AUGUST 2003
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�SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2003


Billboard Chart Update

The Billboard 200:
� 'Stripped' falls from 29 to 37 after 43 weeks on

The Billboard Hot 100:
� "Can't Hold Us Down" jumps from 31 to 26 after 6 weeks on

Adult Contemporary:
� "Beautiful" jumps from 13 to 12 after 37 weeks on

Top 40 Tracks:
� "Can't Hold Us Down" jumps from 11 to 7 after 6 weeks on

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2003 MTV Video Music Awards Recap

NEW YORK � With just a few minutes of lip locking, hip wiggling and thigh stroking, Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera set the bar sky high for all of the performers at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

Anyone who's ever questioned Britney or Madonna's acting abilities should reconsider. Not only did the ladies show off some blood-pressure-raising moves, their kisses were nothing like the infamous mouth mush between Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley and far more like something from late-night Cinemax.

Their opening number began with Spears emerging from an enormous white cake in a wedding dress and veil. After Britney sang several verses from "Like a Virgin," Aguilera came out and picked up the vocals for what was the pair's first performance together since the Mickey Mouse Club. But this was no kid's stuff. Within moments they were writhing on the ground with their legs spread.

Then Madonna descended from the cake, dressed in black and singing "Hollywood" Dancing provocatively with her two prot�g�s, she planted a sexy smooch on Britney's mouth, then turned and delivered one to Christina. It was such a performance-defining moment, it's easy to forget that Missy Elliott came out and sang the chorus from "Work It" before it was all over.

There was no way Christina Aguilera's performance could be as racy as the show opener or the jokes by host Chris Rock, so she didn't even try. That said, the medley of "Dirrty" and "Fighter" was still red-hot. "Dirrty" started with Redman rapping and dancers emerging to boogie on a contraption that resembled a jungle gym. Aguilera then sauntered on in a black corset, fishnets and thigh-high black high-heeled boots. During "Fighter," Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro wailed on a white guitar, and a group of male dancers encircled Christina, throwing mock punches. The performance ended with a herd of dancers in zebra tops and a climactic pyro explosion.

(Audio now available, Photos coming soon.)

�Jon Wiederhorn

Source: MTV.com

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VMAs: The Aftermath

At the Playstation after-party, Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson talked to Christina Aguilera about her opening performance with fellow divas Madonna, Britney Spears and Missy Elliot.

"Tell me about the kiss [with Madonna]," asked Shaun. "She has very soft lips, she's a very lovely kisser, and I've kissed her numerous times at this point because at every rehearsal she wants to do it right on every time," revealed Christina. "I had no problem kissing her."

Even Missy Elliot was clueless about Madonna's kisses with Christina and Britney until rehearsals. "Did you guys talk about it?" Pat asked Missy. "No! I just got to rehearsal and was like, 'Did that just happen? Is that really them?'" she said.

Backstage Madonna and Britney posed cheek-to-cheek for photos, but on the way to after-parties, Ms. Spears was in too big of a rush to say much. "It [the kiss] was awesome, amazing," she told Access.

However, Christina was more than happy to speak for her old pal. "Britney was a little shy at first. Madonna kept having to go, 'Britney kiss me, kiss me,' and of course Britney gets on there trying to do the open mouth thing, and Madonna knew she wanted closed mouth tonight."

"Did you tell her, 'C'mon Britney, loosen up. This is nothing at all,'" asked Shaun. "Well overall I think she needs to do that but it's OK," admitted Christina.

Pat caught up with Justin Timberlake and asked what he thought of the opening number. "I loved the expression on your face when they kissed," said Pat. "The cameras were on me right after the kiss, like vrooooom [laughs]. You know, you had to expect it. It's always sexy, I'm not gonna take that away from anyone up there."

Before the killer kisses, Madonna's daughter Lourdes walked across the stage as a flower girl. Then Britney, followed by Christina, were unveiled singing "Like a Virgin," a tribute to Madonna's performance from 20 years ago at the very first VMAs.

Madonna's appearance got the crowd, led by hubby Guy Ritchie, on their feet not wanting to miss one second of the tantalizing trio strutting together.

At his after-party, Jay-Z talked to Pat about the kisses. "That was great. That was wonderful. Every guy in America was like 'Woah!'"

Source: Access Hollywood

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Kurt Loder At The VMAs

From Kurt Loder's MTV VMA Diary:

I saw Christina Aguilera's solo spot, which seemed to indicate that she had completely internalized the performance philosophy that has so successfully guided such master showmen as Puffy Combs: If you're gonna go over the top, go way, way over. Lots of skin. Lots of writhing greasy bodies. Lots of lights, noise, explosions. You gotta love this girl. That's an order.

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BET's Most Outrageous VMA Fashion

While we were skeptical of her approaching the red carpet in full-on feathers, petite pop princess Christina Aguillera was surprisingly dainty and pretty in pink - hot pink that is! She sported an outrageous micro-mini dress by designer Roberto Cavalli. With her latest back-to-her-Latin-roots black hair pulled in a carefree curly upsweep, and sexy ankle strap rhinestone covered sandals, Aguillera's look was fresh, fashionable and fabulous.

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Christina's Hot Arrival

Christina Aguilera wowed the crowds waiting outside Thursday night's MTV Video Music Awards by turning up in a stunning outfit.

Aguilera stunned fans on the red carpet when she arrived wearing nothing but pink feathers.

She said she chose the fluffy outfit because "it offset my black hair".

She added, "My stage outfit was all black and white and I wanted a little color. I also loved the feathers."

Source: WENN

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Christina Aguilera To Endorse Skechers Footwear

SKECHERS USA Signs International Marketing Agreement with Leading Pop Singer for its Women's Footwear Lines

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MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) -- SKECHERS USA, Inc., a global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry, announced that it has signed an international marketing agreement with Christina Aguilera for its women's footwear lines. Under the 18-month agreement, SKECHERS will have exclusive rights to international print media for footwear, including advertisements in magazines and point of purchase displays.

The Aguilera campaign will launch in women's, teen and pop culture magazines in October 2003, concurrently with the European leg of her "Justified and Stripped" World Tour with Justin Timberlake. The campaign, which will run through December 2004, will feature Miss Aguilera in SKECHERS' women's lines, including SKECHERS Sport, SKECHERS Active and Somethin' Else from SKECHERS. For the campaign, she was shot alone and accompanied by high-profile male models wearing SKECHERS Collection, subtly supporting SKECHERS' men's offerings.

"Christina is an amazing young woman. At only 22, she has earned a top spot in the pop world with sold-out world tours, award-winning songs, and No. 1 records and videos, endearing herself to young women and men around the world. She has incredible appeal thanks to her talent as a singer, her stunning looks and her charisma. Her carefree and liberated image reflects the vitality of many of our women's lines and the brand itself," stated Robert Greenberg, SKECHERS CEO and chairman of the board. "Christina has stamina -- and lasting power."

Christina Aguilera said: "I agreed to be a part of SKECHERS' international marketing team because I like its image -- youthful but edgy. They have attitude and are willing to try new ideas -- refreshing."

"We have had great success with celebrity endorsements internationally as consumers abroad have greater adoration for celebrities and pop singers specifically," began Larry Remington, president of SKECHERS' International Division. "We believe signing Christina Aguilera, a beautiful and talented singer with a Top 10 hit in many international countries, is going to further increase our brand recognition in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and other regions around the world."

Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.


�FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2003


Billboard Chart Update

The Billboard 200:
� 'Stripped' falls from 27 to 29 after 42 weeks on

The Billboard Hot 100:
� "Can't Hold Us Down" jumps from 39 to 31 after 5 weeks on

Adult Contemporary:
� "Beautiful" falls from 12 to 13 after 36 weeks on

Top 40 Tracks:
� "Can't Hold Us Down" jumps from 17 to 11 after 5 weeks on

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Speedway To Release 'Genie' Cover

New band Speedway look like securing their first hit single with an unlikely cover version.

Like Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal" last year, the Speedway rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle" has been picked up on over the course of the summer and gets its official release on Monday (Aug 25) in the UK.

Billed as a modern take on the female-fronted pop bands like Blondie and the Pretenders, Speedway is Scottish pair singer/guitarist Jill Jackson and drummer Jim Duguid.

The single is actually a double a-side with the Speedway original "Save Yourself" and marks the debut release for the band.

Expect an album very soon and in the meantime check out their official site for more on the band.

VIDEO: Speedway - Genie In A Bottle

Source: dotmusic


�WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2003


Christina Visits BET's 106 & Park

Christina will appear on 106 & Park this Friday, August 22 at 6:00pm on BET. She will be premiering "Can't Hold Us Down." Call and vote for it on the countdown at 1-800-617-LIVE (5483) between 5:30-6:00pm (ET), or click HERE.

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Xposed Store Opened, Tour Book Coming

The Xposed Online Store at Christina's official fanclub (www.xtinaxposed.com) is now open. You are not required to be a member of the fanclub in order to purchase items from the store.

Christina's tour book, which has been in the works until now, is finally ready and being sold at the remaining dates of the Justified And Stripped Tour. If you've already been to one of the shows where the tour book wasn't ready, don't worry, it will be available for purchase in the Xposed Online Store soon.

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TV Concert Special/DVD To Be Recorded In UK

Christina's mother has confirmed that a television special is scheduled to be shot at the November 2nd and 3rd dates of the Stripped Tour in London. The special was previously set to be recorded at the Albany, New York show before the stage collapse forced the date to be rescheduled. There is currently no set air date for the special, which will be shown on the WB network. A DVD of the show will be released to the public as well.

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Timberlake, Aguilera Tour Rebuilt And Rescheduled

Although derailed, the remainder of the Justified & Stripped tour featuring co-headliners Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera has been rescheduled. The tour picked up again Aug. 18-19 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., and plays eight shows before closing Sept. 2 in St. Paul, Minn.

A statement from Nassau Coliseum explains, "The delays were necessary to restore the show's extensive production to its original magnitude."

Tickets for the original shows at each venue will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Fans who cannot make the rescheduled concerts can receive refunds at the point-of-purchase.

The only stop not on the new Timberlake/Aguilera itinerary is Atlantic City, N.J., where the tour came grinding to a halt on Saturday when a ceiling grid at Boardwalk Hall came crashing down. More than $1 million in damage was caused to the tour's stage and lighting and video equipment.

An investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the incident at the historic venue. Authorities have moved several scheduled events to other locations in Atlantic City, but expect the mid-September Miss America Pageant festivities to go on at the venue as planned.

Here are the rescheduled Justified & Stripped tour dates:

Aug. 18-19: Uniondale, N.Y. (Nassau Coliseum)
Aug. 20: East Rutherford, N.J. (Continental Airlines Arena)
Aug. 22: Hartford, Conn. (Hartford Civic Center)
Aug. 25: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
Aug. 31: Indianapolis, Ind. (Conseco Fieldhouse)
Sept. 1: Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
Sept. 2: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)

--Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

Source: Billboard

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Justin's Injustice

By DAN AQUILANTE, New York Post

The fans didn't know what they were missing - and, judging by his performance at Monday night's makeup gig at Nassau Coliseum with Christina Aguilera, neither did Justin Timberlake.

The kids at the Uniondale, L.I., show would tell you Justin was terrific.

But compared with his performance last Wednesday at an after-midnight Irving Plaza showcase, the Coliseum concert was a hollow, plastic symphony in schmaltz, replete with gadgets, gizmos and stage shenanigans.

But Timberlake isn't smoke and mirrors - he's the real thing. Unfortunately, he isn't ready to reveal that to his fans.

That's where you have to tip your hat to Aguilera, who played an hour-plus set before Timberlake.

Despite her annoying fake laugh, her wandering stage patter - and a wardrobe even Cher would reject - the diminutive singer was herself at this performance. She didn't try to be the blond pop genie in a bottle.

Instead, she educated her fans with a couple of ballads made famous by Etta James.

She moved the house with hip-hop-flavored rockers like "Fighter" and "Can't Hold Us Down" that exalt girls of inner strength and courage.

Near the end of the show, Aguilera sprang her ballad "Beautiful," which she started a cappella before the band came in.

It was a telling moment in a show attended predominantly by young women and girls.

As Aguilera reiterated the age-old wisdom about just how deep beauty is, she touched a chord with the house, who became her backup choir.

All in all, Timberlake and Aguilera fans would rank it a good show - but after JT's career-establishing performance last week, this gig didn't justify his desire for a solo career.

Full story...

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N.J. Concert Equipment Cleanup Continues

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Workers are still cleaning up shards of concert equipment after a 100-by-100-foot grid buckled and lurched downward before a Justin Timberlake/Christina Aguilera show two weeks ago.

The accident forced several shows to be postponed, including the Boardwalk Hall concert in Atlantic City. The cause of the Aug. 9 collapse remains unknown.

Most shows have been rescheduled, except for the Atlantic City concert.

Jeff Vasser, executive director of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority, said Boardwalk Hall isn't ready to talk about rescheduling the concert. Once the stage is cleared, officials must start preparing for the Miss America (news - web sites) contest, scheduled to take place Sept. 20.

Meanwhile, Timberlake and Aguilera's "Justified-Stripped" tour will be heading to Europe starting in September and lasting through November.

"I don't know if there's a chance of them coming back in between (European concerts) or after the European tour," Vasser told the Press of Atlantic City recently.

Vasser encouraged fans to keep their tickets just in case the singers decide to come back.

Hannah Kampf, a spokeswoman for tour promoter Concerts West, said she didn't know anything about rescheduling the Atlantic City show. A spokesman for Timberlake and Jive Records declined to comment.

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Aguilera 'No Slag' Claim

Christina Aguilera has defended her raunchy image, saying she is happy to be labelled a "slag."

The US-born singer also claimed she is proud of her achievements, comparing herself to Madonna and Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.

Christina, whose new single "Can�t Hold Us Down" is out next month in the UK, said: "I'm a successful 22-year-old woman. If people want to insult me, let them.

"Call me a slag. If being a slag means being a strong woman, I'll gladly be that."

Christina, currently mid-way through a US tour with Justin Timberlake, also said she had been shocked by the controversy surrounding the video for her No. 1 hit, "Dirrty."

She said: "What is wrong with a young woman showing her sexuality? I'm not making myself into an object."

Weighing herself up against Madonna and Monroe � who have both attracted harsh criticism throughout their careers � she said: "I have to be as strong as both of them put together."

Source: The Sun

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Kelly Clarkson Surprised By Christina Aguilera Credit

Some fans of Kelly Clarkson were surprised to see that she'd co-written "Miss Independent," the first single from her debut album Thankful, with Christina Aguilera. Clarkson was surprised, too, since she and Aguilera never worked on the song in the same room as Clarkson did with her other co-writer, Rhett Lawrence.

In fact, Clarkson told LAUNCH that she didn't even know Aguilera had contributed to the song until the album was almost finished: "To be perfectly honest with you, I have no idea what she wrote on that song," Clarkson said. "I found out she wrote on some part of it, like, after it was even on my CD. I kinda asked before, I said, 'You know, this kinda has her spirit to it, you know, this sounds a little like Christina Aguilera,' and everybody was just like, 'Yeah, yeah.' But I didn't actually know she wrote it until afterwards, so it was a surprise but, I mean, a good surprise. She's a phenomenal writer, [a] phenomenal performer."

Source: LAUNCH


�MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2003


Albany Show Postponed

The promoter for the the Justified And Stripped concert scheduled for Monday, August 11th in Albany, NY at the Pepsi Arena, announced that the show has been postponed. New performance date is to be announced. All tickets to the August 11th performance will be honored on the rescheduled date.

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Photos Of Stage Damage

The following photos show the damage done to the stage after Saturday's accident.

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credit: DreamCatcher8286 / TimberlakeMedia

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credit: shweetheart4012

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The Show Does Not Go On At A.C.'s Boardwalk Hall

Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera were to perform

By DAN P. LEE, Staff Writer

ATLANTIC CITY - The North American tour of pop music stars Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera might have ended Saturday afternoon when electronic and other equipment the tour's crew was raising for an evening show came crashing down inside Boardwalk Hall.

The estimated 30 people working below were able to move out of the way as the large steel rigging structure on which the equipment was being raised buckled violently and lurched downward before collapsing completely, authorities and members of the crew said shortly after the 12:45 p.m. incident.

Authorities said three unidentified people sustained minor injuries as they scrambled to avoid being struck. Two were taken to the nearby Atlantic City Medical Center, City Division, for treatment of cuts and bruises, authorities said.

The rigging structure had hung from a false ceiling, which apparently sustained some damage in the incident. The ceiling and the structure - called a "supergrid" - were added as part of the nearly 75-year-old historic hall's recent $90 million refurbishment.

Federal, state and local officials were immediately summoned to the scene to begin an investigation.

The cause of the crash remained uncertain Saturday night, as did how officials would remove the mangled supergrid, which remained partially suspended several feet above the ground amid substantial amounts of smashed equipment.

Boardwalk Hall officials quickly locked the building down after the incident and announced that Saturday's sold-out show was being postponed.

Several crewmembers speculated that the remainder of the tour also would have to be postponed or canceled due to the extent of damage to the multimillion-dollar equipment, which included stage set pieces, giant video screens, lighting and speakers.

Tour officials did not make a formal announcement about whether the tour's eight other scheduled shows would go on. Neither Aguilera nor Timberlake - who were not in the building at the time of the collapse - issued any kind of statement.

Fans arriving at the hall's box office were crushed to find notes affixed to the windows shortly after the collapse informing them that the show had been postponed. Some cried.

"I'm so sad," said Michelle Ackerman, 14, of Fairfax, Va., who had come to Atlantic City with her mother and friend specifically for the show. Her mother, also almost crying, appeared as upset as she.

Authorities and crewmembers said the collapse occurred as the equipment was being raised on the supergrid. They said the procedure involved lowering the supergrid first, connecting the equipment to it, raising the supergrid into position and then raising the equipment.

Dozens of the crewmembers gathered outside a side exit minutes after the collapse, some of them smoking down cigarettes, virtually all of them visibly upset. The mangled grid and equipment could be seen through the open doors.

A tour official emerged from the hall to call the crew into another part of the building for an emergency meeting. As the group walked back into the building, he urged everyone to refrain from talking to the news media.

Two workers who witnessed the incident agreed to be interviewed so long as their names were not published, however.

"It seemed like (the collapse) lasted an eternity but then again it seemed like it happened in a flash," said a 38-year-old electrician from Margate who had been standing beneath the grid as it began falling. "It was nerve-wracking. My heart's still beating."

A 33-year-old engineer from out of state who is part of the touring company said Saturday's events almost certainly would force the tour to end.

"Tour's over," he said. "Every bit of equipment is crushed. Tour's over."

He said the crew prepares individual plans for each venue well in advance and had begun setting up Boardwalk Hall early Saturday morning.

"This is a high-end cazillion-dollar business," he said. "This isn't fly-by-night."

The tour had been among the biggest, most expensive and most elaborately produced of the summer concert season. More than 20 trucks transported the sets and other equipment from venue to venue, a crewmember said. The tour had played in more than 30 cities and had a few more weeks remaining.

Boardwalk Hall, which hosted a Beatles concert in 1964, the 1964 Democratic National Convention and decades of Miss America pageants, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has received similar recognition from the state of New Jersey.

The $90 million renovation project, which began in late 1998 and was completed in October 2001, included significant work to modernize the hall so that big concerts such as recent ones by Bruce Springsteen and Cher could be held there.

To that end, the supergrid was suspended from a false ceiling over the stage area to accommodate customized light-and-sound system. The structure replaced an old-fashioned system of attaching lights to motorized chains dropped from holes in the ceiling.

Bob McClintock, senior general manager for the Atlantic City Convention Center and Boardwalk Hall, said Saturday evening that more information about the incident should be available today.

Source: The Press of Atlantic City

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Disappointed Fan: I Just Wanted To Cry

By SCOTT CRONICK For The Press

ATLANTIC CITY - Amanda Camerino, 18, and her two teenage friends drove six hours to see her heartthrob, Justin Timberlake, take the stage Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

They listened to his new album on the way, talked about boys and anticipated seeing the poster boy who hangs on their bedroom walls.

So when they pulled into valet parking at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino and an attendant told them Timberlake and touring co-star Christina Aguilera weren't performing because of a struc-tural accident in Boardwalk Hall, Camerino and her friends were shocked.

"I just wanted to cry," Camerino, the driver, said. "What else could you do? What else could you say after driving six hours? We're really disappointed."

The three Connecticut Timberlake fans weren't the only ones upset after Atlantic City's stop of the "Justified/Stripped" tour was postponed and possibly canceled.

About 13,000 people were expected to attend the sold-out show, the first concert sponsored by Trump properties in the arena portion of the hall since it was renovated.

Arguably the biggest show of the summer to come to town, the "Justified/Stripped" tour would have been a smashing success for Trump properties. Instead, it turned out to be a nightmare day.

Ditto for Stacy Albanese, 17, of Morristown, who drove her friend, Kathryn Cantuba, 17, of Queens, N.Y., to see the show. Traffic and some other problems resulted in a six-hour trip to Atlantic City.

When a friend called Albanese on her cell phone while she still was 30 miles away from the concert, Albanese didn't want to believe the bad news the friend had for her.

"I really didn't believe her," said an obviously frustrated Albanese, who had the words, "Drove 6 Hours to See Justin" written on her arms. "When I got here and realized it was true, I wanted to throw up."

As upset as Timberlake and Aguilera fans were, no one was more let down than Trump Vice-President of Entertainment Steve Gietka.

"We are extremely disappointed this evening's performance did not take place," Gietka said from Boardwalk Hall, which was locked down from all outsiders by security.

"It would have been very successful for all parties involved," Gietka said.

While noting that he was relieved that no serious injuries occurred, Gietka said he is unsure of the status of a possible return of the tour.

Boardwalk Hall security personnel were handing out flyers telling people how to seek refunds for the show.

"We have a legal obligation on both sides of this agreement to make a good-faith effort to reschedule the show," Gietka said. "But that may prove to not be possible."

His comment countered rumors circulating around the hall that the "Justified/Stripped" tour - scheduled to conclude its North American tour Aug. 24 - may have seen its last show in the United States.

According to sources, Timberlake, who checked in at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa with actress Cameron Diaz on Saturday morning, left Atlantic City in mid-afternoon, shortly after learning the news of the accident.

He returned to Manhattan with Diaz, sources said.

The tour is scheduled to begin a two-month European trek Sept. 22.

But that didn't ease the pain for Nick Walker, 9, of Pine Hill, who came to Atlantic City to see Aguilera don some skimpy outfits.

"It would have been my first concert," he said. "I'm disappointed."

Others, like Adrianne Ciuba, 11, of Toms River, took it better.

"When I found out," she said, "I was like, 'I hope nobody was hurt.' I'll get over it."

Source: The Press of Atlantic City


�SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2003


Atlantic City Show Postponed, Upcoming Dates Uncertain

Saturday's stop on the Justified And Stripped Tour at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City was postponed due to an accident at the venue. It's been reported that the incident happened around 1:00pm Saturday during the stage setup, with three people suffering minor injuries. Christina and Justin Timberlake were not in the building at the time. According to Boardwalk Hall officials, a supplemental rigging structure had buckled. A rescheduled date has not yet been announced.

The following is a message from Christina's mother on the situation:

We are all a bit shaken up and so grateful to God right now. What happened wasn't that the stage collapsed at all [as some rumors have stated]. It's an old venue and a roof beam snapped sending all the rigs & lights as well crashing down to the stage. Only 3 people had relatively minor injuries (considering!), but it was literally minutes before like 50 of our crew would have been on that stage working. The set was smashed and we truly don't know how long it will take to replace things & get back on the road again, but right now our focus is on how grateful we feel. Had it been just a few moments later, or even a couple of hours later, there would have been casualties.

God has blessed everyone there & there were no fatalities and no serious injuries. Thank God.

Love,
Shelly


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Billboard Chart Update

The Billboard 200:
� 'Stripped' jumps from 31 to 26 after 40 weeks on

The Billboard Hot 100:
� "Can't Hold Us Down" jumps from 53 to 39 after 3 weeks on
� "Fighter" falls from 71 to 72 after 19 weeks on

Adult Contemporary:
� "Beautiful" falls from 12 to 13 after 34 weeks on

Top 40 Tracks:
� "Can't Hold Us Down" jumps from 25 to 19 after 3 weeks on

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Teen Choice Award Win

Christina, along with Justin Timberlake, won the Teen Choice Award in the category of Choice Summer Tour for their Justified And Stripped Tour. Christina was also nominated for awards in four other categories.

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Timberlake, Aguilera Prove They're Grown-up

By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff

There are several escape routes from the perilous shores of teen-pop. Justin Timberlake -- one fifth of wholesome, harmonizing 'N Sync -- has chosen the path of credibility, hitching his wagon to cutting-edge producers and songwriters for his hopefully titled solo debut "Justified." Christina Aguilera -- whose 1999 debut was built on innocent pop hooks and a girl's prerogative to take her time -- has chosen the path of sex, trading power ballads for booty anthems on her brashly title album "Stripped."

The pair of 22-year-olds has teamed up for a grown-up juggernaut that pulled into the FleetCenter last night to satisfy a sold-out (need we mention screaming?) crowd of 14,700 fans. And lo and behold, it turns out Justin is the sexy bimbo and Christina has more musical cred under those leather G-strings than she seems to realize.

Aguilera's set was an exercise in the Vegas-style excess that's now requisite on big-budget pop concert stages: countless tacky costumes, elaborate jigsaw puzzle video screens, an anonymous, excruciatingly loud band. At one point she appeared to be impaled on a giant X made of sharp, twisted steel and writhed through a totally perverted rendition of "Genie in a Bottle" that could be categorized as heavy-metal belly dance. Except Aguilera doesn't dance. Or exude much between-song personality aside from voraciously chewing gum.

But this girl can sing. She sings with God-given pipes and real heart. It's a heart that's been broken, and not by a high-school sweetheart. Beneath the soft-porn veneer "Stripped" is a revealing chronicle of an abusive childhood and a remarkably clear-eyed portrait of an artist, one who has the talent and fortitude to transcend whatever life and music-handlers toss her way. Surely Timberlake would never have had the lapse in taste that accounts for the tinny, faux-rock guitars on "Fighter." But then again such a passionate revelation -- not to mention soul-stirring covers of Etta James tunes and a bank vault's worth of big-money notes -- isn't in his repertoire.

Full story...

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Rangers Star Wants To Date Pop Diva Christina

By Beverley Lyons

Besotted Rangers star Peter Lovenkrands (photo) is desperate for a date with singer Christina Aguilera.

The 22-year-old Danish international footballer, who is one of Scotland's most eligible bachelors, has a major crush on the sexy pop songstress.

And now he has asked the Evening Times to play matchmaker when Christina plays a gig in the city in October.

The �8million-rated winger, who split from his girlfriend earlier this year, is so taken on with the singer he has staked his house and cars on the chance of a meeting.

The footballer has bet his agent he can't get him an audience with the star when she plays Glasgow's SECC on October 28.

Peter said: "Christina is lovely. I fancy her and I think her music is great."

Her hits include include Genie In a Bottle, Dirrty and Fighter, but Peter said: "Beautiful is my favourite song as it shows off her voice. I'd love to meet her."

Peter has been young, free and single since splitting with his Danish girlfriend at the start of February.

Now he has managed to get tickets to Christina's sell-out Glasgow show but is desperate for a backstage pass.

Peter said: "When I came to Glasgow I wanted two things - to be a famous footballer and to meet Christina.

"I said if my agent could fix up a date, I would give him my house, cars and everything."

However, despite being one of the city's hottest players earning �15,000-a-week, Peter reckons he would be too shy to ask his idol out.

He said: "If I did get to meet her, I don't know if romance would take place as she'd be out of my league.

"I don't even know what I would say to her if I got to meet her."

Peter's agent Victor Morgan added: "Peter is Christina Aguilera's biggest fan. I asked him what he'd give me if I organised to meet her and he said anything I wanted. I said his house and two cars.

"If the Evening Times can help me to organise a meeting with her, I'd be a very happy man."

Source: Evening Times

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Named Site Of The Month For August

The Christina Connection has been named Site of the Month for August at Christina[dOt]aguilera.



Out of over 300 votes submitted, The Christina Connection received 90% percent of the votes. So a big thank you to anyone who voted, it's very much appreciated.


�SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2003


Billboard Chart Update

The Billboard 200:
� 'Stripped' jumps from 41 to 31 after 39 weeks on *Greatest Gainer*

The Billboard Hot 100:
� "Can't Hold Us Down" jumps from 74 to 53 after 2 weeks on
� "Fighter" falls from 59 to 71 after 18 weeks on

Adult Contemporary:
� "Beautiful" falls from 8 to 12 after 33 weeks on

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Christina Aguilera's Natural Look

Designer Donatella Versace unveils the fresh-faced beauty of Christina Aguilera in the Versace ads that debut in August. "We always think of Christina full of makeup and long hairdos," Versace says. "Nobody has discovered her natural beauty yet." Makeup artist Pat McGrath did. For the pix, she stripped off the star's makeup and just put lotion on her face. Guido Palau kept her hair sleek. Christina was surprised by the look. She says: "I was like, 'You really just want straight, blown-out blond hair? That's it?'"

Source: InTouch Weekly

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Christina The Conscious

by BeatBoxBetty

Here's a warning for all you budding Martha Stewart-types out there ... if you ever have Christina Aguilera over for dinner, make certain you do not pack up the leftovers in Styrofoam. I repeat, do not hand her anything made out of polystyrene plastic.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the singer had a major meltdown at a posh Hollywood eatery recently, when she asked waiters for a doggy bag but was handed a Styrofoam box. The report claims that after she blew her cork over the fact that such a stylish spot was using such dangerous and toxic material, she tried to explain to the waiter why the stuff is so bad. But alas, the puzzled server barely spoke a word of English, so a disgusted Christina took off without her leftovers.

Uber conservative Web site NewsMax.com decided to take a little jab (or is it a stab?) at Christina by telling her she shouldn't worry that the biodegradability of Styrofoam is nonexistent. "After all," the site jokes, "parts of her body may last several thousand years longer than the little plastic food box." Ouch.

But you know what? Christina isn't too far off base. She has every reason to be peeved over the stuff. According to toxins activist groups in California, foods packaged in these type of containers can draw styrene -- a suspected carcinogen -- into the food or beverage, and then into our bodies. Here's something spooky to chew on ... an EPA study found that 100 percent of the people sampled had styrene in their fat tissue. Nice!

Source: MSN Entertainment

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Christina Look-A-Like Contest

It's time for the 2003 Christina Aguilera Look-A-Like Contest. If you're a Christina doppelganger, check out www.christinaaguilera.com to find out where you can send in your photos to win a grand prize that's "so good, it's still under wraps," according to the singer's official Web site. Last year's winner received a personal phone call from Ms. Dirrty herself.

Source: MTV News

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Tour Meet & Greet/Tickets Auction

You can be the lucky winner of a pair (2) of 10th row tickets and, here's the coolest part, meet & greet passes for Christina & Justin Timberlake at their concert on August 24, 2003 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. Before the show you will get a backstage tour, see Justin's dressing room and then meet Justin. A little later, but still before the show, you will get to participate in Christina's meet & greet event.

All the good seats for this show are sold out! This is the last show of the Justified and Stripped tour -- your last opportunity to see Christina and Justin together. So BID NOW and help Christina support artists in need. This charity auction was sanctioned by Christina and Justin.

All of the proceeds from this item will benefit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. For the past eight years Sweet Relief has been assisting ill, injured or elderly musicians with costs of alternative and traditional medical treatments, and with expenses for basic needs.

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Justin, Christina Make Leap From Idols To Entertainers

By Mandy Jenkins
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera have come a long way since their teen idol days. They've moved on and grown up to become full-fledged entertainers. Think it's a stretch? If you had been at their Cincinnati stop of the "Justified and Stripped" tour Saturday night at U.S. Bank Arena, you'd think twice.

Christina Aguilera: untapped potential

Watching Christina Aguilera through the eyes of an 8-year-old in blonde pigtails really puts this artist - and she is an artist - in perspective.

Yes, she sells sex the same way Britney Spears once did (actually it's much dirtier), but the awe in the eyes of a little girl in the front row says what this artist is really all about. Beyond the skimpy outfits, the stripper dancing routines and the piercings, there's a singer in there.

While she did begin a very grown-up version of "Genie in a Bottle" while tied up in lingerie to a rack (don't ask), she doesn't have to resort to such antics. She rocked the house to "Dirrty," but it's obviously beneath the talent of a girl-woman who minutes later nailed every powerful note of Etta James' "At Last." That little girl in the front row knew it.

She looked somewhat stunned as Christina shook her almost-bare backside onstage to a vigorous "Stronger," complete with fireworks and muscled male backup dancers. However, that same little girl sang every word, eyes closed and swaying slowly, to the poignant girl-anthem "Beautiful."

Even though Christina had no less than eight costume changes of varying degrees of coverage all night, she sang "Beautiful" wearing simple jeans and a T-shirt. No backup dancers, no fireworks. That powerful voice, wasted on throwaway (but admittedly fun) pop like "Come On Over," was really all she needed to make that little girl's night.

Full story...

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Aguilera, Timberlake Pack Arena With Powerful Pop

By Ed Masley, Post-Gazette Pop Music Critic

Midway through Christina Aguilera's homecoming gig last night at the Mellon Arena, a male stripper was briefly yet hopelessly trapped inside a prop when a curtain refused to budge and stage hands had to crawl inside the prop with Mr. Chippendale to get the curtain up and save the day.

And people wonder why most maids of honor never think of Spinal Tap when planning a bachelorette party...

Aguilera also gave a few too many self-help sermons on the importance of being yourself -- or, at the very least, Xtina, your new alter ego, in Christina's case.

And there was one excruciating skit in which she scolded a naughty male dancer for tearing her skirt off to reveal a pair of hot pants that were clearly working overtime to earn the "hot" distinction. It couldn't have felt more staged.

But these were minor flaws at best in an otherwise brilliant performance.

Really.

Aguilera's always had the vocal chops to be a major talent. And now that she's touring an album she referred to Monday as "my first real CD, the one that's most me," she's turned the inner struggles, the tarting it up in the name of equal rights for hot young girls, the acting out on every impulse in the name of individuality that have combined to make her such an easy target -- the Madonna of her generation, if you will -- into performance-art erotica that challenges whatever expectations "Genie in a Bottle" may have raised.

The newly dark-haired Aguilera looked as if she'd just raided Vampirella's closet as she took the stage and gave her newly curvy look a workout to the throbbing beat of "Dirrty," followed by an even sexier "Get Mine, Get Yours."

But for a girl who's done things with a garden hose that MTV can't show you, there was nothing especially "Dirrty" about the concert.

Kinky, sure, especially the deconstructed "Genie in a Bottle," as performed by Aguilera splayed out on a giant X in what appeared to be a torture chamber. And she did turn the Mellon Arena into "The Best Little Whorehouse in Pittsburgh" for her steamy take on "Lady Marmalade."

But she could also play the wholesome entertainer in a red dress belting out two songs she learned from Etta James. Or the regular girl in jeans who closed the show with "Beautiful," a heartfelt ballad about how a person's beauty goes a good deal deeper than the skin she's always flashing in her videos and photo ops.

And this is while the music's shifting gears from gospel-flavored soul (including yet another major overhaul of "Come On Over (All I Want Is You)" to steamy Latin rhythms to -- I kid you not -- the droning industrial grind of Nine Inch Nails, all topped by Aguilera's massive, emotional voice.

Equal parts Marilyn Manson and Cher, her set made good on Soft Cell's promise of a non-stop erotic cabaret.

As mainstream pop shows go, in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to top it.

Full story...

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Aguilera Explores Adult Side

More sex, less teen on the pop stage
Tour includes Justin Timberlake

BEN RAYNER
Pop Music Critic

To hell with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Christina Aguilera's the one who should be making a run for public office.

There's definitely an underlying � no, make that overlying � agenda at play during the 15 minutes of phone time this writer is granted with Lady Aguilera one recent, magical weekday evening.

A candid conversation, it's clear from the start, is not in the cards.

Everything that tumbles out of the former teen queen turned buttless-chaps-sporting r'n'b strumpet's mouth has the politician's calculating manner about it, as if someone's standing a few feet away with cue cards displaying rote bromides about womanhood and artistic self-actualization.

Of course, the point Aguilera, 22, has been ceaselessly trying to make since her last record, Stripped, dropped amid a frenzy of excited press about her sex-drenched "Dirrty" video and her brand-new genital piercings late last October, is that no one's holding any cue cards for her these days.

Indeed, once the official particulars on her current "Justified And Stripped" tour with 'N Sync heartthrob Justin Timberlake � which arrives in town for two dates at the Air Canada Centre tomorrow and Thursday � are out of the way, she keeps coming back to this subject throughout our chat.

Even when the questions don't necessarily invite it.

Things begin promisingly enough.

Aguilera, sipping coffee in a Memphis hotel room, giggles girlishly at the suggestion there's a night of hard partying ahead, since the tour crew has arrived in Timberlake's hometown on a day off.

"Not really. Since we rarely get days off, I have my heart set on going to see Pirates Of The Caribbean tonight," she reveals. "I'm so into pirates and things. It's so up my alley. Johnny Depp and pirates in the same movie? Love."

"I never would have figured you for a pirate girl."

"Are you kidding? I collect pirate things. Cannons. What are those things that chop your head off? Guns, pistols, swords. Gauntlets."

"Well, you never know when you're gonna need a gauntlet."

"I don't mean the real thing. You could stick a Barbie's head in there, maybe."

This exchange is as close to unguarded as Christina Aguilera will get today.

Before one can utter the words "Oh, do you mean a guillotine?" she's already blocked off this avenue of conversation.

"Well, we're getting a little off topic here," she says, and it's on to the "Justified And Stripped" experience.

"It's kind of odd. I've never really co-headlined a tour before. Justin's done his 'N Sync thing and I had my own tour last time, so it's a different experience. I've known him for years now. And I don't necessarily like being in the studio.

"I love performing live and feeling all that energy. If I'm having a bad day, the best therapy for me is being on that stage, truly.

"And it's such a great thing for me to experience this time around because I'm doing my own material and it's just so my show.

"I've been hands-on in every aspect � picking the dancers, picking the band, making sure everything's tight. And we worked with (former Madonna/Britney Spears tour director) Jamie King. I'm a fan of his other tours.

"And it's a very mixed show, it's very theatrical. It takes you through a journey, in a way, and it tells a story. So it gives you a little bit of everything."

This all comes out in a single, breathless rush.

In any case, the touring summit with Timberlake does make sense from more than a marketing point of view, since both performers are going through respective periods of self-reinvention.

Timberlake made the transition from boy-group automaton and Britney Spears' boytoy to grudgingly respected pop-r'n'b performer last year with his first solo album, Justified.

Aguilera, meanwhile, tore the reputation she'd established with her hit 1999 debut, Christina Aguilera, as the more tasteful alternative to Britney's nymphette act by releasing an album heavily preoccupied with carnal matters and a video in which she doffed most of her clothes and climbed on top of several gentlemen in a boxing ring.

Both acts are thus, the party line goes, "maturing."

"We both came out with records at the same time � him coming out kind of as a new artist, a solo artist, and me coming out for the first time as me, having grown into a 22-year-old young woman" says Aguilera.

"It's a totally different record and I feel like a totally different artist at this point, you know, with many things to say and having written my material ...

"I definitely tapped into a lot of my personal favourite styles and kinds of music (on Stripped). I felt like people didn't get to see � and I didn't get to see � the real me on the first record. I wanted this one to definitely be me.

"I'm very versatile right now, and as I get older, I want to move more towards blues and soul records. Like Etta James, which I include in my show, my set and whatnot. Right now, it's time for a little fun.

"I don't feel like I have to lock down to any one thing. My favourites are very vast and it goes from rock to hip hop to soul to a little bit of r'n'b."

The fact that Aguilera � who's been portrayed in the press as Spears' arch-rival in some imaginary Battle of the Teen Queens � is now touring alongside Britney's ex-beau has sent the rumour mill spinning very nearly out of control.

Aguilera, however, says she didn't even see enough of Timberlake in the months leading up to their joint tour to discuss the possibility of doing a song together at some point during their shows.

"It's been a timing thing," she says. "He was in Europe for back-to-back shows before he came here to the States with me, and then after this tour I go solo to Europe without him. And if it does happen, it'll definitely be a spontaneous thing. We can choose some song we both would love to cover and kinda duet it or something.

"They're two very different shows. I didn't even know what his show was like and vice versa until we actually were doing our first soundcheck for our first show together in the U.S. So it's been very separate� very separate shows put together and done very separately."

Right. But who needs lucidity, really, when you've got everything else going for you?

At the moment, music is but one element of Aguilera's drive to become a vertically integrated entertainment product not unlike Jennifer Lopez.

She hopes to get some writing ("my favourite pastime") done for the next record while touring, but there are modelling duties for Versace and the quest for the perfect movie role to be addressed in the meantime.

"I'm trying to buckle down for the right script, find it, 'cause it just has to be right," says Aguilera.

"I'm not gonna half-ass it. I'd love to have that all in the works before I do my next album, hopefully, because that's the next thing I haven't done yet ...

"The movie thing is kind of a puzzle right now because I know exactly the kind of character that'll have to come to me. I know it's gotta be unexpected and kinda different, maybe a little quirky.

"I tend to like the roles that Angelina Jolie plays because she's not afraid to kinda take it there, to an outer limit, and push boundaries and kinda play someone who might be a little eccentric or kinda crazy."

Aguilera herself has received a rough ride in the gossip press for being a little crazy herself. The word "diva" comes up often, usually not in the positive sense.

But, to be perfectly fair, she's a far more pleasant interview than someone accustomed to reading tabloid headlines like "Christina Aguilera drove me wild with saucy sex games on a 4-posta!" has any call to be.

"You have to let it just roll off. I don't read reviews of my show or anything. I love my show and I love my record and it's so personal and it's so me and it's everything that I want it to be, so I have no room for any negativity or any negative viewpoints," she says.

"Sometimes you have to take the attitude that it's not you, it's them. I have no apologies and I see nothing wrong with what I'm doing. In fact, I think my record, if you listen to it, has a lot of extremely positive messages in it, especially for women. I think it's great. And it just takes people some time to get used to new ideas sometimes or something they can't understand or aren't open enough to want to understand.

"Look at 'Beautiful.' What a great comeback song after 'Dirrty.' What a strong thing to say, something as strong as 'I am beautiful / No matter what you say / Word's can't bring me down.'

"It's a message everyone should be able to relate to. And whether you loved, hated, despised, choked on or liked 'Dirrty,' it got everyone's attention and to realize I've grown up, whether you like it or not."

Source: Toronto Star