Susan Boyle

Shocking Bieber Upset: Oil Spill Tops Twitter's 2010 Trends

Liz Gannes in Social on December 13, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

Although World Cup tweeting caused record high volume and infrastructure demands on Twitter, the most-discussed topic on Twitter this year was actually the Gulf oil spill, said the San Francisco-based company tonight.

Viral Video: Shatner and Web Singing Sensation Have a Total Eclipse of the Heart

Kara Swisher in News on April 22, 2010 at 12:34 am PT

Here is yet another classic talk-sing video of actor William Shatner. He’s in a duet with Taiwanese singer Lin Yu Chun, aired on the “Lopez Tonight” television show last night. Lin became well known after a video of his wowza performance on a Taiwanese talent show, singing “I Will Always Love You” in Whitney Houston style, garnered more than 12 million views on YouTube.

Surprise of the Day: People Still Buying (Some) Music

Peter Kafka in Media on February 4, 2010 at 4:48 am PT

The music industry’s decline has been so prolonged that this now qualifies as a man-bites-dog story: Sony says its music sales actually went up, just a bit, in the last quarter. Thank Michael Jackson and Susan Boyle.

Voices

Nothing Says Holidays Like Queen Elizabeth Getting Her Groove On

Zoran Basich, Editor, Dow Jones VentureWire in News on December 16, 2009 at 5:00 am PT

Holiday “e-cards” have become popular in recent years, first as a way to cut back on paper clutter but increasingly as an outlet for ever-more creative messages. Some venture firms have gotten in on the act, as we’ve seen recently with Onset Ventures’ witty annual card that spoof everything from social networking to “American Idol” and, this year, holiday gift catalogs.

YouTube’s Most Popular Clips: 10 Videos, a Lot of Music and Half a Billion Views

Peter Kafka in Media on December 16, 2009 at 4:46 am PT

Susan Boyle you know. But what about Pitbull and Keri Hinson?

First Round Capital Forces Its Start-Ups to Sing for Their Supper (and Your Holiday Card)

Peter Kafka in Media on December 9, 2009 at 12:50 pm PT

Some of you really enjoyed last year’s First Round Capital holiday card, which featured the VC firm’s portfolio companies “dancing” a la 2008′s “Where the Hell is Matt?” viral video. Susan Boyle fans will like this year’s edition.

Voices

Susan Boyle Album Tops Amazon Pre-Orders

Andrew LaVallee, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on October 21, 2009 at 2:30 pm PT

A month ahead of its release, Susan Boyle’s album has more advance orders on Amazon.com than any CD in the retailer’s history, it said. The Sony album, titled “I Dreamed a Dream,” goes on sale on Nov. 23. Ms. Boyle sang the song by the same name on “Britain’s Got Talent,” and the video of her unexpectedly strong performance made her a world-wide phenomenon after it landed on video-sharing sites like YouTube.

While Fanboys Breathlessly Await Steve Jobs's Apple iTab, They Should Probably Thank Bill Gates Too

Kara Swisher in News on October 5, 2009 at 8:10 am PT

Way back in the fall of 2001, BoomTown attended a keynote speech at the now-defunct Comdex show in Las Vegas, where Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates continued to bang the drum for one of his long-running obsessions: The tablet computer. It is an obsession he has never given up. So it is ironic that all the hype has suddenly and firmly coalesced around the particulars of the tablet that Apple has developed–a device being spearheaded by CEO Steve Jobs and likely to arrive in the coming months.

United Might Break Guitars and the Funky Wedding Video Has Buzz, But Will It All Have a Susan Boyle Ending?

Kara Swisher in News on August 6, 2009 at 8:30 am PT

Oh, who doesn’t just love, love, love the two latest viral videos to hit the Web–“United Breaks Guitars” and the joyful wedding dance of Minnesotans Jill and Kevin? Combined, they have more than 20 million views on YouTube. While that’s all well and good, like a lot of these kinds of viral phenoms, neither is likely to make much money and become more than watercooler wonders.

Susan's Last Stand: Internet Phenom Boyle Comes in Second

Kara Swisher in News on June 1, 2009 at 12:13 am PT

The Scottish woman who went from unknown to become the Internet’s most watched video failed to win first place in the final of the television show, “Britain’s Got Talent” this past weekend. Boyle’s chances have been diminishing over the past week, since the British tabloids have been piling on and tarnishing her fairytale reputation, reporting on odd public outbursts by her due to the pressure of her instant stardom online and off.