Boyling over

I gotta be honest. I'm kinda ticked. Most of us have probably seen this by now. A unknown never been kissed 47 year old UGLY woman dares try her hand at singing. Reports have recently come out that she lied about never being kissed and has actually done some singing here and there. Still, people just couldn't believe their ears that an ugly woman could possess that kind of beauty. Ok, I'm human, I was surprised too but I guess that's why I'm so ticked. How have we digressed so far that the physical appearance of a person (especially a woman) is an immediate indication of their level of talent? As Susan began to sing everyone was SHOCKED, like, WHAT THE HECK? She can sing? But she's so ugly?? Its insane when you think about it. Still, most North Americans seem to function like this.

What really got my blood boiling is reading that Susan got a makeover. Poor girl. Obviously now that she can carry a tune she has to be attractive - especially if she want so be successful. I'm not ususally an angry sort of a guy but for some reason this got to me. Maybe its the injustice of it all. Either way, this has made me reflect even more on beauty in our culture and the implications for future generations, like Maddie and Lex for instance. What are we teaching them?

Before I leave you, I wanted to share this piece of genius satire written by the award winning comic writer Andy Borrowitz. His pieces frequently appear in The New Yorker. Remember its satire.

Enjoy! I always do.

- John

The success of singer Susan Boyle on the reality show "Britain's Got Talent" has caused both television networks and their viewers to reconsider the intrinsic value of ugly people, media experts say. In living rooms around the world as well as in the executive suites of media giants, those exposed to the Susan Boyle phenomenon are grappling with the paradox - thought impossible up until now - that an ugly person could be talented.

In New York, NBC chief Jeff Zucker confirmed that his network was "seriously considering" lifting its official ban against featuring unattractive people on the air."For years, the letters NBC have stood for ‘No Butt-ugly Characters,'" Mr. Zucker said. "We're beginning to re-think that."
Jenifer Genterson, a news anchor from Abilene, Texas, is just one of a chorus of beautiful TV talking heads who have been startled and inspired by the surprising presence of talent in an ugly person.

"In the TV business, we're told that beauty is everything," Ms. Genterson said. "But Susan Boyle has shown us that ugly people have the right to live, too."But Professor Davis Logsdon, who studies the rare occurrences of ugly people in the media at the University of Minnesota's School of Communications, warns that the isolated example of Ms. Boyle may give ugly people around the world too much hope.

"The fact is, only one in a million ugly people will ever get on TV," said Professor Logsdon. "Most of them will wind up in academia."Elsewhere, one day after lifting travel restrictions on Cuba, President Obama said he would send Vice President Joe Biden there for the next four years.