When Britney Spears was doing press for her album and tour last year, she ended up doing a surprising amount of press. While the television interviews were kept at a minimum, “Britney” did several big magazine cover stories. A weird thing kept happening, though, and I noted it at the time – the real Britney Spears was not being interviewed. Magazines were asked to submit their questions via email, and “Britney” would answer them back, via email. It was so obvious that Brit’s manager/publicist or even one of her assistants were answering the questions, it was kind of crazy. But everyone still likes Britney and they’re rooting for her, so no one called her out on it.
I was reminded of that when I heard this news – Britney has now officially joined The X Factor as a judge. It will be Britney, Simon Cowell and LA Reid sitting at the judges’ table. Oh, GOD.
Are you ready? Britney Spears has officially signed a deal with The X Factor! A source confirms to Us Weekly that Spears will join Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid as a judge.
E! News first broke the story Wednesday that the 31-year-old pop superstar has signed a contract with X Factor. “There’s been a lot of back and forth over the past few weeks as they negotiated the small details, but she’s on,” a source told E! News. “It’s all completed and Britney is beyond excited.”
On April 11, a source close to the negotiations told Us the “Till the World Ends” singer will get $16 million for doing the show. “No paperwork has actually been signed yet,” the source explained at the time. “But they finally came to terms. It was a long negotiation… Britney was a natural fit.”
An insider now tells E! News, “She can’t wait to sit down next to Simon at the judges’ table and give this everything she’s got. She is excited about showing the world that she can do this, and do this well.”
[From Us Weekly]
Honest to God question: If Britney’s mental problems are so severe that she can’t even do her own press – nevermind that she’s still under a comprehensive conservatorship in which her fiancée and her father make all of the day-to-day decisions for her – how will she be able to function as a reality-show judge? Don’t get me wrong, I understand the upside to this – Britney gets to stay in one place, she gets tons of money, she gets to “work” and be seen and she gets to meet people. I guess Simon Cowell also thinks that “of course Britney will f–k up” and that it will be good television. All of which is a cruel calculation, I think.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I just hope that this will not put another pressure on her and causing her another breakdown. 🙁 I wish her the best.
I believe this will give her the confidence she needs. To be in a mentoring position, and not be facing going on stage anymore. For that was her biggest fear in the later years.
I wish her well too!
I think this will be good for her too! No more pressure to tour..which has to be down right exhausting..and maybe have more stability. I for one and rooting for her!
If her father and manager/fiancé (hot the order) insist on not letting her take a long break, like some other sites are saying, and having her make more money, than what better than to be working along side Simon Cowell and LA Reid judging new talent, and mentoring them as well?
I believe this would be safer, and better for her fragile state.
If her team was so confident that she was healthy enough to do this, they would have made her co-conservator/fiance a producer on the show who will be at EVERY taping Britney attends.
If an impartial legal judge says that she isn’t well enough to make decisions for herself, how in the world can she handle the pressure of daily tv taping? How can she legally sign a marriage contract if she can’t even have control over what she wears or eats (conservatorship puts that in Jason’s hands)?
She seems to highly medicated these days so I have a feeling she isnt even capable of a meltdown these days.
I really hope she does well…it’s only for one season (which is what she wanted).
I actually think she’ll do pretty good. The first few shows I’m sure that she’ll be a little nervous but she’ll get there. I really think that the only reason she’s still under the conservatorship is so that she doesn’t have to go to court over all that Sam Lufti stuff. I honestly hope she does well because I’m so tired of people ragging on this girl all the time. She had a rough time in her life and people can’t seem to let that go.
Yeah I felt sorry for her for a little bit (I was never a fan), but then I thought- A lot of people go through a hell of a lot worse in their lives and manage a degree of decorum…. WITHOUT all the millions of dollars.
Yeah, I actually think she’ll like this. She doesn’t really seem to want to make music herself much anymore, but still being public and “in the business” might help her.
It would be HIGHLY unethical for a judge to keep a conservatorship in place for someone that doesn’t need it. A conservatorship removes so many of a person’s rights, it isn’t some legal manuver that is taken lightly.
Sadly, I think some fans try to make it seem like she is in a better place simply because they are greedy for more Britney, when none of this is in her best interest.
It is sad. It’s all about attracting attention for the Xfactor. Same reason he gave Paula a shot before. Britney Spears doesn’t even have that much actual, you know, TALENT, or probably the ability to ascertain other people’s talent. I do know there’s one thing for sure- she will be chomping on a wad of neon colored gum during every show. I’ve never seen Britney without it.
I don’t think it’s fair to say she has no talent. Is she the best singer? No. But, she can (or did in her prime) dance her butt off…which is why she lip syncs, I think. She is an entertainer, and she definitely had that “IT” factor. My guess is she’ll be very sweet, and I honestly hope it helps her get some of her sparkle back. She used to light up when she smiled…
Anyhow, I think it’s fine.
I agree she does not have a lot of talent. I just hope she is prepared to deal with simon. He does not sugar coat anything. I felt bad for nicole…sometimes
This way we get to see the real Brit Brit in person using her own words. I’m all for it.
She will have someone feeding her lines in her earpeice- or it will be edited so she can read from a prompter. No way this chick is lucid. Sorry- not hating, just observing her actions (or lack there of)
I agree with Lil Ole Me. Part of Britney’s contract is that her co-conservator/ “fiance” is PRODUCING this show and will attend every taping that Britney is at.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
I’m with you. I think its a cruel calculation. I think he wants a Paula Abdul but the problem is that Britney is actually mentally ill.
For Pete’s sake, stop with this conservatorship thing!!!! It’s not because she is under a conservatorship that she cannot even work!!! How insulting it is for people with mental issues!!
She probably has a big bipolar disorder, which means that she can be very depressed and need to take medecine. It also means that she is not well enough to deal with her fortune (could you imagine what she could do with her millions when she has “down days”???)…
So she needs someone to look after her.
It doesn’t mean that she cannot go on tour or do this show!!!!!!
In my opinion, it’s two different things! I really wish people would realize that the conservatorship is here to protect her. That doesn’t mean she has to ask permission to her father when she wants to go out!!!
She is not a child. She just has a mental condition. And it’s quite insulting for everyone who has a mental trouble to say that Britney Spears has absoluly no control over her life just because she is under a conservatorship!
I agree with what you’re saying. If she’s bipolar and it’s mostly under control, the conservatorship is there as a safeguard and she’s probably living a rather normal life.
Maybe her team did the press that way because she’s tired of it. She’s been at this for a long time. Maybe the XFactor job is something she really wants because it’s something different. I hope she has fun with it and it takes some of the pressure off her to perform so much.
Yeah, I agree… Everytime she does something worong, everytime she is tired, everytime she seems lost, it’s because she has mental issues and is under a conservatorship!
It’s just stupid!
You can be bipolar and have a normal life! You just need supervision because you can be very very depressed and/or maniac on some days.
I wish she could do an honest interview on Vogue or Vanity Fair where she openly talk about her disease… Maybe people would stop talking about her like she is a child.
@liliou
Just a small point–you do not need supervision if you have bi-polar and are taking your medication. You need support. People with bipolar are not children. It’s important to remember things like that when dealing with mental illness.
@ ZELDA :
This is exactly my point!! Is my english that bad? lol…
It just makes me sick when everyone treats her like a child (she shouldn’t go on tour, she shouldn’t make X Factor) just because she is under a conservatorship.
My point was : Britney might be bipolar but she still can work and have a normal life.
I wish people could stop judding her because she is under this conservatorship. It has nothing to do with her liability to do her job.
Sorry, but MANY people have bi-polar disorder and very few are put under conservatorships.
Do you understand how many rights are taken away from a person under conservatorship???? It isn’t just a back up plan if things go bad, her rights are removed from her whether things are fine or not.
I think she was probably suicidal. It was likely put in place to keep her out of a facility.
But still, this is just a mental disorder and normal. She is hardly talking to herself covered in feces on a daily basis. The concern trolling of this girl reaches epic heights. It doesn’t make her completely incapable of doing a job. It is honestly all just so offensive to mental disorders.
Can’t wait. It will be a huge mess. I don’t think she is ready for live tv where you have to be quick and sharp. But hey bigger drama = bigger ratings.
Maybe it’s just nostalgia speaking, but I love Britney! I hope she does awesome on the X Factor and will be a nice distraction from the know-it-all-men sitting at her sides.
Poor Britney. I hope she’s happy in her personal life, but the fact that she’s been in a conservatorship for so long makes me really nervous for her.
I hope she is well, but I think Simon is using her to drum up media attention and he would be only too happy to see her break down on tv to increase his ratings.
i love brit, and i hope that she does well i do agree that siomon only cares about ratings and hopes that she will be a mess. I think she can handle herself tho and i cant wait to see her.
She did quite a few radio interviews overseas during her tour and she was fine. But a judge? She lip-syncs her entire show. And she never had much in dept to say about the making of her last album except words like cool, music to dance to. She has none of the vibrance she had when she was young and not all that smart. Big mistake.
I have a bad feeling in my stomach about this.
Before mental illness, Spears was totally insipid.
Post-illness she was rambling nonsense.
Since when is this woman good for any position in which she has to speak?
+1
Um. Hopefully she’ll do one season & leave with head held high & dignity intact. Unlike that dumbass Crackie, she doesn’t deserve to be a made laughing stock, in my opinion.
I don’t think Simon is giving her the job in the hopes she’ll fuck up I think he’s giving it to her knowing that millions of people are gonna tune in just to see Britney because of the love tons of people still have towards her.
Sadly I don’t think this is a great idea, she doesn’t need the money at all and the whole of her last era I got the vibe that she just wanted to leave show business behind (at least for a while) and just be a mother/girlfriend and now this. This isn’t some bubble filled with cotton wool that she’s been wrapped in for the longest time she’s gonna be front and centre and as soon as she does anything eccentric the media are gonna jump on it and rag on her like they where during her breakdown and I don’t think she’s strong enough to deal with that…
On top of the the whole show is basically riding her coat tails, the last season was a flop, Simon doesn’t have the pull he once did so it’s all on Britney and that’s a lot of pressure for anyone let alone someone with mental issues… Either way i just wish the best for her.
“Britney: for the record” was on TV the other day…I was just so sad watching it. The part where she says that she has a feeling when she talks that no one really listens to her. That her days are so planned out, nothing fun ever happens…etc. It was just so sad. And then that part where she imitates her father, it cracked me up! She’s so funny and it just makes me even sadder for her.
That was done several years ago after her breakdown when they were adjusting her meds. She has come far since then.
I bet she does great! I’m sure she is happy to be getting the chance to do something like this.
This is all for the ratings. I hope this works in her favor.
This is sad. She should just retire and enjoy her sons. She is clearly not well and should not be pimped out like that.
I’m just happy LeAnn Rimes didn’t get the job.
I believe that they are still looking for one or two more judges, so unfortunately, do not count out the man stealing, famewh*re yet. I hope that it doesn’t come to that, but stranger things are known to happen….
Like Lindsay portraying Elizabeth Taylor… things that make you ummmmm.
BRAVO! Although I do think she planted the story about that and forced her way into a “meeting.” After all, Simon all but laughed and rolled his eyes at the idea when questioned about it on Good Day LA not to long ago, saying how she contacted THEM. HAHAHAHA
I cannot understand all of the hoopla with Britney. While she did have a great comeback, I personally do not think that she is ‘all that!!’
This show will either be really great for her or just horrible. It will either be obvious that she has problems and she is overwhelmed with the show OR she will be just fine and does an amazing job and she won’t seem “ill”. But then people will question themselves why her fiance will be her freaking conservator and why she cannot live a normal life.
Either way.. I don’t find this a good idea. Why does she has to work anyway? If she has issues, why can’t she stay at home and live a nice life?
I am looking forward to this. The gum smacking, ‘Hi ya’ll’ Britney of yore. I think she is going to be fine.
I Think she can surprise us
Go Brit Brit!
Now she can beat Christina Aguilera at something else.
Yay, lets all jump on the decade long misconception that Britney and Christina hate each other because they’re both female/came out at the same time and are blonde despite the fact they’ve both said they’re good with each ther many times and have worked together…
Simmer down. I’m a fan of both. I was joking.
I don’t know i think this is exactly what she needs, limited and controlled exposure. After her episode with crazy behavior and after her conservitorship began one of the first things she did was a guest spot on How I Met Your Mother, no it wasn’t an Emmy winning performance but she was funny and cute. i recall reading that after that her dad was hoping to get her into television because it was would mean a set schedule and consistent working environment, something she has never had. Maybe its not the 9-5 most of us are used to but i could see how a consistent schedule would benefit her.
I think she’ll be an incredibly boring judge and will probably be mocked. She’ll just say “y’all” a lot and be nicey nice. But she will get ratings because for some reason people think she’s talented and interesting.
I agree marjalane will they lip synch and auto tune her responses; Please, for the love of GOd, how can somenone that has no singing talent and musical knowledge judge other singers – Yes, I know its for ratings, but then don’t pretend it’s about, you know, actual real singing talent. I agree amanda, she’s boring because she’s uneducated and uninvolved in just about everything, maybe its time for all these glorified Gong shows to retire – they have run their course.
I am from Finland so I don’t know how the is system works, but here conservatoship is rather common with mentaly ill and the erderly and it is usually for monetary reasons. So it means that her father and fiance control her finances (and some other stuff) not that she is a child or they own her.
I think this will be good for her. She clearly can’t dance the way she used to, so it will take the pressure off her to tour again. This will be a nice transition for her so she will still be in the celebrity game, without all the constant touring, traveling & breaks from her children.
I had zero interest in this show. I watched I think the 1st episode & felt like it was totally fake & dumb. But now, while still fake & dumb I’m sure, I will watch to see if there is any Spears craziness.
Britney was an incredible entertainer and her sparkle is sorely missed. Surely a rough couple years doesn’t mean she’s trapped in a conservatorship forever? I’m so glad she got this gig. I hope we see some of the old Britney: candid, warm, sweet. Come on, like Jennifer Lopez can sing? Britney has a great eye for talent.
She’ll be fine. Fans or not, many of us feel protective of her. Simon isn’t heartless – he took care of Susan Boyle, he’ll take care of Britney.
I remember seeing the MTV documentary about Britney shortly after her meltdown and conservatorship. The funny thing is, she seemed far more lucid and self-aware then than she did last summer while promoting her album. However, I do believe that she is bipolar, and that both the type and level of her medication vary significantly depending on her state. I am sure that her team — including her father and fiancee — would not put her on the show if she was currently in a bad phase. They effectively shielded her from any direct contact with the press last year (during her entire tour), and there is no reason to think they would expose her to it now if they didn’t think she was capable of managing it.
As to the conservatorship, it seems fairly obvious that Britney suffers from very severe bipolar disorder. While the conservatorship if probably minimal during her “good” periods, it’s most likely a safety net for the bad periods. She has a history of going off her medication with grave results. It may also be part of her custody arrangement with Kevin — she doesn’t have formal custody, and he may be unwilling to grant her such wide rights without a guarantee that she will continue to take her medication and handle her health issues properly.
My hope is that regular work will sharpen her “ill” mind. I have my doubts about the extent of her mental illness. I can believe that she has some, but her essentially becoming a vulnerable adult with familial caretakers (who seem not to have her best interests in mind, as a professional might) looks very convenient. When I have been mentally ill enough to qualify for disability, enter a group home, etc., returning to work and structured activity has “cured” me more than anything else.
She’s so human, and that’s what I like about her. I don’t really listen to her music, but I do hope this job goes really well for her and I’m glad she has dependable people like her dad and fiance taking care of her now. She has that Marilyn Monroe quality about her, kind of like you want to protect her and always want to see her do well.
LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE! *whimpering*
I’ve always hated to admit it, but I truly love Britney. she was such a big part of my teenage life.
I want the best for her, regardless of what that might be. And I hope she isn’t going back into things too quickly. She’s always come off like a sweetheart (from what I’ve seen), unlike a certain other blonde MMC diva).