This weekend has been of this year’s most depressing so far.
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Cher
Cher’s Daughter Chastity Now Officially a Man
Cher’s daughter Chastity, with the late Sonny Bono, has legally and officially changed not only her name but also her gender. Documents filed show that Chastity underwent irreversible gender reassignment surgery in late Sept 2009, a process that was begun earlier in the year, shortly after her 40th birthday. Today, in a Santa Monica court, a judge also granted her name change to Chaz Bono.
So the once-blonde, cute little girl is now a dark-haired, large man, and it makes me wonder what Cher is feeling. Does she know, does she even care? Then again, given how many surgeries Cher has gone through, it seems like there are two people in the family with image issues. Well at least Chaz isn’t feeding off the blood of nubile young men like her his mother, to keep himself young-looking and ribless. Good luck with your activism and transformation, Chaz. It can’t have been a difficult decision, and it isn’t necessarily any easier after the fact.
Cher’s Concert Comeback
Nothing can stop this woman! How many sexy 63-year-old superstars do you know who can perform and party all night? The unflinching Cher has revealed that as soon as her contract ends with The Colosseum in Caesars Palace expires, she will go on tour again.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, the diva is also releasing a new album this year. As a treat to her fans, the album will be available in two versions—one with 14 tracks and one deluxe edition with 19 songs.
The album’s debut single “Already Been There” will be launched at the upcoming World Music Awards this year. We will also see her comeback to the big screen with the movie Burlesque, co-starring Christina Aguilera and Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, and Cam Gigandet.
Retirement is definitely not in Cher’s vocabulary.
5 Reasons Why I Can’t Wait For Burlesque
1. It’s Christina Aguilera’s movie debut. The 29-year-old signed up for Burlesque last year, and I say it’s about time! She plays Ali, an ambitious small-town girl with a big voice. She tries to escape her hollow past by performing in a neo-burlesque club in Los Angeles. Here she is on the set getting glammed up between takes.
2. It’s Cher’s first movie in a long time. Her last film role was for Matt Damon’s Stuck On You in 2003. In the photo above, Cher is on the set for Burlesque in Hollywood in January. She plays Tess, the proprietor of the club. The other burlesque dancers may be 1/3 Cher’s age, but this 63-year-old diva can still work it on those killer stilettos and animal-print outfits.
3. It has an interesting story line. Think Moulin Rouge meets Cabaret. Here’s the plot synopsis from the movie’s IMDB page:
The Burlesque Lounge has its best days behind it. Tess, a retired dancer and owner of the venue, struggles to keep the aging theater alive, facing all kinds of financial and artistic challenges. With the Lounge’s troupe members becoming increasingly distracted by personal problems and a threat coming from a wealthy businessman’s quest to buy the spot from Tess, the good fortune seems to have abandoned the club altogether. Meanwhile, the life of Ali, a small-town girl from Iowa, is about to change dramatically. Hired by Tess as a waitress at the Lounge, Ali escapes a hollow past and quickly falls in love with the art of burlesque. Backed by newfound friends amongst the theater’s crew, she manages to fulfill her dreams of being on stage herself. Things take a dramatic turn though when Ali’s big voice makes her become the main attraction of the revue.
Cam shoots a scene with Christina.
4. The movie features a stellar cast. There’s red-haired Julianne Hough as Georgia, a brunette Kristen Bell as Nikki, the hunky Cam Gigandet as Jack, and Alan Cumming as Alexis, among other big names.
5. An awesome soundtrack is in the works. The movie’s writer/director/actor Steven Antin may get inspiration from his sister Robin who created the burlesque troupe The Pussycat Dolls in 1995. And with the likes of Cher and Christina Aguilera on the team, you know the soundtrack can’t go wrong.
Check out behind-the-scenes clips, courtesy of ET. Burlesque is coming out this Thanksgiving.
* all photos courtesy of Screen Gems
