Britney Spears gets harsh in new 'X Factor' promo July 11, 2012, 11:07 a.m. Hey, look, Britney Spears can be mean! In a new promo for "The X Factor," the songstress demonstrates that she can channel her inner Simon Cowell. The teaser introduces Spears with a voice-over that asks: "Has America's sweetheart been hanging with Simon Cowell too long?" Cue montage to prove she has! The 30-year-old pop star tells one hopeful: "You can't destroy that song, sweetie." Other "oh-no-she-didn't" gems include "Bad to the bone," along with the Simon-inspired "Very predictable" and "You definitely don't have the X Factor." It would all appear to be a changing of tone for the Fox singing competition show from the sweet talk displayed by former judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger. But with Spears and fellow new judge Demi Lovato, who join Cowell and L.A. Reid on board, we're to believe a tougher regime is in place. Let's just hope a "Mickey Mouse Club" alum didn't audition - Christina Aguilera already proved her snippiness in that arena on "The Voice." Spears, for her part, has been making headlines as a judge even before the premiere of the show, which kicks off Sept. Earlier this week, it was reported that Spears walked off the set after a contestant in drag covered one of her songs. Britney Spears on 'The X Factor' kicks off in mid-September Britney Spears and Demi Lovato officially join 'The X Factor'