Christina Aguilera says she “absorbed” fellow Grammy-winning singer Cher like a “sponge” and learned a lot from the veteran performer while filming her first movie, the flashy, dance-oriented “Burlesque”.

Aguilera, 29, also plans to perform routines inspired from the film at the 2010 American Music Awards and did not confirm or deny whether Cher, 64, would join her on stage. When asked, she smiled slyly and refused to comment.

In “Burlesque”, which is set for release on November 24, Aguilera plays a small-town girl who moves to Los Angeles and begins working in a club as a waitress, aiming to one day perform on stage. The movie also stars Kristen Bell of “Veronica Mars” fame, Stanley Tucci and Peter Galjagher.

“She makes me feel so at home and comforted from day one,” Aguilera told OnTheRedCarpet.com at the recent Los Angeles premiere of “Burlesque.” “She really opened her arms to me and supported me along the way and I absorbed her like a sponge and learned great things from her.”

Cher, who has starred in films such as “Mermaids” and “The Witches of Eastwick”, has praised Aguilera’s acting skills in “Burleque”. The film’s screenwriter and director is Steven Antin, an actor who famously played Jessie in Rick Springfield’s 1981 hit “Jessie’s Girl”.

Aguilera, who shot to fame in the late 1990s with songs such as “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants”, was recently honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Source: OTRC