Does anyone else think Simon Cowell’s face is morphing into Jabba the Hut’s face? It’s weird, right? I feel like we don’t talk about this enough: Simon is doing some really weird and gross things with his face these days, and it is not cute at all. Maybe we end up with the face we deserve, though. Because Simon is now trying to “manage” Britney Spears’s departure from The X-Factor like it’s something brand new, and like he was the one to “fire” her. Take a trip down memory lane with me – wasn’t it ALWAYS just going to be one year for Britney? Wasn’t that what her management team wanted? Just one year, and Simon wanted more, and he didn’t get more and now that her contract is up, he’s all “Yeah, I fired her!” Bulls—t.
Looks like Britney Spears’ X Factor gig will be a one-and-done kind of deal. As the new issue of Us Weekly reveals, the “Hold It Against Me” singer is on her way out as a judge for Fox’s hit reality competition, which wrapped its second season on Dec. 20.
“Britney will get the boot,” an insider tells Hot Stuff of the pop star, who joined the show in May, along with fellow newcomer Demi Lovato. “Producers wanted her for the long haul, but it isn’t working.”
One reason? Spears’ $15 million contract, which sources say the low-energy mentor hasn’t earned.
“They paid all that for her to say ‘amazing’ and offer half-claps,” a second insider tells Us
Adds a third source of show co-creator Simon Cowell, who is leading the charge to axe the performer: “He wanted crazy Britney, but he got boring Britney.”Spears’ firing would be the latest in a long line of departures over the show’s short lifespan. In the space of just two seasons, the series has lost or let go of Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger, Cheryl Cole and — most recently — L.A. Reid, who announced his decision to leave earlier this month.
Spears is likely next on the chopping block, but Cowell, 53, hasn’t always had it out for her. During a conference call in October, he told reporters that she had been “a lot better than everybody thought…She’s very engaged…She has been, I think, a very, very good judge.”
Alas, their professional relationship seems to have soured some, as has the singer’s personal relationship with fiance Jason Trawick. Sources tell Us that the mom to Preston, 7, and Jayden, 6, has been increasingly butting heads with her beau.
“They are pulling away from each other,” a pal explains to Us. “Unless things change, they will split for good.”
For the last time, SHE WASN’T FIRED. Her contract expired and no one wanted to negotiate a new contract for another year. The wording does matter, damn it. And yes, she wasn’t magic-crazy Brit-Brit. She was subdued and prone to walking off whenever she felt weird or uncomfortable, which is how she has learned to cope. I really hate the way her management team, The X-Factor producers and Simon in particular have used Britney throughout the past year, and how they’re still using her now.
Anyway, who will replace Britney? Demi Lovato is going too, right? So Simon is going to need a bunch of new people. I wonder if Paula Abdul will get a call? Oh, in all seriousness, you know who I was thinking about, someone who would do well as a reality show judge? Shania Twain. For real. She would be a great judge. Ooo… I totally wrote that before I even saw that Shania has allegedly made Simon’s shortlist. I can’t believe Simon and I are on the same page.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
They need to pull the plug on this show. Too many of these shows anyway.
Simon is a master of getting publicity for the show at anyone’s expense.
For one show that will be axed ten more are going to take its place, and all of them are just going to be plain old ****.
i guess the production wanted many dramas from a crazy weird Britney whereas she was quiet & charming during the show
AND all the rumors on her behaviour backstage was RP stunts by the production
Of course she is not returning. Simon Cowell, as I’ve always said, wanted “crazy Britney” (Gimme more performance at the mtv award in 2007 to be precise) to bring drama and audience to the show. She hasn’t bring the craziness, and the audience, so she is not returning. End of story.
I agree Simon’s face is turning something quite scary…horrid
I also think they should shut it all down.
What is next for Brit Brit? She isnt exactly employable. She is looking older – plus her eyes often look dead. Her kids don’t seem to be a priority, she still needs a guardian, and she and creepy Jason are tired of each other. Is she still recording?
I keep hearing a song she did with Will. I. Am. It could be 2 years old, but it seems to be on the radio all the time.
She’s using a British accent (?). When I asked my 12 year old son why, he said, “Well, Mom, they’re trying to make her sound smarter”, in that innocent way… 🙂
Simon’s a douche.
That song is called, “Scream and Shout,” has only been out about a month and a half, and has consistently been on the top of the iTunes chart. Dont have any idea why someone is calling her “unemployable.” Her last two concert tours were very successful.
Circus (09), did 131 million, Femme Fatale (11) 69 million. In a year of big tours, Gaga, Beiber, Minaj, Swift, Stones, etc, that was huge. I personally think she should retire to a nice little private town, perhaps back on her native La. But she’s still highly bankable. Then, there’s also her huge perfume deals…
I think I maybe read somewhere that she is taking the drug Topamax which is an antiepileptic mood stabilizer that is used for various other conditions including bi-polar disorder. I took that medicine for seizures and migraines and I can tell you first hand, that it sucks your personality out of you. You feel no emotion and can become disconnected. It also just makes you feel strange. One of the rare side effects I had was sounds were magnified and the feeling of touch became overwhelming. Like I became hyper sensitive to touch. I needed a quiet room and nothing brushing up my skin or else I would become quite anxious. It is a terrible terrible medication and can explain a lot of what we are seeing with her if in fact that is what she is on.
I have to agree. I was also on Topamax for a year and it was awful. I also had that disconnected feeling, but I couldn’t even form coherent sentences and I would forget things I was told no more than 5 minutes later. It was like having a box of rock where my brain used to be.
All this judge rotation will eventually get people turned off. I’ve seen a few episodes and Brittany and Demi have been boring judges. It’s time to pull the plug on Simon – he needs to get a new hobby.
I neither care for the wording, nor Simon’s face, so we’re in agreement.
Brit had a one-year contract, which she half-heartedly filled (and let us remember that SHE is not the one making her own business decisions).
I personally feel the best thing for her would be to leave the show AND the spotlight, and just focus on her relationship and being a “normal” mom.
Poor Britney often looks tense and anxious. Her body language in the top and bottom photos seems strained. I wonder if having the paps in her face nonstop for years has made her nervous about non-family members getting too physically close.
I have never been a huge Britney fan, but thought she was a fantastic performer. I don’t understand what the hell has happened to her- she’s only, what, 31? 32? Whatever is going on with her, she has lost her sparkle and seems like she’s a prisoner, dragging her chains behind her.
Hmmm… I believe she suffered some type of nervous breakdown, and was then diagnosed with bi-polar (or some other type of manic-depressive disorder), for which she is probably on medication which makes her not so sparkly.
Simon is too full of himself. If anyone was a terrible mentor and judge it was Demi. Its no wonder none of her acts made it to the finals. She lead them down wrong paths. Britney did an amazing job with those kids. She conducted herself with poise and finesse, and people gripe, had she acted wild and crazy or off the wall, people would have still griped and said she was having another breakdown. Cant make anyone happy! Demi’s bipolar issues sure showed but you don’t hear anyone griping on her !
I’m sure Brit had people behind the scenes making the decisions for her team. It definitely wasn’t her.
Britney is an easy target. I hope the X-Factor big bosses stop using her and just concentrate on why the show won’t click.
Simon’s face is scary! My bf and I walked by a tv set with him on and stopped, mesmerized by the disaster that is his face.
Not really sure why they chose Spears in the first place. She’s just not relevant anymore. As for the show, enough already! Let it go, don’t keeping running it in the ground.
If she wasn’t relevant then how did she top the Forbes list for the highest earning female singer last year?
It’s disgusting Simon wanted crazy Britney! This poor woman seems so medicated and like she’s barely holding on, but I guess ratings are more important.
Britney couldn’t handle more then one year. She barely made it through this season. How many walk-offs did she do and look at her on the red carpet. Uncomfortable anyone? She would have had another nervous breakdown if she had continued the show.
I really feel for Britney. I hope that she gets to do what *she* wants to do for a change.
Simon’s face looks awful: The chin tuck is lopsided and there’s just waaay too much filler in his face. Simon should maybe just have had an upper eyelid lift to open his eyes a bit along with a “good” chin tuck and that would have sufficed; but all of that filler, especially on a man, is not a good look.
I think I maybe read somewhere that she is taking the drug Topamax which is an antiepileptic mood stabalizer that is used for various conditions including bi-polar disorder. I took that medicine for a year for seizures and migraines and I can tell you first hand. It sucks your personality out of you. You feel no emotion and can become disconnected. It also just makes you feel strange. One of the rare side effects I had was sounds were magnified and the feeling of touch became over whelming. Like I became hyper sensitive especially to touch. I needed a quiet room and nothing brushing up against my skin. It is a terrible terrible medicine and can explain a lot of the things we are seeing with her if in fact that is what she is on.
sorry you got that kind of side effect from topomax. I take it for both bipolar and seizures and it is a miracle medicine for me with no side effects at all. If Demi stays on the show for another year, her doc should put her on some for her b-p too and maybe she could behave and maybe not be so mouthy and sassy.
That’s awesome that it worked for you. I actually found my incident of breakthrough seizures went up. I have often wondered how the physiology of a drug can effect two different patients in two entirely different manners. Something has changed with her however. I am only armchair guessing that her mood stabilizers have something to do with it.
This show is an over-produced disaster. Britney was the only one who did a good job.
I tuned in once and saw a Kartrashian prancing around and promptly turned it off. Nothing will ever bring me back.
Demi will stay. She was great and gave great critiques and has a lot of chemistry with Simon, giving him shit all the time.
Their ratings are down, so paying Brit 15 million again makes no sense.
Seriously… This woman has more money than I can ever dream of; so WHY can’t she get a decent wig, weave or haircut? At least her makeup looks good for once.
That’s what I’ve been saying for years about her and Christina Aguilera. At least Jessica Simpsons weave always looks good, but it would be nice to see her try a new look. But beyond that, she is looking much, much older than her 32 years, she should really fix her face…. Just not Simon’s doctor, lol
Can’t stand the show, but like Britney; I wish she’d concentrate on herself…and her kids.
Well she WAS incredibly boring on the show. For $15M she was hardly “used.” She didn’t need to bring the crazy, IMHO, but did need to be even borderline interesting, which she wasn’t.
Demi Lovato . . . too young and under-talented to be as sassy as she is on that show. A turn-off.
What is with her “wooden soldier arm” in the pix above? She looks absolutely rigid, both her arm and unreal-looking smile.
These shows are just a way for the stars to get press to make a comeback. Seriously before ‘Moves Like Jagger’ nobody had cared about Maroon 5 for a few years, Demi Lavato NEVER had a hit before joining X-Factor….that’s why I hope Shania does join because she’s actually talented and I think the radio is really missing her voice and songwriting.
I’m confused…Britney almost kills herself, put her children in extreme danger, was so mentally ill she needed to be under conservatorship (and they don’t just hand those out…this is a VERY sick woman) and people are horrified she’s on medication that appears to have taken away her “sparkle”. Is it awful drugs used to treat psychiatric conditions can cause some severe side effects? Absolutely. But there’s a point where the alternative is just that bad. Chemo is awful, cancer is worse. Psych meds can be awful, the alternative can be devastating. Everyone has a story about how they or someone they know was put on such and such and it was horrible, and how sad for Britney, but this is the nature of mental illness and psychopharmacology. We have no idea where she would be without this treatment. What we do know is she doesn’t appear to be a danger to herself or others, and that’s a good thing. Period. Now, as far as the x factor, everyone was so upset she was being “pushed” to do it, but now that she’s fulfilled her year contract it’s an issue? Clearly she’s not being as “pushed” as so many have accused. If she’s working and making money, she’s being exploited. If she’s crazy she needs someone to step in and help. When someone steps in they’re using her. When she gets stable it’s sad she’s not like her old self. So so tired of this back and forth…totally ridiculous.
^THIS +10000000
People find every and any reason to make her a victim.
Look, we all know it’s risk verses benefit and obviously she and her doctors feel whatever she is on is necessary, I was only offering a possible reason for the change in demeanor. The medication that I was put on wasn’t right for me so I was taken off. However, she is more stable so whatever she is on has helped along with her support network and lifestyle changes. It does not go without notice that her personality, at least to the public, has changed.
Shan926, spot on. The posters are way nuttier than Brit. Your post says it all. To see how far she has come is amazing. And work is good for her. It’s only a part of the year anyway and off the rest.
Is he wearing a toupee? His head looks like a pineapple.
So the short-list from gossipcop: Katy Perry, Shania Twain, Jessica Simpson and Kim Kardashian…
Jessica Simpson = Demi Lovato. Another overrated C-list with B name recognition. Weak singer, will be weak judge and mentor. No!
Shania Twain – I’m fine with it. Katy Perry – works too much. I don’t think she will have time. Kim Kardashian? Please. Simon got her sister because he hoped their trash popularity will turn into ratings. That did no happened.
I would love to see one of the Spice Girls as judge. Ginger or Baby. They had some sort of resurrection in 2012. People still love them and miss. And it’s not like they have too much work. Geri Halliwell has bigger personality. Or hire both Emma and Gerri. Or Mel C. But no Victoria and Mel B.
Ricky Gervais knows anything about music? They should hire him 🙂 That would be hilarious.
Celine Dion is still “prisoner” in Vegas? Tom Jones.
This guy sucks. Knows absolutely nothing about REAL talent, just wants the sizzle without the steak. He represents everything that is wrong about pop culture and especially pop music today.
Seriously. The best this douche-nozzle could come up with is that horrid boy band with the awful crap song (sorry, said band and song escape me)
Britney doesnt need another season on that show anyway. Its only a couple seasons old and Simon has already run thru almost as many judges as American Idol has and they have been on for years ! Even L A Reed is smart and getting out. Let Demi keep working with Simon and the poor girl will end up back in rehab like she was just a couple years back for bi polar eating disorder and self cutting. I read her interview. I just dont see xfactor staying on as long as Idol has, and I doubt Idol lasts much longer either.
Right on str8shooter; for an alternative read Jim Fusilli’s write-up of music in the 12/28/2012 wall street journal article year end roundup;no banal calculated pop crap mentioned instead he praises Robert Cray, Frankie Ocean, Justin Townes Earle’s efforts among others; Simon Cowell is just a richer less classy version of P.T. Barnum a huckster nothing more.
fire that awful psycho demi lofato instead
I haven’t watched any of the X-factor but I’ve heard from friends that Britney was a wonderful addition to the show. I d k……..