New show, new attitude?

In a preview of Fox’s upcoming singing competition, The X Factor”, show creator and judge Simon Cowell seems to be putting his familiar not-so-nice American Idol ways behind him.

Cowell, 51, who for nine seasons was known for his often cranky and critical feedback at the Idol judges’s table, now is all smiles as he applauds and praises X Factor hopefuls in the clip (“I love your spirit,” he tells one young girl).

Of course, it’s all “a horrible nightmare,” and when the sneak peek continues (watch below), the judging panel – Cowell, L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger – is not playing nice.

Could this be a dig at Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, who showed a softer side to judging this past Idol season?

“Absolute, total rubbish,” Cowell, true to his familiar Idol style, tells an aspiring contestant in a clip from the auditions.

The preview also veers from the Idol path with product placement: The X Factor judges are seen sipping from Pepsi (not Coca-Cola) cups, and the show features Chevrolet (not Ford) cars.

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Paula Abdul has reportedly signed to be a judge on Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor,” says AP.

According to sources, Abdul will be joining British singer Cheryl Cole and former Def Jam president L.A. Reid , who were previously announced as judges, as well as Cowell when the new series debuts on FOX this fall.

Cowell expressed interest in having his former “American Idol” co-judge join him on the “X Factor” judges panel publicly many times.

“She’s very passionate and she cares,” he told People earlier this year. “And she has good taste in music, though you didn’t always see that on TV.”

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Simon Cowell has professed that he has tremendous respect for fellow X Factor USA judge L.A. Reid.

Last week, Reid stepped down from his role chairman of Island Def Jam to accept a spot on the reality competition’s judging panel.

The Huffington Post quotes Cowell as saying that, while Reid may lack name recognition with the general public, his more than 30 years of experience as a music business exec will endear him to both budding musicians and TV viewers.

“I’ve known the guy a long time, and every time I was in his company I always found him fascinating and interesting,” Cowell said. “I just liked spending time with him because he’s very knowledgeable and he just has a lot of charisma and I think America will find him interesting.”

He continued: “I was never a fan of thinking, ‘I need to hire celebrities to bring in an audience’ – I wanted to put together a group of people who, as a whole, people would want to watch week after week.”

Cowell further explained that the goal of the reality series is not to find musician who will simply emulate today’s popstars, but rather to provide professional breaks for true artists who will establish their own unique identities through The X Factor USA.

“There’s no point in trying to find the next Lady GaGa – it won’t be as good, and the same applies to Justin Bieber or Katy Perry or Adele,” he remarked. “You want to find someone like a Carrie Underwood or a Leona Lewis… [and] you go, ‘apart from the fact that I think you’re going to win, you’re going to have a career’.”

Earlier this week, Cowell teased that two impending announcements about the reality series “may surprise people”.

The X Factor USA is to debut on Fox later this year. Auditions for the show begin on March 27 in Los Angeles.

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Earlier this week Cowell announced he was quitting American Idol after the ninth season in order to focus on launching The X Factor in 2011. Abdul quit Idol last September.

When asked if he wants Abdul on The X Factor, Cowell told reporters, “I’ve gone on record, I adore Paula. Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity because I miss her.”

Abdul has not commented yet.

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Tony Cowell – who hosts a weekly radio broadcast called Fame Game – said the judge will instead work on creating a US version of The X Factor.

Tony blurted out the claim in a podcast of his show which was later removed.

He said: “Meanwhile, Simon prepares for a new season of ‘Idol,’ or should I say his last season of ‘Idol’ – OK, I will say it, because it is.

“As I sit here in the sunny Caribbean with my family, a press statement is being prepared which will confirm what everyone expected – Simon will leave ‘Idol’ at the end of 2010 to concentrate on bringing the American version of ‘The X Factor’ to US TV in 2011.”

A spokeswoman for Cowell – who is on holiday in Barbados – and the network Fox both declined to comment.

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Pop singer Lady Gaga, who is known for her bizarre style, is keeping X Factor boss Simon Cowell guessing about what exactly she will wear while performing on the show next week.

The 23-year-old singer is famous for wild outfits that have seen her shooting sparks out of her bra and wearing only gaffer tape over her nipples. And producers are said to be confused over what she will wear on the show.

“Getting Gaga is a big coup for the show, but she is so unpredictable that bosses are desperate to find out what she will be wearing before the big day,” the Daily Star quoted a source on the show as saying.

The American singer has recently spoken about her love for “the male sexuality”. The Poker Face hitmaker, who is openly bisexual, insisted that she is able to separate love from sex.

“In love there are no rules or boundaries. But I separate love and sex. I just love the male sexuality. Men have something that I miss but that I really appreciate,” she said.

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