Media News
Susan Boyle through to talent show final
Monday 25 May 2009
The 48-year-old from Blackburn, west Lothian won legions of fans, including Demi Moore and Jon Bon Jovi when she stunned judges with her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream'.
Her wide fanbase helped her win the public vote last night after another towering performance of a show classic, this time 'Memory' from musical 'Cats'.
Watch her semi-final performance.
The response to her first performance had raised expectations but when show hosts Ant and Dec asked her how she had coped with the pressure she said: "What pressure, I really enjoyed myself, I enjoyed every second. I'd do it again!"
When the result of the public vote was announced she treated the audience to a little victory dance.
Dance group Diversity and 10-year-old Natalie Okri received the next biggest share of the public vote and had to face the judges' decision.
Amanda Holden threw her weight behind Natalie but Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan voted for the dancers to get a place in the final prompting tears from the young singer.
Before the vote Diversity, a 10-strong group from Essex whose members are aged between 25 and 13, were showered with praise from the judges for their routine which took in a pastiche of the Tom Cruise film 'Mission Impossible', a surfing scene and a blast of Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal'.
Holden said: "You were intelligent, innovative, so funny. It told a story all the way through. Utterly utterly fantastic." Simon Cowell said: "You were sensational."
The other acts who did not make it through to the final tonight included violinist Sue Son who ditched her original musical partner Janine Khalil at the request of the judges.
But Nick Hell, who puts himself and his piercings through a variety of unpleasant stunts was stopped from completing his act by the judges. They used their buzzers to bring a halt to proceedings before he could show the audience what he planned to do with a chainsaw and an apple.
Faces of Disco, Richard Hammond and Liam Collins, disco-danced their way through their routine wearing a variety of giant masks of famous faces, including that of judge Cowell.
Darth Jackson, a man known only as Philip, who pulls Michael Jackson style moves while dressed as Darth Vader and Latvian belly-dancer Julia Naidenko also failed to win the public's vote.
Last night was the first of five live shows over the next week during which 40 acts will be put to the public and judge's vote with just two from each show going through to the grand final next Saturday.
They are all competing for the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show and a £100,000 cheque.
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