Posted on 06/17/2007 3:35:31 PM PDT by dennisw
HAVING been out of the country for 10 days I came back to find Britain obsessed with a chubby, snaggle-toothed mobile phone salesman from Port Talbot who sings like Pavarotti.
I was determined not to watch Britain's Got Talent because I'd decided it was just another tedious reality show full of no-hopers. But a colleague sat me down and forced me to watch Paul Potts singing Nessun Dorma. And my heart did a back-flip. Within five seconds I was blubbing like a baby, within 10 I was praying with every fibre of my being that he'd hit all the high notes and not give Simon Cowell the chance to say "Good effort but don't give up the day job."
You just have to look at Paul Potts to know that life hasn't been easy. He's overweight, he's shy and he's got zero confidence because since he was a boy he's been bullied by people who didn't see his talent, just his bad teeth and his 40-inch waist. He has the look of a little lad who's been smacked once too often and who desperately needs approval. And then he opens that mouth full of broken teeth and out of it comes a voice so magnificent, so magical, it could melt ice. It's a voice that rips at your heart and reminds you that miracles really DO happen.
Advertisement And Paul Potts' arrival - not to mention all the other fantastic acts - is timely, because we're getting weary of living in a celebrity-obsessed world where people become famous for just appearing on a reality TV show, for kicking a football around or just getting wasted on drugs Which is why Paul is more than just a breath of fresh air. He's a glorious reminder that see mingly ordinary people living ordinary lives are hiding extraordinary talents - the kind of talent that can inspire us, humble us and make us jump for joy all at the same time.
And the best thing about a show like Britain's Got Talent is that the people on it put our already established, so-called celebrities to shame. I'm talking about those celebrities who've earned bucketloads of money, have off-the-map fame, a life bursting with perks and privileges yet all they do is moan about their lot.
Look at David Beckham. He's on £500,000 a week, he's got a bigger jewellery collection than Her Maj, he's got flash cars coming out of his earholes and mansions a-plenty, yet last week he did an interview whining about "My Year Of HELL." This is a man who wakes up every day safe in the knowledge that he and his family are financially secure for life yet he takes a few knocks on the football field and it's "hell". Let me have his hell for five minutes - please. Then there's all those wannabe idiots on The Apprentice, some of who might be clever, but most of whom are so cut-throat and self-obsessed you wouldn't want to share air with them, let alone work with them. Yet still we hail them as celebrities, give them TV shows and six-figure salaries. Then there are those witches in the Big Brother House who believe the path to fame is to be as vulgar as possible and ram their butt-cheeks at the TV cameras every chance they get.
And let's not forget Michael Barrymore, who had the adoration and respect of an entire nation, yet threw it all away and spent time in a police cell last week at the centre of a grisly murder inquiry where a young man died in the most depraved of circumstances.
Where is the joy in these people? What do they add to our lives? Do they raise our spirits? Do they make our hearts soar? Does their talent leave us breathless? The answer is a resounding "No!".
But Paul Potts does. After years of being bullied, of being made to feel worthless the singer written off as just a little fat lad from Port Talbot is finally living the dream, and everyone in this country is willing him on.
And while it's true not all of us have a God-given talent like Paul's, this chubby Colossus has reminded us that not only must we dare to dream, we have a positive responsibility to do it. He's an inspirational reminder that REAL talent isn't about Size 8 rich birds with endless legs. It isn't about monosyllabic footballers who think driving a Ferrari makes them special. It isn't about people thrown into the public eye courtesy of a TV show and who spend their lives splattered across the pages of Hello! magazine talking drivel.
What's happened to Paul Potts and all the other acts is not just good for them, it's fantastic for all of us. Because they've shown that if you want something enough, if you crave it, if you dream about it - it CAN happen.
With knobs on!
See post #16.
Understood. Messenger-shooting-attachment has been de-activated! ;-)
All in all, this is just so cool, that a regular more-or-less doofus lookin’ guy - one of us dare I say - has this happen!
Just hope it doesn’t go to his head - burn-out fast and leave him disappointed - mess up his marriage - get him taken advantage of by some promoter - etc.
He seems a square-enough guy, I REALLY hope it all works out for him!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.