MTV Nabs Latina Comedy From Jennifer LopezMTV is looking to Jennifer Lopez for laughs and Latino viewers.The younger skewing network has ordered a half-hour comedy script from the singer-producer. The project centers on Lina Molina, a recent NYU grad who, because of a dire economy and grim job prospects, is forced to return home to suburban Texas to her eccentric Mexican family. Grace Parra (Work It, Glory Daze, Jonas) is on board to write, with Lopez's Nuyorican Productions partner Simon Fields and manager Benny Medina joining her as executive producers. Brent Haynes, the network's senior vice president of comedy and animation and an integral part of the project, will serve as MTV's executive on the potential series. The news comes as Nuyorican continues to expand its TV footprint. The shingle has projects at truTV (South Beach Tow), Spike TV (Big Easy Justice) and Fox (a sibling dramedy with Ugly Betty showrunner Silvio Horta). MTV, too, has been busy growing its scripted portfolio, which includes Teen Wolf, animated reboot Beavis & Butt-head and critical darling Awkward. Lopez and Nuyorican are repped by UTA and attorneys Bob Wallerstein and Ryan Nord at Hirsch Wallerstein; Parra is repped by UTA and Mosaic. Jennifer Lopez: I've Finally Learned the "Biggest Lesson" About RelationshipsJennifer Lopez has the Glamour thing down. (Both figuratively and literally, as she's the magazine's December cover girl.)But despite having been around the block a few times, her outlook on love and relationships is still a work in progress. "I think I've finally learned the biggest lesson of all," she tells the mag, three months after her separation from Marc Anthony following seven years of marriage. And what might that lesson be, besides the fact that love does apparently cost you a few things along the way? "You've got to love yourself first," affirms the recording star and American Idol judge. "You've got to be OK on your own before you're OK with someone else. You've got to value yourself and know that you're worth everything. "And until you value yourself enough and love yourself enough to know that, you can't really have a healthy relationship." Wow, celebs really are just like regular people, confidence issues and everything. But it sure sounds as if Lopez is ready to make a go of it with someone new, though we don't think she'll be doing any name-dropping anytime soon. "I think to give something a chance, to really get to know somebody, you want to do it out of the public eye," Lopez says. "You know the media—they want to rush everything." We admit it, we're suckers for l'amour! (Bradley Cooper knows what we're talking about.) Jennifer Lopez Will Be 'Tougher' Next Season on American IdolThe season 11 premiere of American Idol is still months away but Jennifer Lopez is already hard at work uncovering the country's best singing talent."We're a little tougher on everybody," the judge told PEOPLE at a Samsung Hope for Children event supporting the Maribel Foundation in Los Angeles. "Because of last season and the standard that we set, it's easy to go, 'Is he as good as even our top 24 from last year?' " Not to worry, though. Lopez assures there's been no lack of "amazing" voices. "It's not like you find people just like that, but the ones that we found, we know are very special," she said. Between her nasty divorce and rumor-fueled relaysh, the gal definitely deserves a smoking-hot rebound like rumored fling Bradley Cooper. Problem is, we're worried Cooper may not be the perfect gentleman for Miss Lopez. Behind those deep blue eyes, dude can be a heart breaker. So are the rumored couple meant to be, or should Jenny take a walk down a different block? And what do Jenny's friends have to say? "Are you kidding?" asked one close chum to the American Idol star, "Anybody would be an improvement after [Marc Anthony]. He did not treat her well." OK, we get that. But is Bradley good for Jennifer? "For now," the friend told us. If you ask us, we also say Cooper's a fine choice—but only for the immediate future. After all, dude is known for his gentlemanly ways, something Jen definitely needs after insecure Marc reportedly couldn't handle Jen's success. No doubt, J.Lo is a bit of a hopeless romantic (she's has been married three times), and her emotional performance over the weekend and tribute to her lost loves proves the gal is still down from the split. And while Us Weekly reports Bradley is pursuing Jen like crazy, we're worried the Limitless star may reach his limit with Lopez—after all, his career is what reportedly put an end to his relaysh with Renée Zellweger, and we certainly know J.Lo won't take a backseat to any man's career. So for now, Cooper does seem a fine, and most importantly, a safe choice for Jen, but whom should she go for when this romance fizzles? Last time we checked, you all had some interesting choices for J.Lo, namely Alex Rodriguez, Eva Longoria and Lopez's smoldering video costar, William Levy, who's currently single and getting super sweaty and toned in the new man-candy flick Magic Mike. Well, Jennifer, we still think this is a super-hot (and smart) suggestion! How about it, babe?
"I was watching her in the dress rehearsal and she was just giddy and having so much fun," Maria Menounos, who spent time with Lopez, 42, tells PEOPLE. "She seemed really positive and upbeat." But when Lopez saw her mom in the audience during a performance of "Until It Beats No More," she suddenly broke down, she tells Menounos, 33, in an interview airing on Extra Monday night. "I didn't see her the whole time until this one moment, and I was a bit emotional," the singer explains in the interview. As for having dancers re-enact scenes with some of the men from her past, Lopez tells Extra she "wanted to do a section of the show that talked about love [and] different moments in my life." Lopez, who calls herself "a regular person like everybody else," adds, "I have feelings and emotions. My life goes great and it goes not great sometimes. But you know what? We keep going, and that?s what it is."
During part of her performance at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut -- when she sang "Until It Beats No More" -- several dancers dressed as men from her past ... like Diddy, Cris Judd, and Ben Affleck ... and Jennifer teared up, telling the crowd, "I took a trip down memory lane." But sources tell TMZ, Jennifer is claiming it wasn't her exes who brought her to tears ... it was a picture of the singer and her babies that was displayed on the jumbo-tron during her performance. According to sources, the photo -- shot for a Gucci ad last fall -- has some serious sentimental value to J.Lo ... and when she saw the image during an already emotional performance ... it pushed her over the edge. Lopez' twins -- who she had with estranged hubby Marc Anthony -- were born in 2008.
Two things strike us (other than the weird Pied Piper thing) - first off, did you catch Randy Jackson trying to hold J.Lo's hand and she letting it drop because no one is going to hold J.Lo's beautiful hand in his giant sweaty paw. And secondly, the tagline was "the incredible journey begins." The judges are totally the "Incredible Journey" animals - J.Lo is Sassy the cat, Tyler is the crazy hyper Chance and Randy is the old, ready to be put out to pasture Shadow (RIP, Don Ameche). So "American Idol" is back Jan. 22! Woo and hoo. If you missed it, we'll post video of the commercial as soon as we have it.
"I'm going to sing you the last song I wrote about love," Lopez, who recently split from husband Marc Anthony, told the audience at the Mohegan Sun's 15th anniversary celebration on Saturday night after singing an acoustic rendition of her hit "If You Had My Love." "A lot has changed since then." Lopez, 42, then launched into "Until It Beats No More" while dancers re-enacted scenes with the singer and some of the men from her past. A Lopez lookalike danced with guys who looked a lot like her exes Diddy, Cris Judd and Ben Affleck. The final couple to appear in the spotlight danced much like Lopez and her estranged husband during their American Idol performance in May, just weeks before they announced their split. After she was done, Lopez told the sold-out crowd, "I took a trip down memory lane" – and then started to cry as the crowd applauded. But it wasn't all sadness for Lopez. She then held up a photo of her twins Max and Emme, 3½, and said, "There's love – and then there's love."
Sources tell Us Weekly that Cooper's plane had arrived in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. the night before, while Lopez had left a family function at 2 a.m. When they were photographed in the car the next morning at 10 a.m., Lopez reportedly looked disheveled but happy. "Bradley hit the gas pretty hard and she began to laugh as they went flying down the road," a source said. He apparently drove her home. According to the magazine, Cooper, who broke up with Renee Zellweger in March, has been in hot pursuit of Lopez, who split from husband Marc Anthony in July. "[He is] really trying to woo Jennifer in a big way," a source says. "Considering how depressed she's been since her breakup, it's no surprise that she finally decided to let him in. She needs a boost and he really wants her." Back in late September, Cooper allegedly visited Lopez in Miami, checking into the Boca Beach Club resort the day after she did. Earlier that month, the two sat next to each other at a Tommy Hilfiger fashion show. On September 10, Lopez and Cooper were spotted on a date at Per Se in New York, as Page Six reported. "He waited 10 minutes for her to arrive, and she turned up in a white bandage dress looking ridiculously hot," a source squealed. "They sat at a corner table smiling and chatting. It looked like they were heavily flirting. They left together out of a back door."
The series, produced by Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment, will premiere in the first quarter of 2012. It will air on Univision in the United States, on Televisa in Mexico, and in Colombia on Caracol TV. Other broadcast partners for the series will be announced soon. It is expected to air in 21 countries in all. The series, which is currently filming in English, Spanish and Portuguese, features Lopez, Anthony and director Jamie King traveling through Latin America in search of the most compelling talent in a variety of disciplines, including singing and dancing, with the aid of YouTube and Facebook. In a news release, Lopez said that the series will "discover and celebrate the most captivating talent the world has ever seen." "Very soon the world's heart will beat to the tune of Latin rhythms, and we're looking forward to experiencing history in the making," Lopez said. The talent search for the series, which is shooting through January, actually began in June, with the public submitting their suggestions for talent via Facebook, and the performers submitting their auditions on YouTube. The production and distribution deal for the series was brokered through international production and distribution company Endemol.
A source close to Lopez says the two spent time together on Saturday. Reps for both did not respond for comment. This isn't the first time Lopez, 42 has been seen with the Hangover star, 37. The pair had dinner last month at Per Se in New York City but quickly asserted that the meeting was nothing more than just business – but was it? "After their date in New York, Bradley and Jennifer stayed in touch," says a source close to Lopez. The source also says: "She does like his attention, and it makes her feel good that he seems so into her. She has a fun time with Bradley and he makes her laugh." Adds another source: "She likes him."
Favorite Artist Jennifer Lopez just purchased a 2-acre property in the exclusive Water Mill area of the Hamptons, New York. The 14,000-square foot home boasts seven bedrooms, nine and a half baths and beautiful panoramic water views. Last listed at $17,999,999, the home was built in 2010, and sites have been buzzing about her interest in the property for weeks. Luxurious extras include heated marble floors in the master bath, multiple walk-in closets and imported limestone flooring in the foyer. Not to mention seven fireplaces – five inside and two out – and tons of entertaining space. There is, of course, a pool and dockage on Mecox Bay. Lopez spent some time in the Hamptons this summer, and was even spotted with Marc Anthony at Sagg Main beach about a month after they announced the end of their seven-year-marriage.
Following her performance at the iHeartRadio music festival, Lopez headed to Pure Nightclub with an entourage of more than a dozen people, including her backup dancers. Dressed in a short cream dress with pink stripes, Lopez hung out in the club's elevated VIP area, sipping Dom Perignon Rose as her music videos played on two oversized screens at each end of the club. By all accounts, Lopez has bounced back from her split with husband Marc Anthony and is into having a good time. About an hour after arriving at Pure, "one of her dancers took his shirt and gave her a lap dance," a source tells PEOPLE. "She was laughing and loving it." Surrounded by her crew and security guards, Lopez was at times barely visible at her VIP table but came to the front when DJ Irie played "On the Floor." She sang along to her song and shook hands with fans clamoring for a glimpse of the returning American Idol judge. Later, Lopez danced on the couch in her private area when the deejay played songs by Rihanna and the Black Eyes Peas before leaving the club at 3:30 a.m.
Speculation kicked into high gear over the weekend that there's a new celebrity power couple ready to assume the ranks after none other than Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper were spotted intimately dining together—and with no other hangers-on—at New York's Per Se Saturday night. So what's the deal? Was the meet-up strictly business, all pleasure…or both? Exhale, ladies: the Limitless star is still, as far as we can tell, on the market. Despite his penchant for fiery Jennifers (lest we forget, he had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it marriage to Jennifer Esposito in his pre-Hangover days), E! News has learned that this particular meeting was nothing personal. A source close to the newly-single Lopez tells E! News that she was simply in New York doing promotion for her new Kohl's collection (with ex-hubby Marc Anthony) and took full advantage of being on the East Coast, taking several meetings for various creative endeavors. One of those meetings, the source says, was her dinner with Cooper. The duo was simply discussing a possible future film project together. And while they're just friends—and possible colleagues—for now, they would make a pretty stunning couple, if we may say so.
After keeping close company with Olivia Wilde in May and then receiving an honor from Charlize Theron last week, The Hangover star is generating the most talk because of his dinner companion this weekend. She was no other than the recently available Jennifer Lopez. Although the Internet lit up with reports of a budding romance between Cooper, 37, and Lopez, 42, a source tells PEOPLE that the dinner Saturday at the New York restaurant Per Se was all business. The pair, according to the source, are "in discussions regarding a project."
Anthony and Lopez launched their fashion lines — the Marc Anthony Collection and the Jennifer Lopez Collection — on Wednesday. Anthony marked the launch with a ribbon cutting at Kohl's department store in downtown Jersey City, N.J. Lopez did not attend, but Anthony said they collaborated a lot on the work. "I always had Jennifer as a soundboard and vice versa," he said of his collection. "I'm really happy about her line and I saw all the work that she put into it." Anthony also said he's "really proud of" Lopez. The pair, both 42, announced their split in July after seven years of marriage. They have 3-year-old twins named Max and Emme. In April, Lopez and Anthony announced plans for a TV show together called "Q'Viva! The Chosen," a series searching for talent in Latin America and then bringing them to America. It will be produced by Simon Fuller, the creator of "American Idol," where Lopez works as judge. A representative for Anthony said the show is in its pre-production stage.
The singer admits that she and her cohorts on the panel – Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler – recently had their most combative disagreement since coming together as a threesome on last season's show. "Me and Randy and Steve got into our first fight. I got really, really upset," Lopez, 42, told Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show Friday. The blowout – which Seacrest confirmed visibly riled her – bubbled up at a recent audition after a girl with what Lopez felt was an exceptional voice performed for the panel. "She was amazing," Lopez recalls. But Tyler didn't agree – and asked for another song. "I was surprised because I was ready to vote," Lopez said, adding with a laugh, "Sometimes the days get kinda long." When the girl's second song got going, though, Tyler, and then Jackson, quickly nixed the girl from going further in the competition. "I thought I was being Punk'd," Lopez recalls. "[I thought], 'How can we let this girl go?' I was upset. When I believe in something … I knew this girl deserves the chance." All in all, though, Lopez says her second season is "going really great," but does admit: "The kids, we're being really tough on them." Lopez, whose new single Papi (off her latest album Love) is now out, briefly referenced her soon-to-be ex-husband Marc Anthony. "I call everybody 'Papi,' " Lopez said of the inspiration for the song. "I used to call Marc 'Papi.' We wrote the song about loving somebody and celebrating that."
"I'll always love Jennifer," Anthony, 42, tells ABC News in an interview airing Thursday. Anthony has remained mum since announcing the end of his seven year marriage to Lopez, 42, in July. While Anthony joked, "They're saying I'm single" during a concert in Colombia last month, witnesses told PEOPLE that he was aloof and visibly upset before the show. The couple recently reunited in the Hamptons, but, according to Anthony's rep, the purpose of the get-together was to spend time with 3-year-old twins Max and Emme.
In the image, angry protesters gathered on a litter-strewn street in front of a overturned, burning car in the images - a scene similar to those of the recent riots in London. Lopez simply wrote "omg yesterday got a 'lil hectic" in the Twitter.com message to accompany the picture, prompting fans to fear the star had been caught up in violence. It took more devoted fans to point out the shot came from the set of Lopez's new video, Papi, and the protesters were actors. Without explaining herself, Lopez later posted another image from the shoot, adding, "it was out of control yesterday!!!!!"
"I got a little bit tired at the end with everything going on in my life at the time," says Lopez, whose split with husband Marc Anthony was announced less than two months after the finale. But at a news conference in Savannah, Ga., where the show is taping, Lopez told reporters that she realized Idol was "one of the best things I've ever been involved with" and that she enjoyed working with the contestants as well as fellow judges Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler and host Ryan Seacrest. "I was like 'OK I'm gonna do it again,'" she says. Earlier this month, producer Nigel Lythgoe had made it official, announcing that Lopez was coming back for a second season.
Lopez will join already Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and record producer Randy Jackson for the 11th season of the singing talent show which will begin airing on January 22, Fox said. “Having both Jennifer and Steven return to ‘Idol’ in 2012 alongside Randy is such a positive reflection on what was a wonderful and hugely successful season last year, and everyone is delighted,” the show’s creator Simon Fuller said in a statement. Lopez had said earlier this summer that she was undecided about whether to sign on for a second season of the top-rated singing show, which boosted its audiences last season after revamping the panel. “American Idol” also has been good for the actress and singer, whose career had slumped since she took time off to have twins in 2008. She topped People magazine’s “most beautiful” list earlier this year and had a top 10 hit with her dance single “On the Floor.” However, Lopez announced in July that she was divorcing her husband of seven years, Latin singer Marc Anthony.
Mirren, 66, took top Best Body honors in the poll. She earned close to 18% of the poll's votes compared to Lopez, 42, who took nearly 8% of the tally. "I think the voting was rigged in some way," Mirren exclaims to USA Today. "It had to have been. JLo is about 1,000% more beautiful from the top of her head to her little toe." "I'm grateful for small mercies," she says, when pressed about the result. "I'll put it that way." The poll was conducted by the LA Fitness gym chain. Mirren also beat Elle "The Body" MacPherson (10.6% of the vote) and Pippa Middleton (4%). Mirren continues to turn back the clock as she stars as a former Mossad agent returning to the field in The Debt (in theaters Aug. 31). She is particularly tickled about the poll since her husband, filmmaker Taylor Hackford, is working on the film Parker with Lopez. "He loved the fact that his two leading ladies are on the same front page," Mirren says of Hackford. But she vowed to make the situation right when she visits the Parker set. "When I get on set I am going to have a photo taken next to JLo to show what a terrible mistake they have made," says Mirren. "I know she will be absolutely gracious and funny about it."
Even though reps say the get-together was only a chance for the split couple to be with their children, others are actually getting their hopes up, wondering if this means the divorce lawyers will be called off. Don't count on it. "I don't know about him," said a good friend to the handsome couple, "but she's done—as she should be. Do you have any idea what she put up with?" Yes. And we've contacted Lopez and Anthony's reps before about accusations of controlling and obsessive behavior on Marc's part, but never heard back. We heard that just took its toll on Lopez—and then some. "[Jennifer] would never go back to Marc," the couple's mutual friend practically seethed. "Never." OK then, good to know. Which raises the question: who will J.Lo hook up with next? Because the girl's made it quite clear: She does not like to be alone and loves to be in love! Any guesses who's next, folks?
Nearly a month after the couple split, the two singers were spotted basking in the Long Island sun near Sagg Main Beach in Southampton ... inside a red Mustang convertible. No explanation yet for the unexpected reunion today -- but Marc's rep tells TMZ, he was on the East Coast visiting his children. Marc has sired five offspring in total -- one out of wedlock, two with his first wife, and two with Jennifer. It's unclear which children he was visiting.
"I am delighted to say that all three judges, along with the brilliant host of American Idol [Ryan Seacrest], [are] back for the next season," Lythgoe said Wednesday on Seacrest's radio show. Lopez, who said in June she was "on the fence" about coming back, was reportedly near a $20 million deal last week. She earned $12 million last season. Lopez and fellow judges Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson will soon hit the road for the Season 11 auditions, Lythgoe added. Are you glad J. Lo's sticking around?
Many prizes were not handed out during the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night, including Lopez’s Choice TV Personality and bride-to-be Kardashian’s Choice Female Reality/Variety TV Star. Chace Crawford was also a post-show winner - he picked up the Choice TV Actor (Drama) honour for Gossip Girl - and The Simpsons was named Choice Animated Show. Pretty Little Liars picked up three post-ceremony awards - Choice Summer TV Show and Choice Summer TV Stars (Lucy Hale and Ian Harding). Meanwhile, The Voice was named Choice TV Breakout Show and American Idol picked up the Choice Reality TV Competition Show honour. The big winners at the ceremony were Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, who claimed 11 awards between them. There were also multiple wins for Gomez’s boyfriend Justin Bieber and the casts of the Harry Potter films, Twilight and TV drama The Vampire Diaries.
While J.Lo negotiates the finishing touches of a deal, said to be worth up to $20 million, to return to "Idol" for another season, sources say leaks about the nature of the talks have made her fellow judges restless. Aerosmith frontman Tyler is already tied into a two-year deal worth about $10 million a year, while Randy Jackson has said he's committed to coming back to the show. One source told Page Six, "J.Lo's management is close to brokering her a huge deal to come back to the panel for at least one more season, and but the side effect is that it means her fellow judges also want more money. "Steven is halfway through a two-year deal, and his management has asked for more money," the source said. "They argue he was just as sensational and as popular on the panel as Jennifer. But, on the other side, show bosses argue he's tied into a deal and has to stick to it. However, it's hoped they can come to a compromise to keep Steven happy, because the producers love him." Another source told us that while the money deal with J.Lo has been agreed, the final negotiations center around scheduling her "Idol" appearances around her other TV and movie commitments. J.Lo and Tyler joined the panel after star judge Simon Cowell left last year to start his own singing competition, "The X Factor," which starts on Fox next month. "American Idol" is due to return for its 11th season in January. A spokesman for J.Lo told us, "Talks are ongoing -- she has nothing to announce as yet." He declined to comment on Tyler and Jackson. A rep for Tyler also declined to comment, as did Fox. A rep for Jackson didn't get back to us.
Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly told a meeting of TV critics he had no headline-making announcements -- "maybe like confirm Jennifer Lopez or something. No luck there." The return of Lopez for the upcoming 11th season of "American Idol" has been in doubt after the singer said earlier this summer that she was undecided about doing a second year. Several news reports, all citing unnamed sources, have reported that Lopez is ready to sign up, and this week, showbiz website TheWrap.com said a deal had been finalized that would pay Lopez just over $20 million. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and veteran record producer Randy Jackson are already confirmed as judges when the talent contest resumes on Fox in January. Lopez and Tyler joined the judging panel this past season, helping to boost flagging viewership for the aging "American Idol" and maintain its status as the most-watched show on U.S. TV. The show has also been good for Lopez. She topped People magazine's "most beautiful" list earlier this year and had a top 10 hit with her dance single "On the Floor." However, Lopez announced in July that she was divorcing her husband of seven years, Latin singer Marc Anthony, with whom she had twins in 2008.
"She is very relieved to be out of [the marriage], frankly," says a source close to the singer, who recently celebrated her 42nd birthday. "I don't think she is sitting around crying or wondering if she made the wrong decision." Instead Lopez – who is currently with her 3-year-old twins Max and Emme in Atlanta where she's shooting the movie What to Expect When You're Expecting – is focused on work. "For her, it's back to business," the source says. "She is all about her career. She's excited to move on." Speaking of Lopez's career, another source told PEOPLE last month that she is "very close" to signing on for a second season as a judge on American Idol. On Friday, Idol executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz told reporters that negotiations are on track. "Look, we are not worried," she said of Lopez's Idol deal. "The contract hasn't been signed yet, but she'll be back."
The star hasn't had the best of weeks, especially with her public separation from hubby Marc Anthony continuing to make headlines. But to top it off, she also had to hear of another ex-hubby's negotiations to pose for Playgirl and then see her wax figure get sexually harassed by some topless Chippendale dancers. (And yes, that's 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons slightly grazing her boob with a rose.) All right, so maybe we're a little too harsh on the dancers. They're trying to be funny now that Jenny From the Block is single. We get it. But as for Ojani Noa, that's still a sucky situation. E! News got a hold of Noa's rep, Ed Meyer, who confirmed the deal is in negotiations, saying, "It's true! Ron Jeremy watch out! Get my drift? Big bucks!" Ummm, OK...moving on. Claudia Vazquez, a close associate of Noa, says she has been trying to get Noa to pose for the mag for a while, saying, "I've been telling him forever but he's so shy! He has a nice package, why not share it with the world!?" A nice package? Just how close of an associate is she?! Oh, and of course there's the whole money situation. "He wouldn't do it for just a little bit of money. They are paying really good," Vazquez said. Sigh. Keep your head up, J.Lo. We got your back, girl.
“O is often the go-to magazine for lines that want to do an exclusive first look,” Glassman tells PEOPLE. “It’s so great to have her teach women how to get a kind of everyday glamour like hers.” Lopez served as a guest fashion editor on the shoot, which appears in the magazine’s September issue, choosing outfits and accessories for all eight women. “Jennifer is very approachable right from the start, so they got comfortable with her right away,” Glassman says. And for Lopez, newly single, that’s important. “I’m a mom,” she tells O. “I work. I want comfort. But I want to feel sexy and modern. I think most women want the same things.” Lopez, who also wears looks from her Kohl’s collection in the spread, gave all of the models tips on posing for the camera, and even directed hair and makeup. And though she’s a true style icon, she was humbled by the praise she received from everyone on set that day. “This is the fulfilling part,” she says. “To have women tell me, ‘This is so comfortable, it fits so well.’” But Glassman says it’s not surprising everyone loved her designs. “These clothes look fantastic … they really give the essence of what her style is about,” he shares. For more of Lopez’s shoot, pick up the September issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. And look for the star’s Kohl’s collection in stores this fall.
The latest hitch? Back in June, a still house-arrested LiLo was shot by Vanity Fair, ostensibly with the promise that she and her latest sob story tale of recovery would make for some delicious fodder for the cover. Cut to the magazine's reveal this week, when in lieu of Lohan's freckled mug, the world was greeted by a smoldering (and, of course, single) Jennifer Lopez. Naturally, it didn't take long for the media to point out (and revel in) the supposed snub. So…did LiLo really get the boot in order for the mag to tell J.Lo's divorce confessional? Don't cancel that subscription just yet, because this rumor is… So false! Not that it couldn't happen. It just didn't. And it turns out, the faulty groundwork for this particular rumor was laid by the New York Post (who, in fairness, has since amended their report, though the initial unquestioning reporting is still viewable). A publicist for Vanity Fair tells E! News that Lohan was "never going to be on our September cover. Page Six got us mixed up with Italian Vanity Fair." Indeed, Lindsay did appear on the cover of the Italian edition of Graydon Carter's magazine just last month, in which she discussed, briefly, her thoughts on jail, and her plan to begin resuming work this October. Though the jury's still out on that last one.
Lopez is opening up like she's never done before. She's not only talking about fighting with Marc Anthony, but she's even hinting that her return to work (and the spotlight!) may have been the final straw... "This was the hardest decision I've ever had to face," Lopez says in the new issue of Vanity Fair (on newstands this week). "I really wanted this family to work. That was my biggest dream, and I worked hard at it. We both did. Sometimes it doesn't work—and that's sad. But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love...It's still my biggest dream." Most of writer Lisa Robinson's interview with Ms. Lopez actually took place before she and Anthony announced their split. But it sounds like Lopez knew the end was near. "We try, we try," she said when asked about balancing their work life, their children and their marriage. "[But] it's getting increasingly harder. When we were [first] married, most of the time, and even before the babies were born, we were able to go everywhere together. I wasn't working as much. So we kind of had that. I went on tour with him a few times in the first few years of our marriage, and we did a film [El Cantante] together. It's hard, and we're figuring it out. It's tough. "And," she added, "everything is ramping up in a way. Like I said, we had the first three years of our marriage just for us. I wasn't working, it was mainly about him. Then we got pregnant. Then it became about the kids. And then I started working again." She said she and Marc fought about everything. "Marriage is tough," she said. "It's not going to be perfect...It's definitely challenging." Love aside, Lopez also reveals she tried using nannies for twins Max and Emme, but "it wasn't for me." Instead, family and friends help with the kids. The American Idol judge (official word of her return is coming any day now) insists she didn't have fertility treatments ("Twins run in my family," she said). She also said hasn't had any plastic surgery. "But I don't know how I'll feel about it when I'm 50," she admitted. She also admits that she knows she's not the best of singers. "I think I'm a really great performer," Lopez said. "I think I'm a really great actress. I feel confident in those things—that's a better way to say it. I'm not as gifted a vocalist as some of the girls that are out there, but I know I communicate." And sells a ton of records. Her eight albums and numerous hit singles have a sold a combined total of—ready for this?—55 millions copies. She will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year. "It's like all that hard work and now something permanent is going to be there," Lopez said. "I made my mark."
The singer/actress stunned fans last month after announcing her split from Anthony, the father of her three-year-old twins, Max and Emme. Lopez reveals she tried desperately to fix her marriage of seven years, and despite their break-up, she still hasn't given up on the idea of finding lasting love. She tells Vanity Fair magazine, "That (marriage) was my biggest dream, and I really worked hard at it. We both did. Sometimes it doesn't work - and that's sad. But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love. "It's still my biggest dream... I'm a hopeless romantic and passionate person when it comes to love." And the 42 year old admits her decision to part ways with Anthony came after she realized their relationship was not constructive. She adds, "It's not that I didn't love myself before. Sometimes we don't realize that we are compromising ourselves. To understand that a person is not good for you, or that that person is not treating you in the right way, or that he is not doing the right thing for himself - if I stay, then I am not doing the right thing for me. I love myself enough to walk away from that now."
The pop star will be returning to the television singing competition with a contract with the Fox Broadcasting Network that's "a smidge over" $20 million, according to one of the individual. Both insiders said the deal is complete but has not yet been signed. The $20 million was apparently the base minimum for Lopez, and after tough negotiations with Fox, ended up just above that number. It's a considerable raise from the $12 million she reportedly raked in for handling judge duties last season. The only hurdle left to be cleared in the deal, according to one of the individuals, is scheduling. Lopez will be working on two major productions -- the romantic dramedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting," which is slated for a May 2012 release, and the thriller "Parker," currently in pre-production -- which will most likely necessitate a shift in audition dates for the upcoming season. Lopez, whose gig with the revamped reality series began last January, told the BBC earlier this year that she was "on the fence" about returning for another season. Unlike her fellow new "Idol" judge, Aerosmith warbler Steven Tyler, Lopez only signed up for a year. "I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it, but I have a lot of other things happening, and it's going to come down to making a choice of really what I want to do for the next year," Lopez said. "We're not really at the breaking point of 'You have to make a decision right now!' So I'm not. I'm really enjoying the time of just waiting -- and seeing." TheWrap has also confirmed that Lopez plans to continue with the talent-search series "Q'Viva!" The series will feature Lopez and her now-estranged husband Marc Anthony scouring Latin America for the hottest vocal talent in the region. The series is co-created and co-executive-produced by Lopez, Anthony, "American Idol" producer Simon Fuller and Jamie King. Fox, which airs "Idol" and a representative for Lopez had no comment for TheWrap on this story.
The ruling by California's 2nd District Court of Appeal states that Lopez's attorneys provided a Los Angeles judge with plenty of information supporting her request that she had a binding arbitration agreement with ex-husband Ojani Noa. Lopez sued Noa for $10 million in November 2009 after he and his agent announced plans to use portions of 11 hours of home videos to produce a movie based on the couple's relationship. The couple was married in 1997, but the union lasted just 11 months. A settlement agreement between the two prohibits Noa from "disclosing for monetary gain any private or intimate details about Lopez or Noa's relationship with Lopez." It also binds any of his agents to the same terms. The videos, which both sides agree do not depict the singer and actress in sexual situations, have been blocked for release by a judge. Noa's agent, Ed Meyer, however threatened to release clips from the videos earlier this year, which prompted a judge to order them to be stored in a bank safe deposit box with restricted access in June. The court ordered Friday that Meyer is also subject to the arbitration provisions. He wrote in an email that he will appeal the ruling to the California Supreme Court. Noa's attorney, Christopher Lauria, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Lopez, 42, won $545,000 in damages and attorney fees in 2007 in another lawsuit that blocked Noa from publishing a ghostwritten tell-all book. She and her third husband, singer Marc Anthony, announced earlier this month that they were ending their seven-year marriage.
Favorite TV Reality, Variety, or Comedy Personality or Act Favorite Female Music Artist At least that's what it looks like for newly solo Jennifer Lopez. The American Idol judge turned 42 this weekend and celebrated in serious style, with friends and family and, reportedly, some very famous faces: The singer was reportedly joined by none other than Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at their friend Loren Ridinger's private mansion in Miami. No word on what the celebs did to celebrate, but Market America head honcho Loren lent us a hint: "Loved watching old @JLo videos all day in honor of my girlfriends bday!! Wow baby, you look even more beautiful every year! #GORGEOUS," she tweeted. "Thank you all of my Lovers for the birthday wishes! I'm having an amazing day surrounded by family and friends," Lopez tweeted yesterday. But the American Idol judge got the party started earlier than her actual b-day, natch. The birthday girl grabbed a late night bite at The Forge Restaurant alongside her manager Benny Medina, her stylist and six of her closest gal pals. The outing was her first public appearance since announcing her divorce from former husband Marc Anthony. Despite her split, she appeared in bright spirits all evening and even rang in her 42nd with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday." Her group enjoyed some champagne and ate lobster peanut butter & jelly until 1 a.m. And if that wasn't enough, she also flaunted her famous figure in a Pucci bikini while lounging on a private yacht rented by her manager on Sunday. The hot mama was snapped holding one of her adorable tots and relaxing on the high seas with her mom, sister, cousins and members of her glam squad (because divas never take a day off from looking camera ready). Feliz cumpleaños, mami!
The actress, pop star and veritable brand name seemed to have her fame buoyed by joining the nation's top-rated show -- but there have been months of speculation as to whether or not she would return for another season. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that the final details of her return are being hammered out. Citing "people familiar with the talks," Lopez and FOX are reportedly near a deal for her to be on at least one more season. "Idol" producers FremantleMedia North America, FOX and representatives from Lopez have all declined to comment on the negotiations, but her previous contract (which gave her an estimated $12 million) expired in May. With NBC's freshman competition "The Voice" debuting to a strong audience, and Simon Cowell's American "X Factor" arriving this fall season, "American Idol" is at a bit of a crossroads. And may posit that it would be most advantageous to keep Lopez on after losing three of its judges over the last few seasons. Fellow judges Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler are already both set to return.
On Saturday night, Lopez and her entourage of 16 – which included her mother, sister, manager and stylist – enjoyed a lavish dinner at Scott Conant's restaurant, Scarpetta, inside the Fontainebleau hotel. With a view of the ocean, the group indulged in a menu of authentic Italian dishes, including spaghetti with tomato and basil, foie gras ravioli and polenta. "Jennifer looked radiant in a purple and silver evening dress," a source tells PEOPLE. "And when they brought out her birthday cake after the meal, she began to sing. She was very happy. The whole group had a blast, staying for hours. They closed down the restaurant." Earlier in the day, Lopez worked up an appetite with a shopping spree, visiting the high-end boutiques at Bal Harbour Shops just north of South Beach. She bought several baby outfits for her 3-year-old twins, Emme and Max, at Bonpoint of Paris, and shopped at Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Pucci. On Friday night, after swimming in her condo pool with friends and family, including little Emme, Lopez and seven others enjoyed a pre-birthday dinner at the Wine Cellar of the Forge on Miami Beach, a favorite spot where she has dined with Anthony. "Jennifer and her group arrived around 9 p.m. and went directly to the private wine cellar for a pre-birthday dinner," a source tells PEOPLE. "It was very secluded and beautiful among the bottles with bold and vibrant labels. The meal was served on a long rectangle mirrored table with cloud-like chandeliers hanging above." According to the source, Lopez, who wore a long, brightly colored geometric patterned dress, was in great spirits. "She was chatty and charming," the source says. For a surprise, the Forge's pastry chef created a special chocolate soufflé. It was presented to Lopez shortly after their meal, which started with appetizers of lobster peanut butter and jelly, a Forge specialty. "Jennifer absolutely loved it," the source tells PEOPLE. "When the waiters brought the soufflé, they sang 'Happy Birthday' to her while pouring everyone a crystal goblet of champagne."
"When I heard they broke up, I was shocked," says Imperio, who choreographed their sexy Afro-Cuban performance that aired during May's American Idol finale. "I was really taken aback," she adds. "It's so heartbreaking to see this happen. What they had wasn't a put-on. It wasn't for show. It was honest. They were really respectful of each other and loved each other – passionately." Imperio, who also worked with both Lopez, 41, and Anthony, 42, before they wed, joined the couple to rehearse their Idol performance for two days leading up to the finale. "They couldn't keep their hands off each other, and he kept calling her 'Baby' and complimenting her, like: 'Look how beautiful my wife is,'" recalls the choreographer, who has also worked with Madonna, Cher and Gloria Estefan. "When you're around a strained couple, you can really feel it, time moves slowly, and that's not what this was," she says. "There was honest passion and such mutual respect for one another." But one moment now stands out: when Anthony joked about his wife's image during rehearsals. "He said, 'Don't make her too sexy because she's still my wife,'" Imperio recalls Anthony saying in a playful tone. "It's that fine line for every husband. Like: 'I know, I know the world knows – we just don't need to be overt about it.'" For more on what tore the couple apart – and what will happen to their kids and multi-million dollar homes – pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Of course, the reported $1 million price tag that was part and parcel with her showing up probably helped matters. Just days after Lopez and Marc Anthony broke the surprise news that they were splitting after seven years of marriage, J.Lo put on her happy face and flew to the Ukraine, where she was hired to perform as the wedding singer for the son of Uzbek oil tycoon Azam Aslamov. According to local reports, the do took place at the Crimean Aivazovskii Hotel on the Black Sea and the entire staff, down to the housekeeping crew, was sent away for the week while the multimillion-dollar affair was closed off only to the several hundred invited wedding guests, many of whom had been flown in specially by helicopter for the event. With that kind of money, it almost seems like the American Idol judge's $1 million payday was a bargain. As part of the deal, Lopez sang and danced for the bride and groom, performing a medley of her hits, including "Waiting for Tonight," "Let's Get Loud" and "On the Floor." The 41-year-old didn't stay at the hotel—in fact she was whisked away after her performance into a fleet of armored cars—but was put up, along with her backup dancers, singers, crew and assorted entourage members at the $4,100-a-night-penthouse suit in the nearby hotel Ville Elena. "Are you happy?" Lopez asked the crowd from the stage? "I am happy because I am here with you today!" Divorce or not, for $1 million we could muster up some enthusiasm, too.
Following Friday's announcement that the American Idol judge, 41, split from her husband of seven years, Marc Anthony, Lopez wasted no time getting back to what she does best. She performed Tuesday night at the wedding of oil tycoon Azam Aslamov's son in Ukraine, the country's local newspaper Segodnya confirms. According to reports, the celebration took place at the Crimean Aivazovskii Hotel on the Black Sea coast. The entire hotel staff – including cleaners and cooks – was sent away for the week of July 17-20, and the location was closed to visitors during this time, except for those with permits. Lopez danced and sang for $1 million, the paper says. When she came out of her hotel to go to the show, three bulletproof vehicles guarded the exit, to shield her from the view of waiting fans. The lavish, multimillion-dollar affair attracted several hundred guests, many of whom were flown in by helicopter. As for Lopez, she reportedly stayed in a penthouse suite of the Villa Helena and brought backup dancers, vocal singers and 20 tons of sound equipment. For more on what tore the couple apart – and what will happen to their kids and multimillion-dollar homes – pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
For those who know the couple, that statement might have been more surprising than calling an end to their seven-year marriage. The decision to split actually came "after months of nonstop arguing," says a source close to the family. There were issues on a movie set, envy on the American Idol stage, and times that Lopez, 41, feared her husband wasn't faithful. An Anthony insider disputes infidelity claims and maintains the 42-year-old always supported her career. "They started to see life differently," the source says. As they move on to the next chapters of their lives, the Anthony insider also says the breakup is for the best. "Though they love, admire and respect each other very much, they just needed to be apart." For more on what tore the couple apart – and what will happen to their kids and multi-million dollar homes – pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Jennifer is reportedly pocketing a million bucks for her performance. Our wedding spies tell us there are roughly 300 people attending the bash. A source connected to Jennifer calls the performance time "a little weird," but hey, drunk or not, a million bucks is a million bucks. Fun fact ... the World Health Organization has rated the Ukraine as #1 in the world for alcohol consumption among youth. BTW, the money Jennifer makes is hers and hers alone, since she's already separated from Marc Anthony.
In her up-tempo latest single "Starting Over," Lopez, 41, refers to "my man" as a "dog" and a "player," watching "these dreams falling apart at the seams." "All his secrets, all his lies, I just keep pushing 'em out my mind," she sings. The song was actually not penned by Lopez. It was co-written and co-produced by Wynter Gordon, who also sings backup vocals on the track, with other writing credits to Nathaniel Mills and Marcella Araica. But on "One Love," a song she did co-write, Lopez ticks off three previous loves (could they be Diddy, Cris Judd and Ben Affleck?) before she gets to "number four." This one "sang to me, but I'm not sure," she sings. "So worn out, but … made me wanna try once more."
But after news broke Friday that the power couple were ending their marriage, a source close to the family tells PEOPLE that Anthony, 42, and Lopez, 41, who have two children, 3-year-old twins Max and Emme, together, split "after months of nonstop arguing." "Marc and Jennifer decided it's best to go their separate ways for the sake of their two kids," the source says. Anthony spent the weekend in Colombia, where he put his marital woes aside to put on an upbeat performance. The only reference to his marriage came in the form of a joke. "They're saying I'm single," he told the audience. Meanwhile, Lopez was back to work Sunday at Milk Studios in L.A., where she was shooting an ad campaign for her Kohl's fashion line. "Jennifer is doing okay," the source says. "In the past two weeks, she has spent a lot of quality time with her kids and her family in L.A." The source adds: "She is, of course, sad that she and Marc didn't work out, but they both feel they have tried everything."
The guy at the center of the affair rumors is telenovela star William Levy -- aka the Cuban Brad Pitt -- who recently separated from his wife AFTER shooting the music video (see below) with Lopez. But Levy's rep tells TMZ William and J.Lo are NOT an item ... saying, "The only relationship there was or is, is a professional relationship. That’s all there’s ever been.” J.Lo and her husband Marc Anthony released a statement on Friday saying they are ending their marriage.
Or so it would seem, because Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's television project, the international talent show ¡Q'viva! The Chosen, will reportedly not be affected by their split… A source tells E! that both parties are 100 percent still committed to the project. Lopez and Anthony partnered with Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment and Endemol to produce the series, in which they mine Latin America for unearthed talent. ¡Q'viva! The Chosen is still in pre-production, and the ex-couple are set to film later this year. J.Lo and Marc, who were together for seven years, annouced their seperation on Friday. "This was a very difficult decision," they said in a statement to E! News. "We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time." Do you think their split will help or hinder the publicity surrounding the project?
Even actor Jason Alexander added his voice to the mix: @IJasonAlexander: JLo is back in play. Anyone hooks me up with her cell number and then it's just a matter of time. "Entertainment Tonight" co-host Nancy O'Dell (@NancyODell): "So sorry to hear the Jennifer Lopez/Marc Anthony news." Entertainment news commentator Dan Wootton (@danwootton): "Shocked that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have split. They seemed so in love on American Idol." Here is a sampling of some fan responses: - @KardashK_Army: So so shocked that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have split. So sudden and out of nowhere! Good luck to them both in the future ? - @4eyedmonk: But J-Lo has every reason to be proud of this one.....this marriage lasted over 3 times longer than her last 2....applause!!! - @BigJooceBabaaay: JLO gets divorced whenever she releases an album! - @Danniimeanogue: Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony to divorce. Jlo to write a new song about the split called "Love costs a lot more nowadays." - @juicymorsel: The split between JLo and Mark Anthony is amiable now that they have agreed who gets custody of the full-length mirrors. Also Saturday, a spokesman for Lopez and Anthony's "American Idol"-style singing show "Q-Viva: The Chosen" told Variety the show will go ahead as planned.
E! News has learned exclusively the singer is preparing to head out of the country next week. Where is she planning to go? The American Idol judge is heading to the Ukraine next week. So…is this the new post-split place to party or something? No, but she will have plenty to celebrate because a source tells E! News that Lopez is getting paid more than $1 million dollars to sing a live set at a wedding in Ukraine on July 19. "It's a wealthy guy who wanted J.Lo and was willing to pay top dollar," says the source. Lopez's twins Max and Emme aren't expected to make the trip with her, according to the source. Such private gigs are growing more common, as stars like Christina Aguilera and Miley Cyrus have reportedly fetched a million bucks to be wedding singers in the past. Lopez's rep confirms the engagement, if not the payday. "Jennifer will be performing in the Ukraine. Terms of the agreement can not be confirmed," the rep told E! News exclusively.
Turns out JLo and the kids spent the holiday at the beach in Malibu -- and Marc Anthony was nowhere in sight. We're told JLo showed up with some family and friends, parked herself on the beach and enjoyed a little vino ... not looking upset at all. JLo and Marc announced yesterday they were divorcing after seven years of marriage.
Lopez arrived without her husband Marc Anthony, instead bringing her mother, Guadalupe, who got to mingle with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the hottest Hollywood event of the summer. A week later, Lopez and Anthony told PEOPLE that they made a "very difficult decision" to "end our marriage" after seven years. The couple have 3-year-old twins. Although Anthony's absence raised eyebrows at the BAFTA event, it turns out this wasn’t the first time he was missing in action. The pair had not been seen together since early June, with Lopez traveling to Europe and later to Disneyland with their children, but not Anthony. Power Couple Anthony's no-shows fueled rumors of trouble in their marriage, even if Anthony did have reason to be away: he's been busy this summer filming the TNT medical drama HawthoRNe, in which he plays a police detective. Also, with Anthony and Lopez, Hollywood observers have long been wary of jumping to conclusions since catching people off-guard has been their hallmark from the very beginning. They were married in secret in June 2004 at Lopez's Beverly Hills home. At the time, the two had never even acknowledged their romantic relationship publicly, and, days before, Anthony had been granted a divorce in the Dominican Republic from Dayanara Torres, with whom he has two sons. The marriage was the third for Lopez, and it came just months after her whirlwind 18-month-relationship with – and engagement to – Ben Affleck. Lopez and Anthony went on to become one of show business's closest and most successful power couples. They were fixtures at award shows, premieres and fundraisers, famously toured together and, in February 2008, welcomed twins son Max and daughter Emme. As late as last May, they still seemed very much together in business and in love. Anthony doted on his wife on May 9 as she celebrated the release of her new album, Love? in Hollywood. Anthony "melted every time she acknowledged him," an observer said. They turned out together on May 23 at a ceremony honoring TV producer Simon Fuller with a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, then performed together and kissed affectionately at the May 25 finale of American Idol, which Lopez joined as a judge last season. The following week, they announced another business venture together: the globetrotting reality show, ¡Q'Viva! The Chosen to find the "world's most extraordinary talent." Trouble Signs But just days later, the first hint of trouble emerged. The couple appeared at the Samsung Hope for Children Gala in New York on June 7, and many photos showed Lopez without her usual radiant smile. This would be their last event together before the split announcement. Afterwards, Lopez , her mother and the twins traveled to France and Spain as the singer participated in a French reality TV show. Then on June 25, Lopez, her mother and the children were spotted at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., going on the Dumbo ride and attracting large crowds of curious guests. Anthony was nowhere to be seen.
While a split in Hollywood (and other glamorous environs) never really qualifies as a cause for shock, Jennifer Lopez and her husband of seven years, Marc Anthony, appeared very much in love since the day she and Ben Affleck broke up. Um, anyway... Both acting and singing double threats with a shared Puerto Rican background, J.Lo and Marc seemed to be the perfect couple on the red carpet and off, their body language always affectionate and their outfits never clashing. They costarred in El Cantante together and collaborated on numerous musical projects, even announcing that they were expecting twins while onstage in Miami. But today, the announcement wasn't a happy one, so we're taking a look back at how they got from A to Over: January 2004: Affleck and Lopez admit that the Bennifer days are over, months after postponing what was going to be their September 2004 wedding day. June 1, 2004: Anthony finalizes his divorce from former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres Delgado, the mother of his sons Cristian and Ryan. The "You Sang to Me" singer also has a daughter, Ariana, from a previous relationship. June 5, 2004: The twice-divorced Lopez dons Vera Wang and quietly ties the knot with Anthony at her home in Beverly Hills, aerial paparazzi angling for shots through a thick layer of foliage and other privacy-preserving obstacles. The over-the-moon newlyweds honeymoon at San Ysidro Ranch, near Santa Barbara. Sept. 22, 2004: "Both people have to really want to be there, you know, and they both have to make that choice," Lopez tells Chicago's ABC 7 News. "And it's a compromise, and it's how you treat each other when you're hurt. I think that's the most important thing." April 2006: Lopez's yet-to-end legal battle against ex-husband No. 1 Ojani Noa's determination to cash in on their brief marriage, first with a tell-all book and then a so-called comedy about him coming to America (coupled with a little J.Lo sexy time), begins. Nov. 7, 2007: Lopez and Anthony reveal that they're going to be parents in front of 10,000 fans at Miami's American Airlines Arena, the final stop on their joint tour. Feb. 22, 2008: Son Max and daughter Emme are born in a Long Island, N.Y., hospital. Oct. 12, 2008: Lopez and Anthony renew their vows along with New York Mets slugger Carlos Beltran and his wife Jessica at Caesars Palace's Forum Tower Penthouse in Las Vegas. Dec. 16, 2008: Facing down rumors that their recently renewed marriage is on the rocks, the couple snuggle during dinner in Beverly Hills, then jet off to Puerto Rico for a seemingly romantic getaway at the end of the month. July 2009: Anthony buys a stake in the Miami Dolphins, telling People, "Jennifer loves Miami. So she's really, really happy about this because we're going to be spending a lot of time down there." They later purchase a pad in the Icon Brickell tower in Biscayne Bay. July 25, 2009: Lopez turns 40 with Anthony by her side, celebrating the occasion with a fancy (would you expect anything less?) dinner party at the Edison Ballroom in NYC. Aug. 5, 2009: The Awful Truth predicts that Lopez won't stomach a third divorce. Well, AT's only human... Sept. 17, 2009: J.Lo and Marc meet the Obamas! They're are treated to a VIP tour of the White House before Anthony receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Afterward, the power couple celebrate Anthony's 41st birthday with cake at the nearby W Hotel. Jan. 5, 2010: In an interview with Latina magazine, Lopez admits that marriage isn't easy, but that "everything" about hers is great. "First and foremost, we love each other, truly love each other in a way that's very deep and meaningful, not in a superficial sort of way," she says. "There's a deep respect, admiration and love for each other. We honestly believe that we make each other better people ... We force each other to be better, and I think in a relationship, that's how it should be. You shouldn't be with somebody if he makes you feel less than who you are." April 22, 2010: What makes Lopez feel sexy? "Him," she says, pointing to Anthony, her date for Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood party, where she's honored as Style Icon of the Decade. December 2010: Anthony is tagged by the IRS for $3.4 million in unpaid taxes. Soon after the reveal, his rep assures that the matter has been taken care of, but still... Debt isn't very sexy. January 2011: Lopez starts spending long hours with three other men—Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Ryan Seacrest—as the 10th season of American Idol gets underway with a fresh feel and new talent. Jan. 18: 2011: Lopez tells Ellen DeGeneres that she'd be "extremely happy" if she were to get pregnant again. So, was she (or someone else) extremely bummed that she didn't? Feb. 13, 2011: Anthony wears his trademark sunglasses and Lopez flaunts her trademark lower half in a sparkly minidress, her sky-high heels making her just a smidge taller than her man, on the red carpet at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, where they both presented. A few weeks ago: Both Lopez and Anthony sit down for an interview with Latina, and things seem great! "You know, we respect each other, we respect each other's opinions, and we love each other, more than anything," Lopez says. Asked about believing in fate, she says her marriage to Anthony was just that. "And I believe in destiny and I believe that things are going to be what they're gonna be and for whatever reason, we were meant to share this time together," she says, not bother to explain what "this time together" actually encompasses. July 15, 2011: Lopez and Anthony announce that they have made the "difficult decision" to end their marriage. No mention of the D-word yet, but they do say that they have reached an "amicable conclusion on all matters." And then, due to their global-star status, they also release a copy of their official statement in Spanish. "Es un momento doloroso para todos," indeed.
"We have decided to end our marriage," they tell PEOPLE in a joint statement. "This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters." "It is a painful time for all involved," the statement continues, "and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time." Lopez, 41, and Anthony, 42, wed in June 2004 in a casual – and secret – ceremony at Lopez's Beverly Hills home. They have two children, 3-year-old twins Max and Emme.
A little over a week ago, it was announced that Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson had signed deals for more time at the judges' table. Now, I'm being told… Lopez has also agreed to return. A source tells me exclusively an announcement could be coming any day now. The singer-actress said in an interview about a month ago that she hadn't decided what she was going to do. "I don't know. I haven't been forced to make a decision and I'm glad about that because honestly I'm very on the fence about it," the first year judge told Scott Mills of BBC 1, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it, but I have a lot other things happening, and it's going to come down to me making a choice of what I want to do for the next year and we're not really at the breaking point of 'You have to make a decision right now!' I'm just really enjoying the time of just waiting and seeing." Lopez will be sitting at the Fox table at BAFTA's Brits to Watch gala tonight. She was invited by Fox television boss Peter Rice. I'm told she has also surprised her mom, Lupe, by flying her to L.A. to attend the BAFTA event with her. Marc Anthony will not be there. As royal watchers already know, Prince William and Kate Middleton are set to attend the gala. Other celebs include Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Kristen Chenoweth, Derek Hough, Ed Westwick, Stephen Moyer, Ed Helms, Jonah Hill and many more.
With just a day to go until Prince William and Duchess Catherine touch down in California, Hollywood residents are gearing up for their arrival. "Hoping to meet the royal Duke and Duchess of Cambridge," Dana Delany, 55, Tweeted Thursday morning. The Body of Proof actress is attending Saturday's BAFTA "Brits to Watch" event at downtown Los Angeles's historic Belasco Theater, a source confirms to PEOPLE. Also expected to give the royal couple a Hollywood welcome at the event: Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony, Zac Efron, Jack Black, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, Barbra Streisand and husband James Brolin, Chris Evans, Ginnifer Goodwin, Judd Apatow and wife Leslie Mann, Jason Bateman, Nigel Lythgoe (who is an organizer for the event), Cat Deeley, Derek Hough, Mekhi Phifer, Maria Bello, Gemma Arterton, director Jason Reitman and Zooey Deschanel. Forty-two up-and-coming British stars, including Juno Temple, Tom Hughes and Talulah Riley, will also join the Hollywood royalty.
Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon: Female How is that book - which is a guide to pregnancy - going to be turned into a movie? Lopez will play Holly in one of the film's the interlocking stories. The character is a woman who adopts a baby from abroad with her husband after having difficulty conceiving.
Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johansson can also get their names on the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk in 2012, while actors Richard Burton and Malcolm McDowell, along with soul legend Barry White, will get posthumous stars. "The committee has selected a fabulous slate of stars to add sparkle and luster to the Hollywood Walk of Fame over the next year," said John Pavlik, chairman of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Selection Committee. "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening was also nominated, along with John Lasseter and Sumner Redstone from the film world, and musicians Boyz II Men and Ann and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart. The selection committee is part of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the golden stars on the stretch of Hollywood Boulevard near Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre, home to the Oscars. The nominees were chosen from hundreds of applicants considered at a June 17 meeting of the committee, whose decision was ratified by the Chamber's board of directors. While the nominations are for 2012, those chosen have up to five years to schedule ceremonies to unveil their stars, after which their selection will expire.
Over the weekend, the American Idol judge was a guest on the German TV show Wetten, Dass..?, which was being filmed in Majorca, Spain, before a crowd of thousands. As J.Lo was being helped to her seat by host Thomas Gottschalk, the front of her dress opened a wee bit too much. But what's this nip slip have to do with her current legal battle with her ex-husband Ojani Noa? Attorneys for Lopez have asked the court to postpone tomorrow's hearing over the fight to keep the Noa/Lopez sex tape off the internet, Noa's rep tells E! News, and speculates about the reasoning behind the rescheduling. "We are assuming the reason is to avoid press regarding Jennifer Lopez's wardrobe malfunction," Noa's spokesman tells E! News. In lieu of the postponed hearing, the parties will instead reportedly be meeting at Lopez's attorney's office. Lopez managed to halt the release of the tape last week when she was awarded a temporary restraining order by a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge. Reps for Lopez have not yet commented about the rescheduled hearing.
The singer/actress sat on the panel of the talent show alongside Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson this year and has since gone on to relaunch her music career with new album Love?, her first record since 2007's Brave. Lopez, who is also working on her own Latin TV talent show, has yet to sign up for the next series of American Idol, and admits she is not sure if it is the right career move for her. She tells Britain's Radio 1, "I don't know, I don't know (whether to go back). I haven't been forced to make a decision (yet) and I'm glad about that because, honestly, I'm very on the fence about it. "I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it, but I have a lot of other things happening. It's going to come down to making a choice of what I want to do for the next year. We're not really at the breaking point of like, 'You have to make a decision right now!' - so I'm not. I'm enjoying the time of just waiting." But Lopez admits she could be heading back to the big screen - as she is in talks to take on a new film role, which begins filming later this year. She adds, "Yes, I'm thinking about doing one (a film) actually in September. I'm heavily into it, deciding. I miss acting - I did TV this year, I did the Idol thing, I've been working on my music for two years and so I haven't done a movie in a minute and then you realize two years have gone by since a movie. I really, really miss it. I wanna get back to it really soon."
So whose career will reap the biggest benefit from all the Idolatry? Scotty McCreery? Lauren Alaina? Try J.Lo. and Steven Tyler. In a once-promising season that saw its brightest lights -- Pia, Casey, James -- systematically fall by the wayside, here's the upshot: While Scotty and Alaina are both two nice, scrubbed-behind-the-ears kids who'd make ideal prom dates, neither looks likely to set the music world on fire, Nashville or wherever. Not only did their respective debut singles fail to debut in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but their arrival was even less electrifying over on the country chart. Scotty's I Love You This Big debuted not so big at No. 32, while runner-up Lauren Alaina's Like My Mother Does, bowed at No. 49. By contrast, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood's Idol coronation song, Inside Your Heaven, entered the Hot 100 chart at No. 1. But when it comes to the career maintenance of its judges, American Idol is indeed a force with which to be reckoned, with Lopez and Tyler capitalizing on their AI exposure like nobody's business. Coming into this past season, neither the World's Most Beautiful Woman (per People magazine) nor the aging rocker were exactly killing it, career-wise. Lopez had parted ways with her longtime label, Epic Records and hadn't had a Top 10 hit since 2003. On the acting side, she hadn't tasted box-office success since 2005's Monster In Law, with her most recent outing, The Back-Up Plan, doing just moderate business. As for 63-year-old Tyler, he had spent a good portion of the previous decade battling his old demons going in and out of rehab and feuding with his bandmates, who hadn't put out a CD since their collection of blues covers, Honkin' on Bobo, in 2004. Cut to 2011. Taking advantage of her built-in, twice-weekly captive audience, Lopez cut in on the Idol contestants' performing time to debut her On the Floor video and subsequently performed the song live last month. The result? A dance club smash that returned Lopez to the top of the pop charts. Tyler, meanwhile, really worked his judging gig to his personal advantage. Although, despite showing a promising spark during the Idol tryouts, his fawning critiques ended up making Paula look opinionated, Tyler managed to ride his new-found fame to noteworthy heights. In addition to using the Idol platform to debut the first solo single of his career -- the Top 40-charting (It) Feels So Good, he plugged his sex-drugs-and-rock'n'roll memoir, Does The Noise in My Head Bother You?, debuting at No. 2 on the New York Times bestselling non-fiction list. And, in case you hadn't noticed that you can't turn on the radio these days without hearing either I Don't Want to Miss a Thing or Dream On, sales of Aerosmith's greatest hits collections have surged more than 250% since Tyler joined the judges' panel. So while the jury may be out on how effectively the addition of Tyler and J. Lo has worked for Idol, there's no doubt about how well Idol's worked for them. Hey Scotty and Lauren Alaina -- that's showbiz.
Which is why it makes perfect sense to us that the American Idol judge will be turning up on HSN July 2 for a whopping eight-hour appearance to shill the latest fragrance in her ever-growing perfume empire, Love and Light. The latest eau de toilette is described as a "sparkling floral, woody fragrance" designed to bring out the singer's more sensual side. Which apparently she's been hiding all these years. Even the bottle was designed to represent the curves of a lady. As for J.Lo's daylong foray onto the airwaves, she's expected to share personal stories about both the development of her latest fragrance (which won't hit department stores until September) and her career in general. In between the awkward pauses and stilted banter. Can't forget those.
J.Lo just scored a restraining order against Claudia Vasquez -- the current girlfriend of her ex-husband Ojani Noa ... the same ex-husband who filmed the honeymoon footage back in 1997 and has been dogging her ever since. We're told Claudia now owns the tape and was trying to take it to market ... but the judge temporarily blocked her bid, on grounds it can't be released without Jennifer's sign off. Claudia tried arguing there's no proof she's trying to sell the tape, but she's not denying it either. The judge apparently thinks Claudia's motives are more sinister.
After a court ruling last week left a producer thinking she can go ahead with a plan to release some of Ojani Noa's way-behind-the-scenes video of his ex-wife, Lopez's legal camp is raring to set the other side straight. In no part of the ruling did the judge say it was cool to peddle an X-rated J.Lo video, attorney Jay Lavely insists to E! News. So, with the letter of the law and protecting Lopez's privates on their minds, her attorneys plan to be in court Monday to ask for a clarification of the ruling. On May 26, a judge determined that, while Noa and his manager Ed Meyer are forbidden to profit off of the Lopez footage, the American Idol judge is not allowed to interfere with Claudia Vasquez's right to make a living. Lavely says that in no way means that Vasquez, who "bought" the rights to Noa's story for $1, can then go ahead and make a movie herself. By "aiding, abetting, assisting, or acting in concert with Noa and Meyer," she is beholden to the same permanent injunction that's keeping them out of the tell-all business, he says. While Vasquez's attorney, M. Chris Armenta, told E! News that his client wants to move forward with a comedic mockumentary about Noa's journey "from Cuban immigrant to husband of Lopez and beyond" that would include actuall footage from their honeymoon, Meyer told us yesterday that there are also porn distributors lining up to get their hands on 20 minutes of nude J.Lo.
Red Light District, YouPorn.com, and PornHub.com are all trying to top each other, with bids hovering in the $40,000 range. Yeah, it seems kinda low, but there's no real sex in the tape ... which is usually a buzz kill. J.Lo tried to block her ex Ojani Noa from releasing the tape -- but last week, an L.A. judge ruled she had no case ... opening the door for a sale. No deal has been struck ... yet -- so you'll just have to rely on your imagination for now.
Since joining the FOX reality show eight months ago, Lopez has enjoyed a career resurgence -- her latest album "Love?" sold well, her single "On The Floor" hit No. 1 on iTunes in 18 countries and People magazine named her The Most Beautiful Woman in the World. So it should seem like a no-brainer that Lopez will return for Season 11, right? Wrong. Lopez has yet to sign on for next season and tells FOX411, "It's too early to tell." The 41-year-old is said to be in contract negotiations with FOX. Steven Tyler will definitely be returning (alongside original judge Randy Jackson) for Season 11 as he signed a multi-year contract, which earned him a reported $18 million for Season 10 alone. Lopez reportedly signed for $12 million. Earlier this week, FOX chief Peter Rice said, "Everyone has multiple-year contracts. Jennifer has [a] single-year contract. We loved having her -- the hope and expectation is she'll return."
That would be a first. But why else do you think Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham and Carrie Underwood were all tottering on their stilettos in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard today? Fuller, founder of XIX Entertainment and creator of the global American Idol juggernaut, received the 2,441st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this morning for his considerable accomplishments. (He sold his original powerhouse, 19 Entertainment, for more than $250 million in cash and stock in 2005 and formed XIX last year.) Along with the lovely ladies mentioned above, Lopez hubby Marc Anthony, Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Idol finalists Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, past winners Kris Allen and David Cook, and former Idol executive producer and So You Think You Can Dance cocreator Nigel Lythgoe were all on hand to fete Fuller in front of the W Hollywood, across the street from the famed Pantages Theatre. In case the Beckham connection seems kind of random, aside from Victoria's stint as an Idol guest judge last year, remember that Fuller manages both the fashion plate and her soccer stud hubby, David Beckham. Busy guy, that Brit. "Whenever I see that star," Fuller said, "I won't see my name, I'll see all names of the people I've worked [with] and all those amazing artists and people that have helped me achieve this stuff."
He credits Lopez with being concise, and saying what he was thinking but was searching for a diplomatic way to put it. "The next time you have a complaint about me, honey, just think about how effective those critiques are," Anthony says, laughing. "I am thinking of putting a TV camera in the living room. Let's try that approach, honey." Over the years they have always watched "American Idol" critiquing the singers. Now, Anthony watches how Lopez has picked singers and tells Zap2it of her choices, "I usually agreed with my wife. For the most part, 98 percent of the time I would." "Sometimes I am sitting there and thinking there is a critique to be made and (thinking) how exactly would I say that? And she will say that and I would think I am not the smartest man in the room."
Glee's Matthew Morrison's album, which features a track co-written by Season 8 Idol winner Kris Allen, debuts at No. 16, selling 24,000 units. Jennifer Hudson and Mandisa are the only two former Idol finalists with albums in The Billboard 200 this week. Top 10 Neither were the Beastie Boys, whose long-awaited studio album also received a lukewarm reception from music buyers. Jennifer Lopez's "Love?," which has been plugged repeatedly on "American Idol," premiered at No. 2 with 14,000 in sales, while the Beasties' "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" came in at No. 3, with only 12,000 in sales. The Beasties numbers fell far short of the first week sales for their last proper album, "To the Five Boroughs," which rang up a No. 1 tally of 26,000 in 2004. At the top once again was Adele's "21," which collected another 22,000 in sales. It has now ratcheted up an astounding 206,000 since being released 11 weeks ago. She also snapped up the top spot south of the border again, selling 155,000 copies of "21” in the U.S., according to Billboard.com. Meanwhile, the biggest gainer this week went to Ginette Reno and her disc "La Musique en Moi," which stormed up nine positions to No. 4. Marie-Elaine Thibert's "Je Suis" checked in at No. 5, likewise with Pascale Picard's "Letter To No One" at No. 6, and Richard Desjardins' "L'Existoire" spiralled down five levels to No. 7. Wrapping up the top 10 was Fleet Foxes' "Helplessness Blues" at No. 8, Roch Voisine's "Americana 2" at No. 9, and the charity compilation "Songs For Japan" at No. 10. In the U.S., the Beastie Boys placed second, followed by "Now 38" in third, Fleet Foxes in fourth, and Jennifer Lopez in a distant fifth.
On Thursday, May 5, Jennifer Lopez proved why she is fit to be a judge on "American Idol" when she took the stage to perform her new single "On The Floor," which has hit No. 1 in 18 countries. We were sold on this performance before it even began -- Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler and their bowl of popcorn were just too cute sitting in the audience waiting for her to begin! The performance started with rapper Pitbull in the audience before working his way on stage, where the music video for the song was playing on the jumbo-screen. Soon, the lady of the hour came out in a glittering gold outfit that showed off Lopez's seriously toned abs. We give Lopez a lot of props for singing live when singing has never been her strongest asset, and you know what? She sounded pretty good. Not Haley Reinhart good, but good nonetheless. It's a club hit -- no crazy vocals are really necessary. As always, Lopez's dance moves were awesome and she worked the stage like a true performer. P.S. How cool was it when Lopez smashed the glass cases, releasing her back-up dancers? So. Bad-A**. What did you think of Jennifer Lopez's performance?
The American Idol host and mother of two sat with E! News yesterday to discuss her new album Love?, and she admitted she seriously ramps up her workouts before shooting music videos that show off her stomach: "You can hide a lot with good clothes, but when you're doing a video, you really can't because the clothes get smaller!" she told E! yesterday in L.A., at her album release party. "It's like all the sudden my stomach's out. Oh no!" She then turns to the same trainer a ton of Hollywood's hot bodies use: Tracy Anderson. Only she steps her workouts up to six times a week. Woah. The mom of twins Emme and Max says her kids are already natural performers like their parents: Emme is a dancer, while Max loves to sing. As for whether she and Marc Anthony want to have any more bambinos, J. Lo's definitely open to the idea. "We love our family and we always think about expanding it," she explained, adding: "If it happens, nobody will be happier than me!"
Jennifer Lopez's latest single — the international smash "On the Floor" — opens with this line: "It's a new generation of party people." And luckily the singer has taken note. Lopez, 41, isn't the same star she was 10 years ago, when she dominated both pop and urban music charts. She struggled with 2005's "Rebirth," and was worse off with "Brave," which came two years later. Lopez has never been a musical icon, and she probably never will be. But she is a great entertainer — and that's reflected throughout most of her seventh album, "Love?" The Pitbull-featured "On the Floor," which has the "party, party, party" vibe that has taken over Top 40 radio, is irresistible and addictive. It was produced by RedOne, the man behind Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and "Poker Face." The hitmaker also works his magic on the celebratory dance jam "Papi." Lopez also has future hits with the Lil Wayne-assisted "I'm Into You" and "Good Hit," a Fergie-sounding jam produced by The-Dream and Tricky. Lopez is best, though, when she collaborates with producer D'Mile. The two songs — "(What Is) Love?" and "One Love" — were leaked in 2009, but they don't sound dated. They're biographical tunes about Lopez's love life, which includes two failed marriages and stints with Ben Affleck and Diddy. If there's something this girl can sing about, it should be love lapses — and when she does, she does it well. CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Lopez's strongest vocal performance is all over the groove "(What Is) Love?" It makes her role as a judge on "American Idol" a bit more fitting.
Jennifer Lopez, Love? * * POP Like Paula Abdul before her, Jennifer Lopez was an ironic pick for American Idol judge. Neither woman has much technical ability as a singer, but both have, in their best singles, shown a homegirl-next-door pluck and a less-is-more canniness antithetical to the kind of vocal showboating that Idol regularly champions. So it's disappointing to report that Lopez's new album suffers from such a lack of personality. From the opening hit single On the Floor onward, Love? is long on thumping dance tracks that cast Lopez in various familiar roles: the siren, the loyal nurturer, the hopeless romantic, the prisoner of love. Predictably, an A-list of collaborators is on board, including Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Stargate and even Lady Gaga (a contributing writer and producer). But their electronically fueled tunes are generally as anonymous as the vocals. Every now and then, glimmers of the street-wise spirit and cool sensuality that could make Lopez appealing as a pop star — and an actress — surface. But more often than not, Love? suggests passion less than product, each song bouncing surely down the assembly line — yet another item in the impressively efficient and resurgent brand that is J. Lo Inc. Download: I'm Into You (featuring Lil' Wayne), Starting Over
The trio announced Wednesday that they are creating "Q'Viva! The Chosen." The show would feature the superstar couple as they travel 21 countries to find the best performers in Latin music, dance and other arts with the goal of creating a live extravaganza. The show's director will be Jamie King. It will be filmed in three languages. Lopez said the show will be groundbreaking. "This is a show for the 21st century with an unprecedented global and local story. The Latin culture is a tapestry that is rich in passion, tradition and artistry," she said. "We are going to places where all of this talent lives and wouldn't have otherwise been discovered." Anthony said the show will "provide an outlet to a whole new generation that have been waiting to have their voices heard." "Q'Viva!" is sponsored by BlackBerry. A statement said more than one network will be involved, but they have yet to be announced. It's unclear when the show will air. Lopez became a judge on "American Idol" this year, and has a new album, "Love?" out next week.
The "American Idol" judge will play Shira, a sabre toothed tiger who catches the heart of Diego, another sabre toothed tiger voiced by Denis Leary. Renner will voice Gutt, a "self-styled master of the high seas." Ray Romano, Josh Peck, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott and John Leguizamo are all set to return to the franchise. "Ice Age: Continental Drift" is set to hit theaters July 13, 2012.
“I am lucky to have Marc [Anthony],” the American Idol judge said of her husband at the Blackberry Playbook launch, held Tuesday in Los Angeles. “I’m lucky to have such a good partner.” Parenting is a team effort as well. “[Emme and Max] love to download games and go on the computer with Marc,” says Lopez, 41, who’s looking to play a gritty role in her next acting gig. “I don’t know how to do all that. But we watch Disney movies like Tangled.” The ladies of the house also enjoy primping together — and 3-year-old Emme has picked up a few tips from mom. “When I get ready for work we lay everything out – the pants, shoes, earrings, belts,” says Lopez. “[Emme] does that now in her room. She says, ‘Okay, I need pants’ and ‘That matches. I need a barrette.’ It’s crazy!” Her son Max, on the other hand, is all boy. “He’s into breaking things, tearing things down, punching and then saying ‘I’m hitting in a fun way,’” she explains. “He’s that guy.”
Following Casey Abrams' Wednesday night performance of Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe," the "American Idol" judge commented that Abrams brings out jealousy and anger in others because, "You're so f****** great." The audience, which included its share of tweens and kids, was aghast, but "Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe and Fox head of alternative programing Mike Darnell simply laughed it off. Executive producers Simon Fuller and Cecile Frot-Coutaz were also present for the live show as was Fox Broadcasting chairman Peter Rice. Moments earlier, Casey planted a kiss on Jennifer Lopez's cheek, to which Tyler applauded him for achieving "what I've been trying to do for four months." During the commercial break, a war-room-like huddle formed at the judges' table, with Lythgoe clutching his head as he jokingly dropped to his knees. Said Abrams following the brouhaha: "I kissed Jennifer Lopez and made Steven Tyler swear-- Not a bad night."
The E! News anchor sat down with J.Lo herself for the latest on her Idol employment, plus how the babies have changed her life and what her new album means for the artist as she matures: When asked if she was considering a return to the hit reality series next season, Lopez told Seacrest, "Of course, of course. Here's what's the great thing about this moment for me. There's tons of possibilities, and I'm open to whatever God has in store for me down the line. And whatever it is, I'm going to do my best." What led the megastar to do the show in the first place? Lopez says, "The big major thing when Marc and I sat down and talked about it was, it would be nice to be in one place with the babies. They've been traveling since they were like 3 weeks old. That was a major consideration, too. So when I looked at my whole life and where I was, and the kind of freedoms that I had to choose to do what I wanted to do...I went with my gut." And why are so many good things happening at once for the singer, actress and Most Beautiful Woman Alive? She told Seacrest: "I'm just happy in that—in my life, in my skin, in my body, in what I have to offer, and finally, it's just comfortable with myself in the best way...And I think the babies had a lot to do with that." Awww... So what's driving Lopez's suddenly resurgent singing career? Lopez puts it down to her accumulated life wisdom, saying, "A lot of people can sing, as you can see when we're on the road, but artists have a message—[a message] to express to the world, and you have a point of view. Whatever that is, if you think of the great artists of our time: Bruce Springsteen, it's that working man's struggle; or Madonna, challenging religion and sex; or Michael Jackson, who wanted to spread love in the world in his way. Everybody has a message, and it becomes part of your expression, and that comes through in the music. And that's what I try to tell the kids, it's not just about getting up there and who hits the biggest notes—as you see, that doesn't keep you on the show. It's about who can connect, who can make somebody feel something, smile, and think and go, 'Oh, I love that song!' That's what being an artist is: Do you feel what I feel?" Do you love J.Lo as judge? Would you prefer she stick with Idol, or should she get her own show?
The show, tentatively titled Que Viva, is being developed in conjunction with American Idol producer Simon Fuller and his XIX Entertainment. All of this calls to question Lopez's future on Idol, especially since she's only signed through the current season. It's unlikely that she'll bounce after just one season, given its success, according to EW. Perhaps Lopez's schedule is about to get fuller. But then, so will ours: She'll have us watching rap and Latin American music. And all the while, we'll be doing this. Will you watch this proposed J.Lo show?
Casey Abrams' performance of Have You Ever Seen the Rain pushed the Creedence Clearwater Revival tune into Nielsen SoundScan's list of the 200 top-selling digital tracks. It had 9,000 downloads -- a 365% increase over the previous week. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull, On the Floor (120,000 weekly, -7%, 1.109 million total) "I feel not worthy, you know?" was how Lopez reacted to the mag when she found out the news. The American Idol judge, looking absolutely flawless on the spring-inspired pink and green cover, discussed with the mag her makeup-free days from the show, skin-care regimen, diet, kids and hubby Marc Anthony. Read on to find out when the mom to twins Max and Emme is the happiest...and who else was happy to join her on People's Most Beautiful list... On landing the 22nd annual "World's Most Beautiful" coveted cover spot, Lopez said she felt "happy and proud" after the initial shock wore off. "It's so crazy. Rarely am I left speechless, but I feel honored." the hard-working reality judge and L'Oréal model said, adding that she feels better now than she did in her 30s. "I feel better, I feel smarter," she said. "In my 20s, I just wasn't there in my mind and my soul and my spirit. It's just great to be in the position I'm in now and be able to share that with the world." As for her striking beauty and that gorgeous face, Lopez says the real trick to her glow is due to the abundance of "love" in her life and insists that the real beauty in a person comes from their heart. And J.Lo says that even though she's considered hot, she doesn't get any compliments from men because "they're afraid of Marc." After revealing that she was prematurely gray at 23 and that her upper thighs are a real problem, it's on to the topic of her famous booty: "It became this huge thing. No pun intended!" she says. The 41-year-old also spent some time clearing up other "big" rumors: No, her body is not insured for a million dollars; no, she doesn't have a diamond-encrusted toilet seat or a glam squad of 50; and yes, she spray tans. The other beautiful people in the mag's double issue are listed in subcategories of hotness; here are a few of our faves: In the "Not a Drop of Makeup," pages, 10 women were snapped looking fresh-faced in nothing but moisturizer and lip balm. Dancing With the Stars turned Footloose star Julianne Hough is stunning in a full-page closeup. Joy Bryant, Anne Heche, Kaley Cuoco, Mandy Moore, Nikita star Maggie Q, Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale, Cheryl Burke, Angie Harmon and Hayden Panettiere all made the list. The mag's got the older eye candy covered too, picking 57-year-old Christie Brinkley as the leadoff in that category; she credits her youthful look to blotting her makeup with a wet washcloth after applying. Also making the list are Stacey Dash, 44, Lucy Liu, 42, Jennifer Beals, 47, and Dana Delany looking superhot at 55. In the "Beautiful Minds" category, Ivy League intellects Anna Paquin, Jordana Brewster, Tatyana Ali, Amanda Peet and Ellie Kemper and The Office star Mindy Kaling all made the list for their smarts. Watch out, curves ahead! Listed under "Year of the Bombshell" are hourglass honeys like Jessica Simpson, Sofia Vergara, Paula Patton and Christina Hendricks, who says she's probably at her sexiest while "at home cooking." A huge chunk of the mag is dedicated to stars' beauty sleep. Katie Holmes gets six hours a night, while newly single Jessica Biel counts sheep and has insomnia. Halle Berry needs nine hours, while Christina Aguilera and Jessica Alba get a solid eight. Cutie Amanda Seyfried needs 10 hours, while Beyoncé usually can't shut off her brain for the night. And finally, some familiar names are back, with some "Hall of Famers" making the list—again and again and again. Berry leads with a whopping 15 times, with Julia Roberts coming in second with 12 appearances. This issue marks Lopez's 10th "Most Beautiful" appearance, tied only with George Clooney, followed by nine-time hottie Brad Pitt. Hats off to all the Hollywood hotties who made the list!
But at home with husband Marc Anthony and their 3-year-old twins, Max and Emme, Lopez is a zero-makeup kind of mom. "That's when I'm my happiest," she says in this week's exclusive cover story. "Just being able to touch my face and rub my eyes and put my fingers in my hair and not having to worry about messing it up. It's so much better." From her skincare regimen to her grueling workouts and portion-controlled diet, Lopez says she makes a concerted effort to stay in top form. "The thing is, it's part of my job," says the singer, who ran a triathlon six months after she gave birth. "I don't want anybody thinking it's easy. It does take time and it's hard work. HDTV wide-screen is nobody's friend!" Lopez, 41, also has learned valuable beauty tips over the years, and says daughter Emme is starting to prove she's her mother's child. "She is very girly-girl, just like me since I was very little. She loves for me to paint her nails," Lopez says. "She lays out her clothes on the floor like I do with my stylist and she's like, 'This matches very good!' " And what about son Max? "He wants to paint his nails too. Because for him, it's just paint. He's like, 'I want the blue!'" Lopez says, laughing. "Then Marc is like, 'Why are Max's nails painted?!' But he won't sit still so it's only like two nails." As for being called a "diva," she says, "I kind of like it. We've kind of owned it now. But I certainly don't like and I've never been a person who has what they call 'diva behavior,' which is something they tried to pin on me for a long time." For more of Lopez's exclusive interview, in which she sets the record straight on all the rumors, pick up this week's special issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
The singer/actress tops the publication's list of the world's most attractive celebrities, ahead of Zac Efron at number two and Reese Witherspoon at three. Other stars to make the top 10 include Jessica Simpson, Katie Holmes and Jennifer Hudson. To celebrate, Lopez has shared her beauty tips with the publication, revealing looking good is just part of her life in the public eye. She says, "The thing is, it's part of my job. I don't want anybody thinking it's easy. It does take time and it's hard work. HDTV wide-screen is nobody's friend!"
And more announcements are on the way. On Wednesday morning (Apr. 13), the full list of nominees will be unveiled at a press conference in Las Vegas, where the Billboard Music Awards will be broadcast live on ABC. More announcements will roll out as the date approaches, so stay tuned to Billboard.com in the coming weeks for the latest updates. Tickets for the Billboard Music Awards start at $57.75 and are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. The Billboard Music Awards will reflect Billboard's chart rankings based on key fan interactions with music, including album, single and digital sales, radio play, touring, streaming and social interactions on MySpace, Facebook and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners. The awards will be based on the reporting period of February 28, 2010 through March 1, 2011. Top artists will be recognized in a variety of genres, including R&B, Rap, Pop, Country, Rock, Latin and Alternative. "This show marks the first of several broadcast platforms we plan to build around the Billboard franchise," said Richard D. Beckman, CEO of Prometheus Global Media, which owns Billboard. "We have an incredible network partner and with Don Mischer, one of the finest producers in the world. We look forward to entertaining music fans with Billboard's own rendition of a televised celebration of music."
"She was one of the most talented singers we had," Lopez said, calling into Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show Friday morning. "I'm still shocked." Why does Lopez think Toscano was eliminated? "Honestly, I don't know what happened," she said. "[Maybe] people thought she was safe, as I did ... Maybe there was something that wasn't connecting [with the audience] that we didn't see." Lopez, who likened the ousted singer to a prized student, said she and her fellow judges – Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler – pushed Toscano every week because they had high standards for her and saw her talent. "Honestly, I always had the best intentions," Lopez said. "I just wanted to see the growth every week. I wanted her to shine." After the show, Lopez, who cried at the decision, came up on stage and had a heart-to-heart with Toscano. "I told her to stay pure in her heart, to have faith and to know that if this wasn't the path for her that there was something bigger for her," Lopez said, recalling their conversation. "That there is something bigger for her. And I believe that."
The Official Charts Company said Adele's "21" and "19" albums clung to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the longplayer chart, seeing off new entries from "X Factor" contestant Mary Byrne, indie band Radiohead and U.S. diva Britney Spears. Adele, whose rendition of ballad "Someone Like You" at the 2011 BRIT awards in February won over a new army of fans, has been at the peak of the album charts for 10 weeks -- a run of success not seen since Dire Strait's "Brothers In Arms" in 1986. Her second album "21" -- the year's best-selling LP -- racked up more than 250,000 sales this week, enjoying a 65 percent boost in the run-up to Mothering Sunday. "Someone Like You" has also become 2011's top selling single. J-Lo's single, featuring rapper Pitbull, is her third No. 1 hit, selling more than 130,000 copies this week.
But with adrenaline pumping and emotions running high, was that the right choice? Most definitely, insists Jennifer Lopez. "It was crazy. And we knew that it was kind of a radical decision because it was so early in the season," the judge explained to Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show Wednesday. So Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson made the tough decision. "To be quite honest, there's been decisions that we've made or that I've thought about and I've made and I've pushed for that I thought, 'Oh God, did we do the right thing?' " Lopez said. "But that's one decision that I have not lost one ounce of sleep over. I just knew it was the right thing. Randy knew it was the right thing. Steven knew it was the right thing. This is one of our most dynamic performers. He's so interesting. He's so talented. I know it's crazy but we have to do it." Even with the risks – the judges are now out of saves for the rest of the season – Lopez says the timing was perfect. "I feel really good about that, too," she says. "Now, it's up to America. I really feel we've put 11 amazing contestants in front of them and now it's [a question of] who they're favorite is, who's going to be their American Idol. I feel really good about putting that in their hands." And, Lopez tells Seacrest, she's relishing the drama of those moments. "I've been having a ball with it," she says. "I love working with all you guys and it's just been a lot of fun. I didn't realize that I was going to fall in love with all the contestants the way I have and feel for them the way I do. It's just been a great, great experience for me." Even one that she says was meant to be: "I've been watching at home for so long," she says, "but it's like this is where I'm supposed to be sitting." Still, Lopez has a packed schedule coming up, including touring for her music, and won't nail down whether she'll be back next season. "We'll see," she says. "All of the prospects are exciting."
Yet it has, not just in the ratings — which show some natural erosion but not the precipitous drop many expected — but also in critical and viewer reaction. Much of the credit goes to returning producer Nigel Lythgoe, whose tweaks lend the show a renewed energy, and to the contestants, a more varied and entertaining group than last year's crew. But main credit goes to the judges who chose those singers. If newcomers Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler and returnee Randy Jackson have made Idol more enjoyable, it's as much for what they're not doing as what they are. Gone are the bickering, flirting, inane jabber, failed attempts at humor and nastiness for nastiness' sake. It may have been worth losing Cowell, as worthy a critical force as he was, to be spared the school-boy banter between him and Ryan Seacrest. "Better," of course, does not mean perfect. The set can be too busy, the sound too mushy, and there have been far too many times when the panel should have ignored the singers and slammed the overly intrusive new music producers. And while I don't miss Cowell's fondness for cruel jabs, I do miss his honesty and his perspicacity: There are moments you can almost hear him screaming "self-indulgent" or "ghastly." Clearly, there's room for improvement. Now that they're in the live-show stretch, a few pointers for the panel: Jennifer Lopez. One of the surprises and joys of the season has been watching her blossom as a TV star, a far warmer and more appealing presence than many would have guessed. And last week, she found a way to retain that warmth while offering more pointed, relevant remarks, the only way for a judge to aid the better singers and weed out weaker ones. Let's hope she stays on that path. Steven Tyler. Like Lopez, he's been a surprisingly joyful addition, pairing a bit of Paula Abdul's loopiness with more musical credibility. But unlike Lopez, he still seems to be searching for his judicial role. So here's a suggestion: Start paying attention to when singers are ignoring the meaning of the lyrics or indulging themselves at the expense of the song, and call them on it. Oh, and enough with the cursing. Children in the theater shouldn't have to hear it, and parents at home shouldn't have to explain the "bleeps." Randy Jackson. Congratulations to Jackson for stepping it up, being more critical more often and expanding beyond "pitchy." Now, please drop the name dropping. It makes it look like you're trying to convince us you deserve the job; that just makes people wonder if you do.
Her Ladyship, who started out as a songwriter for Britney Spears, Fergie and The Pussycat Dolls before she became the pantsless performer she is today, is still penning and producing behind the scenes. And it turns out contributed two songs to J.Lo's Love? says überproducer RedOne. Really? "For those who don't know, @ladygaga produced/wrote with me TWO records for @JLo, "Invading my Mind and an other one coming SOOON!!! OMG!!!" Besides working for the Idol judge, the "Poker Face" singer has also penned tracks for American Idol alum Adam Lambert, who has said he feels "lucky" to have worked with Gaga. Gaga can really crank 'em out. She once boasted that she wrote "Just Dance" in 10 minutes flat.
The American Idol judge's new track has leaked online The song, from her upcoming Island Def Jam album "Love?," follows "On the Floor," which features Pitbull. "Invading My Mind" is all about Lopez, though, and is a high energy, super-dance-y track.
Tonight, however, a couple of audience members were none-too-pleased by J.Lo and Stefano's quick interaction before he found out his Idol fate. What exactly did they have to say to the judge? In case you didn't hear it at home, two ladies up above the stage yelled down to Jennifer, "You're married!" and pointed out her husband Marc Anthony in the audience right after she and Stefano exchanged words (and more flirty looks). J.Lo didn't react to the scolding from the two women, but some of the people sitting around the yellers seemed taken aback. But not all the behind-the-scenes action was about shouting down to judges and questioning their devotion to their spouses. Here are other tidbits that went down while the cameras were off: As soon as the cameras were off after the "Born to Be Wild/Born This Way" number, the group seem to collapse into hugs and relief at having gotten through the dancing and singing without mishap. The award for "unsure of what to do with ourselves" during the Black Eyed Peas number goes to Paul McDonald and Scotty McCreery. Those two went with clapping their hands everyone once in awhile, with a head bob thrown in here and there for good measure. Most of the Idols seemed anxious to meet and hug the members of the Black Eyed Peas, but Stefano and Naima Adedapo practically threw themselves into Fergie's arms. Those who looked nervous before any results were announced: James Durbin, Jacob Lusk, Thia Megia and Karen Rodriguez. Everyone else relaxed and goofed around with their fellow contestants. Stefano and Naima looked particular chummy. When season nine winner Lee DeWyze started preparing for his performance of "Beautiful Like You," both Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest ambushed him to give him a bro hug and chat for awhile. Do you think they all still keep in touch? Maybe via Twitter. The biggest celebration after finding out they were safe came from James the rocker, who jumped up and down on his way back to the couch. Despite being in the bottom-three chairs, Naima and Haley Reinhart remained calm, cool, and friendly with each other. At one point, Naima was playing with Haley's hair during a commercial break. Lauren Alaina and Paul passed the time on the safe couch by giggling and shoving each other like a pair of lovesick teenagers. Adorable, no? After Idol signed off for the night, the embraces for Karen went on long after the cameras shut down. All the judges and every single contestant stayed up on the stage until they all got hugs and some words with ther eliminated contestant. At the end, Lauren exited the stage leaning heavily on Jacob.
Suddenly, Lopez is everywhere again. "It wasn't some grand master plan we had — it just kind of worked out that way," she says. "I was working on a record, looking at some films. The American Idol thing was offered to me months and months before. I really wasn't considering it. They came back again. Then I started thinking about it." A fan of the show, she made a gut decision to join Idol. "All of a sudden, it just got busy. The record came out, the show was on and it's been so much fun. I really feel blessed and lucky." Lopez's On the Floor music video, which premiered March 3 on Fox's top-rated Idol, has generated more than 30 million YouTube views. The single is No. 2 on Billboard's digital songs chart, with 609,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Her seventh studio album, Love?, hits the streets in April. And Lopez, along with fellow Idol judge Steven Tyler, is part of what many praise as the revitalization of a singing competition that had been in a slump. Throw in high-profile endorsement deals with L'Oréal and Gillette, along with a Fox deal that includes a movie component, and the spotlight is shining brightly on the singer/actress. Married to singer Marc Anthony and the mother of 3-year-old twins, Lopez, 41, is at a different point in her life than she was in the '90s as a determined rising star or later as a ubiquitous celebrity whose personal life attracted as much attention as her professional one. Lopez says the album reflects her current state. "It's very much me, but it's the evolution of me. It's not me in 2000 when I did Waiting for Tonight. It's me today. And I'm very proud of that." Looking, sounding good Seated in a hotel suite, the ever-fashionable Lopez is outfitted in a royal-blue-and-white floral frock ("a flirty summer dress," she says) with a yellow patent belt and blue suede snakeskin platforms. She's energetic in conversation, raising her voice for emphasis and even breaking briefly into one of her songs — "I was down for the count, feeling like I've come to the end" — to illustrate one of the many facets of love expressed in her new album. One type of love she now knows is that of being a mother to Emme and Max. "Those babies for me are the most important thing. Their happiness, their health. That's the one thing I lose sleep over, because I am working a lot more now," she says. "It's a balancing act, a juggling act, just like for any working mom." Benny Medina, Lopez's manager, says her time off to have children, a recent music-label switch from Sony to Island Def Jam and the deal with Fox came at the right time. "The family that she has built has made her a whole human being, a whole artist and a whole force to be reckoned with," he says. She says she doesn't worry whether that break diminished her stardom. "I just think about evolving and growing, and doing whatever I did this time better than whatever I did last time." Her recent movie and music ventures haven't had the commercial success of her earlier work. Two 2007 albums, Como ama una Mujer and Brave, sold fewer than 400,000 combined, falling far short of previous multiplatinum releases. Last year's romantic comedy The Back-up Plan earned a modest $38 million at the domestic box office. "We could politely say she was on a (career) plateau," says San Diego Union-Tribune pop music critic George Varga. As much as anything, Idol has put Lopez back in the public eye. The Fox singing competition is averaging 25.1 million viewers this season, a much better performance than many expected after the departure of alpha-judge Simon Cowell. "She looks amazing, she's the heart of the show, she's sincere. It's clear she cares about the kids. She's just doing wonderfully," Fox reality chief Mike Darnell says. "She's the most emotionally connected judge I've ever seen." Star status hasn't affected Lopez behind the scenes. "She has been a pleasure to work with, always on time, willing to go the extra mile," Darnell says. Lopez says she's delighted with the work, especially collaborating with fellow judges Tyler and Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest. She views them as the brothers she didn't have growing up. "It's a lot of fun. Taking a journey with the contestants has also been exhilarating," she says. "I know exactly what they're feeling and their hopes and their dreams and what they want to do in that moment." Such empathy led to some emotional on-camera moments for the judge, who cried after eliminating Chris Medina (no relation to Benny), a contestant whose fiancée suffered a traumatic brain injury. "I've had very vulnerable moments on the show where I've felt exposed, one moment in particular, but that is who I am. I actually cried a lot more than they showed. They didn't exploit it or make it cheap. They captured the real emotion of what was happening in the moment," she says. The revelation of a more personal side has benefited Lopez, Varga says. "Her down-to-earth appeal has pretty well erased the spoiled diva image that had followed her for so many years. And that's something no amount of money can buy," he says. 'The human side of me' Lopez was initially surprised that people saw her Idol persona as a different side of her. "I always thought people were getting that over the years, but what they were really getting was the entertainer side of me, the performer side of me," she says. Now, "they're actually getting to see the human side of me, because there is no script and there is nothing but me and how I feel and what I think and my emotions, whether that's laughing at the top of my lungs or shedding a tear over a mom who is singing for her child." She disagrees with those who say the panel isn't critical enough of the singers. "We do give constructive criticism. People are used to hearing it in a different way, but if they are really listening to the critiques, they'll hear us correcting them," she says. "We just don't feel we need to deliver it in a negative fashion where they're not going to really hear it." Idol has helped with exposure on the music side of Lopez's career, particularly with the premiere of On the Floor. "Clearly, the American Idol platform gave her immediate visibility that we couldn't possibly have gotten so quickly," says Antonio "L.A." Reid, the album's executive producer. "But then people love the song and people love seeing her in that element and dancing and having a great time. I think she nailed it creatively." The Idol effect is more than raw viewer numbers, too, says Maxim editor in chief Joe Levy. "She is now in front of what may be the only passionate music-buying audience outside of Lady Gaga's Monsters and Glee fans." The album is biographical, at least to a degree, and Lopez says she's OK if people speculate about which songs and verses may relate to a life they know so well. ("Well, they think they do," she says with a laugh.) "This is not a negative album in any way," she says. "It's really a great dance-pop-urban album that talks about all of the different facets of love in all its glory and all its pain." For that, she credits new label Island Def Jam and producers she worked with, including RedOne, Tricky Stewart and The Dream. "I feel glad to be with people who believe in me and who are just as excited about the rest of my music career as I am," she says. Ready for drama — film drama On the movie front, Lopez says she wants to find a good drama. "I was just saying last night to Marc, 'I am so ready to just bite into some role so hard.' And he said, 'I know, I can feel your creative juice going crazy.' " As with the public, Hollywood is seeing a different side of Lopez, too, Benny Medina says. "There's a quality of filmmakers and other creative people in the industry that are being drawn to work with her. One of the greatest byproducts of this particular time is this new introduction of Jennifer Lopez to a community that's always known her but had misconceptions about her." There are some promising scripts, and he says she could be doing a movie by the fall. Aside from the high-profile campaigns familiar to Idol viewers, the Lopez brand includes appearing with her children in ads for Gucci's children's collection and a joint project at Kohl's with Anthony, his and hers clothing lines, and a line of home products that will be available in the fall. "We challenge each other in a way that only the two of us could," she says. "It's awesome." Lopez says she's satisfied as long as she's moving forward. But she likes having a hit, too. "I'm proud of the things I have done over the years. Whether they've had the biggest commercial success or not, I still feel like I've been on a journey and I've been growing and evolving, and that's exciting," she says. The success of the single is just "icing on the cake. Big icing. I love icing."
What the heck had J.Lo done in 2010? But in January 2011, it became clear exactly what the popstar-actress had done in 2010: She'd said "yes" to being a judge on American Idol. While Steven Tyler mutters incoherent garble to her right, and Randy Jackson says "dawg" and "pitchy" on repeat to her left, Lopez, 41, provides clear, quoteable commentary and gets emotionally invested in the singoff's contestants all while looking impossibly gorgeous. In other words, Season 10 of American Idol -- which airs its Top 12 performance episode tonight on Fox and CTV -- has made us fall in love with Jenny from the Block all over again. Here are five reasons why: 1. She's honest, but not brutal Nothing good can come out of a sentence J.Lo begins with "sweetie" or "baby". And if her lips look pouty, forget it -- she's about to send someone home or tell them they suck. But no one lets 'em down gentler than Lopez. Ashthon Jones nodded in agreement when Jenny revealed she was not getting saved by the judges last week. Either it was easier coming from Lopez than Tyler or Jackson (because we know how vicious they are), or Jones finally realized she was no Diana Ross. Whatever the case, Lopez's sugar-coated approach seems to be just as effective as gone-but-not-forgotten Simon Cowell's way of making contestants swallow bitter truth pills. 2. She lets her emotions get in the way A reality TV judge who actually feels something? How rare! But J.Lo isn't afraid to put her compassion on display for millions to see. "I don't want to do this anymore," she sobbed after reluctantly telling fan favourite Chris Medina he hadn't made the Top 24. The breakdown became one of the most popular Idol videos to Google this season -- second only to the clip of Medina's audition, where he melted hearts with his tragic story about his wheelchair-bound fiancee. Come to think of it, I really do miss that guy. Thanks a lot, J.Lo! 3. She makes sense And by this we mean we're not questioning the contents of her Coke cup every time she opens her mouth (bless your heart, Paula). Even so-called music expert Kara DioGuardi couldn't critique the contestants without glancing at Simon Cowell for approval. J.Lo makes clear to contestants what they did right and what they need to work on, speaking in soundbytes to boot ("That was more hair-tossing than me and Beyonce put together in the past 10 years!"). Best female judge yet. 4. She's hot! Remember when J.Lo used to date Ben Affleck, sing Love Don't Cost a Thing and wear dresses with necklines down to her navel? Well she's still as naturally stunning now as she was then -- maybe even more so to the many men out there with hot-momma fantasies. The mom of three-year-old twins and wife of singer-slash-lucky-man Marc Anthony brings the heat to Idol's panel, with her ever-changing hairdos (from 1960s bombshell waves to headscarves to chic topknots), sultry makeup (those red lips!) and loud accessories (eat your heart out, Steven Tyler). 5. Did we mention, she's hot? Topping the pop charts is something Paula Abdul could have only dreamed of during her eight years as a judge on Idol. (Remember Dance Like There's No Tomorrow? Yeah, us neither.) But it only took a couple of months of primetime exposure for Jenny to rejuvenate her music career. Sure, her dance track On the Floor (feat. Pitbull) is formulaic as can be -- but it's resting at No. 2 on both iTunes and Billboard's Canadian Hot 100. Not bad for someone we were far from fascinated with back in 2010.
The rapper will perform his latest single Coming Home, mentor the show's contestants and dress them in his Sean John designs on an episode due to air next month (Apr11). And he insists he can't wait to spend some quality time with his former lover, who is wowing critics as a judge on the hit talent contest. He says, "She’s just looking so good. You’ve got to give it to her for having twins and to be doing it how she’s doing it. I’m so proud of her." Combs is also a big fan of her judging skills, telling news show Access Hollywood, "The way she handled coming after (former Idol judge) Simon (Cowell)... she’s been, like, a compassionate person. She has made me cry, like, twice, and she’s looked good doing it. And she has made sense. "She’s a nice person (and)... when you’re super nice, your emotions get the best of you. It’s good though, it’s good to see that change in the competitive shows. I think she’s very refreshing." Lopez broke down in tears on the show last week when she had to send a favourite contestant, Chris Medina, home.
Her standard mode is beautiful, articulate, smart and totally intimidating, so when she spontaneously cries onscreen or even just gets a little sentimental, we are fascinated. At last night's American Idol finalists bash in Hollywood, Lopez gave E! News another little peek inside her world when she revealed which of the top 24 she most wanted to keep—but couldn't—and why they struggled to pick a wildcard. Watch and learn what J.Lo thinks of the top 13 and the ones that got away: Picking a wildcard was anything but easy, Lopez tells E! News: "It was very hard, and we weren't ready. It was tough—it was really tough. We decide how many people we wanted to sing and OK now they sang and they did pretty good. It was hard. I love them all. "They're all so talented, they're all doing so great. It's amazing how they come through when they need to." It was also tough for Lopez to let go of some of her faves from the top 24. When asked which ones she most regretted losing, Lopez said, "Robbie [Rosen], Kendra [Chantelle]...Jovany [Barreto]. All of 'em." She also reminisced about her tears after the elimination of Chris Medina, telling us, "I realize now when I watch the show that I started getting emotional before that happened—like it was building up—and each person was getting tougher and tougher. By the time I had to tell Chris, I did it without breaking down in front of him, but afterward, I had to take a minute. This is tough, this is hard, these kids, all their hopes and dreams are hanging on this moment, and I know what that feels like." Speaking of kids, Lopez's twins, Max and Emme, cannot be counted among Idol's millions and millions of devoted fans. Lopez tells us, "They don't sit still long enough to watch [the show]. The only thing they sit still for is The Chipmunks—she's like, 'Mommy, you be Theodore.' 'OK, I'll be Theodore.' " (So cute!)
It marks Lopez's first top 10 as a lead artist since the four-week No. 1 "All I Have," featuring LL Cool J, in 2003. That song also marked her previous highest debut, having arrived at No. 25 at the end of 2002. Her Island Def Jam label synched its digital release with the premiere of its video on Thursday's "Idol" episode. The song, with Pitbull as a featured vocalist, precedes the April 19 release of Lopez's seventh album, "Love?" "On the Floor" also marks Lopez's 10th Hot 100 top 10, a sum that includes four No. 1s. She last reached the top 10 as a featured artist on LL Cool J's "Control Myself" in 2006. Divas dominated the Hot 100 headlines, as Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" spent a third week at No. 1, dating to its debut on top two weeks ago. With cumulative digital sales of 1.2 million downloads, it's the fifth-best-selling song this year. At three weeks atop the Hot 100, "Born" ties Gaga's 2009 debut single "Just Dance" for the longest of her three chart reigns. ("Poker Face" ruled the chart for a week in 2009.) Cee Lo Green's "F*** You (Forget You)" was No. 2 for a second week, Bruno Mars' "Grenade" held at No. 3, Pink's "F**kin' Perfect" rebounded two to No. 4, and Rihanna's "S&M" jumped two to No. 5. Katy Perry's "Firework" slipped one to No. 6, but the pop singer also soared 20 to No. 8 with "E.T.," featuring Kanye West. In between, Enrique Iglesias' "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" jumped two to No. 7. Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor," featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey, fell six to No. 10.
The cartoon-themed afternoon party took place in the backyard, which had to be tented after a rainstorm threatened to dampen the celebration. Among the 50 guests were Gwen Stefani accompanied by husband Gavin Rossdale and sons Kingston, 4½, and Zuma, 2½, as well as Leah Remini with her daughter Sofia, 6½. The party featured moon bouncers, cotton candy machines and a huge cake. Festive cartoon character balloons decorated the backyard and guests received gift bags upon leaving the party. “Jennifer was very excited to celebrate her babies’ birthday,” a source tells PEOPLE. “She went all out and everyone had a great time at the party.” On Max and Emme’s actual birthday on Feb. 22, Lopez Tweeted, “It’s my coconuts bday 2day!!! HAPPY BDAY my beautiful babies … you’re 3 2day and Mama’s SO proud! There are no words 4 how much I love u!!”
Seacrest says that they saw "raw, authentic, genuine emotion" during that segment and J.Lo agrees. "I didn't break down when he was there, necessarily. After he left, it really hit me. I just couldn't believe that I had to deliver this news to this person who I felt had been through a lot and is going through a lot," says Lopez. "I felt like I didn't do it well enough for him, to send him where he needed to go in his life and be OK. I didn't want to be part of that ... he handled it with so much dignity and so much class and that made it worse for me. [laughs] I'm just like, 'Oh, he's so awesome. I respect this person so much.'" "That was a moment that I didn't expect to be on camera, in the show. It was really hard," she continues. "I was struggling. I was struggling with how to tell him. It's funny because when we were going down the list, I didn't realize that I had to tell him. All of a sudden it was my turn and I'm like, 'How am I gonna say this?'" But on the other hand, Lopez is glad that kind of struggle has been shown on the show because "people are really getting to know who [she is] as a person." As far as the show as a whole is going, J.Lo is optimistic that people will continue to tune in, both this season and next. "I just think if we do a good job right now, people will tune in later and I think we're doing a good job right now," says Lopez. "We're being honest, we're being real, we've having fun and I think that's all we have to do." "American Idol" airs Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
Chris dealt well with the rejection: He thanked the judges for the touching moment during auditions when they met with his wheelchair-bound fiancée, Juliana, who'd been hurt terribly in a car accident. Because of that opportunity, he said, "Juliana's more popular than I am." Jennifer, on the other hand, suffered what Ryan Seacrest described as "an unprecedented meltdown." Well, no, it wasn't as histrionic as that, but she broke down in tears, over and over – from having to tell Chris bad news, in particular, but possibly from the strain of crushing the dreams of so many singers. A viewer couldn't help noticing, meanwhile, that the cable box indicated that the show's two hours were up, and we didn't know much at this point beyond the fact that Clint Jun Gamboa was in, and so were the striking Naima Adedapo and the Cat Stevens-like Paul McDonald. As Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson consoled Jennifer, telling her she'd been considerate and couldn't fault herself, Ryan was wondering aloud whether they'd have to carry on without her. At that point the screen gave way to this message: "To Be Continued." I'd say it was a bizarre night. The first hour, in which those initial 61 contestants were reduced to 40, saw everyone bused to Las Vegas to pool once more into groups to sing the Beatles. In a free moment before going onstage to perform a duet of "We Can Work It Out" with Sophia Shorai, Ashley Sullivan ducked out and came back Ashley Suraiva. She married her boyfriend, David, in the same chapel where Britney Spears tied the knot in 2004. "You're going through with it," Ashley told her husband-to-be on the way to the chapel, "or I'll kill you in your sleep." Then Mrs. Suraiva sang, and not too well. "It was not hot today," Randy said in heavy tones. Or as Steven put it, "Yikes." She was among the singers cut. And yet Ashley, whose sobbing storms would once have made Jennifer look like a stoic, didn't seem all that upset. She was still in a happy honeymoon daze. Good for her. The Beatles portion proved again that this could be a bumper crop of Idol talent. As in Idols past, many of these singers are too young to know much of the Beatles' catalog. So we always get a lot of "The Long and Winding Road" and no "Happiness Is a Warm Gun." But their interpretations of the standards were often surprisingly fresh. One of the few weak performances, in fact, was Chris Medina's duo with Casey Abrams of "A Hard Days Night." They were dressed as the Blues Brothers and bouncing around on a prop bed. But Chris's character and his personal story made for some genuinely verklempt moments. So long.
The video is directed by Taj Stansberry, aka TAJ, whom Lopez has worked with previously. Choreographer Frank Gatson had an interesting take on the vibe of the video. "[We're trying to create a vibe] that's so amazing. [It's like] everybody had some watermelon and the watermelon made them high, it gave them a little buzz -- but a good buzz, a real magical buzz, a dance buzz, a buzz that makes you feel like fried chicken, so she just wants everybody to have a good old time. The club must have this vibe, where you get on the floor and everybody's bringing it," he says. "We've seen so many club videos, but we want to see a club video with a vibe unique to Jennifer Lopez." Watch a preview below and be sure to tune in to "Idol" on March 3 for the whole shebang. (Video)
A source close to X Factor tells PEOPLE: "Jennifer really wanted to do X Factor, but Simon Cowell and the show's producers pulled out of negotiations out of respect for Fox [which airs Idol]." The source adds: "She wanted to do X Factor because it was a new show with a potentially younger audience, but she was independently also in talks with American Idol at the same time. When Simon found that out, X Factor immediately pulled out of the negotiations." X Factor debuts this fall.
A.I. producers, that's who. "They've asked me to. And they've also asked Steve [Tyler]," Lopez just told me at the UNICEF Women of Compassion luncheon honoring Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. "We'll see." However, Ms. Lopez said... She is finishing up the music video for her new single "On the Floor." "We just heard the single on the radio on way over here," said Lopez, who was looking pretty flawless in Gucci. "It's very exciting. [The video] should be out in a few days. Maybe we'll debut the video on Idol." Meanwhile, Lopez said working with organizations like UNICEF has become even more meaningful since she and hubby Marc Anthony had their twins, Emme and Max (they turn three on Feb. 22). "When you become a mom," she said, "you do get that feeling in a sense that every child in the world could be your child and that's why you want to help." What about plans for expanding their own brood? "I think Marc would like to have more kids," she said while giving Anthony a big smile. "We talk about it." Now it's your turn! Should Lopez perform on Idol?
"American Idol" hopeful Tim Halperin (from Forth Worth, Texas) did just that during his audition on the Feb. 3 episode when he asked judge Jennifer Lopez how old she was. He started off okay, telling Lopez he had a crush on her growing up, since he was in the fifth grade. When she asked how old he was, he answered with, "23. How old are you?" Awwwkward. Luckily, Lopez laughed it off and said, "None of your business. I'm young enough for you. Don't worry." Despite his slip up, Halperin was sent through to Hollywood Week with his rendition of Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved," despite receiving a "no" from Randy Jackson. We thought he was pretty good, but definitely not the best we've seen so far. Maybe Halperin's nerves got the better of him and caused him to ask the dreaded age question. "I've had a crush on her as long as I can remember," he said. "I'm a little nervous to see what she thinks about me." At least Halperin didn't say this pick-up line directly to Lopez or we would have had to hide our faces in our pillows from the awkwardness: "Jennifer, my love don't cost a thing. I have news for you, it's free for you."
J-Lo will be joined by husband Marc Anthony at the White House party, also featuring top officials including Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a senior US official said. At one point, Obama had high hopes for the big title game, as his beloved Chicago Bears made it to the semi-final stage, but were knocked out by the Packers, the pride of Wisconsin. Obama will be seeking a piece of the Super Bowl XLV action himself on Sunday, as he will grant a rare interview to Fox television's conservative talk show host Bill O'Reilly as part of the network's build-up to the big game.
"This will be the standout season for talent," Lopez said Wednesday. Lopez, who brings her signature superstar glamour to the newly made-over judging panel, said she's had to fight back the tears when meeting contestants like Chris Medina, whose fiancee suffered traumatic brain injury in a car accident just months before they were to walk down the aisle. "It's tough. It's emotional. But this is the thing about 'American Idol' that I love. It's about people and their dreams and their struggles, and that's what I think everybody loves about it. You see yourself in these people," she said backstage after a press conference announcing her new partnership with Gillette Venus. Other heart-wrenching moments include twin Travis Orlando, who took "Idol" cameras on a tour of the Bronx shelter he once called home, and Nashville's Lauren Alaina, who sang "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" with judge Steven Tyler, after recounting her cousin's battle with a brain tumor. Lopez insisted the personal stories aren't crowding out the singing. "I think America — because they're the ones who vote at the end of the day — you know they go for the talent," Lopez said. " ... And if it happens to have a story attached to it, it like takes it over the top." Fans, again, will be the ones to decide. After the season premiere, ratings for the Fox singing competition were down 13 percent from last year's debut. But Nielsen Co. said that a drop off in audience from the first to second week was the show's smallest in five years. Medina, Orlando and Alaina will be competing for a spot among the 20 semifinalists during Hollywood week, airing Feb. 16 and 17.
Publication editors have awarded Berry the Best Body accolade, describing the actress as "slim and shapely", while Desperate Housewives star Longoria lands the Best Revenge Body accolade for looking great, despite the heartbreak of her marriage split from sports star Tony Parker. Also honoured for their red carpet looks: Anne Hathaway (Best Back), Claire Danes (Best Shoulders), Amy Adams (Best Toned Arms), Sofia Vergara (Best Hourglass Figure), Jennifer Lopez (Best Butt) and pregnant Natalie Portman (Best Baby Bump). Mad Men star January Jones also impressed in her revealing red dress, claiming the Fitness editors' Best Dare-to-Bare-It Look, and 73-year-old Jane Fonda picked up the Best Comeback award.
Television's top show returned Wednesday with a makeover for its 10th season on Fox. Cowell, everyone's favorite villain, is gone as a judge. So are Kara DioGuardi (KEHR'-uh dee-oh-GWAHR'-dee) and Ellen DeGeneres (dih-JEN'-ur-us). There's star power in Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler replacing them. Original judge Randy Jackson remains. At the start the new "Idol" concentrated on the positive. The first three contestants shown made it through to Hollywood. J.Lo in particular had a difficult time becoming J-No. She seemed in agony the first time she was shown rejecting a contestant. She complained: "Oh, my God, I hate this! Why did I sign up for this? I want to go home." She got up to hug a contestant who was crying upon meeting her.
The Jenny From The Block hitmaker debuted her new single on Ryan Seacrest's American radio show on Tuesday, and fans have already slated the song for its resemblance to DeLuna's track Party O'Clock, which was released in Europe in November. Critics have pointed out that both tracks were produced by music mogul RedOne and they claim the lyrics and harmonies are similar. Lopez sings on her record, "Cuz London to Ibiza/Straight to L.A. New York/Vegas to Africa," while DeLuna chants, "Party in Ibiza, Party in New York/All the way to Africa/Love in the Caribbean/On my way to Vegas." One web blogger has even made a video 'mash-up' of the two tracks to demonstrate their likeness, writing, "J Lo needs to thank Kat DeLuna." But DeLuna is adamant she's happy with the similarity of the records because she's such a huge fan of Lopez, telling the New York Daily News, "It's cool that artists like J.Lo are inspired by my musical sound and style. Jennifer helped pave the way for Latinas like myself. I love her."
For the first time, Idol is permanently shifting to time slots one night later, on Wednesdays and more-lucrative Thursdays. It's a move Fox has toyed with for years. But two key events sealed the deal: CBS returned Survivor to Wednesday, and Glee last fall became Tuesday's top-rated show among young adults. "When Glee came back as the No. 1 show, we wanted to leave it there," says Fox chairman Peter Rice, who has already renewed companion sitcom Raising Hope and plans to make Tuesday a new night for laughs. "We're going to build a comedy night on Tuesday. I can't remember the last time we had a live-action comedy night." With CBS' comedy block faring worse than Survivor did Thursdays, and CSI and Grey's Anatomy down, that night is "not what it used to be," says Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman, so Thursday seemed "much more takeable." Bones moves to 9, where it'll benefit from Idol's lead-in, but low-rated sci-fi series Fringe is headed for Friday's Siberia. Fox predicts Idol's new slots won't affect ratings, and senior VP Brent Poer of ad firm MediaVest says it's a no-brainer: Glee's "cultural zeitgeist moment" means "you'd hate to move it," and Idol's changes will lure fans wherever it airs. "The curiosity factor is going to drive people to the premiere." But if ratings tumble for a fifth season (down 9% last year), it will be hard to tell if it's the result of the singers or changes in judges, time slot or format. "Our expectation is for Idol to be down, as every show in its 10th year is down," Rice says. "But if we can get to the end of our 10th season in transition with new casting and get anywhere close to being the No. 1 (network) again" among younger viewers, "that would be a tremendous achievement."
Gervais' Globes comedy left a lot to be desired by many critics and celebrities, who have taken aim at the Brit for his mean-spirited banter - Tom Hanks and Robert Downey, Jr. actually targeted the funnyman from the stage at the prizegiving. But Lopez was determined not to be embarrassed by Gervais as she took to the stage with co-presenter Alec Baldwin. She explains, "We're about to walk out and Ricky shows up and I said, 'Listen, I will kill you, you understand. I am from New York, my husband fights... we both fight, we will beat you up after the show.' "I said, 'Let me see your card...' He said, 'You're gonna love it'." The singer/actress admits she was not offended by Gervais' Jenny From The Block gag, insisting, "It was funny". But she did feel for others who were savaged by the Brit. She tells Access Hollywood, "He's very gutsy. It takes a lot of guts to get up there and make the comments he made... I'm sure in his mind it was all in good fun... There were some awkward (moments)." "He may have hit one or two (jokes) below the belt... Some comments were tough."
The actress-singer recently posed with the twins, who will be 3 next month, in ads introducing Gucci’s new kids’ line of clothing. She did so because there was a strong charity connection, not because Emme and Max were clamoring for the gig. “They’re like, ‘Mom, hello! Hair and makeup!’ ” Lopez, 41, jokes in an interview airing Tuesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “No. Actually, Frida Giannini from Gucci said she was going to launch the Gucci’s kids line, and they were going to do it in conjunction with a big donation, and they were going to do it with [the United Nations' children's charity] UNICEF, and would we do it?” Lopez and her husband, Marc Anthony, were torn, but eventually agreed. “Marc didn’t really want to put the babies in an ad or anything like that,” Lopez says. “And I was just like, if they do it, I’d want to do it with my kids because it is for the kids. That’s the connection. That’s what makes it real. We don’t really parade them around like that, so it was for a good cause.” One thing Lopez and Anthony haven’t committed to? Having more kids themselves. “I don’t know. As soon as I had the babies, I thought to myself, ‘I want to do this a thousand more times. I love this. This is life,’ ” she says. “And now that it’s like three years in, I’m like, ‘Can I do that again?’ It’s funny. But yes, if I got pregnant, I would be extremely happy.”
"I don't know. I don't know. I'd like to. As soon as I had the babies [twins Max and Emme], I thought to myself, 'I want to do this a thousand times. I love this. This is life,'" J.Lo tells Ellen DeGeneres on her show airing today. "I just thought, it felt so great. This is what life is all about. And now that it's, like, three years in, I'm like, 'Can I do that again?' It's funny. But yes, if I got pregnant, I would be extremely happy." In the meantime, she's helping give "birth" to a revamped American Idol this week as one of the singing competition's new judges. Which, of course, begs the question: Who is a bigger diva? Lopez or Ryan Seacrest? "He definitely has so many more shoes than me," teases Lopez. "It's crazy!" But she's quick to point out that such ribbing is all in good fun. "From the very beginning, as soon as everybody knew I was doing the show, it was like we didn't get along," she says. "You know, Ryan is my friend. So it was funny they picked the two of us, but it's fine. We just laugh about it. Everybody knows he has a bigger entourage than I do. It's no secret in the business." Well, with this many jobs, what do you expect?
"I get very involved and attached to the kids, in the sense of their trajectory and watching them," Lopez, 41, said after Idol's Tuesday's Television Critics Association's press panel, in anticipation of having to eliminate 50 percent of the contestants during a taping later in the day. "I feel really anxious about cutting half the kids today, I really do," the pop star added. "I'm really not looking forward to it. You want to pick the right ones and you want to see who's really going to make a great show, and at the same time, be great artists. But I feel like we have so many good ones that we're going to lose some good ones today. And that's what bothers me." And like a lot people starting a new job, Lopez says she has work on her mind even when she's not at the "office." "I realize that when we went away before we did Hollywood Week, I was thinking about the kids so much before we went back for the [Las Vegas round]," Lopez said. "I was just like, 'Oh, my God, I hope that so-and-so does good, and I wish this one would just let go a little more ... ' You just get involved ... You hope that they do great." But Lopez says her soft-heartedness doesn't mean she's already filling the shoes of former judges Paula Abdul and Ellen DeGeneres, who were both known for being encouraging and sympathetic to the show's singers. "I can't really say I would be like any one judge," Lopez said. "I think that I have a combination of qualities that make me who I am and gives me a specific style of how I deal with the kids and how I dish out the truth – and also dish out the comfort. That's just part of who I am."
They don't sound stressed about being in the spotlight on TV's No. 1 show, returning Jan. 19 (Fox, 8 ET/PT). "None of us are taking it so crazy, like the pressure. That's not what we're thinking about," Lopez says. "Steven, Randy and I, we're at points in our careers where we can sit there and enjoy the experience. We're concentrating on these kids and finding somebody great and making this interesting and fun. I think what this show lost in the last couple of years was fun." Aerosmith lead singer Tyler cites "40 years of being judged myself" as an asset in assessing the 15- to 28-year-old singing entrants. Lopez and Tyler arrive after the departure of judge Simon Cowell, arguably Idol's biggest draw. They're among numerous changes to the show after what many critics considered a lackluster ninth season that saw a 9% ratings drop (24.1 million viewers) and a finalist field with fewer record sales than their predecessors'. No one minimizes the loss of Cowell, but no one plans to take up his caustic mantle. "People go, 'Who's going to be Simon?' He's irreplaceable to me, he's his own character, so I think it's about moving on and us creating more and trying to make the show a little bit different and throw it to the next level," says Jackson. "Jennifer's got that good, loving quality. She's a triple threat. She can act, dance and sing." And Tyler, he says, is "a legend on the desk. He's a rock legend." Host Ryan Seacrest, also an Idol original, says the new panel has its own personality. "Steven is hysterical. He brings a sense of humor to the show that only a rock star can. And Jennifer can be ironic, sarcastic and playful." At the same time, the panel takes its job seriously, Seacrest says, crediting Jackson for taking a leadership role. "They want to exceed expectations. They want to find somebody who can be a star and have a fan base and put out hit records." The judges say they're looking for that rare mix of artistic skill and star power. "I can't even tell you what I've learned in the last 40 years, but I've got a better grasp on ... that unknown entity that makes someone so musically delicious, so melodically sensible or not sensible," Tyler says. "Plus, I'm looking for star quality, in the voicing, how they attack notes, how they climb, how they dance between them."
A: My whole approach is to be honest, to give my honest impressions and help them either get to the next level or be honest with them with the fact that they're not going to make it to the next level. ... I think the truth can be harsh sometimes, but for me, it's not about breaking spirits. It's about letting people know what they're doing right and if I think or Steven thinks or Randy thinks they have a future in this. Q: Are you concerned about joining such an established show? A: No, not really. When they first offered it to me, I wasn't sure whether it was really part of my plans or in my ideas of what I wanted to do. Then I thought on it: This could be fun. It's not forever, it's just for now. I thought, "Why not?" I love it. I love the show, and I think I have something to offer. Q: Did it bother you that so much rumor and speculation surrounded your potential involvement? A: No. I've been dealing with that for too many years now, especially when you know what's really going on. I was the one who was calming Fox down. I said, "Don't worry about it. This is going to happen next, and then this will happen, and then we'll do this." And they were like, "You were right." Q: What's the feeling between you and your fellow judges? A: It's all love. It's love and fun and respect. ... Everyone has a different perspective and comes from such different backgrounds and came up in a different way in the business. Q: How would you describe them? A: Pretty much the same as me, honest and straightforward. Randy still delivers it with his flair. I would describe Steven as sincere and heartfelt and at the same time really fun in the way he delivers his commentary. He has so many sayings that are, like, so off-the-wall. I'm sure they have me looking at him, like, "What did you just say?" Q: Will you perform on Idol? A: Maybe. ... If it fits in with things happening with the show but also in my life, then we'll see.
"There are less clouds of smoke," Seacrest tells Entertainment Weekly in a new cover story about the show. "We start earlier. There's less – what is that English dish he always ordered for lunch? Shepherd's pie? He loves shepherd's pie." "No, it's the blood pudding," Jackson jokes, then adds, "we definitely miss [Cowell], but it's a different kind of vibe. It's a different energy now." "It's going to be an all new show," Seacrest says. Jennifer Lopez explains: "We're more of a collaborative judging group. We're always leaning over to each other and saying, 'Oh my God, I think she's good.' 'Or, I don't get it.' 'You don't like it?' " she tells the magazine. "We just have a totally different style than any of the past judging tables." In addition to Cowell, new judges Lopez and Steven Tyler are filling the shoes of Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres, who both bowed out of the Fox show over the summer, signaling a nearly complete makeover of the panel. "It's not about replacing [Cowell] or any of the others," Jackson says. "People have been saying to us, 'Who's mean?' We've traded off on that because I think you have to always give people the truth, no matter what." When Idol's season 10 premieres Jan. 19, it's not just the judges' fans who will be watching. Tyler wants everyone to know the contestants this year are "just astounding." "We throw the drift net out and look what comes up?" Tyler says. "Gold."
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Tuesday on Twitter that Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lopez would present trophies at the 68th annual ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 16. For the second year in a row, Ricky Gervais will host the event, which is seen as a predictor of how films will do at the Academy Awards on Feb. 27. Damon will present the Cecil B. DeMille Award to previously announced recipient Robert De Niro.
In what was sure to be one of the most star-studded concerts of the year, Jay-Z and Coldplay rocked Las Vegas on New Year's Eve, performing at the grand opening of The Cosmopolitan, a $3.9 billion hotel on the famous Strip. But those two acts weren't the only ones to take the stage: Beyoncé, Kanye West and John Mayer all made surprise appearances during Jay-Z's performance. Beyoncé joined her husband for "Forever Young" and sang "Halo" with Chris Martin. Mayer played guitar with Jay-Z on his hit song "99 Problems." "All the problems you were going through have been kicked out the door," Jay-Z told the crowd before a collaborative performance of West's "Homecoming," which featured Jay-Z, West and Martin. Gwyneth Paltrow was also on hand to watch the show – and ring in the 2011 with her husband and close friends. The intimate crowd was littered with celebrities to witness the show that Jay-Z called "once in a lifetime." Following their Mexican vacation, Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez were spotted in the audience. Diaz spent some of the evening chatting with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, not far from Ellen Pompeo and Blake Lively. Following the concert, the stars headed to Marquee Las Vegas where famed DJ Eric Morrillo entertained the concert crowd.
Jennifer Lopez's superstar husband has got a major tab running with the Internal Revenue Service to the tune of $3.4 million in unpaid taxes, E! News has learned. Good thing the couple's got her humongo American Idol paycheck to fall back on. According to a New York judgments and liens filing dating back to March 29, Anthony (under his real name, Marco Antonio Muniz), was hit with a tax lien on some property he owns in Long Island. But that's not the only time he's failed to pay the government its due. The Latin popster also had a lien filed against the same piece of real estate in December of 2009, this one for $1.6 million, bringing the total amount owed to the IRS to a whopping $3.4 million. No word if Anthony has settled up with the feds or whether he has some kind of payback schedule. A rep for the "I Need to Know" singer was unavailable for comment. It's not the first time Anthony's run afoul of the taxman. In 2007, the crooner paid $2.5 million in back taxes to federal and state goverments for failing to file returns on nearly $15.5 million in income over a five-year period. And while he himself wasn't on the hook personally, three of his corporate entities including his touring company, did plead guilty to various tax crimes. Somebody get this guy a good accountant. Or a gig on a reality show.
Earlier this month at the Kennedy Center Honors, the Aerosmith frontman, 62, gushed to UsMagazine.com of his fellow judge, "First and foremost, she's a lady and she's not afraid to show that at any given time." Added Tyler of the married mom of two, 41, "She's ridiculous. You know, she's exactly what I thought she'd be. She's street." And while the rock legend told Us he finds Lopez's honesty with the contestants "incredible," he admits to having some struggles behind the judges' table. "It's hard when you have a kid who's 15-years-old, who's been watching American Idol for the last 10 years," he said of the contestants. "And some of them were awful. I just say something like, 'Did you bump your head on the way in?'" Still, Tyler said he doesn't plan to follow in Simon Cowell's cantankerous footsteps. "I'm really not one for giving insults," he told Us. "They have a voice and I don't want them not singing to their kids when they grow up."
No joke. Don't be fooled by the early promos, which show Tyler as a flaky man of few words and Lopez as the next Paula Abdul. There are tears — lots of them, in fact — in the 23 minutes of audition footage Fox released, but there's also lots of promise — not only in the contestants, but the new judges as well. In the select auditions, which range from impeccably good to devastatingly cringe-worthy, Tyler and Lopez seem to have an easygoing rapport with Randy Jackson. Most notably, they are brutally honest with those not advancing to Hollywood Week without being brutal (ahem, Simon Cowell). The tangents and antics are kept to a minimum, but Tyler provides plenty of laughs — remarking with "f--- a duck" after one hopeful's near-perfect performance and even flirting with a rocker chick/die-hard Aerosmith fan. "You look like you could be one of my... ," he tells the girl. "Friends," Jackson finishes for him. Looks like they're fitting in just fine. Season 10 of American Idol premieres Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 8/7c.
The actress-etc. has been sued for $10 million by ex-husband Ojani Noa's girlfriend and would-be production partner, who claims Lopez has been nothing but a thorn in their side as they try to get Noa's funny-ha-ha biopic off the ground. Lopez, who secured an injunction against a tell-all book Noa was peddling several years ago, sued Hubby No. 1 and his manager Ed Meyer last year over their movie plans. And that's just not fair, says plaintiff Claudia Vasquez. "Jennifer Lopez stopped a movie I was producing with Ojani Noa," Vazquez told E! News Monday. "I waited for a year and half for this case to be resolved but she has been asking for a lot of extensions and it is just taking too long. I'm not getting anywhere and I'm losing a lot of money." She said that they were already holding a casting call for the film when Lopez's attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter. "After that I had to stop production," Vazquez said. Meyer, who is not party to Vazquez's lawsuit, told E! that the suit Lopez filed is currently being reviewed by a California appellate court and he expects oral arguments to be heard in June. Vazquez described the film project to us last year as a "parody" based in fact. "This is not about Jennifer Lopez's life, this is about Ojani's life," she said.
Gene told OK! exclusively, “In terms of qualifications I’m the governor. I’ve written songs, been in a band for 37 years, toured the world, blah blah, discovered Van Halen, and managed Liza Minnelli, Simmons Records. Done it, been there, 3,000 licensed products. Who else has that qualification?” One person who he thinks will do a good job on the upcoming season of Idol is chosen judge Steven Tyler. “Steven is going to be great. He is going to be the only interesting one there because obviously he’s going to be qualified to know what he is talking about.” Someone who doesn’t have his support? Jennifer Lopez. Gene shared with OK!, “I don’t think Jennifer Lopez is going to mean a thing. Because you can dance and stuff, you don’t write songs, your own records. You’re a performer. I don’t take respectfully I don’t take her seriously as being able to spot new talent. So, you can sing, you can dance, that’s nice. But Tyler’s the real deal. He’s not shy. What you really want to do is to have somebody get up there because most people are delusional because they go up there and they’re like I’m as good as Ethel Murman.” Will still people watch Idol? “It always comes down to people. Television is a people medium and I’m not trying to blow smoke or whatever. If you’re not a news junkie, and if someone is interesting on the news you’ll stop because you’re interested in the people,” he explained. “It’s people and without Simon Cowell there’s nothing.” Gene was approached for the Idol gig telling OK!, “We talked for a short time, but I didn’t want to break A&E’s heart. But we did speak.” You can watch Gene on the new season of Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels on A&E Sunday’s at 9 p.m. ET, and for more on Gene and his family check out this week’s issue of OK!.
The brand has announced that Lopez will be its newest global brand ambassador, joining a roster of spokespeople that includes Milla Jovovich, Patrick Dempsey, Rachel Weisz, Beyonce Knowles, Diane Kruger, Evangeline Lilly, Andie MacDowell, Eva Longoria, Freida Pinto and Gerard Butler. Lopez will be a spokesperson for the new Feria Color line of home care color, and will appear in a TV and print campaign that launches January 25 alongside Jovovich. This is the second major branding deal for Lopez in less than a month. On November 18, she and hubby Marc Anthony announced the launch of his and hers lifestyle brands for Kohl's Department stores.
As for Oprah, "The interview is extremely personal," says Walters. "She talks about her hopes and fears [in starting her cable network OWN], and her feelings about not wanting to have children. A good part of it has to do with her relationships with Gayle [King] and with [longtime companion] Stedman [Graham]. It's a very intimate portrait." Besides Palin, Walters most fascinating list includes Justin Bieber, Sandra Bullock, LeBron James, the Jersey Shore cast, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Middleton, Gen. David Petraeus and Betty White. As always, the person she deems "most fascinating" will be revealed on the show. Here are some of Walters' behind-the-scenes tidbits. Betty White: "She says she's not having a comeback — she never stopped working. We talked about death, sex — she still wants it — and animals. She loves them more than people." Justin Bieber: "He said because his mother talked to him about her drinking and drug use, he feels it's something that he never will do." And on a lighter note, "He taught me a new dance." The Jersey Shore cast: "They were all very serious and very well dressed, with big plans for the future. I now know what a 'grenade' [a plump woman] and 'smush' [have sex] mean." Jennifer Lopez: The new American Idol judge reveals that she took the job so she can stay home and take care of her kids, says Walters. But, "she's still the glamour figure. She came [to the interview] wearing tiny little hot pants, looking very cute."
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the singer/actress is no longer represented by top publicist Leslie Sloan and her BWR colleague Nanci Ryder, who have provided the star with good PR since 2004. The trade magazine reports the split came about because of a falling out between the BWR heavyweights and Lopez's management team. Ryder refuses to go into details about the split, but tells the publication the news is true, stating, "I think Jennifer is fantastic and I'm very sad that we're not going to be representing her anymore." Medina adds, "Artists and PR companies parting ways happens all the time. This is as much news as me re-doing my furniture."
Sources say the Latino power couple have viewed a model unit at the controversial Paseo Caribe, a high-rise luxury complex under construction next to the historic San Geronimo fort in San Juan. The $300 million residential, shopping and entertainment complex has sparked legal battles, protests and physical fights between the developers and residents who are concerned about overbuilding on the shoreline, the sale of public land to a private company, and preservation of the 17th-century fort. Anthony's rep, who said she had no idea whether he and J.Lo will buy there, but told us the couple do have "big plans" for Puerto Rico that they'll unveil in 2011. "They are looking into creating new projects in San Juan and Latin America in development, entertainment and film," she said. But locals are mystified as to why Anthony and "American Idol" judge Lopez would choose to launch their "big plans" from so controversial a piece of property. A source familiar with Paseo Caribe said, "It is still early days. There is no certainty they'll buy because of the controversy." Anthony irritated Puerto Ricans in September when he canceled one of his sold-out concerts an hour before the performance. "The first show was amazing, and Jennifer came out," a source said. "But the next day's concert was a disaster when he canceled an hour before start time, sending fans who had driven up to four hours to see the show back home." Anthony's rep told us, "He held out for as long as possible because he was planning to perform that night, but his doctor recommended he rest his vocal cords for 48 hours. He rescheduled for two days later." A rep for J.Lo declined to comment.
The tears, they say, are a result of having to disappoint people, something both of the new judges still find difficult. While Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler tries to suppress his desire to "flambé" bad contestants, Lopez opts for constructive criticism. "I think everyone's trying to be as honest as they can without breaking too many spirits," she said. "We're not out to cut them down or make a joke of them. What we're trying to do is really mentor them and help them to the next step if we think they're worth it and if they're not, just be super honest with them and let them know this is not for them." Lucky for the three judges, it appears this season is full of potential talent. "I know we say this all the time, and I say it a lot, but dude, this year the talent is better than what we've had in many, many a season," Jackson said. That includes the newly eligible 15-year-old contestants. "Obviously it's a whole new pool of talent, and we've got some really, really great young ones," said Lopez. "We've put a bunch of people through, probably more than they have in the past, and we're confident that we have 15 to 20 real superstars." For Lopez, even the long days can't put a damper on her excitement. "For me, when I come to work, it's like watching the show all day," she told TV Guide Magazine. "So if you love the show, which I do, it's a ball!" Her fellow judges agree, with Jackson loudly exclaiming "It's fire up here!" And if all else fails, they can always capitalize on their great chemistry. "We've all moved into a beach house together," joked Ryan Seacrest as the banter continued. Could Idol Shore be next?
"It was cute, super entertaining and flattering, but no," the pop diva says of contestants who failed to make it through auditions by performing one of her hits. "They know we're not out to cut them down or make a joke of them," she told reporters Thursday at a stop in Los Angeles. "We're trying to mentor them to the next step." And so far – after visiting seven cities – Lopez says they've found 15 to 20 "real superstars who could be recording artists for sure," adding that the judges have seen "a lot of great country [singers]." Just like in the show's previous nine seasons, for every potential "superstar" there are dozens of contestants who have to hear bad news from the judges – which can sometimes be heart-wrenching. "I've cried," Lopez said. "We get a lot of elation when we put them through and devastation, almost, when they're not. But it's been a ball."
Leah Remini, a longtime pal of Lopez's, says there's hope Emme and Max, both 2, will get a little brother or sister, if Mom has her way. "Jen would love to have more kids," Remini, 40, told PEOPLE at the 32nd Anniversary Carousel of Hope Ball, which benefitted the Barbara Davis Center For Childhood Diabetes. Aside from mommy duty, Remini says Lopez, 41, is enjoying another one of her jobs: her gig on Fox as an American Idol judge. "She loves it," says the star of The King of Queens. "This is one of her favorite jobs because Jennifer loves artists. Jennifer loves to find somebody. She's a fan of the show. Jennifer really wants to find 'it.' "
Sources told Page Six that highly controlling Medina is constantly on set with Lopez during filming of the show and chats with her about the contestants during breaks. One insider even added that Medina, a former singer who has also managed the likes of Usher, Brandy and Mariah Carey, "communicates with Lopez constantly" during production. A rep for Lopez said, "Benny is a frustrated judge and has nothing to do [with judging contestants]. Jennifer loves this job and is having a wonderful time." Lopez signed a reported $12 million deal to be a judge for the 10th season of the hit Fox show alongside Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and music producer Randy Jackson. And our sources add that Lopez and Tyler are quite opinionated without Medina's input. Lopez and Tyler put contestants through ringers, making them prove their talent by singing multiple songs in several musical categories and evaluating "the whole package" during the first round of auditions taking place across the country. "The bar is high," said one source. Comparing former judge Paula Abdul with Lopez and Tyler, our insider said: "If Paula liked the song a constestant sang, then they got right through. For Steven and Jennifer, there's much more thought behind it. It's about the package: endurance, timing, how much you want it, and can you sing more than just one genre of music." Meanwhile, Tyler has also emerged as the show's new Simon Cowell-esque figure. "His one-liners are superb. When he's on, he's fantastic," an insider noted. And so far, there are no Cowell/Abdul-style set feuds. "Steven gets along very well with Jennifer," said our source. A rep for Fox had no comment.
New judge Jennifer Lopez called into "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's radio show Friday morning (Oct. 8) to swat away rumors that they've been fighting over dressing-room space and trying to assert their position as "top diva" on the FOX show. "Is there a prize for top diva?" Lopez joked. "Is there extra salary?" "Why can't we just be equal divas?" Seacrest replied. The rumors about Lopez's diva behavior started before she even signed on to the show, and they've continued since she and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler were officially named as "Idol" judges a few weeks ago. Among the other things she's allegedly guilty of? Forgetting fellow judge Randy Jackson's name. "They did not write that," Lopez says, stifling a laugh. "How do you goof up Randy's name? They just want to make me look like a buffoon." Seacrest and Lopez also discussed the Milwaukee auditions for "Idol," which apparently resulted in more tickets to Hollywood than just about any other stop in the show's history, and Lopez talked about figuring out the best way to reject auditioners who just don't quite have it. "It's like, Do I give this kid a chance or do I crush his dreams?" she says. "... It's about finding the right way to say it, and sometimes you have to be tough, because they don't want to believe it."
"It was a long day, but it wasn't tiring," says Lopez. "I was energized by all of [the contestants'] spirits when they came in here -- so hopeful about what could happen and how it could be. And it's exciting." "I really want to put them through the wringer in the sense that I don't want to let anybody who's really great go ... because they're nervous or whatever and not get to see what they could've been," Lopez continues. "We worked with them a little more than maybe you've seen in the past. We give them more of a chance." Tyler was a bit more concise in his observations so far -- "Don't get mad at what we say -- get better." And Randy Jackson was his usual self -- "Whatever you do, make it hot." Even host Ryan Seacrest chimes in on the new judges' panel. "The chemistry is fantastic between these three," he says. "They're having a good time."
As you may know, the Glee star was famously ousted during the audition process of American Idol. But today, during a press conference in Jersey City, N.J., Lopez (and her backup singers Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler) revealed how her years of experience as a international superstar changes the dynamic for season 10 of Idol: Lopez told reporters, "I really wanna put [the contestants] through the wringer in the sense that I don't want to let anybody who's really great [not] go through because they're really nervous or whatever...I think we work with them a little more than you maybe you've seen in the past. We give them more of a chance, because we know what it's like to be out there." Tyler agrees that he and Lopez's years on stage and in the public eye are defining them as judges, at least in these early days. He says, "Some of the kids are so young that I'm not sure if they can get how long it's taken me to be successful and how many clubs I had to play and how I was judged so…[pauses] wonderfully…by the press. [Panel laughs.] And how hard it was to take. But they all took [our criticism] well. A lot of tears. Kind of hard for me. But I'll get over it." Overall, Tyler described the Jersey City auditioners as being, "Spunky and sparky and crazy and over the top," while J.Lo found them, "Very East Coast." As for Lopez and Tyler's experience being key to the style of season 10, veteran judge Randy Jackson and Idol host Ryan Seacrest agree that the newcomers' star power is making a big impression on the youngsters trying out. Jackson says, "[Lopez and Tyler are] bringing a new experience, both [are] still hugely successful artists performing currently, doing it. So I think a lot of these kids are watching the two of them, and they idolize what that is." Seacrest concurs, revealing: "Interestingly, the contestants this year, more than ever, have said that they have grown up watching the show and finally it's their opportunity to audition for the show, so the stakes are really high for them, and then they walk into the show that they've grown up watching with these two superstar judges. It's really been an extra dynamic especially [for me]...outside the room with the contestants. A lot of emotion." Are you getting excited for Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler to judge Idol this year? We sure are!
Bosses behind the hit TV show ended months of speculation this week by announcing Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler as the latest additions to the panel, replacing exiting judges Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi. Lopez is adamant it wasn't the rumoured $12 million salary that attracted her to the role, but the thought of staying in Los Angeles for six months with her husband Marc Anthony and their two young twins. And the singer/actress hopes little Max and Emme will be able to finally get into an everyday routine when their mother starts working regular hours. She says, "We're really happy that we get to be in one place with the babies. This is going to put us here for like six months. It's unheard of for us. The babies can do dance class and soccer practice. We're excited about being a little bit of a normal family for a little while." Lopez also admits she was reluctant to join the reality TV show at first, but Anthony talked her into it. She adds, "I don't know that we ever thought I'd do something like this. But when I was a dancer, was I going to be an actress? Yeah. When I was an actress, was I going to be a singer? Yes. I just think this is another evolution of that - and (Marc) explained it to me like that."
"We're really happy that we get to be in one place with the babies [2-year-old twins Max and Emme] for a while," she says. "This is going to put us here for like six months. It's unheard of for us. The babies can do dance class and soccer practice. We're excited about being a little bit of a normal family for a little while." The move to Idol also demonstrates how Lopez, 40, and husband Marc Anthony, 42, make big life-decisions – like taking a new high-profile job – together. "I don't know that we ever thought I'd do something like this," says Lopez. "But when I was a dancer, was I going to be an actress? Yeah. When I was an actress, was I going to be a singer? Yes. I just think this is another evolution of that – and [Marc] explained it to me like that." Now that the announcement is official, Lopez is eager to get started on her new gig. "I'm going to give it my whole heart, soul and passion like I do with everything that I do," she said. "I'm looking forward to such a fun year."
"I'm watching Back Up Plan and I fell so in love with Jennifer because I watched her eyes and how she interacted with the actor and they really put it across that they were falling in love," the surprisingly sentimental Aerosmith frontman told Ryan Seacrest Wednesday during his, Lopez and Randy Jackson's first interview together as officially confirmed American Idol judges. "I thought...that I would maybe someday soon be looking into her eyes...not quite like that," Tyler added. "But as most things go in my life, watch out what you dream for and they may come true, and here I am sitting next to her and it's just phenomenal." Yeah, doesn't sound like anything we ever heard Simon Cowell say about Paula Abdul. As for Lopez, when she first met Tyler, she was surprised by "how soulful he is." "I know he's an amazing rock God, I get that," the actress and pop star said. "I know that. But to sit and speak with him, the depth of his soul really moved me." And Randy Jackson thinks both of them are pretty a'ight. "What's cool, though, is you guys will definitely be nuturing," said the always eloquent veteran of nine seasons, "and you're coming from a real place because you could say, 'Hey listen, when I was at this stage and I was trying to get it together, here's what I did.' "And you're huge successes, both of you, so the kids have to really listen this time," he added. "Because I felt sometimes, the past couple seasons, we'd say stuff and they'd look at us like deer in the headlights." (That may have just been Ellen DeGeneres' reflection in the contestants' eyes.) But as for the moments of real truth on the show, how do newbies Lopez and Tyler plan to go about the art of passing judgment? "I think inately you can't help but want to give [the contestants] tough love in a sense," Lopez said. "I dont think I can ever be cruel to another artist because I am an artist, and I know what its like to put yourself out there, be in front of people, and say 'hey do you like me?'" So she plans to judge the contestants with "with a lot of love and caring and a lot of nurturing and honesty." Meanwhile, Tyler is "going to love them to death." "So I can say, 'you're going to Hollywood,' but also you gotta tell them 'don't hate me for what I say, don't get mad, get better," explained the 62-year-old rocker, the surprise front-runner to be the Paula replacement we never had. "I will send them home with a broken heart. I'm going to be honest and truthful and open as best I can—and tongue and cheek." We're thinking offering up a scarf as a parting gift would be a nice touch. The 10th season of American Idol premieres Jan. 12, 2011.
No way, says Jennifer Lopez, who laughed off reports of outrageous diva-like demands during negotiations to become a new judge on American Idol. "After as many years as I've been in this business, I'm used to that kind of stuff," Lopez said Wednesday at an Idol press conference in Inglewood, Calif. "I'm used to speculation." If anything, Lopez says, she felt she was dragging FOX into negative headlines. "I was calming the FOX people down," she explained. "I was like, 'Listen, it'll be gone tomorrow. Once they hear who we are and what we're doing, it's going to be fine. Don't worry about it.' I was just looking forward to getting started." Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe even poked fun at her reputation. "I said to Jennifer today, we heard that she only likes yellow M&Ms," he said. "I'm thinking, 'Who's going to pick them all out for her?' She said, 'No, where did that come from?'" Adds Mike Darnell, head of alternative programming on FOX: "I can tell you from the Fox standpoint, the deal was not tough. There were no diva demands. It was a really easy, comfortable deal with both parties."
According to Hawaii Five-0's new badass star Alex O'Loughlin—who knows just-announced Idol judge Jennifer Lopez well from starring with her in The Back-up Plan—J.Lo is precisely what American Idol needs. No, really! And here's why: "[Jennifer] will be great," Alex tells me from the set of Hawaii Five-0 in Honolulu. "She's a great girl. She's got a lot of spunk and she's got a great sense of humor. So I think she'll bring a humor edge. She understands musicians and dancers because it's who she is; it's where she comes from...I think she's going to bring something special to the other judges." Now, mind you Alex isn't just speaking as a former coworker of J.Lo's...He's also a longtime Idol fan. "I love American Idol," the Aussie actor professes, while admitting that he himself is not so musically inclined. "In the words of maybe my favorite comedian Billy Connolly, I've got a voice like a goose farting in the fog. Which is not a good thing." What is a good thing is that Alex's new series Hawaii Five-0 debuted to strong numbers on Monday—strong enough that assuming the audience comes back for more, Five-0 should be sticking around.
Good thing returning producer Nigel Lythgoe has a couple of other tricks up his sleeve, including that the singers are no longer going to be made to sing all different genres. Changes to the format: Nigel Lythgoe: "They are now going to stay with their genre, consequently the styles of music are going to be more decades rather than individual artist's music. I think that is important to develop what they are good at." Nigel Lythgoe (cont.): "We've been a bit of a karaoke show purely because we redo songs that people already know. We've got a whole new set of rules that are going to come in, we're not just going to copy the tracks that have been there before." Jimmy Iovine: "We're going to try every week to bring the artist along. We're looking for originality. We're not looking for someone who sings like Whitney Houston. We're looking for someone who's influenced by Whitney Houston, but brings their own stuff ... Every week, they can't just be told 'sing better.' Someone has to work with them every week on performance, on style. I think you're going to see great improvement every week on the show." Lythgoe: "What this does, Season 10, with having these icons here, is we're no longer protecting a brand. Once something works, you don't mess around with it too much. We're now given the opportunity of recreating the magic we started with. I think those middle rounds, we're looking at finding other ways of doing that so we actually present to America the best singers. On who is the heir to Simon as the toughest judge: Randy Jackson: "I don't know if there will be. I think we will all have our moments of toughness and nurturing and sweetness and everything." Nigel Lythgoe: "It isn't about role-playing, it's about being yourself. We're hoping everyone's going to be honest and remain in their characters." Jennifer Lopez: "I will give them tough love, but I don't think I will ever, as an artist, I could never be cruel to another artist. I think there's definitely better ways to say things and still get your point across. I've mentored on the show before, I think people have seen that and kind of can feel how I'll be." On the process of becoming a judge: Steven Tyler: "It's a bit of a dream come true. I was on tour and this was thrown at me and I looked on it as a great opportunity and then when I found out who was on board, I threw down right away. Right away. And as far as tough love and loving people and we're going to for sure be sending some people home with broken hearts, but with all we've been through in our careers, we live vicariously through the young talent out there. It's going to be hard, but it's also going to be fun. They're stepping up to the plate and so are we." On the rumors of "diva demands": Jennifer Lopez: "I'm kind of used to it, after as many years as I've been in this business, I'm used to that kind of stuff. I'm used to speculation. I was calming the FOX people down, I was like, 'It'll be gone tomorrow.' The truth always shows itself in who you are, so I wasn't really worried about it, to be honest. I was just looking forward to getting started."
Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler will be joining Randy Jackson at the judges' table when American Idol kicks off season 10 in January. "I'm looking for the next Michael Jackson," Lopez said before a screaming crowd at the Los Angeles Forum after Ryan Seacrest introduced her. "We're looking for the best American Idol ever." The announcement was made during a live press conference Wednesday. Seacrest hosted the event, telling the crowd, "We are looking for the next star in music. We usually ask, who will be the next American Idol? We never asked this question, who will be the next judges on American Idol?" Seacrest then introduced Randy Jackson, who told the crowd, "We found some unbelievable talent and I am calling season 10 the remix, baby!" Up next, Tyler was introduced as a "rock legend." The Aerosmith frontman said joining the Idol family feels "fabulous." "[It] feels like the perfect feathered nest," he said. "It's being a part of something much bigger than yourself. I want to bring some rock to this roller coaster." Lopez, who dressed in a silver pant suit, was the last to be introduced. "I love you guys. I am so excited," she told the crowd that included Idol hopefuls, there to try out for the show. "It is about concentrating in the moment, do the best you can. Just live! Just live, it's your moment." The announcement comes with little surprise. In weeks leading up to the decision, sources told PEOPLE Lopez signed the deal worth $12 million. And Tyler himself said he would "probably" be a judge when the show returned in the winter.
Lopez ended up throwing the party with Benny Medina at the Bowery Hotel, but she sent her driver to pick up 50 biscuits from The Lion while Katie Holmes, Julianne Moore, Desiree Rogers, Ethan Hawke and Francisco Costa dined inside.
Not to mention make for the most awkward three minutes of television ever. If it ever gets that far. "Ojani Noa will be in line at the Forum on Sept. 22 to try out for American Idol in front of his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez," Noa's manager, Ed Meyer, told E! News. Pathetic? Yes. Blatantly fame-whoring? Of course. In other words, you-know-who has finally found a natural successor. Adding to the pitiable plan is the fact that Noa, at 36, isn't even eligible to be the American Idol, as the upper age limit for the contest is 28. But that didn't stop General Larry Platt, and it apparently won't stop Lopez's ex-hubby, with whom, incidentally, she remains embroiled in quite the nasty legal battle. So, what excuse has Camp Noa offered up as justification for the stunt? "He escaped Cuba and married Jennifer Lopez, now he wants to be the American Idol," Meyer said. "Of course, he will sing a Jennifer Lopez song." Funny how Noa's dream of becoming the new Idol didn't materialize until after Lopez was confirmed as the new $12 million judge. Still, he shouldn't do too much prepping for his close-up. The guy who threw water on Simon's head has a better chance of making it on camera. Though it might be a nice change of pace to feature a contestant who's taking as much advantage of the show as it seems to take in its contestants.
A source tells Deadline, J-Lo "was angling for an overall deal at Fox, including a put picture, to keep the movie career going. But Fox said no." Apparently, Lopez kept threatening to walk and FOX would call her bluff, which is when the rumors of other female judges would end up in the press. Another source tells Deadline, "In the end, she didn't turn up her nose up at $12 million. I would have been very surprised if she had walked away. She needs the money. She lives very very well. It comes at a cost." Finally, as for the official announcement from FOX, Deadline says it has been postponed to mid-September to coincide with J-Lo's new single. But US Weekly says the announcement is set for early October. So once again, we think it's probably anybody's guess. Wow, a $12 million payday for J-Lo as an untested judge? That seems like a big gamble to us. Then again, "Idol" can't really bring in a nobody. It's a sticky situation. Do you think J-Lo is worth all she was demanding?
Thursday's (Sept. 2) news comes from TMZ, which says Lopez joining the "Idol" judges' panel is "all but a done deal." She would work alongside Randy Jackson, whom executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has said will be back, and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler on a reconstituted show. There's still no word on Kara DioGuardi's future. TMZ's source also pooh-poohs the notion that Lopez has made "diva demands" that led to reports of her being dropped from consideration a few weeks back. Meanwhile, FOX has announced that it's added a final audition round in Los Angeles. The auditions will take place Sept. 22 at the Forum in Inglewood (details are at AmericanIdol.com). If "Idol" sticks to Lythgoe's Aug. 19 assertion that a decision would be made "within three weeks" -- i.e., by the end of next week -- L.A. hopefuls could at least know whom they'll be singing for if they make it in to see the judges.
Fajardo Mayor Anibal Melendez said Thursday that the singer-actors — both born in New York to Puerto Rican families — want to build a state-of-the-art soundstage in Fajardo to attract more A-list movies and TV shows to the U.S. island. Melendez says the proposal for Fajardo is still in its infancy. But he said Lopez and Anthony voiced "a lot of enthusiasm" for the project when he met with them recently in Miami. Publicists for the couple decline comment. In 2006, Lopez and Anthony teamed up for a movie on Puerto Rican salsa legend Hector Lavoe.
Following the announcement that Ellen DeGeneres has stepped down from the panel after just a year on the series, and the planned departure of Simon Cowell, Idol bosses are eager to sign up two big names to boost the show's appeal. Lopez and Steven Tyler were in the running as the favourites to take a seat at the judging panel, but reports suggested Lopez had been pulled from the possible replacements due to her escalating demands. But executive producer Nigel Lythgoe hints the Jenny From The Block hitmaker still has a chance of landing the role and admits he has never witnessed her demanding ways. He tells Extra, "These people don't know Jennifer Lopez. She's a wonderful woman. I've never seen her be a diva in her life!" And Lythgoe is adamant former judge Paula Abdul is definitely not returning, insisting he wants attention to focus on the new talent and not the judging panel. He adds, "Paula is under contract to another company so I don't think that she enters the frame on this occasion. "As far as I'm concerned, I would like the attention to go on the kids, because it's about the talent that comes on this show and sings."
The singer-actress had been closing a deal to be a permanent judge on the show for its upcoming 10th season but the deal fell apart. “Her demands got out of hand,” says the source. “Fox had just had enough.” With Simon Cowell and Ellen Degeneres both departing the talent search, the network had been pursuing a number of celebrities as potential judges, including Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler. But now that Lopez is out of the running, the network may be looking at their earlier top picks again. Other reports have said that the panel could go back to the original three-judge format.
Visitors to WENN.com were grilled on their favourite celebrity derriere and a resounding 37 per cent opted for the superstar, who admits she's fiercely proud of her best asset. J.Lo once said, "I do special squats and work with loads of weights in the gym to achieve my butt. And in a way I'm kind of flattered when people compliment me for having a big a**." Bootylicious beauty Beyonce came in second in the online poll and Kim Kardashian and Shakira tied for third, ahead of Ice-T's glamour model wife Coco, who brought up the rear in fifth place.
The accompanying photo spread continues the theme, featuring the hot mama dressed in an assortment of wild animal prints. But if you actually read the article, J.Lo focuses more on the mama, not so much the hot... "I'm the one who keeps everybody on schedule, like, Got to go to bed at this time, got to eat something," she tells the mag, noting that hubby Marc Anthony gets to play the pushover parent to twins Emme and Max. So maybe an apron and a swing dress would have been more appropriate attire than the leopard getup? Or is J.Lo just just playing it coy about having her cake and eating it, too?
This means an announcement could still happen Monday (Aug. 2) at FOX's Summer Press Tour executive panel, depending on how things go this weekend. While Tyler remains the producers first choice for the new male judge, if a deal cannot be reached sources say that last season's wildly popular "Idol" mentor Harry Connick Jr. will be signed instead. Earlier Friday (July 30) evening sources close to "Idol" were saying that no deals were signed, the judges' panel was not set and that there would not be announcement on Monday. The official FOX line is still "no comment." The speculative judges' panel has been the top "Idol" story since news broke that Ellen DeGeneres was leaving the show, in addition to Simon Cowell departing back in May to focus on the U.S. version of "The X Factor." There are rumors that Kara DioGuardi is out as well and that only Randy Jackson will return to judge again.
Both Deadline and Gossip Cop are reporting that Jennifer Lopez has been tapped as the new "Idol" judge. Deadline says Lopez' old manager Benny Medina "orchestrated the meeting with the 'American Idol' producers a month ago, and negotiations have been ongoing ever since." Gossip Cop is also reporting that an offer has been extended to Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. This comes on the heels of rumors that FOX is readying a big announcement as to the future of the "Idol" judges for their Summer Press Tour panel on Monday, Aug. 2. Could these be the new judges? Zap2it reached out to FOX. They have no comment at this time.
The chief executive of the Turkish company which runs the hotel and casino complex said Lopez still had time to change her mind about the July 24 gig. "The contract has not been terminated. If she does not show up for the concert, we will begin a procedure in the courts to claim 35-40 million dollars in damages," warned Murat Bozoglu, speaking from the company's headquarters in Istanbul. "The cancellation....is not covered by any clause in the contract she signed with us," said Bozoglu. Lopez drew the wrath of Greek-Cypriots in the southern half of the divided island after the new Cratos Premium hotel and casino complex announced the singer would perform there on her 41st birthday. But the singer scrapped the plans after criticism that the appearance would make a political statement, entertainment website TMZ.com reported Thursday. "Jennifer Lopez would never knowingly support any state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse," a representative for the American singer and actress told TMZ. "After a full review of the relevant circumstances in Cyprus, it was the decision of management to withdraw from the appearance. This was a team decision that reflects our sensitivity to the political realities of the region." The US-based American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association claimed the concert would "lend credence to an illegal entity recognized only by Turkey". Cyprus has been divided since Turkey occupied the north in 1974 in response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia aimed at uniting the Mediterranean island with Greece. The TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) is only recognized by Turkey, which maintains troops on the Turkish Cypriot side, while the Greek Cypriot south of the island enjoys international recognition.
Following a storm of protest, the multihyphenate has canceled a concert in the Turkish-controlled northern section of Cyprus that was to mark the opening of a luxury hotel. "Jennifer Lopez would never knowingly support any state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse," Team J.Lo said in a statement on her website. "After a full review of the relevant circumstances in Cyprus, it was the decision of her advisers to withdraw from the appearance." Lopez was reportedly to earn $3 million to perform at the Cratos Premium Hotel on July 24, her 41st birthday, and stay at the hotel with hubby Marc Anthony, their two kids and friends. But little did they realize that the hotel played host to ethnic warfare in 1974, when Greece's archenemy, Turkey, invaded the island and forcibly removed nearly 200,000 Greek loyalists. The invaders declared an independent Turkish state and Cyprus was divided, although the northern territory is not recognized as a sovereign state by either the European Union or the U.S. Upon hearing that J.Lo had booked the show, thousands of Greek Cypriots took to the Internet in protest with more than 19,000 signing a Facebook petition. "This was a team decision that reflects our sensitivity to the political realities of the region," the Lopez statement added. Glad to hear the Back-Up Planner had a back-out plan.
Lopez is scheduled to perform at the opening of a luxury hotel in north Cyprus on July 24, triggering fury from Greek Cypriots who say it's a slap in the face to people forced to flee from northern Cyprus during a Turkish invasion in 1974. Greek Cypriots have flooded a facebook site with angry demands the Latina star cancel her trip while organisers of the event say the show will go on. "We have a signed agreement with her and it is active," said Murat Bozoglu, a director of the $220 million Cratos Premium hotel in northern Cyprus. Lopez's publicists were not immediately available for comment. Local newspapers reported she was being paid $3 million for her one-off performance. Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion which followed a short-lived Greek Cypriot coup engineered by the military junta ruling Greece in 1974. Its division and subsequent years of estrangement is one of the longest serving items on the U.N. peacekeeping agenda. North Cyprus is a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara. About a fifth of the island's population, who are in their majority Greek Cypriots, are internally displaced. By Wednesday, a facebook page campaigning against the Lopez visit had topped 14,000 members. They were in the vast majority Greeks, with the rate of increase up by about 2,000 per day since its launch last week. "She has obviously fallen on to hard financial times. Shame on her ... if only she knew how many people were killed and the inhumane savagery committed there," wrote one campaigner. Lopez was due to jet in to northern Cyprus, a breakaway statelet recognised only by Ankara, accompanied by her husband, singer Marc Antony, and her twin children. The performance on July 24 coincides with her 41st birthday. "We are pleased to be able to share her 41st birthday with her and her family," Bozoglu said, acknowledging that Lopez had received "thousands" of emails to prevent her trip. "These have made her nervous about coming. But we are doing everything in our hands to make this happen."
The US diva will arrive in the breakaway Turkish Republic of Cyprus (TRNC) on a private jet on July 22 ahead of a July 24 concert at the Cratos Premium Hotel in Kyrenia to celebrate its opening, said a representative for the Istanbul-based Bozgroup which operates the hotel. Lopez -- who will be accompanied by her husband, singer Marc Anthony, and their twins Max and Emme -- will also celebrate her 41st birthday at a "special party" following the concert at the five-star hotel. "There is no cancellation. A contract was signed and she was paid," the representative told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The visit has triggered protests in the island's internationally-recognised Greek Cypriot south which is wary of any move breaking the isolation of the TRNC which is only recognised by Turkey. A Greek Cypriot rights group Cyprus Action Network of America is running a web campaign urging Lopez to cancel her performance. "It is with dismay and shock that the people of Cyprus... heard the news that you intend to attend the inauguration of a hotel in the occupied... part of our native country and celebrate your birthday there," said a letter on the group's website. "Please do not allow yourself to be used by the Turks," the letter added. But the Bozgroup representative insisted Lopez had decided to go ahead with the concert in spite of the controversy. "She is aware of the protest. She received an enormous number of emails and she got a little scared. But we explained the situation to her, that there was no war on the island, and she did not cancel the appearance," she said. The cost of organising Lopez's visit and performance at the 220-million-dollar hotel, where she is expected to stay until July 26, will be around three million dollars (2.4 million euros), the representative added. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia aimed at uniting the Mediterranean island with Greece. The TRNC is only recognized by Turkey, which maintains troops on the Turkish Cypriot side, while the Greek Cypriot south of the island is recognized as the only legitimate administration on the island.
Lopez, now married to Latin singer Marc Anthony, detailed how each of her headline-hitting romances affected her on the show, which aired in North America on Sunday night. The singer/actress was married to then-waiter Noa for less than a year before the union fell apart at the start of her career, and the couple divorced in 1998. She went on to date hip-hop mogul Combs, but admits their relationship "did get sordid" after she was pulled into his infamous trial on a charge of felony gun possession. The charge related to a highly-publicized 1999 shooting at a New York City nightclub where she was present. Combs was later acquitted. Lopez then hit headlines when she married back-up dancer Judd, but the romance was doomed and the couple divorced in 2003. But it was her high-profile romance with Ben Affleck that was really life-changing, and she admits being dumped by the actor just days before their wedding in 2004 left her completely heartbroken. She explains: "I don't think I had ever been heartbroken in that way before - had so many hopes and dreams on something. "This was the first time and it was tough. When you go through that kind of heartbreak in front of everybody you are not quite the same person you were before." But the star is quick to defend her failed marriages and high-profile break-ups, insisting they were her way of chasing the dream romance. She explains, "I always wanted that fairytale. It just didn't work out. But I kept trying - you can't blame a girl for trying!" Lopez eventually found happiness - the singer celebrated her six year wedding anniversary to Anthony last month. And she says their life together with two-year-old twins Emme and Max, is more complete than any relationship she's ever known. She adds of being a new mom, "That's when things became really clear to me - what love truly is. It's that pure, that unconditional, that kind."
The TV competition came to an end last month, with Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger lifting the trophy, and rumours about who will appear in the next season have already begun. Producers are said to be courting several big names to join the line-up, and Lopez and Cruise are the latest stars to have been linked to the show following their dance skit together at the recent MTV Movie Awards. But Lopez is adamant they will both be too tied up next year to contemplate a stint in the TV contest. She tells newsman Larry King, "I think we're both kind of busy to go on Dancing with the Stars. He's (got), I'm sure, 25 movies lined up, and I'm planning a tour for next year, so I don't know."
Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy As the unlikely duo took over the stage to Ludacris' Get Back, Cruise's wife Katie Holmes cheered her husband on from the audience. The fan-favorite awards show was hosted by Aziz Ansari, star of NBC's Parks and Recreation, and it marked his first time at the helm of such an event. An opening sequence by Ansari lampooned the Academy Award-nominated film Precious and featured teen singing sensation Justin Bieber. Amanda Seyfried won best scared-as-(expletive) performance for her role in Jennifer's Body, while Twi-hard fans voted Kristen Stewart best female performer for her role in Twilight: New Moon. "Twilight is really awesome, and I agree," said Stewart, who seemed at a loss for words upon accepting her Golden Popcorn statue. "I want to say hi to Chris (Weitz, who directed the movie). I haven't seen him in a while." Get Him to the Greek stars Jonah Hill, Russell Brand and Sean "Diddy" Combs were on hand to present the award for best breakout star to Up in the Air's Anna Kendrick. "Every time you open your mouths, I get less cool," said Combs of his co-stars, who expressed their admiration for male stars in the audience. "I've got Bieber fever!" exclaimed Brand. Kendrick kept her acceptance speech short: "I am not cool enough to win an MTV Movie Award, so I'm not going to mess it up by talking more than I should." Brand's fiancée, Katy Perry, one of the evening's performers, shared a sneak peek of her new music video for California Gurls during the red carpet pre-show. "That's what I'm made of, a lot of tease," Perry told MTV on the red carpet shortly before the network aired the clip, which featured her dancing in a bra made of cupcakes. Reigning best-actress Oscar winner Sandra Bullock was expected at the event to receive the MTV Generation Award. The appearance capped off a comeback weekend for the actress, who made a surprise appearance to accept the Troops Choice Award for Entertainer of the Year at Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards on Saturday. It marked her first public appearance since the implosion of her marriage to Jesse James and the news that she had adopted a baby boy. "Let's be honest here, just for a moment. We're all going to be honest, right?" Bullock, 45, said after accepting the award, which was voted on by members of the military, from presenter Robert Downey Jr. "Did I win this for being entertainer of the year, or did I win this because of the spectacular I.E.D. (improvised explosive device) explosion that became my personal life?"
"They wanted to celebrate their new home and their sixth anniversary by renewing their vows," a source tells PEOPLE. "They're excited about their new life together as a family in California and wanted to kick it off with a great party." Among those on the 200-guest invitation list, says a source, are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. "Jen is very excited about sharing her special night with her family and friends," the source adds. "The party will be spectacular. Guests will enjoy dancing until the morning hours." Like the invitation, the party features an art deco-theme with the colors gold and silver. The card, which features a large gold key, reads, in full: A NEW BEGINNING JUNE 5TH, 2010 AT 8:30 PM Jennifer & Marc Anthony Muniz Renewing their vows is becoming something of a tradition for the couple – who got the ball rolling for the first time in 2008. That year – which also brought the February birth of their twins, Max and Emme – they also did it up big by joining New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran and his wife Jessica for a joint vow-renewal ceremony in Las Vegas. As for their humble abode, it is anything but. Purchased by the couple earlier this year for just under $10 million, it is spectacular and ultra private. All told, within its three acres there are nine bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, panoramic city views, rolling lawns, a swimming pool and a tennis court. Also inside: a fabulous 20-seat theater, a recording studio and a wine cellar.
The superstar couple wed in 2004 and cemented their commitment to one another in another ceremony in 2008. But salsa singer Anthony wants to celebrate their sixth year together as man and wife with a special bash - to prove critics who thought their marriage wouldn't last wrong. He tells Us Weekly magazine, "We realized the bets in Vegas (on whether their marriage would last) stopped at five years, so we're really looking forward to this one. "This is a big anniversary." The couple will renew their vows at their Hidden Hills, California estate on June 5. Lopez and Anthony are not the only stars to celebrate their love with multiple marriages - supermodel Heidi Klum and her husband Seal hold an annual ceremony in Mexico, while Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon recently exchanged vows again to mark their second anniversary.
As hosts at a swanky charity event held on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, the A-listers' mission was to drive up the bids on about 10 luxury lots, including a gold-plated bottle of champagne and a monkey-shaped pendant in diamonds and gemstones. And the celebrity coaxing worked: The Cinema Against AIDS benefit, held Thursday at a luxury hotel in the French Riviera town of Cap d'Antibes, raised $6.7 million ((EURO)5.36 million) for AIDS research. Guests at the star-studded event, where it seemed that nearly everyone was famous and those that weren't were at least thin, included actress Naomi Watts, socialite Paris Hilton, perma-tanned Italian designer Giorgio Armani, model Naomi Campbell and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. The evening's entertainment was provided by punk icon Patti Smith and R&B singer Mary J. Blige, who captivated the crowd with her acapella rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." Sharon Stone usually emcees the annual event, but her shooting schedule prevented her from attending this year's gala, so other celebrities took turns revving up the crowd. "Gladiator" star Russell Crowe and designer-cum-movie director Tom Ford were among those who took to helped lead the auction. A feeling of insider camaraderie permeated the event — where a single seat cost $6,000 — and sometimes the teasing got a bit ribald. Following a confusing technical description of the 6-liter bottle of Dom Perignon, Michele Williams told the crowd: "If you know what that word is, you're rich enough to buy it." And someone was: The champagne fetched $80,000. Other high-fetching lots included a day with former President Bill Clinton, which went for $220,000, and a flight in a fighter jet, which reached $170,000. Proceeds from the event go to the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), a nonprofit organization that supports HIV/AIDS research, and the emcees emphasized that the economic crisis has made their bids more crucial than even. Last year, the event brought in just $4.5 million — roughly half the money raised in 2008. "It's a hard economy out there and it's nice to remember that we have to give back," Weinstein said.
The pop star and her musician spouse are apparently in the running to land a spot on the judging panel of Simon Cowell's upcoming reality show alongside Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon, Christina Aguilera, Jamie Foxx, former 'American Idol' judge Paula Abdul and 'The X Factor's Cheryl Cole. A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Simon needs diversity on the panel if this US 'X Factor' is going to be a smash. Paula Abdul seems like a given which leaves three slots. He thinks Jennifer Lopez or her husband would be fantastic additions so it could be bad news for Cheryl." Meanwhile, former Pussycat Dolls member Kimberly Wyatt has hinted she could be set to replace pregnant Dannii Minogue in the audition stages of the British version of the show when it starts later this year. She told the Daily Star newspaper: "I'm waiting to talk to the show bigwigs, it's definitely a possibility."
Lopez began dating Affleck in 2002, sparking a media circus that turned crazy for the couple when the actor proposed - but the glare of the spotlight became too much for the stars and they called off plans to wed the following year. And Lopez admits the romance was doomed from the start. She says, "I love Ben. He's a great guy but it was a lot for both of us to be under that type of siege for two years straight. We were on the cover of every magazine every week, and it was just a weird thing that the media catches on to, and they just go crazy with it. Our relationship, I think, did suffer from it." And the actress credits her husband, Latin singer Marc Anthony, with teaching her how to live her life away from the glare of the paparazzi. She tells U.K. TV host Graham Norton, "I think he has a totally different approach to fame, to celebrity - our work, our business. (He believes) you can have your career, you can promote, you can do all that stuff - but you can also have a personal life, and it can be quiet. "I think, when you're in the throes of (fame), you don't realise that you have control over it. You kind of feel like, 'Oh, it's just happening, I can't stop it.' But he taught me that you can." Lopez married Anthony in 2004, while Affleck is now happily married to another Jennifer, actress Garner.
"Would I see a movie of Ben's? Sure! Why not?" the actress and pop star, 40, tells the U.K. edition of Marie Claire. "I haven't seen him or talked to him in a while – our lives went in two very different directions. But I always wish him the best and I always thought he was a great person." Lopez says she's also cordial with another high-profile ex –Diddy. "I've run into him once or twice, with Marc, and it's always very friendly," she says. "He asks about the twins because he has twins, too." But while Lopez is happy to chat about her ex-boyfriends, she is, of course, happily married to Marc Anthony. And in the wake of the Tiger Woods and Jesse James scandals, she wonders if people are taking the notion of marriage a bit lightly these days. "It's just the two of you against the world," she says. "When you allow other people into that sacred place it becomes a recipe for mistrust and the deterioration of the bond between you. I think people complicate their lives by doing [expletive]-up things." On a lighter note, Lopez – now starring in The Back-up Plan – offers some tips for staying healthy in her eating habits. "One good trick is to have a goal – for me it may be getting in shape for a video shoot," she says. "Another is portion control. I love to eat everything and you pretty much can – a little piece of something fattening is not going to kill you. It's when you eat the whole box that it's going to kill you."
Dating Web site Ashleymadison.com -- which encourages married people to have affairs -- is looking to partner on the project. A judge in 2007 ordered Noa to pay Lopez $545,000 after he tried to publish a book about his relationship with her.
The singer and actress plays a successful career woman who is artificially inseminated only to meet the love of her life on the same day in the romantic comedy. "There's a couple of scenes in the movie where I'm eating and pigging out and they didn't put them in the first cut -- I was like 'Listen guys, this is extremely important for women'," said Lopez at the premiere in Leicester Square. "They need to see me pigging out. This is what happens when you get pregnant. You get really sleepy. You get really hungry. You get gas." The 40-year-old mother-of-two, who showed off her famous curves in a black leather dress, warmly greeted fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
The first, well, if you don't already know, then congratulations on finally managing to get out from under that rock. The second, well, it's all about the pretty. That's right, People has unwisely chosen today to unveil the aesthetically pleasing crop of superstars that make up this year's list of Most Beautiful People, with the much coveted cover shot going to Sandra Bullock Angelina Jolie Halle Berry Julia Roberts, her fourth such time as the Most Most Beautiful Person. She's called a Pretty Woman for a reason, folks. And it's not just because it makes for a good pun. Of course, she's not alone in the genetic winners' circle, getting joined this year by everybody's favorite sparkle vamp Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart (they're kind of a set), Jennifers Aniston, Garner and Lopez, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zoe Saldana, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper and the dreamiest, wittiest deodorant hawker out there, Isaiah Mustafa, to name a few. Now here's the rest: First, the ladies. Joining the lookers in the list proper is Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, small-screen babe Sofia Vergara, newly engaged songbird Katy Perry, suddenly prolific starlet Amanda Seyfried, Good Wife's Julianna Margulies and Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr. As for the fellas, Ryan Reynolds, Johnny Depp, front-sweeper extraordinaire Justin Bieber and Grey's Anatomy hunks Patrick Dempsey and Kevin McKidd also made the cut. Among those forced to bear the title of Hot: our own Kim Kardashian and Kendra Wilkinson made the cut. They're joined by Glee's Dianna Agron, Adam Lambert, Christina Hendricks, Gabourey Sidibe, Kelly Osbourne and Miley Cyrus. The magazine's round-up of Beautiful at Every Age is where K. Stew makes the scene, and she's joined by...well, just about every hot young star you can think of (hey, every year has a publicist-appeasing catch-all category, and this is 2010's). Joining the ranks are Vanessa Hudgens, Blake Lively, Megan Fox (no hot list is complete without her!), Freida Pinto, America Ferrera, Anne Hathaway, Beyoncé, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Kate Hudson, January Jones, Reese Witherspoon, Amy Adams, Eva Mendes, Jenny McCarthy, Taraji P. Henson, Gwen Stefani, Lucy Liu, Kate Walsh, Cindy Crawford, Marisa Tomei, Mariska Hargitay (still with us? Hang in there!), Demi Moore, Sheryl Crow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michelle Pfeiffer, Annette Bening, Christie Brinkley and Meryl Streep, among other decade-spanning beauties. This year's crop of stars who we hate look good without makeup are Ashley Greene, Diane Kruger, Heidi Klum, Kerry Washington, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Robin Wright and Selena Gomez. People also helpfully took the guesswork out of naming Hollywood's All-Time Screen Beauties (until next year, that is), dividing the stunning leading ladies into decade-size bites. The Noughties are well represented by Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie, Penélope Cruz, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Lopez. The '90s were apparently blinded by the beauty of Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Michelle Yeoh, Winona Ryder, Nicole Kidman and Meg Ryan. The '80s belonged to Brooke Shields and Kim Basinger. Oddly absent from the list—or at least from the online preview of the list—is Sandra Bullock, but we're guessing (hoping) that the magazine's editors didn't want to oversaturate the market. We're sure she'll make the cut when the issue hits newsstands this week...right, People?!
The singer/actress, who married the Latin singer in 2004, believes lovers should challenge each other and that bickering is a sign the relationship is healthy. She explains, "For all the stability we provide for each other, Marc and I are both artists. We both like intensity. We are both very passionate, and that still exists in our relationship. If we didn't have that it would be boring. Too boring for me. "(Actor) John Cassavetes once said that he and Gena Rowlands battled their whole marriage. There was an intensity in their relationship. He said that in some ways they both knew that if the battle was over the relationship was over. "I'm the biggest challenge that (Anthony has) ever had to deal with, and that's what keeps it interesting for us both... People seem to think that when there's conflict in a relationship it's always a bad thing, but I think you need a challenge. The dynamic between us is passionate and that's why it works. We are compatible, but at the same time we are different enough to make it interesting."
The singer/actress stunned fans after running, swimming and cycling her way through the endurance race in Malibu, California in September 2008 - just six months after giving birth to her twins, Max and Emme, her first children with husband Marc Anthony. And she admits being pregnant for the first time inspired her to take part in the gruelling event. She explains, "I made the decision when I was eight months pregnant to do the triathlon after I had the babies. I wanted to know I was the same person as before I had them. I wanted to be that person more than ever for my babies. I wanted them to be proud of me. I wanted them to think, 'I've got a special mom. She was amazing, look what she did!' I didn't want to lose my ambition and drive to do amazing things." And Lopez insists she has adopted a more relaxed attitude towards fitness since becoming a mum, adding, "I don't get too crazy (about exercise) any more. There was a time when I really worked out, but I was never manic about it. I did what I could. I've got good genes. But I care less now."
The star's The Back-Up Plan grossed a not-great, but not-unexpected $12.3 million, per box-office estimates, and settled for second behind the sturdy How to Train Your Dragon ($15 million). Elsewhere, The Losers looked lost, while Jennifer Aniston left—and joined—the Top 10. More results: • The Back-Up Plan is Lopez's first major release in five years. The reputedly $35 million romantic comedy opened more like this year's When in Rome than her 2005 hit, Monster-in-Law. • How to Train Your Dragon was projected as last weekend's surprise winner. But final numbers gave the gold medal to Kick-Ass. This time out, the race isn't close, and its No. 1 finish isn't a shock. The 3D fantasy returns to the top spot for the first time in four weeks. • After what was considered a so-so start, Dragon is the second-highest-grossing movie of the year to date, with $178 million domestically. • Kick-Ass ($9.5 million) fell four spots, to fifth place. Still, the un-superhero comedy performed well mid-week, and upped its domestic total a budget-besting $34.9 million. • After a fourth-place debut, the $25 million, comic-spawned The Losers ($9.6 million) better be hoping it's got some Kick-Ass spunk. • Aniston's and Gerard Butler's The Bounty Hunter ($1.6 million) fell from the weekend Top 10, but with $62.8 million overall, moved into the yearly Top 10. • Disney's nature movie Oceans was, pound for pound, the Top 10's biggest movie, grossing $6 million from 1,206 theaters. Here's a rundown of the weekend's top-grossing films Friday-Sunday, per estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: How to Train Your Dragon, $15 million When asked by Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show about the rumors that she’ll do the show, Lopez says, “I sat down with [show creator]Ryan Murphy and we talked me doing something on Glee. We want to. We want to do it,” though timing may be an issue. “They have it all mapped out for the next like eight episodes,” she says, “whatever is airing right now. So he’s like let’s wait and do it really right when you do come on.” Murphy has said he’d like Lopez to play a cafeteria lady at McKinley High. And the character would get a makeover from Chris Colfer‘s character Kurt,the actor has said. Lopez says she’s game — and willing to wait her turn. “I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah whatever. I’m a huge fan,’ ” she says in the interview set to air on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday. “Whenever you want. I’m good. I kind of offered myself up.”
The mom of two was rocking a nude dress and a big smile, and arrived arm in arm with Marc Anthony, who wore sunglasses (at night—ick). But Marc's obviously doing something right. When asked what makes her feel sexy, it wasn't cleavage-bearing Versace dresses, Bentleys or being bootylicious...it's her hubby! "Him," she told reporters, while pointing to Marc. Inside, the two continued their lovefest... They shared a VIP table inside the club at the W Hollywood, where they sipped champagne and were surrounded by bodyguards. Later, BFF Leah Remini joined them and they even had a dance-off. And speaking of dancing, fellow partygoer Nicole Scherzinger swears she's not happy that Kate Gosselin finally got the boot from Dancing With the Stars. "No, I'm not glad Kate's gone!" Nicole replied, all wide-eyed and innocent. "I'll miss her." Apparently, not everyone on the show feels the same. Also at the Us bash: Jeremy Piven, Anna Kendrick, Sofia Vergara and Paris Hilton.
Part Baby Mama, part Knocked Up — and about as nimble as a pair of swollen ankles — it stars Jennifer Lopez as Zoe, a single 30-something New Yorker who is artificially inseminated the same day she meets the man of her dreams, an improbably buff cheese farmer named Stan (Alex O’Loughlin). Understandably, Zoe’s first instinct is to not pursue their burgeoning attraction. But he’s just so studly and so frequently shirtless, she can’t resist. Not that she keeps him in the dark for long. Mere moments after they’ve consummated their relationship, she announces she’s pregnant with a nameless donor’s offspring. Stan is stunned. Will he stay? Or will he bolt? With plenty of screen time left to burn and so little will-they-or-won’t-they tension between the leads, the answer to both questions is: Yes. That’s because the movie isn’t really about pregnancy — it’s about a rather routine romance. Her pending motherhood is just the obstacle to potentially keep them apart. So squabbles, clashes and break-ups occur repeatedly — whether over finances, the future or a chance encounter with one of his old girlfriends. It all feels so much more laborious than it should, mostly because the outcome is never in doubt. Nevertheless, I’ll grant the filmmakers this: If the goal was to carry audiences alongside Zoe from conception to birth, they’ve succeeded; the movie feels at least nine months long. For that, blame director Alan Poul (Swingtown) and screenwriter Kate Angelo (Becker), a pair of television veterans who compensate for the story’s slightness with broad comedy and colourful off-kilter supporting characters. In no particular order, they include the employees of Zoe’s pet store, her grandmother (Linda Lavin) and even her adorable, wheel-bound canine. Also turning up: Tom Bosley (Happy Days) as the spry senior citizen pursuing Zoe’s grandmother and Anthony Anderson as a random put-upon father who dispenses park-bench advice to Stan. Similarly, Zoe joins a support group for pregnant single women, a development which culminates in a jarring water-birth sequence that seems to exist only to out-raunch Judd Apatow. But that graphic scene aside, if it wasn’t for the presence of Lopez, The Back-up Plan could easily be mistaken for a W Network production. For his part, O’Loughlin — best recognized from The Shield and Moonlight and soon to be starring in CBS’s redo of Hawaii Five-O — is adequate in a role that’s not very compelling, either as a romantic or comic foil. That leaves the heavy lifting to Lopez, who’s funny, radiant and enormously appealing in what’s being promoted in some circles as her big-screen comeback. And yes, she does remind you of what made her a movie star in the first place, years before J.Lo and Bennifer. Her performance — if you’re in the indiscriminate mood for an innocuous rom-com — is the sole reason to see The Back-up Plan. The rest is stillborn.
A couple meets cute when both jump into the same taxi. She initially resists, he woos her with heart-melting overtures. They share a tender kiss, a few laughs and great sex, settling into happy domesticity. Then he makes a blunder that tears them apart. She learns of a sweet gesture he made, but it might be too late. This particular romance also involves pregnancy, though not achieved in the usual fashion. Jennifer Lopez plays Zoe, a thirtysomething pet-store owner who has given up on meeting Mr. Right and wants a baby. She undergoes artificial insemination, an experience that goes swimmingly. But then she meets Stan, the cheese farmer played by Alex O'Loughlin. He's no stinky overall-wearing hick. This is a sophisticated New York guy with the spectacular pecs of a Calvin Klein model. He sells his goat cheese at a neighborhood farmers market and dreams of opening a shop that sells only local cheeses. In other words, he's a picture-perfect man. Zoe is also a catch. Besides being beautiful, she's a former corporate honcho who now hosts book signings by dog whisperer Cesar Millan. She owns an adorable disabled Boston bull terrier that skitters around her well-appointed apartment in a little cart. When director Alan Poul can't come up with a clever scenario (which is often), he simply cuts away to the bug-eyed pooch. The dog knows his cues: A cocked head or a tentative growl elicit audience giggles. The story resorts frequently to bathroom humor and birth-related gross-out gags, courtesy of a support group of stock weird characters. A mother nurses a child old enough to speak in full sentences. A tattooed single mom delivers a baby in a wading pool, emitting barnyard sounds. We see a lot of the physique that Lopez has always displayed proudly. And she does project some charm and is more adept at physical comedy than in previous movies. O'Loughlin is primarily a foil used to amplify Lopez's adorability quotient. But when it comes to comedies about pregnancy, Knocked Up and Baby Mama delivered more. This sitcom style exercise in planned parenthood is blandly predictable. If it were a cheese, it would be Velveeta. The Back-up Plan * * (out of four) The actress/singer gave birth to twins Max and Emme in 2008, her first children with husband Marc Anthony, and admits the pregnancy took its toll on her famous curves. She tells UsWeekly, "I remember my flabby belly hanging out right after I gave birth. I kind of laughed and said to Marc, 'Look, baby! Isn't this crazy?' I just didn't care." But the star reveals her relaxed attitude to her newly round frame didn't last - she felt compelled to return to the gym once she saw snaps of her fuller figure. She adds, "I look back at pictures from that time, and I'm like 'Oh, God, I was fat. I was still heavy eight months out!'" "You get to the point where you're like, Where am I? What happened to me? I got to get myself together for my kids, you know? They need to know what I really look like."
But regardless of their presence, or that of the appealing (and frequently shirtless) Alex O'Loughlin in his first leading-man role, this is a vehicle for Jennifer Lopez, who is front and center and looking flawless at all times. The first time we see her character, Zoe, she's at the doctor's office with her feet in the stirrups being artificially inseminated, wearing false eyelashes and perfect lip gloss. In case we couldn't possibly imagine what she's thinking, the script from Kate Angelo (a former sitcom writer) offers this helpful voiceover nugget: "Oh, God, I hope this works. I've wanted this for so long." Yeah, it's like that. Director Alan Poul (who also has a TV background) hits every obvious note, complete with pratfalls, pregnancy cliches and cheesy pop-music cues that signal the characters' emotions in painfully literal fashion. Of course, Zoe eats chicken and ice cream in bed while reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting." He also cuts away to Zoe's Boston terrier for cheap reaction shots so frequently, it could be a drinking game — and this comes from someone who's proud to be the human companion to one of these adorable dogs. All these devices are in service of a plot that's pretty thin. After years of looking for the right guy, Zoe is prepared to have a baby on her own, only to meet and fall for the hunky Stan (O'Loughlin) just as she's discovered she's pregnant. Their meet-cute couldn't possibly be cuter: Both hop into the same New York cab in the pouring rain. And Stan couldn't possibly be more perfect. He's great-looking, romantic, goofy in a charming way, has just the right amount of roguish facial scruff, and he makes organic cheese at his family's farm upstate. Organic cheese, people! And somehow, he clearly still finds time to hit the gym. Since they get together pretty early, the rest of the movie consists of contrived flare-ups that threaten to keep them apart. Will Stan freak out and walk away when he finds out Zoe is expecting? How will he react when he discovers she's having twins? Will Zoe freak out and walk away from Stan because of her childhood abandonment issues? Will there be a mad dash to the hospital once her water breaks? The answers to these questions are never really in doubt. "The Back-up Plan" actually could have been helpful in addressing a situation in which so many women find themselves: wanting to be mothers, but unwilling to compromise to be with the wrong man to accomplish that goal. Instead, it presents the fellow members of Zoe's single mothers' group as tattooed, fringy freaks hell-bent on home water births and smugly breastfeeding their kids until age 3. On the other end of the spectrum is Zoe's wisecracking best friend, Mona (Michaela Watkins of "Saturday Night Live"), a mother of four kids who are constantly running around and screaming. Admittedly, she gets the few funny lines "The Back-up Plan" has to offer. Lavin (as Zoe's Nana) and Bosley (as Nana's longtime nursing-home fiance) just look embarrassed in their few scenes. The one moment that rings true? When Stan goes stroller shopping at Babies R Us and finds himself overwhelmed. And the store clerk just happens to be the actress who played Jan Brady in the "Brady Bunch" movies. "The Back-up Plan," a CBS Films release, rated PG-13 for sexual content, some crude material and language. Running time: 104 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
“Carrying twins was really uncomfortable because you lay on one side and you feel there’s a baby, and you lay on the other side and you feel there’s a baby,” The Back-Up Plan star, 40, tells PARADE. “I actually had this really big pregnancy pillow … that I used at night and Marc still sleeps with it to this day.” Having just celebrated their second birthday in February, Max and Emme have become increasingly aware of their surroundings. As a result, Lopez notes, she is determined to consistently double up the love — and treats! — she dishes out. “It’s like if I give one a little bit of candy or food or whatever, I give the other one a little bit too. If I kiss my daughter I go, ‘Oh, I don’t want my son to see me kissing her without kissing him,’” she says. “So you just have to make sure that they both feel equally loved.”
"This movie is about a woman who gets to a point in her life," Lopez says. "She's successful ... She has a full life. But, at the same time, she hasn't found that person to share her life with and to have a family with, and so she decides to do it on her own. She decides to have a baby on her own." The film, opening Friday, is part of the mid-life movie genre that has served actresses well of late, including such blockbusters as "The Proposal" and "It's Complicated," starring Sandra Bullock, 45, and Meryl Streep, 60, respectively. "The Back-up Plan" marks Lopez's first film since turning 40 last July. "It is a great time to be an actress," Lopez said at a recent convention of theater owners in Las Vegas. "It seems like you can work and do anything at any age ... It's a great time that people are just seeing people's souls." "It's not so superficial anymore," the actress continued. "Women have proven that they are viable in this business, as well, and it doesn't matter if you're not 21 years old. It just matters that you're great at what you do. And that's exciting." "Back-up Plan" works through a variety pregnancy issues — now familiar turf for Lopez, who gave birth to fraternal twins, Emme and Maximilian, in February 2008. One thing in the film she couldn't relate to: the last act's big (and hilarious) water-birthing sequence.
There’s a lot of screaming and then it’s over. Forty-year-old Jennifer Lopez, though, doesn’t sound ready to take the celebrity epidural and slip quietly into middle-aged obscurity. “I feel like I’m 25 again,” a confident, cheerful Lopez tells journalists at a swanky Beverly Hills hotel. For that, she credits Emme and Max, her two-year-old twins with husband Marc Anthony. “They make you feel like your life is just beginning — probably because their lives are just beginning … That’s what I feel in my life and in my career.” These are pivotal, high-stakes days for the actress-singer-fashionista. A decade ago, she was one of pop culture’s dominant forces, releasing a string of hit movies and chart-topping albums. Imagine Katherine Heigl and Lady Gaga poured together into one leafy, transparent dress. And Lopez achieved tabloid infamy too: For dating P. Diddy/Puff Daddy and then for conjoining with Ben Affleck to become “Bennifer.” After the latter relationship soured, she seemed to fade from the spotlight. Her last significant Hollywood movie was 2005’s Monster in Law. And earlier this year she split from her long-time record company, Sony. So with a new movie and a new album on the immediate horizon, the temptation to use the c-word — comeback — is almost impossible to resist. “I don’t think of it that way,” Lopez says. “I was just kind of home on maternity leave working and making music and doing things like that, and now my first movie is coming out since I was fat.” First up: The pregnancy-themed romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan, opening Friday, April 23. In it, she stars as Zoe, a single big-city gal who hasn’t met the right guy but longs to have children anyway. As luck would have it, the day she’s artificially inseminated she also meets her soulmate, Stan (Alex O’Loughlin). “I just love romantic comedies and it was the first thing I wanted to do, so we started looking for one and this one came up. It was just perfect,” she explains. “It definitely deals with modern issues, which I love, which is what I really liked about it … It had a modern voice. It seemed very up to date.” And obviously, the “serendipitous” fact it dealt with an expectant mom appealed to her. “Throughout my career, I felt like certain things came to me at the right time and when I look at the work I’ve done, it’s very indicative of where I was in my life at the moment. And this was the same thing,” she says. “There were so many things in this movie that was art imitating life for me because I had just gone through the pregnancy. It was fresh in my mind. And when (screenwriter Kate Angelo) wrote the script, she had just gone through a pregnancy as well … We used a lot of stuff from real life.” Lopez remembers when she discovered she was having twins, “I was in denial that I was even pregnant at first, so when I found out I was having twins, I just kind of laughed like, ‘Of course this would happen.’ And then I started giggling.” Anthony’s reaction to the news? “Marc started crying. It was a joyous time. We were happy. He was emotional. He just couldn’t believe it was happening. He’d had children before, but this was like a whole new, special experience.” Indeed, she describes her pregnancy as “a lovely, magical time for us. But there’s so much going on with your body and hormonally, you don’t have any time to deal with anything but that. I think it was true to life how we portrayed it in the movie. “You feel so hungry and you feel so sleepy, in a way you never have before. And I just knew how that was going to ring true for so many women because I had just been through it.” Thus The Back-Up Plan gets plenty of mileage from Zoe’s state of mind and body — from hormonal mood swings to the necessity of a firm pregnancy pillow. And while the latter creates difficulty for Zoe and Stan — he’s less than thrilled about sharing his bed with it — in real life, Lopez found just the opposite. “I had twins, so it was really uncomfortable because you lay on one side and there’s a baby and you lay on the other side and there’s a baby. So I had a really hard time with it. So I did have this big pregnancy pillow. It was very firm, very hard. And Marc still sleeps with it to this day. “Literally, while I was pregnant, he was like, ‘I want one of those.’ And he got one. Now he travels with this pillow,” she says, laughing. So does having your husband snuggle with a pregnancy pillow qualify as a drawback to motherhood? Because otherwise, Lopez seems to draw a blank about a downside at all. “The best part (of motherhood) is mostly everything — how they change your life and having that feeling of love inside you all the time, it’s such a fulfilling place to be in your life. I sometimes wish it had happened to me earlier in my life. But I know things happen when they’re supposed to happen. “If there is one thing that was tough, it was that there was two of them and I was worried that they would feel the same. If I gave one part of a candy, I gave the other a part of the candy … Just making sure they felt equally loved was what was tough about having twins.” That doesn’t mean, however, that she would make the same decision Zoe does to be a single mother. “It’s just too hard. I have so much respect for single moms — for anybody who finds themselves a single mother. But to even choose to be a single mother is so courageous to me. It’s such a hard job to raise a child and be everything to that child without a partner. I think it’s admirable and brave … I don’t know if I could do it on my own, I really don’t.” It’s difficult enough now juggling her hectic work schedule with parenting, she says. “It’s hard. Not the first day of the (press) junket, but the second day of the junket, they come to the door and yell, ‘Mommy, mommy, don’t go.’ And it was like, ‘Oh. This is bad. Whoa.’ That just started happening yesterday and I’m like, ‘It’s tough,’ but I’ll have to figure it out as I go along.” For now, she is content — with no regrets. “I wouldn’t change anything. I love the direction my life has taken.” Lopez’s new tracks not a huge departure Mommy from the block is still Jenny from the Block. So says Jennifer Lopez, who promises fans shouldn’t expect a departure musically when her new album is released this summer. “It’s the same as I’ve always done. There’s always going to be that combination of dance and a little bit of street, a little bit of hip hop and a little R&B, and just all those influences I grew up with that my music have always had. My albums, if you look at them from the first one to the last one, it has a few ballads on there, a few great dance cuts.” Parted ways She says it will be entitled Love? — “with a question mark,” she notes. “I think it’s an endlessly fascinating topic that all my albums have been about.” Lopez’s last English-language disc was Brave in 2007. “I’ve been working on (Love?) since probably last summer. I’ve recently parted ways with my old record company, so we have a new one and they’ll get involved with it. They’ve heard what I’ve been working on already and they’re really happy with it. We just have to finish it.” And she expects to begin work on a new Spanish-language album shortly. “Probably right around when I finish the other one.” One thing that won’t be heard on either disc, however, is a duet with husband Marc Anthony. “He’s doing his thing and I’m doing my thing. We had our moment the third and fourth year we were married where we did everything together. We made all the music together, he produced my album. That was a beautiful time for us and we really enjoyed that, but I think … we have responsibilities to our own individual fans and we have to go off and do our own thing.” Getting back in shape a challenge after twins Jennifer Lopez’s body had been ogled before. But this time she was the one doing the gawking. “I remember being pregnant and marvelling at the hugeness of my body and looking in the mirror from all angles,” she says, recalling her inspiration for a scene in The Back-Up Plan in which she checks out her naked reflection. (And no, the bare backside seen fleetingly in the movie doesn’t belong to Lopez; the filmmakers used a body double.) Not so marvellous for Lopez? Getting herself back into shape, post-twins. “It was challenging, like it is for anyone having a baby. The first few pounds drop off really fast and then you’re stuck with those last 10 to 20 pounds and you just have to get disciplined, there’s no other way to do it. “You got to diet, you got to do the exercise. I knew the movie was coming up, so that was another level of not eating as much. Seriously — no bread, no sugar, and really having to start thinking about those things because being on camera, you have a responsibility to look good.”
Otherwise, it's still boy-meets-girl, and the only issue between them -- because it's more or less a love match right away -- is how the boy feels about the girl already being pregnant. Since "The Back-up Plan" is closer to an old Doris Day comedy than "Sex and the City," that pregnancy is the result of artificial insemination rather than a complicated relationship with anyone else. Jennifer Lopez carries this thin concept about as far and as well as she can, with Alex O'Loughlin in his first leading-man outing managing not to get lost in the shuffle of birth preparations and doctor appointments. The CBS Films release, opening April 23, will have to generate its boxoffice primarily from women, though: the male characters definitely play second fiddle. On the exact day Lopez's Zoe has her first doctor's appointment for her procedure with previously frozen sperm, she meets O'Loughlin's Stan. Meets cute, in fact, because they both grab the same Manhattan taxi and fight over its rights. Kate Angelo's screenplay makes him all-too-perfect. Good-looking and unhitched with a cheese-making farm upstate, he dreams of opening his own grocery store with local, sustainable farm goods. Not only would her grandmother (Linda Lavin) approve, Alice Waters would approve! Oh, he's given a bad first marriage to a Swedish nymphomaniac that makes him distrustful of women. Meanwhile, she was deserted by her father, which makes her distrustful of men. But these are screenwriting tricks to extend the courtship through nine months of pregnancy. Taking up the slack created by a lack of real dramatic conflict are Zoe's support cast -- employees of her pet shop (Eric Christian Olsen, Noureen DeWulf) and an advice-prone best friend (Michaela Watkins) -- a pregnancy pillow and a cute though handicapped Boston terrier who uses wheels to support dysfunctional back legs. The cute factor goes overboard when it comes to a single-mother support group that Zoe impulsively joins. The strain for laughs with this group goes against the more natural comic flow of the story's other incidents and characters, perhaps betraying the writer's TV sitcom origins. At least debuting director Alan Poul, who also hails primarily from TV land, manages to create an ensemble feeling among the cast despite the fact that the film clearly is a vehicle for Lopez. Poul's crew makes the blend of Warner Bros.' Burbank sets and a few New York exteriors work much better than it usually does. Credit cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet's pleasing lighting and Alec Hammond's naturalistic sets with an assist here.
"I can't help but be a different person now that I've had kids," the singer and actress, 40, tells the May issue of Redbook, on newsstands April 20. "That really does change your whole perspective on life for the better. I definitely feel like I've grown up." It took a little while to get up to speed. Lopez relied on husband Marc Anthony, who had two sons with previous wife Dayanara Torres, to teach her the basics of diaper changing. Lopez says she was almost afraid to touch the babies at first "because I might hurt them, because they were only five pounds each." After two years as a mom, she is now a pro. "My main priority now is that my kids are happy; that's my No. 1 focus in life," she says. "Are these little people happy, content, and getting everything they need? Everything after that is secondary. Before, my work was my main priority – even above myself." The kids, in return, have nourished her. "I think the biggest thing they've taught me is what loving someone is and what it should feel like," she says. "This is what unconditional love means. It's crazy, but it's heaven and earth." And when she can't be with them, she feels the downside of love: guilt. "I didn't know that feeling before," she says. "You don't know about it because nobody ever tells you. I think it's because women are a little ashamed to admit it. You feel guilty whenever you can't have your kids right there with you on your hip." Lopez has a busy spring and summer planned. Her first film in three years, The Back-Up Plan, comes out this month, following by a guest-starring role on Glee and the summer release of her new CD, Love?.
The 1987 movie, which starred Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn and was directed by Garry Marshall, centered on a snooty, spoiled woman who falls off her yacht and is taken to the hospital by a local, morally challenged carpenter. When she wakes up with amnesia, he convinces her she is his wife, thereby getting a free housekeeper for his four boys. Adam Cooper and Bill Collage worked on the current script, as did Leslie Dixon. Will Smith is producing the Columbia Pictures project with his Overbrook Entertainment partner James Lassiter. Lopez, who hasn't appeared in a movie since 2006's "El Cantante," next stars in the romantic comedy "The Back-up Plan," which opens April 23.
The trouble: fragile fabric and long trains, in a tight space, with lots of people not looking where they're walking. Marc Anthony put a hand on Robert Downey Jr.'s shoulder to stop him from snagging Lopez's gown. "I need to be following long with orange traffic cones on the back," Anthony told the Iron Man.
The singer's seventh studio album with Sony's Epic Records was due out in April, but her manager announced earlier this week that Lopez had left the label. The Jenny from the Block hitmaker was subsequently hit by rumours she fell out with record bosses at Sony over her new music, with online gossips alleging the album had been thrown into jeopardy by the split. But Lopez is adamant she "reached friendly terms" with Sony chiefs over her departure, and she's keen for Love? to hit shelves as soon as possible. Lopez says, "I am making this statement to put an end to any confusion in regards to my next album, titled Love. I have belonged to the Sony family since the beginning of my career as a singer and together we've had great success. "I have fulfilled my contractual responsibilities with Sony/Epic up to this point, and we have both reached friendly terms about my departure from the label. "I'm also happy to say that we've found a new home for my album Love and that it is slated for release in the summer of 2010."
Not long after literally flopping at the American Music Awards, Jennifer Lopez has parted ways with her longtime label, Sony's Epic Records. "Jennifer had a wonderful relationship with the Sony Music Group, and they have shared many successes together, but the time was right to make a change that best serves the direction of her career as an actress and recording artist, she is grateful and appreciative to everyone at Sony for all that they accomplished together," Lopez's manager, Benny Medina, said in a statement Monday. But this also means that Lopez's upcoming seventh studio album is now homeless, so we must ask, What about Love? The album was due out in April but, according to Deadline Hollywood, which first reported the Epic-Lopez split, Love? isn't finished yet and might never be completed. Of course, one theory is that Sony dropped Lopez because the creative well had run dry, but the official word remains that her contract had simply expired and the parties amicably opted not to renew. We expect she'll be back on her Louboutins in no time, however. J.Lo's camp is already said to be negotiating a deal with another label, and the songstress will pull double duty on Saturday Night Live this weekend as both host and musical guest.
The singles from her new album, Love?, haven't exactly set radio stations on fire, but hey, that hasn't stopped the multihyphenate from taking just about every promotional gig she can think of in order to promote the record. Lopez has performed her comeback material on TV shows ranging from So You Think You Can Dance to New Year's Rockin' Eve, and now she's doing a scripted-show guest-star tour, including everything from a cameo as a cafeteria lady on Glee to a one-episode gig on How I Met Your Mother. CBS just released your first official look at that HIMYM appearance; J.Lo's part on Mother will be "Anita, a self-help author, tries to lure Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) into falling head-over-heels for her." But here's the question: What does Jennifer Lopez need besides a killer work ethic to win you back? Is she just risking overexposure with this publicity run, or did J.Lo's overexposure train leave the station a long, long time ago? What singles should she be recording or movie roles she should be taking to get back in your good graces?
"I'd had the babies, so I was waiting for the right thing and I knew I wanted to do a romantic comedy," says Lopez, who stars in The Back-Up Plan, opening April 23. "I felt like when I read the script, it was at the right place for me. ... I had so much experience to bring to the role. It was the kind of romantic comedy that didn't feel typical, and the script was so funny." Lopez plays Zoe, a thirtysomething woman who decides to have a child on her own. But in a twist of rom-com fate, she meets Stan, a potential "Mr. Right," when she is on the way home from being artificially inseminated. Lopez, a romantic-comedy veteran, says she isn't sure that she could have tackled parenthood on her own if her life had taken a different course. The singer/actress is married to singer Marc Anthony. "I know a couple of people, both people I work with and friends, who have done this," Lopez says. "I just don't know if I could do this, honestly. Now I know how much I rely on my partner. ... Knowing what single moms go through, I think it takes such an amazing person to do that. You get to a point in your life and you think about it, and I think it's a beautiful thing to be able to find the strength to do that on your own. That child will enrich your life. It's a beautiful thing to think that option is there." That option creates some confusion for Stan, played by Alex O'Loughlin, and Zoe, as the two try to navigate the ups and downs of dating during the pregnancy. "The question is, are you going to stick around and look after another man's kid?" O'Loughlin says. "The message in the film is don't let the pressures of society and all of the old things you have been told growing up get in your way." O'Loughlin, who starred in the 2007 film August Rush, says the chance to work with Lopez was a big enticement for his first foray into the romantic-comedy genre. "Her attachment to the film minted a bunch of different things," he says. "I knew she had a big fan base and a bunch of different people would see the film." As for working with Lopez, O'Loughlin went into filming with no expectations. "She's a big star, so you never know what to expect," O'Loughlin says. "But we had a great time. ... It was a ball on the set. She's a great person and very professional. She's very good at what she does." Even so, the busy working mom makes sure to carve out time with Anthony. "We still celebrate things like our birthdays and Valentine's Day," says Lopez, who acknowledges that these things can sometimes sneak up. "I didn't even know it was Valentine's Day (this Sunday) until somebody said it earlier today!"
She only caught one pass, but for a skinny model playing against many former NFL players (and other big dudes, like Michael Clark Duncan and Kellan Lutz), Marisa Miller did pretty well. We're sure Tom Arnold did not mind tackling her to the ground either.
Ed Meyer, Noa's business manager, told us he was ready to call Combs as a witness in court proceedings and quiz him on the possible existence of an alleged sex tape of the pair, who dated for over two years until 2001. Meyer also said he intended to put J.Lo on the witness stand and ask her about her sexuality since she was allegedly seen kissing a woman in another video filmed more than a decade ago. The move is part of a legal battle over Noa's attempt to release a video he shot of J.Lo when they were married for a year in 1997. J.Lo's lawyers have gotten an injunction blocking the release on the basis that the video is private and personal. Meyer insists the footage is not overtly sexual, containing nothing more than images of the star kissing a woman and performing a lap dance. Meyer told Page Six, "Ojani's footage is not a sex tape. In addition to kissing women, there are points where she's lap dancing Ojani [and others]. All with her clothes on. We're trying to establish that it's not a sex tape and therefore usable in Ojani's movie." Meyer says he wants to call Combs to attempt to illustrate any differences between videos he and Lopez may have made and the one Noa possesses. Meyer said, "We will ask: Is there a sex tape between [him] and Lopez, and what does it involve?" There is no proof the rumored J.Lo and Puffy sex tape exists. Jay Lavely, Lopez's lawyer, said, "Ed Meyer's comments are false and ridiculous. Ms. Lopez will be completely vindicated on her claims in this matter." On Friday, Lopez lost a motion to have the case with Noa settled in arbitration, and another court date was scheduled for March 4. A source close to J.Lo said, "Meyer will say anything for publicity."
Later in the evening, Knowles and Jay-Z arrived at Reid's bash, and it became a mini-Destiny's Child reunion for the pop star as she sat next to Michelle Williams at the dinner table. The two caught up for a long time, leaning in and sharing close conversation. Then, at 10 p.m., Rihanna arrived and took a seat across from Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who gave her a high-five, as she nibbled on lobster and mascarpone ravioli, while they watched their favorite moments – and acceptance speeches – as everyone applauded.
The multihyphenate will guest-star on a March episode of How I Met Your Mother as Anita Appleby, a non-nonsense author of self-help books that teach women how to mold men into "relationship machines" through the power of denial. After Robin informs Anita of Barney's womanizing ways, Anita sets out to "break" him. "We couldn't be more excited about Jennifer Lopez joining us on How I Met Your Mother," Carter Bays, executive producer and co-creator, said. "We're looking forward to a week of revealing outfits and sexy dance moves the likes of which this show hasn't seen since Regis Philbin guest starred." Lopez, 40, is the latest high-profile guest star for the sitcom, which was recently renewed for a sixth season. Tim Gunn, Amanda Peet, Stacy Keibler, Rachel Bilson, Kenny Rogers, JoAnna Garcia and Chris Elliott have all paid Mother a visit this season, while Carrie Underwood will make her acting debut on the show in March.
Jennifer Lopez surprised the audience at the start of Lopez Tonight on Monday when she stepped out on stage instead of usual host George Lopez to deliver her own little monologue. "Welcome to Lopez Tonight, where nobody gets fired. They just get replaced by a bigger star with the same last name," she joked (we think). But the jabs by J.Lo didn't stop there… She also pointed out that a bar in New York has created a cocktail in honor of Conan called "The Go-Back-To-Manhattan…It's a Manhattan with sour grapes and a knife in it." And the hits just kept on comin'! "NBC is thinking about changing the NBC peacock to a cougar, since they are trying to attract young people to an old host," she teased about Leno. But she didn't stop at NBC's roster. "Some women don't like the expression 'cougar,' but it's better than what guys get, right? An older guy who dates a younger girl that's called a 'Letterman.' " While the other Lopez eventually did come out to relieve her, we couldn't help but think maybe Jenny from the Block should get her own late-night show. Of course, as long as she doesn't come out singing this or wearing that, we'll be fine.
Not bad. Now the show is going after maybe its highest-profile on-camera guest yet: Jennifer Lopez. "We are writing a role for Ms. Jennifer Lopez," co-creator Ryan Murphy told "Extra" Sunday night following the Golden Globes. "We want her to be a cafeteria lady." A cafeteria lady who, we're assuming, has singing and dancing talents heretofore unknown by the students and staff of McKinley High School. There's no word yet on when J. Lo might appear on the series, which won the Golden Globe for best comedy on Sunday.
Winter and spring: ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's take on the Lewis Carroll adventures of a girl who goes through the looking glass. THE BACK-UP PLAN: A woman (Jennifer Lopez) meets the right guy — just after she gets pregnant through artificial insemination. THE BOOK OF ELI: Denzel Washington whups some butt as a prophet protecting a critical text in post-apocalyptic America. THE BOUNTY HUNTER: Jennifer Aniston is a bail-jumping reporter pursued by her bounty-hunter ex-hubby (Gerard Butler). CLASH OF THE TITANS: Ancient Greek hero Perseus (Sam Worthington) takes on Hades, lord of the underworld. With Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes. COP OUT: A stolen baseball card sets two detectives (Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan) on the path of a memorabilia-obsessed mobster. CREATION: Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) copes with grief over a lost daughter as he struggles with his theory of evolution. With Jennifer Connelly. DATE NIGHT: A weekly night out turns into a wild ride for a suburban couple (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) whose romance has become routine. DEAR JOHN: A soldier (Channing Tatum) and a woman (Amanda Seyfried) carry out a seven-year romance from a distance while he's on assignment. DEATH AT A FUNERAL: Crazy things happen at a family patriarch's funeral. With Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover. DISTRICT B13: ULTIMATUM: Martial-arts heroes return to try to quell unrest in a walled crime ghetto in this follow up to the French thriller.,P>EDGE OF DARKNESS: Mel Gibson is a homicide cop whose daughter's murder takes him into a dark world of corporate and government conspiracy. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES: A father (Brendan Fraser) teams with a maverick doctor (Harrison Ford) to find a cure for his kids' fatal illness. With Keri Russell. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE: A trigger-happy spy (John Travolta) and his inexperienced partner (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) try to crack a crime gang. FURRY VENGEANCE: Animals fight back against the housing developer (Brendan Fraser) whose project threatens their habitat. GREENBERG: A man (Ben Stiller) searching for meaning finds potential romance while house-sitting for his brother. GREEN ZONE: Matt Damon goes searching for weapons of mass destruction in a thriller set in Iraq as the war there heats up in 2003. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: The world of the Vikings gets a makeover in this animated story of a misfit teen and his dragon. I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS: A con man (Jim Carrey) finds his soul mate (Ewan McGregor) while doing prison time. KICK-ASS: A youth with no superpowers dons a costume to fight crime as a superhero. With Nicolas Cage. THE LAST SONG: Miley Cyrus is a teen whose estranged father (Greg Kinnear) tries to reconnect with her through music. LEGION: The archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) and a group of strangers are humanity's last hope for salvation. THE LOSERS: A Special Forces team seeks revenge after its members are betrayed and presumed dead on a mission. With Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. MACGRUBER: The "Saturday Night Live" bit about a hapless special-ops man (Will Forte) gets big-screen treatment. With Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley) is back to terrorize people in their dreams in an update of the 1980s slasher franchise. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF: A teen demigod is caught up in a potential war among the gods of Olympus, alive and well in modern times. REMEMBER ME: "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson and "Lost" co-star Emilie de Ravin cope with romance amid adversity. With Pierce Brosnan. REPO MEN: In a future where mechanical organs are repossessed for lack of payment, a former repo man (Jude Law) becomes the prey of his old partner (Forest Whitaker). SAINT JOHN OF LAS VEGAS: A compulsive gambler (Steve Buscemi) fights temptation while trying to change his life. With Sarah Silverman. SEASON OF THE WITCH: A medieval knight (Nicolas Cage) is assigned to escort a peasant girl the church suspects of bringing on the Black Plague by witchcraft. SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE: An average guy (Jay Baruchel) scores big when a super-babe inexplicably falls for him. SHUTTER ISLAND: Leonardo DiCaprio reunites with director Martin Scorsese in a tale set at a hospital for the criminally insane. THE SPY NEXT DOOR: Jackie Chan balances his day job as a spy with baby-sitting his girlfriend's three kids. TOOTH FAIRY: A mean-spirited hockey star (Dwayne Johnson) is sentenced to do time as a tooth fairy, with magic wings and wand. With Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews. TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?: Filmmaker Perry co-stars with Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba and other cast mates for this relationship sequel. VALENTINE'S DAY: A superstar cast copes with the trials of love. With Julia Roberts, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher. WALL STREET 2: Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas bring corporate raider Gordon Gekko out of mothballs in a tale of today's financial fiasco. With Shia LaBeouf. WHEN IN ROME: Passions are magically aroused when a tourist retrieves coins tossed in a fountain of love. With Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Danny DeVito. THE WOLFMAN: Benicio Del Toro is a man who finds the curse of the werewolf haunting his family when he returns to his ancestral home.___ Summer season: THE A-TEAM: The TV action series goes big-screen as former Special Forces troops set out to clear their names. With Liam Neeson, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper. CATS & DOGS: REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE: Cats and dogs unite to take on a nutty feline bent on global domination. With Christina Applegate. DESPICABLE ME: Steve Carell leads the voice cast in an animated tale of a villain whose plot to steal the moon is sidelined by three orphan girls. DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS: A young exec (Paul Rudd) finds the perfect buffoon (Steve Carell) for his boss' monthly "dinner for idiots." EAT PRAY LOVE: Julia Roberts plays a divorced woman on a worldwide journey to find meaning in her life. With James Franco, Javier Bardem. THE EXPENDABLES: Sylvester Stallone directs and stars in a thriller about mercenaries betrayed on a mission. With Jet Li, Jason Statham. GET HIM TO THE GREEK: A record company intern (Jonah Hill) has to escort an unruly rock legend to the first concert of his comeback tour. GROWN UPS: Childhood pals (Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Rob Schneider and David Spade) reunite as adults. With Salma Hayek, Maria Bello. INCEPTION: Leonardo DiCaprio stars in a science-fiction thriller from director Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight"). IRON MAN 2: Robert Downey Jr. slips back into his metal suit to face new foes. With Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke. JONAH HEX: A disfigured bounty hunter (Josh Brolin) battles a villain aiming to unleash hell on Earth. With Megan Fox, John Malkovich. THE KARATE KID: Jackie Chan imparts kung fu wisdom to a Detroit youth (Jaden Smith) uprooted by his family's move to China in an update of the 1980s hit. KILLERS: An ex-assassin (Ashton Kutcher) and his wife (Katherine Heigl) go on the run after he's targeted for a hit in this action comedy. KNIGHT AND DAY: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are a fugitive couple on a jet-setting adventure around the globe. THE LAST AIRBENDER: M. Night Shyamalan adapts the animated TV show about a young savior with the power to end warfare among four nations with mystical powers. LETTERS TO JULIET: An old letter to the doomed heroine of "Romeo and Juliet" sparks romance for two women (Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave). THE LOTTERY TICKET: A ghetto dweller (Bow Wow) fends off greedy neighbors after he wins $370 million in the lottery. With Ice Cube. MARMADUKE: Owen Wilson provides the voice of the Great Dane in a family comedy based on the canine comic strip. MEET THE PARENTS 3: Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro find new ways to test their in-law relationship in the "Meet the Fockers" follow up. THE OTHER GUYS: A detective more interested in paperwork and a street-tough cop (Mark Wahlberg) are partnered up. With Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. PREDATORS: Hardcore human killers become prey for alien hunters in a new take on the sci-fi franchise. With Adrien Brody, Topher Grace. PRIEST: A renegade priest (Paul Bettany) tracks a gang of vampires that have abducted his niece. PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME: The video-game adaptation stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a fugitive prince who finds a dagger of enormous power. RAMONA AND BEEZUS: The pesky young heroine of Beverly Cleary's best sellers comes to life in an adaptation of the children's books. ROBIN HOOD: Russell Crowe reunites with director Ridley Scott for a fresh take on the 13th-century soldier turned folk hero. With Cate Blanchett. SALT: Angelina Jolie is a CIA operative on the lam after she's accused of spying for Russia. With Liev Schreiber. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD: To win his dream woman, a slacker musician (Michael Cera) must vanquish her seven evil ex-boyfriends. SEX AND THE CITY 2: Sarah Jessica Parker and her Manhattan mates return for more fashionable urban romantic angst. SHREK FOREVER AFTER: Mike Myers' ogre is hurled into an alternate reality where he and his true love never met. With Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas. THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE: An ancient wizard (Nicolas Cage) recruits a protege (Jay Baruchel) to battle an evil foe (Alfred Molina). STEP UP 3-D: Street dancers and a college freshman square off in a competition against world-class hip-hop dancers. TAKERS: A detective (Matt Dillon) pursues a gang of bank robbers (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Tip "T.I." Harris, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Michael Ealy). TOY STORY 3: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and their plaything pals face abandonment after their kid grows up in this animated sequel. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE: Danger comes calling again for a teen (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire and werewolf suitors (Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner). ____ Fall and holiday season: ALPHA AND OMEGA: Two wolves relocated halfway across the country try to return home. The animated tale features the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere. THE AMERICAN: A hit man (George Clooney) finds romance and friendship in Italy while awaiting what he hopes will be his last assignment. BURLESQUE: Christina Aguilera aims for stardom with a musical revue at an aging theater. With Cher, Stanley Tucci. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER: C.S. Lewis' young heroes land aboard an incredible ship as the fantasy series resumes. DUE DATE: Robert Downey Jr. stars as a first-time dad who has to hitch a ride with an actor (Zach Galinianakis) to get home in time for his baby's birth. FLIPPED: Rob Reiner directs a story of first love following a smitten girl and unwilling boy from grade school to junior high. GOING THE DISTANCE: A couple (Drew Barrymore and Justin Long) struggle to make their bicoastal romance work. THE GREEN HORNET: A rich party boy (Seth Rogen) turns to crime-fighting as the masked Hornet. With Cameron Diaz. GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE: A young owl battles to save his kind from evil enemies in this animated family adventure. GULLIVER'S TRAVELS: Jack Black does a modern take on the world-traveling hero who encounters a race of tiny people on his sojourn. HEREAFTER: Paths cross for three people around the world who are touched by death. Clint Eastwood directs, Matt Damon stars. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS — PART 1: The young wizards (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint) aim to destroy the crux of evil Voldemort's power. LIFE AS WE KNOW IT: Mismatched godparents (Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel) must team up as guardians for their orphaned goddaughter. LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS: Romance develops between a free spirit (Anne Hathaway) and a dauntless Viagra salesman (Jake Gyllenhaal). MEGAMIND: A supervillain flirts with virtue after his superhero opponent turns to the dark side in an animated tale featuring the voices of Brad Pitt and Will Ferrell. MORNING GLORY: A TV morning-show producer (Rachel McAdams) copes with a clash between her tough newsman (Harrison Ford) and his new co-host (Diane Keaton). RAPUNZEL: Mandy Moore provides the voice of the long-haired fairy-tale princess locked away in a tower in this animated musical. RED DAWN: A group of youths forms a guerrilla army to fight back against military forces that have invaded America. SAW VII: The horror franchise returns for part seven in the diabolical games initiated by killer Jigsaw. SECRETARIAT: A housewife (Diane Lane) and trainer (John Malkovich) team to raise the 1973 Triple Crown-winning racehorse. THE TOWN: Ben Affleck directs and stars as a bank robber who falls into romance with his former hostage (Rebecca Hall). TRON: LEGACY: Jeff Bridges reprises his 1982 character, whose son (Garrett Hedlund) is pulled into the digital world where his dad has disappeared. UNSTOPPABLE: A railway engineer (Denzel Washington) and a conductor (Chris Pine) race to stop a runaway train carrying toxic cargo. YOGI BEAR: The smarter-than-average bear of the TV cartoons comes to the big screen in a live-action and animation combo. With Dan Aykroyd. YOU AGAIN: Rivalries are renewed after a woman (Kristen Bell) learns her brother's marrying her high school nemesis. With Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis. YOUR HIGHNESS: A black sheep knight (Danny McBride), his perfect brother (James Franco) and a fierce warrior (Natalie Portman) embark on rescue mission. ZOOKEEPER: A kindly zookeeper (Kevin James) gets romantic advice from the animals in his charge.
"What people don't talk about, which is interesting to me, is how you have to put as much work into your relationships as you do into anything else," Lopez Latina magazine's February issue. "We put so much into our careers … but there's also a lot of work that goes into making a successful partnership and marriage. It's not easy." The 40-year-old Lopez tried and failed at marriage twice before, first with Ojani Noa and then with Cris Judd. She also was engaged to actor Ben Affleck, but the couple called off their wedding. "Anybody who's successful at it deserves a pat on the back," Lopez says. "You've got to grow with each other; you've gotta bend over backwards for each other." The Bronx, N.Y., native says sticking it out with Anthony, 41, has been the right move. They've been married since 2004 and have twins who turn 2 next month. "That's how I know that this relationship is worth it, because a lot of people walk away too easily," says J-Lo. "But to take that step and actually get married – and I've done it three times, and two times were, you know, not good for me or for them – I'm gonna take it seriously."
The singer/actress felt let down when her name wasn't among the hopefuls for the 2008 Academy Awards - and can only imagine the experts didn't get around to seeing her turn as salsa star Hector Lavoe's wife Puchi. She tells the upcoming issue of Latina magazine, "I feel like I had that (Oscar role) in El Cantante, but I don't even think the Academy members saw it. I feel like it's their responsibility to do that, to see everything that's out there, everything that could be great." Lopez admits she would have loved to have accepted her first Oscar from a hospital bed after just giving birth to her twins Max and Emme. She adds, "I had just given birth on the 22nd (February), and the Oscars, I think, were a day or two later. I was sitting there with my twins (and) I couldn't have been happier, but I was like, 'How dope would it have been if I would've won the Oscar and been here in my hospital bed accepting the award?' - 'Thank you so much! I just want to thank the Academy!'" And she still has her sights on an Oscar: "Things will happen when they're supposed to happen. I have the utmost faith and no doubt that it will (happen) one day."
Though the ABC show's host Ryan Seacrest let the 41-year-old singer know that her outfit "made my year," Alicia Lundgren, a 24-year-old dancer from Philadelphia, told Jenny from the block's hometown paper, the New York Daily News, "There's too many wrinkles. It looks like elephant skin." Not all the remarks about the ensemble were catty. Some prompted catcalls, including a "Wow" from Jason Ray, 24, a legal assistant from near Times Square, where Thursday's festivities – and the fashion display – took place. "I think she looks good after having twins!" he told the newspaper. Underneath the sheer garment, Lopez sported little beyond her spangled red-soled Louboutin heels. And her famous caboose? The News determined it seems to have shrunk. "Did she get butt surgery?" asked a Tweeter.
“Good Morning America” special correspondent, the just-married Melissa Rycroft, will join the celebration reporting live on the evening’s festivities in and around Times Square. Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will host the specials beginning at 10:00 p.m., ET on Thursday, December 31st on ABC from New York. Singer/ songwriter Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas returns to host the Las Vegas-based party portions of the specials. “The Times Square performances will be special in bringing the live crowd together with millions of viewers at home to celebrate the New Year in a rockin’ way,” said Larry Klein, producer of the specials. The bi-coastal celebration will include three and one-half hours of special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe, as well as the American tradition of Dick Clark counting down to midnight from Times Square in New York city. The festivities will kick off with “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010” from10:00-11:00 p.m., ET, featuring performances live from New York’s Times Square and performances from Las Vegas. During “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010, Part 1” (11:30 p.m. - 1:05 a.m., ET), in addition to reporting on the final minutes of 2009 and the traditional Times Square countdown to midnight, the show will feature music performances from both Las Vegas and Times Square in New York. Wrapping the night’s activities will be “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010, Part 2” (1:05-2:05 a.m., ET), when musical acts will continue the party into the early hours of the New Year with additional performances from Las Vegas.
"Part of my business is being in shape and looking good. You can’t lie to yourself about it," Lopez, 40, tells the January issue of Allure. "But I'm not the monster I used to be in the exercise department." Her reprieve likely is coming to an end. The mother of 17-month-old twins Max and Emme released a dance track, "Fresh Out of the Oven," in October and performed at the American Music Awards in December. Her new album, Love, drops in January. As well as having to hit the gym again, J-Lo may also have to deal with that other flip side of fame – the paparazzi. "It's a business. Once they stop making money off of you they stop coming around," Lopez says.
After a spill at the American Music Awards, the “Louboutins” singer is teaming up again with So You Think You Can Dance choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo (known as Nappytabs) to do a holiday-themed number for the season finale of the show. Although Lopez redeemed herself with a performance on Ellen, Tabitha says they’re not taking any chances this time.,P>“We’re steering clear of some big jumps,” Tabitha says. “I feel like we don’t have to be dangerous anymore … Though I appreciated seeing guys with their shirts off personally — [there will be] no sweaty backs, no shirtless guys. We’re going to have some classy looking guys.” At the AMAs, Lopez fell — but quickly recovered — after climbing on the bare backs of her male dancers. Napoleon says the finale performance of the song will be different from the boxing-theme she did previously. “The idea is kind of a cross between a Marilyn Monroe, ‘Santa Baby’ and a ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,’ but using shoes. Shoes are a girl’s best friend nowadays instead of diamonds.” Adds Tabitha: “What would a girl want for Christmas? Of course it would be a shiny pair of Louboutin shoes … It’s for the holiday season [and] we’re putting a holiday twist to ‘Louboutins.’” Part of the twist, they say, will be to feature some familiar faces in the routine. “We’re going to incorporate some girls in the performance that were in [SYTYCD] seasons past. I don’t think any other artists that have performed on this show have actually incorporated contestants from the show,” Tabitha explains. “It’s not just a performance … it’s a connection to the show.” The finale will be “a good holiday treat,” according to Napoleon, “and a mixture of the kids on the show getting to interact with a pop sensation.” The So You Think You Can Dance season finale airs Wednesday (8 p.m. EST) on FOX and will also feature performances by Adam Lambert, Mary J. Blige and Leona Lewis.
The star fell after jumping from the backs of two sweaty dancers while singing and dancing her way through comeback tune Louboutins onstage at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Lopez landed on her bottom with a thud, but swiftly leaped to her feet and carried on her performance. She later laughed off the stumble, joking that it was part of the show - but the singer admits she's still sore from the fall. She explains, "I have, like, a bruised bone... What happened was that one of the dancers' backs was slippery from sweat and the lights and everything. We never bargained for that because they always had T-shirts on in rehearsal... and when I stepped on their backs, my feet were wet, so when I landed they slipped from under me." But the fun-loving singer isn't taking her stage stumble too seriously - she agreed to film a mock fall in a skit on comedienne Ellen DeGeneres' TV chat show, which aired on Thursday, and agreed to show the footage from the AMAs, which was cut from the non-live telecast of the show. She insists she didn't realise she'd taken a tumble because she was caught up in her routine: "That's kinda what I thought the rest of the performance: 'Did I fall...?' It happened so fast and I was up and all I could think was, 'I have to get to the next beat... I have to do this dance solo, right now.' I had no time to think about it. "I did the rest of the performance, walked out, was like, 'Yeah...!' And one of the dancers was like, 'Are you OK?' And I'm like, 'Oh my God, that's right, I fell...!' It happened." Lopez still can't believe how many people have checked out her most embarrassing onstage moment online: "(It's had) 400,000-something hits (on YouTube.com)." To ease her pain, DeGeneres presented her guest with a pillow to sit on and made her chuckle with gifts of a crash helmet and kneepads. Lopez performed the dance routine and song again on DeGeneres' show - and this time there was no slip-up or stumble.
"I have a bruised bone," she tells Ellen DeGeneres for an episode of the talk show to air Thursday. "What happened was one of the dancers' backs was slippery from sweat and lights and everything. We never bargained for that because they always had T-shirts on in rehearsal. "So they were barebacked, didn't have shirts on for the performance, and when I stepped on their backs my feet got wet. So when I landed. it just slipped from under me." But Lopez, 40, credits her quick recovery to the excitement of the moment. "That's kind what I felt the rest of the performance: Did I fall? It happened so fast," she says. "I was up and all I could think was, I have to get the next beat. I have to do this dance solo right now. I had no time to think about it." Only afterward did she realize what had happened. "Then I get to the back, and one the dancers was like, 'Are you OK?' Oh my god that's right, I fell," she says. "It was awful, but, you know, it happened."
"There wasn't anything close to sex in it," Lopez's attorney John Lavely tells PEOPLE. "We never alleged that. But it's still private and personal to my client." A Los Angeles judge agreed Tuesday, upholding a ruling that Lopez's ex, Ojani Noa, is forbidden from using 11-plus hours of home video – 20 percent of which allegedly features Lopez – for a mockumentary about his life as a Cuban immigrant, previously titled How I Married Jennifer Lopez: The JLo and Ojani Noa Story. "They're trying to stop me from making my documentary and I'm fighting for my rights," said Noa outside the courtroom. "They're not being fair." The aspiring actor and model denies he ever tried to peddle the footage as a sex tape. The footage has scenes from the ex-couple's marriage in Florida and honeymoon in Cuba, Noa's film partner Claudia Vazquez tells PEOPLE, but the project was misrepresented by a tabloid as being sexual, she says. Vazquez adds the project's title has since been changed to The Escape in reference to Noa having fled his home country. Noa, 35, who's also being sued for $10 million by Lopez for breach of contract, insists that two confidentiality agreements he previously signed about their relationship "should be voided" because he claims he was taken advantage of and was misinformed. He said he plans to take the videotape case to trial.
Jennifer Lopez's first ex-husband, he of the maybe-maybe not J.Lo-starring sex tape, has been barred from releasing any more "confidential information" about his former missus, thanks to a protective order Lopez was granted yesterday. The majority of which, incidentally, was heavily amended in black marker—a detail that Noa's team failed to find the charm in. "We are still trying to fully decipher Judge [James] Chalfant's exact order, which was written in Sharpie pen," Noa's agent, Ed Meyer told E! News. Meyer was also barred from blabbing in the order. "I guess due to the California budget cuts, as I have no other clue why a Superior Court judge would write and sign a court order with a Sharpie pen." Jeez, everyone's a critic. Still, just because Noa and Meyer can't talk Lopez doesn't mean they can't talk—and pontificate they will when they return to court later this morning to challenge the order. "We plan to bring up this order and many other issues in court," Meyer said. "We were never noticed, nor invited to this hearing today, even though we are the defendants." Should the order stand, it will last until the court hears all arguments over his proposed Lopez-inspired "mockumentary" and makes a final decision as to its legality.
Minus the 12-year-old home movies he's peddling and his desire to make a feature-length comedy that touches on their courtship, that is. Noa, 35, has admitted to trying to sell footage of him and Lopez from back in the day. But, he added, there's no graphic sexual activity on the video—and therefore no one should be making such a big deal about it. "They think I have a sex tape with her and that I'm trying to sell it," Noa says in an exclusive interview with E! News. "My tape is from our honeymoon, the wedding, us hanging out. There's no nudity—maybe one spanking. "There's moments of her fighting with her mom…couples having fun and kissing. If someone has a sex tape, it's not me." Lopez has shut him down at every turn, winning an injunction that prevented him from peddling a tell-all book about their relationship that included allegations of infidelity on her part, and scoring a so-far temporary court order to shut down his film project. Having already won a $545,000 judgment againt Noa in connection with his ill-advised book project, which violated a previous confidentiality agreement they had, Lopez sued him again last month for $10 million over his latest stunt. "I'm not going to harm anybody," Noa, 35, says. "I'm a great guy. If I was going to hurt anybody I have had many, many chances to do it. I always wish her the best. The mockumentary is about me escaping from Cuba and living here. They think it's about her but it's not, it's about me." Never mind the proposed title, How I Married Jennifer Lopez: The J.Lo and Ojani Noa Story. The two met in Miami at the restaurant he was working at and, after a brief courtship, tied the knot in 1997. Divorce proceedings began 10 months later. He and his ex remained friends, though, Noa says, adding that Lopez even asked him to manage her Pasadena restaurant, Madras, in 2002. Noa was ultimately fired, however, and he says that he called Lopez, but never heard back from her. But despite the fact that his name keeps popping up purely in connection with J.Lo, Noa claims that he has turned the page. "I have moved on," he says. "If I wanted to make a buck I would have done many interviews and I never did anything." Another hearing on the movie issue is scheduled for Dec. 1.
The star made her performance comeback on Sunday night, singing Louboutins from her new album Love?, but slipped up during a misstep at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. After strutting onto a stage converted into a boxing ring in a robe and gloves, Lopez gyrated with male dancers. But it all went wrong for the star after she climbed onto a human pyramid of half-naked performers and jumped down - slipping backwards onto her bottom and flashing a glimpse of her underwear. Ever the true pro, Lopez swiftly leaped to her feet and carried on her performance - and she had already forgotten about the blunder when she was asked about it during a radio interview on Monday morning. She said, "Did I trip a little bit...? I don't even remember." She then joked, "I meant to do that... It was part of the choreography." And she chuckled as she called on her critics to remember how well she recovered from the mishap: "The measure of things is not what happens when you fall, it's how you handle it when you fall."
Not only does tape-delayed award shows mean Pacific zoners have to avoid Twitter for a few hours, but they also might miss the highlight of the event. Last night's American Music Awards was no exception. Jennifer Lopez's much discussed live trip over her "Louboutins" was edited from the version of the show that aired later. But the network insists this was not because of any sort of diva maneuvering. "Due to the live nature of the show, we did not expect the impromptu moment in question," stated ABC, dick clark productions executives and AMA show producers. "Regarding Jennifer Lopez, execs and producers felt it was respectful to Ms. Lopez to edit the mishap for later time zones." What a bunch of fuddy-duddies! Out of respect for the people tuning in, they should have kept the "live" show as-is. For the record Lopez's rep says she is physically fine. Her ego on the other hand...
“It is an exciting thing for us and one of the things we’ve always wanted to do,” Napoleon tells PEOPLE of their chance to work with one of their longtime dance idols. “You can expect to be entertained and you won’t be disappointed,” assures Tabitha, who has been teaching dance professionally with Napoleon for 15 years (11 of those as husband and wife). The pair, who has worked with stars like Beyoncé and Missy Elliott, is known for an innovative lyrical hip-hop style that has garnered them quite a following since they joined the FOX show in 2008. And that following includes Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony. “She told us she and her husband sit down and watch the show weekly,” says Tabitha, who describes Lopez as the ideal artists to work with. “She’s putting the time in and you don’t always get that with the artist. They have such crazy schedules and sometimes their priorities are a little bit different, but she’s really involved.” Napoleon describes her big number as “her coming back to being in her own and saying, ‘Hey, this is me again — don’t forget about it!’” For now, the team won’t reveal details of what they call a “big production” with “lots of people involved,” but “without giving it away,” teased Tabitha, she’ll be singing “a great song. It’s going to be on her new album and … I feel like it’s appropriate. It’s got a good tempo. It’s got a good vibe and it’s really exciting for us. When we heard it, we were like, ‘We’re going to have some fun with this one!’” Aside from Nappytabs, Jennifer has an added support team in husband Marc and their 21-month-old twins Emme and Max who, according to Tabitha and Napoleon, have been regular fixtures at rehearsals. “Marc’s really supportive,” explains Napoleon. “He’s great with the kids and then he still pays enough attention to her and goes, ‘Maybe you could do a move like this or that?’” “It’s adorable to watch them together,” Tabitha says. And it sounds like the little ones take after their parents when it comes to having all the moves. “The kids are always with us at rehearsal, running around and dancing in the mirrors,” Napoleon says. “As soon as the music starts playing, they are dancing around.” Like any good comeback, Lopez’s live performance at L.A.’s Nokia Theatre on Sunday will show off her confidence. Says Napoleon: “You can expect her to come out fighting and she’s going to show that she’s got a knock-out punch!”
The song finds J.Lo expressing frustration over a lover who clearly isn't giving 100 percent of himself to the relationship. Why, then, is she taking it out on us? Case in point: The chorus contains nothing more than the line "I'm throwing on my Louboutins," repeated not once, not twice, but eight times. Multiply that by the number of times the chorus is recited (four) and we get 32 reminders of the particular brand of designer footwear Jenny from the Block is going to use to walk out on her man. The track begins with the singer insisting, "I'm taking back my love." Personally, we wish we could take back the last three minutes and 49 seconds.
Lopez and Lambert will be among more than a dozen performers at Sunday's ceremony, and they took time out Thursday to perfect their performances. Lopez is in top form, but she's still a little nervous. She'll be singing a song fans have never heard before and performing live on TV for the first time in years. "You know what you're doing and you feel very good about it, but at the same time, you wouldn't be human if you're not afraid," she said after her rehearsal. She's set to perform "Louboutins," the first single from her new album, "Love?" - due in stores next year. Flanked by backup dancers, the 40-year-old entertainer busts out her Fly Girl moves in a number that begins in a boxing ring and ends in the audience. Famed sports announcer Michael Buffer is in the act, too. "I think it's going to be good," she said. "Dancing again, singing, the lights and the costumes - it all feels like second nature." Veteran choreographer Kenny Ortega, director of "Michael Jackson's This Is It," gave Lopez's performance a positive review. "Awesome," he said after dropping by the Nokia Theatre to watch her rehearse. Lambert, 27, said he's eager to see how the star-studded crowd responds to his provocative performance, a sexed-up rendition of "For Your Entertainment," the first single off his upcoming album of the same name. "I can't wait to see people I look up to as artists in the audience watching. I think that will be a trip, and exciting and motivating all at the same time," he said after his rehearsal. "It will be really interesting to see what kind of reaction the number gets. It's different. It really does have an edge to it." The performance is heavy on leather and chains and includes Lambert dragging a shackled woman across the stage. Other artists set to perform at the 37th annual American Music Awards include Rihanna, Whitney Houston, Green Day, Lil' Wayne, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Keith Urban, Jay-Z and Carrie Underwood. Janet Jackson will open the show with a medley of songs, but producer Larry Klein wouldn't say whether her performance would be a tribute to her late brother. "It's a surprise," he said. Fans voted online to choose the winners of the American Music Awards, which honour the year's top-selling artists in eight popular genres. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC from the Nokia Theatre.
Ojani Noa and his manager Ed Meyer had planned to distribute the footage and proposed making a film, "The J.Lo and Ojani Noa Story." The Tuesday order also applies to Meyer. Lopez wed Noa in 1997, but their marriage lasted just 11 months. In 2007, Lopez won $545,000 in damages and attorney fees in another lawsuit that blocked Noa from publishing a ghostwritten tell-all book. Lopez claimed Noa demanded $5 million to keep him from publishing the book. Noa claimed the footage included nothing sexual and alleged that Lopez is trying to keep him from success.
Ojani Noa, who was married to the actress/singer between 1997 and 1998, is preparing a documentary, entitled "How I Married Jennifer Lopez: The J.Lo and Ojani Noa Story." Due to a legally-binding settlement in which Noa agreed not to release any information about the former couple's time as husband and wife, Lopez's legal team issued a cease-and-desist missive demanding that he scrap all his plans for the film. However, Noa has laughed off the threats, insisting his movie is "100 per cent parody" and therefore does not breach the agreement the pair made in 2005. But Lopez doesn't find the situation amusing, and after hearing home movie footage from the pair's honeymoon would feature in the satire, she filed suit at Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday claiming the terms of their settlement have been broken. Lopez is demanding a permanent ban on Noa releasing any footage of her, and wants a whopping $10 million in damages.
Citing the injunction all parties agreed upon two years ago, lawyers for the singer-actress have sent a cease-and-desist letter to her first ex-husband, Ojani Noa, demanding that he finally stop thinking he's going to profit from his brief marriage to the twice-since remarried star. According to the letter, Noa's been shopping a film project called How I Married Jennifer Lopez: The JLo and Ojani Noa Story and has advertised for players on an open casting website. "It would strain credulity to the breaking point for those involved in the writing, development and the pre-production of the Proposed Film to claim that they were not aware" of the injunction in place, Lopez attorney John Lavely wrote. The injunction prevented Noa from publishing a supposed tell-all book a few years back that claimed Lopez, among other things, was hooking up with Marc Anthony while the singer was still married. He was also ordered to pay $545,000 in damages for breaking a confidentiality clause he signed in 2005. But despite its salacious yet straightforward title, the film's executive producer tells E! News that the movie is going to be more Borat than The Way We Were. The film would start with Noa's arrival from Cuba on U.S. shores and take him through his courtship of and year-long marriage to Lopez, and end with her ill-fated 2002 engagement to Ben Affleck. Executive producer Claudia Vasquez, of Big Dream Films, tells E! news that, like the book Noa was prevented from writing (the modestly titled The Unknown Truth: A Passionate Portrait of a Serial Thriller), the film would detail Lopez's alleged infidelities while married to Noa. He also claims Lopez cheated on various boyfriends with him. "You're going to have to wait on that for the film," Vasquez said when asked whether those boyfriends included the more famous named on Lopez's dating résumé. And even though Lopez's legal camp is coming after them, they're going ahead with the project, Vasquez insisted. "It's a parody so usually law doesn't apply to the story unless it's something serious," she said. "It's showing that he can get over it. It's comic. This is not about Jennifer Lopez's life, this is about Ojani's life." He and J.Lo were married in February 1997 and it ended a year later.
"Fresh Out the Oven" has nothing to do with pizza or any other heated meals that deliver. It's a pop track by "Lola" and Pitbull, produced by The Neptunes. We're not sure why Jenny from the Block needs to use yet another moniker, but they're attempting to get all viral by launching WhoIsLola.com, as well as an accompanying Twitter. But we do know that Lola = J.Lo and that we haven't heard a new song from her in ages. However, after a couple listens to this one, that might have been for the best. Her love may not cost a thing, but what has the "Oven" cost your eardrums?
Listen to the track in its entirety, only on PEOPLE.com. A note of explanation: Lopez's new song will not appear on her upcoming album – and a Web site established to promote it, featuring a dancing female figure named Lola, has spawned rumors that Lopez has adopted a new persona. Not so. "Lola is just for this song, it's not her ongoing persona," says a source close to the singer. "It's something fun. She hasn't become Sasha Fierce [Beyoncé's artistic alter ego]. There won't be anything to do with Lola on her Love? album." "This is a hot club record that the label loved and Jennifer thought was fun," Amanda Ghost, president of Epic Records tells PEOPLE. "Jennifer and Pitbull got together and the record leaked. Lola is a fun character just for this song."
"I bought a condo today in Miami," Anthony, 40, told PEOPLE Monday night during halftime of the Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts football game at Miami's Landshark Stadium. "When we are through decorating the condo, it will be the sexiest place in town!" Anthony and wife Jennifer Lopez's new pad is in the Icon Brickell, a new, three-tower condominium designed by Philippe Starck. The stunning complex, which includes the Viceroy Miami Hotel, is near Miami's downtown and financial district, just a few minutes from South Beach. In April, Anthony and Lopez, 40, spent a weekend with their children at Viceroy Miami and Icon Brickell, after Anthony's concert in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in nearby Hollywood, Fla. The couple met with the Icon Brickell's developer Jorge Perez and got a personal tour of several condos. Though they looked at other Miami-area condo buildings, they decided on this one. "We are not selling our homes in New York or Los Angeles, we are just adding Miami," Anthony tells PEOPLE. "Now that I am involved with the Dolphins, I am busy working and see a different set of stresses than I experience being a father. So I want to be close by. And we love Miami."
The pair, in town for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's awards gala, celebrated Anthony's 41st birthday Wednesday night at the W hotel's P.O.V. lounge. Before the fete though, Anthony reportedly got a treat from President Obama, who led a group of senators and congressmen in a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for the singer backstage at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus gala, according to Gossip Cop. President Obama joked at the Hispanic Caucus dinner that the group's chairwoman, Nydia Velazquez, has a crush on Anthony. "I'm telling you, J.Lo, watch out," the President quipped. As for the birthday party, Lopez hosted the bash, which was attended by Anthony's family, agent Benny Medina, Rep. Linda Sanchez, Miami Dolphins coach Wayne Huizenga, as well as a slew of ambassadors and other dignitaries. The party started around 10:30 p.m. and lasted until 2 a.m. Anthony was presented with a five-tier chocolate cake from Fancy Cakes by Leslie that was decorated with brown fondant icing, gold art deco accents and "Congratulations and Happy Birthday" written on it. Earlier in the day, the couple met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – and even stopped by the Oval Office. "[Jennifer] was here for a tour. She's in town for the CHC dinner. She popped into the Oval Office," a White House source tells PEOPLE During lunch, Lopez and Anthony, who also brought their twins to D.C., munched on salads, New York strip steaks, chicken and vanilla lemon buttercream birthday cake from Morton's the Steakhouse.
Jenny from the Block already stumped for Barack Obama during his bid for the presidency, so it's no surprise she's also backing his pick for the Supreme Court—who happens to be a fellow Latina. J.Lo threw Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, a dinner party at her Long Island home last night, according to Gossipcop.com. Hubby Marc Anthony cohosted the intimate affair, which featured a cocktail hour before the main event. So how many people made the list for the political party? The guest list only featured about a dozen people, and most were "political types." Guess the Beckhams and Cruises shouldn't feel bad that they didn't get an invite to the bash.
"There's nothing as huge as giving birth to another human being and having to be responsible for another life," Lopez tells InStyle, for its September, 15th-Anniversary issue. "There's you before kids, and there's you after kids – and they're not the same you." The singer-actress, who celebrated turning 40 with a blowout bash in July, says her outlook on all aspects of life – from her music to relationships and business ventures – has shifted gears. "[Parenthood] totally changes your perspective on everything," says Lopez. "You don't come first anymore. There's somebody else you care more about than yourself." For the active entrepreneur, that means cutting down on work and stepping down from the "hamster wheel," a previous lifestyle that was all about deadlines – a whirl in which she "felt like I couldn't say no." "I'm at a point in my life when I just don't feel the need to put out anything unless I totally, absolutely feel it says what I want to say," Lopez says about her music career. She has, however, received inspiration from her twins – especially Max, whose first few steps inspired the proud mom to write a song. Marital Ups and Downs When it comes to marriage, Lopez, who's been wed to Marc Anthony for five years, admits she's "still figuring it out as I go along," and she's had her share of "hard experiences and a lot of ups and downs and a lot of mistakes." One way she's figuring it all out is by reading books about relationships. "It's the never-ending question – what is the key to love?" As for what she's gleaned, "I believe that in life you learn through experience," she says. "I'm old enough to know now that relationships take work. That's it's not an easy thing."
The party, dubbed "An Evening For Lola" – a nod to Anthony's nickname for his wife – was attended by sister Lynda, mom Guadelupe, manager Benny Medina, as well as BFF Leah Remini. Other guests included Liza Minnelli, Gayle King, Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin, New York Mets player Carlos Beltran and music mogul LA Reid. Lopez, who arrived with Anthony in a Bentley, donned a Grecian-inspired gown. Before entering the soiree she met with fans standing behind barricades across the street, which had been closed to traffic. "Jen was in an amazing mood and was just so excited about seeing all the fans [and] the marquee outside the Edison that said, 'An Evening For Lola.' She was really energized," says a source, adding: "Jennifer was the belle of the ball. She was glowing, and just radiating happiness. She really had a great time." When it came to the party, "It was a glamorous setting, with white flowers around. Very classy. Everyone had a really good time, and it was a nice mix of her family, business associates and her friends." As for Lopez and her husband, the source says, "They were affectionate with each other and obviously loving the night. Marc's arm was around Jennifer a lot, they'd give each other pecks on the face every now and then. She was clearly pleased with how the night went."
A rep for Lopez tells PEOPLE exclusively, “The rumor of Jennifer Lopez throwing herself in the ring to take over for Paula Abdul is completely false. Jennifer loves Idol but just as a fan. She just wrapped the feature film The Back-Up Plan, due out January 2010, and will release an album then as well.” Lopez turned 40 on Friday and her rep adds, “This weekend Jen is celebrating her birthday with friends and family.” The reports surfaced after Lopez and Idol host Ryan Seacrest were spotted having dinner at Madeo in Los Angeles earlier this month. Seacrest told paparazzi outside Madeo that “Jennifer and Paula would be a hell of a combination” on the show.
The actress has been busy filming The Back-Up Plan in the Big Apple and took some time out to party with the crew and hubby Marc Anthony. While she's definitely toned down her divalicious side since becoming a mom to twins Max and Emme, J.Lo.'s huge chocolate cake still paid tribute to...herself, what else? It featured a big photo of herself and the message: "Jennifer...thanks for being our Plan A! You're the best. And...happy birthday!" The birthday girl also got kisses from her hubby and toasted with champagne. Despite turning the dreaded 4-0, a milestone that has most women pretending it doesn't exist, Jenny was beaming throughout the bash. Do you miss her over-the-top J.Lo days or do you like the new softer, domesticated side of Jennifer? Either way, happy birthday!
The singer-actress admits that she and her husband Marc Anthony would like to give their 18-month-old twins Emme and Max a sibling or two. "I would love to have more kids," the actress tells Extra. "I don't know if we will. I don't know if that's in the cards for us – but we'll see." Lopez, who turns 40 on Friday, also opens up about the joys of watching her twins grow up. "They're more than walking now ... They're starting to talk," she says. "I put Max to bed yesterday ... and I said, 'I love you baby. I'll see you tomorrow.' And he was like, 'I love you.' " Speaking of love, Lopez can't say enough about the positive effects of motherhood. "You just mature so quickly in such a deep way and you think life is short and you have to just go for things. You can't be afraid to try or do you best ... just do it and that's the example I want to set for my children as well. It's like you can do anything. The only thing that ever holds us back is fear... It's a useless emotion."
The actor began dating the singer in 2002 after starring in Gigli with her, and the pair later became engaged before splitting up shortly before their scheduled wedding in 2004. Affleck is adamant he should never have got involved in the first place - because the publicity surrounding their romance tainted his career. He says, "I was no longer in control of my life. I thought I wanted certain things, but I didn't. I got lost. I felt suffocated, miserable and gross. I should never have gone down that route or got sucked in to all the publicity. "I was typecast as myself. Too many people weren't getting past what they read about me. That was damaging. I can tell from experience it's bad for you, and bad for your career. So I took a break, went away for a while and let things calm down." And he admits he is much happier with his wife Jennifer Garner and their two daughters, three-year-old Violet and six-month-old Seraphina to look after. He adds, "Work has taken a back seat. My job is not as important as it was. Saying that having a family changed my life is a cliche. But it's true - it re-arranged my life and made me see clearly."
After a yearlong hiatus from pretty much everything to focus on her twins, Max and Emme, the multihyphenated star is looking to dominate the music scene once again with the new tune "What Is Love." Upbeat and catchy, the track is vintage J.Lo. In other words, you can dance to it—and, with all those na na nas running throughout, it's the kind of tune that will be stuck in your head for days. The song's Internet surfacing comes just days after Lopez debuted a ballad she wrote for her kids at a benefit for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles over the weekend. Talented and charitable. Welcome back indeed. But that's just us. Are you loving "What Is Love," or should Jenny simply go back to the block?
"We both got very nervous, very very nervous, and I just remember my heart sinking to my feet," Lopez recalled at last night's Noche de Ninos gala benefit for Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). "I looked at [Marc] and I said, ‘You know if anything happens, I'm not going to be okay, you know that right?'" Lopez and Anthony rushed Emme to Children's Hospital, where she underwent a battery of tests, including an MRI. "Luckily in the end," Lopez said, "she turned out fine." But it turned into something more for the hospital... Shortly after the scare, the singer-actress joined forces with CHLA to form the Maribel Foundation to help provide pediatric medical services to the less fortunate. "I started to wonder," Lopez said, "what if I couldn't afford a doctor, or receive the medicines, the procedures?" Lopez also debuted a new song last night, which she wrote for her twins. A recording of the ballad was played during a video highlighting the Foundation's work. In it, Lopez sings, "Let's keep this time for us and make it last as long as we can. It's already going too fast." Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis, who was given this year's Courage to Care Award by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, sported a pink wig. No, she wasn't getting all Britney Spears on us. The wig belonged to a 15-year-old girl who died of cancer. "We were at a news conference and she pulled off this wig and on her head she had written ‘Jamie Lee Curtis Rocks,'" the actress told me about her first meeting the girl when she was 11. "That night I borrowed her wig and went to this event, where we raised millions of dollars for Children's Hospital Pittsburgh. After she died, I asked her mother if I could have her wig to carry her message."
"We call her Emme-tude because we're like, 'She's giving us Emme-tude right now,' " Lopez, 39, tells Rachael Ray in an interview scheduled to air on her talk show Friday. "She gets that from her dad. I'm kidding – she gets it from me." As for twin son, Max, Lopez says she and husband Marc Anthony think he also favors his mother in some ways. "Me and Marc are always claiming he's got my head and he's got my mouth," she says. "You want it all to be you," Lopez says, adding, [Emme's] got my little body." "That's the nature of who we are; we can't help it. We're both trying to steal it all." One thing Lopez enjoys most, she says, is perceiving the unique qualities of each child. "They're very different," she says. "You can really see it, even from when they're really young." How would she describe Max? "He's more like the visceral boy – running, knocking things down, eating," Lopez says. And Emme? "She takes a step and stops and picks things up and she's like 'I don't know, maybe I'll eat this.' … She’s really kind of indecisive but at the same time very precise." Ever doting, Lopez says she made a big to-do about the kids' first birthday in February. "We did it in my backyard in L.A.," she says. "We had a BBQ/carnival type thing. Nothing like Mommy Dearest ... It was more just like we had snow cones and a little jumpy." "They had the best time at their birthday party," she says. "I didn't think a 1-year-old could have fun at a birthday party. But they did; they loved it. I think I did a good job, and they’re going to remember."
Last night, she had a girls-only dinner party at Cecconi's. On the guest list? Eva Longoria Parker, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Beckinsale and Nicole Richie. According to Us Weekly, the group arrived around 9:30 p.m. After a champagne-filled dinner, a cake was brought out for the birthday girl. No word on whether Posh actually ate any of it. Before Victoria's birthday bash, Eva pre-partied at the Armani Exchange watch launch party at the SLS Hotel, where she gave us a Desperate Housewives update... Eva insists things are "great" on set despite Nicollette Sheridan's departure. And as for those pregnancy rumors, Eva was spotted smoking a cigarette inside her VIP cabana at the party. We're guessing that means she only ate for one at Posh's party.
The disputed domain names, jenniferlopez.net and jenniferlopez.org, directed users to a website that generated paid advertising revenues, according to the ruling issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). An independent arbitrator ordered the domain names transferred within 10 days to the Jennifer Lopez Foundation, which filed the complaint. The charitable foundation promotes better access to healthcare for women and children. The Grammy-nominated singer, widely known as J.Lo, joins other celebrities in ousting cybersquatters through the dispute procedure, including Pierce Brosnan, Tom Cruise, Celine Dion, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Madonna and Julia Roberts. Lopez, who is from the South Bronx, registered her name as a trademark in the United States in May 1999 and has sold more than 48 million albums worldwide, according to her complaint. A man based in Phoenix, Arizona, named as Jeremiah Tieman, registered both domain names and asserted that he ran primarily a fan site devoted to providing news and information about the star, according to the arbitrator, Williams Towns. Tieman "registered two domain names that are identical to the complainant's mark and has used those domain names to attract Internet users to a website from which (he) generates pay-per-click advertising," Towns said in his ruling. The American arbitrator found that the registration had been for commercial use and was in bad faith. Lopez, 39, and her husband, salsa singer Marc Anthony, had twins in February. It is her third marriage. The couple starred together in "El Cantante," a 2006 film about salsa legend Hector Lavoe.
Lopez, who tells the magazine she watched the film "37 times" as a kid growing up in the Bronx, admits, "I never wanted to be that wimpy Maria, who sits around pining for her guy. I wanted to be Anita, who danced her way to the top." In this shot, her dream comes true. Photographer Mark Seliger re-creates a scene from the beloved 1961 film version with Lopez (left) as Anita, Rodrigo Santoro (center) as "Shark" Bernardo and Camilla Belle (right) as Maria. Chris Evans, Ben Barnes, Brittany Snow, Robert Pattinson, Ashley Tisdale, Cam Gigandet and Drake Bell also make cameos in other photos.
Nunez, 21, an ebullient college student from Cidra, Puerto Rico, says hearing from the Latin superstar couple has been the highlight of his journey on the Fox competition show. Ryan Seacrest read Nunez a text message by Anthony on his radio show Thursday morning, in which Anthony said Nunez's performance brought the pair to tears. Nunez says Anthony and Lopez are hugely popular in his country, and he can't believe they know who he is. Nunez joined Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre, picked by viewers this week for the show's top 12, in a teleconference Thursday.
The Bronx native borrowed $50,000 worth of diamonds from Robert Mouawad to attend the launch of Andrea Lieberman's fashion line, ALC, at Barneys in Beverly Hills last week. Gwen Stefani, Leah Remini and Ellen Pompeo also borrowed baubles from the Swiss jeweler, for whom Lieberman also designs. The next day, the other celebs returned their bling, but J.Lo didn't. "We received a call from [her manager] Benny Medina, informing us that Jennifer was going to keep the jewelry," an insider said. "As far as Mr. Mouawad is concerned, Jennifer can have whatever she wants, but a premature demand seemed presumptuous." There's no ill will, however. "Mr. Mouawad is the Swiss billionaire who purchased the 60-carat flawless Mondera Diamond for $50 million," said our source. "He will lose no sleep over $50,000, and frankly, Jennifer's endorsement is priceless." Medina, reached in Santiago, Chile - where J.Lo's hubby, Marc Anthony, was being honored and performing sold-out shows - told Page Six: "There was no demand whatsoever. There was an offer. It was very clear." In return for hosting the show for her friend, Lopez would be given the entire collection of jewelry and clothes, he said. "She was the only celebrity whose name was on the invite. She would have done it for nothing," Medina explained. "But this was how it was presented. It was quite a generous offer." Sharon Stone must be as green as an emerald with envy. In 1993, Harry Winston Inc. sued her for the return of a $400,000 necklace she wore while promoting "Sliver." Stone had claimed it was a gift. And Paris Hilton wore a $160,000 bracelet loaned by Kwiat to the 2003 Oscars. It had a broken clasp, she said, so she put it in a friend's car, where it was stolen. Kwiat sued the celebutante, and she reportedly wrote a $100,000 check to cover the loss.
The couple sued buggy maker Silver Cross for trademark infringement in federal court today, claiming the British manufacturer unlawfully touted its product line by using a picture of the A-list parents pushing twins Emme and Max in their strollers. Per the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Silver Cross has used the photograph online and in ads without the plaintiffs' permission, thereby deceiving the public into "believing that Lopez and Anthony endorse and sponsor" the U.K.-based pram purveyor. The famous duo are seeking at least $5 million in damages, a permanent injunction against any further use of their names or images in the company's advertising, and any money thay may have been made by using the Lopez-Anthony family as unwitting spokesmodels.
About 50 guests, including Nicole Ritchie, Joel Madden and their daughter Harlow, 1, joined the casual afternoon party, which started at about 1 p.m. Several guests were seen arriving with gifts in Elmo and Disney bags. Others brought stuffed animals and "Happy Birthday" balloons in festive shapes and colors. The backyard, where the party was held, was decorated with festive metallic silver balloons and a blue-and-red color theme. Two moonbouncers, a clown and upbeat music entertained guests, who were served non-alcoholic slush drinks provided by The Margarita Man. Guests sang "Happy Birthday" while a cake decorated with candles from Rosebud Cakes was presented. Max and Emme's actual birthday is Sunday.
The crooner completed his inaugural performance by bringing "my wife," Jennifer Lopez, on to the stage with him, for a duet. This thrilled the crowd at the Inauguration's Western Ball, held in the largest ballroom of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where the guests also included Angela Bassett and Harold & Kumar and House star Kal Penn, reports The Washington Post. The 10:25 p.m. appearance of Lopez also further put to rest rumors of a marital rift between the couple. Earlier in the evening, Anthony had said, "I wrote this next song about Jennifer. I must have been psychic." The song was his decade-old "You Sang to Me." "She didn't get the point, but eventually it worked," said Anthony, the Associated Press reports. The couple ended their duet with a kiss. "Man, she's cute," Anthony said after Lopez exited the stage.
At the Latino Inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C. on Sunday evening, the singer-actress said even with all of Hollywood flocking to the city for the inauguration, President-elect Barack Obama was undeniably the biggest A-lister. "He is the biggest star here, even though it's chock-full of celebrities," said Jennifer Lopez. "The night he won the election, you could feel it in the air. I was … watching him with tears in my eyes, thinking, 'Yes. Something is different. Something is happening.' We're very excited." "Washington's never had a bigger rock star at the helm," her husband Marc Anthony agreed. At the event, Rosario Dawson – whose Voto Latino organization worked to register young Latino voters – said her pinch-me moment was meeting the Obama family Sunday afternoon at the We Are One concert event at the Lincoln Memorial. "It was really incredible. They're really poised and incredible and just magnificent people," the actress told PEOPLE at the Latino Inaugural Gala. "I'm sort of, like, freaking out right now." Throughout the evening, guests milled about the vast marble ballroom in Washington D.C.'s Union station, noshing on quesadillas and egg-salad sandwiches on mini-croisssants as a mariachi band played in the background. Other celebrities in attendance included George Lopez, David Archuleta and CNN's Soledad O'Brien. Shakira, the last celebrity to walk the red carpet, arrived sheathed in a green Oscar de la Renta gown in time to perform close to midnight. The pop singer was also pumped up about meeting the President-elect earlier in the day at the Lincoln Monument. "He said that he had my music (on his) iPod," she told PEOPLE. "I hope he was not being just nice."
Anthony agreed to sing and Lopez said she would "speak" at the Latino Inaugural Ball in DC on Jan. 18, two nights before the swearing-in. But some Latinos for Obama are furious that the wealthy couple didn't support the Democratic nominee until he'd won. One power player called them "vile opportunists for worming themselves into anything Obama related even though they had nothing to do with his win." According to the source, Anthony refused to perform for Obama during a crucial get-out-the-Latino-vote event in Orlando, Fla., two weeks before the election and Lopez refused to endorse Obama unless he called her himself, which he didn't. The Orlando event went on without them and featured Bill Clinton and Jimmy Smits. The Latino Ball, at Union Station, is scheduled to attract a list of boldface names, including Rosario Dawson, Wilmer Valderrama and "Ugly Betty" actor Tony Plana. Some Dems are also upset that Lopez and Anthony didn't donate. "They haven't given him, his campaign or the inauguration a cent," a source said - likening the couple to Sean Combs, whose reps tried to procure inauguration tickets for him for free. But a friend of Lopez and Anthony said, "Unlike Puffy, they are doing something - they are performing. And lots of people, including Rihanna and Mariah Carey, are performing and didn't donate. A lot of celebrities are showing up as guests of magazines or political people and not paying anything or doing anything. Marc and Jennifer shouldn't be reviled for that." A rep for the couple didn't return calls.
According to those who observed them on a holiday vacation to Puerto Rico, nothing. The couple, who left for their romantic jaunt on Dec. 26, rang in 2009 poolside at La Concha Hotel, reports the Puerto Rico newspaper El Voce. On their trip, which lasted through the first week in January, the couple also attended the gubernatorial inauguration and had a cozy dinner together at Marmalade restaurant in Old San Juan. What's more, a reliable source tells PEOPLE that Lopez, 39, and Anthony, 40, are seriously considering purchasing property at Trump's International Gulf Club Puerto Rico, where they took a tour over the holiday. 'They've Been Arguing' While both their reps tell PEOPLE that the couple are "great," insiders indicate that their marriage isn't perfect. "They have been having problems, like in any marriage," says one. "They've been arguing." The likely cause? The growing pains naturally associated with raising 10-month-old twins Max and Emme. "The marriage is experiencing frustrations because of the added stress of the twins," says another source familiar with the situation, "but they will work things out. They love each other, and that will dictate what happens. I don't think divorce is in the picture."
In the face of reports that the duo have been fighting and are headed for a split, E! News has learned exclusively that J.Lo and her hubby are spending a few days together in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Anthony is scheduled to perform as part of his ongoing tour. Two days ago, Lopez and Anthony met up with friends and family for dinner at Marmalade, a trendy, upscale restaurant in the old-town section of San Juan. "Jennifer and Marc looked very happy, so it is hard for me to believe the rumors that their marriage is in trouble," the eatery's general manager, Trace Donaldson, tells E! News. "They were laughing and seemed to be having a great time." The couple were joined by a group that included Lopez's sister, Lynda. On Monday, the Out of Sight star's rep denied to E! a New York Daily News report that had the seemingly cozy couple planning to announce their breakup right after Anthony's Feb. 14 show at Madison Square Garden. "There is no merit to the article," the rep said. Lopez was spotted Dec. 26 boarding a private flight straight to Puerto Rico out of Van Nuys Airport.
While a morning report alleged that the duo of more than four years were in the early stages of premeditating a public—not to mention rather ironic—Valentine's Day split, Lopez's rep maintains that everything is just peachy in J. Lo land. "There is no merit to the article," Lopez's publicist Leslie Sloane told E! News of the New York Daily News report. While rumors of marital discord are nothing new for the couple, speculation of an impending split was ramped up earlier this month when Lopez turned up at the Los Angeles premiere of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button without her wedding ring. Or husband. She was, however, photographed reunited with the former during a shopping trip in Beverly Hills last week. As it is, back in October the duo further solidified their union—and no doubt confounded their doubters—by renewing their wedding vows in Las Vegas.
Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez, Amy Poehler and Seth Rogen have been named hosts of the 2009 Golden Globes Awards presentation. The 66th annual Golden Globes are scheduled to air Sunday, Jan. 11 on NBC. Rogen, 26, was busy in 2008 with films including "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and " Pineapple Express." "Saturday Night Live" star Poehler, 37, appeared in "Baby Mama" and " Hamlet 2."
The couple snuggled together in a booth, feeding one another Kobe meatballs and enjoying – as they ate with their hands – tamarind-glazed ribs, as well as each other's company, if their kisses were any indication. Lopez, sipping an apple martini, and Anthony, drinking beer, "looked genuinely in love," observed one diner. Also adding to the festive atmosphere: a fellow patron's toddler, who sprinted the Anthonys – who couldn't help but fawn over the child. Still to come was dessert, coconut tiramisu and chocolate lava cake, which the happy couple shared. Sweet.
The project involves a single woman who attempts to conceive via artificial insemination and winds up in a quandary after she finds romance. Production is scheduled to start in the spring, making it one of the first projects to get a green light at CBS Films. Lopez has starred in a number of comedy hits such as "Maid in Manhattan" and "Monster In-Law," and is set to star in the heist picture
A Los Angeles judge has upheld a $545,000 award that the multi-hyphenate diva won against first husband Ojani Noa after she sued him for writing a tell-all tome about their doomed relationship. The Cuban-born former waiter hoped to have the sum tossed on a technicality—seems his original lawyer wasn't authorized to practice law, oops! Lopez sued after Noa wrote a salacious book outlining her "multiple duplicitous sexual affairs" behind Noa's back (including a tryst with Marc Anthony while he was married to ex-Miss Universe Dayanara Torres) in violation of a 2002 confidentiality agreement. Noa wound up losing during arbitration, which he failed to appear for. The book was blocked from being published. And now mom has some extra cash for Max and Emme's Halloween treats.
Along with her company Nuyorican Prods, the former Fly Girl has inked a two-year first-look deal with Universal Media Studios to exclusively develop a slate of TV projects for the NBC family, Variety reports. Lopez, who once guested on NBC's Will & Grace, has already branched out into television producing, bringing series to the Disney Channel (Amigas), the defunct UPN (South Beach), the SAP-py Univision (Como ama una mujer) and MTV (Dancelife). The singer/actress may find herself battling, well, herself if or when any of her new projects hit the air though. Nuyorican is currently developing a small-screen version of Lopez's 2002 rom-com Maid in Manhattan for ABC.
"We're just lucky," Anthony, 40, tells PEOPLE. "Our life is designed around the twins. Everything smells better, it tastes better, it even feels better on a minute-to-minute basis. We should just enjoy this." The couple were arm in arm at Fashion Group International's Night of Stars Event at Cipriani Wall Street in New York Thursday night. Lopez and Prince presented the award to Donatella Versace. It was a Versace palm-leaf dress that Lopez famously wore to the Grammys in 2000, but the new mom and her husband were at odds over whether she'd slip into a similar outfit these days. "For me, it was one of the eye-opening moments of what a dress could actually do," Lopez, 39, tells PEOPLE. "And I was on the cover of the paper the next day, because of that Versace dress. No, I'd wear it [now]." "Maybe as a wife, she wouldn't," Anthony interjected, as his spouse laughed.
"I have been in a few challenging ones," Lopez, 39, said Wednesday at The Women's Conference in Long Beach, Calif. "I have been in relationships that can make you doubt who you are and what you are capable of, and doubt what you deserve. It took me a bit little longer to get it right." The actress, who didn't single out any of her exes, has been married twice and famously dated Sean "Diddy" Combs and Ben Affleck before quietly marrying Marc Anthony, 40, with whom she had twins. Raising children, she told the conference being attended by 14,000 women and hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver, "can make you more aware and more loving, and make you aware there's nothing they don't deserve. Your eyes open. Your heart opens."
"Carlos gave his wife a specially engraved ring and gave Marc and Jennifer special rings as gifts," a source told PEOPLE exclusively. "Carlos and Jessica renewed their vows first, then Jennifer and Marc went." The vows came after a private dinner at Bradley Ogden and a good night rolling the dice. "They were both winning at the craps table and Marc kept saying that it was going to be a lucky night," the source said. And as luck would have it, it was "nearly flawless," added the source. "Initially, they were supposed to do the ceremony outside on the suite’s balcony but it was too cold, so they had to move it inside. That was the only thing that didn’t go according to plan." Inside, the couples were wed in the Caesars Palace's newly renovated Forum Tower Penthouse in the suite's rotunda. The suite only reopened Saturday, making Lopez and Anthony the first people to stay there since the renovation. "Marc actually said the suite was so beautiful that it deserved it's own zip code," the source said. "He thought it was perfect." Wearing a black dress, Lopez looked "beautiful" as 12 people witnessed the ceremony, the source said. "Her parents didn't even see it because they were with the babies." Following the nuptials, a butler opened a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne for the newly re-married couples.
Witnessed by two friends, the duo renewed the vows at Caesars Palace's Forum Tower Penthouse at 3:15 a.m. Sunday after a night at Pure Nightclub, a rep for the hotel confirmed to PEOPLE. The service was officiated by Rev. Steven Smith. "It was totally a spur of the moment thing," a source said. "They decided around 12:30 in the morning that they wanted to do it and started calling for ministers." The renewal ceremony comes after the couple spent the previous evening club-hopping in Las Vegas and taking in a show. Most in the city believed the couple was in the city to celebrate Anthony's birthday from last month. "(Marc) said they were in town for his birthday and they wanted to celebrate," said a source who talked to the couple. On Friday, the couple headed to LAX Nightclub and The Bank after checking out Criss Angel's new Cirque Du Soleil show Believe – all under the guise the couple was in town celebrating Anthony's birthday from last month.
The We Own The Night beauty has made a name for herself in Hollywood with roles in box office blockbusters like Training Day, Ghost Rider, and Hitch, while Lopez has carved out a career in music, acting and fashion. But Mendes hates being pitted against Lopez when people talk about successful Latinas - because she claims she's more attentive and dedicated to her chosen profession. She says, "I would like to think I will have a more serious career than J.Lo. We may both be of Latin origin but that's where the comparisons stop. She manages her career like the head of a big corporation, whereas the only thing I care about is becoming the best actress possible."
Sessums, originally hired to write this month's J.Lo cover story for Elle, was pulled from the assignment after his first interview "got much too personal" and the magazine put another writer, Peter Rubin, on the profile at the request of Lopez's reps. Elle's article flatteringly focuses on Lopez as a fashion icon. But Sessums describes a flu-ridden Lopez: "Her unwashed hair is pulled severely back and there's a halo of frizz around the crown of her head." The bootylicious singer/actress also told Sessums she doesn't breast-feed her newborn twins, is willing to put the kids in Scientology classes, and said she had "a kind of nervous breakdown" while filming "Enough" (2002). Lopez isn't a Scientologist but she told Sessums her father is. A rep for Lopez said of Sessums' interview appearing on The Daily Beast, "We're very unhappy about it, and think it was poor judgment on his part. As long as we have represented Jennifer, we have never heard her refer to having a breakdown of any sort." One insider told us the photo shoot and interview were pitched to Lopez as "a fashion discussion about a woman who had new babies and was doing it all." The woman Sessums portrayed was a weepy, fragile new mother who admitted, "I did cry a lot [after the babies were born] because I was having so much trouble moving. I had a C-section. "I couldn't get up fast enough to feed the babies. It went on for about three days. [Husband] Marc [Anthony] was helping out a lot and I was crying and crying and going, 'Oh, Papi, they're going to know everybody more than me . . . They're going to love everybody more than me!' " Sessums and an Elle rep didn't return calls.
But now it has surfaced online, and here are some of the highlights that really caught our attention! • On having a breakdown while shooting the 2002 film Enough: "There was a time when I was very overworked and I was doing music and movies and so many things. I was suffering from a lack of sleep. And I did have a kind of nervous breakdown. I froze up on a set. Well, not on a set, but in my trailer. I was like, 'I don't want to move. I don't want to talk. I don't want to do anything'...Yeah. I did. I had a nervous breakdown." • As for her thoughts on Scientology, whose famous members include pals Tom Cruise and Leah Remini... "I do know a lot about Scientology. And I know about the practices," she says. Although she herself is not a follower, she adds, "I wouldn't have a problem saying [I was] because I know what it is. I have no problems with it." In fact, Lopez would consider sending her twins, Emme and Max, to a Scientology school because she knows "the techonologies that they have are very helpful." • Regarding the decision to pose with her kids on the cover of People magazine for a reported $6 million: "I think one of the reasons the price went so high is that we didn't want to do it for so long...We weren't into it. I was like, 'No, I don't really want to. No. No way.' But then it got to the point that you go, 'Well, now you're being stupid with these offers.' I thought, I can set them up. I can put this away just for them. We gave a little bit and I saved the rest for them."
The two arrived hand in hand and then dashed through the predinner cocktail reception still holding hands. (A big burly bodyguard led them through the crowd, making sure no one got in their way.) As soon as they made it to their seats, they hung out like a couple of cool chicks in the cafeteria. They talked, they giggled, and they took pics of each other with their BlackBerrys. And it didn't end there... They excused themselves from their table (which included Jenny McCarthy and the emcee for the night, E!'s Chelsea Handler) at least twice to go to the loo. And yes, they walked to and from the bathroom holding hands. Still glued to each other's sides at the end of soiree, they spent their last few minutes there chatting with Nicole Kidman. I know what you're thinking: Lopez is just giving more evidence to claims that she's become a Scientologist like Remini. Who really knows what's going on there, but for more on the theory ya gotta read what Lopez told writer Kevin Sessums over at the Daily Beast about the controversial L. Ron Hubbard church. OK, enough about Lopez and Remini—let's get on to the show. The standout for the evening had to be Jane Fonda. Looking absolutely, positively stunning, Ms. Fonda said one of the biggest reasons she and her fellow honorees showed up for the event was for the—ha!—"publicity." Even Fonda said she was impressed by the star power that gathered for the exclusive gala at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. The elbow-to-elbow crowd included honorees Kidman, Halle Berry, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Hathaway, Isla Fisher and Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, along with Diane Keaton, Eva Mendes, Kate Beckinsale, Sheryl Crow, Shirley MacLaine, Courteney Cox, Kerry Washington, Jennie Garth, Katharine McPhee and Cheryl Hines. Yes, there were men: David Arquette, Peter Facinelli, Chris Evans, Troy Garity and Get Smart director Peter Segal were among the very few. While Fonda cracked that she was nervous to meet Sacha Baron Cohen "because he's so cute," she put all kidding aside when it came to one particular 22-year-old up-and-comer. "I got really excited about being here because there's Kat Dennings," Fonda cooed. "You don't know who I'm talking about, but you will." Dennings stars alongside Michael Cera in the just-released romantic comedy Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. "That," Dennings said of Fonda's shout-out, "was the best moment of my life!"
Kidman, looking svelte in a fitted Prada minidress, arrived at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills and told PEOPLE that 3-month-old Sunday Rose had just fallen asleep. "I'm very lucky," she said, adding, "her personality started to show when she was in my tummy – she's lovely." New mom Lopez, in Dolce & Gabbana, spoke about balancing motherhood with her career since welcoming twins Max and Emme in February. "It's tough, you just try," she said at the event, which was hosted by Elle magazine. "I'm still figuring it out." She also admitted that primping for the red carpet is more challenging than ever. "While I'm doing hair and makeup, I try to put them on my lap and the makeup artist is like, 'Can you move her?' And I'm like, 'No! I have to have two babies on my lap!'" And Berry, in a figure-hugging Roberto Cavalli dress, said she was still mastering the juggling act since giving birth to her daughter Nahla in March. "I'm only seven months into learning how to balance all of those things," she said. "What I know for sure is that many women have done it before me – so it's doable. But I'm a newbie – I'm making a lot of mistakes right now!"
The former Spice Girl stunned onlookers at a Marc Jacobs fashion show in New York City earlier this month when she debuted the new look - and Lopez was left speechless. She says, "I was so shocked. I arranged to meet up with her the day she had it done. She didn't tell me what she was doing, so I turned up and there was she was with this incredibly short black hair. I was knocked out. "I told her she looked like Audrey Hepburn. I think she's such a great girl." And it isn't just Beckham's hair that Lopez is a fan of - she really admires the star's new clothing range. She adds, "I was so excited for her that her fashion collection went so well. Everyone loved it. I'm really proud of her."
The Maid in Manhattan star gave birth to twins, Max and Emme, with her husband Marc Anthony earlier this year (Feb08). And Lopez admits that she is hoping to get pregnant again - but she is happy to leave it to chance. She tells E! Online, "I'd love to have more kids. I don't know when, we'll see, you know, that's the same way my first ones happened! We'll just do it the same way for the second (time around)!"
On the itinerary: Shopping and strolling in France's St. Tropez and the Italy's Portofino. On Sunday, they headed to the sights of ancient Greece, where Lopez also had a photoshoot. Lopez, 39, and Anthony were seen walking hand-in-hand through romantic Portofino over the weekend, the second time this year they've hit the VIP holiday spot on the Italian Riviera. According to Mariangela Canale – who owns a bakery in Portofino – the couple were guests of designers Dolce & Gabbana on their yacht, the Regina D'Italia. Canale says the captain of the yacht personally came to pick up focaccia bread for the crew and guests last Friday morning. "Lopez is in love with Portofino," said Canale. "She keeps coming back." The couple also went shopping, surrounded by an entourage of friends and bodyguards. (A shop assistant at the Dolce & Gabbana boutique in Portofino confirmed that the couple bought two bags from the store.) Earlier in the week, the two hit up a few choice shops in St. Tropez, including the Bonpoint boutique. "She came in and spent an hour. She bought one of everything," a store spokesperson tells PEOPLE of her Sept. 18 visit. "Actually because she has twins, she bought ... everything by two." Among her purchases? Matching jeweled bracelets reading "Maman" for Jennifer and "Bebé" for Max and Emme.
The superstar gave birth to twins Emme and Max in February and subsequently slimmed down as she trained for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, which took place last weekend. But Lopez insists she doesn't feel the need to tone up any further, even though she is still about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) heavier than she was before she had kids. She tells People.com, "I don't weigh myself a lot. I still have 10 pounds, or so. (But) I don't have any problems with it. I never felt I had to get rid of it." And Lopez admits her husband Marc Anthony has no qualms about her curves either. She adds, "We like to eat! I think you have to love yourself and indulge when you want to, as well as be happy and just have a healthy attitude towards it. Marc loves the way I look!"
Until recently, Lopez and husband Marc Anthony, who welcomed twins Max and Emme in February, didn't have a nanny to help out with child care. "I did it for a long time but we started using a nanny a few weeks ago," says Lopez, 39. "[Most days] I get up early with them. Then when the nanny comes, I can take a shower and give them their breakfast. She's there to help me get things done." As for getting back to work, Lopez says she'll take it a day at a time. "It's gonna be a learning experience. How will I do both? I try to take breaks from work," she tells PEOPLE. "I'll do a little work with the choreographers and then come back. I try to spend every free moment with the babies." The mornings are her favorite time with the twins. "When they see you and have that big smile on their face – I live for that," she says. "And when I put them to bed at night and they melt in your arms. I give them a bottle and wind it down. I say, 'It's time for beddy-bye.' I hold them and sing a little song. By the time you know it, they are asleep." Adding to her bliss: Lopez is perfectly happy with her post-baby body. "The triathlon really helped get me in better shape, and snapped me back into my body," she says, referring to last weekend's Nautica Malibu Triathlon. "I don't weigh myself a lot. I still have 10 lbs., or so. [But] I don't have any problems with it. I never felt I had to get rid of it." Asked how she stays so sane about her body image, she laughs: "We like to eat!" On a serious note, she adds, "I think you have to love yourself and indulge when you want to, as well as be happy and just have a healthy attitude towards it." Besides, she notes, "Marc loves the way I look!"
Pulling off the big bash – and keeping it a secret – took a bit of sneaky maneuvering and required Lopez to use her honed acting skills, she tells PEOPLE. In the weeks leading up to his 40th birthday, Anthony frequently asked his wife: "What are we gonna do for my birthday?" says Lopez, 39. But she played it cool. "I told him it was such a busy weekend, that I might not be able to do anything," she says with a laugh. In fact, Lopez had managed to plan a 1940's Cuban nightclub themed party at the Bowery Hotel. Turning on her famous work ethic, the singer-actress biked, swam and ran to a fifth place finish in the celebrity women's category at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on Sunday – then hopped a jet to New York for the party that night. The ruse? Lopez told her husband that they were going to a dinner celebrating pal Katie Holmes's upcoming Broadway debut in All My Sons. And he didn't suspect a thing. "I can't believe we pulled it off," Lopez marvels. "He was so blown away." The party featured burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, a salsa orchestra, mojitos and showgirls in feather headdresses, just like at Havana's famous Tropicana nightclub. Party planner Liberty Woodman, who coordinated the event with Lopez, says, "She wanted a sexy vibe with the casino and showgirls." The couple's friends and family danced the night away, including Brooke Shields and husband Chris Henchy. Says Shields with a laugh: "Jennifer is amazing. I did a triathlon once in college but for me a triathlon is now eating, drinking and sleeping." Adds pal Leah Remini, "The party is over the top. It's pure Jennifer." After a night of gambling, dancing and singing (Lopez dedicated a sultry version of "My Man" to the birthday boy) the couple and their 6-month-old twins, Max and Emme, took off for a vacation to the coast of Italy and Greece. From the yacht, Lopez raved about her little ones: "They are crawling and teething," she says. "Emme is always very calm and quiet. Max is kinda very boy. He's brawny and tough. He likes to scream and yell sometimes, and she's kinda looking at him [like], 'Hey, why are you screaming.'" For more details on the party – and exclusive photos! – pick up PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Hours after finishing her first triathlon in Malibu, Jennifer Lopez jetsetted to NYC to fete hubby Marc Anthony's 40th birthday. After jogging, biking and swimming for hours sans makeup, J.Lo got glam for the posh party, held at the Bowery Hotel. Guests included Leah Remini, Brooke Shields, Dita Von Teese and Kimora Lee Simons. One no show? Heidi Klum. The Project Runway host was reportedly angry that J.Lo pulled out of judging the season finale last minute.
The singer-actress was cheered on from the sidelines by husband Marc Anthony, who escorted her to a VIP area with his arm securely around her after she crossed the finish line, exhausted, but with her fists pumped in victory. In the VIP area, Lopez met up with Matthew McConaughey, who also competed in the triathlon at Zuma Beach. The actor greeted his former Wedding Planner costar with a big hug. And Lopez was accompanied along the way by her trainer Gunnar Peterson, who was not racing himself, but was there to help out. Lopez, 39, has been training for the event – her first ever triathlon – with Peterson and Self magazine editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger. In August, she appeared on Good Morning America, boasting a positive attitude about her workout regimen. "I feel great," she said on the show. "I have more energy – [and] I'm proud of myself." She also revealed that she would be raising money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Wearing forest green Juicy sweats when she arrived Sunday morning, Lopez changed quickly into her wetsuit before the swim portion as Peterson and a bodyguard held up towels to shield her from the paparazzi. Also watching: Her fans, who offered their love. As Lopez and her entourage – including her sister, an assistant and several bodyguards – made its way to the beach, fans yelled, "I love you J.Lo." She clearly appreciated the support, smiling and waving back. But for McConaughey, the event was all business. The actor (and fitness buff) had his game face on before the race as he stretched. He even had a friend rub deodorant on his neck to cut down on his friction from his suit. Still, the actor broke his serious demeanor for a moment, though, when he spotted girlfriend Camila Alves – who spent some of the race time in the VIP area, holding son Levi in a baby bjorn. McConaughey left the line to give her a kiss and rub Levi before the swim began.
"She had a slight injury," Lopez's rep tells me, adding, "She will definitely be doing the triathlon. She does not want to let down her charity and all the people who have supported her." However, she did skip out as celebrity judge at today's taping of the Project Runway finale. Project Runway's very own Tim Gunn filled Lopez's shoes, making it the first time he's ever judged the designers. (Access Hollywood first reported Lopez's cancellation.) What's been the reaction? Well... "Tim Gunn stepped in to the rescue and RUNWAY fans who've always dreamed of seeing Sir Tim judge are going to get their wish," Runway executive producer Andy Cohen blogged earlier today at BravoTV.com. "It was a great morning." Now, back to the triathlon, which benefits Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Lopez has been blogging about her efforts on Self magazine's website. "Working out and getting back into shape isn't exciting to me but training for a triathlon is," she has said. "There's a goal at the end of it, something to reach for."
At the Friday morning taping of Runway’s Fashion Week show for its finalists, Heidi Klum announced to the crowd that the singer-actress had to pull out “due to a foot injury” and wouldn’t be able to help decide this season’s winner. “She hurt her leg/foot, apparently,” a source tells PEOPLE. Lopez’s appearance on the finale was never publicly confirmed, because producers like to keep the guest judge as much of a surprise as possible, added the source. Instead, Tim Gunn, Runway’s resident fashion mentor, will be stepping into her shoes. And although he has close relationships with the contestants because he advises each of them on their work, he promised to be “unbiased” as a judge. “It just seemed totally fitting because he’s never been a judge,” the source says, noting that Gunn “was extremely nervous” to switch roles on the show. If anything, news of Gunn stepping in as a replacement was greeted warmly by the contestants. “People were crying because they were so moved by Tim being a judge,” says the source. Lopez has been training to compete in the 2008 Nautica Malibu Triathlon this weekend, a benefit for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
Nicole Kidman was name as the most overpaid celebrity in Hollywood in Forbes' second annual list of the stars who give the least return for their pay. This dubious honor was determined by dividing an actor's gross income for his/her last three films into the net revenue (i.e. box office + DVD sales - the budget = payback value). According to this formula, Kidman's films only earned $1 for every dollar she was paid. A year ago, the films earned $8 on the dollar. "Despite winning an Oscar for her performance in 2002's 'The Hours,' Kidman has become the most overpaid celebrity in Hollywood," says Forbes, adding that her upcoming movie "Australia" could give her a boost. The remainder of the Payback list includes: 2. Jennifer Garner - "Underperfromance" ought to be her middle name after appearing in "The Kingdom" and "Catch and Release." She only brought the studios $3.60 for every dollar she received. 3. Tom Cruise - Not many wanted a serving of "Lions for Lambs." Overall, his films averaged $4 of gross income. At least his " Tropic Thunder" turn is earning him raves. 4. Cameron Diaz - $4 gross also. 5. Jennifer Lopez - Jenny from the block isn't bringing in the bucks with only a $4.10 return for each dollar she gets. 6. Jim Carrey - Only $4.11 return for his work isn't a laughing matter for this comedian who has seen better days at the box office. 7. Nicolas Cage - Sure, he may have had success with his "National Treasure" sequel, but that could only do so much against his box-office flop "Next," which lost 50 cents for every dollar he was paid. Overall, the studios averaged $4.16 in gross income for his films. 8. Drew Barrymore - $4.38 on the dollar. 9. Will Ferrell - "Blades of Glory" may have put gold in the studios' coffers, but his serious and critically acclaimed turn in "Stranger Than Fiction" wasn't a draw for his usual fans. The studios only averaged $4.67 for every dollar he got. 10. Cate Blanchett - Good acting doesn't always spell good box office. She brought in $4.97 gross income for her last three films. Kudos goes to Crowe, however, who fell off the list altogether after topping it last year. Back then, he only averaged $5 on the dollar as compared to this year's $6.88 return for his work. He owes this increase to "American Gangster," which returned 10 times the amount he was paid.
Reps for the hit Bravo series are keeping a serious lid on the identity of their traditional celebrity guest judge for the show's finale this season. But, rumor has it, Jennifer Lopez is it. The new mom will be taking her fashion sense to the front row at the finale's popular runway show, sources tell the Daily News' Jo Piazza. Lopez will join the ranks of guest judges such as pal Victoria Beckham, Natalie Portman and Brooke Shields, who have all weighed in on the runway looks of the show's top designers. Despite the buzz, a "Project Runway" rep wouldn't confirm or deny Lopez's involvement with the show, telling us, "we'd rather give the audience and viewers a surprise."
Midway through her pregnancy, Lopez had just finished her concert tour with husband Marc Anthony last fall when she told him she needed him to take the reins, she tells Elle magazine in its October issue cover story. "I said, 'I did the superwoman thing, I finished the tour – now I need you to take care of me,'" said Lopez, 39. "'I love doing things for you; if I'm not cooking, then I'm picking out a shirt. But this is the first time in my life where I'm just going to be a little bit selfish,'" she told Anthony, who turns 40 on Sept. 16. "'I don’t know if I'm going to have kids again, so I want it to be a beautiful experience. I don't want to have any drama. I want to just be smiling every day.'" The actress, who is currently training for her first triathalon, says she and her husband of four years didn't worry when she didn't get pregnant right away. "We knew nothing was wrong with either one of us – I had been checked, and he had kids already," she told Elle. "I knew [that] something’s not ready here, in my head or in my life, and when it is, I know it’s going to happen.” As for the moment she realized she was pregnant, she reveals, "I was sitting down doing hair and makeup and I felt a flutter. The weirdest little ... flourish. My makeup artist said 'What’s the matter?' I didn’t say anything, but in my head, I was like, I have life inside me!” Two weeks before giving birth, Lopez commissioned a special gift for her husband – a book of photos of herself. Says Lopez: "I was like, 'How am I going to rock this moment of my life? ... I felt very womanly. Marc was in a dream. He loved it."
Kardashian: Jennifer Lopez! I love her. Can you tell? [Laughs] TVGuide.com: You wouldn't go in the "other" direction, with, like, Jessica Alba's? Kardashian: Yeah, hers is adorable. Adorable. I love her and her little butt is so cute. But I'm a J.Lo fan.
Lopez, 39, is training for her first triathlon with Self magazine editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger – and the singer/actress is sharing her fitness regimen, challenges and all. "You have to start slow and give yourself time," a workout ready Lopez said during an interview from New York's Central Park Monday on Good Morning America. "I'm always challenging myself and seeing what I can do." A self-described "good athlete" who has been following a workout designed by trainer Gunnar Peterson, Lopez says the triathlon presents one big challenge for her. "Swimming is a killer, I'm not going to lie" she said, laughing. "[But] I'm a good athlete. My stamina, I can get that up there if I really try." With less than a month until the triathlon, which will take place Sept. 14 in Malibu, Lopez says she's making time for her workouts. And she's not just doing it not just for personal or health reasons: She's raising money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Fans can donate money to the cause, follow her progress and read Lopez's blog on Self's official Web site. Named by Self as one of the magazine's 10 most inspiring women of 2008 – and the health magazine's September cover model – Lopez says she is determined to finish the race even if she "has to crawl across that finish line." Her motto? "Get it done, Lopez! Get it done," she said, full of pep. The only downside to the training, though, is the time away from her children, Max and Emme. "It's really tiring," she says during the interview. "I like getting a lot of time with the babies." As a solution, her husband Marc Anthony set up a spot in their home where Lopez can use a treadmill and even work out with a computerized biking program. "I feel great," she said on Good Morning America. "I have more energy – [and] I'm proud of myself."
Lopez will serve as an executive producer of the hour-long comedy-drama, which has received a pilot commitment. In the 2002 feature, she played a struggling single mother from the Bronx who works as a maid at a swanky Manhattan hotel. A rising politician guest (Ralph Fiennes) falls for her after mistaking her for a wealthy socialite. "The show is a different maid in a different Manhattan," said Chad Hodge, who will write the script for the pilot. The lead in the TV version will still be a young Latina from the Bronx working at a Manhattan hotel who tries to make it in the world. But the series will focus mostly on her relationships with co-workers. "While the hotel's clientele is an obvious part of this world, I'm more interested in the downstairs part of 'Upstairs, Downstairs,"' Hodge said, referring to the classic British series. Lopez, a Bronx native, has been very involved, providing "a fountain of ideas," Hodge said. "She will be very integral in the pilot and series," he said. This is the second time that ABC has taken a stab at a series adaptation of "Maid," following a script developed with a different writer during the 2004-05 development season. "Maid" could be a suitable companion for the network's dramedy "Ugly Betty," which also centers on a hardworking young Latina in New York with big dreams. It, too, was shepherded by a Latina A-lister, Salma Hayek.
"We had such a blast last night," Anthony, 39, told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS radio show Friday. "It's almost like every day is her birthday ... so last night we just wanted it to be quiet and, you know, have a nice quiet evening together." The couple snuck into the Tony-winning musical In the Heights (about three days in an Upper Manhattan neighborhood), and got "to sit in an audience and watch other people be nervous," Anthony said. When asked about touring with babies Max and Emme, Anthony said: "When your foundation is stable and you're good, it doesn't really affect anything. It just amplifies what the experience feels like. It's that much more fulfilling, and you look forward to coming home. It's a great time."
While Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria Parker are in Portofino, Italy, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is moored at Cap D'Antibes, just a few miles from Monaco, where Sylvester Stallone is afloat on the boat of British garmento Philippe Green. To co-host her annual extravaganza Thursday in glamorous St. Tropez, Denise Rich has teamed up with Erik Wachtmeister, the London-based guardian of the socialite-networking Web site known as A Small World. Erik was a popular figure in New York social circles back in the 1980s, when his father, a Swedish count, was ambassador to the US. Denise has docked her yacht, Lady Joy, in St. Tropez, and temporarily covered the teak decks with carpeting so her guests won't have to shed their high heels. Some 800 revelers will circulate there and on the dock, where a replica of the Parisian nightclub Moulin Rouge is being built. Twenty cancan girls in red and black feathers and G-strings will decorate the dance floor. Slap-happy Naomi Campbell will arrive via tender from the yacht of Russian oligarch Vladimir Doronin, where she has been ensconced the last week. Stephen and Christine Schwarzman will descend from their villa in the hills, joining Joan Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Wilbur Ross, Natalie Cole, Paris Hilton and Ivana Trump. Meanwhile, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis has summoned a lineup of Euroflash for a formal banquet tomorrow in Regensburg, Germany, where Liza Minnelli will perform. Gloria and her gal pal, Princess Alessandra Borghese, are said to be intimates of Pope Benedict XVI. When in Rome, the two princesses attend morning Mass with His Holiness in his private Vatican chapel.
As Jennifer Lopez continues to live la dolce vita in Europe with hubby Marc Anthony, her popular Pasadena, Calif., eatery has apparently shut its doors, per TMZ. The six-year-old Latin restaurant posted a sign that reads: "Madre's will be closed...starting July 1, 2008, until further notice." But who knows? Given how much time the new mom has been spending in Portofino, maybe she's just planning to convert the place into an Italian joint. After all, she wouldn't even have to change the name.
Lisa Wilson has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Jennifer Lopez, alleging that the entertainer's German shepherd guard dog made the skies particularly unfriendly during a 2006 private flight by "attacking [Wilson] and biting her pant leg." The suit, filed Thursday in Brooklyn Federal Court and obtained by E! News, alleges the attack caused her to fall and suffer back injuries that have prevented her from obtaining further work. (View the allegations and full complaint.) Per the suit, on July 3, 2006, the private company NetJet provided a flight for Lopez & Co. from Long Island to Burbank. Wilson was employed as a flight attendant for NetJet. At the outset, Wilson says in her suit, Floyd, the German shepherd, appeared to be "a well behaved guard dog," but that Lopez insisted on giving Wilson warnings about how to behave around the animal in flight. Cut to 90 minutes later, when Wilson walked down the cabin aisle and Floyd "lunged" at her. Wilson "twisted and fell" as a result, "injuring her lower back" in the process, per court docs. Wilson began treatment within days for back pain and in April of 2007 underwent surgery. Per the suit, she remains in treatment and has been unable to resume her work as a flight attendant, resulting in—what else?—"substantial economic loss." In her suit, she claims La Lopez "knew or should have known that the animal had vicious propensities" and as a result is liable for the seven-figure damages not only from the actress, but from her Los Angeles-based company, Nuyorican Productions. Lopez has yet to comment on the suit. Doggone it.
So teacher Kathy Amati showed the video for Lopez's "Let's Get Loud" to the students at Public School 37. The children liked it so much they wanted to watch it every day, eventually learning the lyrics and the dance moves from the video. With their teacher's encouragement, they wrote to Lopez, hoping for pictures or an autograph. Instead, she asked to come to their graduation. On Tuesday, the singer-actress performed "Let's Get Loud" for a group of 10-and 11-year-olds at their graduation ceremony.
Jennifer Lopez met with Barack Obama's staff this week as she toured Washington to talk about issues close to her heart. "Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Lopez was on the Hill with her sister to meet with staff members of several senators to discuss issues she is interested in, such as health care and education," her rep says. "She did visit Obama's office, but the senator was not there. She did not meet him, but did discuss health care with members of his staff." The mother of twins, Max and Emme, had a straightforward meeting, according to Obama's spokesman. "She just came in for the meeting and departed," says the spokesman. He adds: "It was not campaign-related."
"She's such an amazing mom and I'm so proud of her. She's such a gem to watch," singer Anthony told The Billy Bush Show Thursday. The couple's "big and gorgeous" twins, Max and Emme, were born Feb. 22 by a Caesarean section, and are cared for by Lopez, 38, and hubby– without the help of a nanny, Anthony, 39, revealed. "It's just us, man. We're figuring it out and having a great time," he said. "She expects me to help and she makes no bones about it. I get the late shift. I get literally from 10 on because we don't have a nanny. It's just me and Jennifer figuring it out. From 10 p.m. to 8 [a.m.], that's my shift." Anthony, who is touring the country for a campaign against childhood obesity, added that Lopez has three movies lined up and is eager to go back to work, but "the babies have been a blessing all the way around and she's just amazing."
The 39-year-old singer/actress/entrepreneur is also thinking about the 93,000 sick and seriously injured children treated annually by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles — and how she can help. Lopez announced Wednesday that she'll host and help coordinate the third Noche de Ninos benefit gala. This year's star-studded party, to be held Oct. 11 at the Nokia Center, will feature performances by Lopez, Anthony, Alejandro Sanz and Latin rockers Juanes and Mana. Lopez, who was Noche de Ninos' first honoree in 2004, said her twin son and daughter inspired her to get more involved. "Doing something where I was proactive ... where I was the one pushing and making something happen, that just became very important to me," Lopez told The Associated Press. "I don't know if it was because I was pregnant and thinking about children, thinking about the world. Definitely my children inspire me very much in so many ways, even just in the past two and a half months of their little lives." "They inspire me to want to be better, to be a better person, to do something for the world, to set an example for them, to make them proud of me and to know that there's a certain way that you should live," she said. "I've been very fortunate over the years, but I've also worked very hard, and that's the example I want to set for my children." Lopez said she was looking for ways to contribute more to the charity. "I kind of fell in love with the kids," she said, "and it's just magnified now that I have my own children." Working with her sister Lynda and Noche de Ninos founder Giselle Fernandez, Lopez came up with the idea of a concert and started asking friends for help. "They've been very forthcoming with their time and, in this case, their talent to make this really a one-of-a-kind concert," she said, adding that she rarely calls to ask for favors. ("I don't ask for a glass of water when I'm on the set. It's just not my style.")
Writer Jack Bunick claimed in a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that a television series "South Beach," which debuted in January 2006, was too similar to a plot he described in 1999 for a pilot episode of a show that would have been called "South Beach Miami." The lawsuit named Lopez, UPN, CBS Television and others as defendants. The show, which has since been cancelled, aired on UPN. The show was described as being about best friends Matt and Vincent, who left their lives in Brooklyn to move to South Beach in hope of finding a better future. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said there's inadequate evidence to take the case to trial. The judge also noted that Bunick admits his scripts includes generic ideas and commonplace elements and aspects of the South Beach, Miami, club and modelling scene. The judge said there was "in fact . . . powerful evidence" that the defendants had independently created "South Beach." A lawyer for Lopez had said in court papers that although she was executive producer, Lopez was barely involved in the creation and development of "South Beach" and was only brought in at a later stage to "lend celebrity to the show." A lawyer for Bunick did not immediately return a telephone message for comment.
And all the kids have met and spent time together, she confirms. "Absolutely," Torres tells E! News, while promoting her upcoming book, Married to Me. But she downplays any drama between the two families: "For whatever reason, people wanna make this whole drama...and it’s nothing, you know? They’re kids, they have siblings." And now for the ah-ha moment: The book she's writing on divorce is not a tell-all, as previously believed, which could go a long way toward explaining the happy-family scenario.
“The recent show Jennifer Lopez plans to produce for TLC is not a reality show,” says her manager, Simon Fields. “It’s a show that will track the creation, production and eventual launch of a new fragrance. Jennifer will appear in a creative, entrepreneurial capacity and will absolutely not feature her children and family life.” There is no broadcast date set for the show, but Fields says it will be this year.
Jennifer Lopez has signed on to star in a reality show—or in press release vernacular, a "docu-series"—on TLC that will follow the performer as she balances her roles as multihyphenate career woman, wife to Marc Anthony and mommy to twins Emme and Max. "I am excited to be part of the TLC family," J.Lo said in a statement today. "I'm looking forward to sharing this exciting journey together." Jenny from the Block has certainly come a long way. To think how she was raised in the absence of a camera crew… "Jennifer is unbelievably passionate about life and will be an incredible role model for our audience," TLC President Angela Shapiro-Mathes said. Lopez will also serve as coexecutive producer of the as-yet untitled series. In its press materials, the Discovery Networks-owned TLC promises that the series, which is currently in preproduction, will "deliver a slice of [Lopez’s] life that audiences have never seen before, as she takes on her career and launches a new fragrance while trying to juggle her new responsibilities as a first time mom." No premiere date has been scheduled. And Lopez and Anthony, who welcomed their new additions on Feb. 22 (and wouldn't even confirm they were expecting until mom looked ready to burst), are apparently not the only high-profile family types TLC has set its ambitious sights on. During Discovery's upfront presentation today in New York, the network announced it is also developing a show with Live with Regis and Kelly cohost Kelly Ripa and her hubby, Mark Consuelos, who are both former soap stars. "I’ve known Kelly and Mark since the first day each of them joined All My Children," Shapiro-Mathes said. "They reflect our audience, and the audience knows and loves them."
SAVE THE DATE: Jennifer Lopez's twins, Thursday morning, 7 a.m. ET
"She's going to be a great mom," Judd said Wednesday on the Yo on E! satellite radio show. The multihyphenate diva and her third husband, Marc Anthony, welcomed twins Max and Emme on Feb. 22. The new arrivals were the first children for Lopez and the fourth and fifth for Anthony, who has kids from two previous relationships. Judd, a former backup dancer and choreographer who wed Lopez in September 2001, said she "always wanted to be [a mother], and so I think this is good for her." He said he hasn't spoken to Lopez in four or five years—and hence won't be sending her a baby gift. However, before their brief marriage ended in June 2002, he said kids were a frequent topic of conversation. "Absolutely, we talked about it," Judd said. But he has no regrets that their union produced no offspring. "I don't think would have, could have, should have," he said. "It just didn't work out between us, and it's cool." Judd is currently working on his new Lifetime reality series, Your Mama Don't Dance.
The new parents welcomed their son and daughter on Feb. 22. Emme was born at 12:12 a.m. and weighed 5 lbs. 7 oz., and Max followed at 12:23 a.m., weighing 6 lbs. Already gifts have been pouring in for the twins, including pillows and baby carriers from Baby K'tan in Fort Lauderdale with their names embroidered on them, a source tells PEOPLE. The twins are the first children for Lopez, 38, and the fourth and fifth for Anthony, 39.
"The twins already got a ton of embroidered pillows with their names on them," says the source – though Anthony and Lopez have not released the names of their son and daughter, who were born Feb 22. "Jennifer also is getting baby carriers with the names etched on them by Baby K'tan," adds the source. A spokesperson for Baby K'tan in Fort Lauderdale confirms that pink and blue embroidery were used respectively on the 100 percent cotton carriers and that they "were purchased from us as gifts for both J.Lo and Marc." In addition, members of Lopez's family were spotted shopping at Baby Gap in Americana Manhasset mall last week, confirms a sales rep from the store. As for how the new mom is doing, Lopez left the hospital this week and "is resting comfortably at home," according to close friend.
On the red carpet at the Academy Award ceremony at the Kodak Theater, the mogul, 38, told PEOPLE that Lopez (now the proud mother of twins) "is going to make a great mother. "I'm going to send her some Sean John baby clothes," added the dapper Diddy, wearing a tux by Dolce and Gabbana. "I'm so happy for her. It's such a blessing." Asked if he had any advice for Lopez, 38, Diddy, who is also the father of twins, replied, "It's double the love, and it's also double the crying and the screaming, so it's a unique blessed situation. It's a rarity to have twins. She'll be all right."
"She is so happy right now. Everything is wonderful. She is beyond thrilled to become a mom," says the friend. "She is over the moon." And the same goes for Anthony: "Here he is – he got the girl of his dreams and now she's the mother of his children." And, after wanting to be a mother for a long time, adds the friend, "This is a turning point in Jennifer's life. It's a dream come true. She loves those babies." Advice From the Stars Meanwhile, celebs are showering Lopez with advice for motherhood. Famous foodie Rachael Ray suggested to PEOPLE that the new mom "definitely indulge in the food she craves." Even better? "Have Marc prepare it for her," says Ray. "That would make it super special. I know how that makes a woman feel." And at the L.A. Confidential lunch for Kate Beckinsale on Friday, fellow new mom Ali Landry passed on these words of wisdom: "Get ready for the most amazing ride of your life. You don't even understand it until they're in your arms. It's amazing." Guest of honor Beckinsale was more practical. "Get some sleep now," she advised. "You'll never sleep again!" And true to her American Idol persona, Paula Abdul just had warm wishes for the new mom. "I am so happy for her," said Abdul. "She is so maternal by nature. To see that happen for someone who deserves that ... congratulations to her. I'm really happy."
Remini, a longtime friend of Lopez who has called the singer "a born mom," was spotted on Friday afternoon at the hospital in Long Island, N.Y. Earlier in the day Lopez's sister, Lynda, was also seen heading into the maternity ward, where Lopez and husband Marc Anthony welcomed a boy and a girl early Friday morning.
"I learned this morning. I'm ecstatic, I really am. I'm happy for her," Yolanda Santa Maria, Anthony's older sister, told PEOPLE Friday after hearing the birth news on Good Morning America. "She's a mom for the first time. I can just imagine the euphoria she's going through." And as for her brother? "It's another two blessings for him. He beat me – I have four [kids] and now he has five. I'm so happy for him. I don’t even know what to say. It's like if I had the babies." Santa Maria, who expects to meet her new niece and nephew soon, added, "I can't wait to see them, I can't wait to meet them. Words don't even begin to express how happy I am for them."
The babies were born at 12:45 a.m. ET on Friday in Long Island, N.Y., says her rep, Simon Fields. They're the first children for Lopez, 38, and the fourth for Anthony, 39. The couple celebrated the impending births with a baby shower in New York on Jan. 19. "They were just beaming the entire time," said one partygoer. Longtime friend Leah Remini calls Lopez, 38, "a born mom" and very nurturing. "With our daughter, she's so great. I mean, lets her go in her closet and play with her coats or her jewelry. She's just so giving and loving," Remini said. Lopez announced her pregnancy Nov. 8, telling the crowd during her final Miami concert: "Marc and I are expecting a baby!" The news of twins was finally confirmed by Lopez's dad earlier this month, in an interview on Spanish-language television. Lopez Long Kept Pregnancy Secret During the early weeks of her pregnancy, Lopez skillfully ducked the question, even when appearing on TV in October with Diane Sawyer and with David Letterman. Lopez shrugged off the secrecy, telling Harper's Bazaar, "I kind of feel like everybody knew anyway. I was on tour with a bubble gut!" And being tight lipped has long been Lopez's style. When she married Anthony in June 2004, her rep would neither confirm nor deny the nuptials had taken place. What are not being kept secret are Lopez's plans now that she's a mother. As she told Harper's, the hard-working performer intends to take off time. "Once I did the tour," she said, "I really just wanted to shut it down, and since then I've had to do three things, including a video. It may not sound like a lot, but you know, as this point, any woman can sympathize. It is a lot. I was ready just to sit."
Those involved in negotiations for Lopez and her husband, Marc Anthony, confirmed that U.S. and Latin American rights were sold to People magazine and other international rights to OK! magazine. Advertising Age reported on its Web site Monday that Lopez and Anthony were negotiating with People to be paid as much as $6 million. Representatives for both People and OK! declined to comment on the payments. The trend toward featuring celeb babies on the covers of glossy magazines kicked into high gear in 2006 when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt allowed People to photograph their daughter Shiloh in exchange for a donation to charity. The magazine reportedly paid $4 million for the U.S. rights and London-based Hello! magazine obtained the British rights. Celeb baby covers are big business for magazines' newsstand sales, those who broker the deals and the stars themselves. Photos of a pregnant Halle Berry tottering in high heels or tabloid toddlers such as Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and Violet Affleck, daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, are eye candy for consumers. "Part of the reason that the demand is so huge — and everyone is so excited about it — is because it's such a nice antidote to all the other celebrity news that's going on at the moment," said Sarah Ivens, editor in chief of OK! "There's nothing not to love about watching these woman blossom and their bodies change and then having babies. It's all just such fun, lovely, positive stuff, isn't it?" she said. Danielle Friedland, who runs Celebrity Baby Blog, said the craving for celebrity news is fueled by the tabloid media. "Celebrities always have children ... it's just that we're paying so much more attention to them right now," Friedland said. "The more that we see of them, the more we want." Christina Aguilera debuted her newborn son, Max, on the cover of People last week for a reported $1.5 million. Larry Birkhead, father of the late Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, landed an OK! cover with Dannielynn. Britney Spears' 16-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn, also appeared on the cover of OK! when she announced her pregnancy. OK! doesn't disclose the terms of its deals with celebs, but Web site TMZ.com reported that Jamie Lynn would be paid $1 million after her baby is born. Pacts with magazines can be a way for celebs to protect their privacy. Cruise and Holmes kept Suri out of the spotlight for nearly five months after her birth in April 2006. The shroud of mystery was so intense, people wondered if she existed. In September, Vanity Fair flaunted the first shots of baby Cruise, warmly photographed by Annie Leibovitz. The couple weren't paid for the photos. "When you hit the level of Tom and Katie and Suri, you can't shut it down," said Los Angeles-based publicist Howard Bragman. "It's pure economics. If you put those out in the world, those pictures, which they did, and they controlled which images were out there, then suddenly the monetary incentive for the paparazzi is taken away from them." Sheryl Crow agreed to a photo shoot with her infant son last year after OK! offered to make a donation to the World Food Program, a United Nations organization that works to fight child hunger. Julia Roberts showed a photo of her youngest son, Henry, during a recent appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Confirmation of a pregnancy can also be frustrating for celeb watchers. Lopez's lips were sealed even as she performed during her concert tour sporting chic maternity wear to disguise an obvious baby bump. She eventually confirmed it during a concert in November. Aguilera spilled the beans to the U.K. edition of Glamour magazine. Recently, the blogosphere has been abuzz about Angelina Jolie, who arrived at last month's Screen Actors Guild Awards in a suspiciously roomy vintage gown. Tabloids quickly reported she was expecting twins with partner Brad Pitt, and a recent issue of Life and Style magazine pounced with the headline: "Angelina's Dangerous Pregnancy." Jolie has refused to comment. "A lot of normal people don't discuss their children or their pregnancy until they're a certain amount of months into it beyond the first trimester; they worry about miscarrying, they worry about telling people, jinxing (it)," Bragman said. "Maybe they're not sure they're going to keep the baby, whatever." Friedland said tabloids can be too quick to declare someone pregnant. "What happens with all these rumors is that suddenly everyone's a pregnancy expert nowadays, so they see that somebody has a little bit of a belly and automatically assume that that person is pregnant," she said. "Most women don't start to show, unless they're super super skinny, for at least four or five months. People are always saying, `Oh yeah, she's pregnant,' but maybe she just had a hamburger for lunch." Francois Navarre, founder of paparazzi agency X17 said examining photo after photo for signs of a baby bump isn't necessarily mistake-free. "Jennifer Garner was a false alarm," Navarre said. "She had too much (to eat) or something and we said she was pregnant with her second child and that was not true." To prevent a possible lawsuit, Friedland said, editors should consider other possible pregnancy clues. "With Angelina, it was like, `Here she is drinking water, she's wearing a flowy dress,'" said Friedland, recalling Jolie's appearance at the SAG Awards. "That in itself didn't scream `pregnant' to me. To me what screamed `pregnant' was (she was) very buxom — more buxom than usual." Ivens said pregnancy makes celebrities like Jolie seem more accessible to the public. Bragman said having a child can even improve a tarnished celeb's image, as in the case of new mom Nicole Richie. Young people often want to copy what the stars are doing. "There's a lot of young people having kids now ... and they want to know what's going on," Bragman said. "The same way they did with their weddings, celebrities set the trends for what is your baby's room gonna look like and what stroller are you going to use and how quickly do you want to lose weight and what are the hot pregnancy clothes?"
And it isn't even a Lopez family first. "Yes, twins," her dad David Lopez said in an interview on the Spanish-language show Escándalo TV, PEOPLE en Español reports. "The thing is in my family, my sister also had twins, so it's a hereditary thing." For David Lopez, the news means double the excitement. "I'm very proud. Jennifer has yearned to be a mother for many years," he said. And he already has gifts ready for his 38-year-old daughter's babies. "In Puerto Rico it's custom to buy an azabache [black stone] bracelet for babies to protect them from the evil eye, it's part of our culture," he said. As she became noticeably pregnant, J-Lo finally announced last November that she and Marc Anthony were expecting.
Not many stars came to last year's fashion shows, leaving the front row to D-listers. But this year, the A-list has flown in for seats in the Bryant Park tents and the chance to be swarmed by paparazzi. "The Golden Globes were canceled, along with other awards shows - and possibly the Oscars - and the stars are going through red-carpet withdrawal," one fashionista laughed. "They've got movies and TV shows to promote, and they need to get their faces into the magazines." Lisette Sand-Freeman, of Shadow P.R., put it more kindly: "With the strike, celebrities' schedules are more open." Kate Bosworth, Jessica Simpson, Beyoncé Knowles, Claire Danes, Rumer Willis and Courtney Love have all flown into town. Fashion Week kicks off today in the park with the Red Dress show to benefit heart-disease research. First Lady Laura Bush will be front row as Molly Sims (in Daniel Swarovski), Heidi Klum (in Marc Jacobs), Jenna Fisher (in Oscar de la Renta) and Emma Roberts (in Ralph Lauren) catwalk on the runway. Later today, Anne Hathaway and Emma Roberts are due at the Erin Fetherston show. Tomorrow, Jamie King and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld have seats at Alexander Wang's show at I-Beam on West 21st, while Sophia Bush and Joss Stone are expected at Rock & Republic. The most star-studded event comes Wednesday, when Madonna hosts a gala - totally underwritten by the new Gucci store in Trump Tower - on the lawn of the UN to benefit UNICEF and her Raising Malawi charity. Madge's guest list includes Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Sean Combs, Lenny Kravitz, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alex Rodriguez, Martha Stewart and Uma Thurman, with Alicia Keys and Rhianna performing. But some boldfaces still think they can make demands. Alison Brod told WWD, "Some are saying they will come to a show if they can be in an ad campaign . . . They want to make money." Stacey Bendet, whose alice+olivia will present at her West 40th Street store on Thursday, said she'd had demands from reality-show losers for $20,000 to attend. She said she told them where to go.
The 49-year-old entertainer leads Forbes.com's list of the top 20 "Cash Queens of Music," earning $72 million between June 2006 and June 2007. The pop star's "Confessions" world tour pulled in $260 million, Forbes said. She also made money from album sales, her fashion line with H&M and a deal with NBC to broadcast her concert performance at London's Wembley Stadium. Forbes.com said it compiled the list by examining concert grosses, merchandising revenue, album sales and other revenue from clothing lines, fragrance deals and endorsements. Barbra Streisand is No. 2 with $60 million, thanks to her comeback tour of North America and Europe. Celine Dion ranks third with $45 million, largely from her successful "A New Day" show in Las Vegas, which she wrapped up in December after a five-year engagement at Caesars Palace. Shakira is fourth with $38 million, followed by Beyonce ($27 million), Gwen Stefani ($26 million), Christina Aguilera ($20 million), Faith Hill ($19 million), the Dixie Chicks ($18 million) and Mariah Carey ($13 million). Hilary Duff, Avril Lavigne and Martina McBride each banked $12 million. Britney Spears ranked 14th on the list, earning $8 million from music royalties and sales of her fragrances with Elizabeth Arden. Spears is followed by Carrie Underwood and Nelly Furtado ($7 million each); Fergie, Jennifer Lopez and Sheryl Crow ($6 million each); and Norah Jones ($5.5 million).
"We're asking for an audition for godparent roles," Remini, 36, joked to PEOPLE at the premiere after-party for Eva Longoria's new comedy Over Her Dead Body Tuesday night. "Um ... so, we're waiting to hear back." The actress says she and husband Angelo Pagan, "need like a day – because we're not good at cold-reading – so that we can just prepare." Added Pagan: "Not sure whether it entails that we have to sing, dance, recite a monologue, but we're ready!" Asked how Lopez is doing now, Remini added, "Great! She's great! I mean, look, she was on tour. She's a strong girl."
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