Scottish singing sensation

[McClef]

The amount going to charity (at least here in the UK) seems to be the same whether it's Simon Cowell or the BBC organising it - they also have similar competitions.

What gets me is the way some of the acts have been lined up against each other in the semi finals and the way the guy the judges chose yesterday for second place and therefore a place in the final was one who should really have gone in for the X Factor rather than a competition supposedly designed for those who are not young pop style singers or singers, like Susan, who are clearly not X Factor material. He was chosen above a very good singing ventriloquist who much more clearly fitted the bill. Interestingly it was a singing ventriloquist who won the America's Got Talent competition last year.

[thanmuwa]

So who is the worse here? Cowell, who is sharing his telephone earnings on a more or less 50-50 basis with a charity, or the cynics who lacked the talent, foresight, and business acumen to tap into the market Mr. Cowell has found?

In my experience people tend to spend more each week down at the pub than they give to charity-- that being the case, Mr. Cowell seems to be doing the right thing, as much as some may envy-- and resent-- his ability to do it.

Yes, I am in awe of the fact, if not jealous, that he figured out a method to extract vast quantities of money from the general public in such a way that they are actually happy to hand over their hard-earned! And as with all strokes of genius, it is actually very simple (and proves again the adage that it is impossible to underestimate the general public). I just wish I had thought of it!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Yes, I am in awe of the fact, if not jealous, that he figured out a method to extract vast quantities of money from the general public in such a way that they are actually happy to hand over their hard-earned! And as with all strokes of genius, it is actually very simple (and proves again the adage that it is impossible to underestimate the general public). I just wish I had thought of it!

I agree completely. A few nights ago I was asked at dinner what I thought about the program, and I said there is really only one thing wrong with it; I didn't think it up!

[beloitpiper]

That last performance wasn't as good as her first one...

[ccga3359]

That last performance wasn't as good as her first one...

She did start off wobbly but came back strong. It's unfortunate that she'll never be able to top her first performance but what a performance. It's Jamie Pugh that I really feel for. His semi-final performance started off and ended strong, the middle fell apart though. I saw him as a serious contender. I'll be watching next season in hopes that he'll be back. I only wish some tv station carried BGT on this side of the atlantic rather than watching on the 'puter.

[McClef]

Susan said in a TV interview that it was a moment of chestiness and indeed you can see her strike her chest after the first note. She then recovered strongly and even Simon Cowell gave her a standing ovation.

Unfortunately Jamie Pugh allowed his nerves to affect everything in the higher register and his last note was too low for the normal ending to the only decent song from Man of La Mancha. Perhaps getting a buzz from Amanda did not help though.

The trouble with a live show is you only get one chance and whereas you can do retakes in a recording studio (and I have seen even people like Kiri Te Kanawa sing bum notes) you have to make do in a live performance and if you have a bum note you carry on.

[Pleater]

As a singer myself I knew exactly the sensation of starting out and finding that an unusually large effort was being required and getting a 'flutter' in the solar plexus area because of it.

As all the contenders had waited in the studios all day it is really not surprising that the singers were not in good voice.

It is very difficult to recover from a bad start - as Jamie Pugh demonstrated - but Susan managed it, particularly after the pause in the song. I suspect it is because she knows that she doesn't need to do any more than she has already achieved - the media and others are already spreading stories about her which do seem to be entirely out of character - that in itself indicates that she has achieved celebrity status.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[McClef]

Result:

Susan came second alas, losing out to a male dance group called Diversity.

She was extremely gracious and certainly has a fantastic career ahead of her.

She was certainly the TOP singer of which there were several.

WELL DONE SUSAN- look forward to your first album!

[vmac3205]

I too am wanting an album. Does anyone know if / when one will be produced?

[RamsayClanCommish]

Simon is working on it even as we post.