Susan Boyle... Foiled by YouTube?

PopEater
posted: 61 DAYS 23 HOURS AGO
comments: 572
filed under: Music News, TV News
Text SizeAAA
With a 4.7 percent difference in votes between 'Britain's Got Talent' winners Diversity and their more famous runner-up Susan Boyle, the Daily Mail now suggests that something as simple as a wrong number on YouTube clips may have done in the presumed front-runner Boyle.
Immediately after Boyle's performance in the 'Talent' finals Saturday night, unofficial video clips were uploaded to YouTube, apparently containing incorrect phone numbers that mislead hundreds of Boyle's voting fans. The last two digits of Boyle's voting number appearing in the clips had been changed from the correct '08' to either '07' or '09' - the numbers for dance group Diversity and singer Shaun Smith.
Skip over this content

Susan Boyle Photos

    Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle outside the Birmingham National Indoor Arena, central England after the first show of Britain's Got Talent live tour Friday June 12, 2009. Susan Boyle wowed fans during the opening show of the show's national public tour, following a day of doubts as to whether the troubled singer would perform. During the performance the 48-year-old church volunteers, who shot to worldwide fame in the talent contest, blew a kiss to her adoring fans as they screamed and whistled. (AP Photo/ Lewis Whyld, PA) ** UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE **

    AP

    Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle outside the Birmingham National Indoor Arena, central England after the first show of Britain's Got Talent live tour Friday June 12, 2009. Susan Boyle wowed fans during the opening show of the show's national public tour, following a day of doubts as to whether the troubled singer would perform. During the performance the 48-year-old church volunteers, who shot to worldwide fame in the talent contest, blew a kiss to her adoring fans as they screamed and whistled. (AP Photo/ Lewis Whyld, PA) ** UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE **

    AP

    A general view of the Priory Clinic, where Britains Got Talent runner up, Susan Boyle has been admitted after suffering an anxiety attack on June 2, 2009 in London, England. General Views of The Priory Clinic After Susan Boyle Is Admitted Priory Clinic London, England United Kingdom June 2, 2009 Photo by Tim Whitby/FilmMagic.com To license this image (57582942), contact FilmMagic.com

    Tim Whitby/FilmMagic.com

    A general view of the Priory Clinic, where Britains Got Talent runner up, Susan Boyle has been admitted after suffering an anxiety attack on June 2, 2009 in London, England. General Views of The Priory Clinic After Susan Boyle Is Admitted Priory Clinic London, England United Kingdom June 2, 2009 Photo by Tim Whitby/FilmMagic.com To license this image (57582935), contact FilmMagic.com

    Tim Whitby/FilmMagic.com

    A general view of collected media outside of the Priory Clinic were it is reported that Susan Boyle has been admitted in London, Monday, June, 1, 2009. Singer Susan Boyle was being treated for exhaustion at the mental health clinic after taking second place to a dance group in a TV talent competition that turned the humble church volunteer into a global star, the show's producers and a newspaper said. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

    AP

    A general view of the Priory Clinic were it is reported that Susan Boyle has been admitted in London, Monday, June, 1, 2009. Singer Susan Boyle was being treated for exhaustion at the mental health clinic after taking second place to a dance group in a TV talent competition that turned the humble church volunteer into a global star, the show's producers and a newspaper said. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

    AP

    A general view of The Priory, a private clinic, is pictured, in north London, on June 1, 2009. Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle was rushed to a London clinic suffering from exhaustion and possible mental health problems after coming a shock second on a talent show, reports said Monday. Boyle, whose soaring singing voice made her an unlikely global star, was taken by ambulance to the Priory Clinic in north London Sunday accompanied by paramedics and police after acting strangely at her hotel, The Sun newspaper reported. AFP PHOTO / Adrian Dennis (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

    A general view of The Priory, a private clinic, is pictured, in north London, on June 1, 2009. Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle was rushed to a London clinic suffering from exhaustion and possible mental health problems after coming a shock second on a talent show, reports said Monday. Boyle, whose soaring singing voice made her an unlikely global star, was taken by ambulance to the Priory Clinic in north London Sunday accompanied by paramedics and police after acting strangely at her hotel, The Sun newspaper reported. AFP PHOTO / Adrian Dennis (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

    A general view of The Priory, a private clinic, is pictured, in north London, on June 1, 2009. Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle was rushed to a London clinic suffering from exhaustion and possible mental health problems after coming a shock second on a talent show, reports said Monday. Boyle, whose soaring singing voice made her an unlikely global star, was taken by ambulance to the Priory Clinic in north London Sunday accompanied by paramedics and police after acting strangely at her hotel, The Sun newspaper reported. AFP PHOTO / Adrian Dennis (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

    A television presenter wipes his brow outside the main gate of The Priory, a private clinic, in north London, on June 1, 2009. Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle was rushed to a London clinic suffering from exhaustion and possible mental health problems after coming a shock second on a talent show, reports said Monday. Boyle, whose soaring singing voice made her an unlikely global star, was taken by ambulance to the Priory Clinic in north London Sunday accompanied by paramedics and police after acting strangely at her hotel, The Sun newspaper reported. AFP PHOTO / Adrian Dennis (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

Skip over this content
British broadcasters ITV were aware of the videos' existence - though ostensibly not the incorrect numbers - but allowed the clips to stay up to increase advertising ratings.
An ITV spokesperson said, "The voting lines for the finalists were clearly displayed and read out after each act had performed in the final, with further calls to action for all of the acts at four further points in the evening."
Skip over this content
"We are satisfied viewers had ample opportunity to know which voting numbers to call. We are not responsible for any phone numbers which may have been posted on unofficial websites."
YouTube confirmed that it had not taken down the videos as ITV accepted them for 'promotional reasons'. The video-sharing site is partially responsible for Susan Boyle's global fame - clips of the Scottish singer have been viewed by millions of users, many of whom have never seen an episode of the British talent competition.
Skip over this content
2009 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2009-06-03 11:07:13