Sorry to jump your case about this, glueman, but I have to admit I do tend to get a bit irked by the kind of person who insists on spoiling a perfectly good party by tossing a cigar in the punch bowl. I find your comments downright cynical. Maybe you do "know the biz," but so do I. In addition to my singing, I've spent a fair amount of my life in both television and radio studios, both on camera or mic, and in the production and planning end.

I think Marje has the right of it. Undoubtedly the initial screeners knew they had a "live one," but I'm sure the judges and the audience were hit between the eyes with the unexpected.

And I'm afraid that andrewq gets the same award for sourpuss of the month. What's the matter with you people!??

Ms. Boyle sang better—much better—than "well enough." In fact, I've heard a fair amount of Elaine Paige, the singer that Susan Boyle said she wants to emulate. Elaine Paige is a real powerhouse singer with a marvelous voice for the kind of songs she does. And Susan Boyle's singing voice is right up there in terms of strength and quality. Slightly different in the sense that Boyle's voice actually sounds a bit more "youthful" than Paige's.

When a person can sing like that, it doesn't matter what they look like. And the more I heard her sing, the more beautiful she got.

I'm looking forward to hearing much more of her.

Don Firth