Demi Lovato back for X Factor, two new judges yet to be announced

March 29, 2013

LOS ANGELES, March 29 Singer Demi Lovato will return as a judge on TV contest The X Factor for a second year, broadcaster Fox announced yesterday, but there was no word on two more open positions on the celebrity panel.

Demi Lovato: Back in her seat. Question over two more judges. Reuters picThe 20-year-old former Disney Channel star will be back in her seat when the show returns in the fall of 2013 along with creator Simon Cowell.

I couldnt be happier that Demi wants to come back this year, Cowell said in a statement.

Shes a superstar in her own right and was a fantastic mentor last year. Even though she can be really, really annoying I truly enjoyed working with her and so did the artists.

X Factor producers however have yet to announce replacements for departing judges Britney Spears and record producer Antonio L.A. Reid, who quit at the end of the shows second season in December.

There are going to be four judges, a source close to the show said yesterday, but gave no details on who they might be or when the two new names would be announced.

Recent speculation on possible new judges for the US version of the show has included singers Katy Perry, John Mayer, Pink and Ne-Yo.

Open auditions for singers hoping for a spot on the third season of X Factor are underway in cities across the United States. Auditions before the judges are expected to start in late May or early June.

Audiences for X Factor slumped in 2012, losing about three million viewers from its first season despite the hiring of Spears for a reported US$15 million (RM46.4 million) salary.

The show is just one of a plethora of singing and talent shows on US television, including Fox televisions long-running American Idol, which has also seen a drop! in viewers despite new judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, and NBC rivals The Voice and Americas Got Talent.

Fox is a unit of News Corp and NBC is a unit of Comcast Corp. Reuters