Boyle Makeover Hotly Debated

(NEWSER) - A biopic of Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle just got some added star power, the UK tabloid Daily Star reports. Robin Williams, no stranger to cross-dressing, has been approached to play the dowdy Britain’s Got Talent songstress. “I’ve been asked if I want to play Susan in the movie,” says Mrs. Doubtfire's alter ego. “I think she’s incredible.” To prepare, he's reportedly been trying out an impersonation on friends. More»

Kid's surprising, 'lovely' voice floors audience

(NEWSER) - Simon Cowell looked ready to buzz 10-year-old Hollie Steel off the stage when the Britain's Got Talent contestant began flitting about in a tutu, but then Steel opened her mouth. The tiny singer floored the judges with an "absolutely beautiful" rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night," the Daily Mail reports. More»

Recording surfaces as audition vid hits 93.5M views, setting record

(NEWSER) - With Susan Boyle's I Dreamed a Dream rendition setting a YouTube record, a decade-old demo of her singing Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly has become a new viral hit. The former—from the Britain's Got Talent audition that blasted Boyle to fame—has been viewed 93.5 million times on YouTube and 100 million times on combined sites, putting it on track to smash the 120-million record held by a popular dance montage, the Telegraph reports. More»

Ugly duckling has to become a swan, fashion writer argues

(NEWSER) - It’s politically correct to say frumpy singing sensation Susan Boyle doesn’t need a makeover. But honestly? Of course she does, writes Washington Post fashion guru Robin Givhan. If Boyle stays the same, it’ll “unravel the centuries-long tradition of fairy tales.” Sure, Boyle won us over precisely because she doesn't look like a mass-produced music industry product, but fairy tales are about transformation; the ugly duckling must turn into a swan. More»

Judge apologizes for sniggering, invites her for dinner

(NEWSER) - Susan Boyle and Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan were reunited (remotely) on Larry King's show last night, where Morgan predicted a worldwide chart-topping CD within the year for the woman he called a Rocky Balboa. Morgan also apologized to the 48-year-old Scottish singer—"We thought you were going to be a bit of a joke act, to be honest with you"—and asked her to out dinner, which Boyle promptly accepted. More»