Susan Boyle: human supernova

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Henry Chu writes about the Scottish singer who wowed a nation on ‘Britain’s Got Talent.’

In the physics of entertainment, this is Boyle’s law: If Susan the human supernova is on the telly, then a gazillion viewers are sure to be trailing, comet-like, in her wake.

The truth of that axiom is set to be demonstrated this weekend as ‘Britain’s Got Talent,’ the star-search reality show that made frowzy, frizzy-haired Susan Boyle a household name from Argentina to Zimbabwe, enters its highly anticipated semifinal phase.

Officially, it’s still a secret whether the singing Scotswoman will be among the contestants to progress to the next round of the competition; the fortunate 40 are to be announced Saturday, the day before Britain’s ITV network begins broadcasting the semifinals live over five nights next week.

But for Boyle not to make the cut would be a public-relations disaster -- not to mention a colossal business blunder -- that would probably trigger a bigger popular revolt in this country than the present dust-up over politicians who claimed horse manure on the taxpayer dime.

‘It’s almost impossible,’ Julia Hobsbawm, head of the media analysis firm Editorial Intelligence, said of the chances Boyle would be passed over. ‘If popularity and the popular consciousness is anything to go by, she’s still very much in the bloodstream of opinion. That hasn’t abated.’

Read the story here.

(Photo courtesy AP)