The X Factor

What does work without a doubt, however, is the chemistry among Spears, Lovato and Simon Cowell. Unfortunately, gentlemanly L.A. Reid, who carried the show last year, seemed to be as out of sync with the rest of the crew.

The talent is good, and on the long road to announcing a top 16, the show expertly milking every drop of pathos. [24 Oct 2011, p.39]

Simon. He's the gold standard, the judge against whom all others are judged, and his presence is enough to make Factor a factor.

While The X Factor may not on the surface offer anything that can't be found on "Idol," "America's Got Talent" and "The Voice" or their many cable imitators, it does have a level of showmanship that makes me want to believe again, whether it's in 13-year-olds who sing like established stars three times their age or in recovering addicts whose lives just may be about to change forever.

The X Factor is one reality competition show that delivers that experience to its home audience also. At least on this show, when Paula's moved to tears, so are you.

The X Factor is "America's Got Talent" with lockjaw, "The Voice" with a smoker's hack and "American Idol" on steroids. It is a garish, crass spectacle, and just might produce America's next superstar.

And so it goes. The same mix of sob stories, as anxious relatives looking on from the wings. And if there's not quite a Susan Boyle or Paul Potts moment (though one in particular comes reasonably close), the tears flow freely, and one or two genuinely stirring performances emerge.