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Simon Cowell teases Britney Spears and Demi Lovato ready to tweak contestants

By April MacIntyre Jul 24, 2012, 4:10 GMT

LA Reid, Demi Lovato, Simon Cowell, Britney Spears - 2012 Fox Upfronts Programming Presentation Post-Show Party - Arrivals - Wollman Rink at Central Park - New York City, NY, USA © Janet Mayer / PRPhotos.com

The Television Critics' Association summer tour fired up FOX today, as the X Factor Simon Cowell jokingly revealed that Britney Spears and Demi Lovato were no pushovers.

Simon, Britney Spears, Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid were beamed in to press tour (via satellite from Miami) and shared their take on Idol, X Factor and refused to talk The Voice.

Spears said, "Well, I just feel like being with Simon and L.A. and Demi, just the package that we are together and the team that we are together, it makes it so much fun to do the show. It’s inspiring to be around people like that, and it’s made it a lot of fun for me."

Cowell replied. "Britney’s quite mean, which you’ll discover. Everyone thinks..."

Lovato chimed in, "I think she’s tough. She’s not mean...She’s a sweetheart who is very honest."

Cowell quipped, "As sweet as a lemon."

Simon noted that Britney and Demi were tough customers.

"They are harder to please than me or L.A.," Cowell says of Britney and Demi. "They are very happy, these two, in giving people a no. That's why we hired them."

Simon also revealed Britney has always topped his fantasy judge list: "Britney, I'm not going to lie about this, I always said the number one person I would want on one of these shows was Britney because I was fascinated with her as a person, as a pop star…She's a really, really good judge."

"Demi is a brat," Simon added, "but there's something really likable about her as well. I think the show, because it has such a young audience, it needed someone younger."

Demi defended her age and tastes, "...it's a really interesting thing when you bring a much younger demographic into the competition. I think we know what is needed in this industry, what is missing."

The new X Factor hosts will be announced mid-August.