Gratitude

In one corner, we have Billy Bob Thornton - drummer, singer and songwriter for The Boxmasters. He's also, you may have heard, an actor and screenwriter whose body of work includes the masterful 1996 film Sling Blade. Not that he wants anyone to know about that, as he made clear to CBC Radio's Jian Ghomeshi in Boxmasters interview that has since become a YouTube favourite. View it here if you're one of the three people who haven't already.

In the other corner, we have Susan Boyle, a frumpy, 47-year-old wannabe singer from a small British village (actually, a "collection of villages," to hear her tell it). Boyle caused a sensation, and got a standing ovation, on the American Idol-type show Britain's Got Talent the other night when she let loose with a gorgeous rendition of a Les Miserables tune.

What we have here is a case of a man who doesn't realize he has more than he deserves, and a woman who deserves better than she will probably get.

Thornton, of course, threw a silent hissy-fit when Ghomeshi included a mention of his movie career into his introduction of The Boxmasters.  And Thornton, rather than just come out and say he was upset, offered up a series of befuddling non-sequitur answers and unresponsive passive aggression before Ghomeshi finally got him to admit he was pissed about the introduction. While I admit that it might be irritating to Thornton and the other band members for an interviewer to focus on Thornton's film glory in a band-wide interview, Ghomsehi kept the questions music-related. He also had a point when he said that referring to Thornton's other career was a valid and necessary way of providing context for listeners.

What Thornton doesn't seem to get is that it's unlikely anyone would have heard of his band, regardless of how good they are - and I've heard that they're not bad - if it wasn't for his name brand. So, annoying or not, he should grow up and be grateful that, because he's who he is, he and his band got to bypass a few hurdles that trip up thousands of equally talented no-name musicians.

Boyle, on the other hand, provided one of the few truly touching moments you'll ever see on these insipid musical talent contests. If nothing else, she will have enjoyed a proud moment of glory in front of a mass audience, having shattered the assumptions of judges and fans alike with her performance. Based on talent, she earned her 15 minutes.

But that's likely all it'll be, because these talent contests aren't really talent contests. Boyle is no beauty, and at some point in the competition they'll find some excuse to boot her out because of it. Even as they glowed and moved her on to the next round, the judges indicated, through their expressions, that they were mostly happy to pat themselves on the back for rewarding substance instead of style. Call me a cynic, but I don't think that'll last.

No matter what happens, Boyle has a memory she can cherish and be thankful for. Thornton, meanwhile, has a thing or two to learn about gratitude. Something to think about while he recovers from the "flu" that caused him to cancel the rest of The Boxmasters' Canadian tour after a Toronto audience booed them mercilessly - this for comparing reserved Canadian audiences, in the same CBC interview, to "mashed potatoes with no gravy."

Now that was deserving.