‘The X Factor’ USA season 3: Simon Cowell previews show, talks Britney Spears’ exit

There’s always something interesting about seeing Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres sit down together for an interview. On that one year in which they were a part of the “American Idol” panel, there were always rumors about them not exactly getting along very well. They are two extremely strong-willed people, and they also have their own way of going about doing things.

We don’t know if any of that is true, but we do appreciate Ellen giving Simon a good ribbing anytime that he comes on her talk show. In the video below, you can see her trying to question Simon over the bold move to put Britney Spears on the “X Factor” panel last year. When we first heard about it at the time, it was a super-big deal and a move that proved Simon was serious about trying to get the show big ratings, but it disappointed in that regard, and we also found out very quickly that Britney basically had no interest at all in being much of a judge. Her responses were short, and she always looked like she never wanted to be there.

To an extent, Simon echoes these feelings to Ellen, saying that Spears was never “comfortable” during the show and that she didn’t like giving negative feedback to anyone. He also unintentionally to a dig at Christina Aguilera by forgetting her name for a second, and said that he hired Britney in part thanks to a bidding war that the talent shows were going through to get stars on their panels.

In the end, we think that Simon has a better panel in Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland, and Paulina Rubio. Unfortunately, what we’re not quite sure about is whether anyone will be excited enough to watch. The new season premieres Wednesday, and we’re not hearing much in the way of buzz right now outside of Simon’s personal life.

Photo: Fox