Paul Potts Can Sing

I don't really like American Idol, especially when the contestants get kind of good, because even at their best, i.e. Kelly Clarkson, it's not my type of music. I admit, I do enjoy the first few shows with all the freaks and delusional people because like everyone else I love a car wreck.

Then there's this guy, Paul Potts, who performs on the British equivalent of American Idol, Britain's Got Talent. I love how this starts, a dowdy little toad of a man tells Simon Cowell and the two other judges that he's going to sing opera. Simon looks as if someone just asked him to bite into a turd, because let's face it, most contestants can't sing pop never mind opera. Then the little, endearing toad sings "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's Turnadot. This performance, although not perfect, is what these sort of shows are all about, watching the ordinary become extraordinary, discovering that the man who sold you your cell phone can sing Puccini is oddly gratifying.