UK: Cher and Christina Aguilera present "Burlesque" in London with co-stars Kristen Bell and Cam Gigandet and director Steve Antin

Record ID: 218932

  • Title: UK: Cher and Christina Aguilera present "Burlesque" in London with co-stars Kristen Bell and Cam Gigandet and director Steve Antin
  • Date: 14th December 2010
  • Summary: BURLESQUE BANNER OVER CINEMA ENTRANCE WIDE OF RED CARPET VARIOUS
  • Embargoed: 29th December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA24ZTWVC3RA6B0AD1MHEMPE0ZR
  • Story Text: Singers turned actresses Cher and Christina Aguilera joined co-stars Kristen Bell and Cam Gigandet for the London premiere of director Steve Antin's musical "Burlesque" on Monday (December 13).
    Hundreds of screaming fans braved cold, wet weather to line the pink carpet at the British capital's Leicester Square to catch a glimpse of the pop icons.
    In keeping with the theme of the movie, the fans were entertained by burlesque dancers while they waited for the stars to arrive.
    The film takes place in a Sunset Boulevard theatre 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, Ali Rose (Aguilera). She is hooked the minute she sees Tess (Cher), 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.
    With the help of a handsome bartender (Gigandet) she gets a job as a cocktail waitress, which leads to a chance to display that big Aguilera voice, which rocks the theatre. However in the meantime, the Burlesque Lounge teeters on bankruptcy, and Tess' frantic ex-husband (Peter Gallagher) pleads with her to sell to a real estate developer (Eric Dane).
    Aguilera talked about her transition from pop diva to movie star at the London premiere.
    "Well I just approached it openly. I wanted everything to come from a very sincere and honest place as far as the acting is concerned so I drew some things from my own past, some hardships for the more emotional turns and twists of the film. But I think just staying with the character, being vulnerable and open minded really helped me because I was a newcomer to acting so it all sort of tied in together," she told Reuters Television.
    She was in good company for her first role, acting opposite pop-music icon and Academy Award winning actress Cher.
    Far from being an intimidating presence, Cher said she took Aguilera under her wing.
    "It just was the way it-- it was the natural order of things, you know? I've been doing it a long time, she hasn't and it was the way it was in the script, too so it kind of naturally found it's own reality in life," she explained.
    For her part, Aguilera said she couldn't have asked for a better mentor and co-star.
    "When she came on to the set it was a breath of fresh air. I had so much fun with... her and we had a great time together," she recalled.
    Aguilera wasn't the only first timer on the film. It was also the first feature movie for writer-director Steven Antin, a former music video director for The Pussycat Dolls.
    Cher said the production was a good mix between the newcomers and the veterans like herself and character actor Stanley Tucci who plays the burlesque club's sharp witted manager.
    "With these people it was like, they're old hands at it so they know what they're doing completely. With Steven (Antin - director) and Christina (Aguilera), it was a little bit more of them finding their way each moment, you know? Which was-- it was a nice balance," she said.
    "Burlesque" is Cher's first film since 2003. The singing and acting veteran said her reasons for wanting to join the production were simple:
    "I wanted to sing. I thought I won't get a chance to do this very much longer and that's really what I wanted to do I just wanted to sing."
    Already out in North American cinemas, "Burlesque" opens in the UK on December 17 before a wider global release early next year.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
Register