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IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR MARIAH, EVEN THOUGH SHE WON'T ADMIT IT . . .: One female singer willing to admit that she has had a breakdown is Christina Aguilera. But it was just a little breakdown.

Aguilera, finally ready to release her first English, non-Christmas album since her 1999 debut, says she had "a little breakdown around April" because she didn't think she could trust anyone anymore.

"A couple of very close people to me who I confided in have sold me out for money, confidantes who were working for me and who I trusted," Aguilera, 21, says in an imdb.com story. "It's sad learning in this business that money is more important to people than friends."

Also contributing to her problems were media reports about her weight and an alleged sex tape. And then she broke up with her longtime boyfriend, she tells London's Daily Mirror.

Making her new album, called Stripped, was therapeutic, Aguilera says: "Emotionally I've laid myself bare. It's what's in my heart."

Among the song titles: Fighter, Love Me for Me, Underappreciated, Make Over, Soar and I'm OK.

FEEL THE POWER: There probably is a downside to being Tom Hanks. He has gained some weight in the past few years. Joe Versus the Volcano is shown a lot on cable lately. He still has nightmares about co-starring with that dog. . . .

Still, Entertainment Weekly is the second magazine this year to name Hanks the most powerful actor in Hollywood.

He got the same nod from Premiere in April.

Hanks gets a broader recognition from Entertainment Weekly, though. He leads its list of most powerful "stars," which also includes directors and producers. That means he's ahead of sometimes partner Steven Spielberg (No. 2); Ron Howard and his producing partner, Brian Grazer (No. 7), and sometimes partners Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney (coupled at No. 12), to name a few.

Apart from his acting, Hanks is cited for producing My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the most surprising movie hit of the year. And then he won an Emmy last month for directing a Band of Brothers episode.

FEEL MORE OF THE POWER: Powerful people lists are annual occurrences for show business magazines, but Entertainment Weekly this year broke its list into two for the first time, one for stars and one for power brokers.

(On top of the latter is HBO's Jeff Bewkes and Chris Albrecht, credited for establishing The Sopranos and Sex and the City, among other shows.)

Premiere still does one list, which was notable this year because an actor didn't make the top 10 for the first time. Hanks was the highest-ranked, at No. 15. Spielberg finished higher on the list, at No. 6.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE: And maybe not long enough for some of you, but here's an American Idol update:

-- Put yourself on the firing line if you're 16 to 24 years old. (And don't lie about your age; remember the national humiliation of 29-year-old Delano "I'm 23 for this show" Cagnolatti.) Auditions for American Idol 2 are Nov. 2 in Miami.

-- In addition to top-five finisher Tamyra Gray getting a short-term gig on Boston Public, runner-up Justin Guarini has signed a record contract with the label of Idol creator Simon Fuller.

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