Simon Cowell again emerged as a voice of sanity in a crazy, Susan Boyle-obsessed world when he said at NBC’s TCA panel on Friday that he thinks the frenzy may be hurting the Scottish singer more than it’s helping. "It could all go horribly wrong now because there’s so many other distractions," he told the gathered critics. "She has four weeks to prepare for the biggest night of her life, which is, she’s got to sing better than she sang before." Is that even possible, you guys?! Just kidding. Sure, Susan has a lot more going on now than she did during her auditions, but she’s also had a lot more high-profile practice — serenading Larry King seems like pretty good practice (or nightmarejuice, depending on how you roll) for the big night.
Cowell says he’s thinking of holding additional auditions in other cities now that Britain’s Got Talent could attract different contestants. “You don’t have to be a singer who’s 47 who’s never been kissed, with a cat — just somebody who says, ‘You know what? I think I could win a competition and I think I am talented and I don’t think people are going to judge me because of the way I look.’"
Well, I have a new Stuart Smalley–style morning mantra from now on, fo reals.
Anyone agree that the Boyle hype may not play to her advantage? Are we finally growing tired of the subject altogether, some four weeks before she gets to sing for us again?
Last night, I gleefully sidled up to the TV to watch the finale of the Food Network cake-baking competition show Last Cake Standing. I eagerly watched three bone-tired cake decorators create massive confections of cake and frosting to satisfy their "mystery client" — i.e. a group of sextuplets, two girls, four boys, all turning 16 and expecting their single collective birthday cake to reflect all of their impressively divergent interests ("computer," "soccer," "saxophone," "aeronautical engineering," etc.). This assignment came after a marathon week of cakery, whittling six competitors down to the final three for a $50,000 prize and the dubious title of "Best Cake Artist in America." Of the finalists, I was pulling most for Bronwen Weber (pictured), whose penchant for overly ambitious designs that are a bit weak on execution was balanced by her hilariously frank personali…
