Can she do it? Or will she crack? It's testing time for Susan Boyle, the Cinderella-like Scottish church volunteer who may or may not be a world-class singer. She goes on stage Saturday night in the finals of 'Britain's Got Talent,' even as tabloid newspapers call her a foul-mouthed lout and some critics suggest she isn't all that great at the microphone. All this untested amateur singer who suffers from learning disabilities has to do now is outshine nine other tough competitors on live television in front of millions of viewers in Britain and a huge Internet audience around the world. The pressure would rattle a pro - even Aretha Franklin admits she wasn't at her best at President Barack Obama's inauguration - and there are signs Boyle is feeling the heat. Already this week she lost her cool during a confrontation with two reporters that saw the police intervene, and, according to one contest judge, contemplated pulling out of the competition to soothe her frazzled nerves. Judge Piers Morgan has called for everyone to back off and give Boyle room to breathe. He said she would carry on, no matter what.
'She is one tough lady who has had to fight since the day she was born,' he wrote on his blog Friday. 'There is no way she's going to quit now as some of the papers seem to be suggesting, trust me.' 'Britain's Got Talent' has mesmerised Britain all week as a bizarre range of competitors vie for the finals. The last two finalists will be chosen Friday night under complex rules that give both call-in voters and the three celebrity judges a say. All 10 finalists then compete Saturday, with the winner announced at the end of the show. The prize: 100,000 pounds ($159,000) and a chance to perform before Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Show. It won't be shown live in the United States, or streamed over the Internet, meaning US fans will have to rely on video sharing sites like YouTube, where videos will be posted by fans and by the show's producers once it ends at on Saturday evening. Boyle sailed through her last test - a performance Sunday of 'Memory' from 'Cats' - although she started poorly and did not seem to captivate the audience as much as in her first round, when no one knew her dowdy looks masked a soaring, evocative voice.