Susan Boyle: The Story So Far

The worldwide success of Susan Boyle’s debut album, I Dreamed A Dream, released on November 23rd, is the latest milestone for the Scottish church volunteer from Blackburn, West Lothian.  She stunned audiences with her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream on Britain’s Got Talent.  And even though Susan placed second in the final competition, she won the hearts of fans around the world, including celebrities such as Demi Moore and Elaine Paige.

Susan has had an undoubtedly interesting and busy life since first appearing on Britain’s Got Talent, whether it be becoming an overnight worldwide sensation on YouTube, or traveling to America to perform on the hit television show America’s Got Talent.  In the candid interview presented below, you can now see and hear from the lady herself.

Susan Boyle: The Story So Far

Susan Boyle’s Debut Album: Susan Sings “Wild Horses” on America’s Got Talent

Susan Boyle Sings “Wild Horses” on America’s Got Talent 2009

An Upbeat Susan Boyle Performed Before an Excited Today Show Crowd on Monday

A confident Susan Boyle wowed a large Today Show crowd in Rockefeller Center on Monday, as she performed songs from her hot-selling debut album entitled I Dreamed a Dream.  Before launching into her stirring signature tune, which made her a worldwide phenomenon, the 48-year-old Scottish woman playfully waved her cheery red scarf to the enthusiastic crowd.  Susan’s mini-concert included her bracing version of Mick Jagger’s Wild Horses and I Dreamed a Dream.  She’s come a very long way.  On Thanksgiving night, Susan Boyle will be featured in Matt Lauer’s People of the Year television special.

Susan Boyle sings “Wild Horses” on the Today Show Nov. 23, 2009

Susan Boyle sings “I Dreamed a Dream” on the Today Show Nov. 23, 2009

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The Fall of the Berlin Wall: Ending the Cold War

Snaking along, cutting through fields and streets, the 28-mile-long Berlin Wall stood as a border between East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989.  On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, a symbol of oppression since it was erected, was opened by East Germany, leading to days of emotional celebrations.  The fall of the Berlin Wall set in motion several important events, including the eventual reunification of the two countries on Oct. 3, 1990; the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe; and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet bloc in December 1991.

Historical Footage: The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989

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Tattooed Under Fire: Fort Hood, War Experiences Inked on the Body

American’s are deeply saddened by the shooting tragedy at Fort Hood, an attack by Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan on Thursday that killed 13 people and wounded 30 others on the Texas base.  Fort Hood is the largest U.S. military facility in the world and a major center for soldiers being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.  It also houses the Army’s Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program, which helps soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress when they return.  In both cases, upon deployment and return home, soldiers attempt to deal with serious emotional issues and many seek tattooing as a way to express them or even see the process as therapy.

Tattooed Under Fire is a documentary directed by Nancy Schiesari, a film that follows the young men and women at Fort Hood who seek solace at the tattoo studio, confessing fears, expressing anger, sharing secrets and relaying personal stories about the war.  Watching clips from the film now, seeing young, buzz-headed men and women describe their motivations for getting inked with caskets and corpses, one can’t help but to begin getting a feel for the intense experiences that become material for their body art.

The film was created long before Thursday’s mass shooting; isn’t a retroactive explanation for the shootings on Thursday.  But the film may nevertheless offer some insight into the tragedy in its depiction of the stress and anguish of military duty, of the horrors of war even in the relative comforts of home.  As one soldier explains, “The more times I go over, the more of Iraq’s going to come back with me.”

Tattooed Under Fire will begin airing on PBS stations starting November 8th.  It airs on Texas’s television station KLRU, which co-produced the documentary, at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10th.

Tattooed Under Fire: Fort Hood, War Experiences Inked on the Body

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Tattooed Under Fire: A Soldier’s Story/Jamie

Viewers can read more about this riveting documentary here.

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George Washington: The Loss of All Things

George Washington is David Gordon Green’s acclaimed impressionistic Southern Gothic debut film, which one reviewer described as “within a heart-shot of William Faulkner.”  Green won the Best First Film prize from the New York Film Critics, the Discovery Award at Toronto and the Best Director Prize at The Newport film Festival.

David Gordon Green’s feature debut is a seamless blend of subjectivity, pseudo-documentary, evocation of childhood and mythopoeia.  In an impoverished small town in North Carolina, various misfit and poor children converse.  “Look at this place,” one boy says to another. “It looks like two tornadoes came through here.”  The town is dilapidated; one of the “tornadoes” may have been the Great Depression.  Shots of railroad tracks suggest dreams of getting out.  But during the course of the film, death hovers: a boy dies; as a result, another boy feels that God’s judgment is close; another boy almost dies; a boy’s dog dies.  The underlying theme of George Washington is clearly “the loss of all things.”

The videos presented here include the hypnotic opening sequence of David Gordon Green’s auspicious debut film George Washington, another video from the film described as an influential scene in modern cinema and an interview with Charlie Rose, where Green talks about his film George Washington.

George Washington: The Loss of All Things

George Washington: An Influential Scene in Modern Cinema

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Charlie Rose: David Gordon Green Talks About “George Washington”

(Charlie Rose Interview: March 8, 2001)

A detailed review of George Washington can be read in The New York Times here.

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