Susan Boyle: An Unlikely Superstar | |
---|---|
Genre | Documentary |
Created by | Osca Humphreys |
Starring | Susan Boyle |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Kirsty Wilson [1] |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | ITV; TLC |
Release | 4 November 2011 |
Susan Boyle: An Unlikely Superstar is a documentary made in 2011 by filmmaker Osca Humphreys and produced by Firecracker Films for UK network ITV. The documentary was distributed internationally by Zodiak Rights. [2]
The film crew followed Susan Boyle around the world for 3 months from Shanghai, China, to New Zealand, to New York City, to her back garden in Blackburn, Scotland.
The documentary attempted to answer the question of whether having achieved her dream of becoming a professional singer and with more wealth and fame than she ever imagined or even desired, she is now happy and as stated in the documentary "living the dream". [3]
The documentary starts with Susan Boyle preparing for a performance at the Shanghai Grand Stadium as a guest star on China's Got Talent , in front of a live audience of 58,000 people and a television audience of 560 million. The narrator notes that "In 2009 the biggest selling album in the world was not by Beyonce or Lady Gaga ... It was by an unknown, unemployed, lonely woman from Scotland." Many of the songs from her 3rd album "Someone To Watch Over Me" play in the background during the documentary, and scenes from the recording studio are included, as she works on the album with her producer and prepares the music with her vocal coach, Yvie Burnett.
Memorable scenes from the documentary allow us in to the private world of Susan Boyle attending a meeting in London with her manager and Simon Cowell, an emotional and uplifting meeting with some of her fans in New York in August 2011, being honoured at her local village Blackburn Gala Day on 11 June 2011, recording a track for "Someone to Watch Over Me", and attending rehearsals for the musical I Dreamed a Dream , which tells Boyle's life story. She becomes very emotional as the musical rehearses Boyle's painful life episodes. The documentary shows the close connection that Boyle has with her manager.
In Boyle's home in Blackburn, the viewer is shown the plaque from Sony for her 14,000,000 sales in 14 months. Boyle states, "I get embarrassed. I'm nobody special." In one scene, Boyle is sitting alone on a bench in the back garden of her home. She reads the plaque on the bench "In loving memory of our dear mum & dad Pat & Bridie Boyle always in our hearts from their loving family". Since her parents died, and her siblings have moved away, Boyle expresses that she often has feelings of loneliness. She has a few friends in Blackburn, but she still has a longing to meet that "special person" with whom to share her life.
The documentary first aired in the UK on ITV on 4 November 2011. As reported in the media: "SuBo perks up ITV's Friday night ratings On Friday night The 9pm hour belonged to ITV's Susan Boyle: An Unlikely Superstar, which averaged 5.5 million viewers and a 22.4% audience share, rising to 5.8 million with ITV +1." [4] [5] In the U.S. the documentary first aired on 6 November 2011 on the TLC cable channel and is still available to viewers in the U.S. via Netflix.
In Australia the documentary was sold as a DVD and attained Platinum accreditation as per ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2011 DVDs. [6]
Martine Kimberley Sherrie McCutcheon is an English actress and singer. She began appearing in television commercials at an early age and made her television debut in the children's television drama Bluebirds in 1989. In the early 1990s, she had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan, but it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in the BBC's soap opera EastEnders and her role in the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually that brought her stardom. For the former she won the National Television Award, while the latter earned her the Empire and MTV Movie awards. She was written out of EastEnders at the end of 1998 and then embarked on a pop career, this time as a solo artist.
Delta Lea Goodrem AM is an Australian singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Goodrem signed a recording contract with Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut studio album, Innocent Eyes (2003), topped the ARIA Albums Chart for 29 non-consecutive weeks. It is one of the highest-selling Australian albums and is the second-best-selling Australian album of all time with over four million copies sold.
André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra.
The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit is a 1990 re-edited version of the 1964 16mm documentary What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A., about the Beatles' first visit to America in February 1964. Made by documentary filmmakers Albert and David Maysles, it documents the Beatles' U.S. trip as they travel to New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami Beach. Most of the non-musical footage is of the Beatles in hotel rooms, often acting irreverently in front of the camera.
"I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical Les Misérables. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyrics are by Herbert Kretzmer, based on the original French libretto by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel from the original French production.
Mirusia Louwerse is an Australian soprano. She performs as Mirusia and has been called "The Unconventional Pop Star" and "The Angel of Australia".
Yvie Burnett, is a Scottish mezzo-soprano and vocal coach, best known for her work with Simon Cowell on television shows The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, The Big ReunionThe Voice UK and BBC's Let It Shine.
The third series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 11 April to 30 May 2009. The judging panel of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan returned from the previous series; a fourth judge, Kelly Brook, was added, but removed from the series shortly after filming began.
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer. She rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 million records. Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream (2009), is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and it was the best-selling album internationally in 2009. In 2011, Boyle made UK music history by becoming the first female artist to achieve three successive albums debut at No.1 in less than two years.
I Dreamed a Dream is the debut studio album by Scottish singer Susan Boyle. It was released on 23 November 2009 by Syco Music in the United Kingdom, and by Columbia Records in the United States one day later. In the standard edition, 11 out of the 12 songs that appear on the album are cover songs, plus the original composition "Who I Was Born to Be". It quickly became the world's biggest selling album of 2009, according to IFPI. The album had sold around 10 million copies worldwide since its debut.
Believe Again: Australian Tour 2009 is a live DVD and album by Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem. Filming took place during the final two Sydney shows of her Believe Again Tour on 3 and 4 February 2009 at the State Theatre. It was released on 18 September 2009 through Sony Music with the DVD cover design placed in the hands of Goodrem fans, as part of a competition on her official website. The winning cover was designed by Australian graphic designer, Jacky Ho. This release became Goodrem's third consecutive #1 on the ARIA DVD Chart. On 22 July 2010 Delta was awarded an ARIA #1 Chart Award for her 'Believe Again Tour' DVD achieving number one status and sales in the past year.
I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas is the third live and fourth video album by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on November 23, 2009 through Music World Entertainment and Columbia Records. The album was recorded at the Encore Theater in Paradise, Nevada, being filmed by Ed Burke, on August 2, 2009, during a stint of Beyoncé's I Am... World Tour (2009–2010). It features performances of over thirty songs, including her solo material, her recordings with the girl group Destiny's Child as well as behind-the-scenes footage. The film was directed by Nick Wickham and produced by Emer Patten.
Celine: Through the Eyes of the World is a documentary–concert film chronicling the life of Canadian singer, Celine Dion during her 2008–2009 Taking Chances World Tour. It premiered in Miami on 16 February 2010 and was released by The Hot Ticket in theaters in North America on 17 February 2010. It was also released in Australia and the United Kingdom. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with most of them indicating it is mainly for the fans. Celine: Through the Eyes of the World grossed $1,027,341 in Canada alone and became the number-one domestic movie there.
Life Is But a Dream is a 2013 autobiographical television film, co-directed and executive produced by American singer Beyoncé Knowles in her directorial debut. The film was released on February 16, 2013 on the HBO network, in conjunction with Parkwood Entertainment, Knowles' management company. The film uses a combination of professional camera footage, private videos from Knowles' laptop and from her May 2012 four-night revue at Revel Atlantic City. Upon its release, the documentary opened to mixed reviews from critics. It was nominated in the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary category for the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards.
The discography of Susan Boyle, a Scottish singer, contains seven studio albums and sixteen singles, thirteen as a solo artist, and three as a featured artist. Boyle achieved global attention after auditioning for Series 3 of Britain's Got Talent in 2009. After much attention, Boyle signed a record deal with British record producer Simon Cowell, releasing her worldwide multi-platinum selling début album I Dreamed a Dream. The album's first two singles, "Wild Horses" and "I Dreamed a Dream" were successful, both reaching the top forty of the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, Boyle's album charted at number one on the Billboard 200 album charts. The singles were a success in the United States, with "Wild Horses" making ninety-eight and "I Dreamed a Dream" making sixty-two.
Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden is a 2011 concert special which documents the February 21 and 22, 2011 shows of American pop singer Lady Gaga's worldwide concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour. Filmed at Madison Square Garden in Gaga's hometown of New York City, the two-hour special was directed by the singer's choreographer Laurieann Gibson and produced by HBO. It was first broadcast on the channel on May 7, 2011, a day after Gaga's last date of The Monster Ball Tour. The special was released on November 21, 2011, on DVD and Blu-ray by Media Blasters.
Someone to Watch Over Me is the third album by Scottish singer Susan Boyle, released on 7 November 2011 in the United Kingdom and 1 November 2011 in the United States. The album has been described as a "diverse mix of music" which includes songs inspired by the stories of Boyle's fans who write letters to her.
"Who I Was Born to Be" is the first original song recorded by Susan Boyle. appearing on her multi-platinum debut album I Dreamed a Dream. The song has become a staple in Boyle's repertoire. The songs lyrics describe Boyle's decades long dream of becoming a professional singer. The lyrics has become associated with Boyle who titled her autobiography "The Woman I Was Born to Be".
Live in Atlantic City is the eighth video album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on November 22, 2013, by Columbia Records and Parkwood Entertainment.
There's Something About Susan is a documentary about Scottish singer Susan Boyle, produced in 2013 by Firecracker Films for UK network ITV. In the film, Boyle is followed around Scotland and Houston, Texas, US. The film's aim was to discover whether Boyle could overcome her anxieties and stress in order to cope with her first-ever concert tour.