A Diamond in the Rough

June 18, 2007 6:19 PM

Last night mobile phone salesman Paul Potts won Britain's Got Talent. Singing "Nessun dorma," an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, Potts captured the hearts of millions who have admired his talent for the past 10-days. Here are his three performances: audition; semi-final and final | winning performance. He's been given a recording contract by Simon Cowell, will perform for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance^* and will use some of his £100,000 cash prize to buy a new set of teeth, insuring more confidence to pursue his life-long dream and inspiring others to do the same.
posted by ericb (17 comments total)

Somebody posted me the YouTube link to his first performance about a week ago.

It nearly made me cry, and now reading this is giving me a serious case of the warm-and-fuzzies. =]
posted by cholly at 6:22 PM on June 18, 2007

Beautiful. This is truly heartwarming.
posted by Pecinpah at 6:23 PM on June 18, 2007

The tabloids in Britain are having a hey-day.

Don't Talk Out of Your Arias

The Secret Former Life of Cowell's 'Shy' Opera Protégé .
posted by ericb at 6:24 PM on June 18, 2007

Double and links 8/10 are same. Apart from that, great!
posted by lalochezia at 6:25 PM on June 18, 2007

Another BGT contestant who gave me the "warm-and-fuzzies" -- Craig Womersley, the Billy Elliot of the show -- 1 and 2.
posted by ericb at 6:26 PM on June 18, 2007

Damn -- it's a double.
posted by ericb at 6:27 PM on June 18, 2007

Pol Pot's a killer performer.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:31 PM on June 18, 2007

Flagged as douvble!
posted by ericb at 6:32 PM on June 18, 2007

I'm happy for him. I wish him the best.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:45 PM on June 18, 2007

His final performance is technically an improvement on the earlier one, and just as heart-felt. I'd say he totally deserved to win.
posted by chimaera at 6:48 PM on June 18, 2007

This is not a double, it aint even a triple, its a freaking quadruple.

http://www.metafilter.com/62022/Let-no-one-sleep

http://www.metafilter.com/62101/Nessun-dorma-ringtone

Cant be bothered searching for more
posted by mattoxic at 7:01 PM on June 18, 2007

Ain't no double, triple or quad. He won. I hadn't heard that, and it is kind of inspiring. Here is a guy who obviously trained in obscurity for years and now has won fame, a recording contract and £100,000. I love it. How inspiring is that?
posted by caddis at 7:09 PM on June 18, 2007

I've loved Nessun dorma for years, any good performance of it gives me chills. This was pretty darn good, even with the 'controversy' of his having had some training. I'll trade a guy who spent his own cash to try and improve himself over the hacks on most of these shows any day...
posted by pupdog at 7:17 PM on June 18, 2007

Er.. same youtube link, same victory. Some of the WORDS are different granted, and granted, there are a few more links.

Glad he's getting new teeth, that's great. But it's a multiple.
posted by mattoxic at 7:26 PM on June 18, 2007

It's interesting they blew out the whole show in 10 days. Wonder why they didn't do it as a proper series?
posted by smackfu at 7:47 PM on June 18, 2007

That dude can sing. Damn.
posted by chunking express at 7:50 PM on June 18, 2007

About 1:10 into Womersly's first performance, he steals a look at the audience and realized he had 'em, and that he had nailed it. Not just what he'd already done, he knew at that moment he was going to nail the rest of it, and his face for a split-second shows it.

That, right there, especially given how much more nervous a teenage male baton-twirler performing, solo, in front of an audience would be than a well-trained adult opera singer performing a solo, is what got the kid my vote.
posted by WolfDaddy at 7:59 PM on June 18, 2007