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Penelope Cruz had some preparation for her song-and-dance numbers in "Nine" - a karaoke machine.

"I own a karaoke machine! I like doing it when I'm alone because I get shy, singing, which is more pathetic to do karaoke by yourself," Penelope told Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos at the junket for the upcoming film, due on Christmas Day. "You can really stand up and get on top of the sofa and perform the number. I've been caught a few times."

But when it came time to sing "A Call From The Vatican" for the film, the star said she had the backing of the A-list cast, which includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Dame Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson and Fergie, among others.

"There was a really, really good energy on that set," Penelope said. "Everybody understood that the other person was going to be nervous about singing and dancing... Everyone was fighting for the movie, fighting to tell this story."

Another thing Penelope had to do for the film was gain a few pounds - something the svelte star wasn't worried about.

"It would scare me more to do it the other way around," she said. "To lose a lot of weight for a character and risk my health in any way."

While the star said she bonded with pop star Fergie, who also had to gain weight for her role, it was Sophia Loren with whom she connected the most.

"We felt that we already knew each other from before," she said.

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