Britney Spears
Courtesy of Management Artists Syndication.
First day on the job and pop icon Britney Spears is already causing buzz on the set of "The X Factor."
Spears, 30, reportedly left the set of the Austin, Texas, auditions Thursday and didn't return to see the last four wannabe contestants . Word is she "just needed a break" and returned for the day’s second three-hour taping, according to eonline.com.
Spears laughed off internet speculation that she was playing a diva on set.
"LOL was just taking a little break people. I am having the BEST time!!!!," she tweeted Thursday.
The pop princess-turned talent judge apparently only voted "no" twice and her harshest critique was directed at a contestant she thought was lacking in singing ability – "I feel like you need a new teacher to teach you how to sing."
She also reportedly admonished Simon Cowell for being mean to one contestant.
"That was rude, Simon," she said, according to the website.
And she was booed by the audience that obviously didn't agree with her opinion on one performance.
She also tweeted: "Texas has a lot of talent – seriously! Loving @TheXFactorUSA auditions so far."
The Texas auditions continue Friday. The Fox series returns for a new season with judges Cowell, L.A. Reid and Demi Lovato in the fall.
Here is audio of Lovato and Spears making their first critiques, courtesy of TMZ.com.
Lovato didn't like the contestant's performance but Spears told him she thought he could be "bigger than Justin Bieber."
