Kristen Bell

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