Britain's Got Talent, Indeed

[filkertom]

Nicked from maiac. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Paul Potts.

ETA: Okay, the guy's not completely cold. But still.

Comments

[alymid.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I loved the change in the responses, from "oh no!" to "WOW"

Totally cool!

[ericthemage.livejournal.com]

That was a complete surprise. Whoa. Nice voice.

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

Who is that judge and what has he done with Simon Cowell?

Nonetheless, that was a beautiful thing to see and made an otherwise blah day better. Thanks.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Okay, this seems as good a place as any to ask: which judge is Simon Cowell, the one in the jacket or the one in the shirt? I recognize the name from one of filkertom's songs, but I've never seen any of the shows.

[shekkara.livejournal.com]

Pale green shirt. The "leader" who gives Paul the go ahead and the final results.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Sabrina and I are fans of "America's Got Talent" and nearly every time then have on a "serious" singer, they suck. So it doesn't surprise me in the least that the judges here are like "Oh no, not ANOTHER one", but wow.

On AGT tonight, the had a rockabilly band, made up of 15 year olds. Everyone was prepared to be polite, but they ROCKED.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Oh, and to show my ignorance, what is the name of that piece of music he was singing?

[shekkara.livejournal.com]

Nessun dorma.

That was amazing.

[mazarinade.livejournal.com]

Like shekkara says, Nessun Dorma, from the last act of Puccini's Turandot, and one of the few arias that most of Britain will recognise on first hearing, as it was used as the theme music for the Italia '90 World Cup. A very good choice for him, because everyone in the audience would know what it ought to sound like, which was, well, like that, basically.

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

It may also help that the audience was Welsh; they appreciate a good song.

[timemachineyeah.livejournal.com]

My friend e-mailed this to me earlier and it made me so happy. I almost cried. I love to see the little guy succeed, and I love to see audiences get behind someone who wasn't necessarily expecting it. It's just so cool.

[kshandra]

I did cry. Almost held it together, but the reaction shot of that one other audience member wiping her eyes did me in.

[shadowe.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for sharing...it just goes to show, sometimes dreams can come true.

Namaste, Hugs and Blessings,
Shadowe

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking, "Are there such things as 'studio opera singers'?" 'Cause, yeah, the guy's got no charisma at all... but JAYZUS what a voice. And he's literally got a new career, the career he really wants, right there. And I hope he gets it, or some acceptable version of it.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Not to rain on anyone's parade...

[realinterrobang.livejournal.com]

As someone who spent years doing the classical voice training, he's really reaching on those high notes, and it's pretty obvious he doesn't have the really high tenor notes. It also sounds like he's "pushing" his voice too much, which I suspect is because of insufficient breath control. He's definitely got a fair bit of raw vocal talent, but he really needs more vocal coaching...

[eleri.livejournal.com]

multiple viewings, and I still tear up. I think this is going to become one of those "need a shot of Warm Fuzzys" videos.

[guruwench.livejournal.com]

Firefox tip - the add-on VideoDownloader. I've saved this too and I still get goosebumps. Amazing.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

About two years ago, I was preparing an episode of It's Showtime at the Apollo for air. You guys know about the "Amateur Night" competition there. It threatens the kind of humiliation to an artist that can leave you crying.

This particular show had a middle-aged, fat white guy come out. I could tell the audience initially greeted this guy with hostility, and I feared the guy would get "The Executioner" out after him in about fifteen seconds. But to my surprise, and to the audience's, he came out singing a sincere, perfect falsetto version of "Hey There, Lonely Girl." He seriously brought tears to my eyes, and even though he only had that one song in his repertory, he made it all the way to the finals.

That's what this clip reminds me of.

[bryanp.livejournal.com]

Wow. I freely admit I'm not an opera fan beyond a few specific pieces I enjoy, but ... wow. I hope this guy really makes a name for himself, he's obviously very gifted.

My poor wife had to kick me to wake me up when I fell asleep during Aida.

"You're snoring!"
"Sorry."
"Why did you buy us tickets if you were going to fall asleep."
"Because I knew you wanted to see it."

Why yes, I am a Philistine. Why do you ask?

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

"We are at the op-e-ra..."

[bryanp.livejournal.com]

Heh. I knew someone would go there.

Of course, every time I try to remember the lyrics to that song I end up with Tom's version running through my brain.

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

This proves that the judges really don't see any of the acts before they come out, and that producers can really, truly keep secrets when they want to. There *had* to be buzz backstage before he went out, but clearly the three judges had no idea of what was about to happen.

Somewhere, a bunch of talent people are asking how they missed this guy. I guess South Wales is a good place to hide.

I like "American Idol" once they get past the auditions, but "America's Got Talent" has been mostly too painful to watch.

[wildcard9.livejournal.com]

Wow, that guy has got a voice!! I wonder what his endurance is, can he do a full opera or just an aria or two before his voice starts to give out.

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

The link you actually want for the "not completely cold" comment may be this one (scroll halfway down the page):

http://www.bathopera.co.uk/Past%20Productions/Aida/aida_biographies.htm

I still think it's fair -- any competitor in these things who's doing an accepted performance art like opera singing will have had some formal training and experience. Potts apparently wound up out of singing for a couple years due to an accident and a burst appendix, so this is kind of a comeback for him.

Thank you for posting this!

[lariss.livejournal.com]

Everyone is talking abotu his stage presence, which defintiely needs work, but there's something to keep in mind.
Big time dental work (he's gonna need a whole new grill) can temporarily mess up things for some singers (because of the sudden change in the mouth shape that they've become accustomed to). I'd recommend he get comfy in the limelight and to a point where he can take a "vacation" before getting dental work. But one hundred percent on a better suit and moving his arms a little.
He was nervous (and thus a little tight - an unimportant fraction off) on the final high note.
Otherwise, he rocks out!
He has a truly pleasant and mellow tenor voice (normally I have no love for tenor voices - they tend to get tinny, which he didn't) with warm access to his lower range.

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

If he doesn't win, it proves that musical art is dead. Absolutely unbelievable.