Britain's Got Talent / Mike Norman / 25 May 2009 / 1

It was a mixed day for "Mystical" Mike Norman yesterday. He was devastated when his favourite football team were relegated, but he still woke to the tune of Oh What A Night thanks to some talented Brits...

It was quite ironic that the first song I heard on the radio this morning was Oh What A Night. You see, yesterday, Middlesbrough were relegated from the Premier League, prompting me to drown my sorrows in the company of Stella (a crate of, that is). But thankfully Britain's Got Talent was on... and boy are those words Oh What A Night appropriate in relation to what we saw less than 24 hours ago.

I billed Susan Boyle up as the star attraction ahead of yesterday's first live semi-final... and she didn't let me down. In fact, she was absolutely sensational.

Boyle traded at [1.01] in the To Qualify market after her spine-tingling rendition of Memories from the hit musical Cats. You can't help but feel that world class singers aren't supposed to look like Susan, yet at the same time, in a weird sort of way her appearance adds to her overall appeal. She is truly world class and I feel immensely privileged to be around at the time of her emergence.

Also making it through to Saturday's live final was street dancers Diversity. Available to back at a high of [2.8] prior to last night's show, they were soon trading as low as [1.25] thanks to their slick and incredibly enjoyable performance. It was polished, error-free, imaginative and quite draw-dropping to be honest. The group received a standing ovation from the astounded audience and I for one can't wait to see them in the final.

Disappointments of the night were ten-year-old singer Natalie Okri and classical violinist Sue Son.

Okri was let down by whoever choose that awful song for her. It didn't give her a chance to demonstrate her excellent voice for one so young, and it was bordering on heartbreaking to see her leave the stage in tears at the end of the night. Son on the other hand let herself down. She performed poorly by her own admission, prompting Simon Cowell to compliment her by saying, "You are talented, but not likeable". Some compliment Simon!

And so to tonight's second semi-final. Effectively it's a three horse race between singer Jamie Pugh (available to back at [2.78] in the Public Vote Winner market), street dancers Flawless ([2.5]) and 17-year-old singer Shaun Smith ([3.15]).

It's a difficult call to name who will win, but my money is marginally on Jamie Pugh, this despite the negative newspaper reports he received after his audition. Pugh told the audience and judges that he'd never sang live on stage before (he later claimed that he meant as a solo artist) when in fact he'd performed quite a few times as part of a group. I don't think the voting public are too bothered in all honesty, and if tonight's semi-final gets won on talent alone then Jamie has an excellent chance of winning.

It could quite easily be a repeat of last night's result if musical-style singer Pugh and street dancers Flawless make the final. They are available to back at [1.58] and [1.47] respectively in the To Qualify market, just ahead of Smith ([2.1]) who I can't help but feel would be better suited to the X Factor.

Frankie Valli sang about late December back in 63 in the song I referred to at the start of this piece. Late May in 09 doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but I've got a sneaky feeling that I will be waking up tomorrow once again singing Oh What A Night.

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1. Hobbit | 25 May 2009

   Couldn't agree more. Shaun Smith should be on X Factor not BGT. People like Paul Potts and Susan Boyle wont stand a chance of X Factor and this show is perfect for them.

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