Britney Spears debuts on "X Factor" show

Britney Spears attends her UK Tour Launch Party at Sanctum Soho on Sept. 16, 2011, in London, England. / Danny Martindale/Getty Images

Britney Spears attends her UK Tour Launch Party at Sanctum Soho on Sept. 16, 2011, in London, England.

/ Danny Martindale/Getty Images

(AP) AUSTIN, Texas - Britney Spears has been on the job just two days and she's already proving to be a popular judge on "The X Factor."

The pop queen is also growing into her role as critic on the Fox singing contest show.

"The X Factor" staged its first auditions for the upcoming season Thursday and Friday in Austin, Texas, and judging by the boisterous cheers and the "I love you Britney!" calls from the crowd, the Grammy-winning singer is already a hit in her new role.

She's also showing she's not afraid to vote against contestants or disagree occasionally with show creator Simon Cowell and fellow judges Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid.

"I feel like your song was just in the wrong key," Spears told a contestant Friday, adding that choosing a different song would have been "more interesting."

She told another contestant, "Your voice is really sweet, but I feel like you need a little more training."

Spears has yet to develop the chattiness that Lovato, also a new judge, had with the often nervous contestants. While Spears was direct but brief with her opinions, Lovato demonstrated a more casual rapport with the singers, even when it was clear they weren't going to be cut.

Spears, 30, was brought in to help boost ratings for "The X Factor" after its debut season fell short of Cowell's predictions. The former child performer became an international star with her 1999 debut album, "... Baby One More Time." Other hits have come ("Oops!... I Did It Again," `'Toxic") but her personal life has been difficult, with rehab spells and time in a psychiatric ward.

For her judging debut, Spears wore a bright neon pink dress and she sat next to Cowell during Friday's auditions. The two routinely chatted during the breaks between singers.

[nirak2-2009]

Britney is telling a contestant she needs a little more training?
ROFL
Britney after many years needs a lot of training before she can judge others.

[furnitureexperts]

here we go again. hope she will do any good to the show

[Smail_Buzzby]

Britney is proving to be a popular judge on a show that is proving to not be popular?

For this no talent slob to be giving others advice when she has no idea how to sing and has never recorded a song worth listening to is pretty pathetic...classic Fox.

[siberian99]

You said it all !

[hypnotoad72]

Queen of Pop?!

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/introducing-the-queen-of-pop-20110629?page=11

Britney doesn't even make the top 3, but in all fairness she doesn't use dollar signs or punctuation marks in a trite attempt to be "clever"...