Via Bob Krumm, who’s got a shrewd take on what she has in common with the tea parties. Note his data point about her audience vis-a-vis the population of Scotland.

You know you’ve made it as a singer when people start hunting for basement tapes of your early work. This one was recorded in 1999 for a newspaper charity CD; in one day on YouTube it’s already drawn 157,000 views. Normally I’d say we were nearing the end of her 15 minutes, but she’s still in contention to win that British talent show and doubtless will be recruited to cut an album of standards by some record company eager to cash in on the phenomenon. Has this ever happened before on “American Idol,” incidentally — where one of the contestants became a huge breakout story even before the competition was over? I wonder how the judges will deal with that knowing that pretty much the entire planet wants her to win. Does that make them favor her more? Or less?

The audio is the second clip below; the first is an entertaining hit from CNN about how she’s dealing with fame. Watch for the hug from a fan. Exit question: Has the backlash begun?

Update: She doesn’t really need the contest anymore, does she?