Jason Trawick, the lover and caretaker of Britney Spears, uploaded this video onto a website called Viddy. As you can see, it’s a message to Britney, telling her how proud he is of her for her new X Factor gig. It sounds kind of sweet, right? Nah, it’s really weird for a number of reasons.

Why are we even seeing this? Yes, it’s a sweet message, but wouldn’t it have been even sweeter if he had actually said this to her face? He said that “we just completed our first weekend in Austin on X Factor,” which, by the way, no, Jason, you didn’t complete anything on X Factor, and at the end of the video he said “now get back in here so we can go to sleep.” That makes it sounds like she’s just in the next room, right? Even if she wasn’t, even if they weren’t in the same state, he couldn’t make a phone call? This was a message that had to be posted online for everyone to see?

After all that Britney’s been through, you’d think that the people close to her would want to protect her, especially if she has so much anxiety over being in the public eye. If I were Britney’s man, I’d try to make things as private as possible. I’d have been like “look, baby, I ran a bubble bath for you because I know you’ve been working hard, and when you get done, I got all these rose petals to put on the bed, girl.” I’d have been like that during an actual conversation with her too, not on a video I posted online. Just to clear up any confusion.

And really, I don’t even want to see this. Look at his sleepy eyes, and listen to that tired voice. I never wanted to see Jason Trawick like this, and I’m sure no one else did either.

Meanwhile, Britney took the time to respond by sharing the link on her Facebook, along with an “Awww love you too Xoxo.” So maybe I’m just old-fashioned.

You guys heard that Britney did pretty … well, not so hot on her first night on ‘X-Factor’ earlier this morning … but you might not have heard the “reason” that she disappeared from the set for a few auditions, though.

From People:

The singer Tweeted: “#Britneywalksoff??? LOL was just taking a little break people. I am having the BEST time!!!”

And a source close to the show tells PEOPLE, “She was not upset. She just took a short break, which is not uncommon for judges to do in these taped shows.”

Another source on the production clarified Spears’s brief absence, telling PEOPLE, “The judges are allowed to get up at any point. The show isn’t so strictly structered as [American] Idol is. When Britney got up, she went to fix a small wardrobe issue and had a bathroom break.”

But according to sources on the set, that wasn’t the real reason. From TMZ:

Britney walked off the set yesterday during the first taping, leaving behind an empty judge’s chair while 4 contestants did their thing.

Sources connected with the production tell us Britney was “overwhelmed” and needed to leave. People who were at the taping tell us she was upset by the audience reacting negatively to some of her comments.

Fact is … “X Factor” wanted Britney so desperately, she was able to negotiate terms that are “unheard of” — so say people with direct knowledge of her deal. As one source put it, “Simon is a smart and shrewd businessman who knew Britney could make his show and he was willing to give her just about anything to come on board — and he did.”

Sad. And kind of scary. If this is the kind of behavior that’s to be expected for the upcoming season, I’m seriously fearing for Britney’s well-being. I mean, what’s it going to be like when it’s televised live, for the entire world to see? People crack under that kind of pressure, you know?

Last night, Britney filmed her very first episode of X Factor. That’s exciting, right? But how did she do? That’s where it starts to get not so exciting anymore, guys. Because it doesn’t sound like she did too great.

From E! Online:

Spears’ first X Factor comment from the judging panel? The 30-year-old told a teen boy he could be bigger than Justin Bieber!

The “Womanizer” singer remained sweet and calm, only giving two no’s during the auditions. Her harshest critique for one poor chap who had no chance of getting through was, “I feel like you need a new teacher to teach you how to sing.”

Other than that, she found something nice to say to ever hopeful. “Texas has a lot of talent – seriously!” she tweeted. “Loving @TheXFactorUSA auditions so far.”

Spears sat in the seat once filled by Paula Abdul with Demi Lovato taking the place of Nicole Scherzinger.

Lovato proved to be fun and feisty, often taking jabs at Simon Cowell and his age. She even went so far as to call him, “grandpa.” “OMG!!! This is so much fun! #XfactorUSA,” she tweeted.

About 14 soloists and groups sang for the judges. The X Factor peeps have asked us not to spoil the upcoming season by reporting who did and didn’t make it to the next round.

After the tenth contestant, Spears was escorted backstage—and she didn’t come back for the last four hopefuls.

We’re being told she wanted to take a break.

None of the other judges mentioned her sudden departure—even when some in the crowd shouted, “Where’s Britney?!”

That sounds about right. Was there ever any doubt that Britney would be the sweet one, the one who said yes to everyone? But that last bit, that’s pretty sad. Sarah just told you yesterday about how Britney apparently gets way too anxious way too easily, and if she was escorted backstage before the show was finished taping, then that doesn’t seem like a good sign, does it? I can’t even imagine the pressure she’s under right now, but I think I can imagine a few possible scenarios of how this whole thing is going to end up happening, and none of them are the triumphant, happy endings I was thinking of when Britney first signed on.

From In Touch:

Those closest to Britney worry The X-Factor opportunity will be just another rise before a fall – live, in front of millions of viewers. “Doing X Factor may lead her back into meltdown territory,” says a source. “She gets extremely nervous and anxious. She’s hard on herself and not very confident.”

Anything new, even positive developments like her engagement to Jason Trawick can rock the boat. “For her, it’s all input as stress,” explains the source. “This is a lot of change at once for Britney. She’s coming undone.”

Sources warn that Britney hasn’t healed 100 percent since her 2007/2008 breakdown. “She really is starting to seem loopy and not right,” admits a source close to Spears. “She is so happy one minute and sad and crying the next.” Adds a second source, “Her emotions are fragile. … She is very scared and overwhelmed by the thought of it. Now that she’s gotten financially stable again, she is starting to let loose and let old demons come out,” says a source.

At a friend’s crawfish-boil party in LA’s Brentwood neighborhood May 5, Spears showed up sporting cutoffs, a cropped top and no shoes – and proceeded to ignore the other guests while muttering obscenities to herself! Hanging out alone by the food, a source says, “she would sort of say to no one, ‘F–k it, I’m eating whatever I want. I don’t care.’ Everyone was wondering what was up.”

But yet “those closest” to Britney see this as just another paycheck for her, and by virtue, them, so they’re just going to let the chips fall where they may. That’s nice. And speaking of chips, this is Britney’s rider, which specifies that chicken, Doritos, soda, and masseurs are a necessity:

The ‘Toxic’ singer – who has signed a $15 million deal to join the panel of the US version of the show alongside Demi Lovato – has made a number of backstage demands, including six cases of Diet Coke containing 24 cans, which must be replenished every week.

She also wants 10 snack size bags of Doritos for her and her team a day, 12 vases of magnolia blossoms in her dressing room, 10 pieces of chicken and four pints of potato salad every week. According to LOOK magazine, Britney – who is engaged to Jason Trawick – also requires a beauty team which includes a personal manicurist, a facialist and a massage therapist.

I sure hope none of this is true (except for the food part. That all sounds good to me, especially the chicken part. YUM). I know you guys think that there’s this evil part of me that hopes for a(nother) very public breakdown for Britney, but I can honestly, 100% tell you that such part does not exist within me. We rag on Britney a lot here, just because she’s kind of been a staple in gossip for the past decade, but to hope that she melts down for ratings? That, my friends, is just pure ruthlessness incarnate. And it’s not very nice, either. No, when people fully realized that Britney was truly mentally unstable, all pushing her into doing things should have ceased immediately. It’s not like she was just another complete f-cking sociopath like Lindsay Lohan who’s never going to die or go to jail for real or ever be damaged in any way whatsoever.

Hope none of this is true, you guys, and that’s real talk right there.

“Well, I think it’s a wonderful decision. Britney still thinks the earth is flat. I don’t anticipate great opinions from her. I think she’s gonna sit there like J.Lo, ‘Oh, you’re wonderful, you’re terrific. You think I can get a perfume endorsement out of this?’ As far as any real criticism, I think Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid will do that … I think Britney will sit there and eat a lollipop and wear a sexy outfit. … I’ll tune in to see what kind of train wreck she is, absolutely.”

Well isn’t that just darling. Don’t you love it when the blind criticize the blind for … well, being blind? Yeah, I know—we do our share of Britney-mockery ourselves on the site here, but no one actually takes what we say seriously. And there are a whole hell of a lot of people who, for whatever reason, take Howard Stern seriously. He wouldn’t have been on the air as long as he has if that weren’t the case. My thoughts? I think boyfriend here is still just a little bitter because he was passed over for American Idol and he’s got a stick up his ass for Simon.

Naturally, Howard’s talking about the latest confirmation that Britney is, in fact, joining the cast of the X-Factor, and while some may use it as cause to celebrate (you know, probably like … Britney?), some are using it to say that the show’s going to be a total crapshoot because of it, but I don’t think so. I think Britney’s going to add life and a dull sort of spark to the show, and even though I sometimes point and laugh at times, too, it doesn’t mean I love that woman any less. She’s going to do a great job, and I’m excited to see what the new season brings.

From E! Online:

Britney Spears is official.

After months of eight-figure negotiations, the pop star has finally signed her contract to joinSimon Cowell and L.A. Reid as a judge on The X Factor.

Spears finally inked her deal this week, E! News has exclusively confirmed. As we previously reported, Spears will get $15 million for one season’s worth of work. She had agreed in principle to the deal weeks ago and had spent the last several days working out the fine print.

“The contract is signed,” reveals source close to the star. “There’s been a lot of back and forth over the past few weeks as they negotiated the small details, but she’s on. It’s all completed and Britney is beyond excited.”

Cowell blew up the show’s cast at the end of its inaugural season, firing judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones. Since then, he’s been searching for the perfect panel in hopes of boosting the show’s second-season ratings.

“She’s ready for this,” the insider continues. “She can’t wait to sit down next to Simon at the judges’ table and give this everything she’s got. She is excited about showing the world that she can do this, and do this well. This is the perfect next stage in her career. Both Britney and Simon are very excited to work together.”

This will be Britney’s first network TV project since her short-lived Britney & Kevin: Chaotic reality series with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Now we’re just waiting for Cowell and crew to finalize the fourth judge (names floated in recent days include Spears’ fellow former Disney princesses Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, but neither has been confirmed) and name a new host—or, possibly, hosts. That announcement is expected by the time Fox announces its fall schedule at the upfronts on Monday.

Oh my God, finally. I was getting tired of all the endless speculation over whether or not Britney Spears would become a judge on X Factor, or I guess, more accurately, over how much money she’d get paid for it. I know that this is big, big news for Britney, and I’m excited as hell to see her on television, but doesn’t it feel like we’ve all been talking about this for years?

But now that it’s official (hopefully), we just have to wait until Monday to hear it from Fox. And then we have the actual show itself to look forward to, and doesn’t that make all of this worth it?