Boyle Could Tell Critics To "Shove It"

Susan Boyle's world could be riding on one song - the one she performs in Saturday's finals of the television show "Britain's Got Talent," with tens, perhaps hundreds of millions watching on TV in Britain and worldwide on the Internet.

The dowdy, middle-aged Scottish woman, who became an overnight singing sensation when she belted out "I Dreamed a Dream" while auditioning for the show, is widely expected to sing the same song Saturday.

And, as CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips puts it, "If the world got a vote, it would be no contest. People stopped counting" the hits on the YouTube video of Boyle's audition when they went over sixty million.

But it hasn't been a smooth ride for Boyle since that audition.

Controversy ensued when she got a new hairdo and outfits, as critics said celebrity was already changing her.

She sang somewhat off-key in the "BGT" semi-finals as she started performing the song "Memory," but recovered to belt out a rousing rendition and bring down the house.

Just this week, say tabloid reports, she cursed at two people during a flap in a hotel lobby, raising the eyebrows of observers who think the pressure of being in the sudden spotlight may be getting to her.

Still, none that is quelling the excitement over Saturday's finals.

And, on The Early Show Saturday Edition, judges Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan said, while Boyle has stiff competition in an unusually talented field, she's the one to beat.

Holden observed that Boyle mania is "worldwide, obviously. ... This is something we never in our lives expected, let alone Susan, poor thing. It's huge. I mean, tonight's final will actually stop the country in its tracks. Nobody will be doing anything. They'll be glued to their television. It's going to be show-stopping television and I just can't wait to be a part of it. It's unbelievable."

Morgan called it the "biggest show in the world. I can't think of any TV show that's certainly has ever appeared on British television, which has generated this kind of excitement around the world. Everyone is gripped. Will Susan do it, or is somebody going to ruin the dream? It couldn't get more exciting."

As for the run-in in the hotel, Holden said, "I think it's a really natural reaction. It's unfortunate, but I think it's completely human, which is the absolute reason we fell in love with her in the first place. I think if two journalists come up and start antagonizing you, any of us in the celebrity world would have probably gone the same way, let alone someone who's kind of been thrown into it at the deep end in the last four weeks.

"So, I understand the pressure she must feel that she's under. But I don't think it will go against her. I think that the sympathy in Britain is still very much for her, and we still believe very much in her talent, which is the essence of this woman."

Morgan agreed, saying, "Look, all Susan has to do is walk on that stage tonight, sing 'I Dreamed a Dream' the way she did in that audition, and shove it all down the critics' throats, because I think she has the ability and the voice and the strength of character to do that.

"It's been a rough week. She's been in tears. She nearly walked out of the show. And I think this is going to be her moment to say, 'This is who I am. This is my talent. Take that!'"

But Morgan added that in the finals, "She's got amazing competition. Two sensational dance acts, brilliantly talented children. This is the biggest competition for talent this country has ever produced. But she still remains a favorite and, for my money, she's the one to beat."

Holden said she "completely" agrees with Morgan. "I want to just keep pointing out," she noted, "that we all thought, Susan Boyle aside, that this year was the highest level of talent we've ever had for a talent show so far. My money is on Susan. But I think Shaheen (Jafargholi, a 12-year-old Welsh schoolboy) ... who sang his face off the other night, will be stiff competition for her this evening."

No one is absolutely certain Boyle will indeed sing "I Dreamed A Dream" in this last round, but Holden said, "If she has any sense, she'll sing" it. "That's what everybody wants."

"'I Dreamed a Dream' is so iconic for Susan that I would be astonished if that wasn't the song she sang again," Morgan remarked.

Clips will be rapidly posted on BGT's official Web site, as well as on YouTube.

The show airs live on Britain's ITV from 3:20-4:50 p.m. EDT.