When I found out I was going to get to interview Christina Aguilera, you might think the first thing I did was break into song: 'I'm a genie in a bottle, you gotta rub me the right way!' Well, that was the second thing I did. The first thing I did was do some research on the pop star.

What I found was that, in some form or another, all magazines asked the same questions: 'What was it like being on the Mickey Mouse Club with Britney?' 'Did you really have a crush on Eminem?' B-o-r-i-n-g. So I opted to give 20-year-old Christina a personality test ­ something that might be more fun, perhaps catch her off guard, and definitely give us some idea of what she's like underneath all the glamour and glitz. Here are some of the excerpts from our conversation....

Alisa: Hi, Christina, this is Alisa from MissClick.

Christina: Hey!

Alisa: Well, I thought since you're always doing interviews and answering the same questions that it might be nice to try something a little different. (Christina makes a sound that I translate as either 'Uh-oh, what on earth am I in for?' or 'Is this girl wacked?') There's this personality test I want to give you called the Keirsey Character Sorter and it divides people into four categories: Artisans (people like Madonna), Guardians (bleeding hearts like Mother Teresa), Idealists (famous women like Margaret Mead), and Rationals (really smart people like Albert Einstein)...

Christina: Oh, I hope they're broad questions.

Alisa: Oh, they're very broad (I say this in sales woman mode).

Christina: OK, can you hold on a minute? (She puts her hand over the phone, but I can overhear her say 'How long can I be on the phone?' and 'cool.' I take this as a good sign.)

Alisa: OK, I'm just gonna start. Do you see yourself as basically thick-skinned, or thin-skinned?

Christina: Oh, gee, I put on a pretty good front, but I'm pretty sensitive. I would say that I'm thick-skinned. I'm a pretty sensitive person, but I can take heat.

Alisa: Do you think of yourself as an outgoing person or a private person?

Christina: That's a tough one. I don't know. I'm really both on that one. Is there an in-between? I really do tend to be a deep thinker which makes me introverted, and that, I would say, makes me a little bit of a private person, you know what I mean? But, whenever you start talking to me, I'll really open up and I can't help but say exactly what's on my mind at all times, which gets me into trouble sometimes with the press ....(laughs). It's kind of a downfall. I think it's part of my being a Sagitarian fire sign, I'm just right there, saying what's on my mind and sometimes wanting to spit out too sarcastic of an answer.

Alisa: But when someone talks to you, you probably don't shrink away from them, you flourish, from what you've said.

Christina: You know what? I think you're right. Plus, in my line of work, I'm always having to be 'on,' so I guess I am outgoing.

Alisa: Would you say you are more serious and determined or easy going?

Christina: Hmmm.... serious and determined.

Alisa: Yeah, if I've gotten one thing out of the articles I've read about you, it's that you're serious and determined.

Christina: Sorry (laughs). I'm afraid sometimes that I'm too intense for kids, you know? I don't want to dig the whole 'Oh, I had such a rough time in high school because I lived such a different life from my peers' thing. But, the reason why I talk about it is because I want to inspire people sometimes. And I think it helps to hear that other people had a hard time. Especially because people think all the time that I have the most glamorous, perfect life, and, God, it's anything but.

Alisa: So, how would you describe your life more accurately, if you could break down those misconceptions?

Christina: Um, oh, just that it's hard knowing people are thinking, 'Oh, she gets everything handed to her. She didn't have to work for anything.' I think that's why I talk about how I had to work so hard. It wasn't like an overnight thing. A lot of people want to think that it's overnight success, but I had to go through so much alienation at times in school, you know, threats from other kids and just being shunned at certain times for no reason at all. It hurt really badly.

Alisa: Probably because you were so determined and a lot of kids just don't understand that.

Christina: Right, and I was really focused on one thing. A lot of times, I didn't want to talk about just boys, I didn't want to talk about cheerleading practice. You know what I mean? I wanted to be fully into music.

Alisa: Are you easy to approach or are you somewhat reserved?

Christina: I'm easy to approach. A lot of people think I'm not, but I am.

Alisa: In most situations, are you more deliberate or spontaneous?

Christina: I would say spontaneous. I love spontaneity!

Alisa: Common sense is usually reliable or frequently questionable?

Christina: Hmmm ... interesting. I've never questioned that! (laughs) I've never questioned common sense. I rely on my instincts.

Alisa: At a party, do you interact with many, even strangers, or interact only with a few friends?

Christina: In between somewhere. I talk to people, and if they come up to me, I'll definitely start. I'm all for making new friends. But I'm pretty low-key when I first come in to a party - but that's also because of who I am, too. It's not like I can just walk up to anybody and be like, 'Hey, what's your name? My name's so-and-so.' That's a weird question for me, but I'll say interact with many.

Alisa: Are you swayed more by convincing evidence or a touching appeal?

Christina: Mmmm .... well, a touching appeal can be very misleading and fake, right? So, I think evidence. But well, then evidence can be wrong because what if you were set up? Kind of tricky. Let's say touching appeal.

Alisa: In a heated discussion, do you stick to your guns or look for a common ground?

Christina: (laughs) Well, I'm very spiritual, so I'm like the peacemaker, you know what I mean? That's what I believe in, or what I should believe in. I think finding a common ground because after a while, I do want to just settle an argument and just do the right thing.

Alisa: Do you speak more in particulars or generalities?

Christina: Wouldn't you say details? I'd say details because I pinpoint things a lot.

Alisa: When the phone rings, do you hurry to get it first or hope someone else will get it?

Christina: Um, it depends on who's calling! It depends who's on the Caller ID (laughs).

Alisa: Think back to before there was Caller ID.

Christina: Yeah, right (laughs). I'd probably get it.

Alisa: Are you more observant or introspective?

Christina: I'd say introspective. I'm sometimes too much in my own world. You know, I'm not thinking about what the other person is trying to tell me (laughing).

Alisa: At work, is it more natural for you to point out mistakes or to try to please others?

Christina: Oh, that's tough. That's a yes to because right now, I'm in an awkward situation, you know? I really have my own ideas of what I want to do and what I want to be, but then everyone around me has their own opinion, and it's a bit of a tug-of-war. I think somewhere in the middle. It's not like I'd want to kiss someone's, you know .... (laughing). But it's not like I just want to be negative all the time, either. I don't know ..... At this point in my life, I would have to pick the first answer because I'm looking out for what's best for me and my career when it comes to work.

Alisa: When finishing a job, do you like to tie up all the loose ends or move on to something else?

Christina: Well, I definitely like to get a job finished before I start another one. But I don't know, because sometimes I just have so many projects on the table that I'm working on so many at the same time. So, what should that be, the second one? I guess it depends on what it is, though. In the vocal studio, I'm always nit-picking every last detail until it's done. I don't know, I think I'm a 'tie up all the loose ends' kind of person.

Many questions later, Christina, or 'the good sport' as I should call her, had to get back to a rehearsal. So after I promised to send her the results, we said our goodbyes. Now, for the results....

Seeing as Christina is one of the most famous pop stars in the world, I figured that when her answers tabulated, she would come out to be an 'Artisan,' like entertainers Barbra Streisand and Madonna. But according to the Keirsey Character Sorter, Christina is an "Idealist Teacher," defined by Dr. David Keirsey as, 'one who expects the very best of those around her, and is an expert at encouraging and motivating others to live up to their potential.' Teachers are also 'extraordinarily charismatic individuals who value harmonious human relations above all else, handle people with charm and concern, and are usually popular wherever they go.' And the piece de resistence is that Idealist Teachers only make up about 2 to 3 percent of the population. They're not only exceptional people, but they're rare as well.

It's funny how giving this test to Christina made me see her in a different light. As we talked, I almost forgot that she's the 'Genie in a Bottle' who has throngs of adoring fans that know every word to every song she's ever sang. To me, she's really just your exceptional Idealist Teacher ­ Number 1 hits and all, that's the way I like to see her.

-- Alisa Weinstein is the former editor of MissClick and now works on ChickClick.com's entertainment channel.