Britain’s Got Talent showcased one of the most inspirational and feel good stories of the year when unknown Susan Boyle, who at 47 years old was aspiring to be a professional singer, performed “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables to a surprised audience which included Simon Cowell on the judges panel. She instantly received international acclaim. Her several videos on You Tube garnered an estimated 30 million hits in just over a week.
It was later rumored; however, that the performance was possibly staged in that Simon had actually recruited her for the show.
Interesting enough this also overshadowed a similar appearance on the same stage by Paul Watts last year. He also amazed both the audience and judges and had similarly imperfect features such as crooked teeth. He did not; however, gain the same magnitude of attention accorded to Ms. Boyle which sparked a debate over whether gender played a role in garnering more attention under similar circumstances.
