Subtitles for Scottish sensation Subo

Oprah show subtitles Susan Boyle

American TV bosses subtitled Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle when she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show so viewers could understand her.

A production crew from the daytime US talk show descended on Ms Boyle's home in Blackburn, West Lothian.

They spent several hours being given a guided tour by the singing hopeful, and interviewed her neighbours.

Ms Boyle later told chat show queen Oprah that the global fame she had achieved was "like a dream come true".

The subtitles appeared on screen during a pre-recorded piece, but were dropped when Ms Boyle spoke live to Oprah.

Ms Boyle's rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables on ITV1 show Britain's Got Talent turned her into a global phenomenon after being posted on YouTube.

Vocal talents

The special episode of Oprah also featured other acts from some of the 40 countries where the talent show is filmed.

Speaking via a video link from her home in Scotland, 47-year-old Ms Boyle told Oprah that despite the attention, she hasn't succumbed to pressure to radically change her appearance.

She said that her friend helps her with make-up, but added "that's hardly a makeover."

Ms Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal talents.

"I was kind of slow at school, so getting something like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and so boosting my confidence," she said.

Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell also appeared on the Oprah show, and described his shock at hearing Ms Boyle's voice for the first time.

He said: "This lady came up, and I'm thinking 'This will take five seconds and I can go have a cup of tea'."

"She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face midway through - it was one of my favourite moments."

Cowell spoke about how TV talent shows have the power to transform people's lives.

He said: "It gives the *underdog a shot, and I think it's brilliant. The fact that we're allowing the public to make the decisions most of the time is a really good thing.

"The great thing about it is when you start seeing it in places like China and Afghanistan. It's democracy. We've kinda given democracy back to the world"


Spotlight on vocabulary:

The *underdog, in a competition, is the weakest and the least likely to win. Or it is the weakest person or group in society.
  • Nadal is so strong that most who play against him are considered the underdog.
  • The church should do more to help the underdogs of society.

Can you think of a competition where the underdog won? Were you happy?

Source: You Tube (moonfly1953)  Key Words: Boyle Oprah


Try to complete the lyrics to I Dreamed a Dream from the film Les Misèrables.

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