For this week’s Friday Flashback, we turn to Christina Aguilera. I can’t believe that nearly ten years have passed since the other former Mouseketeer rubbed us the right way with “Genie In A Bottle,” a five-week #1 smash in 1999.

On Tuesday, Aguilera released Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits. The 14-track retrospective features updates of “Genie In A Bottle” and “Beautiful,” plus two new songs (the electro-inspired title track and “Dynamite”). If you’ve spent any time in front of the TV recently, you’re familiar with the pulsating “Keeps Gettin’ Better,” the centerpiece of a Target commercial touting the exclusive release.

This got me thinking about an earlier, more innocent Aguilera incarnation, and another #1, 2000’s “Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You).” At the time, MTV was making mad money by cashing in on pop stars like her, Britney Spears, *NSYNC, and Backstreet Boys, serving them up to frenzied fans every afternoon on TRL. But it was another MTV show, Making The Video, that grabbed my eyeballs and gobbled up my evenings. (The longevity of Food Network’s Unwrapped is proof that folks love a behind-the-scenes peek at how sugary confections are concocted.)

Aguilera’s “Come On Over Baby” was the focus of one Making The Video, an episode I watched nearly every time it aired (yes, really), thinking it cool how the different scenes blended so seamlessly together. Watching the video now, those transitions aren’t as smooth as I remember, but the clip’s final segment eerily predicts more recent Target ads. By now partnering with the big-box retailer for Keeps Gettin’ Better, somehow Aguilera has come full circle.

As an unabashed fan of pop music, I’m looking forward to this week’s Sound Opinions, the rock-and-roll talk show that airs on public radio. Music critics Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot will be tackling the topic of Bubblegum Pop, and it’s a sure bet that some time will be spent on the Aguilera era (and the demise of TRL, which airs its last gasp, er, Total Finale Live, on Sunday at 8/7 Central).

In the Chicago area, you can catch Sound Opinions tonight on WBEZ-FM at 8:00 pm Central (with a repeat broadcast 11:00 am Saturday). See when it’s on in your local area, listen live online, or grab the podcast when it’s posted Monday.

Christina Aguilera’s Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits is available at Target locations nationwide and online via Amazon.