I know, know. Susan Boyle is so overdone. But in 2009, that was a very nice moment.

[Faygo Kid]

You might want to check it out one more time. We could do worse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

[virgogal]

1. Yes it was,in a very bad year. Thanks for the reminder and the

link.

[Bobbieo]

12. It is hard to overdo nice moments!

[sabrina 1]

13. Exactly! We talk incessently about Rush Limbaugh

Sarah Palin, Bush, Cheney.

And people complain when something as uplifting as Susan's story gets a little attention ~ I bought her CD and it really is excellent. She sings a Madonna song 'You'll See' better than Madonna, and 'Wild Horses' by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, is just stunning. Mick said she does it better than he did. And his fans have given her a thumbs up also for her interpretation of the song.

Even '50 Cents' wants to perform with her, along with several hard rockers and even heavy metal performes. As one of them said after watching her audition video 'Damn, that's not my kind of music but that lady made me cry'. Or words to that effect.

It's a great story. I wish we could hear more good news for a change, showing the best rather than the worst of humanity.

[Captain Hilts]

21. Fiddy, Seal and Snoop Dog all like her. nt

[liberal N proud]

2. Why?

We get bombarded with it constantly. Turn on the TV Guide Channel and every review of 2009 and there she is.

Don't need to see it again.

[ashling]

5. Curmudgeons are so last decade

:hide:

[Faygo Kid]

7. This curmudgeon misses Ted. Desperately. You wanna go there?

I terribly miss Ted Kennedy, and think it's OK to appreciate Susan Boyle. So there, and may you have a great 2010.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

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[The Straight Story]

3. I'll kick it and throw in some butter for the popcorn ;) (nt)

[PDJane]

4. Miss Agnes received the disc......

And the woman has a wonderful voice. She has a pleasant face, and I'm glad she's getting the boost.

[beyurslf]

6. Well now that put a big grin on my face. I loved that video!

[11 Bravo]

8. Thanks, that was an astounding moment, and it was good to experience it again.

[sabrina 1]

11. Yes it was ~ and to the dismay of those who

decide what music we should be listening to, she has topped the charts in several countries for weeks, the most remarkable being the US where for the sixth week in a row, she is again far ahead of the rest. And by a huge margin.

She has left far behind, Lady Gaga, American idol runner-up, Adam Lambert, the actual winner of American Idol, Chris Allen, Brown, and a whole host of others normally considered to be shoo-ins for the top of the music industry's winner's list. The public seems to have decided we don't need fake blonds, starved, over or under-dressed 'talent' like Brittany Spears. What they said is they want someone who can actually sing without all the distractions.

http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/newsPage.cgi?news07884m01

Columbia's Unlikely Diva Tops Final Year-End Chart, Challenges Swift for 2009's Best Seller

Syco/Columbia's Susan Boyle is the undisputed Q4 winner, as she spends the final week of 2009 at #1, adding another 510-520k to her total, sending it over 3 million, putting her neck-and-neck with Big Machine's Taylor Swift album Fearless, #5 this week, moving 210-220k, for the year's best-seller.

That's just in the US. Around the world, she has gone platinum several times in Great Britain, N. Zealand eg.

And is again #1 for the sixth week here in the US. As for beating Taylor Swift, I doubt she'll manage that as 'Fearless' has had 12 months to get to where it is, while Susan Boyle's CD was released just six weeks ago. Still, despite the whole year of promotion Talylor Swift had, Susan Boyle has almost caught up to her to be in second place. One more week and she would have won, an incredible accomplishment considering she wasn't even trying, probably not even aware of the 'contest', mostly being pushed by the media.

I think it's great. Maybe it will encourage the music industry to do less promotion of people who look like Barbie Dolls as the public has clearly said that is not what they want.

Go Susan and everyone else who waited a long time to realize a dream.

This time last year, she was turned down for a job at a super-market. In just six weeks she has made enough money to probably buy that super-market and silenced all her critics who said she had her 15 minutes of fame after the contest was over.

So much for the 'experts'. Sometimes it is the people who decide about such things. Nice to see that people are not so jaded after all, and can and do appreciate a story like Susan's. Especially when they can actually sing.

[spooky3]

19. Simon Cowell is a marketing genius.

He knew exactly how to set this up. I'll give him his due.

[sabrina 1]

31. Actually, Simon Cowell did not want her to win the competition.

He wanted one of the dance teams as he said, 'it would be better for the show'. He gave a standing ovation to one of the dance teams and in the private vote of the judges, he picked them as the winner. He liked the fact that she was in the competition as it made the show more exciting, but she was not his choice at all, at first. Now, of course, he would like to take credit.

If you mean that he set up the video, well, there were similar videos of all the main contestants, all released at the same time and all edited and presented in the same way. There was no way he could know that the people would respond so differently to hers. It took a while before he realized that this was a phenomenon and even on the night of the finals in an interview after the show, he was very pleased that the winners were a dance team and said so.

He actually got in trouble for the way he handled her sudden fame and, either because he did finally realize the possible harm his total commitment to a successful show, might have done to her, or he she actually caused him to think of something other than his show and ego, he told her he would not hold her to any contract. She was free to do as she pleased. Considering that by then, she had other offers, I think he meant it. And, as he said, admitting that she would make a lot of money for him, he was willing to walk away from it, rather than put her through any more stress.

It was she who made the decision to stay with him. And I'm sure he's relieved as she will make him a fortune. But I don't think her success had anything to do with him, other than that he provided the show that gave her an opportunity to show the world what she could do. She was successful in spite of him in many ways.

She touched people in ways that are hard to explain, and I think she even melted Simon's hard heart just a little.

[Captain Hilts]

35. The video was edited to make Simon look bad and the other two judges look good

What is NOT in the video is the first two judges - before Boyle sings - trashing her. The Morgan fellow says "Are you sure you want to sing that, it's a pretty tough song." The Holden women says to him something to the affect of "Well, what do you want the old bag to sing? Do you want her prancing around up there like Britney Spears?" and they go on to debate Boyle prancing like Spears. This is why Morgan and Holden are so contrite after she sings. So, by the time Cowell addresses her she's already been insulted. He's glad to play the Bad Guy - by folks that like these shows. But so many millions of people who do not watch these GongShow/Gladiator-style talent competitions were horrified by what they saw.

Cowell - like the other judges - realized that Boyle had already 'won' the competition and tried to get her to bail out early. He'd had two months to shop the audio of her voice before it was even aired, which he did, so he knew she was good.

My neighbor finished 50th - in her first attempt- and top 30 in her 2nd attempt on American Idol. She said that Cowell, unlike his TV persona is actually a nice fellow.

I think it's clear that dealing with Boyle totally fucked with Cowell's head on a couple of levels. Oddly enough, he's not her manager and she's the only major BGT, AGT, AI performer who is not managed by him. To his credit he realized she was much bigger than all the othes. Boyle earned in two weeks what Paul Potts earned in over two years.

[spooky3]

52. I believe all the judges knew in advance she had an excellent voice

(no way would it be a surprise at that late stage) and that Cowell (and maybe the others) agreed to look snarky at first and stunned as the first few notes came out because it's a much more interesting story--even more "the poor little woman against the Entire World." We were all being manipulated and many fell for it. It's all show business, and brought a ton of attention to the show as well as to Boyle. I would not be surprised if you learned that most of the things you posted were also staged by Cowell or writers rather than genuine reactions on his part.

That is what I mean. He's a marketing genius.

[Captain Hilts]

24. 9 times platinum in New Zealand, 8 in Oz, soon 3 here....nt

[juajen]

26. I got this album for Christmas. I love it!

I am playing it as I read and post on DU. The sleeper in this album, IMHO, is Daydream Believer. It is great.

[sabrina 1]

33. Yes, I really like that, but I think

'Proud' is my favorite ~

[Captain Hilts]

40. Someone gave me a copy. It's a bit soporific for the car. nt

[spooky3]

54. I like "Wild Horses" because I never thought it was noteworthy

but she does make it very special.

[Neecy]

14. It truly was a nice moment

And she can actually sing, unlike Paul Potts.

[dkf]

15. It wasn't right for her though.

What we expect from singers is just too much.

[applegrove]

16. I love it.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

17. She has a beautiful voice.

She is a great singer IMNSHO.
I have been a musician for nearly fifty years, play piano, violin and sing(in three languages). Have directed church choirs and played in many high school, college and community orchestras, and a couple of chamber groups.

The woman is far better than your average pop star. I'm thrilled that she's gotten famous.

The best female voices in pop music: Celine Dion(except for the suckwad Titanic song), Cyndi Lauper.

[spooky3]

18. I agree--I bought her album and her voice is so sweet and clear and very well-coached

The vocals are more refined than the live performance - just lovely.

[Captain Hilts]

22. The live performances are sometimes sung in a lower key. nt

[Captain Hilts]

23. I had dinner with 5 choir directors shortly after the video came out...

and they were awestruck at what she did and how well she did it. They said you most certainly DO NOT have voices like that in most choirs.

It was one of the best 'fuck you' moments ever seen on television. The 'fuck you' smile before she sings. She knows she's good. Good for her. I hope she gets the Bond song contract.

[sabrina 1]

27. Lol, yes, a 'fuck you' moment is exactly right.

She had a secret weapon so she let them have their fun. It was the equivalent of a Clint Eastwood moment, when the bad guys think he's a wimp, make fun of him and then pull out their weapons to finish him off, only he's faster. It definitely had the same effect of making you want to jump up and cheer, and that's what people did.

I remember when I saw it and when she said 'I'm gonna rock that audience' I was so scared for her

~ I know what those shows are like which is why I don't watch them, but I covered my eyes as I was so worried she was going to be hurt and I already thought she was so sweet, just didn't know if she could do it. It was a wonderful moment, and to give the audience their due, they acknowledged it immediately and gave her a standing ovation.

I agree with your friends. I've heard church choirs and collectively they are good, but it's rare to find a singer with a voice like hers. My BF's sister is a trained Opera singer and she thinks Susan Boyle is a professional who deserves all the acolades she is receiving. Even Barbara Streisand says she's great. Bette Midler and as you said above, even Snoop Dog thinks she's wonderful.

One thing that was noticeable was the commentary by some in the media about her looks. It was interesting because Paul Potts was not subjected to nearly as much negative press on his looks. I never understood as I thought she was cute, just not glamorized as she was busy doing other things in her life, like taking care of others. And with just a little attention to her appearance, no more than most women do on a regular basis, and nowhere near as much as the fake Hollywood types do, she looks just wonderful:

[Captain Hilts]

30. Two commentators stand out:

http://www.betanews.com/article/YouTube-Susan-Boyle-and-a-slap-at-snark/1239872165

Youtube, Susan Boyle and a slap at snark
Angela Gunn

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra gathered last night at Carnegie Hall to play an original Tan
Dun piece composed specifically for the global competition that brought the group together. It's
lovely. But I'm willing to bet that instead you were listening to a heretofore obscure singer
absolutely flatten a roomful of doubters with a show tune.

Like a lot of us, I've been watching the Susan Boyle video repeatedly this week, trying to get at
what it means for the Internet to have taken to heart, as the Britain's Got Talent audience took to
heart, a middle-aged Scotswoman with ungroomed eyebrows and a frumpy Best Dress and a
voice that seems to have broken something that needed breaking in hearts around the world.

And I think I'm onto it. It's not only her voice, though were it only her voice that would be
enough -- a gorgeous, full, confident instrument that did with the difficult "I Dreamed A Dream"
from Les Miserables what most of us couldn't do with "Happy Birthday." It's not only that we in
the audience saw a star-is-born event that's better and funnier and sadder than anything we've
seen in the movies. It's not only the sense that if this woman could step out from an exceedingly
ordinary life and be extraordinary, and not only silence her detractors but make them love her, we
might too (though that's close to the point). It's not the canny song choice, pairing a song about a
woman whose life is a shambles with... well, a 47-year-old unemployed spinster who lives alone
with her cat.

It's seeing those damned critics shut down, especially the judging panel -- reduced to irrelevance
in the face of majestic talent. I think that the video of Miss Boyle has taken off (and how, with
19.5 million plays and counting over 21 duplicate videos on YouTube since Saturday) because it
feels wonderful for anyone who's ever felt uncool and unattractive to see something sincere and
beautiful knock the snark right out of The Beautiful People Who Run Stuff. When I replay the
video, I'm listening to Miss Boyle, but I'm watching these three plasticky judges go from
condescension to surprise to bated-breath joy in under five minutes. Even Simon Cowell, that
bitchy gym-ratty thing, can't manage to do much more than grin by the end. And it feels good to
see -- to watch the judging stooges having a genuine experience, and to have it ourselves, and to
feel that the homely-but-talented people we are all inside are being, for a few moments, less
oppressed by figures of beauty.

...

LONDON TIMES:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/minette_marrin/article6122594.ece
One song and she breaks the grip of this sneering world

Minette Marrin

...

She reveals that she lives alone with her cat Pebbles and has never been married nor ever been
kissed, with a strange, self-deprecating smile that I recognised in retrospect: it’s the secret smile
of someone who has often been laughed at. But she is full of a surprising confidence. “I’m going
to make that audience rock,” says this most unlikely person.

Anyone of any sympathy would at this point have felt sorry for her - sorry for her misguided
confidence, sorry for her delusion that she could possibly hold her own performing in a talent
contest and sorry about the growing obsession with celebrity among people who can only be hurt
and disappointed by their immeasurable distance from it.

An unsympathetic person, by contrast, might have sneered slightly, but the derision and jeering
contempt that actually met this poor woman, seconds later, when she appeared on stage was quite
shockingly brutal, especially for these sentimental times. She might as well have been a martyr in
a Roman arena. As she clumsily answered a few questions, and said she wanted to be like Elaine
Paige, TV cameras filmed open contempt on the faces of the young audience and there were
audible boos and jeers. Worse still, the judges were also laughing at her, Simon Cowell rolling
his eyes in affected disbelief and Piers Morgan openly sneering. All this because a plain and
middle-aged lady, the living antithesis of youth and cool, had the effrontery to enter a talent
contest.

Yet Miss Boyle, with her strange serenity, seemed oddly untroubled. Then she began to sing, and
after only two or three notes of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables, it was absolutely
obvious that she was a star. As one of the judges said later, and most revealingly, they knew at
once that they had “found gold”. She has, without any doubt, a beautiful and powerful voice, and
all the confidence, the authority, the self-discipline and the presence of a great performer; her
talent transforms her. The judges and audience could not fail to recognise this and very soon they
were standing and cheering rapturously, astonishment all over their faces.

[sabrina 1]

32. Those are excellent articles. Thank you for posting them.

It was interesting too how people from all over the world and from all different cultures were able to relate to her, from Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, India. So many people, now over 300 million hits on her Utube video, from places so removed from her culture, still they were moved her.

I saw this comment from a US soldier eg:

Dear Susan

I came out of the army in 2004 after been in Iraq and have PTSD. No one knows how I feel and how my life as gone down since leaving. So many times I wanted to end it and been on medication and it does not all ways work.

Then I saw you on TV that night. Its not about living for 2moro or next week or next year. Its about this very moment and im happy. Even if you come bottom of the 40 in my eyes you are top.
Nothing else to say.

She said all she wanted was to be a professional singer and to 'make people happy' and I think she has done that. I saved that comment from the soldier and often wondered about him and how he is doing. At least she made him happy for a little while.

[roguevalley]

34. she looks beaiutiful there and she's a nice woman. I am proud for

her because she lived up to her Mama's dream for her. Nice, nice, nice moment in a year of poo

[spooky3]

53. I've sung in some of those groups and I can tell you I don't have a voice and breath control

anything close to that--nor do 99.999% of the people I have every sung with (all amateurs).

[Captain Hilts]

20. Like that music or not, she's got a very, VERY good voice. nt

[Terra Alta]

25. a bright spot in an otherwise horrible year. nt

[JI7]

28. i don't think she is overdone , she should have won that show

she was on. but she is doing well now .

[donheld]

29. She's sold more than 3 million CD's in the US alone

She was Amazon's fastest selling CD of all time. Those who whine about her will have to suffer a while more. I say Go Susan!

[Guilded Lilly]

37. Goddess Bless Her

a gift. She's a gift.

[saracat]

38. Sorry but she doesn't have the talent of Adam Lambert, who was banned from ABC.

She is a very average performer who was markedted by a semi phony back story.

[Captain Hilts]

39. Lambert probably should not have had someone simulate oral sex on network TV. I think

he's talented and will be around for a while.

Same for Boyle. Voice experts see a lot there.

[saracat]

43. Well then neither should J-Lo have done so wearing a transparnet dress on NYE

but it doesn't count as she is a girl, and zip was said about the similar dance moves of janet jackson on the same show as Adam. Odd, don't you think?And BTW, the same networl that banned Adam for this just showed a simiulated sex act between to men on one of their soaps.I guess if they do it it prime time it is more acceptable. Just saying.
And voice experts see a lot in Adam. But Boyle? Very average.

[Captain Hilts]

44. Prime Time TV has standards the soaps and cable have never had to adhere to.

Yes, it's silly, but it's the television most accessible to kids, so there you go.

I've seen J-Lo getting some static, but, yes, there is most certainly a double standard there. Can't have too many scantily clad women on television.

But just out of the gate, having some guy simulate oral sex on him was not a smart move by Lambert. It just wasn't.

I think Lambert has a terrific voice and so does Boyle. She's not at all an average singer. I'm no fan of the album, but I know her voice is good - without autotune.

[saracat]

46. Well the fact was both artists I mentioned "were" on prime time and simulated a similar act

BTW, I happen to agree it wasn't smart of Lambert because of the double standard but it still irritates me.But, having auditioned and worked with tons of singers, no one will convince me that Boyle is anything but average. She put out an album of cover songs that any "good" singer could have done. her back story is what sold, not her talent.It was just that folks were amazed that anyone that looked as she did could sing. it was the ugly duckling gets a break. JMHO.

[Captain Hilts]

48. I generally share your opinion of the album, but...

disagree as to her talent as, as I have said, heard voice people discuss it. They were very, VERY impressed by what she did. Most folks can't sing "I Dreamed A Dream." There's a reason you don't hear it sung all that much, because people can't. The guy who wrote it said hers is THE version. The fellow that first produced the play says it was a fantastic version and that the song now belongs to her.

I think the effort on the album was to make her sound young.

Boyle's a case where the media are all focused on everything but her talent. It's a problem women have in public life. It's her scruffy looks, or whatever. But google 'susan boyle contralto' and stuff like that and you get some very interesting discussions. Because of the focus on her looks, Cowell, played the audio of "I Dreamed a Dream" to music folks before the clip ever aired, and they were impressed. Still SONY/BMG was hesitant to drop $9m on this weird woman, so, they told Cowell they wanted to send a voice coach to work with her to see what she could do, and the coach came back and told SONY/BMG that she was among the most talented they'd ever worked with. So, SONY signed her straight away. U2's money manager was on the first plane to Shit City Scotland to work with her.

Her story brought her to folks' attention, her voice keeps them there.

Both she and Lambert are a nice change of pace from the dross that has dominated popular music. I wish folks would just let them be themselves.

[saracat]

49. I'll google that stuff /Very interesting points you make but I still disagree about her voice

I have heard "I Dreamed a Dream" many times and done far better than she sings it. I still say it is the surprise factor. Dream is a Broaway song sung thousands of times in many performances and the original stars made that song their own.


I find it hard to believe Boyle will survive the gimmick, as she doesn't have any other qualities to carry her through like charisma or acting or dancing ability. Oddly though, she was professionally trained in acting at a conservatory when younger and she also sang professionally previously to Britain's Got talent. It was that element of the back story that leads me to question the complete amateur image that is portrayed.

[Captain Hilts]

50. Listening to voice folks talk about singing is like listening to pitchers talk about pitching.

Or actors talk about Spencer Tracy's acting. There is a lot I, as a non baseball player, non-singer and non-actor just don't 'get'. But folks in voice saw Boyle - in the most tense of circumstances - sing very well a very difficult song. These 5 choir directors discussed her mechanics, her poise, where she fudged the low notes to ensure she got to the high notes, but didn't need to do so, etc. A lot of it was Greek to me.

That, combined with the raves she got from the lyricist and producer of Les Miserables - when they could have said something to the effect of, "that was very good," but were much more enthusiastic, makes my antennae go up.

The stuff on her album doesn't make my socks go up and down, but it does to a lot of the right folks. SONY sent a voice coach to run laps with her, as it were, before they signed her, and came away impressed. Her professional training is pretty scarce compared to the folks you see on American Idol, nearly ALL of whom have tried out several times, been on Broadway, etc. That's what my neighbor said about her experience on Idol. She made it to the top 30 this year.h

[Captain Hilts]

51. What the hell, let's just think about Lady GaGa working with either Lambert or Boyle!

Now, that would be a riot.

[sabrina 1]

45. I was with you up to your last two words. Not because you don't

have a right to that opinion, but clearly a vast majority of people around the world, disagree.

I like Adam Lambert and think he is a very good entertainer. My favorite song by him was 'Mad World'. But, I would never have heard of him, as I do not watch reality shows, did not know who Simon Cowell or any of the others who are a part of these shows, if it were not for Susan Boyle's video.

I disagreed and still do, with the decision to ban him from any show. Not a fan of censorship and I saw nothing wrong with his performance. Music and entertainment are and always have been, a matter of taste. Of all those who came out of the reality shows that I am aware, other than Susan Boyle who the public has already chosen as a favorite, I think Adam Lambert has the most potential to be a star.

I agree that the decision to ban him was probably based on prejudice. We still have a long way to go. I think he'll survive that though, as other artists have before him. There was a lot of prejudice throughout Susan Boyle's life also. One, she is learning disabled and was assumed to be unable to contribute anything positive to this world. And she was a middle-aged woman who didn't have a body like a barbie doll. As we all know, when women reach middle-age, they are past the point of being useful. She triumphed over those prejudices once she got past the myth-makers and reached the people directly.

Adam Lambert will do the same. The myth-makers, eg, preferred the squeaky clean image of Chris Allen, and the 'Excitement' of the dance team that beat Susan Boyle. But in the end, the people decided that they liked the two runners up better than the 'winners'.

I hope Adam Lambert is around for a long time. He seems like a nice guy besides being talented. And that's a plus also. No need to put down one artist to build up another imho. Both are talented and I wish both of them success, partly because I'm selfish and love discovering new artists ...a

[Captain Hilts]

47. There is a double standard about gays that is unfair. Things are changing though. nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. Best meltdown of 2009.

And inspired some of the best DU meldowns of 2009 as well.