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Britney Spears Close To Signing Deal With "The X Factor"

Christina Hong |
March 9, 2012 | 7:35 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Britney Spears headed to "X-Factor?" (creative commons)
Britney Spears headed to "X-Factor?" (creative commons)
According to sources with The Hollywood Reporter, Britney Spears is close to signing a deal as a judge for next season’s "The X Factor."  Jason Trawick, Spears’ fiancé, is negotiating the contract which could be signed as soon as next week.

Simon Cowell reportedly offered the singer $10 million for the second season. Cowell and the producers of "The X Factor" had recently fired judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger after ratings of the show were lower than they had hoped for. Also in talks was singer Janet Jackson, though it was reported that she would not be able to make it due to her commitments to her music tour Number Ones: Up Close and Personal.

­While reports claim that Spears was interested in joining the show, according to an insider, Cowell made the initial approach to sign her.  The pop start will hopefully be able to bring more of an interest to the show and bring legitimacy as a successful artist, something critics of "The X Factor" say was missing last season.  

“The fact that she’s one of the most talked about – not just pop stars, but people – in the world today means that you’ve got this star power. She’s still hot, she’s still having hit records, and she’s still controversial. There’s a reason for that,” said Cowell in a conference call with the press last week.

Spears has been in extensive media training to prepare for the spot as a judge alongside with Cowell and Epic Records chairman LA Reid. 

While the singer is close in signing the deal, there is not word on who will take the final spot as a judge. 

According to a source, The Hollywood Reporter was told that the perfect candidate would be a Los Angeles based singer who not only has a music business but also has another life with her family.  It seems that Cowell has predicted Spears as one of his perfect candidates, the only question left is who will be the next judge to fill in the empty seat.

With a $10 million dollar contract, hopefully the "Oops!... I did It Again" singer will be able to bring in more viewers and be a positive asset to the show as Cowell wants her to be.

Reach writer Christina Hong here



 

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