A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

THE 'X' DOES NOT STAND FOR XTINA: So, you may be wondering, what distinguishes X-Factor from American Idol? Based on my conversations with friends who've spent time in the UK and osmosis over the years, here's the basics:

• Eligibility is broader, including older singers and singing groups. That said, a group has never won the competition, nor has an over-24 performer since the show's first season in 2004. This, not Pop Idol, is the one Leona Lewis won.
  
• Audition rounds may be held in front of live audiences instead of in a private room.
  
• Judges play a more active role in the process and take ownership over various groups of performers -- one judge will mentor the ladies under 24, another the under-24 men, another the older performers and one for the singing groups. After the X-equivalent of the Hollywood Round, there's a series of episodes where the judges put their own groups through a sort of boot camp at luxurious remote locations, honing their skills. Each judge eliminates half his/her assigned performers, bringing us down to 12 acts for the live performance rounds.
• Accordingly, the coaches have an explicit rooting interest in their people when it comes to the live performance rounds -- they lobby for and defend their mentees, and there's no pretense of impartiality.
• Performance rounds may involve backup dancers.
• A member of the Minogue family may judge.
  
• Eliminations are different -- public vote reduces it to a bottom two each week; they perform again; judges decide who goes home. If the four judges tie, then the public vote decides it.
  
• At the completion of the series, full voting results for each week (including percentages) are released.
• But otherwise, it's a lot like Idol.