Susan Boyle VIDEO: Britain's Singing YouTube Sensation got talent

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Susan Boyle VIDEO: Britain's Singing YouTube Sensation

SEE SUSAN SING FOR AMERICA ON THURSDAY


LONDON -- A middle-aged volunteer church worker with the voice of an angel is Britain's latest unlikely showbiz star.

Susan Boyle, 47, wowed judges and audience alike when she performed on television contest "Britain's Got Talent."

By Tuesday, a video clip of Boyle's performance on Internet site YouTube has been watched more than 2.7 million times.

The unemployed Scot who said she'd "never been kissed" drew titters when she told the judges her ambition was to be a professional singer.

But her soaring rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables" astonished the show's hard-to-please judges.

They were captivated by the singer from Blackburn in western Scotland. Usually acerbic judge Simon Cowell dubbed her singing "extraordinary." Fellow judge Piers Morgan said her "stunning" performance was "the biggest surprise I've had in three years of this show."

The show, the first in a new series of "Britain's Got Talent," was watched by 11.4 million of Britain's 60 million people on Saturday night.

British bookmakers made Boyle the early favorite to win the series.

She is the latest in a proud tradition of underdogs who win the heart of the British public.

The program, sister show of "America's Got Talent," made a star of its first winner, an unassuming mobile phone salesman named Paul Potts. He wowed audiences with his rendition of the aria "Nessun Dorma" and has become a global recording star since winning the series _ and signing to Cowell's record label _ in 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

April 11, 2009

Obama Sees ‘Glimmers of Hope’ for the Economy

WASHINGTON — President Obama said on Friday that there are “glimmers of hope” concerning the battered American economy, including an increase in lending to small businesses.

In the last month, there has been a 20 percent rise in loans under the largest program run by the Small Business Administration, the president said after conferring at the White House with his financial advisers.

“And what that means is that small businesses are starting to get money that allows them to keep their doors open, make payroll,” Mr. Obama said. “And that is going to contribute to overall economic growth, as well as help make sure that people are able to keep their jobs.”

The president said the increase in S.B.A. activity was a sign that the administration’s steps to thaw the credit markets were having an effect. In the months since the dimensions of the financial crisis became obvious, getting credit flowing again has been seen as a crucial factor in an eventual recovery.

Mr. Obama also noted “a very significant pickup in refinancings” because of lower mortgage-interest rates.

“That has the effect of not only putting money in the pockets of people but also contributing to stabilization of the housing market,” he said.

The president met with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke; Sheila C. Bair, the head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Mary L. Schapiro, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and John C. Dugan, the comptroller of the currency.

Without being specific, Mr. Obama said his administration would take additional steps to bolster the economy over the next several weeks.

Despite a recent rally on Wall Street, Mr. Obama said it was clear that “the economy is still under severe stress, and obviously during these holidays we have to keep in mind that whatever we do ultimately has to translate into economic growth and jobs and rising income for the American people.”

Tacitly acknowledging that optimistic talk in Washington may not mean much to people worried about holding on to their jobs or houses or retirement dreams, Mr. Obama said there was a way to go before recovery.

“And if we stick with it, if we don’t flinch in the face of some difficulties, then I feel absolutely convinced that we are going to get this economy back on track,” he said.

source: NYTimes

Thousands flock to D.C. for Cherry Blossom Parade

• Story Highlights
• "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek serves as parade's grand marshal
  
• Cherry blossom trees were a gift to U.S. government from Japan in 1912
  
• National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the arrival of spring

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of visitors lined Constitution Avenue in Washington on Saturday morning for the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

The annual two-week National Cherry Blossom Festival runs through April 12.

more photos »

"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek served as the parade's grand marshal, waving to crowds from the back of a convertible. "American Idol" finalist Kimberly Locke, the cast of the musical "Chicago" and D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton were among the parade's stars.

The cherry blossom trees were a gift of friendship to the U.S. government from Japan in 1912, according to the National Park Service. Their blooming has come to represent the definitive beginning of springtime in the nation's capital.

The parade is part of the annual two-week National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is timed around the projected peak bloom period of the famous trees. This year, the trees reached their peak bloom this week, according to the park service.

Many high school groups and marching bands also participated in the parade.

Near the National Mall, large crowds mingled under the branches of the blossoming trees that line the Tidal Basin. On an unusually blustery day, the delicate pink and white blossoms blew from their branches like snowflakes.

"It's like being in a fairy tale," said Maria Podonyi, a visiting professor from Hungary. Podonyi brought her parents, who are visiting the United States from Hungary, to the festival.

They haven't seen anything like this before," she said. "It's wonderful.

The festival is scheduled to run through April 12.