Oh, dear! I come back after a good night's sleep and a nice breakfast and find that the hyenas are out. And The Gorgon's at the door!

Andy, Andy, Andy. . . .

"Unknown" Paul Potts was indeed unknown beyond his own community until he appeared on the talent show. And he did not sing in "semi-professional" productions, they were amateur productions. And as to his attending workshops with Luciano Pavarotti, I've attended classic guitar workshops with Pepe Romero. I learned a lot, but that, ipso facto, didn't make me any more "famous" than I already was.

By the way, Andy, how many people do you know who have made records, but who still languish in obscurity? I know a couple dozen, including a young woman who lives in an apartment upstairs. Ye gods, these days, anyone can crank out a CD. I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of CDs are residing in boxes under beds and in closets that nobody bought and that wind up getting inflicted on friends and relatives as gifts, 'cause that's the only way to get rid of the bloody things!

Hell, man, I've sung professionally (which is to say, people have paid to hear me sing) for most of my life, but that hardly makes me rich and famous. And there are vast armies of people out there who have done likewise who also are neither rich nor famous.

And none of this petty carping alters the fact that, well-known or obscure, both Paul Potts and Susan Boyle have extraordinarily fine singing voices, and were it not for the talent show, and Mudcatters feeling impelled to let others here know of extraordinary happenings, the vast majority of us would never hear of their existence. It would appear that there are some sorry souls who seem to thing that's a good thing. I, personally, am glad to hear about talented but otherwise obscure people being recognized at last.

Andy, m'lad, you might seriously consider the possibilities of getting a life. You too, Diane.

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Re: Ethel Merman. Firth ducks and runs!

I believe I picked on Ethel Merman because Classic Arts Showcase keeps running a video of her when she was a guest on someone's television program late in her career (late 1970s or early 1980s) on which she did what might be considered her signature song, "There's No Business Like Show Business." She was belting as usual, and she was downright shrill, with a fierce vibrato. Why CAS has to keep running that video of her, I don't know, because it's hardly representative of her earlier work.

Anyway, my apologies to Ethel Merman and her fans. . . .

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"Cry Me a River." Incredible!!

Listening to Susan Boyle sing "Cry Me a River," with that kind of feeling an intensity, I find the idea that, as she said, she lives alone with her cat, has never been married, and has never been kissed, a bit mind-boggling. She sounds like she really knows what she's singing about.

I saw the tenth anniversary concert version of "Les Miserable" televised some time back, and when I listen to Susan Boyle sing "I Dreamed a Dream," what her voice conjures up in my mind's eye is Fantine, the young woman who sings the song; a young woman who has led an absolutely miserable life and who continues to live in a world of hurt, but who, nevertheless, still has a dream. And Susan Boyle's voice is perfect.

By way of comparison, here is the song as sung on the concert version telecast:    CLICKY.   I don't recall the singer's name. But I would say that Susan Boyle's rendition is right up there. I would like to hear her sing it without the distractions of the kind of pressure she was under and without the (understandable) reaction of the audience obscuring the nuances of her performance.

Don Firth