NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > SUSAN BOYLE LOSS BRINGS SHAME TO ENTIRE UNITED KINGDOM

SUSAN BOYLE LOSS BRINGS SHAME TO ENTIRE UNITED KINGDOM

May 31 2009

London, U.K. – The phenomenon that Susan Boyle became after a startling performance on ‘Britain’s got Talent’ was a once in a lifetime event. The mousy Scottish spinster startled the world with a voice that few expected. In an age of instant celebrity the explosion of success the modest church volunteer has enjoyed
has almost seemed out of place with her peers who spend more time grooming their hair then their abilities. All that ended on Friday night as Boyle fell to second place in the final voting for the show.

With over 100 million views on YouTube, Boyle’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ spawned an explosion of attention, interviews, and love. Part fascination, part shock, the world’s attention centred on the unlikely success story from small town Scotland as she made her way through the competition of the show and enjoyed the success many a shower singer has only fantasised about. As powerful as her global success was though, her failure to win the top prize has left many throughout the world condemning the entire United Kingdom.      

“I think it’s totally ridiculous. Boyle is loved by people all over the world and the British people just ditch her. It’s a shame for the whole country,” wrote ‘Mary’ from New York on the ‘Britain’s got Talent’ website.

“This is the reason that England collapsed as an empire and why America didn’t. Kris Allen won ‘American Idol’ and Susan Boyle should have won this show. Britain may have talent but they sure don’t have taste,” wrote Sandra from Miami.

Such comments have been common on the official website, primarily originating from countries outside the United Kingdom. There have been relatively few comments from British visitors leading many to the conclusion that they all too clearly realize the error of their ways.

“This was a choice by the British people and they did not choose the person who most people felt would be the right person for the job. Part of that may be the kind of frenzy that overtakes people when a person becomes famous and part of it may be a backlash to the huge success of Boyle, but this is a democratic process and right or wrong the results should be respected,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “Very few people outside the U.K. actually had a chance to watch the show and therefore were unable to see the performance from the winner which may be adding to the outrage many are feeling. If they had a complete picture of the show and of all the performances then they may have a better picture of exactly why the British people chose the way they did. That may not overwhelm the affection they have for Boyle, but it would at least go a long way to calming some tempers.”

First place was taken by dance troupe ‘Diversity’ for which they will receive a £100,000 prize and perform for the Queen. Boyle as the runner-up receives significantly less and will have no royal audience, though it is expected that she will receive a great deal of external success.

“People in the United States often hold themselves up as the bastion of democracy. Unfortunately though their affection for voting only goes so far and when the wrong
person wins they are the first ones up in arms. That happened recently with Proposition 8 in California and a few years ago when Hamas won the election in the Palestinian territory. In order to preserve democracy you must respect the results whether or not you like them,” continued Temple. “Of course this is a talent show and hardly as important as gay marriage or Middle East peace but like t hose topics it does get people’s blood boiling and so has at least a passing resemblance. Of course the biggest difference is that there are a whole lot more people interested in the outcome of Susan Boyle’s career than they are either of those topics.”

Boyle has appeared on numerous talk shows and is expected to soon sign a recording contract. Gay marriage and mid-east peace have shown significant progress in recent months but are not expected to be resolved anytime soon. It's not immediately clear if Susan Boyle's loss was a cause ofor a reason for the collapse of the British Empire.

Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent

NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > SUSAN BOYLE LOSS BRINGS SHAME TO ENTIRE UNITED KINGDOM