• Variety, Monday, April 27, 2009 9:30 AM

As the unlikely "Britain's Got Talent" contestant Susan Boyle makes her way through the pop-culture zeitgeist, she could change American reality TV. The frenzy over Boyle may open the door for less-photogenic people to audition for shows, such as NBC's "America's Got Talent."

"Now [you'll get] somebody who says, 'I think I am talented, and I don't think people will judge me for the way I look,' " says judge Simon Cowell. "Does America have its own Susan Boyle, talent that comes out of nowhere that can stun the audience?" asks judge Piers Morgan.

That said, Cowell admits it may be hard for Boyle to live up to the hype. "She has four weeks to prepare. She has got to sing better than before, with all that expectation for her. Now there are so many other distractions."

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