Collegiate Times

"I just didn't expect that voice to come out of a tiny little thing," guest judge Kelly Brook said.

With Piers and Amanda heaping on praise for Steel, Cowell recovered the cynic train's levers and tooted the superficial horn.

Before allocating the praise she deserved, Cowell criticized her ordinary ballerina outfit and expected her to just be another one of the kids who wanted to be famous.

"But you really don't know how wonderful you are," he said afterward.  But among Susan Boyle, Hollie Steel and 12-year-old boy Shaheen Jafargholi, the winner of this contest will be Susan Boyle.

These days, the media has become fascinated with the struggles of the underdog reaching the top. Whether the topic is a new book by first woman Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the completely unnecessary amount of election memorabilia of Barack Obama, or even the continued exaltation the New York Giants received after their David-and-Goliath win over the previously undefeated New England Patriots, there will always be a market for these feel-good stories.

Hollie Steel is an impressively powerful singing force packaged in the tiny framework of a fourth-grade schoolgirl, while Jafargholi's flair and showmanship captivated the audience very effectively. Unfortunately for these two contestants, Boyle will win.

Firstly, Tyra Banks is probably salivating at the multiple opportunities to illustrate the capability of the less-attractive-than-a-model demographic.

Secondly, think of the marketability! I bet clothing designers, cosmetics manufacturers and similar industries are banging on Blackburn, Scotland's doors, looking for Susan Boyle to clean up. Not only that, but her story wouldn't be that difficult to transform into a "Slumdog Millionaire" sort of movie.

Thirdly, Boyle has already gone on and recorded a few original tracks.

The first two reasons are complete hullaballoo. The superficiality around the entertainment industry is failing to pick up on the moral of her story.

With dedication, courage and an ounce of talent, anyone can achieve his or her dreams.

But much to the chagrin of many of my contemporaries, Susan Boyle has already gone out and dyed her hair since her world debut.

Stop there, Susan! Preserve yourself! Don't change yourself because of the media's interest in an unattractive woman with a beautiful voice.  

We admire your courage to be yourself. We admire your refusal to hide yourself. We also really, really love your voice.

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