all the hype and she finishes second...

Susan Boyle Places Second in British 'Talent' Show
Saturday, May 30, 2009


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AP


Susan Boyle placed second Saturday on the finale of 'Britain's Got Talent.'
LONDON — She gave a final curtsey, a shimmy of her hips, and walked off stage, leaving the winners to perform an encore.

But it's unlikely that finishing second on "Britain's Got Talent" Saturday night to a dance troupe called "Diversity" will be the end of Susan Boyle's showbiz dream.

The 48-year-old church volunteer became an Internet phenomenon after she auditioned for the television talent show, her show-stopping voice combining with her frumpy appearance to make her a must-see on YouTube.

PHOTOS: Click here for photos of Susan Boyle.

For the finals, she returned to the song that made her famous, "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables." She wore a glamorous but modest sparkly floor-length dress, and her once-grey frizzy hair was a soft brown halo.

She appeared more polished and animated than in previous performances, but seemed uncomfortable during banter with the judges after her song. Judge Simon Cowell said Boyle had a rough brush with fame, but that she was "a nice, shy person who wants a break."

The week leading up to Saturday's performance had been a tumultuous one for Boyle. She lost her cool during a confrontation with two reporters, and the police intervened. Another contest judge said Boyle had contemplated pulling out of the program to soothe her frazzled nerves.

"A lot of people said you shouldn't even be in this competition, that you weren't equipped to deal with it," Cowell said. "I totally disagree with that.

"You had the guts to come back here and face your critics and you beat them."

Asked about her career plans after the show, Boyle told broadcaster ITV that she hoped to get an album out, and will "just play it by ear."

Millions tuned in to the live program and voted by telephone afterward.

Boyle's hometown of Blackburn, Scotland — a working-class village about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Edinburgh — rallied round her, stringing up signs declaring their support. Her defeat was greeted with shouts of "no" and gasps of disbelief at the Happy Valley Hotel, where neighbors and friends had gathered to watch the program.

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"She lost because people didn't bother voting for her because they thought she was going to win it," lamented 21-year-old Gordon Mackenzie. "I didn't vote for her because I thought everyone else would."

Boyle was up against a host of everyman acts determined to find stardom on reality television, including a 12-year-old whose voice was compared to Michael Jackson's, an 11-year-old body-popping dancer, and a grandfather-grandaughter singing duo.

Winning group "Diversity" are a 10-person dance troupe who range in age from 12 to 25-years-old. Their act won praise throughout the competition, but they weren't seen as front-runners. Their victory earned them 100,000 pounds ($159,000), and the right to perform for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Show in December.

It was Boyle who had always been expected to win, and British bookmaker William Hill offered 10-11 odds on her victory Saturday. The betting service had briefly lowered its odds when the reports of erratic behavior seemed to show "there might be a chink in her armor," according to spokesman Rupert Adams. But he said William Hill "got absolutely hammered" with bets and quickly went back to predicting a Boyle victory.

Boyle's entree into the limelight has been viewed millions of times, the fifth-most watched clip in history on YouTube. And it was a moment that has become reality show history.

She introduced herself on camera as someone who lived alone with her cat, Pebbles — neighbors and relatives were taking turns looking after the feline while Boyle was in London for the show — and who had never been kissed.

Those details combined with her matronly appearance sent the audience into titters when she walked on stage.

But then she began to sing. And as Boyle hit a high note at the end of her song's first line, Cowell's eyebrows rose along with her voice.
[Edited 5/30/09 20:01pm]

We all know why she wouldn't win

[Baiting Snipped - June7]

There's no doubting Susan Boyle's talent, and her career - should she choose to pursue it - has just started.

Diversity need the accolade more, as a dance troupe they would have more difficulty earning a living from their act (and not just because there's quite a few of them). They'll get more gigs now than they would do had they come second.

I have never seen such a brilliantly choreographed, excellently performed routine as Diversity's - they were absolutely flawless (unlike Flawless who weren't), the whole opening sequence with the transformer was just stunning, and the bit with the voting buttons was inspired.

Yeah, they deserved to win, I'm glad they did.

I heard she's a little relieved.

but it got people watching... that was the point of her.

PANDURITO said:

Yea, that's really funny Thanks for contributing.

CalhounSq said:

Maybe it's funnier in Spanish? Something got lost in the translation.
[Edited 5/31/09 9:32am]

Exactamente

CalhounSq said:

Oh, and thanks for YOUR contribution too.
This thread wouldn't have been the same

AsylumUtopia said:

Diversity were (are) excellent. Worthy winners. Couldn't agree more with your post.

SilverlakePhil said:

You think?

PANDURITO said:

Indeed...

I thought for sure that Susan would win first place. Oh well, what can you do?

Well, there's always a career in porn.

johnart said:

...where it don't matter if you come second just as long as you come

psychodelicide said:

It was either her, or that boy,
he blew the audience away.

PANDURITO said:

Or get come ON.

wildgoldenhoney said:

I didn't see the boy perform, I need to google it. He must have been EXCEPTIONALLY good to blow Susan away. I thought Susan was amazingly talented as well.

There were suspicions Cowell would help her to win because he favoured her. I guess putting her in second not only creates more sympathy but helps make it look more legit.

psychodelicide said:

She is talented, so is the boy.
There was a thread a few weeks ago about him, somewhere.

johnart said:

you saw the face Simon made when he first saw her on stage???

peacenlovealways said:

It eventually changed to this though



Simon:

PANDURITO said:

wildgoldenhoney said:

Thanks, gotta find it.

Yikes!

she has a recording deal already hasn't she?

ZombieKitten said:

Not yet.

Who the hell watches this sorry excuse for entertainment? Braindead crap is what it is. Britain’s got Talent is a fascinating study in human frailty. The frailty of the performers who allow themselves to dream the dream and tolerate unspeakable humiliation in pursuit of the impossible. Most of all, the frailty of the general public who allow themselves to be manipulated and, what is more, partially finance their manipulation by phoning in on premium line telephone numbers.



SUSAN BOYLE GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN, SAYS COWELL
FREAK-wrangler Simon Cowell has urged people across Britain not to worry about Susan Boyle, insisting everything was going according to plan.


Boyle was last night hiding behind a cardboard cut-out of her own face Boyle was admitted to the Priory Clinic in London last night after swearing loudly while running down the corridor in a five-star hotel, in what Cowell said would make a really exciting bit in the film.

Showbiz insiders said the church volunteer with the voice of a reasonably good singer suffered an exquisitely-timed emotional breakdown after losing in the final of Britain Must be Stopped.

The surprise winners were inexplicable dance group National Embarrassment, who can now look forward to two days of fantastic press coverage, followed by one day of savage lies about their private lies, followed by absolutely nothing at all.

Viewer Emma Bradford said: "I voted for National Embarrassment because I felt it was incredibly important to teach Susan Boyle a really harsh lesson about fame.

"But now I feel guilty and I just hope she recovers very soon and gets back to doing what she does best so I can teach her another harsh lesson, the stuck-up bitch."

She added: "Poor, sweet, lovely Susan. I'm so fucking sick of her."

Experts insist that, if she does not go completely insane, Boyle could earn up to £5 million over the next three years for Simon Cowell.

But insiders warned the singer could become locked in a vicious cycle of emotional breakdowns amid showbiz fears she would be unable to cope with being famous enough to be admitted to the Priory.

Meanwhile, as Boyle checked into the clinic, Cowell pushed a miniature version of her across the board and positioned OK! magazine and a Living TV special on her left and right flanks before smiling, nodding and rubbing himself.

Tom Logan, one of the 12 people in Britain who did not watch the show, said: "I am going to buy a large map of the world, pin it to the wall and throw a dart at it, and that will be my new home."
[Edited 6/1/09 2:24am]