You're nobody til somebody's tossed your name into the "X Factor" mentoring ring.

 

This week's hot candidates to join Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and the not-officially-announced Britney Spears on the "X Factor" mentoring panel?

 

According to a variety of sources, Demi Lovato has become the front-runner as "X Factor" looks to get younger and more brunette-y. But just because Lovato is a strong candidate doesn't mean that she's the only candidate.

 

TMZ.com rounds up the rumors that suggest Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne and LeAnn Rimes could also be candidates, as could the frequently mentioned Fergie.

 

As of now, though, nobody has signed for the fourth mentor seat. That's not a surprise, though, because nobody has signed for the THIRD seat either. TMZ says that while it's a foregone conclusion that Britney Spears will be on "X Factor" next season, she's missing one of those pesky contracts. 

 

Eventually, FOX is going to have to start parading "X Factor" talent in front of the mentors, so surely something official has to be coming soon?

 

Stay tuned!