Cover Girl: Jennifer Lopez on Glamour

Our favorite Latina actress/singer/designer/dancer Jennifer Lopez is splashed on the cover of the current issue of Glamour magazine. She sat down to talk the talk on her upcoming movie with hubby Marc Anthony, and those pesky pregnancy rumors.

GLAMOUR: So let’s talk about El Cantante. In one scene you’re dancing with Marc, and the look on your face is so vulnerable—is it easier to let down your guard around someone you’re with in real life?

Jennifer Lopez: Yes. It’s totally different than working with an actor you don’t know, where sometimes you have great chemistry and sometimes you don’t. When Marc and I work together, there’s no barrier or boundary. I think that’s how it is in all good relationships—you feel the most safe there. But on set, we kept it very professional: We bounced ideas off one another and treated each other like any other actor. We even had separate trailers—we gave each other our space.

GLAMOUR: It sounds like you enjoyed working with him.

JL: I think the best partner you can have is someone who makes you want to be the best form of yourself. We do that for each other; that’s why we work well together. We made all these promises to each other in the beginning of the marriage, because both of us have difficult careers to manage with a partner. We don’t have 9-to-5 jobs; our day could be 24 hours long if we let it. So you have to carve out your time and make your agreements: “We are going to travel with each other. If I’m working, you’re not going to work. If we both have to work, we’re going to make sure we keep that to a minimum.”

GLAMOUR: So what drove you to make a small, indie film about a person most audiences may not know about?

JL: Whenever things got hard during filming, I would think, Why am I making this movie? And all I had to do was go back and listen to the music. The rise of salsa was such an important time in musical history, not just in Latin music but music in general, because these guys created a new sound. Even jazz greats like Miles Davis were interested in what these cats were doing. This is the first time I’ve really produced—I worked on Bordertown [2006], too, but this was my baby. I got the script from its inception, went through I don’t know how many directors and took it through five or six years of development. So I’m really proud of it.

GLAMOUR: Has your family seen the film?

JL: They haven’t yet. I’m going to have my entire family, all of my friends, everyone I work with, everyone I love at the premiere. I’m really proud of it.

GLAMOUR: At one point during the film, Hector’s sister chastises your character for not speaking Spanish. I know that once upon a time, you didn’t speak much if any Spanish. Did that hit close to home?

JL: It’s true: I grew up speaking English. My parents moved here when they were very young, and my two grandmothers were the only people in my family who spoke Spanish. It wasn’t until I did Selena [1997] that I started actively trying to learn the language. I realized I was going to have to do interviews in Spanish and didn’t want to be embarrassed. I still can’t say I speak it perfectly, but I speak it much better now.

GLAMOUR: My family’s from Panama, and I grew up in Brooklyn. As a kid, I wanted to be somewhere else, doing something different. The movie brought it all back.

JL: It’s funny, when you’re home, you don’t appreciate all of the things that culture’s about, and when you leave home, all you want are those things that define you and make you who you are.

GLAMOUR: On another note entirely…babies. People are always asking you if you’re pregnant.

JL: I know they are.

GLAMOUR: Does it get on your nerves?

JL: It’s just weird. I try to look at it as that they want something exciting to happen for me so they can put it in the news. Every other week [tabloids] say I’m pregnant, and I keep telling them, “I’m not yet.” I don’t know what else to say.

GLAMOUR: Well, you’ve been married for a while now, and you have mentioned wanting children, so…

JL: People want it to go to the next level? Marc and I just saw the film Children of Men. The message of the movie was if we don’t have children, there’s no hope for the future. And without hope, society just goes to pieces. Maybe that’s what the pregnancy rumors are about—hope for the future.

GLAMOUR: It’s hard to believe that the tabloids are writing about your alleged pregnancies because they believe that babies are the future.

JL: Yeah, maybe it’s not that deep. Maybe it’s more about seeing two people together and wanting to know if it’s real. A lot of the time, having a baby solidifies that [image]—“Oh, this is real, they’re having a child together”—you know what I mean? But I do have four stepchildren—Marc has three children and a stepchild—so my life is very rich with family and children.

GLAMOUR: So that takes the pressure off, because he’s not desperate?

JL: Not desperate, no.

GLAMOUR: I had a friend who had a child from a previous relationship. She got married, and her husband said to her, “I know you have a child, but I want you to have my child.”

JL: [Raises an eyebrow and smiles.] You always want, when you love someone like you said, to have that extension of yourself. It’s interesting. [Smiles again.]

GLAMOUR: OK—your friendship with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Is it true you go on double dates with them?

JL: It’s funny, because when you get married, you do find other couples to hang out with. We have more couple friends than ever. I think that’s because we’re a solid couple ourselves. Marc really hit it off with Tom—they just got close.

GLAMOUR: And you’re also famous for doing karaoke, I hear?

JL: I have, but it’s not a thing. I like singing Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’” and old Lisa Lisa songs. My friend Leah [Remini] and I like to freestyle. We’re both New York girls!

GLAMOUR: You certainly are. Let’s talk about your style choices. Today your outfit is classic Nuyorican: hoop earrings, an armful of bangles and sexy white jeans.

JL: My own style influences have to do with where I grew up, in the Bronx—I was wearing this when I was 12 years old, and I still like to wear bangles and big hoops! I’m also influenced by all the places I’ve traveled since then: I’ve been to Hollywood and great fashion shows and seen the world. Now I have a different perspective, and I mix that up.

Want more? You can read the rest of the complete interview right here.

Photo from Glamour.

Morning Show Concert Schedule

The Today Show and Good Morning America are kicking off their outdoor concert series this month, and have just released the schedule of performers. If you're in the area, you may want to stop by, but get there early. Since they're free admission, the crowds can be massive.

Today Show:
May 11: Martina McBridge, Josh Turner, Gretchen Wilson
May 18: The All-American Rejects
May 28: Maroon 5
June 1: Big and Rich
June 8: Rihanna
June 15: Enrique Iglesias
June 19: Bon Jovi
June 22: Chicago and America
July 6: Fall Out Boy
July 27: Marc Anthony
August 10: Natasha Bedingfield
August 31: Chris Brown

Good Morning America:
May 18: Rascal Flatts
May 25: Fergie
June 1: Daughtry
June 8: Robin Thicke
June 15: Brad Paisley
June 22: Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana
June 29: Patti LaBelle
July 6: Norah Jones
July 20: John Mayer with special guest (hmmm.... Jessica perhaps?)
August 3: John Legend

Jennifer Lopez Scores Big

Where did we go wrong? The rest of us idiots are out here working everyday, but Jennifer Lopez gets paid $1.2 million to perform for 40 minutes for a Russian billionaire, plus $800,000 for flights and hotel in Surrey, England, for her and her emaciated husband.

The party included 60 guests and JLo perfomed her hits, including Jenny from the Block (who gets paid $2 million to perform for less than an hour). Although, she just had Christina Aguilera's leftovers, since she was paid $4 million to sing at the dude's 2005 wedding in the south of France.

Source.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Sue The Enquirer

Multi-hyphenate Jennifer Lopez and her Latin crooner husband, Marc Anthony, have filed suit against the National Enquirer in European courts over the paper's claims that the couple was linked to a drug scandal, their lawyer said yesterday.

Paul Tweed told The Associated Press that Jennifer and Marc were seeking "a six-figure settlement" from the Enquirer and its parent company, American Media Inc. The lawsuit was filed today in a Belfast court, and in subsequent days, will be filed in courts in Dublin, London and Paris.

The lawsuit asks for an apology and retraction for the article. The article published last month in the British and Irish editions of National Enquirer said that the couple was "caught up in a heroin scandal" - and ran a three-year-old picture of Marc standing next to photographer Michael Star, who is facing charges of heroin possession and child pornography in the US. The article maintained that Star and Anthony were friends.

Tweed indicated that Jennifer's Los Angeles law firm, Lavely & Singer, gave him the green light yesterday to go ahead with the lawsuit.

Photo from AOL.

Interview with American Idol's Haley Scarnato

Last week, American Idol fans said good-bye to 24-year-old Haley Scarnato. She recently sat down for an interview with AOL to dish on Simon, Sanjaya and Katharine McPhee's hair extensions.

Was that your strategy? Did people mistake your spirited performances for strutting around and playing up your overt sexuality?
I have no idea. You never can tell. I just tried to do the best that I could do, and that was that.

I know for the past couple of weeks, you were shrugging off Simon's comments about just that. But deep down, was it bothering you each week that you weren't getting much feedback on your voice, but just about what you had on?
A little bit ... they always say this is a singing competition, etc., but it is what it is. You just have to brush it off and do the best that you can do.

In retrospect, do you think that not responding to Simon's comments was the right decision?
That's who I am. I'm on national TV, and you've got to respect him. He's Simon Cowell, and you've got to set an example. It does hurt a little bit, but you just kind of brush it off and try to get through it.

What was it like to work with J.Lo as a mentor? What was she like in person?
It was amazing. She was great. She was very warm and comforting, and she had a lot to tell us. You could tell she really did want to help us. It was a very good experience on my part and I think everybody felt the same with it.

Did you get to spend a lot of time with her?
A little bit ... it was like 10 minutes, so it was good to hammer out the song and stuff.

Did you get to meet Marc Anthony at all?
Yes, we did. That was really cool, too.

What was he like?
He was great. He was really, really nice. He loves her and he adores her, so that's really cool to see. They just look really happy.

What challenge did you not expect in this competition?
That's hard, there's so much. You can't prepare yourself for something like this. You expect picking the right song is a huge deal, but just making sure it gets cleared. I didn't know it was going to be that tough to try and get the song cleared. That was pretty tough and it affected us a lot, because then if it didn't clear, we had to pick another song. It would just hold everything up. That was pretty much it.

Did any celebrity mentor give you good advice that we didn't see?
No, not really ... Lulu was amazing. That was all on TV. She and Jennifer Lopez were great. I loved them. What you see is what you get. They try to put everything in as much as they can.

Were you aware of all of the things people have been saying about Sanjaya?
Not really. Like I said, we're totally in that bubble, so we try to stay away from it, just for the sake of our own minds. Not too much, the Sanjaya thing, I hear that's an issue or something. It's kind of funny.

It's an issue all right. Considering what an issue it is, does it bother you that you got voted off before him?
No, oh my gosh! Sanjaya is a great personality; he has a great energy backstage and on stage. I think he did a great job last week. He's a great kid, and I wish the best for him and all of the other contestants.

At one point early on in the season, they said that you were wearing hair extensions that have previously been used by Katharine McPhee on the show the season before, the hair stylist reused them.
I think it's cool. It's fun. They can wash them. It was fun. It was kind of cool to wear Katharine McPhee hair extensions.

When is your wedding, and how stressful has it been being in this competition, knowing that you have that to deal with?
The wedding was Nov. 10, but we have to move it back because the tour is running into it, so we'll see how it goes.

Photo from AOL.

Newsstand Friday: Ok!

JENNIFER LOPEZ
Jennifer and Marc have a marriage on the rocks.

The once ostentatious J.Lo found herself settling into a more subdued life as Mrs. Marc Anthony. Now, missing the glamorous life, she’s breaking free of her housewife role. Unfortunately, Marc doesn’t feel the same. A friend of the music star tells OK!, “He expects his women to behave in a certain way, to stay home, to run the house while the husband is in charge.”

BRANGELINA
Are they finally ready to settle down?

Although Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been finding themselves swinging back and forth between a home life and one that spans the globe, the two have finally agreed to tie the knot, now that Angelina has come to terms with marriage. A source close to the actress tells OK!, “Angelina feels that now is the right time to take the relationship to another level.”

KATIE HOLMES
Katie finds herself reaching out for help.

Having changed her name, her friends and her religion, Katie Holmes is finding herself overwhelmed in her new life. According to sources, Katie suffered from a deep depression after the birth of Suri, but still wanted everything to be perfect for Tom. Just days after the birth of their daughter, Tom was off to do promotion for Mission: Impossible 3, leaving Katie all alone in her time of need. And it’s said she turned to close friend Brooke Shields for help. A source tells OK!, “You could see how happy Katie was to finally find a person who she could talk to.”

BRITNEY SPEARS
She is finally kicking her makeover into high gear!

After a not-so-private run-in with some hair clippers, followed by a stint in rehab, Britney is ready to take it to the next level. Hoping to jump-start her career, the former pop star is ready for a transformation of mind, body and music. Sources tell OK! that Britney has been dieting, exercising and may even have had a bit of plastic surgery. A close friend of the family says, “She wants a complete makeover.”

Newsstand Friday: EW

Sneak peek: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
Secret schemes! Bloddy battles! A first kiss! Go behind the scenes of this July's eagerly awaited "Harry Potter" movie, and mull over seven key talking points

Book Review
Boomsday
My Holocaust
Angelica

Chart Flashback: Rating the top 10 hits from this week in '78
How do 29-year-old hits from the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, and Kansas hold up today? Let's give 'em another listen

Exclusive look! Six characters who soar in "Phoenix"See what Sirius Black, Lucius Malfoy, and four other characters who come to the fore in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'" will look like on screen

Movie Review
Blades of Glory
Killer of Sheep
Meet the Robinsons
Air Guitar Nation
The Lookout
After the Wedding
The Prisoner: Or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair
The Hills Have Eyes 2
First Snow

Music News
Will a risky new CD put J. Lo back on top?
Jennifer Lopez is back with a new Spanish-language album and an upcoming movie with husband Marc Anthony -- but is it all enough to put everybody's favorite multi-hyphenate back on top?

Music Review
Traffic and Weather
Dignity
Because of the Times
Life in Cartoon Motion

Sound Bites
TV's funniest lines from March 20 to 26. Read the expanded online-only version of our favorite quips, then vote for the best quote

TV Review
The Shield
The Tudors

Television News
"House": Your complete A-to-Z guide
We monitor the symptoms of TV's crankiest medical drama, from pet rats and monster trucks to those pesky poisoned pants

Jennifer Lopez Has Some Issues

Fox News' Roger Friedman is gleefully reporting that Jennifer Lopez's singing and acting career are on a downward spiral with no hope in sight. Her newest album, which is her first in Spanish, sold only 49,452 copies and finished at No. 10 for the week. This album was a "calculated move to win back the audience she lost as her pop albums became increasingly more and more about herself and her celebrity."

Then Friedman just piles it on:

She was never a great singer in the first place, depending on backup vocalists like Ashanti to carry her through thin times. And Lopez’s last English album, “Get Right,” was a sales disaster.

But her movie career is also in need of resuscitation, if possible. Lopez is currently sitting on two unreleased duds: "Bordertown," co-starring Antonio Banderas and directed by Gregory Nava, and “El Cantante,” which co-stars husband Marc Anthony as Hector Lavoe.

Picturehouse is holding that one for Aug. 1, but the reviews have been mixed. And no one seems to know why the movie has a Spanish title since it’s all in English, a source tells me. If it’s to capitalize on the album, maybe some rethinking is needed in the marketing department.

As for “Bordertown,” it’s yet to find a distributor. Early reviews were not enthusiastic.

Lopez seems to have drifted since her marriage to Anthony two years ago. More recently I reported in this column that the couple had seriously embraced Scientology and a friendship with Tom Cruise in order to get some buzz going. It doesn’t look like it’s helped.

Ouch. Tell us what you really thing. Personally, J Lo just seems irrelevant to me these days. She's got nothing new or interesting to share, especially since Brit Brit is turning into the new comeback kid. Only time will tell.

[Photo from Fox News]

Fashion Police: Oscars 2007

Melissa, I love you. Not nearly as much as your girlfriend Tammy Lynn Michaels, does, of course, but I am very fond of you. But hon, we've got to talk. The suit? We've seen it. In hundreds of incarnations. All from you. Let's try something different. Change it up a bit. Hey, did you happen to notice what Ellen did on the cover of W magazine? You can still wear a suit but rock it out a little bit. Go ahead, walk on the wild side. Just a little. We'll still be here, I promise.

No, I don't know why Jennifer Hudson is wearing a little girls' jacket with her Oscar gown either, but when I find out, I'll be sure to let you know. 'Tis a shame, because up until now, it seemed as if the Dreamgirls and American Idol alum star and her stylist were a well-oiled team, getting the styling right red carpet after red carpet. Take off that silly, too-small jacket though, and I think they may be on to something. Oh, but that hair. I almost forgot about the Judy Jetson style plastered to one side of your head. Well, J. Hud, there's always next year.

Forest Whitaker who? The Oscar nominee is completely overshadowed by his gorgeous wife, Keisha. Glowing, almost incandescent, but most of all, beautiful.

No, it's not Mutt and Jeff. It's Nicole Kidman and her best gal pal Naomi Watts. Look closely. Look really closely. On the left side of Nicole Kidman's dress, there is a giant Christmas present bow. Seems she forgot to take off all the wrapping when she put her dress on. If that ridiculously oversized bow was gone, I might be able to forgive the dark eyebrows, bright lipstick and dress that nearly rescisely matches the red carpet. But alas, I cannot. Nicole, we still love you anyway.

With her girlfriend Ellen DeGeneres, hosting the Oscars, actress Portia de Rossi knew there would be some eyes on her, and she pulled it off with flying colors. Beautiful hair, make-up and dress. Stunning and gorgeous.

It's the pose, it's the angle, it's the fit of the gown, it's the style ... and it's all a thumbs down for new mom Maggie Gyllenhaal. Just very unflattering, but at least she got to enjoy a night on the town with her baby's daddy, Peter Sarsgaard.

Divorce certainly seems to agree with actress Reese Witherspoon. Between this and her other recent red carpet appearances, she has never looked more gorgeous. In my opinion, she wins the Most Beautiful award for tonight's red carpet, hands down. Gorgeous.

Good news: Gwyneth Paltrow broke out of her red carpet mold a bit and wore a different color and style and it worked well for her. Bad news: ENOUGH OF THE HAIR DRAPE ALREADY! She kept putting her too-long hair in front, especially any time the camera was on her. Gwynnie, honey, it's ok to put your long hair down your back. We'll still know it's there. Really, we will. Yes, it's pretty. Yes, it's nice and blonde and long. Really long. Did I say too long yet? But let's try something different. Put it behind you. Put it up. But enough of the hair already. It's wearing YOU, instead of the other way around. Okay, I feel better now.

Jennifer Lopez arrives arm-in-arm with husband, Latin crooner, Marc Anthony. Ryan Seacrest mentioned in his red carpet coverage that he thought Jennifer looked "hot." I think she looks good, though I've seen her look better. I wish the make-up was a little more vibrant, but Jenny from the Block still has got it going on.

Couldn't resist adding this second picture of Jennifer Lopez. I like the dress a lot better now that I've seen the entire thing. And how cute is she when she's giggling? Love her.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Rock Miami

The lovely pair of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were in Miami this weekend, attending the Ocean Drive magazine and MarketAmerica.com pre-Super Bowl party in South Beach, where they performed together. They look cute together, and, for once, Marc has done away with that scraggly beard he is usually sporting - thank goodness.

Photo from People.

Message to Katie Holmes: Help Tom Out!

With Katie Holmes' newfound fashion sense, and the help of new BFF Victoria Beckham, surely they can help Tom in the wardrobe department a bit, eh? I'm not sure he could look more dowdy if he tried. The toothy twosome were on hand at a pre-Super Bowl party in Miami, where they were attending a mini-concert put on by other best friends, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

Photo from People.