Susan Boyle Admitted to Clinic: Exhaustion and Distress

Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle

What a difference a day makes. Susan Boyle was transported by ambulance today from her London hotel to a private health clinic, reportedly suffering exhaustion and some mental distress.

I suspect the same thing would have happened had she won first place. The sudden and overwhelming celebrity was probably as enormous a burden as it was an opportunity.

I hope she gets excellent care and recovers quickly. I’m sure Simon or someone is planning on having her record an album, and I’d bet it will secure her financial future.

“Diversity” Wins Britain’s Got Talent

Update 2:47 pm MT: Voting is closed. And the winner is: Diversity.

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Top Three: Susan Boyle, Julian Smith and Diversity. Third place: Julian Smith. (He was terrific, you can watch his final performance here.) Second: Susan Boyle. She was totally gracious. She said, “The best won.” She smiled, laughed and raised her skirt and showed some leg.

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Original Post: Britain’s Got Talent Final Underway

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Dale Helmig: America’s Most Wanted to Feature Innocence Case

Kenny Hulsof Dale Helmig
(Former Congressman and state proseuctor Kenny Hulsof and Dale Helmig)

Don’t miss America’s Most Wanted on Fox this Saturday Night. Instead of trying to find a murderer, this time the show is trying to free one.

“America’s Most Wanted,” scheduled for broadcast at 8 p.m. Saturday on KQFX-TV (Fox 38), will devote an hour to the investigation and trial of Helmig, now 53, who in 1996 was convicted of murdering his mother. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The show is designed to capture bad people and put them away,” said producer Dave Bolton. “This case jumped to our attention because it looked like a huge miscarriage of justice because the bad guy who did the crime was still out there and the innocent guy was put in prison for a crime he did not commit.”

Helmig was convicted of killing his mother. The evidence against him, all circumstantial, was beyond thin. His conviction was overturned in a federal habeas petition (opinion here), but the state appealed. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Dale’s conviction and the Supreme Court denied cert. He remains in prison today, having served 12 years of a sentence to life without parole. Continue reading

Bachelorette Episode #2: Spoilers, From 20 to 16

Jillian - Red Flower

(Updates below): Jillian will go from 20 bachelors to 16 tonight.

After the 20 cocktail-party survivors settle into their “animal house,” one accompanies Jillian to Hollywood’s House of Blues, where they’re serenaded by Martina McBride. Another dines with Jillian in a bank vault. Group dates include a trip to Venice Beach, where guys play basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters; and a pool party, followed by a race across L.A. Come elimination time there’s a new wrinkle: The men vote on whom they’d like to see go, and after Jillian weighs in 16 are left.

Here’s my guess as to who is eliminated (in bold):

Brad, 27, financial advisor from Chicago, IL.
Brian, 32, IT consultant from Atlanta, GA.
David, 27, trucking contractor from Dayton, OH.
Ed, 29, technology consultant from Chicago, IL.
Jake, 31, commercial pilot from Dallas, TX.
Jesse, 27, wine maker from Carmel Valley, CA.
Juan, 35, general contractor from Santa Monica, CA.
Julien, 34, restauranteur from San Diego, CA.
Kiptyn, 31, business developer from Encinitas, CA.
Mark, 26, pizza entrepreneur from Denver, CO.
Mathue, 26, personal trainer from Wichita, KS.
Michael, 25, break dance instructor from Astoria, NY.
Mike, 28, baseball camp owner from New York, NY.
Reid, 30, realtor from Philadelphia, PA.
Robby, 25, bartender from Spring, TX.
Sasha, 27, oil and gas consultant from Tiki Island, TX.
Simon, 26, soccer coach from Bradford, England
Tanner F., 28, sales representative from Derby, KS/Denver.
Tanner P., 30, financial analyst from Dallas, TX.
Wes, 32, musician from Austin, TX.

Who to keep your eye on? Mike, Kip and Reid, for sure. Maybe Jesse. Wes the country singer makes it to a home town date but gets cut then. There’s lots of talk he just went on the show for publicity to further his career.

I think the final two will be Kip and Reid, but I’m not completely sure yet. Continue reading