U.S. Showbiz | Mail Online

Tearful Christina Aguilera seeks solace in the arms of a friend as five-year marriage lies in tatters

The 29-year-old Grammy Award winner was seen in a tearful embrace with a good friend earlier today as the news broke that she has separated from her 33-year-old music executive husband.
With her blonde, unruly curls covered by a brown cap, Christina was looking decidedly dressed down in sweat pants and a hooded cardigan as she emerged from a large white SUV and fell into the arms of a friend.
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'I had a fling' says Arquette as he and Courteney split

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REVIEWS

The Expendables: Old-fashioned B movie violence by the bucketload as Sly aims to please the boys

The Expendables, in which Stallone stars, directs and co-writes - is a very old-fashioned B-movie with loads of gruesome and extreme violence.

Marmaduke: Beware of the very smug dog

Perhaps very small children will be able to tolerate the flatulence gags, ill-timed prat-falls and pointless destruction.

Step Up 3D: You can dance, but I'm afraid you can't act

Predictable Vinson and Malambri show their dance moves - but it's the acting that leaves a lot to be desired

The American movie Step Up is bound to be compared to the home-grown Streetdance, a hit earlier this year.

Piranha 3D: Killer fish, Kelly Brook and wet T-shirts, this schlock has a bit of bite

Tackiest movie of the week? That would be Piranha 3D, a horror comedy about prehistoric killer-fish that delivers gallows humour and nasty shocks by the bucketload.

Salt: Run thin girl run! She looks fragile, but fugitive Angelina Jolie is always one step ahead in spy thriller

There's never a dull and hardly a believable moment in Salt, a thriller jam-packed with ridiculous stunts and a plot that's arguably the most barking-mad of all this summer's blockbusters.

The Illusionist: Life in the toon looks great. Just a shame about the bitter old man

The Illusionist is a downbeat, wistful cartoon by Sylvain Chomet, who was responsible for the much livelier Belleville Rendez-Vous.

MUSIC REVIEWS

My screaming Led Zep days are over: Ex-hellraiser Robert Plant on becoming folk's latest hero The last time Robert Plant toured under the name Band Of Joy, he was a hip young gunslinger from the Midlands taking his first tentative steps on a stage.

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LATEST ALBUM RELEASES

Scroll through for the latest new album releases

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BELLE AND SEBASTIAN

Write About Love (Rough Trade)

Once ridiculed as the most fey of indie bands, Belle And Sebastian have proved surprisingly robust. The Scots now summon such stellar guests as Norah Jones and Oscar-nominated actress Carey Mulligan. Jones's jazzy voice dovetails beautifully with frontman Stuart Murdoch, and Mulligan shines on the title track. Sixties pop and yearning ballads reiterate a whip-smart musical confidence.

****

TINIE TEMPAH

Disc-Overy (Parlophone)

Unknown at the start of this year, Tinie Tempah has conquered the charts while avoiding rap's less enchanting cliches. This diverse debut confirms his class. His debut single Pass Out memorably rhymed 'Concorde' with 'Scunthorpe'. Kelly Rowland and Ellie Goulding also guest on an album that stays credible but embraces a swaggering pop production. No wonder Prince William is a fan.

****

SUZANNE VEGA

Close-Up Vol. 2 — People & Places (Cooking Vinyl)

The second in a four-album acoustic series revisiting Vega's back pages. Luka and Tom's Diner are the two biggest hitters, and neither is diminished by a new, stripped-down setting. Vega's hometown of New York figures strongly throughout, with 'ageing femme fatales and unhappy wives' providing vivid inspiration. The UK gets a look-in, too: In Liverpool details a fleeting romance from an early tour.

***

FRAN HEALY

Wreckorder (Wreckord)

He is on a break from fronting Travis, but Fran Healy is still coming up with wistful Celtic pop. Wreckorder owes more to 2003's downbeat 12 Memories than earlier hits, but it shows Healy's growing maturity. Moonshine uses a chamber orchestra. Rocking Chair employs folky fiddle. Best of all, As It Comes detours into waltz-time with Paul McCartney on bass.

***

MOZART

Cosi Fan Tutte (Opus Arte OA CD9005 D, three CDs)

This production, which ruled at Covent Garden from 1968 to 1986, is represented by a performance from January 27, 1981. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is at her best in the difficult role of Fiordiligi, backed up by tenor Stuart Burrows and baritone Sir Thomas Allen. Sir Colin Davis conducts with a sure hand; the chorus and orchestra are in excellent form. A lovely production.

****

MANIC STREET PREACHERS

Postcards From A Young Man (Sony Music)

The Manic Street Preachers are hurtling towards middle age with the fury of a band 20 years younger. With strings and guitars to the fore, the title track and new single Just The End Of Love hark back to 1996's euphoric Everything Must Go. Elsewhere, the trio show their fondness for Queen and ELO. They've been written off before, but Postcards is shockingly good.

****

EDWYN COLLINS

Losing Sleep (Heavenly)

Having recovered from two lifethreatening brain haemorrhages in 2005, the former Orange Juice singer hooks up with fellow Scots Roddy Frame and Franz Ferdinand on a set of rueful, reflective songs. The northern soul beats of the title track recall his hit A Girl Like You. It is a welcome return, with Collins refusing simply to trade on past glories: In Your Eyes is given a surf-pop twist by young New Yorker s The Drums.

****