5 Reasons This Susan Boyle Crap Needs to Stop

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:16pm

As you've no doubt noticed by now, Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle has recently taken over the world. She is everywhere, and I'm being told incessantly that I'm to find her an "inspiration," even though that makes no sense. I don't begrudge the woman herself for it, because how was she supposed to know the world was going to go ape**** over her? Aside from being really sick of having Les Mis stuck in my head all the time now, I do, however, have a huge bone to pick with the media fervor, and here's why.

Simon Cowell Obviously Knew She Could Sing Beforehand

No way did she make it to the Britain's Got Talent stage before passing some kind of screening process, meaning the producers -- including Simon, and probably hosts Ant & Dec as well -- knew already that she was going to be able to sing. I don't deny that the shocked reactions were entertaining to watch, but they were also fake as hell.

If You've Never Been Kissed, It Was Probably By Choice

The part of her story the media seems most moved by is her claim that she is not only a 47-year-old virgin, but that she has also never been kissed. We're supposed to feel really bad about this, but I'm sorry -- how many truly unfortunate-looking people do you know who have managed to find somebody to make out with at least once in their lives? She's either lying or it was her choice not to do so. Either way, I don't really care, and it's not a reason for someone to be famous.

She's Not That Good

If she were attractive and had the exact same voice, she wouldn't have gotten any attention. There is something so condescending about lavishing huge praise on someone for sounding slightly better than the sad reality TV crazy they appeared to be.

This Has Gone from Harmless Human Interest Story to Horrifying Bastardization in Record Time

I refrained from talking too much about Susan when her story first broke, other than saying I don't really get the excitement over her, but now the poor woman's been publicly offered everything from makeovers to her own porno and a whole bunch of other insulting crap in between since then, and all I'm saying is this is just bringing out the commercializing worst in everyone. Saying someone is an inspiration for not being ashamed of looking the way they do when you think she should be is bad enough, but then insisting they need a makeover so both parties can make a few bucks is contradictory and infuriating. And the porn thing, while not surprising, is just plain horrifying. Can we just leave the woman's purported virginity out of everything and not make money off of it?

How, Exactly, is She Inspiring?

I'm honestly just asking here. Is it because she has the strength to go on living despite not being gorgeous? That seems to be what I'm being told day and night. How amazing! I know we all already knew this, but the media really, truly is the worst.
Television Without Pity

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:17pm

THANK.
YOU.

I thought I was the only one.

[insertclevernamehere]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:23pm

No, I'm with you too.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:25pm

Nope, count me in too, and I believe I now someone else too

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:29pm

Count me in!

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:30pm

And not to sound like a bitchy nitpicker here, but she's not anything spectacular. Her voice is pretty, but her vibrato is out of control and she can't sustain notes.

[jejr]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:31pm

for Heaven sake, let her have her moment. This morning on GMA they had a boy doing a Michael Jackson song who is predicted to win the contest. It's all just publicity. At least she's better than Brittany Spears - but then who isn't/

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:32pm

I'm with you.

BTW...Pianolin: wow! LOOOVE your avitar! Allison looks STUNNING there!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:35pm

For heaven's sake, let her have her moment. This morning on GMA a boy who is predicted to win the contest did a Michael Jackson song. It's all just publicity. At least she's better than Britney Spears - but then who isn't?

Who is saying she can't have her moment?

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:35pm

Count me in, too. Sorry, I didn't find anything extraordinary and/or moving about her singing. She got overexposed in record time.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:35pm

This is the negative backlash-it happens to everyone who gets some attention. I think Susan is just lovely and I'd rather her clog up the airwaves than a Kardashian crotch or any of the Osmonds.

I am sure people will start surfacing to talk trash about her anyway; some guy will claim he kissed her, someone will say she babysit their kids and beat them, or she was Simon's school teacher. It is to be expected. The media and the public love to pump people up in order to tear them down.

She is cute and she'll disappear soon enough... give it time. No one needs to do anything.

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 04:35 PM

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:36pm

thanks dramamama! I know, she is SO adorable!

and as for Susan Boyle, I don't mind her having her 15 minutes of fame, but people think she is a goddess! I see it EVERYWHERE! I see threads on her, I see news on her, I even see friends becoming a facebook fan of her. It just won't stop!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:36pm

I'm not a fan of this OR the Kardashians.

[sgv123]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:36pm

I agree with everything said above.

Off topic--- Pianolin717 I love your avatar!

[SirNotAppearing]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:37pm

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 04:37 PM

[dramadude]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:41pm

OVERRATED! It's time to report on actual pieces of entertainment. There are plenty of showtunes on Broadway and the West End that deserve more than this much attention.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:48pm

I am a bit tired of seeing her also. But part of me is really happy for her. As far as the never been kissed thing, that is possible. We know part of her history but not all of it. It is quite possible that she has never been "kissed" and not by choice. As far as the shock over her voice, I thought this was the 1st elegibility round. Don't they do it differently over there? So I was thinking they had not heard her sing. my thought was that it was like the auditions they do over here. I could be wrong. Or maybe people other than the 3 judges audition the singers. And yeah, I can see her being an inspiration for some people. I sure there are people just like her that are watching all of this that may be inspired. Just my random thoughts.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:14pm

Thanks for posting, Phyllis. I really don't get the media frenzy surrounding her, I don't get why people are reacting the way they are about her, I really don't, and something tells me that if I did get it I'd be hugely pissed/disappointed/annoyed/etc.

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:17pm

for Heaven sake, let her have her moment. This morning on GMA they had a boy doing a Michael Jackson song who is predicted to win the contest. It's all just publicity. At least she's better than Brittany Spears - but then who isn't

B-R-I-T-N-E-Y

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:21pm

I fixed that whole post for that unfortunate soul up there. My way made it much more readable.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:36pm

I love TWOP, and Phyllis for posting this.

For those of you who say, "If you don't like it, just don't read it!," that's really unavoidable when she's in half the subject lines.

[A Director]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:38pm

Let's stop the crap about Liza, Patti and Grey Gardens.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:42pm

"Let's stop the crap about Liza, Patti and Grey Gardens."

Hmm.. I don't see them all over the news nowadays...

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:45pm

YES, thank you.

PG2: Agreed. She has technique problems and, though her voice is good, it's not the best I've ever heard, even in terms of raw potential.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 5:59pm

I'm sure no one's blaming her for the attention she's getting. At least I hope not.

also-why say that we're supposed to feel sad that she's never been kissed? So what? I don't feel sorry for her.