Born  twenty years ago to Cuban-native parents in New Jersey and raised in  Waldorf, Maryland, Christina simply thrived to become the starlet that  she is today. Her career in the spotlight began at a very young age when  she was cast as Annie Warbucks in the theatrical musical rendition of  Annie. 
Shortly  thereafter, Christina made her next big move to the Disney Channel. No,  she wasn't part of that cult-like Mickey Mouse Club that has somehow  spawned today's generation of pop stars, including Britney Spears  Christina Aguileraand Justin Timberlake. 
Actually,  she declined an offer from the club altogether. A very bold move on her  part and at such a tender age, we might add. Instead, she worked as a  junior journalist on Disney's Movie Surfers. Apparently, she had her  sights set on bigger and better things. 
This  exposure to the world of entertainment helped inspire Christina to  pursue her acting career even further. At thirteen years of age, her  mother helped her pick up the pace by bringing her to California. It was  there that she was able to take her next big step by appearing in a  flurry of TV sitcoms. This was a huge boost for Christina as her face  was now being seen on shows such as Clueless, Sister, Sister, Smart Guy,  as well as portraying a recurring character on Get Real. 
Once  she found herself submerged in the small-screen acting scene, she took  an even bigger leap in her career and appeared in the 1999 film The  Wood, and did a voice-over for an animated character in A Bug's Life. 
During  her stint in California, she also made some prosperous connections in  the music biz. After a meeting with Rodney Jerkins, he inspired her to  take a stab at recording music. Lo and behold, a few years later, after a  great deal of hard work and determination, Christina appeared in Ja  Rule's #1 single "Between Me and You." At this point she had fans  worldwide sit up and take notice while wondering to themselves, "Who on  earth is she and where did she come from?" From this point on, it's been  all uphill for Christina. 
After  completing her debut album, she wowed audiences far and wide as the  opening act on *N Sync's stadium tour. Her album was finally released in  October 2001, much to the excitement of her newfound fan base across  North America. With the recent release of Big, the singer has been  extremely busy with touring and promotional stints. Her first music  video to be released, "A.M. to P.M.," has created buzz for the  20-year-old beauty. It features Christina as a rebellious teenager who  cleverly sneaks out of her house in the middle of the night in order to  hit the dance clubs. Just the type of outlandish behavior that parents  worldwide seem to encourage so emphatically












