Susan Boyle

Posts Tagged ‘Simon Cowell’

Today is Susan Boyle’s 49th birthday, and she is currently in Japan preparing to perform with the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in front of 10,000 people at the famous Budokan arena, according to a report in the Daily Mirror.

Susan was apparently left speechless when fans brought out a cake covered in candles and started to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. When she opened one package, she found a  £6,000 diamond and gold bracelet from no other than Simon Cowell. Susan apparently gasped: “Oh my god.”

A friend told The Mirror: “She couldn’t believe her eyes and burst into tears.

“She had seen the bracelet in a magazine and said ‘Gosh, imagine owning something like that.’ So Simon tracked it down at Harrods.”

You see, Simon can be Mr Nice sometimes.

I’ve been reading media reports that RATM (Rage Against the Machine) would like to perform with Susan Boyle.

Rage Against the Machine famously “stole” the UK number one slot from the winner of The X Factor, Joe McElderry, after a well orchestrated internet campaign run on Facebook, which persuaded people to download the RATM track “Killing in the Name of” in order to prevent Simon Cowell guaranteeing another Christmas number one. Simon Cowell’s artistes had obtained the Christmas Number One position since the start of the X Factor five years ago. Some people argued that this had spoilt the traditional battle for the Christmas number one.

RATM are set to play London’s Finsbury Park for their promised Victory concert later in the year, and it would appear that the band’s lead singer, Zack de la Rocha,  is ‘desperate’ for the Susan Boyle to perform alongside them.

Zack told The Sun newspaper: “Simon seemed to think it was a bullying campaign but the truth is the British people wanted a change. I don’t think anybody has heard anything of that Joe guy since Christmas, but we have nothing against him. The truth is Simon’s shows occasionally produce talent.”

He added: “We love Susan Boyle, she is hot. To show there are no hard feelings we would like her to perform with us on stage this summer. She is a great vocalist and we would love to perform ‘Killing In The Name’ with her. Everybody knows her in the US and she can add vocals to anything. It would be an honour for us.”

Somehow, I can’t see Susan singing “**** you, I won’t do what you tell me!”, can you?

Simon Cowell’s cover version of REM’s “Everybody Hurts” to benefit Haiti earthquake victims will be released on February 7th.

In addition to Susan Boyle, other stars who are contributing to the single include Michael Bublé, Miley Cyrus, Rod Stewart, Kylie Minogue, Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis, Robbie Williams, Take That, Cheryl Cole, Jon Bon Jovi, Alexandra Burke, Mika, JLS and Westlife.

Some parts of the song were recorded in London, and others in Los Angeles.

The single will be available for download on February 7th and as a CD single on February 8th. It is already available for pre-order on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Half of the proceeds raised by the single will go to the Sun’s Helping Haiti fund and the rest will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

I’ve been reading various media reports, the original source of which was probably The Sun, that Susan Boyle’s cousin has had a successful audition for Britain’s Got Talent.

I’ve so far been unable to get the young lady’s name, but according to The Sun she wowed the judges, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan, with her rendition of “Fields of Gold”.

Piers said: “She is a young girl with a big voice.”

And Amanda confirmed: “We have a moment in the auditions that’s very interesting.”

Can lightning strike twice?

Simon Cowell is organising a charity single to raise funds for the Haiti earthquake appeal. Sponsored by The Sun newspaper, the song chosen for the recording is REM’s Everybody Hurts,  because of the strong emotion the song conveys, and the track is due to be laid down next week.

Artists who have already agreed to contribute to the single included Susan Boyle, Take That, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Cheryl Cole, Rod Stewart, Mika, Michael Bublé, JLS and Westlife.

Susan told The Sun: “The Haiti earthquake has caused devastation and suffering that most of us will never experience nor could imagine.

“I feel privileged to be a part of such a wonderful project that will raise money to help the country.”

All the acts taking part have agreed to give all the proceeds raided to the Haiti appeal. Gordon Brown has also agreed that the single will be VAT free.

Susan Boyle does not want a superstar lifestyle. According to an article in the Daily Star, Simon Cowell has been trying to treat Susan like a the megastar that she is – but Susan is having none of it.

Susan has being given the finest suite in hotels when she’s been touring, with champagne on tap. However, Susan is happiest when in her ex council home in West Lothian.

A source told The Star: “Susan simply doesn’t want all that goes with fame and doesn’t need all that space she’s offered in hotel rooms.

“Unlike some of the younger acts to come from reality shows, Susan has had plenty of time to get used to life before celebrity.

“Finding herself in a giant hotel room with none of her home comforts has been overwhelming.

“Susan understands Simon wants the best for her, but she’d be just as happy in a smaller room.

“Susan is being treated as well, if not better, than any of Simon’s other acts, but she’s not the type of person to turn diva and make outrageous demands.”

Susan Boyle has apparently said to the News of the World that her dream for 2010 would be to find the perfect man. She has said that it would provide a magical end to a fairytale year.

Susan said: “I now dream about the perfect man. Women just want the security of a nice man and somebody to love you.”

However, she is still very fond of both Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan. Of Simon, she says: “I owe so much to him. He knows I have a soft spot for him.

“Oh, I do like Piers Morgan as well – he and Simon are my kind of men!”

Piers Morgan will be the host of the Susan Boyle TV Special: I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story, which will air on Sunday 13th December at 8/7c exclusively on the TV Guide Network in the US, and Sunday, 13th December 2009, 9:30pm – 10:30pm on ITV in the UK.

The programme is described as being a candid documentary of Susan Boyle’s journey from the small village of Blackburn in rural Scotland to international fame and fortune following her inspiring Britain’s Got Talent performance.

Piers Morgan, who watched first hand Susan’s amazing story, says that he has been “blown away”  by her transformation.

“It is very hard to think of anyone in the history of show business that has come from such an extraordinary background as Susan Boyle,” he says. “To be propelled from the complete anonymity of Blackburn to global superstardom and having 300 million people downloading you, it is to me the most extraordinary transformation I’ve ever seen in this business.”

There is some friendly banter on the show between Piers and Susan, with Susan saying that through all the changes in her life she has become closer to Piers. “I’ve always had a soft spot for wee Piersy,” she says. “He said ‘You’re a serious artist now.’ … It really feels like I am [an artist] now.”

In addition to the expected interviews of friends and celebrity fans, including Simon Cowell, and renditions of “Cry Me a River” and “Wild Horses” from her album, Susan will also be treating fans to a performance of  “One Day More” with the London cast of Les Miserables.  There will also be a segment on Susan at home and on her recent trip to New York where she performed at the Rockefeller Centre for the today show and visited the top of the Empire State Building.

“I’ve really enjoyed myself and I’m really enjoying making the show,” Susan said of the TV special. “I don’t want the dream to end — in fact, I want it to become a reality.”

Thanks to the TV Guide Network, who were the main source for this article.

Susan Boyle is number one in the UK album charts, with the best selling debut album in the history of the UK chart.  According to BBC News, Susan has so far sold 410,000 copies of her album, I Dreamed a Dream.

Simon Cowell has said that he is “proud” of Susan and added what we already know – that success could not have happened to a nicer person.

Susan has said the news is “fantastic”.

Cowell said: “She did it her way and made a dream come true.

“I’m incredibly proud of her.

“The success could not have happened to a lovelier person. She did it her way and made a dream come true.

“In Britain’s Got Talent she opened her mouth and the world fell in love with her, which is why her album has been the fastest selling of any woman making her debut.

“She’s amazing.”

Martin Talbot, a spokesman of the Official Charts Company, said that Susan’s achievement is “phenomenal”.

Watch Simon Cowell talking about Susan:

A programme / documentary is to be made for both UK and American TV about Susan Boyle. The documentary will be an hour long, is entitled I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story, and will be shown by the TV Guide Network in the US and ITV in the UK. The documentary’s producer is Simon Cowell, whose company SyCo TV is behind the production.

Ryan O’Hara, the president of the TV Guide has said “Susan Boyle is one of those rare personalities who has captivated millions of fans around the world with her undeniable vocal talent and incredible life story.

“For the first time ever, fans will have an opportunity to see Susan Boyle shine on stage in her own spotlight, witness amazing musical performances in a concert setting, as well as gain insight into the challenges she overcame as she rose to an international phenomenon.”

The programme will feature Susan singing, plus interviews with her friends, celebrities who admire her and Simon Cowell, the creator of “Britain’s Got Talent”.

The programme will track Susan’s journey from church volunteer from Blackburn in Scotland, to the super celebrity which she has now reached.

I Dreamed A Dream – The Susan Boyle Story will premiere Sunday, December 13 on ITV1 in the UK and TV Guide in the US.

In other news, Susan Boyle’s debut album, “I Dreamed a Dream”,  is likely to become the fastest-selling album of 2009, after it smashed its first day sales targets. In particular, there have been a large number of purchases made in Scotland, where Susan fans have been keen to support their fellow Scot -  HMV have had to double their stock of the album in the last few days to meet the Scottish demand.

Margaret Alexander, 52, from Edinburgh, told The Scotsman that she never normally went into High Street music stores. “But you’ve got to back your own, haven’t you?” she said.

The Rolling Stones have also reissued their version of “Wild Horses” after Susan’s version was shown on the X Factor in the UK.