Susan Boyle has finally succumbed to the pressure of the media, particularly the tabloid press and has now been taken to the Priory Clinic for rest. How sad.
When Simon Cowell met Susan he must have realised she was a vulnerable person with a tremendous talent, but little seems to have been done to protect her. Susan has been very open about the fact that she was 'slow' at school and that should have alerted the producers of Britain's Got Talent.
Her singing voice is a gift which should be shared in some way by all of us if that is the path she choses. It is exceptional and many recognised that. Singers, like all musicians, need to practice day and night if they wish to be at the top of their game and Susan Boyle is no different. For someone to complain she was singing at 2am in the hotel was no fault of hers but the fault of the programme organisers, who should have ensured all musicians were accommodated in a place which gave them enough space to rehearse.
There is a well written article on Digital Journal which explains her disabilities. I do wish Susan well and hope that she acquires a manager who understands her fragility and vulnerability and who can handle the media wisely. Scotland should be proud of her as she has done her utmost to fulfill her dream and Scots must show the world we fully support her even though some may not enjoy her singing.
In many ways I'm pleased she did not win this contest as she will now have space to make decisions and not be part of the BGT machine. Second place is no shame. I wish her well.
Update: I've just heard Gordon Brown on Radio 5 Live saying he'd been speaking to Simon Cowell about her and was concerned. The last thing the woman needs is the kiss of death from the Prime Minister. He should be concerning himself with making another futile attempt at running the country.
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21 comments:
She is in terrible trouble, Jimmy Snot has publicly expressed support.
Indeed OR, as I put on the update a wee while ago, I heard the madman on radio about her. Poor poor woman.
Oldrightie said...
She is in terrible trouble, Jimmy Snot has publicly expressed support.
........
lmao, i take it you mean Gordon Brown ? How flattering for her!!
Subrosa..
Your spot on. They should have treated her in a diffrent was becouse even now she is a wee bit slow, or there is some sort of want with the woman.
Going from a little local unknown woman to worldwide superstar is dounting (even for me) but for her it most have sent her4 bonkers.
I knew she was going off the rails when she started all that silly wobbling off the Hips and stuff. I think that may have put paid to her winning BGT..
I hope she recovers well and like i said before she does have a futrure but please can they tone it down a little for her sake.
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Slightly diffrent take.. I feel realy sorry for Diversity, all the media has been about how Susan came in second and not who won the show. They boys worked so hard to get where they are yet the media for the most part has snubbed them.
Susan will make millions, they boys will have to go back to School, Uni and their daytime jobs so i would like to see the media give them a little credit..
A good post.
I think it's worse for the Britain's Got Talent people than for the X Factor folk who all live in a house with tv show staff on hand 24/7. They also have several months of build up.
The BGT folk are all put up in a hotel and everything happens very, very quickly. There were a lot of vulnerable people there - kids and Susan who was obviously fragile from the start. I think there really needs to be something like an individual assessment and support plan for each person who takes part in these shows.
I did wonder if there should be some restrictions particularly with having children on the show, but if they're talented why should youth or emotional fragility stop them from participating? They just need better support.
And I agree. I always thought she wouldn't win overall given the demography of who votes most in these things - mainly teenage girls, but second place is fine and look what has happened to runners up before - they have often had a better career than the winners.
My reasoning on Saturday night was that Susan had a career regardless and Diversity, with their obvious inspirational appeal to young people might not have without winning the show. I didn't vote, but I wanted Diversity to win.
You're right Spook, I was going to mention Diversity but thought I'd keep the post just about Susan.
Diversity were fantastic but the problem is they'll never make the break here in the UK because so few places will be able to afford them. Also they're bound to split up in the not too distant future because of the age range.
The laddie who designed the whole thing will make a fortune though, or I sincerely hope he does.
Hi Caron, I didn't vote either so I'm guilty. The show must take the responsibility for all this. Sticking folks in a hotel just isn't good enough.
The Greek dancing Dad was on Radio5Live this morning and said he was still mentally exhausted and his son hadn't gone to school today either. That shows the pressure.
In many ways Susan was very naive and obviously didn't realise the way she would be exploited, because I think she was and that was due to her vulnerability.
They should have put her up somewhere private last week along with her closest family because the tabloids were out to get her and they knew it.
I'm sure she'll get her dream to sing in front of the Queen sometime though.
It's very sad. They must have seen that she was a bit fragile. It seems to me that they have not treated her at all well.
Instant stardom is too much for most people (even you Spookie), and no one really realises that until they are there. The pressures are huge and if you don't have the skills and the background to cope, it is so easy to crumple under it. In a way it is good that she will have the time to recover. I trust that BGT are paying for her to stay in the rest place.
I agree too about Diversity. I haven't watched the show but have seen some of the acts on Youtube. I thought they were amazing and it's a pity that Susan's coming second and her susequent breakdown have taken the attention form their fantastic win.
Great post!
Susan is epic, and I suspect the show's producers will now be at great pains to ensure she has the best and most appropriate support available to her.
Also, Simon really likes her, and as she's on the verge of signing for SyCo music, I reckon he'll look out for her. (From a purely mercinary perspective, they can't afford not to make sure she's o.k!)
As for Diversity, who I think deserved to win, people always seem to play down dance groups . . .
Last years winner George had an number 1 selling DVD, a tour of the UK and the States and I suspect has more to come. I've already heard that Michael Jackson wants them to perform on the UK leg of his forth coming tour . . .I reckon they'll do pretty well out of this!
Yoohoo TP, I see you were out with the lads at the weekend. Hope you had an enjoyable time.
I hope Diversity do well to, but there is a wide age range and with school, uni etc to take into consideration, it may be difficult for them to undertake many shows. As I said earlier, I think the chap who put it all together will do really well though.
Tris the youngsters will cope with the temporary loss of applause and perhaps they're grateful just to get their breaths back.
Susan will be fine as long as she has people around her to care and guide her.
I remember 'stars' such as Maria Callas etc who used to throw dreadful temper tantrums but they were put down to 'artistic temperament'. It's all rather sad, just because Susan has learning difficulties, that she's been hounded so negatively by the tabloid press.
BGT is not a TV show I watch, but I have to admit I do think Simon Scowl does have a soft spot for her and hopefully he'll be able to guide her in a direction suitable for her needs.
I hope she ends up doing well...I just love her
Baron, she deserves what she dreams, there's no doubt about it.
poor susan..i do hope she will recover quickly and get the rest she needs..i never saw the final of BGT, but i saw clips of it online..susan looked shattered..the poor dear must have been through so much in the last week...i believe that coming second place is no shame either..the young kids who won were good i guess, but lets face it, its doubtful anyone will remember them in a years time, but susan will always be remembered for her beautiful voice.
the problem lies in the fact that the brits tend to build people up just to knock them down just as quickly..poor susan became a victim of that..and god knows she needs support from genuine people right now, not gordoom "black widower" broon..sheesh!
I can't stand this programme. Firstly, I can't stand the panel =
- they are talentless, arrogant and patronising in the extreme. Most of the time it's taking the mickey out of individuals and, at the end of the day, who is going to pay to watch two fat people dancing. No matter how comical they may appear at first it does not bear repeating again. No doubt they'll also make programme of the desperate and deluded who flock to the auditions.
It also leads to the tabloids looking into people's private lives hoping to find something that will sell their grubby newspapers. Note how quickly the rags jumped onto the poor woman who responded angrily after some clowns were taking the mickey out of her. It would not surprise me if this was set-up by the paper. I certainly know a footballer in Edinburgh who was "set up" in this manner whilst hypocritical journalists were expressing their false outrage.
This Susan seems a nice lady and I wish her well and I hope she'll be properly advised and protected because the sharks are gathering and once the tabloids get their clammy claws into her, Susan's welfare will be very low on their list of priorities.
Sorry for the rant but these people pee me off.
OB I didn't see it but I listened to her performance. She has an exceptional voice and should be proud of it. Friends who were here Saturday evening and watched it said Diversity were superb and now I've seen their performance I agree.
Indeed OB, we seldom give credit where credit's due. I do hope Susan Boyle makes a comfortable living from her singing and in particular enjoys herself.
There's nothing to be ashamed of having to escape the pressures of the tabloid press either.
The first time I've ever watched it was last Monday Brownlie and the second with friends on Saturday night. It's an awful show really and I entirely agree with you about the panel.
I shall never watch it again because the exploitation of Susan was distressing for me. They must have realised she was a very vulnerable person but with a unique talent but did nothing to protect her and stuck her in a hotel of all places. Hotels can be very impersonal places and also not at all sound-proofed as I know to my cost. (No I shall NOT explain that remark lol).
subrosa
You don't have to explain. When you were "working" in the Grosvenor we could hear you quite clearly in "Trader Vics" on Park Lane.
Oh dearie me Brownlie, my past has finally caught up with me. It was a good time though ;)
Much as I believe Susan has a remarkable talent, I think her rise to stardom has been exploitative and harmful. This is not an environment for the faint-hearted or those with learning difficulties.
The only bit of optimism I have is that Simon Cowell cannot afford to have Susan Boyle in meltdown. Neither do I think Cowell will stitch her up financially, as has happened to so many stars who were unfortunate enough to have fraudulent managers, such as Leonard Cohen or The Bay City Rollers.
The fact remains, she has talent. She needs real friends now, and a public that understands how traumatic the last few months of her life have been.
WW thank you for your comment. It certainly is the one which meets my opinion more or less exactly.
Surely we must have space for someone with her talent even though she does have a disability. If we don't then our society has completely broken down.
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