After hammering out a few more details, it looks like Britney Spears will be sitting next to Simon Cowell next season on “The X Factor.”
According to TMZ, the singer has struck a $15 million deal to be a judge on the singing competition show for the upcoming season.
Sources for the gossip site say it’s a “virtual certainty” that everyone will sign off on the deal (including Brit’s dad, Jamie Spears, her conservator).
Simon Cowell, the show’s creator, told “TMZ Live” on Tuesday, “I would love to have her on the show. I think she would be a fascinating person to sit next to.”
Britney would fill one of two vacant seats. With her hefty salary, they may have to go with a lesser-known judge for the other spot. Former judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul reportedly only made $1.5 million and $2.5 million, respectively.
“The X Factor” isn’t confirming or denying the story just yet.
And in tons of baby announcement news …
» “True Blood” stars and real-life married couple Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have announced that they’re expecting their first child together.
Anna, 29, and Stephen, 42, met in 2007 on the set of their popular HBO series and married in 2010.
After their wedding, Anna told Marie Clarie that she wanted kids, but would be happy to wait.
“I have trouble planning anything more than brunch with my friends,” she told the mag. “But when the time’s right, we’ll do it.”
This will be the first child for Anna and the third for Stephen, who has a son and a daughter from previous relationships.
» Melissa Joan Hart, who turned 36 on Wednesday, is pregnant.
The actress confirmed that she and husband Mark Wilkerson are expecting their third child.
She tweeted, “Happy Birthday to me! And baby makes 3!”
Melissa and Mark have two boys, ages 6 and 4.
“I adore my boys to pieces! And if that’s all God grants me, I’m fine. But I know myself well enough to know that I’m going to want another baby,” she said in 2009. “It’s not necessarily that I want girls. It’s because I just know I want more babies.”
» Taylor Hanson of the band Hanson and his wife, Natalie, are expecting their fifth child, their rep tells People. “Natalie and I are so anxious to meet our fifth mini-Hanson,” Taylor told the magazine.
The singer, 29 and his wife, 28, say the baby is due in late 2012. They already have four kids, ages 9, 7, 5 and 3.
