Britney Spears

The X Factor got an extra dose of excitement last night when One Direction stopped by to open the show with a performance of their hit "What Makes You Beautiful." Britney Spears bared her midriff in a Sheri Bodell halter top when she took the stage with her four remaining finalists, Diamond White, Arin Ray, Beatrice Miller, and Carly Rose Sonenclar. Earlier this week, Britney and her fellow judges kicked back, taking a break from the grueling rehearsal schedule to party alongside the remaining hopefuls.

She's been switching up her look from week to week, and it appears that was also the theme for her latest perfume commercial. Britney channels four different looks for her new fragrance, Fantasy Twist, including a retro flapper, Hollywood diva, Egyptian ingenue, and finally a dark and edgy rocker. As for The X Factor, Britney's teens were saved from elimination last night while LA Reid said farewell to Jason Brock.

Britney Spears and Demi Lovato let off some steam after a grueling few weeks on The X Factor yesterday. Along with their fellow judge L.A. Reid and new hosts Khloé Kardashian and Mario Lopez, who brought along his fiancée, Courtney Mazza, Brit and Demi hung out at a party for the program's finalists at The Bazaar inside the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills. Britney, Demi, L.A., and Simon Cowell are now faced with whittling down the remaining 12 contestants to one winner — we'll see the latest developments in the X Factor drama on tomorrow's episode. Before then, though, the gang celebrated together yesterday with Brit's fiancé, Jason Trawick. Now, Demi's got her attention on today's 2012 election. She tweeted late last night, "My first time voting! Make sure to vote! Every vote counts."

Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid, and Simon Cowell were at the judges' table last night as The X Factor went live for the first time in its second season. Britney herself admitted to being a bit nervous about going live during an interview earlier this week. The episode also marked the debut of new hosts Mario Lopez and Khloé Kardashian.

The remaining 16 contestants took to the stage to sing last night, and while the live broadcast went off without much of a hitch, Simon Cowell did have to be bleeped at one point when he used a curse word in critiquing one hopeful's performance. The competition continues tonight, when the four judges will have to send some of the contestants home.

Britney Spears was on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno last night, sporting a cleavage-baring dress and her new bangs. The X Factor judge was joined by her colleague Simon Cowell for the late-night visit. Britney told Jay that a "real charming phone call" from Simon convinced her to sign on for the series, and she also admitted that she's had a hard time getting used to being booed by the audience when she's tough on contestants, saying the heckling makes her "cringe."

Tomorrow night will be the start of The X Factor's live shows, which will feature performances from the remaining finalists. The reality competition has faced some ratings challenges in its second season, with The Voice drawing a larger audience share. Despite it, Fox has announced that The X Factor will be back for a third season, and the show has also earned several People's Choice Awards nominations, including a spot in the running for this year's favorite competition show.

Britney Spears looks dressed for the holidays, in a polka-dot Stella McCartney top and red skirt, on the December cover of Lucky. The pop star sat down with the magazine to chat about her fashion icons, J Lo and Sarah Jessica Parker, to whom she credits with inspiring her style. Britney also opened up about fame and balancing her duties as a mom, fiancée to Jason Trawick, and an X Factor judge. She's adding another element into the mix next week when The X Factor begins airing live shows starting Nov. 1. Here's more from Britney Spears in Lucky:

• Britney on her free time: "I work out. I swim. I play with the kids, I cook and I garden. We play Connect Four. We play Candy Land."
• Britney on the perks of being a superstar: "I get, like, these giant boxes of lip gloss and nail polish, and it's like candy. I really just wear mascara all the time. And powder, because I have zits."
• Britney on her favorite products: "I love Clearasil face wash, I’m old-fashioned."
• Britney on her sons' reaction to her fame: "They're in the middle right now of trying to figure it out. They try to figure out where I go when I go to film X Factor. They're like, 'Mommy's going off to be a superhero.' And then I get back, and they just see me as Mommy. And then when I'm back working on the show, they say, 'Oh, Mommy's a superhero again!'"

Britney Spears had her second night out in a row yesterday at the "We Will Always Love You" Grammy salute to Whitney Houston held at the Nokia Theatre at LA Live. Britney posed on the carpet alongside stars like Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, and more Whitney fans. Inside, Britney took the stage, as did Halle, while Jennifer Hudson and Usher were among the performers. On Wednesday night, Britney and her fiancé Jason Trawick stepped out for the City of Hope charity's Spirit of Life Awards. Jason was also on hand to keep Britney company last night. She tweeted a picture of them together at LA Live's backstage, captioning it, "Backstage at The Whitney Houston Tribute. Such a solemn occasion. Jason's doing his best to put a smile on my face."

The social week comes during Britney's busy season of The X Factor, and on last night's episode, we got to see the latest developments for the talent working with Brit and the other judges on the show. Working on Simon Cowell's reality program is helping Britney accumulate quite the fortune — new court documents released this week show Britney Spears's net worth to be over $32 million.

Britney Spears wore a backless Halston Heritage dress last night to join her fiancé, Jason Trawick, at a special event in LA. Jason and Britney teamed up for the City of Hope charity's gala to honor Halston CEO Ben Malka with their Spirit of Life Award at Exchange LA. The evening featured performances from Miley Cyrus and The Pointer Sisters. Britney's been hanging out on the West Coast with Jason and her boys lately — our I'm a Huge Fan winner even met Britney recently, so make sure to check out the whole series! It seems Brit had a great night of letting off steam yesterday. She tweeted a sweet picture of herself and Jason after the bash with the comment, "Had a blast at the City of Hope Charity Gala!"

The X Factor rolled into Hollywood last night for the show's second season world premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Returning judges L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell joined freshman pair Demi Lovato and Britney Spears for a handprint ceremony, then headed inside the theater. Britney penned her name and planted her handprints in wet cement next to her fellow judges while fiancé Jason Trawick and manager Larry Rudolph were also on hand to share in the celebration.

Inside the theater, fans chanted for Britney and Demi prior to the show's two-hour sneak peek. Following the screening, Demi, L.A., Simon, and Britney chatted about this year's contestants and what fans can look forward to seeing. According to L.A., Britney's the best judge on the panel and Demi has pleasantly surprised Simon every step of the way. Be sure to tune into The X Factor tonight at 8/7 Central to see Britney and Demi's debut, and stay tuned for our upcoming episodes of I'm a Huge Fan: Britney Spears!

The 2012 MTV VMAs are tonight, and as we prepare for another year of unforgettable moments, performances, and red carpet surprises, we're taking a look back at highlights from years past. Since the very first show in 1984, the VMAs have had a wild history. There have been cameos from stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, the Twilight trio, and Jennifer Lopez. And last year, Beyoncé Knowles stole the show by confirming her pregnancy.

Look back at more highlights and make sure to check back tonight for updates from the 2012 event!