CANOE Network
 



JENNIFER LOPEZ

Monday, March 11, 2002

Get a sneak peek at J.Lo's new film



Jennifer Lopez fans can now check out a preview of the star's new movie online.

J. Lo


A preview for J.Lo's "Enough" can be seen at www.jenniferlopez.com, muchmusic.com reports.

The movie, which opens on May 24, is about a waitress (J.Lo) who runs from her abusive marriage with her young daughter. The movie also stars Noah Wyle ("ER") and Juliette Lewis.

Other upcoming J.Lo features include "The Chambermaid", a Cinderella-type tale and "Gigli" with Ben Affleck.


Thursday, February 14, 2002

J.Lo tops U.S. charts



Jennifer Lopez is gearing up to take over the top chart slot.

J.Lo's remix album, "J To Tha L-O" replaced Alan Jackson on the SoundScan's number one spot in the U.S.

Early chart figures show that the actress/singer has already sold 156,000 copies of the album, which includes "Feelin' So Good," a song produced by her ex-boyfriend P. Diddy.

Nickelback's "Silver Side Up" is at the top of the Canadian charts followed by "Grammy Nominees 2002".


Wednesday, February 6, 2002

J. Lo/P.Diddy collaboration revealed



J. Lo and P. Diddy may put their high-profile relationship behind them but evidence of their friendship can be found on J. Lo's new remix album.

"J To Tha L-O! -- The Remixes" features "Feelin' So Good", a song produced by Jennifer Lopez's ex-boyfriend Sean Combs, TV Guide reports.

The rapper even makes some vocal appearances on the song, including the line "Damn, you look good".


Friday, January 4, 2002

J.Lo plans DVD, remix album



J. Lo will unleash a DVD and a remix album in the very near future.

"Jennifer Lopez: Live In Puerto Rico," was taped in San Juan last September and was the singer/actress' first concert performance, Live Daily reports.

Although the televised version of the concert, which aired on NBC in November, ran for an hour, the DVD version will show the complete concert and 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage.

During the San Juan show, J. Lo performed her hits including "I'm Real" and "Love Don't Cost A Thing".

J. Lo's remix album meanwhile, will feature new version of "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny" which both feature Ja Rule as well as "Love Don't Cost A Thing" and "If You Had My Love".


Wednesday, December 12, 2001

Ben Affleck is a J.Lo fan



It sounds as though J.Lo has found a super fan in a movie heartthrob.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are scheduled to begin filming the movie "Gigli" soon, and Ben is already on the set, eagerly anticipating J.Lo's arrival, MSNBC.com reports.

"Jennifer hasn't shown up on the set yet, but Ben keeps talking about how he's looking forward to working with 'our girl Jennifer,' as he keeps calling her," an unnamed source told MSNBC.

"He watched a clip of her entertaining the troops overseas, and was really blown away. He said he almost had a heart attack. Then he started doing a hilarious impersonation of Jennifer Lopez dancing, shaking his booty and all. He's a big fan."

Apparently Ben isn't worried about J.Lo's rumoured diva behaviour on-set.


Tuesday, December 11, 2001

J.Lo performs, designs



J.Lo entertained the troops in Germany last weekend.

The singer/actress serenaded the crowd with her latest single "Ain't It Funny" and was supported by a crowd of male back-up dancers wearing military outfits, MTV reports.

Jennifer also sang "Love Don't Cost A Thing" and "I'm Real" during the USO morale-booster.

The evening also featured performances by Kid Rock and Ja Rule.

The special will air on MTV on Jan. 1, with "Total Request Live" personality Carson Daly acting as host.

In more J. Lo news, the singer has already launched a line of clothing for adults and now is planning to unleash clothes for young females, Allstar reports.

J.Lo Girls collection will feature Jennifer-inspired sportswear, tops, shorts, skirts and denim jackets, jeans and dresses.

Jennifer is planning to act as the creative director for J.Lo Girls.


Tuesday, December 4, 2001

J.Lo plans to entertain troops

J. Lo is joining Kid Rock and Ja Rule for a special performance for U.S. military personnel.

The performances will be included in MTV's 90-minute holiday TV special, which will air on Jan. 1 and is being called "For The Troops: An MTV/USO Special", mtv.com reports.

The performance will take place at an overseas military base and will also feature footage of the celebrities interacting with the troops, as well as interviews with the men and women at the base.


Thursday, November 15, 2001

J.Lo special debuts Tuesday

Next Tuesday Jennifer Lopez's first concert special will debut on TV next week, and the R&B diva took a few risks in bringing her live show to the small screen.

The special was taped in Puerto Rico during her first concert performance in support of her latest album "J. Lo", which meant if there were any bugs to be worked out during the live show, the camera was going to catch them, zap2it.com reports.

"If we had ironed out a little bit, you wouldn't have gotten out of it as much of the excitement and the raw vibe and energy that was happening there," Jennifer told zap2it.com. "I think it makes it actually a little more special than just having a concert special after you've been on the road a long time."

The special features at least six costume changes. It will include 12 songs from "J.Lo" and a few songs from her first album, "On The 6".

NBC, which is airing the special at 8 p.m. on Nov. 20th, is also working on a sitcom with the singer/actress. J.Lo plans to star in and executive-produce the series.

Meanwhile, Jennifer's next film ventures will be "Enough" with Billy Campbell and "Gigli" with Ben Affleck.


Monday, October 29, 2001

Website posts J.Lo's 'rider' for charity single

The check-your-ego-at-the-door attitude of most charity records somehow got by singer Jennifer Lopez, according to thesmokinggun.com.

The website has posted a list of demands J.Lo's people made prior to her participation in the recording and video for a recent charity remake of Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On."

Proceeds from the single, which also includes performances by U2's Bono and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, go to the Global AIDS Alliance and the September 11th Fund of the United Way.

It's not unusual for celebrities to include a lengthy list of back-stage conditions when they make public appearances, but generally speaking, when the cause is charitable, those demands are toned down or set aside altogether.

The Smoking Gun said it received a copy of Lopez's "rider" from two different sources involved in the production.

Lopez was on set for a mere 90 minutes to shoot her moment in the video for "What's Going On." Here are just some of things J.Lo reportedly required:

-- A 45' trailer with two entry doors, equipped with CD player, TV, VCR, hair sink and make-up station

-- A white dressing room with white flowers, white tables, white tablecloths, white drapes, white candles, white couches. "No catering in the actual dressing room, except beverages)".

-- Fruits, including mango, green seedless grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, papaya, honey dew melon, watermelon, chocolate chip cookies, apple pie (a la mode), brownies, vanilla ice cream.

-- Evian water (room temperature), raspberry-lemon Snapple, Nantucket's fruit punch, Kern's apricot/mango/pear guava/peach. "NO TOMATO, APPLE OR GRAPE JUICES."

-- Balance bars (honey peanut), Diptyque candies.

-- Steamer, ironing board, iron, wardrobe rack

-- "Assortment of CURRENT R&B, hip-hop & salsa," with suggestions including Wyclef Jean, De La Soul, Buena Vista Social Club, Jurassic 5, Matchbox 20, Beck and Marc Anthony.

The list also included a hand-written section that requested "Cuban food" -- beans, rice and chicken. Lopez's actual time was so brief, none of the food she demanded was even touched, The Smoking Gun said.


Friday, September 28, 2001

J.Lo's wedding on Saturday?

J. Lo is expected to say goodbye to her P. Diddy days for good Saturday as she walks down the aisle with another man.

The movie & music star is going to be married tomorrow in L.A. to dancer Cris Judd, The New York Post's Pagesix.com reports.

Jennifer is said to be flying out her favourite New York hairdresser to help make her beautiful for the big day. If it happens, it'll be her second marriage.


Monday, September 10, 2001

Jennifer Lopez signs for TV special, sitcom

In the aftermath of the ritzy spectacle that was the MTV Video Music Awards, record companies are rebelling against the high cost of placing an act on the show, according to The New York Post.

The broadcast, which was held Thursday at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, featured lavish performances by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and *NSync.

Even though MTV reaps a ratings windfall from the show, the labels whose artists appear on the show are left holding the tab for those spectacles. The Post said one source pegged Sony's cost for Lopez's performance at $250,000.

Britney Spears' number, which featured the singer brandishing a giant snake, and *NSync's turn -- which included giant screens with animation, an oversized box of popcorn, an army of dancers, a wall-sized Etch-A-Sketch, and a guest appearance by Michael Jackson -- set their label Zomba/Jive back $1 million, The Post reported.

"The labels picked up all the expenses and got nothing -- but what choice do they have?" the source told The Post.

"Sony and Zomba are thinking of calling a meeting next week and telling MTV they will no longer pick up the tab."

What The Post's source didn't mention is that the potential publicity generated by the artists' appearance on the show could conceivably jack up CD sales, which does benefit the label.

An MTV rep, meanwhile, dismissed the labels' concerns.

"MTV paid for the VMA's in full, including all rehearsals and staging for every performance," a network spokesman told The Post. "To the extent that artists choose to do anything above and beyond, it's their choice".


Tuesday, May 15, 2001

Jennifer Lopez signs for TV special, sitcom

That J.Lo sex tape may not actually exist, but the singer-actress will soon be appearing on a TV near you in her own productions.

MTV reports that Jennifer Lopez will star in a TV special this fall and is also developing a sitcom based on her early life growing up in the Bronx.

Lopez will showcase music from her current album "J.Lo" in a one-hour NBC special, while the sitcom -- as yet untitled -- will use episodes from the singer's own youth in storylines. She'll serve as the show's executive producer but won't star in the sitcom, the report said.

Meanwhile, Lopez's new film, "Angel Eyes," opens Friday.


Monday, May 14, 2001

How Jennifer Lopez became a music and movies superstar

By JIM SLOTEK
Toronto Sun

With clouds of paparazzi camped out at the Four Seasons, Jennifer Lopez's two month stay in Toronto last year could be termed profitable, if not always enjoyable.

The Booty from the Bronx was earning her biggest payday yet, US$7.5 million to star in the movie Angel Eyes -- opening this week -- in which she plays a cop whose life is saved by a mysterious stranger (Jim Caviezel) who might be an angel.

While shooting here, her relationship with rap mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs was reeling from the then-recent shootout in a New York nightclub (a bullet missed her by 46 cm). Eventually the couple would call it quits.

She's now one of the hottest commodities in the entertainment world, having had both the top-selling CD and No. 1 box-office movie in the same week earlier this year.

So how did Lopez become the queen of all media? Here's a career timeline for Hollywood's highest-paid Latina:

1970: On July 24, Jennifer is born in the Castle Hill district of the Bronx to Puerto Rican-born computer technician David Lopez and his wife Guadalupe. She is the second of what would be three daughters (older sister Leslie is a housewife and sometime opera singer, while younger sister Lynda is a VH-1 VJ).

1975: After seeing West Side Story on TV, little Jennifer convinces her mother to let her take dance lessons. "When I said I wanted to be a performer, people went, 'Yeah, right,' " she told Interview mag. "You don't do that where I'm from."

1986: With 11 years of dance and acting lessons behind her, a high school kid takes to the audition circuit, making daily commutes on the '6' train from the Bronx to Manhattan (hence the eventual name of her debut album, On The 6).

The rail-riding pays off with her first movie role at age 16, in My Little Girl, in which Mary Stuart Masterson plays a rich kid who volunteers to counsel troubled inner-city teens. Jennifer plays a teen named Myra.

1990: J.Lo's break comes when choreographer/homegirl Rosie Perez auditions "Fly Girls" for the Wayans' sketch series, In Living Color. Picked from 2,000 auditioners, Jennifer moves to L.A., but is soon lonely. High school boyfriend David Cruz shows up to comfort her and moves in for five years. "I got along great with everybody on the show, except the Fly Girls," Lopez later says. "Dancers can be the bitchiest people in the world."

1993: Jennifer signs a deal with CBS and co-stars in two unsuccessful TV series within a year, Second Chances with Connie Sellecca and Megan Follows, and Hotel Malibu with Joanna Cassidy. The second series actually was spun from the first after the Northridge Quake destroyed Second Chances' set.

1994/1995: She gets two noteworthy gigs, a supporting role with Jimmy Smits and Ed Olmos in My Family, Mi Familia, Gregory Nava's acclaimed multi-generational film about a Latino family in America; and the "girl they fight over" role in Money Train with Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. She later says Snipes aggressively came on to her during filming.

1996: Jennifer is cast as teacher Miss Marquez in the weepy Robin Williams movie Jack, directed by Francis Coppola.

On the eve of that movie's release comes bigger news. She has been cast as Selena, the slain Tejano music superstar and a modern-day saint in Mexico. The casting erupts into a firestorm when Chicana actresses (Salma Hayek for one) complain about a Puerto Rican being cast as a Mexican icon. "They never complain to my face," a feisty Jennifer tells The Sun in a 1997 interview. "I can box." She receives $1 million for the role.

1996/97: While shooting in Miami playing Jack Nicholson's love interest in Blood And Wine, Jennifer and friends eat at Gloria Estefan's restaurant, Lario's, where she falls for the waiter, 24-year-old Ojani Noa. Months earlier, the Cuban-born Noa had floated to Florida on a balsa-wood raft.

"Sex was like bathing in champagne. We did whatever two humans could possibly do," he later tells the tabloid Globe. She proposes to him while filming Anaconda in Brazil.

The wedding in Miami on Feb. 22, 1997 is attended by 250 guests, including Ed Olmos and Oliver Stone (who had just cast Jennifer in his movie, U-Turn).

The marriage lasts 18 months, though Noa said she phoned to ask for a divorce six months after the "I do's." The call came while she was filming Steven Soderbergh's Out Of Sight with George Clooney. Her salary was $2 million. "I think wealth got in the way," she told Playboy of her failed marriage.

As the year ends, People magazine declares Jennifer Lopez one of "The 50 Most Beautiful People In The World."

1998: The world discovers J.Lo's butt. The London Sunday Times runs a piece about re-thinking women's body images and refers to "her backside, her butt, her rear, her rump, her posterior, her gorgeously proud buttocks." Reviewing Out Of Sight, the L.A. Weekly reviewer notes, "Lopez, whose spectacular a-- juts out as expressively as her swollen mouth, is terrific." By the next year, when Grammy host Chris Rock quipped that she'd arrived in two limousines, "one for her and one for her a--," J.Lo's skin had worn thin. "At every single awards show for the past year, everyone has made the same joke. It's tired, you know? Get some new material."

Also in '98, J.Lo makes an appearance in the video for Been Around The World by Sean "Puffy" Combs. The two begin a relationship which they both take pains to publicly deny.

As the year ends, the Diva creates controversy when she cuts loose in Movieline about her peers. On Gwyneth Paltrow (whose career, she hints, wouldn't have happened without Brad Pitt): "Tell me again what she's been in. I swear to God, I don't remember anything she was in." On Winona Ryder: "I was never a big fan of hers." On Madonna: "Do I think she's a great actress? No." On Cameron Diaz: "

"A lucky model who's been given a lot of opportunities I just wish she would have done more with."

Lopez makes enemies. A year later, J.Lo would show up late to a Millennium New Year's party at Donatella Versace's house in Miami. Fellow guest Madonna yelled, "Dinner's over now!" to her as she entered. Madonna and Gwyneth and friends then pointedly left the dinner area and reportedly froze Jennifer out.

1999/2000: 1999 has its highs and lows for J.Lo. The high is the aforementioned On The 6, a ready-for-radio album championed by Sony boss (and the former Mr. Mariah Carey) Tommy Mottola. The album, featuring a duet with Marc Anthony, knocks Ricky Martin off his No. 1 spot on the charts.

The low comes on Dec. 27 when J.Lo joins Puffy and his entourage at the hip-hop spot Club New York. At about 2:30 a.m., shots are fired during a dispute between Puffy's rap protege Shyne and another man. Three people are wounded. At one point, Puffy reportedly offers his driver a diamond ring, given to him by Jennifer, as a bribe if he claims Puffy's gun is his. All involved, including Jennifer, are arrested, although she is subsequently released. Eventually, Shyne would be convicted of attempted murder and Puffy is cleared.

Suddenly, J.Lo becomes a symbol of women attracted to bad boys. She's the inspiration for countless relationship articles. The Puffy/J.Lo affair is now everybody's business.

Elsewhere in her life, business is booming. In February 2000, she gains worldwide attention by showing up at the Grammys wearing a flimsy, extremely low-cut green dress.

The psycho thriller The Cell comes out in summer 2000 to good reviews. In addition to filming Angel Eyes in Toronto last summer, she begins filming Michael Apted's Enough, "about an abused woman who fights back."

2001: In January, her second album -- J.Lo -- debuts almost simultaneously with her latest movie, The Wedding Planner. They put her on top of the music charts and box office at the same time. The Wedding Planner, a romantic comedy co-starring Matthew McConaughey, winds up grossing $60 million.

Puffy is history, her new man is dancer Chris Judd.

Most recently, Jennifer Lopez announced her own line of clothing with Tommy Hilfiger's brother Andy (featuring tight T-shirts and studded jeans). And she has signed to star as an FBI agent in the thriller Tick Tock, due to start filming in the fall.

This Friday, her latest movie -- Angel Eyes -- is released in theatres.


Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Jennifer 'honest and real' for rowdy fans at Much

By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun

TORONTO -- Music and movie star Jennifer Lopez had some early Valentine's Day advice last night during an hour-long chat at MuchMusic.

"Romance is not so much the expensive things -- it's the little things," said Lopez, 30, on her second day in Toronto to promote her sophomore effort, J.Lo, which debuted at No. 1 in both Canada and the U.S.

"It's the notes. It's the call in the middle of the day when you're really stressed out. That kind of stuff is important to me. It's the everyday, day-to-day stuff that makes a relationship worth it and more important."

'Long date'

Lopez, who may or may not still be involved with rap mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs, currently on trial for gun possession and bribery charges in New York City, admitted the most expensive date she's ever been on involved a boat being rented for a week.

"That's a long date," commented MuchMusic host Master T, visibly impressed.

Lopez also said she believes in love at first sight and everlasting love, but when it comes to breaking up with people, she can be brutal.

"It's hard. It's bad. I'm the type that just walks away -- later. It's not that easy, it just has to be done."

Lopez's stop at MuchMusic drew a couple hundred fans outside the Queen and John Sts. studios, significantly less than the crowds that swelled for visits by boy bands O-Town and the Backstreet Boys over the last couple of weeks. But that didn't make them any less rowdy.

One extremely vocal male fan had Lopez giggling throughout the show, which saw her taking questions from Master T, the studio audience and via fax, phone, e-mail and Speaker's Corner.

"He's distracting!" said Lopez, laughing. And it wasn't just men doing the yelling. She drew lots of female fans, too.

"I think they know that I'm honest and real and I just have nothing but love for everybody," said Lopez when asked about her universal appeal. "I'm not the type of girl that's catty with other girls -- that's just not cool to me."

Lopez, who's known as much for her sexy shape, told one female e-mailer that it's taken a lot of hard work to get her body where it is right now.

"I also fought with my weight when I was growing up," said Lopez, showing off a well-toned midriff last night in a cropped army shirt and low-slung, tight-fitting gold pants.

"If you watch the In Living Color episodes, those were my chunkier days. I'm not ashamed of my chunkier days. But there'll be a time when you get to a certain weight. And I just watch what I eat and I exercise. I'm like anybody else, I'm human. Sometimes I feel like working out, sometimes I don't. I do a lot of cardio."

When complimented on her sense of style, Lopez said a clothing line may be her next project.

"That's something I'm thinking about doing, something I'd love to do, so look out for it," she said. "It'd be like casual, everyday wear, for all the girls."

Speaking of which, five Lopez wannabes, including one in a copy of her famous Grammy dress, took part in a lookalike contest last night that saw them either singing or dancing. One even spontaneously hugged Lopez. Initially, however, they had no music accompaniment.

"It's terrible you guys don't have music for them!" complained Lopez, who couldn't be convinced by Master T to show off some of her own famous moves.

"I'm here to judge today," she said diplomatically.