LA Reid and Simon Cowell Confirm Two Female Judges, Two Hosts on X Factor

The X Factor'sL.A. Reid and Simon Cowell have confirmed that the empty judges' seats for Season 2 of the singing competition show will "100 percent" be two women.
What they wouldn't confirm? Who, exactly, those ladies will be. Names like Britney Spears and Fergie have been thrown into the mix, but the judges say the rumors are just that — rumors.
"There's a load of speculation, some true, some not true," said Cowell during a conference call Wednesday. "It's true to say that a lot more people have entered the frame this year. We really waited to see who was going to contact us before we contacted people. And we're in that place now."

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Another star that was allegedly in talks for a spot at the judges' table: the late Whitney Houston."We would have certainly considered it, said Reid. "It never quite came to that. There was an interest but we never had meetings about it. We're very sad about the loss, but we didn't really get that far, so I don't think it's proper to comment beyond that."Cowell explains whoever does land the judging gig, however, needs to understand the enormity of the responsibility. "We will meet a number of people over the next few weeks, mainly to explain to them that it's a big commitment when you do a show like this because of the mentoring aspect."

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As for host Steve Jones' replacement, Cowell said there will actually be two hosts the second time around. "I always wanted a boy and a girl to host the show and I think that's going to happen now," he said. "You've got so much information that you have to relay, it's almost impossible for to have one person doing the hosting. There's a more fun way of doing it with two people."Auditions for the show begin March 1. No word yet on a premiere date.