Christina Aguilera fluffs national anthem

Christina Aguilera fluffed a line of the Star-Spangled banner as she belted out a version of the US national anthem to open Sunday's Super Bowl in Texas.

The singer, 30, should have sung: “O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?” but repeated an earlier line with a slight variation.

She sang: “What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming.”

The anthem is one of the set piece events of the glittering Super Bowl pre-game ceremony.

Aguilera's mistake immediately set social networks abuzz with chatter. Her representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

Controversy

The NFL final – which was this year contested by the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers – is one of the most-watched programmes in US television.

Last year it drew a record 106.5 million viewers.

The half-time show of Super Bowl in 2004 created controversy when Justin Timberlake ripped a piece of Janet Jackson's top, resulting in a glimpse of her right breast.

The pair said the incident was accidental, calling it a “wardrobe malfunction”, but broadcaster CBS TV was fined $550,000 (£351,000) after hundreds of complaints from viewers.

The fine was subsequently revoked in July 2008.

Source: BBC