The early reports from the set of Simon Cowell’s new and improved X Factor — starring LA Reid, Disney-and-rehab alum Demi Lovato, and one Britney Spears — were troubling: Britney wasn’t talking much. Maybe she looked a little glassy-eyed. There were reports that she kept storming off set whenever a contestant botched one of her songs. To be fair, she’s curbed that last habit a bit, and also, it seems like all the X Factor judges get to bolt whenever they need to take a phone call or update an eBay bid. Still, the Britney faithful were worried — would she spend the whole season in Roboto mode? Would her team feed her lines and keep her from doing anything remotely interesting? Based on the first footage of Britney at the judges’ table (in this very brief X Factor commercial, below), the answer is: Yes to the canned lines but maybe, possibly, no to the rest? Britney is saying mean things! To real human people! On national television! And watch her delivery on that first putdown — “You can’t destroy that song, sweetie†— with the eager hand raise and the bitchy tone. It’s almost like she’s enjoying this. We believe.
