Susan Boyle

Imagine the Miss Universe Pageant. The contestants parade onto the stage in their evening gowns. Suddenly one of the judges feels that one of the girls is not dressed in the proper attire and asks if she has something else. She instantly says she has and goes backstage and just as quickly emerges in another costume, much to the approval of everyone.

What would you say if this happened? Now watch this.

Shaheen's performance

In this clip you will see the latest sensation on Britain's Got Talent, Shaheen Jafargholi, sing a song. The crowd and two of the judges seem to appreciate his offering. Simon does not. He stops the kid, tells him he has it all wrong, and asks if he has anything else. He replies that he has and instantly belts out another tune.

What's happening here? Here are my thoughts.

This was planned. The kid would have probably made it through this round with his original performance. Why would a judge force somebody to change? This is supposed to be a competion. Look at the lack of emotion on Shaheen when he is told to stop. Listen to how quickly the second song is ready to roll. Am I the only one who is suspicious? I don't think so.

Then why did the producers of the show plan this? My answer is money and power. The success of Susan Boyle the previous week was phenomenal, one could even say astronomical. Unfortunately, this was not good for the future of the show. An outpouring of this proportion amounts to a crowning of the winner early on in the game unless .... another challenger can be found.

That is exactly what happened through the magic of television. Jafargholi overcame the power of the evil Simon to win everyone over and create the controversy of who is the better talent.

Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star enters the debate with the suggestion to shut your eyes and listen to Susan Boyle and you will discover that her voice sounds the same on the two songs you can find on YouTube. That is why she is destined to lose the competition. Nice try, Richard. Your logic doesn't convince me. I could do this with Celine Dion or Shania Twain or Faith Hill. Many of their songs sound the same. Why? Unless you are an impersonator, you are born with one voice.

However, I do agree with Ouzounian that Sarah Boyle may well lose. Why? Just like Hollywood will often plan different endings for movies and select the one based on controlled screening approvals, my guess is that the producers of Britain's Got Talent will do the same. What ending will create the most controversy? Which one will give it the highest ratings and generate the most media coverage? They are well on their way to achieving that already. What concerns me is that few seem to care about or understand this manipulation.

Have you ever wondered why on Survivor, for example, why it only takes a majority to get somebody off the island, but it always seems to come down to a final vote? My logic tells me that once in awhile the result should be determined early on in the game, just like if you roll the dice often enough, you will consecutively roll numbers under seven several times in a row. Then why do they do this? For the same reason you have to wait to see who is eliminated on Dancing with the Stars. It heightens the emotion and boosts ratings - artificially. You are not being told the whole truth.

Having seen the Shaheen clip on Britain's Got Talent, it makes me wonder how much Susan Boyle's performance was manipulated to create the desired effect.

Both Susan and Shaheen have great talent. They deserve all the accolades they earn. It is a pity when third parties sully the competition for motives that may, indeed, help both of them, but are designed, in my opinion, to line the pockets of the people producing the show.