"X" Marks The Spot For Cheryl Cole

I know everyone is gaga for "American Idol" over in the States, but since I've been in London, the talk of the town was all about last night's "X-Factor." The show that spawned "Idol" featured a stellar performance by Cheryl Cole, who sang her new hit "Fight For This Love." Based on this buzz, I predict she's gonna be a huge force to be reckoned with. She's doing heavy promotion for her new album "3 Words" which drops in late October.

Why is it a big deal? The 26 year old singing is going solo and has the makings to be the next Janet Jackson. The fact that she, a former "X-Factor" judge, was performing for the first time on her own, in the eyes of Britain, overshadowed Whitney Houston's appearance that same evening.

After launching her career on another reality singing competition "Popstars," she joined other winners to become girl band Girls Aloud. The "Spice Girls wannabes" have launched a successful career and spawned several hits, but Cole's marriage to footballer Ashley Cole and her stint opening for Coldplay has all eyes on her.

Pop stardom is a different beast in the UK, I am discovering. But Cole seems to have this down pat -- despite her roundabout route to world domination. Following Sunday's performance, even Simon Cowell seemed genuine in his appreciation: "That was incredible. I'd have you in my category any day." He added that its very difficult to go from being the judge to being judged.

Gee Simon, first you go to bat for Paula, then you save Linda Blair's animal hostel, now you give genuine praise to someone you usually can't even agree with ... he's really loosening up isn't he?

Or maybe he does know talent when he sees it. Check out her performance below:

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org.