

into the rehearsal room to pick up something I'd forgotten and heard the teacher singing along to Aida. Her voice was glorious.

She was ugly as homemade sin, and I realized that's why the world at large would never hear her voice.

I'm so sick of the stick insect stereotype. It's robbed us of too much talent over the years.

Perfectly said and definitely mirrors my sentiments. Building this requirement of looks to succeed not only hinders great talent but absolutely ruins life in general for many young people.

but outside of that, a man's looks are just as, if not more important, than a woman's looks. When people imagine a successful businessman, they imagine Mr GQ - not George Constanza. It is definitely easier for a GQ guy to move up than a greasy shlubby guy and my theory is that it ultimately does come from the desire for female beauty:

Men like to be friends(or just be around) with other men who are handsome because the handsome men are seen as the ones who can attract beautiful women - so being friends with a good looking guy can imply a higher probability of meeting attractive women through them. That is my take on it anyway...and as such life is made easier for the handsome guys who can get promoted in the business world faster. It could also be the case that the good looking guy has more confidence for various reasons - that also gets people promoted faster.

Not to mention wallstreet lol

if he knows how to use it. He can be fat, ugly, boring and still get what he wants.

It is simply easier to open doors with an attractive appearance. Male or female.

male or female; doors open easier, people are nicer, etc..

They've probably done experiments on this....Put one person in a fat-suit, have them spend the day in public places (restaurant, mall, bank, etc. etc) & have the person wear a hidden camera..See the way that person is treated....

Then, get a great looking person, have him or her also have a hidden camera on them, & see the way they are treated..The difference will probably be pro-found...

Sure, while men are more superficial in terms of looks, I certainly am, women want the guys with high six-figure, seven figure occupations..

So like it or not, we are a judgemental & superficial society & that ain't changing...

at times, get a better shake than an unattractive man, if they are equal on every other level, but they never get treated as badly as even plain women usually do. Your perception is skewed.

My son calls him a strange little troll. But his music... beautiful

I've never considered his beauty apparent to the eye at all. Many would say the same, but it's never stopped anyone from buying his records. If you love music there's no arguing over it.

Exactly.

There was Paul Potts who was in a similiar situation a couple of years ago.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

While the judges were equally shocked, you don't hear the derision from them and the audience you saw with Susan.

But I do agree, the expectation is people of both sexes will look like Ken & Barbie to perform well.

some of those idiots rolled their eyes. she knew and she blew them all off. I love her.

The audition video has had a whopping 43,663,846 views as of writing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

Here's a video of his semi final winning performance with a short bio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8

His Wikipedia profile:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Potts

Edited to add his winning performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwkVnyfdGYQ

There is no point trying to pretend the scales are balanced on this issue. They are not.

treated differently in the pop culture. You will not see a woman get slapped on the back of the head, or mocked for being stupid: men are slobs, men are neanderthal, men are insensitive; just generally made fun of with impunity. Perhaps it is because men do have the lion's share of power and Madison Avenue, et all think it's safe to use men as punching bags to ameliorate this power position. I don't know what it is, but I have watched this phenomenon for a very long time.


BTW, there is no love lost with me between the str8 male population at large. I have often said there would be no more war, etc., if it were just us and str8 women. Unfortunately, there would also be no more people in a couple hundred years, so, I guess we just have to try and 'help' them reach their higher selves.

there is definitely an entire other set of awful stuff that affects men... for instance the insistence that it's a good thing that we force our boys to grow up thinking that they're suppoed to be cold, insensitive, unemotional beings who are only socially allowed to respond emotionally to sports.

And don't get me started on the double standard with respect to style... we let our little girls play with trucks and wear camo if they want... but god forbid a little boy asks for pink sandals.

Thanks for your considerate reply... I have serious issues about appearance so I get a little testy about these things.

Not if we learn how to clone. And you could always supply donations of your, um, essence to a willing female, right?

he wasn't greeted harshly at all. The audience was patient and willing to wait and see. No disrespect at all was shown, and the judges didn't make fun or roll their eyes. I posted the link down thread before I read the whole thread. But he's a good example of the disparity.

true, it took him 8 extra bars or so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DelJrP3P7tA

and for another mood elevator: Connie Talbot, age 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWNoiVrJDsE&feature=rela...

was the 2007 winner of Britains Got Talent. He was a schlumpy guy in a bad suit and that is what they saw. Then he opened his mouth and became an opera star.

He is plain and kinda dumpy and everyone sniggered at him. But then he belted out some opera and it all changed


on edit I see that you guys remembered more than me...Paul Potts.

very overweight insurance salesman. But when he arrived on stage for his audition, he wasn't mocked at all. He is also a fine opera singer, but no one acted surprised at his great talent. I will say, though, that except for being very overweight, Boyd is not homely. He has very good features, and I am sure that made a difference. Here he is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8oR91K7gZ8

Here is what she said:

"I do not think that people were surprised that Susan could belt out a song because they found her "ugly". I think that what people were really shocked by is that she is so outwardly unpolished.

Susan's hairstyle, eyebrows, dress, walk...did NOT MATCH our ideas of success. Her voice does. There is a disconnect there.

I think we assume that her obvious talent would have brought her out of herself and her circumstances a little. In fact, something changes in the woman's face when she is in song. Her face reflects a ease that she does not portray otherwise.

I wonder if this makes sense. "

So while Neal Boyd was grossly overweight etc, he does take care of his appearance as much as he can by grooming himself better. That is a big difference between he and Susan Boyle.

We do, but really should not, assume that people should behave or decorate themselves a certain way if they are to be considered accomplished. I see it. I know we do it. It is VERY wrong.

Nobody should have assumed she would be incapable of singing simply because she did not have her hair and make-up done differently. We are narrow and primitive sometimes and it is shameful. She is a subject because she is being made into a poster child for our cynicism and prejudices.

The subject of Susan Boyle should go like this....

"Hey, did you watch ***. Did you see that one contestant? She was really good, eh? Great voice. I think she might win the competition. What do you think?"

But this is not how the discussion is going and for this we should all be ashamed.

She is a beautiful lady that really understood what was important in life. I applaud her more for this than i do for her talent. I know that she will find a balance. She may change, but i think it will be only if she wants to. And this is how it SHOULD BE.

I just hope she keeps singing.

Nevermind. I realized 10 other people said the same thing about Paul Potts.

Google "Paul Potts" and you'll be amazed all over again. I hate to admit it, but Simon has a hit on his hands.

There are plenty of successful and famous men who are fat and/or funny looking and very few women. It's not that men escape judgment for their looks but they're not measured by them near as much as women are.

Google "Paul Potts." Same thing happened to a man on last year's show. It's just disgusting that it takes a show like that to "discover" those among us who don't fit the tall, anorexic and untalented mold

from audition to finals. Look at before and after pics of Clay Aiken. But yeah, it's harder on the women overall.

Have you not seen or heard about Paul, the man who was on the same show, in a prior season, and was very much the sensation, like Nancy Boyle? The crowd did not treat him like shit, nor were they as amazed or floored when he performed so phenomenally. They gave him a chance, and they appreciated his performance. But with nothing close to the dynamic of Ms. Boyles experience.

Meet Paul:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA


Edit to say: I posted as I read the tread, before I saw all the other similar responses.

Look past the make-up and big hair, and you see a woman with bone structure very similar to Susan Boyle.

And among the men of opera, Sherrill Milnes, who always looks as if he stepped out of the cab of a semi.




Then there's the one who always astounds audiences with his big, rich baritone voice, Thomas Quasthoff:

She was nice....but not that great.

I am serially unimpressed with these "talent" shows where people imitate their fave pop stars.

Like Margot Fonteyn said "There is no such thing as talent. Talent is just hard work."

I'll be impressed when she sings a 2 hour concert, not 1 song.

I'm sorry. I know you all want a feel good moment. Enjoy it! But let's not get brainwashed by the TV.

From the perfect way in which she formed every word and every sound, I would say she has worked very hard at it. She probably sang and sang all her life.

Talent alone is not enough. But she does not just have talent.

and gave an excellent performance in a totally different genre than classical/opera. You're comparing apples and oranges, and that's not truly fair.

Just because a voice is not operatic does not mean it is not good.

What was so moving was the quality of her *performance*, which frankly was a rare for opera as any other genre. Too often the feelings in any genre come off as contrived. Her performance was totally artless -- deeply moving because of it's sincerity.

As I recall, the Linda Ronstadt/Rex Smith version of "The Pirates of Penzance" was the first Broadway show to have all the singers amplified.

everything better.

Two entirely different styles but using the same solid techniques in breathing, through-the-mask resonance, posture, diction etc. And this was a venue in which she was allowed to only sing one song. You seem to be implying that she can't. I'm betting she can and without the mike (necessary for TV). What we've been brainwashed by is the media telling us you have no talent unless you're a size 0 supermodel type. Most of us have always known how wrong that is.

I thought Lakisha Jones should have won the 2007 American Idol. She was overweight, African American and not young, so the fact that she came in fourth is a testament to her talent. She was incredible, the equal of Aretha, Jennifer Hudson or anyone else you can think of.

Her first album is due to come out next month.

Something I've just found on her Wiki page:

In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America, Simon Cowell stated that the season six title of American Idol should have rightfully gone to Doolittle.<4>

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Doolittle


She was my favorite and was very sad to see her get eliminated and she still doesn't seem to be getting the success she deserves. Her talent, and the humility that went with it, knocked me off my feet.

Some sopranos are thin and slightly built, but Susan's tremendous voice is the result of her entire physique as well as of her heart, her intelligence and her will -- in short, we hear her soul, her whole being. That's what makes a singer great, regardless of anything else.