I posted this comment on Brian's story about her,
Paul Potts was an A+ for an overall performance caliber that Boyle fails to match.
Boyle coasted on her personality and over the top grand standing gestures. She does have a phenomenal voice/instrument, and good musicality. But her phrasing and how she sang each line of the song lacked the magic that sends shivers up one's spine.
I can't believe people are comparing Pott's to this boil--oops, I meant Boyle.
Boyle is at best a B+ . . . simply put, she's not even in the same grade level as Potts.
Yes--I have 'Simon DNA' . . . lol. I refuse to buy into the 'be nice' rhetoric when evaluating a performance to the point that I think I do what Simon might be doing--create a counter-discourse against the 'awww, isn't she so wonderful?' discourse that tries to enforce a taboo against being critical once the majority has decided to applaud something and then enforce the 'no criticism and be nice' rule . . .
Now THIS is an example of talent!
The pathetic irony about how Susan Boyle is seen as the 'ugly OLD duckling with a nightingale's voice' is that the glamor spell the media and people cast on themselves did nothing to help Boyle win. I think that the huge contrast between Boyle's 'pretty' voice and her ugly physical appearance was blown so out of proportion that when REAL TALENT is juxtaposed with her performance . . . well, see for yourself.
Who is Diversity? From this BBC article, "Diversity, whose members are aged between 12 and 25, is made up of three sets of brothers and was only formed in 2007."
Click on this link, Diversity - Dance Act - Britains Got Talent 2009, to see their audition.
Paul Potts' audition, (Britain's Got Talent ) Paul Potts' 1st Audition
After watching Diversity and Potts is there anyone who still thinks Boyle should have been cast as a leading contender for the competition? Maybe . . . but why? Do your reasons have more to do about how you feel about Susan Boyle the woman (and the mass media narrative of 'oh look at this poor old spinster ugly duckling woman who nobody wanted to marry and oh my god she never had children and she's all alone with a cat--let's help her win Britain's Got Talent so that her miserable life will have a modicum of happiness and maybe because she's never been kissed (bullshit) she'll finally be able to get married and be happy . . .)--or are they actually about her overall performance?
Susan Boyle's audition, Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009
Paul Potts is a great comparison with Susan because he's also pretty much what most people would describe as not handsome--Susan gets the ugly label because expectations of beauty for women are much higher than they are for men. Add to the mix that Paul's humble and unassuming nice guy character gets him a boost in overall image whereas Susan's eccentric personality and overt independence are generally seen as unappealing in a woman--even today. Some might argue that that is what won the audience over because she put her performance where her mouth was--but I'd argue that it is because people see her outspokenness as unappealing that the 'ugly OLD duckling with a nightingale's voice' phenomenon exploded and helped her to get to the finals of the show.
Take a look at the Semi Final performances of Diversity vs. Boyle.
Click on this link, Diversity - Dance Act - Britains Got Talent 2009, to see their audition.
Paul Potts' audition, (Britain's Got Talent ) Paul Potts' 1st Audition
After watching Diversity and Potts is there anyone who still thinks Boyle should have been cast as a leading contender for the competition? Maybe . . . but why? Do your reasons have more to do about how you feel about Susan Boyle the woman (and the mass media narrative of 'oh look at this poor old spinster ugly duckling woman who nobody wanted to marry and oh my god she never had children and she's all alone with a cat--let's help her win Britain's Got Talent so that her miserable life will have a modicum of happiness and maybe because she's never been kissed (bullshit) she'll finally be able to get married and be happy . . .)--or are they actually about her overall performance?
Susan Boyle's audition, Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009
Paul Potts is a great comparison with Susan because he's also pretty much what most people would describe as not handsome--Susan gets the ugly label because expectations of beauty for women are much higher than they are for men. Add to the mix that Paul's humble and unassuming nice guy character gets him a boost in overall image whereas Susan's eccentric personality and overt independence are generally seen as unappealing in a woman--even today. Some might argue that that is what won the audience over because she put her performance where her mouth was--but I'd argue that it is because people see her outspokenness as unappealing that the 'ugly OLD duckling with a nightingale's voice' phenomenon exploded and helped her to get to the finals of the show.
Take a look at the Semi Final performances of Diversity vs. Boyle.
Diversity - Semi Final 1 - Britains Got Talent 2009
Susan Boyle - Semi Final 1 - Britains Got Talent 2009Sorry Susan, not even close to being at the caliber of talent that Diversity showed.
And lastly, SUSAN BOYLE FINAL PERFORMANCE Britains Got Talent Final
which is incomparable with Diversity's final,
Diversity: Dance Group - Britain's Got Talent 2009 - The Final
Take a look at the BBC's article, At-a-glance: Britain's Got Talent finalists, if you've been like me and too busy to follow the show closely.
All I have to say is this: if you're going to perform an extremely famous song that a lot of your audience has seen live on Broadway, and/or listened to many times so much so that they know the lyrics, and you don't create a magical performance . . . you lose.
When a person watches a performance of any kind and experiences that magical shiver flicker like lightning from their toes to the top of their head and back down again it is the sign of being in the presence of TRUE TALENT. I call this my 'shiver meter.' It's how I know I'm watching something that embodies true talent . . .
Susan Boyle failed to produce her own magic and display the talent that people CLAIMED she has--but never displayed.
I'll end with this video performance of "I dreamed a dream" from Les Miserables because after watching Susan butcher a lot of the musicality that is INHERENT in the song, and massacre the character's pain and suffering through her lack of stage presence and emotions appropriate to the song's lyrics and story--well, I NEED to cleanse my eyes and ears.
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