Are you ready to have Britney Spears as a regular presence inside your living room? According to multiple sources, Simon Cowell is nearing a deal to land Britney Spears as a judge on The X Factor. And all it’s going to take is $10 million a year! As Deadline points out, Cowell hinted at the signing last week in a radio interview, saying, “I’m fascinated by Britney. 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. This girl has resilience. I would think that if she’s managed to sustain a family, a career, which is tough, (X Factor would be) a walk in the park. I would be fascinated to hear what she has to say. She’s still hot, she’s still having hit records and she’s still controversial. There’s a reason for that.” If Britney does sign up, she’d be replacing one of the judge spots vacated by Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, who were unceremoniously shitcanned after an up-and-down first season. (Janet Jackson was rumored to be up for a spot before tour commitments, allegedly, forced her out of contention)
So: Is Britney of sound mind to mentor young people on television? She’s definitely in as stable a place as she’s been in years, engaged to her agent Jason Trawick and coming off a non-gaffe-having album cycle for Femme Fatale (which gave us “Till the World Ends,” indisputably one of the best singles of last year). She’s also still under a conservatorship, meaning her father has legal control over pretty much anything she does. Her immediate history suggests there’s no reason to suspect an on-air meltdown or anything, but is it maybe safe to assume what we’d be getting out of Britney would consist of a lot of blank stares and more y’alls than Tami Taylor during a parent-teacher conference? Still, Cowell’s right, landing Spears will definitely get people talking about X Factor again. Now if you’ll excuse me, my friends Paula and Nicole and I have some tires to slash.