Free Susan Boyle by Alice Montgomery Page B

youngsters. They had the benefit of the cuteness factor, and Amanda energetically leaping to her feet to applaud as often as she could, but despite this, none of them created as memorable a moment as Susan had.
    The semi-final was drawing near now, putting Susan under even greater pressure, and although there were to be some much publicized quivers, Susan was showing every sign of being able to square up to her new life.
    The measure of her celebrity became clear when she was invited to appear on the queen of all chat shows, The Oprah Winfrey Show . Susan’s neighbours in Blackburn had become accustomed to seeing television crews camped on her lawn, but this was the big one. The team from Oprah duly arrived and set up chez Susan, where she started off by giving them a tour of her house - an extremely modest affair in global celebrity standards.
    In many ways it was a clever move, for Susan had had little direct contact with the public since becoming an overnight star, and while her appearance on Oprah didn’t allow her to sing, it did mean she could comment on all the stories that had been flying around.
    Her appearance had required permission from the Britain’s Got Talent team, however, and they had specified that Team Oprah must visit Susan rather than Susan flying to them, since they did not want it to look as though Susan was receiving special treatment. Her appearance did go some way towards deflecting criticism that they were allowing Susan to remain in limbo for so long - a globally recognized singer who wasn’t allowed to sing.
    The first issue Oprah tackled was the makeover nonsense, which had attracted such criticism from some quarters, as if a woman shouldn’t be allowed to make the best of what she had. Given the jibes she’d endured after her first appearance, Susan wouldn’t be human if she hadn’t wanted to smarten up. ‘That was just to tidy myself up like any other female would have done,’ she explained. ‘Depends what you mean by a makeover. I mean, my best friend actually helps me with my make-up. I mean, that’s hardly a makeover.’
    Sounding friendly and modest, Susan explained that she was by no means certain she’d win the competition, and that she wasn’t lonely at all, given that she had millions of new friends. As for her newfound fame, she said, ‘I think change is very hard to get used to at first, but [I’m] really enjoying it, really enjoying every second of it. It’s like a dream come true.’ Given her Scottish accent, Susan was subtitled for the benefit of the American audience, which greeted her appearance rapturously. Although she still hadn’t been there, Susan had admirers aplenty over the pond.
    Back in Blighty, Susan was getting ready for her next big appearance. The agonizing wait was very nearly over, and the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent were on the horizon. The change in the significance of her first and second appearance could not have been more momentous. While the first time round she had everything to play for, now she had everything to lose. And how on earth could she top that first appearance? Would Susan Boyle be able to pull off another electrifying performance?

All Alone in the Spotlight
    The moment Susan and the rest of the world had been waiting for had very nearly arrived. She had made it through to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in its very first week, and now they were about to take place. The tension was mounting and the weight of expectation on Susan was very heavy indeed.
    Piers Morgan couldn’t resist shoving his oar in, in the run-up to the big day. ‘After Susan auditioned for the show and said she’d never been kissed and never had a boyfriend, I did say that I would break her “kissing duck”,’ he said. ‘That offer still stands. I have not seen her since the auditions. So when we meet again, if Susan asks for a kiss, I’ll do it . . . on TV.’
    Of course it would be on TV - where else? In the event, Susan was