As you know from my previous posting, I wanted Stavros Flatley to win so was disappointed on Saturday night. I was surprised that Diversity won, although after watching the choreographical genius of the final performance, I can understand why they captured the hearts of the voting public. I hadn't realised - until my Facebook friend Jo-Anne Sanderson, told me, that Diversity had links with Essex - with the hip-hop crew from the Harlow Playhouse, so that makes their victory all the more sweet.
Yet, despite Diversity's tremendous triumph, the person who is making all the headlines is Susan Boyle, who came second. According to reports today, she has been checked into a Clinic after suffering from the pressure and the results on Saturday night. Susan had a brilliant voice and was a tribute to the view that great entertainers and celebrities don't need to be 'beautiful people' who have nothing to offer other than their looks. Susan Boyle was substance over style.
Yet, I can't help thinking that Susan was ill-suited to the competition. She was known to suffer learning difficulties and found the glare of publicity too hard to bear. Perhaps she should have been looked after and cared for more. I loved Britain's got Talent - but at the same time, we mustn't let these kind of shows become some kind of old-fashioned fun fair on Hampstead Heath, where people stood by and gawped at individuals who had great talent but some kind of difficulty or another.
Susan Boyle should be a lesson for our times. In Britain, we constantly build people up, knock them down again and then build them up again when the time suits. This is often done through our mass media, with all of us lapping it up and reading page by page, or watching every TV moment. Like the late Jade Goody, Susan Boyle has been a victim of this kind of public fervour. Only last week we were reading in the tabloids about her downfall and her alleged activities in a London Hotel.
Yet, despite Diversity's tremendous triumph, the person who is making all the headlines is Susan Boyle, who came second. According to reports today, she has been checked into a Clinic after suffering from the pressure and the results on Saturday night. Susan had a brilliant voice and was a tribute to the view that great entertainers and celebrities don't need to be 'beautiful people' who have nothing to offer other than their looks. Susan Boyle was substance over style.
Yet, I can't help thinking that Susan was ill-suited to the competition. She was known to suffer learning difficulties and found the glare of publicity too hard to bear. Perhaps she should have been looked after and cared for more. I loved Britain's got Talent - but at the same time, we mustn't let these kind of shows become some kind of old-fashioned fun fair on Hampstead Heath, where people stood by and gawped at individuals who had great talent but some kind of difficulty or another.
Susan Boyle should be a lesson for our times. In Britain, we constantly build people up, knock them down again and then build them up again when the time suits. This is often done through our mass media, with all of us lapping it up and reading page by page, or watching every TV moment. Like the late Jade Goody, Susan Boyle has been a victim of this kind of public fervour. Only last week we were reading in the tabloids about her downfall and her alleged activities in a London Hotel.
I wish Susan a quick recovery - and her beautiful voice is used what it is best for - singing and making people happy. But I hope that she never again is a figure to be laughed at, or be used by the tabloid media for their own purposes.
Having said all that, Britain's Got Talent was a great programme - the acts that reached the final were clearly top-notch - I just felt a little sad and reflective today after reading of Susan's plight.
P.S. Apart from Stavros, Hollie was truly wondrous.
Great minds! I posted something similar about Susan Boyle. I personally am not a fan of BGT as it always seems structured towards the ritual humiliation of people as it seems a large part of Simon Cowell's part in the show is to put people down. Like you I hope Susan gets the help and support she needs.
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