Free Susan Boyle by John McShane Page A

singing for the Queen, Susan, I predict it.’

    There’s probably only one television host in the world who can ‘outrank’ Larry King – and Susan was destinedto meet her soon, too. That person was, of course, Oprah Winfrey – not so much a television personality but a way of life in America. It is a measure of the fascination that Susan held for Americans, that all the major TV shows were scrabbling to have her on, and Oprah was no exception.
    Her talk show was the most watched of its kind ever and had made Winfrey rich. Very rich. She has been described as the richest African-American ever and the most influential woman in the world. Not bad for a poor kid from Mississippi who became pregnant at 14 yet went on to become a billionaire famed for her philanthropy. Her support of Barack Obama played a major role in his rise to becoming President. An appearance on her show is the Holy Grail for many with films, records and books to promote. And yet she was after Susan.
    A film crew from her show flew to Blackburn and Susan was to be linked from there to the studio in America. It was to be a special ‘The World’s Got Talent’, displaying some of the acts from the ‘ Talent …’ shows over the globe.
    There was only one slight drawback. After her impromptu performances on other morning programmes and the Larry King show, she wouldn’t be allowed to sing. The reasoning was simple: the BGT bosses feared the other Britain’s Got Talent acts would feel she was getting ‘special treatment’ and would have an unfair advantage over them before the contest ended.
    Susan was even barred from singing in The Happy Valley Hotel, as none of the potential finalists were allowed to sing in public. ‘All of our acts are advised not to perform in public if they have got through to the next stages of the contest. We want them to be seen first and foremost on Britain’s Got Talent ’ was the explanation.
    Nevertheless, she did contribute something special to the show, Oprah and her team decided subtitles should be used to help the American audience understand Susan during the pre-recorded chat.
    Susan wore some make-up and a touch of red lipstick, to go with her yellow blouse and a sand-coloured jumper. Asked by Oprah if she wanted a makeover Susan screwed up her face and said, ‘It depends on what you mean by a makeover.’
    When Oprah mentioned her new haircut and clothes, Boyle added, ‘I did a bit. Just to tidy myself up like any other female would have done.’
    As the studio audience laughed, Simon Cowell, who was a guest on the Oprah show in Chicago, chipped in, ‘Very good answer.’ He also said that when he first saw Susan at the audition, ‘This lady came up, and I’m thinking; “This will take five seconds and I can go have a cup of tea.”’
    That changed when she began ‘I Dreamed A Dream’.
    ‘She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face midway through – it was one of my favourite moments,’ Cowell said.
    Susan said she was ‘loving every second’ of her newfound fame and it was ‘like a dream come true’.
    And it wasn’t just show business celebrities who were enthusing over Susan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown was questioned about her by Kofi Annan, Ghanaian Nobel Peace Prize winner and ex-Secretary General of the United Nations.
    He asked the Premier for the lowdown on the Scottish singing sensation after delivering a speech at the Adam Smith College in Kirkcaldy. The two men struck up a conversation as they headed to a reception and the first thing Mr Annan said was, ‘So, tell me about Susan Boyle?’ As the men walked side by side Mr Brown looked deep in thought as he told Susan’s story to one of the world’s most powerful men.
    Annan smiled broadly as Brown told him, ‘Well, it’s absolutely amazing. This woman has come from nowhere and has become a celebrity all over the world. And she comes from a wee village in