I'm following this Saga -

Homeless man with golden voice becomes internet sensation


[www.telegraph.co.uk]


The sign said "I have a God given gift of voice..."


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Meet The Felon With The Golden Voice
The lengthy rap sheet of sensation Ted Williams


[www.thesmokinggun.com]



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'Golden voiced' Ted Williams reunites with his mother


[today.msnbc.msn.com]



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Behind golden-voiced Ted Williams is ex-wife Patricia Kirtley, the story's real hero


[www.nydailynews.com]

yeah, sad story. Not much can be changed with his past, only hope he makes the best of the future.

david

He's already shot a commercial with Kraft.

And I think some sports team gave him a contract for commercials or something like that. And I heard Oprah wants him on her network for something or other.

Things are looking up for him. I hope he can make a fresh start of it.

i think his wife was the true hero ( like the article on her states)

she was blind and she took care of all the kids that he left behind

that could NOT have been easy

wow

respect

I don't know how I feel about this whole thing. I mean it's obviously touching that he has been plucked from his situation into this one, but the whole reunion with his mother was very illuminating to me. His mother seemed very remote, given she hadn't seen him in so many years. He seemed to be trying to make her proud of him by citing all the offers that have been pouring in. I would have loved her to look him straight in the eye and say: "You are my son. I love you no matter what. I loved you when you were in the streets and there is nothing that changes that." It makes me wonder how he was raised. Was she very critical of him? Was her acceptance conditional? Everyone has a reason for what they do. I am not suggesting that she made him become an addict but I do think that parents are not irrelevant.

I can say that I sympathize with his mother in certain ways. It must be incredibly difficult to have a child go down that path and I am certain that I would try again and again to help, even if I ended up repeatedly broken hearted. I can also say that at some point I see how one would want to emotionally distance themselves from a person who did not seem to ever stop endlessly repeating the same painful patterns. There is only so much one can take, regardless if it comes from their own child or not.

Coco, I totally get that, but I sense an inherent coldness in her. Did you see them on "Today?" I just watched it on Youtube and it's pretty disturbing to me. She goes on and on about how embarrassed she was about him holding up a sign. So what if he did--it got him on that show! She seems way too concerned about appearances and I will bet that she has always been that way. She talks about how it shamed the family that he held up that sign. At her age, she should not care about what things look like on the surface. What about his life, how he had to live on the street? You see, I believe that parents who do not accept their kids, are critical of them constantly, destroy their children's spirits. And yes, once you get to a certain age you are responsible for your choices, but many addicts begin using in their teens or even earlier. Oh and she's a Jehovah's Witness...You do the math.

I saw the same special banana, Id have to say I agree with your interpretation of it... I dont think I really like that woman.

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

That is dreadful. I didn't watch and will not look it up, your description is sad enough.

yeah...I wish I could un-see it... she reminds me sooooo much of my dad,lol...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

I totally agree with Veronique. It's the wife who is the hero.

Regarding the mother -- it struck me that she knew what he really is all about, and is not fooled and isn't buying into the 'he's a great guy, just down on his luck, and he deserves a second chance' gig that's being handed to him. I got the impression that during his life of crime, she would try to reason with him, but he always gave her the song and dance about how 'his golden voice' was going to make him a big deal some day.

And it did, but he didn't earn it.

@Kidraw: He earned every dime that he will receive. Why not? He went to the school of hard knocks. Honestly, this woman is supposed to be so religious (someone tells me she is actually a Baptist and her late husband was a JW) but this man seems very humble. I think he has always been a sensitive, gentle soul who is more hurt by rejection than many people. The way he seemed to be begging his mother for approval when he renunited with her (he was on his knees and she was sitting stiffly, as in a throne). I just think that everything has a reason. People don't just wake up one day and decide to become addicts. As an adult it's on you to change but how can we claim that the way a parent treats a child has no bearing on his self-esteem?

Ugh, baptist. AND JW? Well, that explains a lot.

My son had a friend whose family are baptist fundamentalists (believe in creationism, etc) and though they are good parents (well, the mom is anyhow) it is plain to see how their poor little kids are messed up the the heavy religion already. I feel so sorry for those children.

Looks like his daughter has some hard feelings about her father -- gee, I wonder why....

Ted Williams, Daughter Spar on TV Over Hotel Fracas

[www.aolnews.com]

In the first video, when he said he's been clean for two years, and then held up two fingers, I knew the holding up of the two fingers was some weird lying mechanism thing.

Ted Williams to Enter Rehab Today

[content.usatoday.com]

He's getting some sort of help for his addictions, according to today's paper. I wish him luck. Well, not luck, I wish him the will to get his life together and keep it that way.