Boyle beat the odds, but can she beat oddities?

Ever since she wowed the judges and audience during an audition for "Britain's Got Talent," 47-year-old Susan Boyle has stumbled into a universe of fame and celebrity.

Millions have viewed her audition on YouTube, and other musical clips have surfaced on the Internet, including Boyle's 1999 recording of the blues classic “Cry Me a River” from a CD recorded for a charity fundraiser and a pub   talent show performance (she lost) from 1984. And the Scottish woman has become the target of tabloid press stories and both laudatory and vicious Web site gossip.

The media has chronicled her every move, noting in particular her mild make-over (the bushy eyebrows and unruly hair, which had earned her the nickname “The Hairy Angel,” were recently plucked and dyed). The upmarket British press also helped to counter rumors, started by the tabloids, suggesting that the exposure was too much, and that Boyle was thinking of dropping out of "Britain's Got Talent" to pursue a musical career in the U.S.

But Boyle told the show she's no quitter. She’ll be back for the live elimination rounds, beginning May 24, culminating in the finale, May 30.

Boyle has become such a draw, in fact, that "Britain's Got Talent" is not revealing which night of the week she will sing, hoping that as many viewers as possible will tune in every night.

But the question remains: Can Boyle win? Will she be the previously unknown talent who takes away the £100,000 first prize (about $150,000 U.S.) and earns the right to sing before Britain's Queen Elizabeth at the annual Royal Variety Show?

The bookmakers have her as the odds-on favorite, 4/11 on some sites, 8/13 on others. But auditions are not yet over, and she already faces some strong competition.

According to the bookmakers, her major challenge comes from one of the winners of the May 2 audition show: Welshman Jamie Pugh, a 37-year-old, pizza delivery driver. Like Boyle, he also chose to audition with a song from the musical "Les Miserables," performing “Bring Him Home.” As ordinary looking as Boyle, and with a rafter-soaring, pitch-perfect voice, the shy, eyes-downcast Pugh earned a resounding “Yes” from all three judges. More than just a voice, he has a people-appealing backstory — he lost his wife, Tracey, to cancer 10 years ago.

Watch out for the kids
There's still more competition for Boyle, and some of the toughest comes from the younger generations, namely Shaheen Jafargholi and Hollie Steel. Jafargholi is the 12-year-old son of a single mother, but the first song he attempted, Amy Winehouse's "Valerie," didn't show off his roof-raising vocals. Fortunately, judge Simon Cowell gave him a second chance, allowing the small boy to then successfully belt out the more suitable Jackson 5’s “Who’s Loving You” to a raucous standing ovation.

Susan Boyle video   Boyle sings her way into 'Talent' finals May 24: The singing sensation who wowed the world with her angelic voice gave a rousing performance of the song "Memory" from the musical "Cats." NBC’s Dawna Friesen reports.   Susan Boyle returns to spotlight   New video of Susan Boyle singing   Web only: Piers Morgan on 'unconventional' contestants   Scottish singing sensation: ‘It hasn’t sunk in’   Susan Boyle sings for TODAY   Scoop: Talent judge on Scottish singer

Steel, a little blonde 10-year-old, skipped around in a tutu before wowing the judges by singing a note-perfect version of “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Though she earned “Yes” votes, Cowell advised her to forget about dancing and concentrate on her singing from now on.

Another kid who has also earned Cowell's praise is 12-year-old Callum Francis, whose cheeky song and dance to “Consider Yourself” from the musical "Oliver!" got him through the audition last weekend. If you believe the oddsmakers, though, he doesn't have as strong of a shot as Jafargholi and Steel — they've got him listed as a 50-1 shot to take home the title.

The show isn't simply "Britain's Got Singers," however. Other talents are included, too, and two sharp street-dancing groups, Flawless and Diversity, are also considered hot contenders.

It would be hard to decide which bunch of guys are the most talented and athletic: the nattily co-ordinated Flawless, a group of school and college pals from North London, in black suits and trendy trilby hats, or Diversity, another group of friends clad in black sweatsuits and Yankees caps. Diversity works a bit from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech into their performance as well as a short parody of "Chariots of Fire." The oddsmakers are currently giving Flawless the slight edge.

And as with Cowell giving young Jafargholi another shot, he's also meddled with a few other acts to try and tighten up their performances. Electronic violinist Sue Son first performed with her best friend, keyboardist Janine Khalil. Cowell told her to ditch Khalil and go solo, which she did, making the cut.

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