Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, Simon Cowell talk X Factor

Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, Simon Cowell talk 'X Factor' 

X Factor's overhauled judges panel met the press to talk up the Fox talent show's new season.

Just hours after Simon Cowell's former show, American Idol, named Mariah Carey its newest judge, Cowell, L.A. Reid and newcomers Britney Spears and Demi Lovato appeared via satellite from Miami, where they're taping "boot camp" rounds, to answer questions from TV critics.
Spears says she and Cowell share a makeup artist. She also says being a reality-show judge "made sense" for her career. "I adore Simon and it was something I really wanted to do."
Cowell likes her too. "I was fascinated with her as a person, as a pop star, and there's something intriguing about her. And she's a really good judge," he says -- whereas, he notes, "Demi is a brat. But there's something likable about her." Later he adds, "Britney's quite mean, as you'll discover."
What makes Lovato, 19, a former Disney Channel star, qualified to be a judge? "I'm listening to the radio right now and I know what a lot of my friends like. It's a really interesting thing when you bring a younger demographic to the competition, I think we know what's missing in the industry and what's needed," she says.
Asked if quick fame exacerbates such personal issues as the eating disorder that briefly sidelined her career, Lovato says that while it can add pressure, "Fame doesn''t have a lot to do with it. I had been struggling with those issues before."
A clip of audition footage provided evidence of some new fireworks. "Can you let me finish?" Lovato tells Cowell, then explains to the would-be contestant: "He's old and impatient."
The only thing missing from X is a host to replace Steve Jones, which Cowell expects by mid-August. "Ideally I would like someone who hasn't done this before," he says.
The show will make other tweaks, Cowell says. "There's an awful lot of competition we've got to fight against this year, so we're going to evolve."
And what does Cowell think about Idol's newest star? "I'm happy for her, I like Mariah," he says. But he wonders if she will have the fortitude to reject aspiring singers. "I think she's going to find it difficult to say no."

 

New 'X Factor' Video Shows Britney Spears' Critical Side 

 

If fans of "The X Factor" are wondering just who will be the meanest judge this season, a new promo released by Fox has the answer: It's Britney, bitch!
 In an "X Factor" first-look clip released by the network, Britney Spears shoots down a vocalist with one cutting comment: "I don't know who let you on stage."
 Ouch!
 Not to be outdone, Simon Cowell is seemingly back in rare form, cutting a contestant to the quick with one of his classic putdowns.
"You perform like a dog trying to lay an egg," he sneers in the promo.
The rest of the sneak peak, which repeats the mantra, "Are you ready?," is equally entertaining. Spears tells a singer that he's "hot," while Cowell delights in embarrassing fellow judge Demi Lovato by divulging her dating status as "single." It also appears several would-be superstars end up in the emergency room (shades of "American Idol's" Season 11 mishaps, which included a vocalist plummeting off the stage as well as other medical drama in the audition stages).
In other "X Factor" news, the reality show crossover continues as reports are swirling that Tarralyn Ramsey, a rejected singer from "The Voice," wowed the judges in Greensboro, Ky. Additionally, Shelby Lynn Tweten, famously featured in the "American Idol" Aspen, Colo., auditions (she suffered from bipolar disorder) showed up in Kentucky for another shot.
"The X Factor" debuts at 8 p.m. Sept. 12 and 13 on Fox.
Below, watch a backstage interview with the judges that sheds some light about a contestant that was so awful, they had to vacate the set. Also, Lovato's asserts that she is no pushover in the judging department, either.