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Britney Spears, teen pop icon-turned-trainwreck-turned comeback kid, has apparently finalized a deal to be a judge on The X-Factor alongside Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid. According to E!, "Spears will get $15 million for one season's worth of work. She had agreed in principle to the deal weeks ago and had spent the last several days working out the fine print."
A source said, "The contract is signed. There's been a lot of back and forth over the past few weeks as they negotiated the small details, but she's on. It's all completed and Britney is beyond excited," continuing, "She's ready for this. She can't wait to sit down next to Simon at the judges' table and give this everything she's got. She is excited about showing the world that she can do this, and do this well. This is the perfect next stage in her career. Both Britney and Simon are very excited to work together."
Cowell, who created the show, cleaned house after a disappointing season (it did well in the ratings, but wasn't the blockbuster Cowell promised) by getting ridding of judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones. The addition of Spears, though, makes the Fox program more tempting for even casual viewers when it returns this fall.
Spears toured last year and The Hollywood Reporter said her Femme Fatale tour earned her about $1 million per show, "Only 14 of the 39 dates were sell-outs, but the pop star still grossed more than $37 million." Of course, that money covers the expense of the tour, not what Spears herself nets. And a THR review felt, "The Britney Spears of 2011, currently on week one of her Femme Fatale tour, is a different animal: one who’s seated for nearly half of her 90-minute set, who doesn’t quite have that spring in her dance step anymore and who requires a constant barrage of visual distractions while she mostly lip-synchs along to her hits."
