英國版星光大道 Britains Got Talent 繼 Paul Potts 之後，一唱成名的素人 Susan Boyle 蘇珊大嬸，本週末將決戰冠軍寶座。稍早在電視上觀賞 Susan 演唱韋伯音樂劇「貓 Cats」主題曲 Memory 時，還真的讓我起雞皮疙瘩了（give me goosebumps）。
Less than a few weeks ago Susan Boyle was a virtual unknown. However, since auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent, a televised talent competition, she has experienced a stratospheric rise to fame. A YouTube video of her audition has been watched by more than 26 million people, making it one of the most watched videos on the internet in recent times. It is undeniable that technology such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter has helped to pread the word about Susan’s performance.
*a virtual unknown: 一個沒沒無名的人，virtual 在這裡有「真正的、實在的」之意 * audition：試鏡 * a stratospheric rise to fame：一舉成名、一飛沖天。stratospheric 原本的意思為大氣層的「平流層」，為距離地表第二層的大氣層（距離最近的是「對流層」），通常長程班機都是飛在這一層的底層。這詞本意是說「一躍而起到極高的名聲」 * undeniable：不可否認的，從動詞 deny 變來的 * Facebook and Twitter：世界排名前十名的兩大社群交友網站，前者創立者為一哈佛大學的學生，原本為一美國大學生上傳學經歷個人照片與分享連結影片的交友網站，現已成為大家聯繫朋友、同事、同學或其它社交圈之間最受歡迎的網站之一。後者也是快速竄起的社交網站，原本目標僅設定在「你在做什麼？」更新自己目前狀態的功能，有所謂「微網誌（micro-blog）」之稱，但現以發展成為熱門的社交網站。蘇珊大嬸的表演曾被黛咪摩兒在twitter上稱讚讓她感動落淚。 So just what is it about Susan that the people find so fascinating? Arguably, it is the fact she is such a class act. However, many have suggested that her biggest appeal lies in her unassuming persona.
*a class act：在運動或者演藝方面很出色的人 * unassuming persona：沒什麼架子的人。unassuming 不擺架子的、平易近人的 Susan’s persona and appearance have been somewhat controversial and the initial reaction to her audition has made many people question whether they are guilty of judging a book by its cover. With her plain Jane, middle-aged looks and her no-nonsense approachto life, Susan is perhaps the most unlikely star to be discovered of late.
* controversial：引起爭議話題的 * judging a book by its cover：以貌取人，字面上的意思是「從封面判斷一本書」 * plain Jane：其貌不揚的女人 * no-nonsense approachto：直接了當的態度。no nonsense 正經八百的、直接了當的
Commenting on her rise to fame, Max Clifford, a renowned PR guru, said that the massive public interest in her is partly due to people having to challenge their own assumptions and prejudices. So what’s next for Susan? For the moment, she is preparing for her next appearance on Britain’s Got Talent and she is the odds-on favourite to win. Looking forward, with talk of record contracts and celebrity duets, it is very likely that we’ll soon be seeing a Susan Boyle album in the charts!
