The X-Factor is over-directed, over-produced, over-hyped and hyperactive. It's loud and garish and jittery. Its ADD jump-cutting is designed for a zero attention span twelve year old. It  has everything going against it, even its ostentatious $5,000,000 prize and it's ugly, space-travelling logo. It ought to suck-- - the makers tried their best. But their sincere attempt at mercenary neon pumped mediocrity fails, somehow.

Against all the kamikaze  self created odds, the show is good.

Seriously: the show is good.

Partly that's because Simon Cowell is as amusing and merciless as ever; Paula brings the  sweeetness and the crazy as we all hoped she would. Their fights are still entertaining.  Paula is actually much tougher on the singers this year. L.A. Reid is a huge imporovement over Randy ("I feel ya, Dawg but it's only awight for me. You gotta be in it to win it!") Jackson.  

But the real secret is exactly what it should be: the singers. 

 There have been more stunningly talented singers in the first two weeks of X-Factor than in the last two (or is it three? Or possibly four) seasons of American Idol, put together. Where were all these people hiding? Some of them were too old or too young for the American Idol age  category -- under 16 or over 28. For the rest, I don't know; maybe there's some essential flaw in the early-stage judging at the other competition. Maybe some of these people didn't make the early cut on American Idol. Maybe they're looking for a certain specialized quality: the next teen idol. It seems to be much more wide-open on X-Factor. Age and eccentricity don't seem to matter. A lot of talented people who would never have dreamed of auditioning for Idol seem to be willing to give the new show a chance.

Simon Cowell has another show called America's Got Talent . 

X-Factor makes you believe it.

Give it a chance next week. If you can tolerate the gaudy, frantic strobe-lit production values and the meaningless sweeping shots of X-Factor trucks barreling down random roads in the middle of nowhere -- the show would be easier to take if your were blind, or just listening in the next room  -- I suspect you'll be glad you hung in there and listened.  From the dred-locked twelve yer old girl to the 41-year old Aretha Franklin clone to "For Sure" the black boy band to the hulking Joe Cocker dude to the cute midwestern almost couple (I think he's unrequited, at least so far), it's just one startlingly good act after another -- the amateur talent show of the Gods.

So open your mind -- and close your eyes.  

It worked for me.