BLACKBURN, Scotland – Finishing runner-up in the "Britain's Got Talent" contest almost seems anti-climactic for Susan Boyle.

Hers was a story that one almost expected would have a Hollywood ending. At least that's how it began. But Saturday night, for reasons we will probably never know, the British public decided that a dance troupe from East London and Essex should perform for the queen, leaving the second place spot for Ms. Boyle.

At the community center in her hometown of Blackburn where some 200 people showed up to watch the finale, you could imagine hearts collectively drop. It was a nail-biter of a show and if a microphone was attached to every heart in the seconds before the announcement, one would probably think all 2008 Fou drummers from the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony were performing right there.

After the announcement, residents went home visibly disappointed. For them, it was a depressing end to what has been an amazing six weeks from the moment Susan Boyle captured the world's attention.

One resident told us she "was disappointed for Susan" but that "her career starts now."

Back on Yule Terrace, Boyle's street, neighbors shook their heads in amazement at the outcome. Margaret Miller who lives across the street and has known Boyle since she was a baby said she was sad for her.

But when we asked her what she thought about reports that Boyle could stand to earn millions, Miller replied, "Good for her, because they were a hard working family. There were nine children and had lovely parents, lovely mother - she was a gem."

She went on to say that by performing on a national stage Susan had made her mother's dream come true and that "it was a pity her mum died before all this."

So while this particular chapter in Susan Boyle's life has come to an end, her story continues. Newspapers predict she could earn millions with a recording contract, a book deal, and perhaps even a movie about her life - all possible projects that could happen for her.

And when you visit her street and learn more about this woman who grabbed hearts globally, you wouldn't want to begrudge her that.

BLACKBURN, Scotland - Hearts collectively dropped in Blackburn Saturday night. The town's shining star Susan Boyle did not win the contest “Britain's Got Talent.” That prize went to a dance group called Diversity - a group of young men from East London and Essex.

Susan Boyle remains at the top of the charts for people in Blackburn, Scotland.

It was a nail biter, though. You could almost hear hearts thumping in the community centre where the town gathered to watch and wait for the final result. And when that result came, Susan Boyle could be seen looking almost relieved that she didn't win the big prize. After hearing the announcement she said graciously "the best act won." But in Blackburn it was a devastating disappointment. For many in this small town just outside of Edinburgh, the excitement Susan Boyle has generated has been more than many have seen and felt in a long time.

For all intents and purposes, Boyle put Blackburn on the map. From the moment she stepped onto the stage six weeks ago, she had everyone's attention. In the beginning, though, Boyle was subjected to looks of scorn and disdain … simply because of the way she looked. But as soon as she started to sing, everything changed. From that moment on, life for Susan Boyle would take a dramatic turn. Celebrities supported her and media from around the world camped outside her home to catch a glimpse of the woman who defied stereotypes.

But for Blackburn, it's a dramatic end to a rollercoaster ride. A neighbor said "I'm disappointed for Susan, but this is just the beginning of her career.” In July, Susan Boyle is scheduled to record an album with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and there's even talk of some performances in London's West End. And while she didn't win the opportunity to perform in front of the Queen, she did make her and her late-mother's dream come true, to sing in front of the world.

But perhaps more than that, Susan Boyle showed the world that just because one doesn't look like a stereotypical star, doesn't mean they can't shine.

GENEVA, Switzerland – Day 10 and about 14 interviews later, the team is ready to go home. We have had such fun on this trip but it's been alot of hard work. From Heidi our positive producer's planning expertise, Andrew our cameraman extraordinaire's amazing footage and constantly smiling attitude, Paul our editor/cameraman/entertainment/social director/driver/all around good guy, I certainly have been blessed with an amazing group of people to work with.

When we travel for assignments around the world, I believe it's the people who you spend all your time with that make the pieces we air amazing. They are the ones who become your family and it is through the shared energy that we all work harder and better.

The Geneva leg of our trip certainly felt like the work was all coming to a head and that we really had to summon up our reserves energy to complete our tasks. The weather has been horrible but since we all moved from our... uh... last place of stay to more refined digs, things moved on much more smoothly.

We have generated a lot of pieces for the network, each one bringing something different... even though the topic has been the same, and for the most part so have the products. Each CEO I met brought something different to the table.
They were each passionate about their jobs and their companies. And that is what I learn from. I learn from their abilities, their successes, and their challenges. After all, it doesn't just come down to their job, it also comes down to them being people.

There is another world out there when looking at the luxury industry. One where money is no object. For me though, money is an object so perhaps it gives me that ability to see through the glitter and hopefully report with an eye on the pocketbooks of the majority of people in the world.

Still though, being around the glitter is no war zone... and I have the utmost respect for those who are reporting from perhaps less luxurious surroundings!

Michael Holmes, this is for you.

GENEVA, Switzerland – Day 8 and it's Geneva, Switzerland. Truth is I'm not keeping count. Paul our editor is. Poor guy, he's had to work into the early hours of the morning to edit our pieces. All the hard work, though, is paying off. The packages look great.

We arrived in Geneva yesterday after a three hour drive from Basel. En route we stopped in Bern for lunch. It's a beautiful city and the main tourist attraction seems to be these bears that are in the centre of the city.

We also stopped in Bern to take stock. It seems that while the interviews with the CEOs and the packages on the luxury industry are our main focus, the trip is turning out to be an episode of Survivor ... or is it Big Brother? We've had a flat tire, we've had complicated driving in Basel resulting in mounting curbs, we've had a lost wallet, and now the piece de resistance is our hotel in Geneva.

All I will say is it is in the city's red light district and the corner shop not only sells water, it also sells X-rated material. I went to sleep making sure I stayed in one spot.

Rubbing salt on our wounds is the fact that we will be doing interviews with CEOs today in beautiful hotels. Such is life. All that said, I'm having a really fun time. This doesn't feel like work at all. Even standing out in the rain yesterday by Lake Geneva as we shot links for our special didn't feel like work (the special, by the way will air this weekend). It's cold in Geneva but despite a few glitches we're all in one piece and having a lot of fun. That's what I keep telling Paul. Let Day 8 begin.

BASEL, Switzerland – It's Saturday and it's been busy as ever. From nine this morning we have been rushed off our feet to get to our CEO interviews at the Baselworld conference center. Despite having a flat tire, we made it to the center and got cracking.

The one thing about this week long special that is different from general news reports is that we wanted to take the time to really make the interviews and stories look beautiful. The artistic shots, the editing have to be slick and edgy.

Monita blogging in Basel

Andrew (camera) and Paul (editor) take the time to find the best locations possible (within limits of a company's stall of course) - while also sussing out any free food opportunities. These stalls at the trade fair can rival any retail outlet. The sad thing is, they will be taken down after the fair is over.

Walking around the massive lot we see many men in suits. Many are retailers and clients looking for the latest product to offer their customers. A lot of business is done at this fair. The annual revenues range from 15 to 80 percent solely from deals that have been signed here. Each year the fair gets bigger and brands look for larger, more visual and prominent stalls.

Today, I had three interviews back-to-back with the Presidents and CEOs of major watch and jewellery brands. Each one had something completely different to offer product-wise. Chanel brought out the elegance. Ebel brought out the athleticism. DeGrisogono brought out the bling.

After six hours at the trade fair we came back to the ship/hotel to write and edit my piece on watch trends this year. Needless to say, I can’t afford any of it.

BASEL, Switzerland – We landed in Basel yesterday. I should have known it would not all go smoothly when I found out I would be flying out of Heathrow's Terminal 5. All those horror stories about bags being lost became all too familiar and all too close for comfort. We arrived in Basel on time, my crew got all thirteen pieces of their luggage but me ... no. I stood there waiting, watching the baggage carousel slowly come to a halt with all the bags that were on the plane delivered to their rightful owners. Except me (and some other people I should mention).

Monita with co-presidents of Chopard, Caroline Gruosi Scheufle and her brother, Karl Friedrich Scheufle.

My bag with all my clothing for interviews with CEOs of luxury brands and companies, make up, toiletries, was nowhere in sight. I really shouldn't have been surprised. I was, however, not impressed. We left Basel airport somewhat stressed but Andrew, our cameraman, and Paul, our editor, kept spirits high with their jovial attitude. With our rental car jam packed with equipment (minus my bag..although i don't think it would have fit in the car anyway), we made our way to the hotel. It was on the Rhine river. Yup, ON the Rhine. Our hotel was a ship. Not luxurious but clean which is all we could really ask for after driving around for an hour or so looking for it. I've stayed on boats before but those were luxury yachts - our ship-hotel wasn't. But, as I say, it was clean and gave us all that we needed for a good night's sleep. 

After borrowing make up from my producer Heidi and having purchased some basic toiletries at a supermarket that was thankfully open late the night before, Day Two in Basel began without much stress. We met and interviewed Caroline Gruosi Scheufle and her brother Karl Friedrich Scheufle. They are co-presidents of Chopard. I had met Caroline a few years ago when Art of Life did a story on her husband Fawaz Gruosi who is the founder of de Grisogono, the watch and jewellery company. We will be meeting with Fawaz next week when we head to Geneva. 

For now, Day Two in Basel ended on a high note. We got two of our interviews done which will air later on in the week. My bag finally arrived fully intact, and we are off to a cocktail soiree hosted by Swarovski Crystals. Hopefully Andrew will behave himself. He keeps muttering the word "soiree".We should all be worried :)