Homeless Man with Golden Voice: Will Ted Williams Become Reddit's Susan Boyle?

Reddit helped the homeless man with the golden voice, Ted Williams, become a sensation and land a job. So will Ted Williams' voice prove to be a blessing, or will he find the fame it brings just a little too much to handle, a la Susan Boyle?

The video of Ted Williams, a homeless man living in Columbus, Ohio, hit the interwebs early this week, and it wasn't long before Redditors took action to try and help the homeless man with the golden voice out. In a matter of hours, he was invited to appear on the Columbus, Ohio radio show The Morning Zoo, and Redditors were offering donations, suits, cell phones, and even a website to help Ted Williams get back on his feet.

And in a mere matter of hours, the homeless man with the golden voice started getting bigger offers, including a dream job doing full-time voice-over work for the Cleveland Cavaliers and even a house. But will the panhandler's brush with fame be all that it's cracked up to be?

If Ted Williams is the man with the golden voice, then Susan Boyle is definitely his female equivalent. Like Ted Williams, she wasn't much to look at when she shuffled onto the "Britain's Got Talent" stage. However, when she opened her mouth, the audience and judges were in awe. Ted Williams seems to have a similar effect on those that he begs for money from, but, like Susan Boyle, he might find that a bit of a curse comes along with his gift.

The homeless man with the golden voice (soon to be homeless no more) describes wanting to work on radio since age 14, but he failed to achieve his dream due to addictions to drugs and alcohol. Ted Williams says he's been clean now for two years (although an addiction to drugs and alcohol likely hasn't stopped too many from a career in radio), and he's ready to get back on his feet. However, he could find himself in a world where his past addictions are too tempting (who wouldn't want to celebrate with a few drinks after experiencing such success?).

And all the attention can definitely get to be too much, as evidenced by Susan Boyle. She's spent time in a psychiatric clinic and canceled performances, and it seems her fame has led to some family problems, as well; Susan Boyle reportedly planned on suing her two brothers for giving interviews criticizing her management team and mental state.

So becoming an overnight sensation definitely isn't easy, and Ted Williams is already experiencing one big problem with his newfound fame. He's supposed to be in New York for a "Today Show" interview, but currently can't board a flight because of his lack of I.D. It's a little weird thinking that one man became an overnight internet sensation for going to extreme measures to get off a plane, while this man's extended fifteen minutes depends on him finding a way to get on one. But hopefully Ted Williams' name doesn't slowly fade from the web like that of Steven Slater, and maybe he'll be better at handling fame than Susan Boyle.

So will the homeless man with the golden voice make good use of his golden ticket before it expires, and will he find a way to get to the Today Show? (Read the following line in his voice.) Stay tuned to find out!

SOURCES:
http://www.urlesque.com/2011/01/04/homeless-man-has-amazing-radio-announcer-voice/
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/04/2011-01-04_homeless_man_ted_williams_becomes_viral_video_star_in_quest_to_be_radio_announce.html
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/homeless_man_with_golden_radio_voice_91PQ3yMBa58vOf1n4MuToJ
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/10/another_susan_boyle_reality_sh.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/susan-boyle/5434811/Susan-Boyle-could-be-in-Priory-clinic-for-weeks-says-doctor.html
http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/Susan-Boyle-to-sue-her-two-brothers--93226529.html
http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/05/golden-radio-voice-guy-ted-williams-columbus-ohio-airplane-flight-new-york-city/ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/nyregion/10attendant.html