She's here to help

What Now, Susan Boyle?

Tue., Jun. 2, 2009 11:36 AM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

ITV

My friends and I have a bet about the future of Susan "Hairy Angel" Boyle. After her trip to the hospital, do you think she can handle her fame and maintain a career?
—Linea, Oak Grove, Ill.

The answer is, in a way, unfortunate. Yes, music insiders tell me, Boyle can have a massive career. But only if she leaps up out of that hospital bed and starts cutting deals right now, whether she's rested and recovered...or not.

"She's not a mainstream singer, so it's not like young people are going to flock to her next year," says music business consultant Daylle Deana Schwartz, who works with independent labels and artists. "So this really is the time to strike. I don't think you can book a tour overnight, but she needs to start getting the ball rolling immediately."

But can Boyle handle it? I've been on the blower all day with celebrity shrinks, talent managers, Industry consultants, publicists, and like your friends, they're deeply divided on whether Boyle is even remotely ready to face her fame.

For the record, officials with Britain's Got Talent said today that Boyle is recovering after an anxiety attack resulting from the pressures of insta-fame. Some of my contacts say that her behavior isn't anything odd, considering the circumstances.

"We should give the lady a pass," says psychiatrist Dr. Paul Dobransky, who works with celebrities in his practice. "I just picture her going without sleep for days on end, preparing nonstop."

But others point out that Boyle may need more than just a bit of R & R if she's going to survive as a pop icon. In fact her outbursts have indicated she isn't ready for direct exposure to the public, Schwartz tells me. A show official said today that Boyle has no underlying mental problems, but if she wants a Kelly Clarkson-size career, Schwartz says, Boyle may need at least one perk: an entourage.

"Sure, she's ready to perform in front of a large audience," says Schwartz, author of Start & Run Your Own Record Label. "But she doesn't know how to push people away, and I think that's why she screamed and cursed."

If she were Boyle's manager, Schwartz adds, "I would hire a full-time person to travel with her, work with her, talk to her, run interference between her and fans and media."

But regardless of what Boyle actually needs, rest is most likely out of the question.

Translation? Lemme guess. Susan Boyle: The Dream the Dream Tour 2010.
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