#1. Paul Potts
Nessun Dorma
Wales Millennium Centre
March 17, 2007
Paul Potts sells mobile
phones at a Carphone Warehouse in Wales. He's pudgy and insecure, almost
invisible — precisely the kind of person who harbors a secret,
unrealizable fantasy like singing opera. He gets in line to try out for
a stupid TV talent show, Britain's Got Talent featuring the ubiquitous
Simon Cowell, opens his mouth and... oh, my God. The judges choke up. The
audience leaps to a standing ovation well before he takes a deep breath
and kills the famous coda. This performance may well provide the tiny
bit of validation that fuels another decade of meaningless talent show
crap, and Potts, who was singing for the Queen by year-end, is
threatening to break records for overexposure. But so what? This was
the most pure and hopeful moment in entertainment all year.
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