AS BAD as I feel for Susan Boyle, I can't resist but say this: Told you so.
The woman has been riding a roller-coaster since her "discovery" on Britain's Got Talent nearly two weeks ago.
Within a short span of time she has gone from being a surprise package, to an instant celebrity, to a YouTube sensation and a darling of the media.
Later, she found herself under a microscope and now the inevitable has happened: She is in the firing line.
The media hailed her talent, and then fell all over each other to be the first to congratulate and encourage Susan.
They have now, and expectedly so, begun scrutinising her every move. Susan is finding herself under too much limelight.
First, there were bad headlines like: "Move over Susan Boyle, Stevie Wonder Jr is here". (Move over? Is she insisting on staying?).
Now, its the paparazzo following the woman about town. They have photographed her sporting a new dress with a leather jacket and leapord-print shoes, and promptly pops-up a story under the banner "And you said you wouldn't change, Susan Boyle!"
Her recent makeover — including the new hair colour and shapely eyebrows - also came under scrutiny.
In my earlier blog on her, I said this: "My greatest fear is that Susan may be forced to be corrupted by the glitz and glamour of showbiz culture."
I myself couldn't imagine the "fun and delightful woman appearing on stage wearing designer clothes with matching hairdos and accessories, just to have a competitive edge over other chic performers. It will kill the real essence of Susan Boyle."
But, this is hardly the kind of change I was talking about.
What is wrong with adopting a new wardrobe? What is wrong with a touch-up for presentability? Why can't she polish her rough edges? Can't she attempt to cut out the criticism?
It took none other than Simon Cowell to come to her rescue.
"I think to be fair, first of all she is a woman, and I think anybody who was subject to the kind of comments [she was] is going to go, 'You know what? Maybe I should do something about the way I look'," he told Entertainment Tonight.
He is absolutely right. The constant gaze of the cameras may have pushed her to spruce up a bit.
The latest on the media circuit is the report that Susan Boyle wants to leave the show before the final and pursue a career in the United States - a rumour the 48-year-old has brushed aside as having "absolutely no truth".
"There is no way I am quitting the show. The only way I'd leave the show is if Simon Cowell kicked me out. I'm not going anywhere. I just want to concentrate on my singing," she told the Telegraph.
Well said. Mr Cowell, himself, has some good advice for Susan. "Susan mustn't become a gimmick," he told the Telegraph. "The problem is with all the sub-stories about how she looks.... It could all go horribly wrong now because there are so many other distractions."
Now that the time is nearing for Susan to get serious about the competition, these "distractions" could mar her chances at winning the competition. The insightful advice from Mr Cowell should do Ms Boyle a world of good, if she takes it seriously.
I hope she will. And once again I wish her luck.