http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OybbepK-8vM&feature=popular
Who is Susan Boyle and why does she need an answer?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 09, 2010, 03:04:28 PM
Who is Susan Boyle and why does she need an answer?
Susan Boyle is a sort of frumpy looking English woman who won the English amateur-star-search TV program... last year? She came on and gave the vibe of one of those embarassing people about to humiliate themselves but instead proved to be an amazing singer. A bit of a feel good story (hence, why it wasn't posted on Languish) on the internet back when it happened. This kid can sing really well too, and looks kind of dorky, so if you like that sort of thing that's another feel good story.
Ah.
Quote from: Jacob on April 09, 2010, 03:40:32 PM
A bit of a feel good story (hence, why it wasn't posted on Languish) on the internet back when it happened.
Interesting seeing as how we had a thread titled "Susan Boyle."
http://languish.org/forums/index.php?topic=524.0
"amazing singer" is not how I would describe Susan Boyle.
She is pretty good by the standards of the talent show reality programs, which is not saying that much.
Quote from: garbon on April 09, 2010, 03:47:43 PM
Quote from: Jacob on April 09, 2010, 03:40:32 PM
A bit of a feel good story (hence, why it wasn't posted on Languish) on the internet back when it happened.
Interesting seeing as how we had a thread titled "Susan Boyle."
http://languish.org/forums/index.php?topic=524.0
Yeah, this forum is the only reason I'd heard of her
I don't think she won, but came in second to a dance troupe.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 09, 2010, 04:36:58 PM
I don't think she won, but came in second to a dance troupe.
I bet millions of people thought she won, which is the only thing that really matters ;)
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on April 09, 2010, 03:56:55 PM
"amazing singer" is not how I would describe Susan Boyle.
She is pretty good by the standards of the talent show reality programs, which is not saying that much.
Heh, yeah fair enough.
I think the "amazing" really is a description of the distance between initial expectations and her actual performance, rather than an absolute level of quality.
Quote from: Jacob on April 09, 2010, 04:52:29 PM
I think the "amazing" really is a description of the distance between initial expectations and her actual performance, rather than an absolute level of quality.
Although I think that's a negative as it speaks more to people's preconceptions about ugly, crazy, old ladies.
Quote from: Jacob on April 09, 2010, 03:40:32 PM
Susan Boyle is a sort of frumpy looking English woman who won the English amateur-star-search TV program... last year?
Scottish. She'd headbutt you if she'd heard that :P
IIRC Boyle is a French name. :hmm:
Royale with cheese.
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 09, 2010, 05:45:32 PM
Quote from: Jacob on April 09, 2010, 03:40:32 PM
Susan Boyle is a sort of frumpy looking English woman who won the English amateur-star-search TV program... last year?
Scottish. She'd headbutt you if she'd heard that :P
If she didn't have a mental breakdown first.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 09, 2010, 05:47:45 PM
IIRC Boyle is a French name. :hmm:
It's either Irish or French
http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Boyle
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 09, 2010, 05:45:32 PM
Quote from: Jacob on April 09, 2010, 03:40:32 PM
Susan Boyle is a sort of frumpy looking English woman who won the English amateur-star-search TV program... last year?
Scottish. She'd headbutt you if she'd heard that :P
Just saw this thread. Glad to see my main man Sean took care of clearing this mess up for us.
She's a Scot :)
Kevin
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 09, 2010, 03:04:28 PM
Who is Susan Boyle and why does she need an answer?
Sometimes I think you live in a hole in the ground.
Are your students all familiar with Susan Boyle?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 09, 2010, 10:53:30 PM
Are your students all familiar with Susan Boyle?
They don't live inside the Anglo-American cultural sphere. It's not an applicable comparison.
If someone doesn't watch much tv I don't see why they would know about her
Quote from: DisturbedPervert on April 09, 2010, 11:36:12 PM
If someone doesn't watch much tv I don't see why they would know about her
I don't watch much TV.
EDIT: Anyways, this is just one of many instances of Yi exclaiming bafflement over a pop cultural or sports references that came into prominence after the 1990s.
Quote from: DisturbedPervert on April 09, 2010, 11:36:12 PM
If someone doesn't watch much tv I don't see why they would know about her
Heck, even someone who does watch lots of tv might miss her if they didn't watch light news programs or pay attention to promos for a few weeks last spring.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on April 09, 2010, 11:38:49 PM
EDIT: Anyways, this is just one of many instances of Yi exclaiming bafflement over a pop cultural or sports references that came into prominence after the 1990s.
Is the nigga still on dial-up btw?
When people see me they invariably expect an amazing performance. I consistently disappoint though. :(
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 10, 2010, 12:41:10 AM
Quote from: DisturbedPervert on April 09, 2010, 11:36:12 PM
If someone doesn't watch much tv I don't see why they would know about her
Heck, even someone who does watch lots of tv might miss her if they didn't watch light news programs or pay attention to promos for a few weeks last spring.
That's the problem. I'd be happy to know nothing about her, but you can't tune out all the goddamn promos... :(
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 09, 2010, 05:47:45 PM
IIRC Boyle is a French name. :hmm:
I don't think so...
He sings very prettily. :) Kind of weird to hear that voice coming out of a dude though.... :hmm:
Quote from: Agelastus on April 10, 2010, 12:29:56 PM
That's the problem. I'd be happy to know nothing about her, but you can't tune out all the goddamn promos... :(
Well, I imagine it's easier when it's just promos for news shows because none of the channels you watch are showing Britain's Got Talent. ;)
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 10, 2010, 04:39:16 PM
Quote from: Agelastus on April 10, 2010, 12:29:56 PM
That's the problem. I'd be happy to know nothing about her, but you can't tune out all the goddamn promos... :(
Well, I imagine it's easier when it's just promos for news shows because none of the channels you watch are showing Britain's Got Talent. ;)
You lucky bastard... :(
Heh, I actually caught a lot of it on Youtube. Diversity was cool, I'm glad they won.
He is good, I give him that... I'm assuming he has been training on nailing that song some time - it's interesting to see if he is as quick to learn the rest of the repertoire.
EDIT: The guy has a lovely counter tenor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSDTDqLI_10&feature=related
He puts colour to the high notes like a woman. Impressive!
I listened some to Michael Chance's arias from the Matthew Passion, and Chance is much more nuanced.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHbOOe8n2gY
Quote from: Korea on April 10, 2010, 04:13:40 PM
He sings very prettily. :) Kind of weird to hear that voice coming out of a dude though.... :hmm:
Altos and sopranos are rare in male voices, but they do happen. There was a kid in Texas who got offed from his school choir because he was in first soprano range and couldn't sing tenor without risking blowing out his voice. Naturally, the school went with the blanket "soprano roles are traditionally female" rather than admit the disservice they were doing the kid.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on April 12, 2010, 07:22:19 AM
Quote from: Korea on April 10, 2010, 04:13:40 PM
He sings very prettily. :) Kind of weird to hear that voice coming out of a dude though.... :hmm:
Altos and sopranos are rare in male voices, but they do happen. There was a kid in Texas who got offed from his school choir because he was in first soprano range and couldn't sing tenor without risking blowing out his voice. Naturally, the school went with the blanket "soprano roles are traditionally female" rather than admit the disservice they were doing the kid.
Girls soprano voices and male sopranos have different timbres, so I guess the mix would always sound a bit weird, but they could have used him in medieval ensemble work and it would have been splendid.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 10, 2010, 12:41:10 AM
Quote from: DisturbedPervert on April 09, 2010, 11:36:12 PM
If someone doesn't watch much tv I don't see why they would know about her
Heck, even someone who does watch lots of tv might miss her if they didn't watch light news programs or pay attention to promos for a few weeks last spring.
She is sufficiently famous for JR to correct Jacob on the quality of her singing ability. ;)
If someone had said the ugly broad who sang well on UK Idol I would have known who they were talking about. I just didn't remember the name.
Quote from: Lucidor on April 12, 2010, 11:27:44 AM
Girls soprano voices and male sopranos have different timbres, so I guess the mix would always sound a bit weird, but they could have used him in medieval ensemble work and it would have been splendid.
True, though I'd point out that natural male sopranos don't sound like the castrati did, either. :contract:
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 12, 2010, 05:44:27 PM
If someone had said the ugly broad who sang well on UK Idol I would have known who they were talking about. I just didn't remember the name.
Whose name?
He's already been voted off for his Mandarin rendition of something or other.
That dude does kinda look like Boyle. He has the round face and bushy eyebrows part at least.
Quote from: merithyn on April 12, 2010, 09:09:05 PM
He's already been voted off for his Mandarin rendition of something or other.
Yeah I heard he sang in Mandarin. It was only average.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on April 12, 2010, 06:17:54 PM
Quote from: Lucidor on April 12, 2010, 11:27:44 AM
Girls soprano voices and male sopranos have different timbres, so I guess the mix would always sound a bit weird, but they could have used him in medieval ensemble work and it would have been splendid.
True, though I'd point out that natural male sopranos don't sound like the castrati did, either. :contract:
I know. It was quite rare with castrati and not a big thing in church choirs, IIRC.