Hero Susan Boyle

An instant celebrity--and hero-- to plain people everywhere, and to those who have misgivings about the shallow, looks-oriented nature of television and other visual media,is Scottish singer Susan Boyle.

Boyle burst onto the media scene in April 2009 as a contestant on the show "Britain's Got Talent."

When she took the stage, the show's three judges were a study in barely contained disgust that anyone so very dowdy would dare appear before them. Shots of the audience showed youthful men and women laughing up their sleeves and rolling their eyes.

The moment when Boyle began to sing was electric. The judge who is an editor appeared about to cry, the usually sharp-tongued Simon looked genuinely amazed, and the living Barbie Doll in the middle was so surprised that she almost forgot to bend forward to allow the tv audience a better view of her cleavage.

Rarely has there been a more beautiful event in the entire history of television. The soaring notes of Boyle's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from from Les Miserables had the audience on its feet throughout, clapping wildly. Had any of the judges dared say one word critical of Boyle's performance, the audience would likely have beaten him or her senseless.

Now the unmarried, unemployed church volunteer who lives alone with her cat has her own fan club and apparently has a record deal in the works. Rare is the person who has not seen her performance.

Boyle is living proof that not always do nice guys (or gals) finish last.