Unlikely star in an image-driven industry

It's always great to hear a human success story amidst all the tragedies and news of political unrest on TV or in the internet. That was the case with Susan Boyle, a 47-year old unemployed, unmarried church volunteer from Scotland. She shocked the world with her rendition of the song "I Dreamed A Dream" at last weekend's edition of "Britain's Got Talent." Check out the video here.

With more than 30 million hits and thousands of positive comments on the video-sharing site, it's safe to assume that Susan has the best chance to win the talent contest. Even if she won't win, she's already guaranteed stardom - with judge Simon Cowell reportedly signing her up for a lucrative record deal.

Susan is now bombarded with a lot of requests to appear in television shows. I've seen her yesterday at yesterday's episode of "Larry King Live" and she still looked the same - humble. I can still see the look of disbelief on her face. Disbelief that she's getting so much attention and admiration - something that she's admitted not to have gotten during her early years.

I think this what makes reality TV a hit. We root for someone as if we are rooting for ourselves.