Boyle Bumps Obama Presser

After her stellar performance on America's Got Talent , it's time to take Boyle seriously

(NEWSER) - Susan Boyle’s performance last night on America’s Got Talent “was exactly what Boyle's mentor, Simon Cowell, could have hoped for—lovely, inspirational, free of surprises,” writes Ann Powers in the Los Angeles Times. “No matter that it was canned” or that she was nervous. Boyle's time has come, and “we should stop being startled by her performances and respect her for the qualities she's cultivated: scrupulousness and dependability.” More»

Broadcasters say 'overexposed' prez wastes valuable time

(NEWSER) - Networks are not happy about the primetime hour that President Obama's July 22 news conference took up, reports Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post. Rahm Emanuel called the top brass at all three networks to ensure they carried the event. The networks both resent the pressure and complain that they’re not getting their money’s worth. “There was nothing” newsworthy, says one CBS VP. “There hardly ever is these days.” More»

(NEWSER) - By now, we’ve gotten a pretty good look at the White House’s PR playbook, and as you may have noticed, Barack Obama gets the ball a lot. The president is everywhere, Politico reports. He’s given more interviews than any other recent president had at this point in their tenures, held more than a dozen town hall meetings, and his four primetime press conferences match Bush’s total for his entire presidency. More»

(NEWSER) - Susan Boyle will likely be traveling to the US this summer to appear on America's Got Talent, reports People. “If she’s up for it and she is well enough, our feeling is she probably will," said judge Piers Morgan. "Absolutely.” The NBC talent show, back on the air later this month, is the US version of Britain's Got Talent, the show that catapulted Boyle to singing fame. More»

(NEWSER) - Notoriously crusty Simon Cowell personally called Britain’s Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle to comfort her, vowing to support her unconditionally and offering to rip up her tour contract if it would ease her stress. “Simon told her she had done brilliantly and that she was a great singer who was going to record a great album when she was ready,” a friend tells the Mirror. More»