Aguilera Joins ''The Voice'' as Judge

AGUILERA JOINS ''THE VOICE'' AS JUDGE
Christina Aguilera has been announced as a judge on new singing competition show ''The Voice.''

The "Dirrty" singer - who was arrested for public intoxication on Tuesday (March 1, 2011) alongside boyfriend Matthew Rutler who was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) - will be the third member of the judging and mentoring panel on the new TV show alongside Cee Lo Green and Maroon 5's Adam Levine.

She said in a statement: "I am so excited to be part of such a wonderful project that celebrates music and the talent behind it. To be given the opportunity to help shape new artists' careers and mentor them to see their dreams come to fruition is a task I welcome with open arms."

"I am so happy to be working with fellow Grammy Award winners Adam and Cee Lo as I feel there is so much we can all bring to 'The Voice.'"

The NBC show is set to rival "American Idol" and Simon Cowell's US 'X Factor' when it launches in America later this year.

"The Voice" is to be produced by Mark Burnett and John de Mol, who created "The Voice of Holland," the Dutch show it is based on and late night talk show host Carson Daly has been lined up to present.


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Christina Aguilera Arrested: More Trouble for the 'Burlesque' Singer-Actress

From PopEater: Christina Aguilera and her boyfriend Matt Rutler were arrested early Tuesday morning in West Hollywood, according to TMZ.

The pop singer was booked on a misdemeanor charge for public intoxication, while Rutler also faces a misdemeanor charge for driving under the influence.

Police reports state Aguilera was booked as 5-foot-2 and 100 pounds.

This the latest bump in the road for the singer, who faced public ridicule when she botched the national anthem at the Super Bowl and then stumbled onstage at the Grammys. Reports swirled in January that Aguilera's hard-partying ways were getting out of control.
Aguilera and Rutler have been dating since last fall. Aguilera's divorce from husband Jordan Bratman was finalized last month.

Original story by Kelly Fisher


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Christina Aguilera Trips Onstage After Aretha Franklin Grammy Tribute

LOS ANGELES — Christina Aguilera can't seem to catch a break, but at least she was able to catch herself.

Exactly one week after her much-talked-about struggle with the national anthem at the Super Bowl, the powerhouse pop singer slipped and nearly fell off the stage at the conclusion of the Grammy tribute to Aretha Franklin.

As the crowd leapt to a standing ovation and roared their approval of her unsurprisingly standout participation in the performance, Christina slipped and very nearly fell from the stage but caught her balance without smashing to the floor or causing any serious damage (save for some natural embarrassment).

Everything went smoothly for Aguilera at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles just before that, as she joined Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Florence Welch and Yolanda Adams for the show's opening performance, which consisted of a medley of Aretha Franklin's hits. Xtina kicked out the jams in typically bombastic fashion when she took center stage to tackle Aretha's "Ain't No Way." The 68-year-old Queen of Soul has battled against much more serious troubles than her 30-year-old platinum-blond disciple, reportedly undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer last year.

The ensemble had just wrapped up "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" when Aguilera lost her balance as they took a bow. Luckily, she was able to right herself by grabbing hold of a microphone stand.

Christina's first performance since botching the words to the national anthem could have been viewed as a form of pop-culture redemption. But, thanks to this slipup, the Net is once again abuzz about her for all of the wrong reasons, with some even criticizing her take on Aretha's classics, which was full of her signature melisma — the packing of multiple notes into a single syllable — much as her version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was.

What did you think of the Aretha tribute? Let us know in the comments!

For Grammy Awards winners, analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News during the big show and beyond.


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Christina Aguilera Redeems Herself With Rousing Aretha Franklin Grammy Tribute, Then Slips Onstage

Feb 13th 2011 08:45PMEmail ThisThe 53rd Grammy Awards kicked off with a rousing tribute to soul legend Aretha Franklin with Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Florence Welch and Yolanda Adams tackling Franklin's classics.

The ladies kicked things off with a group performance of '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' before launching into solos of 'Ain't No Way,' 'Until You Come Back to Me,' 'Think,' 'Respect' and 'Spirit in the Dark.' The divas closed with 'Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves.'

A week after botching the national anthem at the Super Bowl, Aguilera brought her A-game and brought the house down with her take on 'Ain't No Way.'

It wasn't a perfect performance though. The singer appeared to take a minor spill near the end of the 'Sisters' performance.
Aguilera Slips On Stage Around the :31 Second Mark



The 'Dirrty' diva wasn't the only big voice on stage. Hudson wowed with her take on 'Respect' and Welch's wailing on 'Think' earned her some spontaneous mid-performance applause.

Aguilera botched the lyrics to 'The Star-Spangled Banner' before the kickoff of Super Bowl XLV and received widespread criticism for the blunder. The diva later apologized, saying, "I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through."

All appears to have been forgiven. Aguilera, Hudson, McBride, Welch and Adams earned a standing ovation from the Grammy audience.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=982148&pid=982147&uts=1297638509http://www.popeater.com/mm_track/popeater/music/?s_channel=us.musicpop&s_account=aolpopeater,aolsvc&omni=1&ke=1http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swfGrammy Awards 2011Lady Gaga arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.Chris Pizzello, APGrammys Red Carpet 2011Lady Gaga arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

Kelly Osbourne arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

Actress Selma Blair arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

Margaret Cho arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

TV personality Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

Barry Manilow arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

Musician D.L. Menard arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

Musicians Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys arrive at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Singer Justin Guarini arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Grammys Red Carpet 2011

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Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson Belt Out Aretha Franklin Grammy Tribute

At the 2011 Grammy Awards, sisters were doing it for each other. While the legendary Aretha Franklin may not have been able to attend (the 68-year-old singer underwent surgery in late 2010), some of today's fiercest female vocalists came together to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul.

Introduced by LL Cool J, a diverse quintet of "musical princesses" composed of Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Florence Welch and Yolanda Adams, opened the Grammy ceremony with a medley of Franklin tunes, kicking things off with the timeless "(You Me Make Feel Like A) Natural Woman," which they all sang on together.

Check out pictures from the Grammy show here.

From there on, each powerhouse performer did her own solo as the other four provided backup harmonies, all while images of the indelible Franklin appeared in the background.

Aguilera, fresh off last weekend's now-notorious Super Bowl national anthem mishap, didn't miss a beat (or lyric, for that matter) of Franklin's "Ain't No Way," which segued to country superstar McBride's cover of "Until You Come Back to Me."

Welch, whose band Florence and the Machine are vying for Best New Artist this year, took over the duties of singing the classic "Think (Freedom)." Then Hudson belted out the unrequited feminism anthem "Respect."

Adams brought her gospel sound to the song "Spirit in the Dark" before all five women closed out with "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves," bringing the Grammy crowd to their feet.

After the performance, Franklin appeared via a video message in which she thanked Aguilera, Hudson, McBride, Welch and Adams, telling them, "I love you all." Standing before a piano in a white dress, the still-recovering Franklin went on to thank Clive Davis, Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich, and all the well-wishers who sent her cards, flowers and "most, importantly, your prayers."

"I wish I could have been there with all of you tonight," Franklin said, adding she hoped to be in attendance next year. After wishing the 2011 Grammy nominees good luck, Franklin concluded, "Thank you so much. I love you all. Have a good evening."

For Grammy Awards winners list, analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News during the big show and beyond.


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Christina Aguilera Kicks Off Grammys on a High Note

Christina Aguilera Kicks Off Grammys on a High Note | Christina Aguilera From left: Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride, Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters/Landov

Christina Aguilera showed some respect for Aretha Franklin at Sunday's Grammy Awards.

One week after the pop star's big Super Bowl fumble – she flubbed the words during her National Anthem performance – Aguilera opened an all-female tribute to the Queen of Soul at L.A.'s Staples Center alongside Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine), Yolanda Adams and Martina McBride.

Standing in a row, the ladies swapped harmonies, alternating lead vocals during the 10-minute run-through of many of Franklin's hits.

After leading off with "You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman)" as a collective, Aguilera belted out "Ain't No Way," accenting the tune with plenty of melisma and her trademark vocal trilling. She stood confidently as she sang and ended the performance on a (sustained) high note – literally.

As she finished her song, however, Aguilera almost fell, crouching down so low she needed to be helped to her feet by Welch. "That was a real sexy ending," Aguilera later said, after returning to the stage to present the award for best performance by a pop duo or group.

Welch, a best new artist nominee, gave a fierce reading of "Think," while McBride performed a country-fied "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)." Ever the vocal powerhouse, a slimmed-down Hudson tackled Franklin's iconic "Respect." Adams delivered a simmering version of "Spirit in the Dark."

While she wasn't able to attend the ceremony in person, Franklin, who was home in Detroit recovering from her recent undisclosed health problems, appeared in a taped message after the performance to thank fans for their support and prayers. Sporting a white gown, Franklin, 68, looked noticeably thinner in her face as she addressed the camera.

"I especially want to thank all of you who took the time to send me get-well cards and flowers," she said. "I wish that I could have been with you all tonight [but] since I couldn't, next year, okay?"


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