Blog Posts by Claudine Zap

Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera

Two rival singing competition shows went head-to-head last night, but only one could win. And even the star power of Britney Spears on Season 2's premiere of "The X Factor" was not enough to overcome the draw of NBC's rival show -- and rival pop diva Christina Aguilera -- on "The Voice." According to preliminary Nielsen ratings, an average 8.5 million Americans tuned in to watch Spears and singer Demi Lovato's debut, alongside Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid. The episode dropped about 3.5 million viewers from the show's 2011 opener, which is surprising given the aggressive publicity by Spears and Cowell. Spears reportedly earned $15 million to do the show.

As for "The Voice," 10.7 million watched a third episode Wednesday.

Cowell can't be pleased.