jennifer lopez

For the meteorologist of The Weather Channel, see Jennifer Lopez (meteorologist).

Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), popularly nicknamed J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, songwriter, dancer, and fashion designer.

Early years

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. She has two sisters, Lynda and Leslie. "Our parents had a strong work ethic – there wasn't really any other way," Lynda Lopez told Rolling Stone. Lopez' parents also stressed cultural assimilation, especially the need to speak English. Lopez spent much of what she called "the boyfriend years" secretly meeting with first-love, Davíd Cruz, with whom she remained in a relationship between the ages of 16 and 25. "I was always climbing out windows, jumping off roofs, and he was sneaking up," she said. "It was crazy." Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic school and acknowledges that she still prays regularly.^{citation needed]} Lopez financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of 17. 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 role 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 Jeniffer 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". Scheduled and contracted to go on Janet Jackson's World Tour, she asked the superstar to be let out of her contract to pursue her acting dreams.^{citation needed]}

Acting

Lopez has appeared on the short-lived television programs South Central, Second Chances, and Hotel Malibu, the television movie 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 1998 film Selena for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. She also became the first Latina actress to get paid $1 million or more for one film, the role.^{citation needed]}

Lopez guest-starred in the sixth season finale of Will & Grace in 2004.

In May 2006, MTV gave the greenlight on her executively produced reality show, Moves. The show will follow the lives of six aspiring dancers as they 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 this winter.

Music

Lopez' 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 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 the song was never released as a single in the United States. Despite this, the music video for "No Me Ames" received moderate airplay on the U.S. music channels VH1 and The Box. 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.

Lopez' second album, J. Lo, was released in January 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 also reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Her next two singles were "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny" which were rising up the charts at top speed. However, to capitalize on this, Lopez asked Murder Inc. to remix both songs, which featured rap artists Ja Rule (on both) and Caddillac Tah (on "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 32nd 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. ^[1] Featured artists on J To Tha L-O!: The Remixes included 50 Cent and Nas, and also included rarer dance and hip-hop remixes of past singles. On November 26, 2002, at age of thirty-three, 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 "You Belong To Me." In 2004, Lopez once again participated in a duet with Marc Anthony, called "Escapémonos", this time on his albums Amar Sin Mentiras and Valió La Pena.

After a considerable amount of time away from the music scene, Lopez finally released her fourth studio album, Rebirth, on March 1, 2005, at age of thirty-five . Debuting and peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 to decent sales success, the album quickly fell off the charts. The album spawned one hit in "Get Right", which reached the top twenty and became her second platinum hit, after "If You Had My Love". "Get Right" was also a huge hit in the UK, becoming her second number-one single there. The second single, "Hold You Down," which featured Fat Joe, made it into the top seventy-five in the U.S., peaking at number sixty-four. It reached number seventeen in Australia with little promotion and peaked at number six in the UK. Later in 2005, it was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA. In general, the album was criticized due to her weak vocal range and that the production was nowhere near the original quality of Harrison or Timbaland's earlier work.^{citation needed]} Lopez was featured in the LL Cool J song, "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 Top 75 Singles.

Lopez is to release her first full Spanish-language album, titled Como Ama Una Mujer, scheduled for release on February 2007 which is going to contain mainly ballads. The lead single, the ballad "Qué Hiciste" (Spanish for "What Did You Do"), is scheduled to be released to radio stations in January, 2007. It is said to be rock-tinged.

She is and also working on her fifth English studio album, in which she is working with producer Swizz Beats. "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 Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Cory Rooney, and Jermaine Dupri. Her next effort is due to be released in 2007.

Business

Lopez owns a clothing line, JLO by Jennifer Lopez, whose brand has been licensed for a term by Warnaco Group. ^[7] 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 scarve.^{citation needed]} Lopez has also done photoshoots to represent the Louis Vuitton Winter 2003 campaign.

On April 12, 2002, Lopez opened an elegant Cuban restaurant in the South Lake district of Pasadena, California named Madre's.

Lopez has also dabbled in the perfume industry, with her debut "Glow by J.Lo" which broke numerous records in sales. In October of 2003, Lopez introduced a perfume called "Still." Before launching another completely new fragrance, she revisited 2002's "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 Valentine's Day 2006, "Miami Glow" was replaced by yet another "Glow" spinoff – "Love At First Glow by J.Lo." Her latest fragrance is called "Live Luxe" and will be released September 2006, with Glow at Dark following its release in December 2006.

Lopez also pitches Lux shampoo in Japan, appearing in the product's television commercials.

Personal life

Lopez has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Cuban-born ^[2] Ojani Noa on February 22, 1997. Lopez met Noa while he worked as a waiter at a Miami restaurant. They divorced in March of 1998.

She then had a two-and-a-half year, somewhat stormy relationship with Sean Combs. On December 27, 1999, Lopez and Combs were at Club New York, a midtown Manhattan nightclub, when 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.^{citation needed]} A loaded gun was found in the front seat of their vehicle.^{citation needed]} Lopez was charged with felony gun possession, but the charges were dropped, as she was riding in the back seat at the time.^{citation needed]}

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. The marriage ended in June 2002, during which time she had reportedly started dating actor Ben Affleck. ^{citation needed]}

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 ring worth a reported $1.2 million.^{citation needed]} The marriage, planned for September 14, 2003 in Santa Barbara, California, was called off just a few days before the event. She and Affleck announced a permanent split on January 20, 2004. Their relationship was parodied on the South Park episode, "Fat Butt and Pancake Head" that aired in April 16, 2003.

Shortly after her breakup with Affleck, Lopez was seen out with singer Marc Anthony, who had recently separated from his wife, former Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres. 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. The guests were invited to an "afternoon party" at Lopez' house without knowing that they were going to a wedding. Days after the wedding, Anthony refused to comment on it during interviews. ^[3] Lopez confirmed the marriage in February 2005, but admitted that "everyone knows. It's not a secret." ^[4] Marc's daughter, Ariana, appeared in Jennifer's music video "Get Right" as her little sister.

On August 24, 2006, musician Jesse McCartney disclosed in a press conference that his new girlfriend, Katie Cassidy, (daughter of David Cassidy of The Partridge Family) has the role of Lucy Ewing in the remake of Dallas. Asked why Jennifer was fired, Jesse replied, "she wasn't fired, she is pregnant." Then remarks to his minder, "Was I not supposed to say anything?". His publicists, however, said that "Jesse thought that he read it somewhere" in reference to the earlier comments about the pregnancy. Lopez's publicists responded, denying the rumors and stating that Lopez "never even met" McCartney. For Lopez, who balances a singing career with an acting resume that largely consists of romantic comedies such as The Wedding Planner and Maid in Manhattan, the film El Cantante, which opened September 2006 to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, marks her first turn as producer. She also stars as Héctor Lavoe's wife, Puchi. Lavoe was an early star of salsa music who died of AIDS-related illness in 1993. ^[5]

Accomplishments

• Lopez is the first actress and singer to have a movie (The Wedding Planner) and an album (J. Lo) at number one in the same week.^{citation needed]}
• Lopez' perfume, "Glow," made history in 2001, by being the number-one perfume in more than nine countries in less than four months.^{citation needed]}
• Lopez is the first woman who has been placed #1 two years^{citation needed]} in a row in FHM magazine's list of the 100 Sexiest Females in the World and 100 Sexiest Females in the U.S.
• Lopez made the 2004 Fortune list of the wealthiest entertainers under the age of 40. Her wealth is estimated at $255 million.
• Lopez has five number-one hits in the U.S. and a combined 20 weeks at number-one
• Lopez is one of the top 10 highest paid actresses in Hollywood.^{citation needed]}
• Lopez' album J To Tha L-O!: The Remixes is the first remix album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. ^[6] It is also the biggest-selling remix album in the world.

Discography

Further information: Jennifer Lopez discography

Albums

Release dates and sales certifications are from United States data.

Number-one singles

Awards and nominations

Main article: Jennifer Lopez' awards and nominations

Selected filmography

Film

Upcoming films:

• Bridge & Tunnel (2006) playing Sidney Farris [pre-production]
• America's Darlings (2006) [in production]
• The Governess (2008) [announced]

Television

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References

External links

• Official website
• Jennifer Lopez at the Internet Movie Database
• Jennifer Lopez at All Music Guide
• Jennifer Lopez at MySpace