Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera finally got to meet her idol Etta James and guess what she talked to her about…

“Oh, boy. I did. We did a photo shoot together for In Style actually ran a spread on you know, you and your current artist and their - and their icon. And for her - or for me, she’s always been that person, that favorite singer, that amazing vocalist that I’d always looked up to.

And when we sat down together, I was so nervous, because you never know, you know, who’s going to have maybe an ego or who’s going to be you know, kind of weird or you know, what goes on because every artist is different, but she was so down to earth and so real. And it was so refreshing and so nice to sit down with someone that you admire so much and then their personality just exceeds your expectations. And she was completely that for me.

She - oh, my God, she was just telling me that actually that - she called me an old soul and said that my voice actually reminded her of almost a Janis Joplin to a Dinah Washington and having that old soul - you know, so complimentary. I mean she made my life with her compliments and the things that she had to say. But you know, she also said you know, don’t pay attention to any of the negativity out there. You keep doing what you’re doing and don’t care what other people think. She’s like, because every time that you stand up for what you believe in - and these words will stick with me forever - every time you stand up for what you believe in, you’re sticking up for so many artists before you that never had that opportunity or that chance to speak up for themselves. So, it’s a really stand up thing what you’re doing, but - because I always do try and voice my opinions of you know, where my headspace is at, what I’m thinking in general and I think a lot of artists shy away from that because they’re afraid of what other people might think of them. And it was just so inspiring to hear that, not only from another woman, but a woman that, you know, lived at a time whenever artists didn’t have any say-so over anything. And to hear that from her mouth and say that she was proud of me for doing what I’m doing, was such a huge compliment. It will stick with me forever. And we had such an amazing time on that shoot. We actually got to sing together and - amazing woman. Can’t say enough about her.”

Phew!!! Thats quite alot isnt it!!!

When she got herself that typical Marilyn Monroe hairstyle and that pale look with red lips… we all realized how much she was fascinated by Marilyn Monroe.

The height of fascination was shown when she imitated Monroe in her latest video ‘Aint no other man’. She set the video in the 1950s retro font.

steps out of a car, cleverly labeled Baby Jane (as a reference to Bette Davis), dressed in a sparkling white dress topped off with a vintage hat set over her curly, blonde hair. Her next outfit features fur and a lot of extravagant jewelry, a clear reference to glamorous women in the 1950s, most notably, Marilyn Monroe. Like the video for “Moulin Rouge”, Christina Aguilera continues to commemorate the daring women who paved the road for her own work.

Hats off babe… atleast that won you some space at Madamme Tussauds

Christina Aguilera has come up the hard way and seems to be enjoying every bit of the success she has earned for themselves.

She says, “People betrayed me and I had a really hard time. That, along with what I’d been through with my family and my father and hard times at school meant I was knocked down. It was too much and I felt I’d been through the wringer - I was like a punchbag. I think talking to people is important and my family have helped me through it. I’d definitely be open to going to a therapist. I went when I was younger. But making this record (’Stripped’) has been therapeutic. It’s a tough record, it’s personal and it’s made me feel vulnerable. It’s honest. Emotionally I’ve laid myself bare - it’s what’s in my heart. I’ve been writing a lot of poems and I wanted to disappear from the public eye and live life for a minute. I didn’t want to play it safe.”

We appreciate your dare bare babe… both in terms of your music and your image

Christina Aguilera is set out to make millions (both fans and money) with her Back To Basics tours.

Its not just one way of making big bucks. I heard Aguilera also doesnt mind singing at private parties.

She was invited to entertain the guests at the Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko’s wedding where she was paid a whooping $4 million to perform at their wedding venue in the South of France.

With the downfall of Britney Spears, Aguilera’s fellow mouseketeer and arch-rival, Christina has climbed a new pedestal and won herself the public confidence of the most durable diva.

But even that misstep served the purpose of helping her make the transition into adulthood. Unlike Spears, who never really moved beyond her Max Martin pop roots, Aguilera has taken on new challenges and a new identity with each of her three studio albums: “Christina Aguilera,” “Stripped” and “Back to

Basics.” (We’re not counting her Spanish-language release “Mi Reflejo” or her Christmas album, since both are clearly musical waysides.)

On the eve of her Friday night return to the Bradley Center, here’s a look at the Aguilera musical persona as it has unfolded over the course of those three albums.

Christina Aguilera is all set to tour Australia this July with her “Back To Basics” 2007 Tour.

It’s been three long years since Christina last wowed Australian audiences on her sold out “Stripped” tour and this July she’s coming back to blow away fans with her “Back To Basics” tour!

The sassy and accomplished four time Grammy Award winner has assembled an acclaimed production team for her concert tour featuring choreographer and director Jamie King (Madonna, Janet Jackson, Prince) and Roberto Cavalli, who has designed over 130 tour costumes for Christina, her band and huge dancing troupe.

Fused with elements of retro glamour, the “Back to Basics” Australia & New Zealand Tour will feature a unique stage design that will allow Christina’s fans unprecedented access to the stage, as she performs classics and her latest hits from her platinum selling album ‘Back To Basics’ including her latest smash single ‘Candyman’ (now in stores).

General tickets go on sale from May 2 but as a special offer to her fans, pre-sale tickets will be available via www.frontiertouring.comfrom noon Thursday 26 April to noon Friday 27 April or until the pre-sale allocation is exhausted so make sure you don’t miss out!

Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani are both set to play one-off Auckland shows at Vector Arena in July.

Following the Chili Peppers two sellout concerts this Saturday and Sunday, Good Charlotte will play at Auckland’s St James next Friday, before Pink performs at Vector Arena next month.

UK-based New Zealand singer Daniel Bedingfield said musicians were being forced to tour due to the loss of revenue from the illegal downloading of music.

“It’s a really tough time at the moment, for all of us actually. But you can’t stop it [illegal downloading].”

However, Bedingfield is pleased artists are being forced to perform live to earn their keep.

“Music should be live. You can’t hide behind auto-tune when you’ve got a stage in front of you. No amount of reverb can fix a bad performer when they’re live.

It would be her first ever local concert since 2003 at Mellon Arena and this is an important time for a local domestic violence agency which is benefiting from her generosity, her voice and her personal experience.

Last year, 5,200 people sought shelter or services at the Women’s Center and Shelter of Pittsburgh, where Christina’s mother is on the board.

The singer herself stops in for visits when she’s in town. It’s been a powerful witness.

“We have found that it’s empowering for some of the girls here that Christina is a friend to WC&S and why and we’ve heard that when they hear from the counselors that Christina experienced domestic violence in her home it helps them in their journey of healing,” Shelter Development Director Ellen Gamble said.

Some of the concert-goers will get a scarf designed by Christina for Lifetime and the “End Violence Against Women” campaign.

While domestic violence can happen to any family, regardless of age, income level or race, there has been an increase in violence against younger women.

“We do see in the 15 to 24 year olds there’s more violence than we had seen 20 years ago. So that’s a population we need to watch and make some interventions,” Shirl Regan, the shelter’s executive director, said.

“When someone like Christina writes songs about what she’s experienced, talks about it, does a PSA it brings it out to the world and says, ‘This is an issue, it happened to me, it’s happening to others and we all have a stake in stopping the violence,’ “ she said.

Way to Go GIRL… you rock!!!

Hey folks check out the picture of Christina Aguilera’s Madame Tussaud’s wax statue… quite an achievement for the young lady.

Sadly they chose her Marilyn Monroe-style which makes her look pale and bland. Anyways the statue looks awesome, its almost perfect. She is wearing a shimmering, vintage, floor-length gown in keeping with her sensational blonde bombshell image.

She was the only female singer to be unveiled at Madame Tussauds London in 2006. The best part is that her statue is is featured in her very own glamorous, 1920s-style, interactive powder room, lit up by vanity mirrors and shimmer curtains. Madame Tussauds visitors will have the chance to power through one of Christina’s classic hits by picking up a diamante hairbrush microphone that will activate a sing-a-long video playing from inside her mirror.

I hope all this was enough for you fans to go and check her out at Madamme Tussauds and click a picture with her

Looks like it has become Christina Aguilera’s USP that she keeps reinventing her sound and her look with every new album that she comes up with.

“I think that life is all about changing and trying to continue your growth as a person,” she says. “I’m not the same person that I was on the last record, and I wasn’t the same person on ‘Stripped’ as I was when I first came out. To me, it’s just a constant evolution.”

She credits her hubby Jordan Bratman for bringing happiness and stability to her life. (Bratman was the inspiration for “Ain’t No Other Man,” the lead single off of “Back to Basics.”)

With her personal life in order, Aguilera says she’s able to set her sights on her longterm career goals, which are to stay relevant and stay on-top.

“I really have a game plan for myself,” she says. “I know where I want to end up many, many years from now, and I’m extremely determined. I have a drive in me that’s been with me since a really, really young age.

“I really kept my focus. And I think that’s why I was able to stay in it and keep putting out quality work that comes from the heart.”