<p>I wish American Idol had stories as heartwarming as this one and Paul Potts, and that Simon could be that pleasant!</p>
<p>I’d ignored the story when it popped up on the AOL menu, but I saw the news story tonight on TV that showed the audition. I had goosebumps for sure. It’s difficult for people to sing that song from Les Miz without sounding too shrill and operatic. I’ve seen the show an embarrassingly large number of times, and there have been some singers who have made me cringe when they tried to sing it. This lady DOES have an awesome voice! (but I refuse to be a youtube statistic, so I’m NOT going to watch it). … at least, not today!!!</p>
<p>"Susan, 48, wowed judges and viewers with her version of hit West End show tune I Dreamed A Dream as the ITV1 series returned last night.</p>
<p>But she told how as a youngster she was ruthlessly mocked by other kids because being starved of oxygen at birth left her with learning difficulties.</p>
<p>Her ordeal saw her seek comfort in singing - a talent she discovered when she was five.</p>
<p>Spinster Susan - who has never had a boyfriend - said: "I was born with a disability and that made me a target for bullies. I was called names because of my fuzzy hair and because I struggled in class.</p>
<p>“I told the teachers, but because it was more verbal than physical I could never prove anything. But words often hurt more than cuts and bruises and the scars are still there.”</p>
<p>[Britain’s</a> Got Talent: Singing sensation Susan Boyle sang to escape the bullies - mirror.co.uk](<a href=“http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/04/12/brtain-s-got-talent-singing-sensation-susan-sang-to-escape-the-bullies-115875-21272894/]Britain’s”>http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/04/12/brtain-s-got-talent-singing-sensation-susan-sang-to-escape-the-bullies-115875-21272894/)</p>
<p>Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Very moving. I liked seeing a nicer Simon as well and, in general, that show seems like more fun than AI. The thing that I like about these shows is that it really does allow someone who would never be discovered through normal channels to be discovered.</p>
<p>I thought she was amazing. Her singing truly hits the spirit and I admit, I had tears. With some coaching she will be a powerful singer. Not an angel - thats a soprano, and she isn’t a pure soprano. But she is talented beyond measure. It was a delight to watch the crowd, too.</p>
<p>Britain must have better hairstylists. Simon doesnt have that dreadful buzzcut. Maybe thats what makes him so grouchy in the US</p>
<p>Pierce looks more mellow on the British version, too. On AGT, he plays AI’s Simon.</p>
<p>Thanks for the heads up. I absolutely loved seeing the reactions of the judges and crowd.</p>
<p>Another stunner on the same show-- Andrew Johnston</p>
<p>It does look like a fun show to watch.</p>
<p>It looks SO much more pleasant than AI. I won’t watch AI because I hate how Simon is so nasty on it, and I don’t see the pleasure in cutting the contestants down.</p>
<p>For the record, I’d like to say that someone edited my title to something I would never have posted–unless I’m suffering from a sudden loss of memory, which is always possible 
--and puzzlingly chose to leave IN the typo.</p>
<p>consolation - I think it was because of a merger of two threads. Someone else created another thread on Miss Boyle after you began yours.</p>
<p>I grew up in Scotland with many maiden aunts and a grandmother who dressed and behaved exactly like Susan - right down to the dark stockings with light coloured shoes. They were powerhouses in our family. Nothing could stop them. Perhaps the downfall of wall street and all it represented has reawakened in us the realization that happiness and success doesn’t come from the pursuit of wealth and our role models should come in all shapes and sizes not just sports uniforms and pin stripe suits.</p>
<p>I think Susan Boyle is great. It also shows to not judge a book by its cover. Also, that there is plenty of undiscovered talent out there. Lastly, I think what added to this story is the choice of song…I Dreamed a Dream…it was so fitting! I hope her dreams now do come true. It also inspires others to go after their dreams too.</p>
<p>I think she’s great, too, but I am having a real problem with the premise of the show. The audience and judges were openly scornful of her before she sang, because of her middle age and lack of beauty, but showered her with adulation as soon as they heard her voice. Presumably, by the standards of the show, it would have been acceptable to continue to be scornful and disrespectful if it were not for her extraordinary talent. Doesn’t everyone deserve courtesy and respect, even without the spectacular voice?</p>
<p>The whole thing was just a setup. I don’t believe for a minute that the judges were surprised by her. They were just too eager to look surprised and the cameras were just too ready to catch every expression. I’ll bet Simon practiced the “eyebrow crawl” for hours in the mirror.</p>
<p>“Doesn’t everyone deserve courtesy and respect, even without the spectacular voice?”</p>
<p>Yes, you are right. I don’t watch TV, and certainly wouldn’t want to see any show in which homely, untalented people are set up to be objects of derision.</p>
<p>^^^^ I think you just described the Jerry Springer show, NSM :)</p>
<p>^^^ And some of the American Idol shows early in every season. But, that’s entertainment!</p>
<p>And don’t forget that people are lining up for days for the privilege of being set up to be ridiculed.</p>
<p>I don’t watch these shows, or much television at all, for that matter. I like the talent search concept, and I have no problem with competition/winners/losers, but I hate the patronizing way Susan was treated. That female judge said something about a wake-up call, meaning that they should not have assumed that she was untalented just because she was not young and pretty. Her comments seem to imply that the scornful treatment was wrong only because Susan turned out to be talented.</p>