Susan Boyle, cont'd

[rhu]

It's easier to respond in a fresh posting to the various comments that my earlier posting garnered.

The point I tried (and failed) to make earlier is that the overwhelming majority of the links and other references that I've seen have basically been of the form "She looks like she can't sing, but watch her knock everyone's socks off."

She certainly does have an impressive voice (I have now listened to her version of "Cry Me a River"), far better than mine, but it seems clear to me that what's motivating the internet buzz is a combination of the "she doesn't look the part --- but surprise!" and the "watch Simon Cowell get what's coming to him."

I appreciate the schadenfreude of the latter, even if I doubt its authenticity. In reading past press coverage of Cowell, I got the distinct impression that his persona as the judge everyone loves to hate is an act; he knows that he is the designated villain on these shows and he plays into that. He also pretty well knows in advance what he's going to see.

So what my discomfort boils down to is the first part of the internet buzz. Many (not all, but many) of the links I saw seemed to hold Susan Boyle up as the counterexample that reinforces the underlying stereotype. They weren't links to "Hey, here's an amazing performance from 'Britain's Got Talent'!" -- they were variations on "Lookee! A middle-aged, overweight, unattractive woman surprises people by excelling!"

And that's what got me seeing red.

Comments

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

"Lookee! A middle-aged, overweight, unattractive woman surprises people by excelling!"

Yes, quite. Although, to take it in context, most people on that show are absolutely awful, so having someone come along who actually has talent is kind of noteworthy in and of itself, although not that noteworthy.

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

I think that context is indeed relevant: it's a show in which people who think they're talented come on and do things in, I'd assume, a typically fairly mediocre way. So, yeah, seeing someone perform well is already fairly surprising.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Ah. Yes. I did say when I posted the link that the snarking annoyed me. But I do think there's also an element of identification, and that a lot of people are seeing it as vindication that "average" people can be special too.

You may also be interested in this article on the subject.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

P.S. It looks like she may have competition.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

I'm frankly not seeing what all the fuss is about. I watched the first vid, and saw the smarmy looks on the judges faces, and it was pretty clear that she was going to take them down a peg... but I think she was dressed and set up as a matronly looking contestant, and that's what led to the surprise. Would she have rocked so hard if she'd been dolled up and wore the confidence of a seasoned performer? Probably not. Seemed like a pretty smart and entertaining sell job, but honestly not as "amazing" as everyone's been touting. The whole thing's been kind of a yawn for me... I'm waiting for her 15 seconds of 'Net-fame to be over soon.

[elainetyger.livejournal.com]

After reading your post, I finally watched it, after first listening to the wonderful rendition of "Cry Me a River."

All I can say is it is perfectly edited and is not just living up to the producers' expectations, but with results beyond their wildest dreams. It's not a live show. Who knows when the eye rolling occurred, but it was all cut in at exactly the right moment to create the effect it absolutely did. There are certain chord combinations that will yank tears, and you will notice that they continue to play the Lez Miz music softly underneath throughout the judges' comments.

Ms. Boyle plays her part perfectly, but my hat goes off to the editors for the perfect creation of cinema-worthy drama from reality TV footage, plus whatever they got the judges and "audience members" to emote after the fact to sweeten it.

[shaggy-man.livejournal.com]

Yes. Clearly her unglamorous appearance is a big factor, but I think it's a mistake to focus solely on that.

She was scatterbrained at times in her interview with the judges. The TV audience has also seen the clips building up this cat-lady impression of her, which the show's producers doubtlessly intended. I wouldn't be surprised if her Scots accent was a factor as well, if it's judged in the UK anything like the way a non-midwestern accent is in the U.S. When she says she wants to be as big as Elaine Paige, Cowell basically challenges her on what's taking her so long, and her answer ("I haven't had the chance") sounds like a lame excuse. (Mind you, I gather she's spent quite some time until recently caring for her elderly mother, which really *is* the sort of thing that could be demanding enough to derail one's life goals a lot, which makes her answer sound very diplomatic)

So, yeah, she lowered expectations in a very well-rounded way.

[crs.livejournal.com]

I think this blog article says it best, if in a somewhat (very) profane manner. Profane enough to be NSFW, possibly. (All the NSFW is in words though, so it's fine for some workplaces.)

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

See also this reaction from a sociology blog.