November 20, 2010
Christina To Perform 'Beautiful' And More
Christina Aguilera will perform on next week's Dancing With The Stars finale.
ABC has announced that the star will perform her hit single 'Beautiful' and a track from her upcoming movie Burlesque on Tuesday's results show.
They will have to perform one freestyle routine and one revamped version of a previously completed dance that will be selected by the judges on Monday, followed by their favorite ballroom dance on Tuesday. They will also have to perform an "instant" cha cha cha to music they will receive when the program begins.
This season's eleven competitors will also return for one final dance.
Dancing WIth The Stars continues this Monday at 8pm ET on ABC and concludes in a two-hour episode the following day from 9pm ET.
ABC has announced that the star will perform her hit single 'Beautiful' and a track from her upcoming movie Burlesque on Tuesday's results show.
They will have to perform one freestyle routine and one revamped version of a previously completed dance that will be selected by the judges on Monday, followed by their favorite ballroom dance on Tuesday. They will also have to perform an "instant" cha cha cha to music they will receive when the program begins.
This season's eleven competitors will also return for one final dance.
Dancing WIth The Stars continues this Monday at 8pm ET on ABC and concludes in a two-hour episode the following day from 9pm ET.
November 19, 2010
Christina Aguilera On The Ellen Degeneres Show
SOMETHINGS GOT A HOLD ON ME
ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW
FABULOUS
FUNNY
Movie Buzzer: Aguilera Get A+
As fortune would have it, Movie Buzzers acquired four free passes for an advanced screening of Christina Aguilera’s big screen debut in Burlesque, and I brought three girlfriends to see what all the hype was about. Although I might’ve been a little skeptical about the validity of the storyline amid glitz, glamour, cleavage, and fishnets in previous articles- I was mighty wrong to doubt the whirlwind prowess of Aguilera in a role that she was born to play! Hit the jump to check out the review!
It’s really beyond words how thoughtful, intelligent, charming, and inspiring the performance by Aguilera, who plays a struggling small-town singer, Ali, with hopes of hitting it big in Los Angeles, was. She fights to prove that she has what it takes to headline as a singer and dancer at a club fittingly called “Burlesque.” While Ali’s dreams start to come true, the club’s owner, Tess, played by the legend that is Cher, has dreams of her own that come crumbling down since her business has met serious financial difficulty and is about to close.
Without giving too much more away, it’s hard to overlook the dynamic that exists between Tess and Ali, both of whom learn in the film what it means to build a legacy based on chance. Their relationship blossoms into entertaining arguments full of raw emotion, surprising one-liners, and truly movie-moment-worthy heartfelt sentiment.
At first, I expected Cher’s presence in the film to simply be a nod to her veteran status as a performer, but in the songs that she brings to the table and her drive to keep the club alive no matter how many notices the bank sends, she reminds audiences that she’s still an original and relevant pop culture icon in a Lady Gaga / Katy Perry / Rihanna-dominated world.
Along for the ride is Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), in one of his funniest roles to date, as Tess’ right-hand man who rallies all the performers together backstage each and every night. Any woman with any kind of struggle in life would be lucky to have a token gay friend like Tucci in his portrayal of Sean. What is perhaps the most delightful aspect about his character is his interactions with Aguilera’s love interest, Jack, played by Twilight alum Cam Gigandet. He’s got a boy-next-door smile and to-die-for abs, but he’s more than just a pretty face, delivering a relatable sense of sexual tension between his character and Ali. It’s very sweet and heart-warming to watch how he overcomes his gentlemanly ways while being in a waning long-distance engagement to an actress in New York. Here, a surprising and brief cameo is made by Glee’s Diana Agron as the fiancée.
So I’ve saved the best for last… The music was incredible! With booming musical theatre-inspired numbers, very reminiscent of Aguilera’s signature sound on her Back to Basics album, she must be bound for a Golden Globe nomination- at least! If she wasn’t the star we know her now as, this film would make her one. She solidifies the smart choices that she has made in her career by always only singing important ballads and powerhouse upbeat pop songs, featuring the impressive range of her naturally jaw-dropping vocal instrument. Burlesque continues to separate the starlet even more profoundly from the teen princess fad from which she emerged back in the 90s, especially seeing how little Jessica Simpson or Britney Spears have brought to the movie world.
The songs in this movie are what Aguilera was born to sing and hopefully will return to in the wake of her dance-heavy Bionic album that was released to mixed reviews earlier this year. If this film does anything right, it would be proving that only the right kind of performer can transcend the music world and successfully enter the movie world. I would even go so far as to say that Aguilera brings to the big screen the kind of acting chops that Jennifer Hudson brought to Dreamgirls.
What’s most impressive about this film is the way that director Steven Antin presents the film with a central struggle, tangible to anyone with a show-biz dream, yet at the same time, you feel as though you’re sitting in a large stadium, watching a real-life Burlesque show, both intimate and magnanimous in range. Through Aguilera’s wiles, Antin flirts with the moviegoers who are enthralled more and more with each flash of glimmering lights, belted musical note, and quick line of carefully played sarcasm by Cher, Bell, and Gigandet. Without meandering away from the story’s ultimate target, Antin delivers what will surely be one of the top ten films this season!
If you love Chicago, Nine , or Moulin Rouge, then this is, hands down, the movie for you. I can’t wait to see what else Aguilera has in store for us if she chooses to pursue more acting. She’s set up a very big precedent for herself as an actress with Burlesque in addition to having an advantage of being an accomplished Grammy-winning singer but, in my opinion, there’s definitely more to see from this star of many trades.
Rating: A musical number that’s worthy of hitting the top of the charts
The Hollywood Reporter: 'Burlesque' Film Review
It has to be one of the oldest stories in the Hollywood playbook: Ingenue comes to Tinseltown and becomes an overnight sensation, which inspires romance, conflicts and animosities.
But this tale gets a vibrant makeover in writer-director Steve Antin's toe-tapping, flamboyantly skin-deep musical Burlesque. Yes, it's only skin-deep, and so what? Perhaps because they're so rarely attempted these days, recent musicals have felt a self-conscious need to dig for significance, whether it be artistic malaise (Nine), racial inequality (Dreamgirls) or media manipulation (Chicago). Burlesque stays aggressively on the surface, reveling in its artificiality.
It was a risky bet by this first-time feature director to cast songstress Christina Aguilera, a singer who had never acted in a film. The stroke of genius here is to pair her with pop-music icon Cher. Although Aguilera is in nearly every scene and Cher appears irregularly, they nicely balance each other as they play single-minded characters passionate about their work as cabaret performers.
One is at wits' end about a possibly dying art and the other too fresh and enthused to notice. One singer-actress is an old pro and the other a superb entertainer exploring a new avenue for her talent. (Note to Cher: In this instance, "old" is a good thing and a compliment. You still look fabulous.)
Another successful gamble was to make a musical, traditionally a mating ritual, into a female-centric extravaganza. The movie backgrounds its male characters as best it can -- Love Interest, Best (Gay) Friend, Frantic Ex-Husband, Ravenous Real Estate Developer -- so the beautiful, fabulous women are front and center.
Women will love this, and men won't mind the eye candy either, so it looks like this Screen Gems release can't help becoming a hit. News stories about conflicts on the set and reshoots will only fuel the curiosity factor. Besides, burlesque itself -- a stage-show tradition dating to late-19th century British music halls -- with its risque humor and ample flesh (without full exposure), is making a comeback. Burlesque should seal the deal.
The movie takes place in a Sunset Boulevard theater called the Burlesque Lounge that's on its last legs, no matter how curvy and luscious those legs may be. In walks the naive heroine from Iowa, Aguilera's Ali Rose. She's hooked the minute she sees Cher's Tess, the club's co-owner and resident diva, belt out "Welcome to Burlesque," backed by a chorus line in fishnet stockings and eye-popping bustiers.
No one will give her a job, so with the help of a handsome bartender (Cam Gigandet) -- Love Interest -- she creates one out of thin air. She grabs a tray and is now a cocktail waitress only one urgent plea/conniving manipulation/sensational audition away from that glorious stage.
She gets that shot, of course, and later gets to display that big Aguilera voice, which rocks the theater. A star may be born, but "nothing's what it seems" -- one of the many cliche lines that Antin's screenplay indulges in with glee.
The Burlesque Lounge teeters on bankruptcy. Tess' Frantic Ex-Husband (Peter Gallagher) pleads her to sell to the Real Estate Developer (Eric Dane), while her Best (Gay) Friend (Stanley Tucci) assures her that things somehow will work out. The film's romantic melodrama centers on Ali's tentative flirtation with the bartender. They end up circumstantial roommates in his Hollywood apartment, but he has a "fiancee" back in New York, a nightly long-distance phone call that does nothing to warm his bed.
Back at the theater, a good girl (Julianne Hough) is pregnant and a bad girl (Kristen Bell) insanely jealous of Ali's popularity. And so the various plot lines go, serving mostly to inspire song-and-dance numbers from the female performers. Occasionally, a number takes place in the mind of its heroine. Perhaps the entire movie actually takes place there.
The songs tip their hats to various showbiz traditions. "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a nod to '50s showstoppers, "Wagon Wheel Watusi" leans toward '60s pop, and "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and blues pieces add a touch of soul.
Dances choreographed by Denise Faye and Joey Pizzi aren't conventional displays of happy feet and athletic agility. Instead, numbers are a series of poses built around a prop, like a chair. Hair flies this way, buttocks thrust that way, and arms strike out at abrupt angles. Virginia Katz's editing is swift as Bojan Bazelli's camera moves fluidly in front of the stage.
Antin is in his element here. His sister Robin founded mischievous burlesque troupe the Pussycat Dolls, and he has directed a couple of their videos. He clearly loves this world. The numbers would make Ziegfeld proud; they glorify the American girl with only a little PG-13 naughtiness. Antin knows what you came to see, and he delivers.
So does Aguilera. Her role is kept deliberately nondescript so she can fill it with her own personality and big voice. She does bring beguiling innocence to the part, along with a single-minded determination and a hellacious amount of performing talent.
Cher gets only one other number, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," which might become her anthem just as "My Way" belonged to Sinatra.
Tucci has his moments as the stage manager and Tess' right-hand man to lighten the melodrama, but the other roles tend toward blandness. The worst served is Alan Cumming. If ever a performer should have been at home in this milieu, it's Cumming -- who, after all, has done Cabaret onstage. Did his role wind up on the cutting-room floor?
Nonetheless, credit Antin with pulling the film musical back to its roots. With Moulin Rouge and Chicago, the musical was beginning to look like long-playing videos. Burlesque is a smart and sassy expedition back to MGM musicals under Arthur Freed, by way of Bob Fosse's jazz-style song-and-dance movies. Indeed, the film musical it most closely resembles is Fosse'sSweet Charity.
So Burlesque celebrates its talented stars and the renaissance of burlesque's cheeky fun. The only disappointment is that no Burlesque Lounge actually exists on Sunset Boulevard. On film, it's such a rockin' joint.
Release date: Wednesday, Nov. 24 (Screen Gems)
Cast: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Cam Gigandet, Peter Gallagher, Stanley Tucci, Eric Dane, Julianne Hough, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming
Director-screenwriter: Steve Antin
Producer: Donald De Line
Rated PG-13, 119 minutes
November 18, 2010
People Mag: Christina On Cher and Max
The singer, 29, who filed for divorce from husband Jordan Bratman, 33, last month, says the one piece of advice that stuck with her was when Cher told her, "You know, honey, husbands come and go, but I am still Cher at the end of the day."
"We were like old chatty girlfriends that could not stop talking," Aguilera says. "They had to drag us to set a few times because we were late just talking about love and relationships and life."
While Aguilera has been quietly seeing Matthew D. Rutler, a set assistant from the movie, Aguilera says the main man in her life is her son Max, who'll be 3 in January.
And although she wrote a song for Max on her Bionic album, she says his favorite song is actually a tune on the Burlesque soundtrack called "Beautiful People." "He loves that song. He was in the studio while I was recording it and was like, 'Put on 'Beautiful People.' "
The singer admits balancing motherhood and her career isn't easy but hopes her work ethic sets an example for her son.
"One day he will be able to look back at my body of work and feel proud of it. Hopefully it will motivate him to be an individual himself and really go for what he wants out of life."
Will that include a singing career? "He is musically inclined, I can tell," says Aguilera. "He is so smart and such a character I could see him doing something in the entertainment business."
People Mag
'Burlesque' Soundtrack Review: 'That Voice...'
That voice. That powerful pitch-perfect voice.
When she belts out the first few bars of Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold On Me,” the first track on the forthcoming “Burlesque” soundtrack, there’s no mistaking who the star of this movie is. Christina Aguilera.
The diminutive diva has few equals in pop music with her singing range and booming power. The soundtrack showcases her strong command of the lower registers, as well as her ability to nail and sustain the high notes. After all, it was her ability to hit a high C that landed her a singing role in the animated Disney movie “Mulan” as a teenager.
Aguilera sings eight of the 10 tracks on the “Burlesque” soundtrack, with co-star Cher lending her signature voice to the other two. It’s an eclectic mix of old-school jazz with a Chicago nightclub feel and modern electronica dance music.
Aguilera’s remake of “A Guy What Takes His Time,” is every bit as steamy as the original made popular by 1930s screen siren Mae West. Muted horn sections playing to the beat with a marching snare drumbeat give it an authentic sound.
At the other end of the spectrum are electronica tracks such as “Express” and a reinvention of Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People.” But it’s the more traditional jazz numbers like “Tough Lover” that will have you snapping your fingers.
If her acting chops prove half as good as the show-stopping vocal acrobatics on display in her major film debut, “Burlesque” should be a hit.
— Ty Walker
The News-Register
'Bound To You' Performance At 'Tonight Show'
BOUND TO YOU Live
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
BREATH-TAKER
BREATH-TAKER
November 17, 2010
Jane Fonda Praises Christina And 'Burlesque'
Then there is Christina. I have not followed her closely before but, wow, she was spectacular: the way she looked, the way she sang, the way she danced and the way she acted. She came across, to me anyway, as likeable. You root for her. I found her poignant. I got all teary several times. I thought there was real chemistry between her and her (really sexy, handsome) love interest.
I had a chance to hug Cher and chat a moment with Christina. But forgot to take any more photos. My bad!
Who knows what the critics will say. It would be easy to pick the movie apart for being too like an extended music video. But when you have Aguilera and Cher and all that dancing and songs, why not. It made for a good evening. A good date flick.
Christina To Sing At Nicole Richie's Weeding
And now a source tells X17online exclusively that the couple are in talks with a very special wedding singer to perform during their big day!
A fellow club-goer at the Soho House in West Hollywood over the weekend (where Nicole, Joel and Christina Aguilera were all partying together) tells us:
"Nicole and Christina were chatting non-stop about Nicole's upcoming nuptials. And I even overheard Nicole talking to Christina about possibly singing a song at Nicole's wedding!"
Christina normally commands about $1 million for a private performance, but somehow we think she won't charge for this one.
Not only did Christina attend Nicole's bachelorette party in Mexico in September, but a source tells us that Christina's been "practically living at Nicole's house" since her split from husband Jordan Bratman, where she's been spending a lot of time with a "certain guy." Like maybe Nicole's soon-to-be brother-in-law?
Christina Performing On DWTS Next Tuesday
CHRISTINA AGUILERA SET TO PERFORM ON
DANCING WITH THE STARS
TUESDAY 23
November 16, 2010
Under Review: 'Burlesque' By Adam Poynter
Burlesque. When one hears the word, you usually think of one of two things: either a dark or shady old club or, for the newer generation, the dance style of the singing group “The Pussycat Dolls.” That second connotation is why it came as no surprise that Screen Gems chose Steve Antin to write and direct its most expensive movie to date: “Burlesque.”
Antin who was brought to the public’s eye with his memorable performances in “The Goonies,” “Sweet 16” and popular television shows like “21 Jump Street” and “N.Y.P.D. Blue.” Later, he went on to be a stuntman, a screen writer, a producer and now, a director. I think the experience that helped to clinch him this directing deal was the fact that he produced the reality show “The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll” in 2007, and that experience really shows through into the movie.
Ali Rose (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town waitress with big hopes and dreams and an even larger voice, so she decides to escape from average life with no possibilities and go to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of becoming a singer. Arriving in Los Angeles and looking for a job was leading nowhere until she stumbles into a struggling old Burlesque club. Mesmerized by the lights, dancing, costumes and atmosphere, Ali immediately approaches Tess (Cher), the owner and headliner of the club, to get a job. After being turned away, she decides to take matters into her own hands and starts waiting tables to show them that she can be of use at the club somehow. Befriending a bartender named Jack (Cam Gigandet) helps her get the waitress job at the club and even a place to stay.
Biding her time waiting tables and paying close attention to all of the songs and dance routines proves fruitful when the lead dancer, Nikki (Kristen Bell), is always showing up drunken and late, and another dancer, Georgia (Julianne Hough), needs to leave the show. So Ali shows Tess and the stage manager Sean (Stanley Tucci) that she knows the routines and becomes one of the featured dancers and things are finally starting to look up for her.
And although the club has never been busier, Tess doesn’t have enough money to pay the bank all of the money she owes. With the prospect of losing the club on the horizon, a wealthy entrepreneur (Eric Dane) offers to buy the club from Tess, but with no promise if he will keep it open or not. What can they all do tokeep the club alive and everybody happy?
Just from watching the trailer for “Burlesque,” you could see similarities to movie musicals such as “Chicago,” “Moulin Rouge” and “Cabaret.” There is even a “Diamonds” dance number that is very reminiscent of Nicole Kidman’s opening number in “Moulin Rouge.” I enjoyed all of those musicals, so I just figured “Burlesque” would end up being the same … and I was right. The primary differences are that people don’t break into song mid-sentence, like in some musicals, and the majority of the musical numbers are on stage in the club. There are 10 musical numbers in the movie: Cher sang two and Christina Aguilera the other eight. They are upbeat and fun and make for a great soundtrack.
Some might think that this is a showpiece for Cher; after all, she did have some noteworthy performances in the past and even won an Oscar for her role in 1988’s “Moonstruck.” After watching the film, I realized that this movie is all about showing what Christina Aguilera can do. We all know she can belt it out, but to my surprise, she can really act, too. Her performance was simple, yet elegant. She pulls off both the small-town girl and the crazy-talented singer and dancer. She showed a lot of genuine emotional range in this movie.
Ali has two pivotal relationships in the movie, one with Tess and the other with Jack. Although I truly saw a mother/daughter relationship between the women, the romantic side of the movie wasn’t quite as strong. Although Christina and Cam did have pretty good chemistry onscreen, I felt their relationship was more because they are two attractive people as opposed to being meant for each other.
The sets, music, lights and costumes provided an orgy of delight in the visuals and audio. The camerawork felt smooth when it needed to be and rough when a certain number called for it. Overall, this movie was just a colorful masterpiece for the eyes. The film-makers did a quality job of making her hometown monochromatic, while Los Angeles and the club are just a flurry of lights and sounds — it really shows the difference between the two and the attraction for her. And just like with “Chicago,” the musical numbers are phenomenal and over-the-top in a good way. “Burlesque” is eye candy from start to finish.
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