Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez at the Time 100 gala in 2006, as covered by the video blog Rocketboom
Background information
Birth name	Jennifer Lynn Lopez
Also known as	J.Lo, Jenny
Born	July 24, 1969 (age 37)
Origin	The Bronx, New York, United States
Genre(s)	Pop, Latin pop, R&B, dance
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer, songwriter, dancer, fashion designer
Years active	1987–present (acting) 1998–present (singing) 2001–present (fashion design)
Label(s)	Epic Work
Website	JenniferLopez.com

Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), popularly nicknamed J.Lo, is a Golden Globe Award-nominated American actress, Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, dancer, and fashion designer. She is the richest Latin American in Hollywood according to Forbes magazine and also the most influential Hispanic entertainer in America according to People en Español's list of 100 Most Influential Hispanics which pays tribute to Hispanics who have had an impact on their communities.

Lopez was born and raised in the Castle Hill neighborhood in the Bronx, New York City, New York to Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe Rodríguez and David Lopez. Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools. She also financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of nineteen. After leaving a one semester-long career at Baruch College, Lopez divided her time between working in a legal office, dance classes, and dance performances in Manhattan clubs at night. After months of auditioning for dance roles, Lopez was selected as a dancer for various rap artists' music videos, and was given a guest spot on the American Music Awards. After being rejected for the gig twice, Lopez gained her first regular high-profile gig as a "Fly Girl" dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color in 1991. Soon after, Jennifer Lopez became a back-up dancer for famed singer Janet Jackson and made an appearance in her 1993 video "That's the Way Love Goes".

Acting

Lopez has appeared on the short-lived television programs South Central, Second Chances, and Hotel Malibu, and the made-for-television film Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7. Lopez broke into the big screen in 1995, in the drama My Family and then appeared opposite Wesley Snipes in the action film Money Train. Lopez has also played roles in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy Jack starring Robin Williams, and the 1997 thriller Blood and Wine with Jack Nicholson. Lopez played the lead role in the 1997 film Selena for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy" in 1998. She also became the first Latin actress to get paid $1 million or more for a film role. Some of her other critically-acclaimed films include Selena, Out of Sight, The Cell, and An Unfinished Life. Lopez's performances were less well-received in the financially successful films The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan, and Monster-in-Law.

Lopez has finished shooting two new independent films: Bordertown and El Cantante. El Cantante was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival where it got positive reviews. Bordertown was shown at the Brussels Film Festival. Lopez also guest-starred in the sixth season finale of Will & Grace in 2004 playing herself.

In May 2006, MTV gave the greenlight on her executively produced reality show, DanceLife. The show will follow the lives of six aspiring dancers as their struggle to make it in the competitive world of professional dance. Lopez, who took an active role in selecting the show's participants, is also slated to make cameo appearances over the course of the season and the show's eight-episode run is scheduled to begin on January 15, 200.

The producer of Dreamgirls, Laurence Mark, expressed his desire to work with Jennifer Lopez, who presented him an award at the 2007 Golden Globe Award. "It would enchant to me to continue making musical and in special making a musical comedy with Jennifer Lopez".

Music

On the 6

On the 6 (1999)

Lopez's debut album On the 6, a reference to the 6 subway line she used to take growing up in Castle Hill, was released on June 1, 1999, and reached the top ten of the Billboard 200. The album featured the multi-week Billboard Hot 100 number-one lead single, "If You Had My Love", as well as the top ten hit "Waiting for Tonight". It also contained the Spanish-language, Latin-flavored duet "No Me Ames" with Marc Anthony. Though "No Me Ames" never had a commercial release, it reached number one on the U.S. Hot Latin Tracks. Despite this, the music video for "No Me Ames" received moderate airplay on the music channels VH1 (United States) and The Box (United Kingdom). On the 6 also featured guest artists such as Big Pun and Fat Joe on the track "Feelin' So Good". It failed to make the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 100. "Let's Get Loud", the final single, earned Lopez a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Dance Recording" category in 2001. "Waiting for Tonight" was nominated for the same category the previous year. "No Me Ames" received two nominations at the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards – "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" and "Best Music Video".

J . Lo

J. Lo (2001)

Lopez's second album, J. Lo, was released on January 23, 2001 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The lead single, "Love Don't Cost a Thing", was her first number-one single in the United Kingdom and took her into the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. She followed it up with "Play" which gave her another top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number three in the UK. Her next two singles were "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny" which were quickly rising up the charts. To capitalize on this, Lopez asked The Inc. Records (then known as Murder Inc.) to remix both songs, which featured rap artists Ja Rule (on both) and Caddillac Tah (on the "Ain't It Funny" remix). Both remixes reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks. She re-released J. Lo on her thirty-second birthday with the remix of "I'm Real" as a bonus track. Following the success of the album re-release, Lopez decided to devote an entire album to the remixing effort, releasing J to tha L-O!: The Remixes, on February 5, 2002. This album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first remix album in history to debut at the top on the chart. Featured artists on J to tha L-O!: The Remixes included P. Diddy, Fat Joe, and Nas, and the album also included rare dance and hip-hop remixes of past singles.

This Is Me... Then

This Is Me...Then (2002)

On November 26, 2002, Lopez released her third studio album, This Is Me... Then, which reached number two on the Billboard 200 and spawned four singles: "Jenny from the Block" (featuring Jadakiss and Styles P), which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100; "All I Have" (featuring LL Cool J), which spent multiple weeks at number one; "I'm Glad"; and "Baby I Love U!". This album included a cover of Carly Simon's 1978 "You Belong to Me". In 2004, Lopez once again participated in a duet with Marc Anthony, called "Escapémonos", this time on his 2004 albums Amar Sin Mentiras and Valió la Pena. Lopez and Anthony performed "Escapémonos" at the 2006 Grammy Awards.

Rebirth

Rebirth (2005)

After a year away from the music scene, Lopez released her fourth studio album, Rebirth, on March 1, 2005. Although debuting and peaking at number two on the Billboard 200, the album quickly fell off the charts. It spawned one hit in "Get Right", which reached the top fifteen in the U.S. and became her second Platinum hit (after "If You Had My Love"). "Get Right" was also successful in the UK, becoming her second number-one single there. The second single, "Hold You Down", which featured Fat Joe, reached number sixty-four on the U.S. Hot 100; it peaked at number six in the UK and ascended to the top twenty in Australia. Rebirth was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.

Como Ama Una Mujer

Lopez was featured in LL Cool J's single "Control Myself", which was released on February 1, 2006. It reached number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. It was Lopez's first U.S. top ten hit in three years.

She will officially release her first full Spanish-language album, titled Como Ama Una Mujer, on March 27, 2007 in the U.S. and April 3, 2007 in Europe. The lead single, the ballad "Qué Hiciste" (Spanish for "What Have You Done"), was released to some radio stations in January 2007.

She is also working on her fifth English studio album, in which she is working with producer Swizz Beatz. "It's coming out incredible", he said. "We're putting together some great things, and not what everyone's expecting. Think a little Jamiroquai, a little Sade. It's real feel-good music". Other producers are Timbaland, Cory Rooney, Jermaine Dupri, and newcomer Peter Wade. It has been confirmed to be released in November 2007 and that Jonathan "J.R." Rote is working on some tracks as well.

Jennifer further confirmed reports of the English album on her red carpet interview for E! at the 2007 Golden Globe Awards, saying that she had been working on the Spanish album for the last two years and the new English album for the past eight months.

Business

Lopez owns a clothing line, JLO by Jennifer Lopez, whose brand has been licensed for a term by Warnaco Group. Her line includes different types of clothing for young women, including jeans, T-shirts, coats, belts, purses, and lingerie. In 2005, she launched a new clothing line called Sweetface. She is planning to launch a jewelry line, as well as an accessory line that includes hats, gloves, and scarves. Lopez has also done photoshoots to represent the Louis Vuitton Winter 2003 campaign. In January 2007, Lopez will close JLO by Jennifer Lopez and open JustSweet.

Lopez's frequent use of animal fur in her clothing lines and personal wardrobe has brought the scorn of people concerned with animal rights. At the Los Angeles première of Monster-in-Law, more than one hundred protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a demonstration to highlight their concerns. Lopez told a radio DJ she was open to being educated on the topic.

On April 12, 2002, Lopez opened an elegant Cuban restaurant in the South Lake district of Pasadena, California named Madre's. A media sensation was creating when during a press shoot for the fancy restaurant, a mysterious man appeared out of the sidelines and gave Lopez a floral arrangement from Ben Affleck, even as then-husband Cris Judd stood next to her. Lopez was widely criticised for what appeared to be infidelity on her part.

Lopez has also dabbled in the perfume industry, with her debut "Glow by J.Lo" which broke numerous records in sales. In October 2003, Lopez introduced a perfume called "Still". Before launching another completely new fragrance, she revisited 2002 "Glow" by creating a limited edition spin-off entitled "Miami Glow by J.Lo", in homage to her adopted hometown of Miami. Around the same time, Lopez came up with a "Glow" body line, which featured different body lotions and bronzers. For the Christmas season of 2005, she launched another fragrance, "Live by Jennifer Lopez". Most recently, for 2006 Valentine's Day, "Miami Glow" was replaced by yet another "Glow" spinoff – "Love at First Glow by J.Lo". Jennifer Lopez's latest Perfume fragrance is called "Live Luxe" and was released August 2006, with "Glow After Dark" following its release in January 2007. "Glow After Dark" was stated as being a unisex fragrance, but it is not. Her fragrance line enjoys global sales of more than $500 million.

Lopez is also a spokesperson for Lux shampoo in Japan, appearing in the product's television commercials.

Personal life

Her first marriage was to Cuban-born  Ojani Noa on February 22, 1997. Lopez met Noa while he worked as a waiter at a Miami restaurant. They divorced in March 1998. They remained on such good terms that Lopez employed Noa as the manager of her Pasadena restaurant Madre's in April 2002. However, their friendship soured in October 2002 when Lopez fired Noa from the role. Since late 2006 to early 2007, Jennifer has been in court trying to prevent Noa on publishing a tell-all book on his short marriage to Jennifer. She is trying to have the case seen by a private judge. The book is said to portray her as a cheater.

She then had a two-and-a-half year relationship with Sean Combs. On December 27, 1999, Lopez and Combs were at Club New York, a midtown Manhattan nightclub, when a gunfire erupted between Combs' entourage and another group. Lopez and Combs were being driven away from the scene when they were chased and stopped by the police. A stolen gun was found in the front seat of their vehicle. Lopez was charged with felony gun possession, but the charges were dropped, as she was riding in the back seat at the time. Lopez terminated her involvement with Combs shortly thereafter, and Combs reconciled with Kim Porter, mother of his three children.

Her second marriage was to her former backup dancer, Cris Judd. She met Judd while filming the music video for her single "Love Don't Cost a Thing". The two were married on September 29, 2001, at a home in a Los Angeles suburb. Their marriage ended in August 2002.

Jennifer's next relationship was with actor Ben Affleck. Lopez and Affleck's relationship was highly publicized, with the media dubbing them "Bennifer". Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck in November 2002, after Affleck gave her a 6-carat pink diamond ring worth a reported $1,2 million. Lopez promised interviewers that Affleck was indeed "the one", and that they would soon have a family. The marriage, planned for September 14, 2003 in Santa Barbara, California, was called off just hours before the event. During the week before the scheduled nuptials, Affleck had been seen by press carousing at a strip club in Vancouver with friends. The media blitz intensified when it was Lopez's own sister who called in live radio to tell Jennifer where her fiancé had been the previous night. Lopez would only respond by saying it was a terrible way to begin the day, finding out about Affleck's behavior in that manner. Publicists announced a permanent split on January 20, 2004. Affleck has refused to speak of his relationship with Lopez, only citing intense media attention as the cause of the break-up. Their relationship was parodied on the South Park episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", which aired on April 16, 2003. There was a media furor as to whether Lopez would give Affleck back his ring after the break-up. Lopez did belatedly return it, though not eagerly. Ben Affleck has since married and has a daughter, Violet, with actress Jennifer Garner.

Lopez and Marc Anthony at the 2006 Time 100 gala event, as covered by vlog Rocketboom.

Shortly after her break-up with Affleck, Lopez was seen out with singer Marc Anthony, who at that time was still married to his wife, former Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres, with whom he had a toddler and an infant. Lopez and Anthony married in a secret wedding on June 5, 2004, less than a week after his divorce from Torres was finalized on June 1.

Lopez's guests had been invited to an "afternoon party" at Lopez's house and had not been made aware that they were actually going to her wedding. Days after the wedding, Anthony refused to comment on it during interviews. Lopez confirmed the marriage in February 2005, but admitted that "everyone knows. It's not a secret". Marc's daughter, Ariana, appeared in Jennifer's music video "Get Right" as her little sister. Marc would not admit to his marriage with Lopez for a very extended period. He maintains a very defensive and private stance regarding his marriage to Lopez.

A Miami woman had sued him with a paternity lawsuit, while he was still married to Torres. However, three separate DNA tests were conducted, all of which showed Marc was not the father.

Accomplishments

• Lopez is the first actress and singer to have a film (The Wedding Planner) and an album (J. Lo) at number one in the same week.
• Lopez's perfume, "Glow", made history in 2001, by being the number-one perfume in more than nine countries in less than four months.
• Lopez is the first woman who has been placed number one two years in a row for FHM magazine's list of the 100 Sexiest Females in the World and the 100 Sexiest Females in the U.S.
• Lopez was on the The Hollywood Reporter's list of the top ten actress salaries in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
• Lopez made the 2007 Forbes magazine list of The Richest 20 Women In Entertainment and ranked ninth. Her wealth is estimated at $110 million.
• Lopez has five number-one hits in the U.S. and a combined twenty weeks at number one.
• Lopez's album J to tha L-O!: The Remixes is the first remix album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. It is also the third all-time biggest-selling remix album in the world, after Madonna's You Can Dance (1987) and Michael Jackson's Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997).
• Lopez has sold over forty-eight million records worldwide.
• Lopez appeared on the 2007 Guinness World Records as the most powerful actress.
• Lopez is the first person to have a Spanish video (Que Hiciste) go #1 on MTV's TRL Daily countdown, a feat not even matched by Shakira's "La Tortura".

Discography

Further information: Jennifer Lopez discography

Albums

Cover	Information
	On the 6 Released: June 1, 1999 Chart positions: #8 U.S., #8 U.S. R&B, #6 UK, #11 AUS, #5 CAN U.S. certification: 3x Platinum U.S. sales: 3 million Worldwide sales: 7 million
	J. Lo Released: January 23, 2001 Chart positions: #1 U.S., #1 U.S. R&B, #2 UK, #2 AUS, #1 CAN U.S. certification: 4x Platinum U.S. sales: 4 million Worldwide sales: 10 million
	J to tha L-O!: The Remixes Released: February 5, 2002 Chart positions: #1 U.S., #1 U.S. R&B, #4 UK, #11 AUS U.S. certification: Platinum U.S. sales: 1.4 million Worldwide sales: 3 million
	This Is Me... Then Released: November 19, 2002 Chart positions: #2 U.S., #5 U.S. R&B, #7 UK, #14 AUS, #5 CAN U.S. certification: 2x Platinum U.S. sales: 2.5 million Worldwide sales: 6 million
	Rebirth Released: March 1, 2005 Chart positions: #2 U.S., #2 U.S. R&B, #8 UK, #10 AUS, #12 CAN U.S. certification: Platinum U.S. sales: 1 million Worldwide sales: 3 million
	Como Ama Una Mujer Released: March 27, 2007 Chart positions: TBR U.S. certification: TBR U.S. sales: TBR Worldwide sales: TBR

Number-one singles

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of Jennifer Lopez awards and nominations

Selected filmography

Films

Upcoming films:

• Bridge & Tunnel (2007) playing Sidney Farris [pre-production]
• America's Darlings (200?) [announced]
• The Governess (2008) [announced]

Television