Monday, January 31, 2011

BURLESQUE'S BACKUP DANCERS & SARAH MITCHELL DONNING "BUT I'M A GOOD GIRL" COSTUME



Credits: Merlito

AMAZING FAN DRAWING OF CHRISTINA

Artist: Adam Alexis Ryan (Tumblr)

Editors Note:
Oh my gawd! This photo is amazing! When I came across it on TUMBLR my mouth literally hit the floor. [Drool] I wish I had the gift of DRAWING!!!!

JUSTJARED BEATS PEREZHILTON; FELL IN LOVE WITH CHRISTINA

THE glittery party for the Hollywood jeweler Lorraine Schwartz last November drew a small mob of carat-starved celebrities to Lavo in Midtown. Kim Kardashian held court by the dance floor, dressed in black velvet and satin. Beyoncé Knowles arrived two hours late and spent the evening behind a cordon of bodyguards. Blake Lively, resplendent in Versace, sat quietly in the corner.
Enlarge This Image

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Jared Eng and Miley Cyrus at a screening of her Hannah Montana movie.
Gliding meekly through the morass, looking like a skinny schoolboy in his navy toggle coat, was Jared Eng, a 28-year-old blogger who was enthusiastically waved into every V.I.P. nook.

An almost imperceptible ritual would ensue: Mr. Eng made contact with a handler, who in turn whispered something into the celebrity’s ear. A dim glow of recognition flashed across the celebrity’s face, and Mr. Eng was warmly received, sometimes with a kiss.

No introduction was needed with Ms. Lively, the star of “Gossip Girl” — the two had met many times before. Their conversation lasted five minutes and resulted in an “exclusive” post the next day. The headline? “Blake Lively’s Thanksgiving Plans Revealed.”

Even by the lax standards of celebrity journalism, this was a trifle of a story, but it is precisely the kind of cheery, quotidian, Britney-goes-to-Starbucks stuff that has turned Just Jared, a gossip blog started by Mr. Eng, into such a runaway hit among millions of readers.

It might also explain the adulation Mr. Eng enjoys from press agents, who practically shove clients his way, knowing that his is a snark- and judgment-free zone that treats celebritydom as a kind of never-ending slumber party.

“A lot of bloggers will just grab stuff and make judgments,” said Kelly Bush, the chief executive of ID, a public relations firm in Los Angeles that counts Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Sean Penn among its clients. “I love the fact that he’s successful because he’s not trying to be negative.”

Or, as Taylor Swift told him in a recent video on JustJared.com: “You’re really, really nice! You’re really positive!”

In fact, more than a few publicists have taken to nicknaming Mr. Eng the “nice Perez Hilton,” in reference to the self-described “Queen of Gossip” known for drawing squiggly insults on the photos of celebrities.

And being nice seems to be winning out. According to comScore, which monitors Internet traffic, JustJared.com racked up 3.3 million unique visitors in December, beating not only Perez Hilton, who had 2.2. million unique visitors, but also other entertainment sites like Jezebel, Vanity Fair, Radar Online and the Hollywood Reporter.

(Henry Copeland, who manages the sales and technology teams for PerezHilton.com, disputed that Mr. Eng had pulled ahead. He pointed to figures from Quantcast that show PerezHilton.com with 7.6 million people, compared with 5.7 million for JustJared.com, for a 30-day period beginning Dec. 12.)

Either way, Mr. Eng is not one to spew competitive fire. “I don’t throw anyone under the bus,” he said. “It’s all objective and/or positive.”

An hour before the jewelry party at Lavo, Mr. Eng arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel across the street. He ordered water at the bar. “I have the Asian curse,” he said, explaining that he becomes flushed after a few drinks. He seemed more nervous talking about himself than he is talking to famous people. His lips flutter a bit before the words come out.

A self-described child of the computer generation, he built a proto-blog in sixth grade, long before the word entered the vernacular — a simple HTML site hosted variously by Yahoo! or Tripod, where he posted personal photos and ramblings.

Mr. Eng had a very sheltered childhood, growing up in Fresh Meadows, Queens, the third oldest among five boys. His Chinese-American parents raised him strictly, limiting his television diet to 30 minutes per week. They stressed academics, which paid off when Mr. Eng got in to Columbia University, where he studied computer science.

But his real major was pop culture. “That’s when I discovered Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, ’N Sync,” he said. “That’s when I fell in love with celebrity.”

After college, Mr. Eng went to work for Time Inc., analyzing magazine distribution, but he spent his free time blogging about celebrities, scouring the Web for juicy tidbits. In 2005, the blog became time-consuming enough that he decided to go pro, quitting his job to start Just Jared.

As his traffic numbers grew, Mr. Eng began breaking celebrity stories on his own. “People have learned to trust me,” he said. While many so-called exclusives are bestowed by publicists, Mr. Eng said many tips now come from devoted readers — like one about Ms. Portman’s pregnancy.

Mr. Eng says he was the first to publish online images of the 2006 People Magazine cover featuring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie with their newborn, Shiloh. He prefaced the scoop with the following: “WEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!” (Mr. Eng is a big fan of exclamation points.) He also takes some credit for promoting newer celebrities like Ke$ha, whose debut single, “Tik Tok,” he blogged about early on and incessantly.

His taste, meanwhile, remains proudly mass-market. Even the name of his site is a fanboy nod to “Will & Grace” — specifically to the character Jack McFarland’s one-man show, “Just Jack.”

It’s hard to pinpoint when Just Jared joined the establishment, but a good guess might be last August, when it was mentioned on HBO’s “Entourage.” When the character Vince accidentally revealed on Twitter that he had sex with the porn star Sasha Grey, his manager, Eric, sounds the alarm by saying: “Now TMZ, Perez Hilton and Just Jared will want to know if Sasha is your girlfriend!”

Naturally, Mr. Eng blogged about it. Long-time fans were exultant, adding comments like, “OMG YOU’RE FAMOUS JARED LOL.”

Blogging, even about celebrities, is not glamorous. Mr. Eng posts about 65 items per day, seven days a week, from the moment he wakes up — sometimes at 5 a.m. Sometimes he doesn’t sleep.

In addition to Just Jared, there is Just Jared Jr., a sister site devoted to the Miley Cyrus set, and three Twitter feeds, including a personal one (@JaredEng), where he updates his 80,000-plus followers on things like what he ate for dinner and a tidbit from last night’s party.

With the money the site brings in, he moved out of his parents’ house in Queens three years ago to a two-bedroom condo on East 29th Street, which doubles as his blogging bunker. On a recent weekday, Mr. Eng politely asked a journalist to take off his shoes before giving a tour of his spotless home, which felt the opposite of lived-in.

Inside, he has two laughably large computer screens: one monitoring his blog and overflowing e-mail accounts; the other, even larger, streaming the latest paparazzi photos and hundreds of Twitter feeds — favorites include Kanye West’s college-age stylist (@claycassius) and John Legend’s girlfriend (@chrissyteigen). A 50-inch television, mounted a few feet away, was paused in the middle of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

The site’s revenue comes almost entirely from display ads, from prestigious advertisers like MTV, NBC, Coca-Cola and Disney, to lesser-known diet and coupon brands. He makes enough to support five full-time employees, including Mr. Eng’s brother, Jason Eng, 33, a former hedge fund trader who is now the company’s chief executive.

“We’ve grown this into a real, viable business,” said Jason, the oldest Eng brother. He declined to disclose the site’s earnings, except to say, “This year we’re easily going to gross seven figures.”

Meanwhile, Jared’s offline fame continues to grow. He recently hired a business consultant, Charlie Walk, a former vice president of Epic Records, to grow the young brand. Mr. Walk helped negotiate a partnership with Lacoste, which is building a studio at its Madison Avenue offices, where Mr. Eng can videotape branded celebrity interviews for his blog.

Just Jared also hired its first public relations firm, 42West, to promote the site and its founder.

“I’ve always celebrated celebrities,” Mr. Eng said, taking stock of his success. “I never wanted to tear them down. That’s why I have so many devoted readers.”

Editor's Note:
It just goes to show that Perez is losing popularity which each passing day. Cursetina is getting her revenge! Haha. Seriously though, JustJared is such a positive site and has been greatly supportive of Christina. We're happy they are spreading the love for her too.
Source: TheNewYorkTimes

[VIDEO] RUPAUL TALKS 'BURLESQUE', CHRISTINA, AND CHER

Credit: IAM Jayyy

[PHOTOS] CHRISTINA'S C&A DRESSING ROOM

Source: C&A (Official Twitter)
Credit: ChristinaFan

[PHOTOS] SNEAK PEEK AT CHRISTINA'S COLLECTION

Source: C&A (Official Twitter)
Credit: ChristinaFan

[PHOTO] BEWARE OF CURSETINA

Credit: MerlitoDesigns

Sunday, January 30, 2011

[PHOTO] EXILE MAGAZINE PHOTOSHOOT

CHRISTINA'S SCHEDULE IN BRAZIL

Monday (Jan 31st):
9:40 AM – Christina arrives in Brazil and goes to Hyatt Hotel in Sao Paulo.
Afternoon – There’s a photoshoot with C&A, it was postponed because of her weight, she didn’t fit the clothes anymore, even though she had signed a contract to lose weight, but it will happen anyway.
Tuesday (Feb 1st):
Morning – Rehearsal for the commercial with the dancers.
Afternoon/Night – Sao Paulo Fashion Week’ attendance and Press Conference for C&A.
Wednesday (Feb 2nd):
Video shoot for her C&A’s campaign. The song used in the commercial will be Keeps Gettin’ Better.

[PHOTO] CHRISTINA POSES W/ FAN FROM BRAZIL

FAN PHOTOS OF CHRISTINA ARRIVING IN BRAZIL

[VIDEO] CHRISTINA AGUILERA: BRAZIL MANIA!

Friday, January 28, 2011

CHRISTINA AGUILERA: AQUARIUM VISIT WITH MAX & MATTHEW

Christina Aguilera takes her son Max to the Aquarium of the Pacific along with boyfriend Matthew Rutler on Thursday (January 27) in Long Beach, Calif.

The 30-year-old singer held onto Max as he pet a snake while Matthew snapped some photos!

Later in the evening, Christina and Matt went on a date night together to the Nobu Matsuhisa Sushi Restaurant.

Christina will be singing the National Anthem at next weekend’s Super Bowl game!


Source: JustJared

CHRISTINA AGUILERA: NOBU DATE NIGHT WITH MATTHEW RUTLER

Christina Aguilera and her boyfriend Matthew Rutler walk back to their car after eating dinner together at Nobu Matsuhisa Sushi Restaurant on Thursday (January 27) in Los Angeles.

Earlier in the day, the couple took Christina’s son Max to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach to check out the sealife.

It was announced earlier this week that Christina will be singing the national anthem at this year’s Super Bowl game, happening next weekend!


Source: JustJared

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

CHRISTINA APPROACHED TO JUDGE THE U.S. X FACTOR

It has been reported that not only has Cheryl Cole got competition from the likes of Rihanna and Katy Perry for a role as a US X Factor judge, but now Christina Aguilera has also been approached by show executives.

Cheryl, who it seems may not have secured her dream job as a judge on the American version of the show is said to be devastated over the news that producers of the show would rather choose an American celebrity over her and although Simon Cowell is still trying to convince bosses Cole now has another contender to add to the long list of names being mentioned… Christina Aguilera.
An insider has revealed that although Rihanna and Katy have been named as contenders for the role neither have the time to commit to the show. Christina Aguilera on the other hand has reportedly been in long talks with show bosses and seems very interested.

A source said: “Although Simon is desperate for Cheryl to join him on the judging panel, bosses just aren’t convinced. Both Rihanna and Katy Perry have been mentioned as possible candidates but neither would be able to take time out of their busy work schedule to be judges.

“Christina is the one all bosses are agreed on. She has it all; looks, talent and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. She is a massive star globally and her voice is recognized as one of the best of all time so there really isn’t any competition especially where Cheryl is concerned.”

Christina performed on the UK version of the talent show back in December 2010.

Monday, January 24, 2011

CHRISTINA CONSIDERS SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT SUPER BOWL XLV A DREAM COME TRUE

Five-time Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera will sing the National Anthem as part of Super Bowl XLV pregame festivities at Cowboys Stadium in North Texas on Sunday, Feb. 6, the NFL and FOX announced Monday. The performance will be televised live on FOX prior to kickoff.

More than 153 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s Super Bowl, the most-watched television program in history. The pregame show and Super Bowl XLV will be broadcast worldwide.
“I have been performing the Anthem since I was seven years old and I must say the Super Bowl is a dream come true,” Aguilera said. “I am really excited to be part of such an iconic event.”
Aguilera returns to the Super Bowl, having performed during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta. She is among many great performers who have been honored with singing the Super Bowl National Anthem, including: Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Jewel, Cher, Faith Hill, the Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé Knowles and many more. (See below for a complete list of National Anthem performers from past Super Bowls.)

The NFL previously announced that The Black Eyed Peas will perform in the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show.

The pregame and halftime shows are an NFL Network Production and will be executive produced by Ricky Kirshner.

Source: NFL

TWITTER DAY: #CASTLEWALLS JANUARY 25, 2011 [TUESDAY]

CHRISTINA DID *NOT* PICK UP ONE SINGLE RAZZIE NOMINATION

Worst Supporting Actress:
Jessica Alba: 'The Killer Inside Me,' 'Little ****ers,' 'Machete,' and 'Valentine's Day'

Cher: 'Burlesque'

Liza Minnelli: 'Sex & The City 2'

Nicola Peltz: 'The Last Airbender'

Barbra Streisand: 'Little Fockers'
Source: HuffingtonPost

[AUDIO] 'BOBBLEHEAD' REMIX BY: TONIC BOOTLEG

Christina Aguilera - Bobblehead (Tonic Bootleg) by _tonic_

Editor's Note:
Now, let me tell you I LOVED Bobblehead ever since it first leaked. Karlos, not so much, but anyway I think this remix is SICK! LOVE it.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

CHRISTINA AGUILERA LESSONS ON LIVING YOUR INNER STAR

GOSSIP ALERT: CHRISTINA DID NOT BUY MATT RUTLER A NEW FORD MUSTANG

“Xtina Buys Her BF A Car!” exclaims Perez Hilton in a post today.

According to the bad blogger, “Christina Aguilera has thrown down some serious $$$ to buy her boyfriend, Matt Rutler a car… It is a brand new, silver Mustang GT, decked out with all the essentials, including custom red interior.”

It’s true Rutler is cruising around in a new Mustang, but Aguilera did NOT buy him the cool wheels.

A mutual friend of Gossip Cop’s and Aguilera’s assures us, “He bought that car himself.”

Once again, Perez crashes.

Editor's Note:
I'm happy this rumor was dispelled, however, even if it was true, Christina is allowed to do whatever she wants with HER money.
Source: GossipCop

"TOUGH LOVER" FULL PERFORMANCE VIDEO

'BURLESQUE' NOMINATED FOR GLAAD AWARDS

Christina is also a part of the Honorary Co-Chairs.
OUTSTANDING FILM – WIDE RELEASE
Easy A (Screen Gems)
The Girl Who Played with Fire (Music Box Films)
Burlesque (Screen Gems)
The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Universal Pictures)

2011 COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD NOMINEES

“Burlesque,” ”True Grit” and “The Tempest’ are among the nominees for the 13th-annual Costume Designers Guild Awards. The announcement was made Thursday morning.

Nominated in the excellence in contemporary film category are Amy Westcott for “Black Swan;” Michael Kaplan for “Burlesque;” JeffreyKurland for “Inception;” Jacqueline West for “The Social Network;” and Ellen Mirojnick for “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”
EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM
Black Swan – Amy Westcott
Burlesque – Michael Kaplan
Inception – Jeffrey Kurland
The Social Network – Jacqueline West
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – Ellen Mirojnick

Source: LA Times

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

CAM GIGANDET GUSHES ABOUT CHRISTINA IN 'VENICE MAG' INTERVIEW

Venice: What was it like working on this film with Christina?
Cam Gigandet: It was difficult to make. The set was massive and working at the Burlesque lounge was very complex in terms of shooting. Working with Christina was such a special experience. To be able to work with someone making her film debut and to see her grow as an actor and figure things out was both exciting and a learning experience. I’ve been acting for eight years and to see someone like Christina, who is fearless, is just amazing.
Speaking of amazing, how was it working with the legendary Cher?
I was so nervous to meet Cher. I was sitting in my trailer and just really nervous and within 30 seconds of meeting her she had my guard down. She was relaxed and I was having a normal conversation with her. With Cher! She is just one of the coolest women I’ve ever met. She is relaxed and fun and easy and it was awesome. In watching her work she would always play around, trying something new with each take, whether it’s the first or the tenth take, she was always taking risks. I will take that with me to every job I do; it’s such a bonus. You can get so comfortable doing one thing and Cher was not going to have that. She would literally try anything, at least once.
How did you come to be part of Burlesque?
I was working at Sony Studios on a movie called Priest, which is a western-style vampire-type movie. I had been on set in my full leather cowboy wardrobe, all dirty and gross and the producers came up and asked me if I would go to their car and listen to some songs that Christina had done specifically for Burlesque. I was sitting in the car listening and I knew at that moment that it would be the perfect next thing to do because it was so different than my role in Priest and my past characters. Finally I was playing a good guy and he was in love and who doesn’t want to play in a love story?
It sounds like you have a plan for your career. How do you choose your roles?
I don’t know that I have a strategy, but I kind of base it on what I am doing at the moment. I get bored easily and if I get bored I’ll end up getting sloppy, and for me personally, that’s not a good place to go. I like variety and I like to try new things and keep pushing the limits. There are so many good projects out there and if you are given the opportunity, there is a lot to do and I don’t have to do the same thing twice.
How did you prepare to play Jack?
Well, he’s a musician and I’m not, but I tried as hard as I could to get familiar with music, but it’s tough. I don’t quite have that ear. Of course he’s also a bartender, and I practiced at home as much as I could until I got comfortable enough. I’ve been on the other side of the bar many times. [laughs] Those were the two main things, everything else came easily. Falling in love with Christina wasn’t a difficult thing to do.
Do you have a favorite character of the roles you’ve played so far?
I don’t know if I do. There have been so many that I absolutely loved and they’re all so different and have their different qualities, good and bad. Working on Twilight was something where the physical changes, the wig and the wardrobe and all those things, that was fun to play, to live in that world. In Priest I was a cowboy sheriff and in Burlesque I wear a bowler hat and mascara. Who doesn’t love that? [laughs] They’ve all had great things about them.
What other actors inspire you?
There are many, but right now it’s Ryan Gosling. He knows how to do it; he’s changed the way I think about things. He’s been able to keep this certain timeless class throughout every job he’s done, on set or off. It’s amazing how he handles things.
So how does a Seattle boy break into Hollywood?
I still don’t know. [laughs] I played sports growing up, I had a normal childhood and right out of high school I felt that I needed to leave. So I moved to Los Angeles and someone said I should try an acting class, and from that moment on I knew it was really what I wanted to do.
What was your first big break?
I got hired on “The Young and the Restless” and it was kind of an open-ended deal and after about two or three weeks, they fired me. Yep. I was fired from a soap and, especially in hindsight, it was a break. It allowed me to have a different career path. It was one of those lessons in life.
Did you struggle during your early years in LA?
Thankfully, I’ve had parents that have supported me from day one. That’s the only reason I’m still here. They’ve made it possible. Also, I have an acting coach that I adore who has been a great friend, Leigh Kilton-Smith, and she worked on Burlesque with me. She’s given me good guidance. For me at least, the simplest way I could get to the truth was the way that I was going to pursue.
You’ve studied acting and trained, and yet here is Christina who is a novice actor, but a trained singer and performer. You had almost all your scenes with her; how did you figure out the process of working together?
What I learned was patience, first of all. She was figuring out her process and it benefited me to be patient with her and to support her as much as possible. That way, in turn, she would reciprocate with me. Even though I have been doing this for a while, I still run into problems or obstacles and she was very patient with that. You end up having this bond and you understand you’re in it together and it worked out very well.
Tell us about your (mostly) nude scene in the film.
Shooting the naked scene was an adventure...the strategically placed box of cookies. It’s part of the job and you come to accept the fact that you have to do it and you relax and try to have fun with it.
Is there a dream role, one you’ve always wanted to play?
What I haven’t done yet is a period piece of some sort, something that you have to dive into on different levels, physical aspects that I haven’t done yet. Mostly it’s about finding a specific story, something that speaks to you.
Are there any jobs you really wanted that you didn’t get?
The Steve McQueen bio-pic, that was a tough one. The role went to someone else. Steve McQueen is the essence of coolness. I really admired him and would have loved a shot at it.
What’s up next for you?
[laughs] Well, nothing. I just finished a movie a week ago in Shreveport with Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. It was pretty rough; we went there in August and it was brutal. It’s called Trespass and Joel Schumacher directed. It was quite the experience.
Source: Venice Magazine

CAUGHT IN THE ACT: CHRISTINA OUT AND ABOUT WITH MATT, AND KEN PAVES

Christina Aguilera had two dapper dates during a recent dinner at Katsuya Brentwood: her new beau Matt Rutler and her "mane man," celeb stylist Ken Paves. Sporting a figure-hugging little black dress, the singer and her beau cozied up and looked very much in love as they sipped Pinot Grigio in their private booth.

Source: People

[VIDEO] CHRISTINA AGUILERA STUMBLES AT BEVERLY HILTON

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

THEN AND NOW: RUNWAY TO RED CARPET PIECES

Editor's Note:
A very special thanks to Merlito for compiling such an amazing photo collage!