Public drunkenness arrest adds to Christina Aguilera's woes

NEW YORK: In comparison with the epic misbehavers like Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Christina Aguilera's arrest for public drunkenness may seem a minor public relations disaster.
But after a series of very public failure - the flop of her last album to disappointing box office for "Burlesque," to her divorce from her slip at the Super Bowl - the latest embarrassment Aguilera paints the image of the diva spiraling out of control.
"It was a difficult year for Christina, there's really no other way to put it," said Keith Caulfield, deputy director of charts for Billboard.
"I feel much sympathy for these artists, who eventually under the magnifying glass and not be judged for what they do, but for things (like) that," said Ken Ehrlich, producer of the Grammy this year's show, where Aguilera performed for the soaring tribute to Aretha Franklin - and then stumbled during her exit.
If in 2010 any indication of how the rest of the year consists Aguilera, a 30-year-old Grammy winner can have more trips to come. Even before her album "Bionic" was released in June last year, was generating noise for all the wrong reasons: the sexy video for first single, "did not Tonight", with its wild theatricality, drew accusations that she was a copy Lady Gaga's style. The album has sold its share of other multi-platinum albums.
"There was a lot of expectations," Bionic "to be great," said Caulfield. "You do not expect someone not going to sell well if they have a success story."
Planned tour was revised amid reports of lackluster ticket sales, although Aguilera said that because she needed more time to her film debut in "Burlesque," co-starring Cher.
Bad news came in October, as she announced plans to divorce Jordan Bratman after five years of marriage. (A couple have a 3-year-old son Max.) One month later, "Burlesque" was released, but received mediocre reviews and failed to impress at the box office.