Some idiot from The Mirror wrote this piece of trash back on October 14, 2009. I thought fans would get a good laugh and a giggle over this offensive, insensitive, stupid news article.

graysea

Giulia ZarantonelloDedicated Friends of Susan Boyle

February 3

In her heart the sweet splendor of the dream. In her face, the soft light of its charm.In her eyes the sap of her life. In her song traveling on the gentle ocean her heart. Angels of heaven come down for see her sweet soul. Prayers rise in the sky for a sweet woman. A new spring will come with new flowers. In the sun, the radiance of her faith. Nature listens in silence her sweet melody. Sweet on her way in her journey. Mauro Ceci.

graysea

Beautiful picture, simply beautiful!

graysea · 14 Oct 2009 13:27

Some idiot from The Mirror wrote this piece of trash back on October 14, 2009. I thought fans would get a good laugh and a giggle over this offensive, insensitive, stupid news article.

You owe Susan Boyle a written apology in your paper.

My response:
HA, HA, HA, HA, WHO HAS THE LAST LAUGH NOW?

I DREAMED A DREAM WAS THE FAST SELLING CD SINCE THE BEATLES AND IT WAS #1 WORLDWIDE. 14 MILLION OF IDAD CDs WERE SOLD IN 14 MONTHS!

SUSAN BOYLE HAS PROVIDED US WITH 4 BRILLIANT CDS AND TODAY IS WORKING ON HER 5TH CD.

SUSAN BOYLE HAS ACHIEVED STARDOM ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL AND CONTINUES TO PRODUCE AMAZING MUSIC TODAY!

THE SUSAN BOYLE 5 STAR MUSICAL, I DREAMED A DREAM, OPENED WITH A FULL HOUSE IN MARCH 2012 TO RAVE REVIEWS AND CONTINUED FOR WEEKS TO SELL OUT AUDIENCES.

SUSAN BOYLE IS LOVED WORLDWIDE!

SUSAN BOYLE IS A RESPECTED AND POWERFUL SINGER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TODAY!

We fans still have ears and we can still hear beautiful music.
We fans have IPODs,
We fans have IPHONEs
We fans have the latest computers
We fans still belong to fans sites and follow Susan's adventures daily.
We fans post pictures, produce tribute videos, create tribute posters and keep blogs.
We fans have common sense and have some wisdom; which, I guess, the writer lacks.

BTW, The latest trend today is sequins all over every piece of clothing sold.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOO BAD YOU WROTE SUSAN OFF BEFORE SHE EVEN GOT STARTED. WHAT, IS THAT EGG ON YOUR FACE?

Now go to the blackboard and write: I will not bully Susan Boyle again, because Susan is an amazing professional singer who is loved worldwide by many fans of all ages.

Below is the poorly written article by The Mirror:

Susan Boyle single-handedly kills off sequin trend

14 Oct 2009 13:27

It's really really fortunate that, these days, nobody buys actual CDs, so the cover of Susan Boyle's album will mainly just exist as a tiny square shining out from people's iPods (and we pity whichever mugger has to show that off to his mates at the bus stop).

Oh, what are we saying? Susan Boyle fans don't have iPods. We're not sure they even have ears. But seriously, can you imagine if Susan's smiling face was beaming out from some 12 inch vinyl? It's a scary, scary thought. As it is, the kinds of people who'll actually be looking to own Susan's debut album probably haven't had perfect eyesight since some time in the late 1930s, so they'll be missing out on the pure beauty of I Dreamed A Dream anyway.

Good to know that Susan's keeping up with the current trend for sequins, though... and therefore killing it for the rest of us. Now, where did we put the receipt for that Christmas party frock?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/susan-boyle-single-handedly-kills-off-sequin-672446

graysea

Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent - signed funny bone drawing for charity

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100% of the final sale price will support Anthony Nolan

( Learn more about eBay for Charity )

About this charity:

Anthony Nolan is a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer. Every day, we use our register to match remarkable donors willing to donate their bone marrow to people who desperately need lifesaving transplants.

This is an eBay for Charity listing

(Administered by PayPal Giving Fund)

You are bidding on a postcard that has been customised with a drawing of a funny bone by Britain's Got Talent star, Susan Boyle. The drawing is in ink on a blank postcard and has been signed along the front.

A fantastic bunch of celebrities have kindly donated their bone drawings to the ‘Bone Idol’ campaign, designed to raise money and awareness of Anthony Nolan, a pioneering charity that run the UK Stem Cell and Bone Marrow registers.

Each day they provide lifesaving transplants for people suffering from cancer of the blood – a curable cancer, if a match is found. Every penny raised from these auctions will go towards growing their donor registers, and saving more lives. It takes about £100 to add someone to the donor database, so please bid generously!

Finally, if you are 16-30 and in good health, please consider doing something amazing, and joining the donor registers – you could be the match that saves someone’s life!

If you have any questions, or want any more pictures, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you, and happy bidding!

To find out more about the Bone Idol campaign, please search Bone Idol 2013 on Facebook, or find us @Bone_Idol_2013 on Twitter.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Susan-Boyle-Britains-Got-Talent-signed-funny-bone-drawing-for-charity-/310599742403

graysea

Another article about Susan's famous toes. As I said before, crystal toes to match her crystal clear voice.

Susan Boyle spends £70 a week having her toenails decorated. - 21-Feb-2013 - NZ Entertainment news

The 'I Dreamed a Dream' star - worth a reported £22 million - has pedicures with up to 500 Swarovski crystals, at a salon near her home in West Lothian, Scotland.

Although the star has sold over 17 million albums worldwide, and been able to buy a huge £300,000 property, she still prefers to live in the small council house she grew up in and shared with her mother, Bridget, who died five years ago.

Now she is rich Susan, 51, has also admitted to spending money on fancy scents - of which she has 37 different bottles - and good food.

She said: "I like perfume. I also like salmon, sushi and steaks."

When asked how it feels not to have to worry about money, she added: "It feels good. But I've got too much now."

Perhaps Susan's fancy new feet are a move to help her find a man, as she is also single, but remains hopeful of finding love.

A source recently said: "Susan had hoped fame would bring her luck in finding a boyfriend, but sadly, that hasn't been the case.

"Her ideal man would be a Donny Osmond type - someone who is well-groomed, tanned and dresses classically. It's also important to her that he has a strong love of family and moral fortitude. And he must adore cats."

graysea

SuBo won't be filming on the Island

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:56

Susan Boyle’s management flatly denies that the star will be filming on the Isle of Man.

During his budget speech, Treasury Minister Eddie Teare mentioned that Susan, along with local star Sam Barks, would be on the Island to film a festive feature called “A Christmas Candle.”

However, a spokesperson for the singer has denied this is the case.

Isle of Man Film confirms Sam Barks will be working on the project.

However, there appears to have been a misunderstanding surrounding Susan Boyle’s exact involvement.

http://www.energyfm.net/cms/news_story_252251.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

graysea

TV SuBo in People power ad

By BOB SMYTH

Published: 12th February 2013

SUPERSTAR Susan Boyle teamed up with camp disco icons the Village People to make her first US telly ad.

The Scots singer appeared alongside the YMCA act, 80s fave Tiffany and Lance Bass, from boyband ’N Sync, to plug Miracle Whip salad cream.

And their commercial was watched by millions of viewers during Sunday’s glittering Grammy awards show.

It sees SuBo and co record a spoof charity song pleading for shoppers to “end the prejudice” against the spread.

Susan, 51, belts out lines from Keep an Open Mouth and at one point makes her bandmates a cuppa.

The singer, of Blackburn, West Lothian wrote on her website: “It was great to sing alongside the Village People.

“It’s not every day you can say you introduced an ’N Sync boy to a proper pot of tea?”

The ad for Kraft has now gone online.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/scottishnews/4790938/Susan-Boyle-stars-in-US-ad.html#ixzz2LZ9jEtV2

graysea

This story is going around the world. Everyone is fascinated with what Susan is doing. Fans would probably say: Good for you Susan! Enjoy what you have earned doing amazing work singing and recording fabulous CDs: making people happy.

Susan Boyle has Swarovski pedicure

London: Singer Susan Boyle reportedly spends 70 pounds a week having her toenails decorated with up to 500 Swarovski crystals.

The `I Dreamed a Dream` star, worth a reported 22 million pounds, has pedicures with up to 500 Swarovski crystals, at a salon near her home in West Lothian, Scotland, reported Sun Online.

Although the star has sold over 17 million albums worldwide, and been able to buy a huge 300,000 pounds property, she still prefers to live in the small council house she grew up in and shared with her mother, Bridget, who died five years ago.

Now that she is rich, Boyle, 51, has also admitted to spending money on fancy scents and good food.
"I like perfume. I also like salmon, sushi and steaks. http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/and-more/susan-boyle-has-swarovski-pedicure_128266.htm

graysea

NEWS: Sam Barks and Susan Boyle to film on Island #news #iom

Eddie Teare’s Budget speech in full

SPECIFIC NEW INITIATIVES IN 2013

I will start with the construction sector. As we are all aware, this sector continues to struggle due to an absence of demand from both individuals for housing and businesses for commercial work. As a result, Government remains a key source of activity. In addition to Government‟s substantial capital programme, I am able to confirm that we intend to grow the public sector housing programme to £18.7 million in 2013/14, an increase of £4.7 million compared to the projected expenditure in 2012/13.

Our film industry continues to prosper following the purchase of shares in Pinewood Shepperton. Four films have been put into production since last October twice the number made in the previous 12 months. I can today announce that our latest film will be ‘A Christmas Candle’ starring Susan Boyle, and our own Sam Barks, which will begin filming in the next few weeks.

graysea

Susan Boyle

Tweets: 607
Followers: 9,012
Following: 15

Who am I

Born: Apr 01, 1961

Twitter

Website

Wikipedia

I

Came across the link below indicating that Susan has a Twitter account.

Not sure Tweet address is her or her team. If you click on the link you will see a list of celebrities who are listed as on Twitter.

I found this of interest, as I use Twitter.

Also on the page is a list of videos of Susan's events, which are great to see in one place. Enjoy!

http://www.celebritiestweets.com/tweetstream.php?id=1995

‏@celebritycharts

Scottish singer and Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle, is now verified on Twitter as of today! http://www.celebritiestweets.com/tweetstream.php?id=1995 …

https://twitter.com/celebritycharts

http://www.celebritiestweets.com/tweetstream.php?id=451

graysea

Fansinternationalinc shared a link. 4 hours ago

Isle of Man News - POSTED today at 11:17 am

Barks and Boyle to star in next Island film

by Manx Radio

The Britain's Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle and Les Miserables star Laxey-born Sam Barks are coming to film on the Island.

Outlining new initiatives for 2013 in his budget speech, Treasury Minister Eddie Teare said the pair would star in the latest movie to be shot here. Filming of A Christmas Candle is due to begin in the next few weeks.

Mr Teare said the Manx government's investment in Pinewood Shepperton film studios was paying dividends, with four films put into production since last October, twice the number made in the previous 12 months.

From Treasury Minister Eddie Teare's Budget speech....

"Our film industry continues to prosper following the purchase of shares in Pinewood Shepperton. Four films have been put into production since last October twice the number made in the previous 12 months. I can today announce that our latest film will be ‘A Christmas Candle’ starring Susan Boyle, and our own Sam Barks, which will begin filming in the next few weeks."

Eddie Teare’s Budget speech in full - Business - Isle of Man Today

www.iomtoday.co.im

TREASURY Minister Eddie Teare MHK today delivered his budget to Tynwald.

graysea · 18 February 2013 11:24 GMT

Susan Boyle has twinkle toes as she splashes cash in Scotland

Susan Boyle has been splashing her well-earned cash on a spot of pampering recently, opting to have her toenails blinged up with Swarovski crystals.

The Britain’s Got Talent star decided to have the fun treatment at her local beauty salon, at home in Blackburn.

The rhinestone toe design is a favourite amongst TOWIE stars and WAGs and now our Susan has joined the bejewelled brigade.

According to The Sun, if you want your tootsies to have some like Boyle-like bling, you will have to cough up £70.

Not that that will pose any problem for Susan, who is said to be worth a cool £22 million.

Susan’s new look is sure to get a nod of approval from former TOWIE star Maria Fowler, who admitted she is a huge fan of the Scots singing sensation.

Speaking to STV last year, Maria said: “I love her, I absolutely love her. I watched her on a TV show where she was getting interviewed and saying things about her life and her upbringing, and how she was treated differently because they thought she was a certain way. It’s really sad and it’s really nice [that she’s had success].”

Susan recently wowed the Scottish crowds when she took to the stage with her hero, Donnie Osmond, when Donnie and sister Marie were playing at Glasgow’s SECC.

The stars performed This is the Moment, before Susan presented Donnie with a tartan scarf and tie, which he was thrilled to receive.

To see the interview, copy and paste link above:

Check out our interview with Susan from December 2012 in the player above.

graysea

Susan Boyle's $128 a week toenail habit

Published:

10:01PM Monday February 18, 2013

Source: BANG Showbiz

Susan Boyle spends 70 pounds ($NZ128.2) a week having her toenails decorated.

The I Dreamed a Dream star - worth a reported 22 million pounds ($NZ40.3 million) - has pedicures with up to 500 Swarovski crystals, at a salon near her home in West Lothian, Scotland.

Although the star has sold over 17 million albums worldwide, and been able to buy a huge 300,000 pound ($NZ549,769) property, she still prefers to live in the small council house she grew up in and shared with her mother, Bridget, who died five years ago.

Now she is rich Susan, 51, has also admitted to spending money on fancy scents - of which she has 37 different bottles - and good food.

She said: "I like perfume. I also like salmon, sushi and steaks."

When asked how it feels not to have to worry about money, she added: "It feels good. But I've got too much now."

Perhaps Susan's fancy new feet are a move to help her find a man, as she is also single, but remains hopeful of finding love.

A source recently said: "Susan had hoped fame would bring her luck in finding a boyfriend, but sadly, that hasn't been the case.

"Her ideal man would be a Donny Osmond type - someone who is well-groomed, tanned and dresses classically. It's also important to her that he has a strong love of family and moral fortitude. And he must adore cats.

http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/susan-boyle-s-128-week-toenail-habit-5344817
"

graysea

Susan Boyle treats herself to Swarovski pedicures

Posted by Anna Lewis on 18 February 2013 08:24
1 Comments

She doesn’t necessarily look like the kind of gal who enjoys a fancy pedicure, but it’s been revealed that Susan Boyle regularly gets her tootsies decked out in Swarovski crystals.

The Britain’s Got Talent megastar has up to 500 super-sparkly jewels glued on individually at a beauty salon near her Scottish ex-council house.

The treatment takes around two hours and costs about £70.

After having the fancy-pants pedicure, 51-year-old SuBo likes to pop down to her local pub in West Lothian to show off her new look.

But who can blame her for treating herself once in a while – she recently topped the list of richest reality show contestants in the UK.

So what else has SuBo been spending her dosh on?

She said: “I like perfume. I also like salmon, sushi and steaks.”

And asked how it feels to no longer worry about money, she replied: “It feels good. But I’ve got too much now.”

But despite her fortune beating the One Direction boys’ £20 million each and Cheryl Cole’s £15 million, Susan still can’t have the one thing she really wants.

“I’d love to have a cat, but I’m away too much.”

We'll look after your moggy, SuBo.

http://www.heatworld.com/Celeb-News/2013/02/Susan-Boyle-treats-herself-to-Swarovski-pedicures/

graysea

You really toe-nailed that one, ShoeBo...

Bling singer's £70 jewelled pedicure

Crystal tips ... SuBo and Swarovski nails

By STUART PINK and ANDY HALLS, Showbiz Reporters

Published: 4 hrs ago

MULTI-millionaire Susan Boyle is footing the bill . . . for bling TOENAILS.

The Britain’s Got Talent legend — who still lives in her ex council house — has her tootsies encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

The sparkly rhinestones are glued on individually at a beauty salon near her Scottish home.

The process usually takes about two hours and costs around £70. Up to 500 crystals can be used.

Afterwards, SuBo, 51 — who is worth an estimated £22million — likes to head to her local pub in West Lothian to show off her twinkly toes.

The crystal treatment is usually favoured by glamorous style icons such as Holly Willoughby, Amy Childs and Katy Perry.

Miner’s daughter SuBo — who appeared on BGT in 2009 — last month topped the list of the richest reality show contestants in the UK.

She has developed a few other indulgences since she found fame on the TV talent show, where performers are often told: “You nailed that!”

The I Dreamed A Dream singer owns 37 bottles of perfume and has a weakness for upmarket Tiffany jewellery.

She said: “I like perfume. I also like salmon, sushi and steaks.”

Asked how it feels to no longer worry about money, she replied: “It feels good. But I’ve got too much now.”

Her fortune beats the One Direction boys’ £20million each, Cheryl Cole’s £15million and Will Young’s £13.5million.

But despite her bank balance, Susan still can’t have what she would really like — a pet cat.

She said: “I’d love to have a cat, but I’m away too much.”

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/4799903/Susan-Boyle-foots-the-bill-for-Swarovski-toenails.html#ixzz2LDpJMlXN

Susan Boyle: Singer and Now Businesswoman

By Marie Sheahan Brown

Who can forget the YouTube masterpiece? She strode and sashayed onto the stage with golden stature and confidence. She sparred wittily with the three famous judges, wearied by their long day of auditions in Glasgow, Scotland. She didn’t look the part of a “professional singer,” although one might perceive that being “currently unemployed” at forty-seven left little extra for beauty-shop pampering. Was she, rather, a comedienne? Susan Boyle audition

Then she sang. The formerly skeptical audience stood enraptured, tears welling as she belted out “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Misérables with stunning clarity and passion.

More than five years after the seven-minute audition video aired on Britain’s Got Talent on April 11, 2009, and promptly hit worldwide news feeds, multitudes in America and beyond remember Susan Boyle. Since she first broke Amazon pre-sale records in September 2009, millions have bought her albums. Each year, a new carefully crafted album has been released in time for Christmas. Since 2009, five albums have garnered sixty-three gold and ninety-four platinum sales levels in forty-two countries. Her sixth album, Hope, will be released on October 21 in the United States.

Scottish and United Kingdom audiences thrilled to Miss Boyle’s first full-length concert tours in 2013 and 2014. Now she’s coming to America—home of an immediate and strong support base—starting in San Diego on October 8, and singing her way across the southern half of the United States at venues in twenty cities. A sweep through the northern states could likely follow in the future.

See http://www.susanboylemusic.com/us/events

Many have written about Susan Boyle’s difficult and graced life. Her 2010 autobiography, The Woman I Was Born to Be, is a good source. Now fifty-three, she carefully revealed late in 2013 that, after decades of mistaken assumptions, she had finally been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. The relief of self-knowledge strengthens and encourages her after a lifetime of dealing with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks, and some difficulty in handling emotions and relating comfortably to people.

“This is a point: People may have problems,” she states in a documentary, “but they’ve got other things as well. And they’ve got a lot more to offer.” (Gammon, Lottie, produced, filmed, and directed. “There’s Something About Susan.” Firecracker Films Ltd. for ITV, 45:37 minutes. 2013)

Fewer analyses have considered her role as a small businesswoman and philanthropist whose personal success has enhanced the lives and small businesses of countless others not only in her native Scotland but also in, for example, America.

Miss Boyle, easily mistaken for a stately five feet ten in the famous video, is, in fact, barely over five feet tall with soft, dainty hands and feet—a huggable China doll. So she does qualify as a smallbusinesswoman despite her multimillions in sales, which also benefit business giants like Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited; SYCOmusic (Simon Cowell); Simon & Schuster, Inc.; Amazon; and, more recently, concert tour bus companies. In significant other ways, she retains her focus on the little ones.

The woman who had “never been married, never been kissed” and remains a virgin has, since 2009, given birth with astonishing fecundity. Lewis Hyde well describes her kind of gift and fertility in his 1983 classic, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property: “I have hoped . . . to speak of the inner gift that we accept as the object of our labor, and the outer gift that has become a vehicle of culture. I am not concerned with gifts given in spite or fear, nor those gifts we accept out of servility or obligation; my concern is the gift we long for, the gift that, when it comes, speaks commandingly to the soul and irresistibly moves us.”

Mr. Hyde first explores traditional “gift economies,” in which citizens are considered wealthy not according to how much they acquire but how much they give. In fictional form, Jean M. Auel’s well-researched Earth’s Children series (The Clan of the Cave Bear and five sequels) describes the creativity and ingenuity that led people to survive, to form communities, and to work cooperatively for mutual benefit. Goods, services, storytelling and musical talents, art, and many other gifts were appreciated in deeper ways than they might be in a typical “market economy.”

According to reviewer JoAnn Schwartz, “Above all, Hyde is interested in examining the effect our current immersion in the market economy and the myth of the free market has both on our view of gifts and on our ability to give and receive them. The market economy is deliberately impersonal, but the whole purpose of the ‘gift economy’ is to establish and strengthen the relationships between us, to connect us one to the other. It is this element of relationship which leads Hyde to speak of gift exchange as ‘erotic’ commerce, opposing eros (the principle of attraction, union, involvement which binds together) to logos (reason and logic in general, the principle of differentiation in particular). A market economy is an emanation of logos.

“In a market economy,” Ms. Schwartz continues, “one can hoard one’s goods without losing wealth. Indeed, wealth is increased by hoarding—although we generally call it ‘saving.’ In contrast, in a gift economy, wealth is decreased by hoarding, for it is the circulation of the gift(s) within the community that leads to increase—increase in connections, increase in relationship strength. Through this book, Hyde helps us focus on the importance of gifts, their flow and movement, and the impact that the modern market place has had on the circulation of gifts.” (http://southerncrossreview.org/4/schwartz.html)

Susan Boyle does appreciate the financial security that she had never known, especially in the fearsome years after her mother died in 2007, when Miss Boyle kept her house cold so that she could afford the heating bill. Yet more important, Susan Boyle has said all along, “I sing to make people happy.” When she was a girl, the gift spoke “commandingly to the soul”—her soul. She honed, honed, honed the gift to perfection over decades of world obscurity. She sees with gratitude and humility the effects of this gift on people worldwide. When this gift is pointed out to her in personal conversation, she bows her head and lowers her eyes shyly. “Thank you.”

Miss Boyle’s fame and financial success have boosted tourism modestly in West Lothian, Scotland, with its pastoral more than spectacular scenery, a region that has suffered from bouts of economic depression and unemployment over the past few centuries. In February 2013, for example, following a centuries-old pattern, the main employer in the area—Halls of Broxburn meat processing plant—was closed by foreign owners, leaving 1,700 unemployed.

Lorraine Campbell co-owns and manages The Balbairdie—a nicely refurbished old hotel and pub in Bathgate, West Lothian. When the economy suffers, The Balbairdie feels it. Asked how she copes, Ms. Campbell replied, “You just keep going.” Happily, the local economy has improved some since 2013, according to Ms. Campbell in April 2014.

Miss Boyle has engaged experts like Andy Stephens, manager; Nicola Phillips, publicist; and Andrew Panton, creative and vocal director, to name a few. She has provided jobs for local personal assistants who handle correspondence, scheduling, wardrobe consultation, and myriad other details; gardeners; carpenters to renovate the council house she grew up and still lives in (her first big post-Britain’s Got Talent purchase); a housekeeper; women who fix her hair, do her nails, and apply her makeup for special public appearances and photo sessions; and others who tend to basic needs of a now-busy celebrity who still prefers to live in her home village, stop in at her favorite small shops and establishments, and take the bus.

Miss Boyle has also given seed money and sponsorship for creative business and charitable ventures in her local community and beyond. One start-up, Boyle’s Boutique, is an extended-family cottage industry that sells, among others, products featuring the new Boyle Tartan created for the family. Products may be ordered online.

Susan Boyle’s very capable personal assistant Sadie Boyle (no relation) says Miss Boyle gets about four hundred emails weekly, many requesting her generosity. This kind of response to another’s fame and fortune is not uncommon.

More unusual, and a clearer example of the fruits of the “gift economy,” is the generation of a worldwide community of Susan Boyle supporter-fans who have formed friendships, discovered or rekindled their own creative gifts, invested thousands of volunteer hours, spread financial generosity, and—to a small extent—started creative cottage enterprises for profit or merely to cover expenses.

Several unofficial Susan Boyle fansites live on the Internet. The first and largest, still flourishing, is www.susan-boyle.com. On April 11, 2009, Paul Wood, a London construction worker, watched Miss Boyle’s audition on TV and immediately put up a website. Starting within hours after the audition aired, people from many continents to whom Susan Boyle’s gift spoke “commandingly to the soul” were “irresistibly move[d]” to find out anything they could about her on the Internet. They frequently stumbled across Mr. Wood’s hastily launched site with its prolific discussion threads generating hundreds of written comments every day in the first two months of Miss Boyle’s fame.

To bring some order to the conversational chaos, Mr. Wood launched a companion Forum in June 2009 with more sophisticated software, accessed through the main website. Anyone could (and still can) join for free. The main rules are that one not be an Internet troll (a term and experience many had never heard of), that one behave reasonably civilly as outlined in posted guidelines, and that one not use the Forum itself for commercial purposes (more on that later).

Volunteer moderators and techies keep the discussions and online experience on an even keel. Online advertisements generated by Google AdSense and Amazon sales linked to the website (“SuBo Store”) help pay for the normal operational expenses.

In early 2010, Mr. Wood announced that he was going to auction off the website (some fifty thousand registered members) and its Forum (a few thousand registered members at the time). The worldwide member community could not bear the prospect of being taken over by some unknown commercial entity with other goals. So they decided to bid on the fansite themselves. A few members—by no means wealthy—each voluntarily loaned trusted fellow members a few thousand dollars to buy the fansite during the auction. The effort succeeded in July 2010.

Navigating through some tensions and hurt feelings (typical in any community anywhere), the worldwide Susan Boyle Fans International, Inc. (SBFII) community established itself as a non-profit corporation registered in Delaware, USA. SBFII elects a multinational volunteer board of directors; keeps meticulous financial records and files annual tax returns; maintains bylaws; and holds online annual meetings and elections engaging active members. Technically not a charity, SBFII uses AdSense and SuBo Store income to cover modest expenses and keep a healthy bank balance. Funds left over from voluntary collections (often for tasteful gifts for Miss Boyle for special occasions) are donated to a charity of Susan Boyle’s choice, frequently benefitting children in Scotland. By December 2011, SBFII repaid all interest-free loans given by members to buy the website; it remains debt free. No member gets paid for services to SBFII or personally benefits financially.

From the beginning, even silver-haired grandmothers proficient only with email learned to navigate the fansites in order to participate in a community of people who have experienced an inexplicable response to Susan Boyle—both her singing and her unique way of being—unlike their response to other favorite singers. Within months, members began gathering in person around the globe (often in restaurants, boosting local economies). They attended (and surreptitiously filmed and posted to the fansites for the enjoyment of those who could not attend) Miss Boyle’s performances in various cities (Britain’s Got Talent tour venues in the UK; Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, and more). Supporter-fans flocked to these events even though—until only 2013, when she first tried her own full-length concerts in Scotland—Miss Boyle was slated to sing just one, two, maybe three songs. These gatherings supported local hotels, B+Bs, restaurants, cab drivers, shops, and other travel-related businesses.

Miss Boyle and her team soon experienced that supporter-fans who came to these early events were older or at least more mature than stereotypical rowdies at, for example, Justin Bieber concerts. They saw that typical Susan Boyle supporter-fans are responsible, respectful, fun loving, generative. They include retired or active professionals—teachers, nurses, techies, writers, musicians, artists, farmers, truckers, businesspeople, social workers, radio hosts, professors, lawyers, homemakers, construction workers, postmasters, foresters.

To most gatherings (usually at restaurants) supporter-fans bring homemade memorabilia to share, including commemorative buttons and red scarves to identify themselves in various venues. The popularity of such items led SBFII to add another linked site, “Fan Creations,” linked in turn to the creators’ individual websites. Products include non-Susan-Boyle-related fan creations. Currently, three members offer SuBotique Hand Painted Apparel; Creative Images by tweek (Buttons, Mugs, etc.); and Susan Boyle Professional Singer chronicles gathered from news and other sources.

SBFII members often post creative ideas and images to discuss in writing with one another. Memorably, in 2009, a member from Texas, one from Iowa, and other volunteers, coordinated an international quilting bee. Supporter-fans from every continent, including Antarctica, created and mailed squares for a handmade quilt presented to Miss Boyle at a brunch following her debut solo appearance on the Todayshow on November 23—the day her first album, I Dreamed A Dream, was released in the United States and quickly broke world records in several categories.

Members can upload Susan-related videos that they have created; share poems that they’ve written; upload posters that they’ve designed digitally to document Miss Boyle’s career and accomplishments; upload news reports of supporter-fan activities, complete with photographs; post fine pencil drawings or paintings displaying talent the artists had only recently discovered; and offer a place where members can contribute their own essays. These essays, sometimes written in French or other non-English languages, often try to explain how the wee singer with the big voice; the shy woman who communicates profoundly—cor ad cor loquitur—through music others have written; the multimillionaire who stays in her small lifelong home and still takes the bus—the essentially inexplicable Susan Boyle—“irresistibly moves” them.

SBFII and other volunteers take responsibility to daily and positively post or re-post Susan Boyle news, photos, and encounters on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Their Internet involvement began immediately when Miss Boyle became famous—and once again experienced the bullying known since childhood, only this time inflicted by some members of the media and anonymous commentators. She writes in her autobiography, “What I didn’t know then, because I didn’t have a computer at the time, was that every time there was a mean comment about me in the press, a dozen messages of support would appear in response. On the Internet there was a growing community of fans. I had no idea how many people out there in the world felt moved to stick up for me, and I want to thank everybody for that.” (The Woman I Was Born to Be, pages 188–189)

Miss Boyle’s professional team also encourages creativity from fans. Starting with the first documentary of her life, Susan Boyle: I Dreamed A Dream, produced in 2009 by Talkback Thames, fans were invited via the official www.susanboylemusic.com site (picked up and promoted by volunteer sites) to send short videos of themselves saying “Hello, Susan!” with backdrops representing their locations. Several clips from around the world were chosen for the documentary. As a lead-up to Miss Boyle’s second album, The Gift, she held a worldwide “Susan’s Search” competition, inviting any amateur singer to upload a brief selfie singing “Silent Night.” The winner, Amber Stassi, a thirty-three-year-old paramedic from Brewerton, New York, sang “Do You Hear What I Hear?” with Miss Boyle on the album and at the 2010 outdoor Today show appearance in New York City.

In the 2013 and 2014 concert tours in Scotland and the United Kingdom, Miss Boyle and her team selected local choirs to serve as back-up choruses in every city, receiving standard financial compensation. Already individual choir members in the United States are tweeting: “Aaliyah Buchanan ‏@Itsuko_Sora I’m to pumped, i get to sing for Susan Boyle!!!!” and “Drew Mikuska ‏@DrewMikuska Hahahahaha I’m singing backup for Susan Boyle.”

Already in the twenty cities spanning the southern United States, supporter-fans from as far away as Australia and Scotland are buying tickets. They are organizing pre-concert dinner-camaraderie gatherings for supporter-fans, some of whom they have never met in person but know through their written posts on fansites. Restaurants, hotels, theaters, airlines, public transportation providers, cab drivers, and many small businesses will benefit. Susan Boyle, her team, and numerous music-related vendors will profit.

Yet in Susan Boyle’s “gift economy,” which she neither forecasted nor manipulated, money can facilitate but cannot possibly buy the greatest benefits to the community in which she finds herself to be the generator and principal member. In this higher economy, she is both blessed herself and a blessing to countless others.

As recently reported on her official website, Susan says about her upcoming United States concert tour: “This is a brilliant moment for me. The past five years have been incredible, and it just keeps getting better. I have spoken so often about wanting to tour America and be able to visit different cities for the first time—I’m so excited. This really will be fantastic, and I can’t wait for October. The US embraced and supported me from the beginning, and it really feels like a second home. So I can’t wait to get on the road and perform there.”

Source:Small Business Exchange Northeast