Britney Spears received the loudest, longest applause at the start of her
 first taping as a judge on Fox’s The X Factor on Thursday, but it was fellow 
newcomer Demi Lovato who appeared ready to steal the spotlight during 
the second season of the popular talent search show. While Cowell talked to Spears off microphone between many of the 
performances and asked her to lead off critiques several times in an
 apparent attempt to draw her into exchanges, the 
19-year-old Lovato needed no such prodding. Playfully flirting with male
 contestants (“she is single now” became a common refrain from Cowell)
 and giving insightful comments at every chance, the teen star drew laughs
 and cheers from the crowd, along with several stunned, open-mouth
 stares from Cowell as the two verbally sparred.

It was those times when the interaction between the contestants and
 the judges produced the types of moments that show executives hope will 
increase ratings following the ouster of first-year judges Cheryl Cole,
 Nicole Scherzinger and former Idol judge Paula Abdul. Take the moment 
when Cowell, 52, admitted to taking a liking to a charismatic 22 year-old 
contestant, who returned his affection.

“It’s too bad we didn’t meet 10 years from now,” Cowell said with a wink 
before Lovato drily countered, “More like 30 years.”

Startled and momentarily silenced, Cowell responded, “Demi, you’re going 
into the naughty chair.” It was the first of at least three such utterances 
on the day that Cowell lobbed at Lovato, suggesting viewers and audiences 
can expect many more charged jabs between the two this season.