Sunday, April 12, 2009

Britain's Got Talent 2009: Singing sensation Susan Boyle

Did you watch the new series of "Britain’s Got Talent" last night? If you didn't, you missed the new singing sensation from Britain! It was a TV moment that everyone will remember for a very long time. When 47-year-old Susan Boyle walked out on the stage, looking rather dowdy and frumpy, you could hear the sniggers from the audience. And when she told the judges that she wanted to be like Elaine Paige, they looked bemused and couldn't stop smirking. But then, she started to sing "I Dreamed A Dream" (from Les Miserables) with her incredible voice and the judges looked stunned and started to grin while the audience reacted with whoops and wild applause followed by a standing ovation. One of the judges, Piers Morgan, told her: "Without a doubt that was the biggest surprise I have had in three years. When you stood there with that cheeky grin and said 'I want to be like Elaine Paige' everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now, that was stunning. I am reeling from shock". Indeed, what a big surprise she turned out to be! Do you remember the first time you heard Paul Potts sing? He was an unexpected talent and I'm sure that Susan Boyle is destined to be as successful as Paul Potts even if she doesn't win Britains Got Talent. If you missed the show, you can watch the video of Susan Boyle and you will know why everyone who saw the show is proably still talking about her. I think she was simply sensational. What did you think? Did she impress you too? Related post from my blog: Britain's Got Talent 2009: Hollie Steel - little girl with a big voice (part 3 of the series) Britain's Got Talent: Episode 4 - Jamie Pugh sings "Bring Him Home" - another star in the making Britain's Got Talent: Episode 5 - Shaun Smith impresses judges Britain's Got Talent: Episode 6 : 11-yr-old Aiden Davis steals the show Britain's Got Talent 7 - final auditions & The Final 40 Britain's Got Talent 2009: first semi final: Susan Boyle & Diversity through to final Britain's Got Talent 2009: second semi-final/Shaun Smith and Flawless will be in final Britain's Got Talent 2009: semi-final 3: Stavros Flatly & Shaheen Jafargholi make the final Britain's Got Talent 2009:semi final 4: Julian Smith & 2 Grand make the final Britain's Got Talent 2009:semi final 5:Aidan Davis & Hollie Steel make the final Britain's Got Talent 2009 Final: The winner is Diversity!

53 comments:

  1. I think Amanda is the smart one on that show. She knows not to judge a book by its cover. It killed me when Susan said she'd never been kissed. LMAO! I want her over for tea and a friendly cuddle. She's brill.

    I've also been chatting with some tweeters about how Simon seems so different on Brit shows than on AI. He knows American audiences like it over the top, so he over does it. Personally, I like him the way he is on BGT. It's a shame that people have to make @sses of themselves to make it in the US. Good example- Gordon Ramsay. He's much more down to earth in Britain, probably because Brits won't put up with such arrogance.

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  2. I agree. Amanda is always willing to give each contestant a chance and as you say she knows not to judge a book by its cover.

    I think Susan was sweet especially when she was so obviously delighted and surprised when all three judges each said yes to her staying in the competition. She doesn't seem to realize how good she can sing!

    Simon is very clever and knows how to play to the audience. I didn't realize his behavior differs in the USA from the way he behaves in Britain. Personally, I get tired of all his wise-cracks and rolling eyes and smirks but I think that is just how he is. And he knows now that the audience expect him to be a bit nasty so he plays up on that.

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  3. It's not something I watch but it's good to hear when someone with genuine talent wins over an audience like this. xx

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  4. I never thought it would be the sort of show I would enjoy watching but once you start, it's addictive viewing. And it's good family entertainment. We all sit together and watch it.

    I think it realy makes the show worth watching when someone like Susan Boyle comes on who has genuine talent and thus surprises everyone.

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  5. I'm hoping we over on this side of the pond hear more about this woman and her amazing voice. I really wanted to slug Simon at the beginning of the segment, with his "Oh sure right" expression towards the other judges... but I was delighted to see him get his come-uppance when she opened her mouth. What a marvelous, marvelous voice.

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  6. Sean, I'm sure you will hear more about Susan Boyle. Her voice is incredible.

    I also was very angry regarding Simon's inital reaction to Susan. And I was pleased to watch his genuine surprise when he heard her sing. He should be ashamed of his snap judgement he made of her.

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  7. What a talent! She must have had some clue she was good to have bothered entering, but she still seemed gobsmacked by the judges' reaction! I hope she does well!

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  8. She did seem gobsmacked by the judges' reaction didn't she? That's the funny thing about the show - the ones with the genuine talent (like Susan Boyle) don't seem to realize how talented they are and a lot of the contestants who aren't talented at all are arrogant and argue with the judges when they are voted out! Strange, that.

    I think Susan Boyle is destined for success whether she wins the competition or not.

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  9. The performance of Susan really knocked me of my feet. However, after a couple of times I watched it again on Youtube, I started to doubt. It might be a hoax... Everything seems just too perfect to be true, a modern fairy tale. A strange lady, with a silly appearance, an odd dance and then, all of a sudden, singing with the voice of Barbara Streisand. Of course I hope I hope I am wrong about this, because this weary time needs surprises like this!

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  10. That would be awful if her performance was a hoax but I seriously doubt it. Don't forget the way everyone doubted Paul Potts and made fun of the way he looked and he was certainly genuine. Why shouldn't Susan Boyle be genuine too?

    And I agree - this weary time definitely needs surprises like this.

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  11. Amazing performance. I look forward to buying a cd on this side of the pond (Buffalo, New York)

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  12. Mary, I bet you will be able to soon.

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  13. I completely agree- she was the biggest surprise. My flatmat and I were watching and I was cringing behind the couch pillow (I hate watching the "bad" people perform) and then she started singing. Amazing!!

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  14. That's the thing about the show - I think we all spend most of the time cringing and alternating between feeling sorry for the contestants who try so hard but aren't really talented and laughing at the ones who are convinced they are and definitely aren't, and then once in a while, we are completely blown away by someome like Susan Boyle. She was certainly the biggest surprise of all.

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  15. A friend sent me a link to the video of Susan Boyle singing on BGT this morning. I wish I could wake up to experiences like that every day of my life. What a lovely surprise! Go Girl! We're all cheering for you! Bravo!!! (NH, USA)

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  16. I just read that her performance is a YouTube hit: the clip of her audition has been viewed 2,485,245 times in 72 hours. It's really something to realize she is getting so much attention and support from around the world, not just Britain! I hope Susan Boyle is paying attention to all the news reports (and blogs) because everyone has nothing but praise for her outstanding performance.

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  17. I wish America's Got Talent show was as good as this. The show on this side of the pond is crap. LOVED Susan's performance and a lot of my friends did too. Wish I could see it live.

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  18. I wonder why Britain's Got Talent show is better than America's Got Talent show. I would have thought the shows would be very similar. Why do you think BGT is better?

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  19. Tears and smiles -- all at the same time. Thank you, Susan, for reminding us there's always the opportunity to reach our dream.

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  20. There are plenty of roles on the professional stage for a woman of Susan Boyle's age. She'll do well. Her power and range are wonderful and that appearance is probably going to be an audition for Broadway and the stage in Britain as well. Congratulations Ms. Boyle. You're about to go places you never imagined you'd go, and they'll all be on the top!

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  21. Hi Maureen, thanks for the link. I hadn't been watching Britain's Got Talent so I had no idea about Susan Boyle. My, was I blown away by her singing! I can't wait to see her star in a West End musical--her rendition of that Les Miserables song was full of such genuine passion and talent. She's a star.

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  22. Hi Daniel. It's a shame you missed the show but fortunate that Susan Boyle's performance has been put on YouTube so that you were able to see her and hear her fantastic voice. And I completely agree with you - she is indeed a star.

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  23. Pat, as you quite rightly point out, there are plenty of roles on the professional stage for Susan Boyle regardless of her age. I've no doubt she will soon be making her first CD and will be starring in stage musicals as well.

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  24. Susan's performance gave me chills. I am still smiling. As moving for me as her singing was though there was something more about Susan that fills me with joy; her unabashed declaration of her dream; her ability to use the word "hope" and believe what she is saying and her courage to have the confidence to be herself without hesitation or excuses. I can only imagine how many times she has sung those words to her cat believing her dream could come true. We need more Susan Boyle's and less whiners and unoriginal, cookie cutter, conformist. I want to see more of her! She's got style!

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  25. I think you're quite right. Susan Boyle believed in herself and just went for it. And as amazing as her voice is, it's her unique style and sweet personality that also appealed and charmed everyone.

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  26. I can't help thinking that this whole perfect scripted operation is what you Brits might call: "A Royal Scam". I don't watch these shows in America but excerpts often creep into "News" programs. The contestants are pre screened for talent and in some cases the lack there of. The shows are so sensational here that one young contestant committed suicide because she was obsessed with one of the so called judges or presenters.
    http://brilliantbritain.blogspot.com/2009/04/britains-got-talent-2009-singing.html

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  27. This was such a shock. God sent a angels voice to this woman for sure. With all that is wrong in this world, It was goose bumps all over. I keep re-playing her song over and over. I am so relaxed in my mind after hearing her sing.
    My God, may you go far and wide in this world. We all need someone like you for a role model, and voice and a lesson in don't judge a book by it's cover.
    Bravo Susan Boyle, Brovo
    All the why from Rhode Island USA,
    You have melted our hearts.
    Jimmy James K.

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  28. Annabelle Echo, you can choose to believe what you want to but I think you are quite wrong.

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  29. I'm so glad to have heard Susan Boyle. What a voice! I hope her dreams do come true. She deserves to be given a recording contract to say the least.

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  30. I have never watched Britain's got talent but I just loved the video of Susan.It really brought me to tears. Every once in a while we are all graced with a moment of clarity. I believe that this was one of those moments. The female judge (Amanda?) said it best, how we all tend to be cynical. It remind me of a quote (i am not sure of the author) "We are all artists until the world tells us we aren't!" I am so glad I was able to see this video..thanks Susan for giving us all clarity!!!

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  31. Annabelle Echo's comment sounds harsh at first, because Ms Boyle seems like a marvelous person who really deserves a break. I watched her at least 20 times since Monday and I got tears in my eyes at every occasion.

    But I must say there is something very fishy about the selection of the candidates. Today I watched all the other videos: some candidates, like the witch, Andy the crazy dancer, the Dance King, etc.. must have been brought on board purely for their lack of talent. For the sensation of hearing the nasty buzzers go off and the red X's flashing. Mind numbing humiliation. Undoubtedly staged. It was a weird experience.

    And then I watched Susan Boyle again, with a more critical eye, and it seemed different. The voice is still beautiful. But it struck me how shots were readily available to be edited for the before & after effects; how a different version of the same song popped up in the background during the rating. The curly hairdo, different from earlier photos that are now surfacing. Her walking away before hearing the score a bit unnatural.

    My conclusion is that the producers knew early on that they had a hit on their hands and made sure to present her as the most unlikely person ever to do well, to enhance the surprise effect, a main ingredient of the narrative.

    That does not diminish Ms Boyles' performance in any way. It certainly helped in reaching 10 million YouTube hits in 4 days. And after all that's how we (far away from Britain) discovered her. For which I'm very grateful.

    But it implies that there was a fair amount of faking on the part of the jury.

    I guess that's why it's called show Business.

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  32. You might be right Phil but I sincerely hope you are wrong. I prefer to think the show is genuine and we haven't all been hoodwinked.

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  33. do they still serve crow pie in england because simon gets to eat the whole thing. my god, what a talent. its as though a angel was sent to us.

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  34. I assume it was a hoax. Call me cynical. It looked dubbed to me...without perfect lip synch. And the judges looked totally
    fakely surprised, moved whatever. Even the audience looked
    to be coached, or full of planted actors. It will be much more fun if I"m wrong.

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  35. Wow! I didn't see it like that at all. I think (and hope!) you're wrong.

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  36. So many indications of being staged, so little time. First of all, what audience, anywhere in the world, suddenly leaps to its feet clapping and cheering just four seconds into a song? And continues cheering so loud they could hardly hear the singer?

    What regional tryout facility just happens to film a grand audience wide shot and spends five seconds slowly and dramatically zooming onto the lone performer on stage? Shoots picture-perfect individual shots of each judge and the backstage assistants marveling during her performance as you see her over their shoulders? How many cameras did it take to get close-ups of audience members frowning when she announced her aspiration to become a professional singer like Elaine Page?

    How many times, other than a movie, have you ever seen footage of a technician pushing the "start" button to begin playing the background music? How many times have you seen the judges looking beatific at four seconds and 8 notes into a song? When have you ever seen judges clapping 16 seconds into a performance? How many times have you ever seen Simon Cowell looking transported into bliss? More than once, at that?

    How many cameras were available to get all the different angles of the audience clapping? In a regional tryout facility? How many stagehands talk to the camera during a performance as the singer warbles a few feet away?

    And that's not even mentioning the points anonymous made above, that the judges looked mock surprised and the audience looked coached or directed?

    Sorry, Susan may have a lovely voice and deserve every accolade she gets, but I am not buying this production as a happy accident. It was totally staged.

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  37. Allyne Smithee, I wonder if you've ever seen the show because the things* you are questioning during Susan Boyle's performance are in fact typical of what they do during each contestant's performance on Britain's Got Talent.

    *"What regional tryout facility just happens to film a grand audience wide shot and spends five seconds slowly and dramatically zooming onto the lone performer on stage? Shoots picture-perfect individual shots of each judge and the backstage assistants marveling during her performance as you see her over their shoulders?"

    They actually do pan the audience and get close ups of their reactions. And yes, they also do get "picture-perfect individual shots of each judge" and they show "the backstage assistants" who are in fact not backstage assistants but the hosts, Ant and Dec (Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly)!

    You can believe it was all staged if you want to but I think you need to watch the series to understand how it works and before you judge it so harshly.

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  38. Susan was really a big surprise! Loved watching her all the way from SA

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  39. Yup - totally staged for sure. The response is a result of emotional manipulation of the cinematic kind. She's got an awesome voice, but the public reaction is due to all the buttons the producers pushed - the searing chords of the song, the fact that she came on as an underdog and an outsider, her cute and unassuming ways (did you notice that the first time you see her she's stuffing a bun in her mouth?), and the omigod audience and judge reaction. Do people get this excited by listening to Celine Dion? Doesn't matter if her voice is "for real" or not - this show has still suckered people in.

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  40. Paddy, I know the show is edited for maximum entertainment value but I still think each contestant's performance is genuine, and that the reaction from the audience and the judges is also genuine. I think the way Britain's Got Talent is edited and put together for broadcast, helps to make it such a popular show. Otherwise it would be just a plain talent show.

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  41. Reaction might be genuine - but it didn't necessarily happen the way it was shown on the tv clip. That was very clever editing. We don't know when people stood up or made those faces - both pleased and dismissive. Might not even have been in relation to Susan. We just don't know. Would be great to hear from someone in the audience who could say - "yeah we heard two bars and we all just stood up it was so incredible". I don't think we'll hear that. I just saw her singing on a US morning "news" show - in her own living room with no backing track. She was good - but not stellar.

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  42. Paddy, I really don't know what else to say other than I prefer to think it's not quite as contrived as you believe it is. I think some editing is good and makes the show more entertaining but it would be disappointing if it turned out they put completely different audience shots in the show or rearranged the shots of the audience somehow. As you point out - we just don't know.

    I do however, still believe that Susan Boyle has a great voice.

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  43. I think it was dubbed, but it most likely was her voice. The voice sounded good, she was on pitch and she seemed sweet. The judges reactions seemed fake, too. Still, she deserves it more than any of those formula singers on the American show. I'd rather watch her than Kelly Clarkson.

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  44. It was definitely not dubbed.

    However the soundtrack was custom made for her performance (they have to, for timing) which shows that a lot more preparation goes into these acts than they want us to believe. Same with all the other acts. It's a business, and they're selling a product.

    Susan Boyle is a natural gem.
    When the producers discovered it, they polished it up a bit, but then wrapped it in an ugly box to maximize the surprise effect when you open it.
    But she's still a gem.

    So to anyone who claims she's a hoax, I say: she's not, but the show itself is, to a certain extent.

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  45. Phil, I also don't believe Susan was dubbed.

    I still believe the show is made up of genuine contestants and the way the show is put together (edited) and then broadcast for viewing is all part of the package. As you quite rightly point out, it's a business and they are selling a product.

    And to a certain extent, perhaps you could say the show is a hoax but I think I prefer to think of it as a very clever talent show that's been jazzed up for the best prsentation to the public. It's good family entertainment and I enjoy watching it. Indeed, I'm looking forward to watching the show again tonight. It will be interesting to see if the auditions will reveal any other great talent. I think that's why the show is so popular - it's very unpredictable.

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  46. Amazing voice !!! wow !! Sign for her petition :
    http://www.petition.fm/petitions/susanboyle/

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  47. I agree that Susan Boyle has an amazing voice but I don't think the petition is necessary. Yes, I'm a big fan and I agree that she should win the competition if the show she appeared on (broadcast last Saturday) was the whole competition - but it isn't. The show is in its early stages and there are still a lot more people to audition. Saying that, I expect Susan Boyle will probably win unless someone shows up that is equally outstanding.

    Anyway, whether Susan Boyle wins the competition or not, she has already gained fans all over the world and I'm sure her future success as a professional singer is pretty much guaranteed.

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  48. Cried as I was so unterly happy for her!

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  49. Just like Paul Potts, I can't stop watching Susan Boyle, she is great, and I believe she will win it all, great job Susan.

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  50. Since she has been singing a capella on US television, I hope everyone won't think it's not her voice. Her audition was not dubbed, the song may have been cut though to save time. Also if you have watched the video attentively, when the wide shot panned as the audience was standing up, then medium close up at Simon, you could see behind him that some audience members just stood up. I am sure if the video isn't that popular now, no one will suggest it's a hoax, but since it is, some will just find a way to mock it. Some cynics will always remain cynics... I wish Susan all the best.

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  51. You're so right - some cynics will always remain cynics. Sad but true.

    Yesterday I read that Susan Boyle used to go in for talent competitions all the time but she was always rejected in favour of younger, more attractive contestants - so her success now must be twice as sweet. She was actually planning to give up on her dreams to be a professional singer but decided to try one more competition - Britain’s Got Talent. And she must be so glad she did! Her stunning performance not only impressed the judges but she became an overnight sensation in Britain and the rest of the world too.

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  52. Never have seen BGT could someone explain how the show works? What does it mean to get 3 stars? All the way from WISCONSIN USA

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  53. Britain's Got Talent "...is a nationwide talent contest where the winner gets to perform their act for Prince Charles at the prestigious Royal Variety Show, pick up a cheque for £100,000, and catapult themselves towards superstardom."

    If the contestant gets at least two yes votes from the three judges, he/she will stay in the competition. If the contestant gets two or three buzzes (No votes), the audition is over.

    When the thousands of contestants have been whittled down to 40 favourites, there is a week of live semi-final shows. "Here's where judge opinion and public vote collide in a five-day variety extravaganza, until just 10 acts, hand-picked by the public remaining for the grand finale."

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