Britney Spears On ‘The X Factor’: What Can We Expect?

tholliday | September 12, 2012 5:30 am

Ever since it was announced that Britney Spears booked a gig as one of four judges on the upcoming second season of Fox’s The X Factor, the Internet has been buzzing about what the world can expect from America’s favorite slightly burnt pop tart. Most of that buzz has been centered around two things: 1.) the super-sized paycheck she’ll earn, and 2) the all-but-expected train wreck moments a la the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, where a performance that was nothing short of on-point in rehearsal played out during the big show like holiday weekend tunnel traffic in New York City: sluggish, painful and hopeless.

Britney’s showbiz career began on TV:
Ah, but how easy it is for naysayers to forget that Brit was reared in the polished world of live performance. She honed her skills early on, upstaging her cast mates on MMC, Disney’s revival of The Mickey Mouse Club. She later shook her tight tush all across the country in the humblest of venues —  the shopping mall. She dazzled at the 2000 MTV VMAs, rendering every viewer speechless (don’t pretend like you didn’t feel a twinge of sheepish guilt watching a then 19-year-old Spears strip down to a bedazzled nude body suit and nearly shimmy her way out of her bra and into a wardrobe malfunction far racier than Miss Jackson at the ’04 Super Bowl). Speaking of which, she cooly shared the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show stage with a slightly pervy Steven Tyler, NSync and, oh, about 84 million viewers worldwide. Here’s the bottom line, kids: Britney being a judge on The X Factor is easier than Britney making a big bowl of cheese grits.

Britney’s polite, y’all:
Sure, Britney loves her sweatpants. And yes, she’s never met a Scrunchie she didn’t like. But at the end of the day, she is a consummate professional. Not once has anyone ever heard of Spears throwing a diva-like tantrum on set or belittling a crew member for doing something wrong. Doing a show like this is the perfect way for Britney to remain in the public eye. And she can do it without having to launch herself above an arena full of people every night, all sweaty-like in a cable car with wings. Britney will be in her element and she will be perfection (…we hope).

Britney is, well, Britney:
Viewers will not be tuning in to see Britney have a meltdown because it’s not going to happen. She’ll be dressed to the nines, acting her sweet and charming self. We also know she has a particular affinity for the British (and for speaking in poor Cockney accents when pressed), so look for instant on-screen chemistry between her and Simon Cowell. Brit is disarming and shy, but she can also be blunt. We’re certainly counting on that candor to make an appearance (remember her documentary For The Record, in which she impatiently gripes on camera while backstage that she “really hates f***ing waiting?” Oof. Bluntney!). But ultimately, we can expect the Britney to do what she does best – be Britney.

Will her appearance on the show be the gigantic golden nugget that was a pregnant Mariah Carey hawking her wares on HSN? Hardly. But it will be just as exciting to watch. Count on it.

Are you tuning in tonight to catch Britney Spears’ debut on The X Factor? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!