Simon Cowell Praises Britney Spears As An X Factor Judge

There have been some rumors surroundingThe X Factor that have stated Britney Spears is not cut out for the job and has been unable to deal with the long hours and her new judging position, which requires her to critique extensively. There’s one faction who believes that Spears, due to her controversial and problem-speckled past, is probably cracking under the pressure. The other camp (and the one that I am in) believes Spears is going to be great on the show, as well as good for ratings. Whatever side you are on, Simon Cowell recently spoke out to set the record straight on the singer's performance.

X17 managed to catch the television producer and judge in a rare mood in Los Angeles today. Despite basically egging the man to say something negative about the freshman judge, Cowell remained upbeat and positive, even going so far as to say the former pop star is one of the tougher judges on the program.

“Like I said, she's been amazing. She's really taking time to learn how to do this. She's got her confidence up. Once people give her a chance, I think people are really going to get her. It will be a big surprise. She's a tough judge.”

We recently encountered a snippet of both Spears and other new judge Demi Lovato giving critiques at an early X Factor audition. And recently, the two women discussed how their experiences have been with judging thus far. Both times, Lovato has been excited and a little meek in her criticisms but Spears has been assertive and capable of getting audiences to listen to her words. Spears may bring a little more crazy to Season 2 of Fox's hit singing competition, but that will only make it more fun to tune in.