Friday, June 15, 2007

Something Unexpected

So can you tell I have the day off? This was also on a blog, and I found it completely endearing. It is always wonderful to watch what happens when people saturated with trash pop are unexpectedly exposed to earnestness and beauty.

Addendum: Apparently he won the semi-finals. His name is Paul Potts and the footage is on YouTube.



9 comments:

The Captain said...

OMG, I loved it. As old Dostoyevski said, beauty will redeem the world.

Mary: OMG means "Oh My Gosh"

Anonymous said...

Apparently the person who wins the competition gets to sing for the queen. This is what he had to say about himself before he sang:

“I don’t think they were expecting very much. I’m a bit short and overweight and had a cheap old suit on and the hairdresser had used a number two on my hair instead of a four so it made me look a bit bald."

Here is Dostoevsky's description of his Prince Myshkin, the bearer of all things beautiful in the novel, "The Idiot":

"He was wearing a rather broad, thick, sleeveless cloak, with an enormous hood...a little above medium height, and very fair-complexioned with masses of hair; his cheeks were sunken and he had a wispy, pointed little beard, almost white in color."

Paul Pott's semi-final win is on YouTube. Worth watching.

The Captain said...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8

Go here for his semi-final win

Lisette said...

that made me cry. i'm such a sucker.

Frank said...

First of all this was truly good. I loved it.

But at first when I read the name I thought instead of Paul Potts that Pol Pot was coming on stage to sing and I was like what the hell is this? But I wasn't really upset because of anything having to do with the whole Khmer Rouge killing fields business. I just think South Asian music, is too high pitched, has a dissonant sound and lacks originality. What is it Simon is always saying, "It was okay but not right for this particular contest". Ill grant you though, I have my issues with the culture generally speaking and may not be the most objective critic (cf Haiku Contest).

[was this one too out of line? you can be honest]

Maureen said...

BEAUTIFUL! Can't wait to plug into his semifinal.
I want all of you to play this again, and at the end where it says replay, other pictures of contestants will scroll on the bottom, PLEASE listen to the blond little girl sing. She's so darling,6 yrs old, and you might cry at her,too.

storminomahoney said...

Of the selct pieces of operatic songs that I know, this has always been my favorite. The looks on the judges' faces are priceless.

storminomahoney said...

Maureen, that girl was gorgeous!

storminomahoney said...

The guy with the monkey is pretty funny too.

Lisette, I couldn't stop thinking about you constantly replaying this while studying!