Christina Aguilera Ruined the National Anthem for Super Bowl XLV

After listening to Lea Michelle of "Glee" (and racy magazine spread) fame deliver a glossy version of "America the Beautiful", I was ready to hear another singer take the microphone. Admittedly, knowing that the next batter would be Christina Aguilera didn't make me feel too secure. I've known of her since the early days with pop songs like "Genie in a Bottle". While she has always been a target for her tendency to oversing songs, you still had to recognize her natural singing talent. However, once she started singing, I knew that this performance would live in Super Bowl Infamy!

Christina did everything in her power to butcher this song from the first to the last "overmodulated" note. The sad thing is that her singing resume is impressive. Christina Aguilera has won Five Grammys. I know this because they bragged about it just before her gut wrenching rendition of the National Anthem.

For everyone reading this thinking--"Who are you to judge someone for their mistakes?" or, "I'd like to see you get up in front of all those people and belt out a masterpiece"--Get real. Fortunately, I am not a professional singer. Christian Aguilera is a professional singer. As such, I expect her to be able to sing on key and to remember the lyrics.

It's not like somebody kidnapped her from from an hour before show time and forced her to sing the song. She knew she was going to be singing the National Anthem. Maybe a quick look over the words would help her remember them. This was the Super Bowl stage, not some hometown county fair . This performance should be mandatory listening for every "American Idol" wannabe who thinks that success isn't about continual hard work.

Tonight proved that being the winner of five grammy awards doesn't stop people from hearing your bad notes. It might actually make them pay more attention to them. Bragging about your accomplishments isn't equal to continued success. Let Christina's "National Anthem Hayem" serve as a cautionary tale to singers all over the world... Maybe lip syching to prerecorded lyrics isn't always a horrible idea!