Enlarge By Kevin Winter, Getty Images Actor Stanley Tucci, left, and writer/director Steve Antin talk at the after-party for the premiere of Burlesque.

•Cher, 64, as Tess, performer and owner of the financially troubled Burlesque Lounge. "She wants to connect with the people she is working with. She doesn't have any walls up. She wants to be part of the process, to be in the trenches. I would look at her when I was working with someone else or between takes, and she would be sitting in her chair. I said, 'You can go back to your trailer.' And she would say no. She wants to hang and get to know everyone."

•Christina Aguilera, 29, as Ali, a nightclub diva-in-training whose talent is only topped by her ambition. "This is her first film and she is in most of the movie — singing, saying dialogue, dancing. She is a natural on screen. She has an innate acting ability, and it is evident. She worked her butt off, and it shows."

•Julianne Hough, 22, as Georgia, a peach of a dancer who supports Ali. "She's delightful. Personality personified. I first became aware of her on Dancing With the Stars. I was so taken by her. I said, 'This girl reminds me of a baby blond Ann-Margret.' She has a wonderful innocence about her."

•Stanley Tucci, 50, as Sean, the lounge's gay stage manager who adores Tess, his best friend and one-night-only lover. "Stanley is a rare breed. He doesn't have a moment on film that isn't honest and truthful. Every second is good. You can use every take. He and Cher developed an endearing affinity for each other."

•Cam Gigandet, 28, as Jack, a hot bartender whose far-away fiancée stands in the way of him and roommate Ali becoming a couple. "He is certainly a dreamboat. But what is special about him is that he is a solid actor, a thoughtful actor and incredibly well-prepared. The icing on the cake? Besides being staggeringly beautiful, he is funny. He is capable of being a wonderful goofy guy."

•Eric Dane, 38, as Marcus, a smooth real-estate tycoon who wants to buy the lounge and win Ali's heart. "I told him that I didn't want people to think he was a mustache-twirling villain. That is why there is that line: 'You aren't a bad guy. You're just the wrong guy.' To be likable, he smiled through a lot of his moments."