Susan Boyle story to be turned into musical

Scottish singer Susan Boyle sings "I Dreamed a Dream" on the Danish relief show "The Denmark Collection" at the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen in this January 30, 2010

Scottish singer Susan Boyle, who shot to stardom in 2009 when her performance on a television singing contest became an internet hit, will see her life portrayed on stage in a new musical.

"I Dreamed a Dream," named after the title of the song she sang that made her an overnight celebrity, will tour internationally from 2012 after premiering at Theater Royal in Newcastle, England, on March 23.

"I never thought my life story would end up on the stage but a lot has happened in two years and it is a very exciting prospect," Boyle said.

"I hope everyone enjoys the show and I promise there will be a few surprises along the way," she added in a statement.

Boyle will be played by actress Elaine Smith, best known for her role in the British comedy series "Rab C Nesbitt" and a favorite of the singer.

Boyle's rendition of I Dreamed a Dream was viewed some 300 million times on the YouTube video sharing site, and within days she was a global singing sensation.

Under the tutelage of music producer Simon Cowell, who was a judge on "Britain's Got Talent" when Boyle performed, she has gone on to record two albums and sell some 14 million copies.

Producer Michael Harrison said of the show: "It's got all the qualities of a fairytale, but with the added bonus of being absolutely true."

According to the Daily Telegraph, a 26-week tour of the Britain, the United States and Australia has been lined up so far.

Untrusting Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle doesn't think she can trust anybody.

The 'Wild Horses' singer has become a worldwide star following her performances on UK TV show 'Britain's Got Talent' last year, but she is now wary of letting people into her life in case they are just using her, according to her brother Gerry.

He said: "She's living her dream. The downside is that she has to be careful who she's involved with.

"I speak to Susan once in a blue moon. She says she's not sure who she can trust. We don't want anything from her, but we feel that the people around her are there for commercial reasons. We can't get near her. It's like a secret society.

"Our relationship's changed. Although her career is going from strength to strength, she's losing contact with some of her family."

Although he insists the 49-year-old star is happy in her life, he thinks Susan is worried her success may be taken away from her.

He told new! magazine: "She's happy, but I think she's living in fear that someone will take all this away.

"I've tried to give her advice but she won't listen. We are very protective of her. We don't want to spoil the party, but we can't sit here and not say anything."

Gerry also fears his sister is struggling to cope with the pressure put on her, which may explain some of her recent eccentric behaviour.

He said: She has good days and bad days. She's under intense pressure now. I don't think Susan realises just how famous she is.

"I don't think she's got learning difficulties. In my opinion, it's a personality problem. You and I would shrug off disappointment, but it's a major issue for her."

Susan Boyle: The book

Susan Boyle is releasing her autobiography.

The 'I Dreamed A Dream' singer - who shot to fame last year after appearing on UK reality TV contest 'Britain's Got Talent' - hopes her life story, which will be entitled 'The Woman I Was Born To Be', will be an inspiration to others.

The 49-year-old Scottish singing sensation said: "When I strutted on to the stage for that audition, I was a scared wee lassie, still grieving for my mother, not caring how I looked. I think I've grown up a lot in the last year, become more of a lady, and I'm not so frightened any more. I'm writing this book to try to show that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and I hope it will benefit other people.

"My story demonstrates that you shouldn't just look at the label, you should look at the whole person, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually, and I hope that telling it will show that dreams are not impossible, if you've got courage and a willingness to go on no matter what the circumstances."

Susan - who had a brief stint in rehab to help her cope with the fame she achieved after her 'Britain's Got Talent' audition was seen by millions of people worldwide - is also expected to tell all about her struggles in the book, which is to be released this autumn.

A spokesperson for Transworld, who are publishing Susan's story, said: "This astonishing transformation has not always been easy for Susan, faced with all the trappings of celebrity, but in the whirlwind of attention and expectation, she has always found calm and clarity in music. Susan was born to sing." 

Dream over: Boyle finishes 2nd in UK reality show

She dreamed a dream, and it very nearly came true.

But Susan Boyle 's reality show journey finished Saturday with a second-place finish in the finals of "Britain's Got Talent," an ending that didn't fit the fairy tale. Instead of the 48-year-old internet sensation, an exuberant dance troupe called "Diversity" took the 100,000-pound ($159,000) prize and will perform for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Show.

Boyle paced around the stage as the hosts named the top three of the ten final acts, and looked almost relieved when her name was called as the runner-up. She recovered in time to graciously praise the dancers.

"The best people won," Boyle said. "They're very entertaining. Lads, I wish you all the best."

Boyle then curtsied several times to the audience, gave them her signature shimmy, and strolled offstage.

It had been a tumultuous week for Boyle, a woman previously unused to the limelight. She lost her cool during a confrontation with two reporters, and the police intervened. One contest judge said Boyle had contemplated pulling out of the competition to soothe her frazzled nerves

But when she stepped into the spotlight Saturday, Boyle seemed more polished — and animated — than in previous appearances.

She wore a modest, but glamorous, floor-length gown, and chose to go back to the song that rocketed her into the international spotlight: "I Dreamed a Dream," from the musical "Les Miserables."

Her hometown of Blackburn, Scotland — a small, working class village about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Edinburgh — rallied round her, stringing up posters and signs in her support. Friends and neighbors gathered at a local pub to watch the performance.

"I've known her for many years," said 72-year-old neighbor Margaret Yule. "She's a lovely lassie and she will do well whatever happens. Susan is about the singing, and fame and fortune won't change her."

Millions tuned in to the live program and voted by telephone afterward.

Boyle was up against a host of everyman acts determined to find stardom on reality television, including Shaheen Jafargholi, a 12-year-old whose voice has been compared to Michael Jackson's, Hollie Steel, a 10-year-old who turned in a solid performance after a tearful semifinal meltdown, and a grandfather-grandaughter singing duo.

And then there was "Stavros Flatley," a father-son act who parodied "The Lord of the Dance" by romping around the stage shirtless, in blond wigs and leather pants, combining Greek and Irish dancing and music.

But it was Boyle whom people tuned in to watch.

After her first appearance in April, Boyle became the favorite to win the competition. As she stepped on stage during auditions, her frumpy appearance drew condescending looks from the studio audience and the judges, but her soaring, evocative voice silenced the doubters and turned her into an Internet sensation.

The first moment Boyle sang was one that has been viewed millions of times, the fifth-most watched clip in history on YouTube. It was a moment that went down in reality-show history.

As Boyle hit a high note at the end of the song's first line, judge Simon Cowell's eyebrows rose along with her voice. The audience went mad. And a star was born.

She has since appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show." Demi Moore tweeted about Boyle on her Twitter feed. Boyle dominated Britain's tabloids — but there were signs she was feeling the heat.

She acknowledged Saturday that it had been a stressful few weeks, but said onstage that it had been "well worth it."

Cowell said that she'd been given a rough ride, but that she was "a nice, shy person who wants a break."

Internet star Susan Boyle stuns again with "Memory"

Susan Boyle, the frumpy Scottish spinster whose amazing voice has become a global YouTube sensation, stunned audiences again on Sunday as she was voted through to the final of "Britain's Got Talent."

Singing "Memory" from the musical "Cats," the 48-year-old overcame initial nerves to produce another command performance, her soaring rendition winning the telephone vote on the talent show.

"You are one special lady, I have to say, you really are," Simon Cowell, one of the panel of three judges, said after Boyle's performance brought the audience to their feet.

Wearing a shimmering purple dress, Boyle looked far more primped and preened than she did on first appearance on the show last month, when her dowdy looks and quirky manner provoked titters from the audience, who assumed she couldn't sing.

This time, her hair was coiffed, her eyebrows were plucked and she looked almost every inch a star in the making.

"What pressure?" she said when asked afterwards if she was nervous. "It was really good tonight, I really enjoyed it ... I'm very happy to be here and thank you all for your support."

Boyle left the judges openmouthed last month with her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Miserables," which almost immediately became an Internet sensation, watched more than 60 million times on YouTube.

With appearances since on U.S. chat shows hosted by Oprah Winfrey and Larry King, Boyle -- who has joked that she has never been kissed -- has become a global sensation, her age and appearance conflicting with most images of modern celebrity.

APOLOGY

After her performance on Sunday, Cowell was moved to apologize to Boyle, saying she had been poorly underestimated.

"You know what, I just want to apologize because of the way we treated you before you sang the first time," he said. "You made me and everyone else look very stupid and I'm very happy for you, very proud for you."

Boyle, who sang in choirs as a youngster but always dreamed of a career in London's West End, tried to shut him up, saying she had paid no attention to the global furor.

Since her performance in April, television crews from around the world have camped outside her home in rural Scotland and newspapers have dedicated countless pages to her.

A fan site dedicated to Boyle is titled "Never judge a book by its cover."

In Sunday's semi-final, Boyle defeated seven other acts including a belly dancer and a Darth Vader impersonator to get through to the final on Saturday.

1 of 1Full SizeShe will be joined there by Diversity, a troupe of street dancers who came second on Sunday, and two other acts yet to be decided from the second semi-final.

Boyle's meteoric rise to fame has made her the bookmakers' firm favorite to win the contest. The winner will perform at the Royal Variety Show and receive a cheque for 100,000 pounds.

Susan Boyle joins stars in top viral videos

Scottish singer Susan Boyle is seen performing during a rehearsal of "Britain's Got Talent", in Glasgow, Scotland, in this undated handout photograph received in London on April 20, 2009.

British singing sensation Susan Boyle, who became an overnight star with her surprising performance on a British talent show, has made the top 5 in a list of the most watched viral videos of all-time.

Visible Measures, which measures the use of online videos across more than 150 video-sharing sites, has compiled a list called the "100 Million Views Club" which is of online videos that have topped the 100 million viewership.

Topping the list is a music video by rapper Soulja Boy of "Crank That," which recorded 356 million hits, followed by a trailer for the vampire movie "Twilight" with 267 million clicks.

In third and four places, with 230 million and 197 million views respectively, came Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" music video and a user generated video by American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian Jeff Dunham called "Achmed the Dead Terrorist."

Boyle, who performed on "Britain's Got Talent," was in fifth place with 186 million views.

Boyle, 47, with her untamed hair and plain-spoken manner, captivated millions of music lovers and confounded celebrity watchers after stunning judges with a voice that belied an appearance dubbed "frumpy" and "dowdy" by the British media.

She has appeared on Larry King Live in the United States and in countless newspaper and Internet articles, fuelling the number of people viewing the online clip of her song.

"The most impressive aspect of her viral video success is the fact that she burst onto the scene just three weeks ago," said Visible Measures in a statement.

Boyle is due to appear in the semi-finals of the TV talent show in the week of May 25. The final will be held on May 30.

Also on the list of top viral videos ( here ) were music videos by Leona Lewis, Avril Lavigne, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna, movie trailers for "The Dark Knight," "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," and "Hannah Montana: The Movie," and some user generated videos.

Simon Cowell to Susan Boyle: "Get yourself together"

"Britain's Got Talent" contestant Susan Boyle gestures to onlookers in Blackburn in West Lothian, Scotland April 21, 2009.

Television's Simon Cowell said on Friday he was embarrassed at his initial reaction to British singing sensation Susan Boyle, but warned that just because she is a hit with fans, she is not a winner yet.

Cowell, the creator and a judge on "Britain's Got Talent," said he was fed up with stories about the hair, eyebrows and cats of the never-married 47-year-old Boyle, and he urged her to focus now on winning the television talent competition.

"She has got four weeks to prepare for the biggest night of her life, and she has got to sing better than she sang before with all those expectations on her. But it could all go horribly wrong for her because there are so many other distractions," Cowell told TV reporters in Los Angeles.

"Get yourself together sweetheart for the big one -- the semi-final. Shut the door, choose the right song and come back as who you are, not who you want to be," he said.

Boyle, a spinster who lives alone with her cat, became one of the world's hottest celebrities last week after surprising judges with her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" on the popular talent show. Her performance has been watched over 50 million times on YouTube.

"We were all guilty on the panel of judging her before she sang, and we got it utterly wrong. You watch it back and it is embarrassing," said Cowell, who is well-known as the acid-tongued judge on TV talent contest "American Idol."

"Britain's Got Talent" is open to anyone regardless of age or performing skills. It has 40 versions worldwide and the fourth season of the U.S. version, "America's Got Talent," kicks off on NBC on June 23.

"I am seriously thinking now we should hold two more open auditions (of "America's Got Talent") off the back of Susan Boyle. You don't have to be a singer who is 47 and never been kissed, but just someone who says 'I think I am talented, and I don't think people are going to judge me because of the way I look'," he said.

Recording executive Cowell, who has an option to sign Boyle if she wins the British talent show, shuttles weekly between Los Angeles and London as the judge on "American Idol" and "Britain's Got Talent."

But he dismissed suggestions that his life was stressful. "It's only stress when it doesn't work," he said. "I don't feel under any stress whatsoever when something like the Susan Boyle thing emerges. It is honestly the best feeling in the world."