The Catalyst

By Bri Castellini, Web Editor

By now, it's safe to assume that pretty much everyone has seen the viral video clip from "Britain's Got Talent" one way or the other. My grandmother, my newspaper advisor, my humanities teacher, and my favorite author (by way of her blog) all showed or directed me to this video.

In it, the aesthetically frumpy Susan Boyle, 47, walks out onto the audition stage with everyone against her. The cameras cut to views of the audience as she announces her intent, to be a professional singer, and the reactions weren't very polite. Simon Cowell, known for judging in American Idol here in the United States, was equally as unimpressed by her physical appearance. She then mentioned the name of the song she was singing, "I Dreamed a Dream", took a deep breath, and began.

By her first couple notes, she had the audience hooked. After a moment of shocked silence, everyone in the vicinity stood up and roared with enthusiasm. She wasn't just good, she was brilliant.

It just goes to show that appearance really doesn't account for much.