Why forum.susan-boyle.com is so awesome: Last night at 9:23 UK time Skye(Texas) posted 2 tweets from a writer in London who said he had just interviewed Susan and that she was going to Holland today. In just 2 hours, members in Maryland, Belgium and Holland had found out where she was appearing and the 2 members in Holland got tickets. Pictures from their meeting Susan at the studio today were texted to a member in Sweden and posted in almost real time on the Forum. Hilarious to follow to follow the timeline. Awesome collaboration. Congratulations Truus and Irma and thanks Irma's son Benjamin for the pictures.
A day in the life of Susan Boyle: Singer claims she's happiest when she's at home in West Lothian
THE Scots singer opens her doors as she reveals she feels safest in Scotland and enjoys just blending in with those who know her best.
Subo in the rain..
IT'S 10 past 12, it’s lashing down in West Lothian and I’m in a bus shelter with the world’s most famous Scotswoman.
The number 21 she travels on to get her messages is running a couple of minutes late, but Susan Boyle isn’t worried. Oh no, she’s literally singing in the rain Gene Kelly style, umbrella in the air, wellies sloshing through the puddles and a megawatt smile lighting up that instantly recognisable face.
A millionaire several times over, she could live in New York, LA, Paris, London, or all four if she wanted with just the small change from her earnings.
But it’s here in her home village of Blackburn where she’s happiest – and where Susan will stay.
“Although I could live anywhere in the world,” she says as the wind whips in while we wait for the bus, “I like to come home and feel safe.
“I’ve known the neighbours here all my life.
“They don’t treat me any differently, they just treat me like their neighbour.
“It gives you a sense of identity, and lets you know who you are and where your roots are.
“If you lose that, then forget it. Here, I’m just an ordinary person. I just blend in.”
And today, to prove the point, we’re out with Susan, 51, as she goes about her errands.
We begin at the house she grew up in, with her mother, father and her eight brothers and sisters, the house where she still lives because the fancy villa she bought down the road just doesn’t feel the same.
“Like they say in the Wizard of Oz, there’s no place like home,” she says as she shows me into the lounge.
“I love my life, and my work and all the travel.
“My favourite exotic place to travel to has been Japan.It was great. I managed to teach a Japanese person to say ‘nae bother’. I was very proud.
“But it also makes me appreciate my home life even more, it’s a bit like a cat with a basket. They go in their basket and curl up to feel safe, that’s what it feels like.”
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Gallery: A day in the life of Susan Boyle
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The SuBo story has become so well-known that we almost take it for granted.
But take a step back and it really is one of most amazing tales in showbiz.
To be sat in her modest lounge just underlines how defiantly unchanged by it all she is.
Our morning starts with me sitting next to Susan while she and pals watch her pre-recorded singing performance on a daytime TV show.
Her version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, from her new musical-inspired album Standing Ovation, sounds note perfect.
But Susan grimaces and winces when her pals erupt in claps of approval. She blushes and complains: “I could hear all the mistakes.”
She must have been the only viewer in the UK to notice but then she’s something of a perfectionist.
“I’m used to seeing myself on telly now, but I hate watching it because I can hear all the mistakes.
“There’s room for improvement and I always want to do better.
“When you record, if you make a mistake you can go over it. If you’re on stage, you are there.”
Despite being her own harshest critic, in the recording process for her new album – which she made in Glasgow, allowing a nightly commute home – she was close to flawless, according to record label staff.
Her sessions finished an incredible six weeks early because she seemed able to get most of the tracks down first time.
She said: “I found I could go in and sing through the song, instead of recording line by line.
“This was the most fun album to record because the songs were all from musicals, which is what I always loved.
“The previous album was more of a reflective album.
“This is my preference. It was a good laugh.
“In the studio you’re in a bubble. Nobody can get near you, and on stage you are more exposed.
“When I first started, I’d be lucky to get an audience of 200 and now it’s a bit more than that.”
Susan’s recent trip to Las Vegas, to sing with childhood hero Donny Osmond, has whetted her appetite for that kind of prestigious show and she would jump at the chance to headline her own Vegas revue.
She said: “I first met him in the studios in August (where he joined her on a version of This is My Moment for her new album) and he is a real practical joker.
“He played me back the recording he had already done, but at a different speed, and it was like, oh wow.
“I was nearly on the floor laughing. He is very approachable and very helpful. We had a great chemistry together.
“The show was out of this world. You go up to the stage through a long bit in the middle and then see the audience on either side.
“At first I thought, ‘Oh my God, what’s this?’ But you get used to it.
“You’ve got to concentrate on the song. Once you do that, it’s fine.
“I do still find it a bit surreal and wonder who would want to sing with someone from Blackburn.
“At a concert recently, I met Elton John backstage and he was really nice and friendly.
“He invited me to stay in his hotel suites in Vegas.
“I never took him up on the offer, but he said that any time I ever go there, I can stay in his place at Caesar’s Palace. That was some invite to get.
“I’d love to play there myself, but I’m a long way off that.”
She’s far too modest of course.
In truth, there’s not a venue in the world which wee Susan from Blackburn couldn’t sell out.
But today we’ve got other important business to attend to.
Susan has a pal’s birthday coming up and we’re off to catch the bus down to the post office to buy a card.
Other stars of her stature would be hailing a limo, but that’s not her way.
Behind the counter, assistant Anne Fairlie greets Susan like a long-lost friend. “How are you?” she yells.
Anne tells me later: “It’s always lovely to see Susan pop in. She is everybody’s pal, the same Susan as before.”
Card bought, we’re on the move again. And Susan’s back in reflective mood, chuckling when we talk about her remarkable career – three blockbuster albums already under her belt and her fourth on course to become one too.
“It’s early days yet and I believe in taking baby steps,” she says cautiously.
Then she adds with a chuckle and that huge grin again: “Sometimes I feel like a veteran but it’s only been three years.”
Once again, CB and I have created group cards for Susan and the team and invite you to add your messages. The cards will be delivered on December 17 via email.
If you’re a regular Twitter user you may well have seen a somewhat dubious hashtag trending in recent days.
To promote the release of Britain’s got Talent discovery, Susan Boyle, her PR team created the hashtag #susanalbumparty. Rather than reading it as the presumably intended “Susan Album Party”, Twitter users rapidly came to another conclusion. The hashtag quickly became a top topic of conversation on the social site, and several celebrities were quick to further spread the “PR mis-hap”, ensuring many more saw the message.
But was the hashtag a mistake, or a cunning ruse from the PR company? The @SusanBoyleHQ account has gained over 1000 followers; her name and new album have been discussed far and wide by audiences who wouldn’t typically give the release of Standing Ovation a moment’s thought. Was this hashtag a successful attempt to ‘go viral’ with the launch of a new album in the run up to Christmas?
Typically multi-word hashtags distinguish between words with the use of capital letters. #SusanAlbumParty is an entirely different read to #susanalbumparty.
SuBo’s twitter account has since removed the original tweet and changed the album hashtag to the far more innocent #StandingOvation but the original tag is still being tweeted and retweeted extensively.
Whether it was a clever ploy or a big mistake, there are lessons we can learn from the Susan Boyle hashtag
Use capital letters to distinguish between words when using a longer hashtag.
Double and triple check that your hashtagged messages can’t be misconstrued – even if you capitalise the words in your original #tag, there’s a strong chance others using it, won’t .
Sometimes you can get away with a bit of humour and cheekiness, but be careful to assess whether it’s appropriate to your brand image.
Using a catchy, memorable #hashtag for your campaigns is a great way to easily track the spread of your message and help users communicate with each other on a topic of mutual interest.
What do you think: was this an honest mistake or a clever tactic from the PR firm, which appears to have paid off?
With a smash-hit Susan Boyle stage musical, I Dreamed a Dream, currently conquering the UK, it’s inevitable that Hollywood would soon get to dreaming about cashing in on the action. And so it’s come to pass, with a biopic of the rags-to-riches talent show megastar in the pipeline. Various names have been flagged up, including Kathy Bates, Kathy Burke and Julie Walters (Boyle herself suggested that last one). But if those estimable actresses plead previous engagements, here are some other possibilities.
OK, let’s get the cheap shots about Ms Boyle’s unconventional looks out of the way by conceding that, yes, twinkly-eyed London geezer Ray Winstone could easily transform into the twinkly-eyed Edinburgh gal with little more than a lady’s wig dropped on his head from a great height.
Popular Choice: Melissa McCarthy as Susan Boyle
Getting serious though, casting-agents have no doubt been making mental lists of plus-size actresses for the part, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already hit on Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy along the way.
Or why not go the Shallow Hal route of showing that the big-hearted singer is beautiful on the inside, maybe by having her turn into Mila Kunis whenever she belts out a song?
Our Choice: Ruth Jones as Susan Boyle
But if that’s too weird, not to mention borderline body-fascist, our number one choice would have to be British actress Ruth Jones, and not just because of her extra poundage. Not only is Jones a thoroughly engaging, down-to-earth screen presence, she’s also from Wales, so you’ve got your Celtic connection right there.
Just as interesting might be the question of who to cast as the Britain’s Got Talent panel, whose collective jaws dropped seconds into that famous rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’.
Colin Firth as Simon Cowell
For Simon Cowell, we deem it a pity that the great Donald Pleasance is no longer with us – he would have been perfect stroking a white cat while menacingly asking ‘so what have you got for us tonight, Susan?’ Otherwise, it would have to be Colin Firth, not just because that’s probably who Simon thinks he sees whenever he looks in the mirror, but also because Firth got that superior air of dismissiveness down pat in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Heather Graham as Amanda Holden
For Amanda Holden, on lookalike grounds alone, Heather Graham.
Steven Coogan as Piers Morgan
The most obvious choice for Piers Morgan would be Steven Coogan, who’s proved again and again he can do smug-but-strangely-likeable egomaniacs, most noticeably Manchester music promoter Tony Wilson in 24-Hour Party People.
Alternate Pick: Werner Herzog as Piers Morgan
But, wait. I’ve dreamed a dream of my own about casting Piers. What about Werner Herzog? Look at those photos and tell me I’m wrong. Herzog has recently essayed big screen villainy in Jack Reacher, so Piers should be a doddle. Admittedly, that Germanic accent might be a minor problem, but he could use some of his best quotes to show Piers unnerving over-confident contestants. ‘Are there gay penguins?’, he could suddenly ask out of nowhere. Or when somebody boasts about their amazing singing talent, he could simply answer ‘The common denominator of the Universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility and murder’. It could just work, but only if David Lynch is directing.
Susan Boyle's Stage Musical I Dreamed a Dream is Being Adapted for the Big Screen
LONDON BUZZ By Josh Ferri November 26, 2012 - 12:17PM
Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle's bio musical will be adapted into a film.
Singing sensation Susan Boyle's life story is headed to the big screen as Fox Searchlight plans to adapt the musicalI Dreamed a Dream into a major motion picture, according to Deadline.com. No casting, director, screenwriter or timeline have been announced. The musical tells the story of Boyle’s journey from her humble beginnings in a large working class Scottish family to her current status as a global star, following her life-changing appearance onBritain’s Got Talent. I Dreamed a Dream premiered at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal earlier this year. The musical then went on tour, playing Aberdeen, Bradford, Liverpool, Dublin, Bristol, Southend, Cardiff, Birmingham, Inverness and Manchester. Future productions are planned for Australia and London’s West End. Click below to watch Boyle perform “I Dreamed a Dream” during herBritain’s Got Talent audition back in 2009.
To get you in the right mood for the holidays, Circlette has sent along this fine recipe for RUM Cake. Give it a try! With Christmas on the horizon and discussion about rum, forget the lamingtons. Here is the long lost family recipe, I follow for making a Christmas Fruit Cake, which involves the use of rum. You have to be tipsy to understand the instructions. Cuzzie Fran, take notes!
Christmas Rum Cake
1 Tsp. Sugar 1 or 2 Quarts of Rum 1 Cup Dried Fruit - don't buy the ones with nitrates Brown Sugar - use your discretion 1 Tsp. Soda Not sure if that's powder or, Soda in a bottle 1 Cup Butter - not sure if melted or hard 2 Large Eggs - chickens eggs 1 Cup Baking Powder 3 Juiced Lemons - you can cheat and buy the concentrate 1 Cup of Nuts (not real ones)
Before starting, sample rum to check quality. Good, isn't it? Now proceed. If not good, go to the store and buy more rum. Drink the other bottle of rum. No point in wasting a bottle of rum, regardless of the quality.
Select large mixing bowl, measuring cup, etc. The usual stuff recommended for cooking. If, you have none, then just guess the measurements.
Check rum again. It must be just right. To be sure rum is of proper quality, pour one level cup of rum into a glass and drink it as fast as you can. Repeat.
With electric mixer, beat 1 cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. If, the fluff doesn't work, add some soap.
Add 1 seaspoon of thusar and beat again. I am not sure what thusar is, it could be sugar.
Meanwhile, make sure rum is still alrighty. Try another cup. Open second quart if necessary.
Add leggs, 2 cups of fried druit and beat til high. If druit gets stuck in beaters, pry loose with drewscriber or a chain saw. Watever is handie at the time.
Sample rum again, checking for tonscisticity.
Next, sift 3 cups pepper or salt (really doesn't matter). Just sift something.
Sample rum. Make sure you ave a good kup full.
Sift 1/2 pint lemon juice. Fold in chopped butter and strained nuts. Add 1 bablespoon of brown sugar-or whatever color you can find. Wix mell. Grease oven. Turn cake pan to 350 gredees. Pour mess into boven and ake.
Check run again and bo to ged. Take a hedache pill to stop edpain.
Fox Searchlight has acquired the life rights toBritain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle along with rights to the UK musical I Dreamed A Dreamthat’s based on her story. The plan is to combine the two to develop a re-imagined filmed version of the musical. Lucas Webb, who pursued the project for Searchlight out of London, tells me the aspiration is to do “a sensitive and honest biopic infused with music.” It’s early stages and no director or screenwriter has been attached, but the project is “front and center,” says Webb
#Almere #Amsterdam #hetgooi
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Cuzzie Fran, take notes!
Christmas Rum Cake
Fox Searchlight has acquired the life rights toBritain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle along with rights to the UK musical I Dreamed A Dreamthat’s based on her story. The plan is to combine the two to develop a re-imagined filmed version of the musical. Lucas Webb, who pursued the project for Searchlight out of London, tells me the aspiration is to do “a sensitive and honest biopic infused with music.” It’s early stages and no director or screenwriter has been attached, but the project is “front and center,” says Webb
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