This video over the past few days has rocked the YouTube numbers. I do not for a minute believe that this whole thing was not a set-up to shock the audience. The woman, who wants to be a singer, is wearing a totally frumpy outfit and has eyebrow makeup on to look goofier than she already looks. The fix is in. Let’s be real here.
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#32–JCD==good to feel the juices flow?
Yes, in general it is good to be skeptical and there is nothing “credible” about TV talent shows. Still, a fair read of your set up is not “skeptical” it is CONCLUSIONARY. Thats ok too.
Still, you quote no “facts” to justify any skepticism, must less conclusions that anything here is faked, or in what manner it could have been faked.
I can imagine that Simon and Crew actually DON’T WANT TO KNOW about the talent before them. They enjoy being surprised by both good and bad AND it keeps the show honest. On the You Tube page I first saw this, was also a clip of the Father/Son Greek/Irish dancing team. Did you CONCLUDE that Simon knew they were going to come out barechested and dance around?
Skepticism is good, but you should exercise it against your own skepticism from time to time.
What I find interesting about this,are the comments.
This is NOT lip sync’d.
TV is mostly about entertainment (including the news networks).Of course the production crew knew she could sing,surprise surprise. I have known very good singers that didn’t get on this kind of show because it wouldn’t have made good TV in the style of(for me)a crap show like this.
Everybody is talking about this,she will have her 15 minutes of fame,and make a little bit of money.
I’m a music professional but not a music snob. If this is what the the people like then it’s ok with me.
Of course she was pre-auditioned, since the presenters (Ant & Dec) were in on it – but I have no trouble believing that the producers wouldn’t tell Cowell and the others on the panel, because their reactions are part of the show’s (alleged) entertainment. It’s similar to the Paul Potts scenario last year; and it’s interesting to note that I remembered his name, even though I don’t watch that show at all.
Of course the whole ‘feel good’ vibe has been engineered for maximum impact right from the start. It’s TV ffs.
Bloody good singer though.
#32 JCD:
Of course someone pre-auditioned her. But, do the judges see those auditions before the show? I don’t know – I’m asking.
Extra, extra front page news, read all about it.
CNN “Unlikely diva grabs A-list attention” , NYDaily News “Susan Boyle was the golden ticket of reality TV” The Sun “We’re all smitten with Susan”, The Mirror, “Britons got Talent Susan Boyle is a Hit”
Why not Photoshop her, John? Put a clown nose on her!
JCD,
They pre-audition people most definitely, just like with American Idol. That show tends to lend to the styling of cutting from the singer, to the judges and to the audience though. They have done that for other performers on the show as well. Is this the only contestant you watched? You should watch Paul Potts from the first season blow everyone away with his opera skills (it’s on You Tube of course).
Fake or not, it makes people feel good… except for you of course.
#31 keeanna said,
“Norah Jones wouldn’t be where she is if she didn’t have looks.”
Totally Disagree, Norah Jones is very talented from songwriting to piano to singing. As is Susan Boyle (singing anyway, we don’t yet know about the other traits and talents if any)
If you would have said Mariah Carey, Britney, or any host of others that don’t write their own stuff or have their voices tweaked with Pro-Tools or Pitch perfect I would have totally agree but you’re way off base on Norah Jones. Did you by chance see her on Elvis Costellos show on Sundance Channel? Always amazing! That being said she doesn’t have the pipes of Susan Boyle.
If you want a real cry John, go to youtube and read the comments. All were touched and amazed. There’s no hope were all doomed.
Thank God, talent is being appreciated again and not looks. I’d love to see this woman on stage doing all Elaine Page pieces and more. Forget about blond, picked eyebrows, bikini lines, silicon implants etc. – because they mean NOTHING. Talent is all! I pray!
#43 — hey I am not saying this was not a feel good moment. BUT it was staged to be a feel good moment and that always concerns me.
Apparently I am in the minority as the public (read comments) is more than ok with being openly manipulated to an extreme as if what they are watching is real. I have to assume half of these readers (you maybe) watch soap operas and think the characters are real too.
I think Cowell was honest when he said he expected her to belt it out of the park since he’s the grand master of this nonsense. He knew in advance.
All the cuts were so tight that this was rehearsed to an extreme. But you all see it as spontaneous and cannot tell the difference. My bitching is not about the woman, it’s about open exploitation of a incredibly dumb audience. People on here can spot a photoshop hoax, but still cannot see this sort of hoax. THAT is what bothers me.
Why can’t they just present her talent straight up without the shock and awe? Because the dummies will not lap it up properly.
JCD,
I personally don’t watch soap operas and don’t watch as much television as the “average American”. Who knows how many cameras they had at that filming and they edited it in a way to make it go together like that. I feel that your argument is running off of assumptions though. “Reality tv” isn’t really reality, don’t we all know that by now? Look at MTVs The Hills. It doesn’t take a cynic to figure it out. They try to play off that events happen in the same night when the girls have different colored nail polish from scene to scene! Then MTV plays up the media with all the Heidi and Spencer bullshit in the media, like they are a real couple. You probably have no idea what I am talking about in referencing that show and that would make you a lucky man! 😉
I am just wondering what your expectation is of that show or what you feel like they are trying conceal. Of course they pre-auditioned her. Of course someone knew she could sing. Maybe they coached her a bit to dress frumpy. I am not surprised by that. Are you? I don’t think it was lip synched. I also don’t think that the judges and audience weren’t truly surprised. My take is that they have to find some shocking talent for the show otherwise it wouldn’t make for a good show. If that is what got you all upset, you should turn away from all media because that is what the media does! Television is all about buying into the fantasy anyways. That isn’t new.
Setup or not, the show made its point. People judge other based on appearances. The show’s audience saw a frumpy, middle-aged woman and automatically decided that meant she couldn’t possibly know how to sing. That’s the sad part, not the setup.
I’m sure Paul Potts was a total setup too.
That was great tv. She should do theatre.
I’m with you JCD… I think they knew how good a singer she was, judges included, and did a little melodrama for the benefit of the studio and viewing audience. Why, because…
(down on one knee)
THAAAAAAAT’S…. ENTERTAIIIIIIINMENT!
The audience probably really knows it’s all kind of rigged, but then again, lots of people like professional wrestling too. 🙂
You do find weird things to get upset about, John.
A TV program was actually PRODUCED? No way!
It would seem there ARE people out there walking among the rest of us who could rightly be considered national treasures for their ability to sing…
Another one who takes my breath away with pure vocal gifts is Marco Antonio Solis, singing, “Si No Te Hubieras Ido.” Not speaking Spanish, I don’t understand a word of it, but I’m blown away by it, every time. And yes, it’s available on iTunes.
On the Pink Floyd album “The Dark Side Of The Moon” there is the song “The Great Gig In The Sky”. The song, if you remember, features an amazing woman’s voice instrumental. It is a very beautiful, deep, and emotional song with no lyrics. Nothing but the power of this woman’s voice.
That woman is Clare Torrey (http://tinyurl.com/ceq43q). She sang in Alan Parson’s church choir. Parson was the engineer for the album and he recommended her when they were trying to figure out who to get to sing the part. They paid her 30 pounds, standard fee for a day’s work as a vocalist at the time.
After the success of the album, many people wondered who’s voice that was on “Great Gig”. Without knowing anything about her or the song, fans created their own images of who she was and the meaning of it all. Some fans imagined the song was highly sexual and that the woman was having an orgasm.
The reality is different. The song is about death. And regarding the singer, the best description of her was by, I believe Roger Waters, who said “She looked just like a typical English housewife.” Doesn’t that sound glamorous?
I’ve only seen one photo of Clare taken around the time of the recording. And the band is right. She is nothing remarkable. She looks very conservative, a bit frumpy, but man can she sing.
It’s an entertainment show, so of course they want add some drama to an underdog. A little setup? Sure, but most entertainment has it in some form.
They learned with Paul Potts, how much MORE interest people have in the show when they have an underdog who you’d never expect to root for.
To me the first time they intro Paul Potts was even more magical because here was a guy who most certainly nervous and lacking confidence. You can see his very uneasy smile after he says he’s there to sing opera.
You see their look. “Opera? You gotta be kidding me.” And 60 seconds later, everyone was picking their jaw up the floor. Paul Potts was super star overnight in the UK(most folks in the US never heard of him). So I think a lot of the excitement in the crowd for her was people thinking “Awesome! Another underdog like Paul!”
I don’t think Paul Potts got as much exposure over here like Boyle is getting, yet his first time in front of the judges moved me much more.
OK, so she’s really ugly but she can sing really well. No problem. She will make millions singing songs for Disney / Pixar animated movies and videos. This way we can all hear her voice but we’ll never have to look at her face. She wants to be a professional singer, so there you go. Once this hype is over she will disappear from the media spotlight, but she will land some well paid singing gigs. Hell, maybe she’ll lose 70 pounds, get a makeover, and end up aesthetically tolerable. Who knows.
This looks exactly like a trailer of a movie guys !!..maybe like slum dog millionaire or the pursuit of happyness
It is really hard to believe that thing is REAL !!!
Could she be Leo La Porke’s alter ego?
I agree with JCD synopsis it’s not new to all on camera.Most are in on the game.
However sometimes I like to pretend this kinda thing is real just to get me over my shitty week at work .Anyone else doing their sales budget for next year?
Cheers
Greggyx
John knows all believes in nothing.
She is the real deal – auditions are done by other people. She WAS well-dressed (gold-laced dress – jeans). Her eyebrows aren’t fricking enhanced for God sake. Your just sexist – men can look gruff, but if a woman isn’t a anorexic manicured dead-eyed mannequin, something is fishy is going on.
Only the editors knew, hence the story-like arc of the video.
Is this particular show broadcast LIVE? Or is it pre-recorded to incorporate stuff like the edits that have John all worked up?
If it is indeed live, then I think its pretty clear that it was a well staged fell-good publicity moment, however if it is a pre-record of even just a delayed start show then my feelings on it are very different.
Just look at other ‘reality’ shows, they are COMPLETELY made by the editing, so why should this be different?
“Why can’t they just present her talent straight up without the shock and awe? Because the dummies will not lap it up properly.”
You do have a point, John. I’m with you on that one. The show sucks and people would blow the entire thing off if they knew what’s good for them.
Besides, the woman didn’t even impress me. The notes come out of her mouth flat, lifeless. She has great voice but not real talent to perform. She is like those painters who can reproduce famous masterpieces down to every minute detail, but never have and never will produce any relevant piece of their own. She is inexpressive.
Hell, maybe she’ll lose 70 pounds, get a makeover, and end up aesthetically tolerable. Who knows.
And maybe you’ll actually turn into a human being someday. Good luck.
Here’s Susan Boyle singing “Cry Me a River” in a 1999 recording, according to the Scottish Daily Record (and Veronica Belmont).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI2DxkrgpgQ
Aretha Franklin is not much to look at , either