 
Five things you can expect from 'The X Factor'
Posted on: 09/19/11
So given that folks attending a premiere screening of "The X Factor" Wednesday night had to wait 90 minutes before the unveiling (which executive producer and star Simon Cowell attributed to literal down-to-the-wire editing), the Fox series is already a huge American star, right? Even the scale of the event emphasized its star power. A red carpet. Spotlights. Hundreds of screaming fans eager to get inside the theater, which was at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome. There was a warm-up guy to amp up the audience and a slideshow of the sponsors' logos -- Pepsi, Chevrolet, etc. -- on the giant screen. Even pink glow sticks! And when it finally came time for things to start, a grand entrance for the show's stars -- Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones -- saw them strutting down from the theater's top steps to the front of the room while music blared and fans cheered. Oh, to think what its stepsister, "American Idol," would make of all the fuss. About 90 minutes of video was screened. Here are five things you can expect from the British import, which makes its premiere over two nights next week (Sept. 21 and Sept. 22): 5) Yes, Paula and Simon are reunited and it feels oh-so good. But it seems L.A. Reid is elbowing his way in to some fun interactions with Simon -- and it's a bonus that we actually understand what he's saying. 4) Product placement gets downright excessive. Are we supposed to believe a sweet old couple from Nevada really chugs bottles of Pepsi with their morning omelet? 3) Steve Jones is willing to go above and beyond Ryan Seacrest's stand-up shots. He's practically hanging out the window of a big rig traveling at highway speeds while yapping to the camera about the show's structure. We don't understand what those shots add to the series, but we'll allow them. 2) The contestant pool is polarizing. Some will make you teary-eyed, others will make you want to gouge out your eyes. Increasing scale wherever possible, the show has elevated the level of gimmicky contestants looking to score some air time (See: desperate use of censor blur and how it brings about Jones' use of the term "flapping"). 1) Two words: Siameze Floyd. We won't spoil it. Just trust us. And then try to answer the question posed: Was that genius or just weird? (Honorable mention: Cheryl Cole, despite being dropped from the series as a judge, will at least get some air time, which allows us to appreciate her looks of bewilderment.) --Yvonne Villarreal COMMENTS
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