THE SKINNY: Welcome to the world of "The X-Factor." From the start of Wednesday night's premiere, the "X" would take the foundations of "American Idol" — high drama, big lights and heartfelt stories — and build for the sky. This was an emotionally draining show, with stories of poor families, down-on-their-luck talents and even a meth-addict fresh out of rehab. If you feet that "Idol" has gotten stale in recent seasons (and it has, with its predictable guy-with-a-guitar winners), then "X-Factor" felt like a welcome reminder of just how great it feels to root for someone — someone perhaps trapped in a mundane life, just in need of the right break. It's the cliche American dream story, and you'd have to be pretty cold to roll your eyes at the way "The X-Factor" presents it. I'm feeling great after the first episode, so read my running diary to see how I got here:
8:00 — Let's go! Reminding myself to keep the enthusiasm high in the beginning; must fight my cynical thoughts for as long as possible (this thing is taking us nearly to Christmas). First off: The show's introduction is insanely epic, with many contestants in tears and judges sounding judgmental.
8:03 — We hear host Steve Jones' voice for the first time. His Welsh accent sounds like a weird parody of Robin Leach. That cannot be a good sign.
8:04 — A teenager says he will base-jump off the Empire State Building is he wins the $5 million grand prize. He punctuates it with a "Swag!" He probably has a Tumblr.
8:07 — Random thought: how often will I cringe at the weird flrting between judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul?
8:08 — There's already an upgrade over "American Idol"! The auditions take place in front a huge audience, not just the four judges (which for now include Cheryl Cole, whom we'll be saying goodbye to soon). I'm going into cardiac arrest just thinking about the amount of humiliation that will take place on such a big stage.
8:10 — First contestant is a 13-year-old girl named Rachel Crow. Her pre-interview is insanely cute, and then she delivers a surprisingly huge voice. It's raw enough that you can still tell she's young, but she has fantastic breath crontrol and sells the hell out of the song (Duffy's "Mercy"). I'm already rooting for her to win it all and to finally getting her six-person family out of its tiny apartment. The amount of joy I've experienced watching this one audition feels unhealthy. I need to start voting for this little girl right now.
8:21 — This is all innocent enough so far. A lot of "Four Yes" auditions. There's only been one Bieber-clone so I guess that's, uh, good?
8:24 — Siameze Floyd, 30, is our first "character." He's doing crazy splits in jeans, gyrating on the floor, giving some extremely weird Prince vibe. Simon called him "fascinating." Judges give him a reluctant yes. The world needs a .GIF of those splits.
8:47 — L.A. Reid vs. Cowell? Two strong-minded, hall-of-fame talent scouts disagreeing will make for good television.