X Factor Starts Again Tomorrow Night in the UK

Britain’s answer to American Idol premieres its sixth season Saturday night. And it has a new format influenced by Britain’s Got Talent: contestants now audition before a live studio audience. Unfortunately, the auditions aren’t live for the viewers. However, if there’s a particularly stunning performance – good or bad – I’ll try and post it over the weekend.

Here are the five past winners of X Factor. Unlike American Idol, the show has produced no Oscar winners, very few bonafide stars, and only one international sensation (third season winner Leona Lewis).

Steve Brookstein (Season 1)

Shayne Ward (Season 2)

Leona Lewis (Season 3)

Leon Jackson (Season 4)

Alexandra Burke (Season 5)

In other news:

• Is this season’s X Factor champ already crowned?: Danyl Johnson, a 27-year-old teacher from Reading, England, gave Simon Cowell “single-handedly the best first audition he’s have ever heard” on the show.(Telegraph)
• The tangled history of Nigel Lythgoe, So You Think You Can Dance? judge/producer and American Idol producer.(Daily Mail)
• An interview with Robin Hood‘s Friar Tuck, actor David Harewood. (Digital Spy)
• Lily Allen flashes an entire cricket match.(Daily Mail)
• Trinny and Susannah think British MTV import Alexa Chung is gonna help them break the U.S.? Honey, if Oprah couldn’t do it for y’all…(Daily Mail)
• David Tennant isn’t done with Doctor Who just yet.(The Sun)
• Even Amy Winehouse can look good once in a while. Kinda like a broken clock being right twice a day, I suppose.(The Sun)