Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources.

Origins

During the Moorish occupation of Spain, the musical styles of the Roma, Jews, Spanish Christians and Moors contributed to the evolution of Latin music. The adoption of Moorish instruments and improvised high-pitched nasal singing style, and the characteristic Roma vocal trill spread to all parts of the Iberian Peninsula, as did, in the 16th century, the French troubadour tradition. Colonization of the Americas carried with it these Spanish musical traits. The Spanish Décima song format of ten lines, each consisting of eight syllables, remains an important part of Latin music, as an aspect of corrido, bolero, and vallenato.

Popular music styles by country

Argentina

The tango is perhaps Argentina's most famous music, becoming famous all around the world. Others include the Chacarera, Milonga, Cueca, Zamba and Chamamé. More modern rhythms include El Cuarteto, and Argentine Cumbia. Argentine rock (known locally as Rock Nacional) was most popular during the 60s, and still remains Argentina's most popular music. Rock en Español became first popular in Argentina, then it swept through other Latin American countries. That movement is called the "Argentine Wave." many people dance to the music and after have a great feast called samba. the eat spicy food and eggs that represent new life

Belize

The music of Belize has a mix of Kriol, Mestizo, Garifuna, and Maya influences. After many centuries of Maya habitation, Spanish and then British colonizers arrived in the area, the latter keeping Belize as its only colony in Spanish-dominated Central America. Far more influential than either European power's arrival, however, was the importation of African slaves. Europeans brought polkas, waltzes, schottisches and quadrilles, while Africans brought numerous instruments and percussion-based musics, including marimba. African culture resulted in the creation of brukdown music in interior logging camps, played using banjo, guitar, drums, dingaling bell, accordion and an ass's jawbone played by running a stick up and down the teeth. Among the most popular styles created by Kriol musicians is brukdown. Brukdown evolved out of the music and dance of loggers, especially a form called buru. Punta and Punta rock jazz hiphop are the most popular dance in Garifuna culture. It is performed around holidays and at parties, and other social events. Punta lyrics are usually composed by the women. Chumba and hunguhungu are a circular dance in a three beat rhythm, which is often combined with punta.

Bolivia

Bolivian music is perhaps the most strongly linked to its native population amongst national styles of South America. Following the nationalistic period of the '50s, Aymara and Quechua culture became more widely accepted, and these styles of folk music gradually fused in a more pop-like sound. Los Kjarkas played a pivotal role in this fusion. Other forms of native music, such as huayños and caporales are also widely played. cumbia is another music enjoyed today. Theres regional forms less known internationally such as the music from Santa Cruz and Tarija where music such as Cueca and Chacarera is quite much so popular.

Brazil

Brazil is a large and diverse country with a long history of popular musical development, ranging from the early 20th century innovation of samba to the modern ''Música Popular Brasileira''. Bossa nova is internationally well-known, and Forró (pronounced ) is also widely known and beloved in Brazil.

Chile

Among the newer musical movements in Chile the most important is perhaps the Nueva Canción that originated in the 1960s and 1970s and spread then after the 1973 Chilean coup d'etat when most musicians where either arrested, killed or exiled. In hearland of Chile, Central Chile, several styles can be found: the Cueca (the national dance), the Tonada, Refalosa, the Sajuriana, Zapateado, Cuando and Vals. In the Norte Grande region traditional music bears high resemblance with the music of Southern Perú and Western Bolivia, and it is called normally "Andean music". This music, which reflects the spirit of the indigenous people of the Altiplano, was one of the inspirations of the Nueva canción. In Chiloé Archipelago has folk music styles by its own due to its isolation far from the cultured centres of Santiago or Lima. Music from the Chilean Polynesia, Rapa Nui music, is deived from Polynesian languages rather than from the colonial society or European influences.

Cuba

Cuba has produced many of the world's most famous musical genres, and a number of renowned musicians in a variety of styles. Creolized styles range from the danzón to the rumba.

Colombia

Colombian music can be divided into four musical zones: The Atlantic coast, the Pacific coast, the Andean region and Los Llanos.

The Caribbean (Atlantic) music vibrates with hot rhythms, such as the cumbia, porros and mapalé.

The music from the Pacific coast, such as the currulao, with a strong use of drums, is tinged with Spanish influence.

Music of the Colombian Andes has been strongly influenced by Spanish rhythms and instruments, and differs noticeably from the Indian music of Peru or Bolivia. Among the typical forms are the bambuco, pasillo guabina and torbellino, played with string instruments like tiple guitarra, and also with piano.

The music of Los Llanos, "música llanera", is usually accompanied by a harp, cuatro (a sort of four-string guitar) and maracas. It has much in common with the music of the Venezuelan Llanos.

Apart from these traditional forms, two newer musical styles have conquered large parts of the country. These are "la salsa" which has spread throughout the Pacific coast, and the "vallenato", which emanated from La Guajira and César (northern part of the Caribbean coast). The latter is based on the European accordion.

Amongst all the mentioned above, throughout the nation Salsa, and merengue can be heard as well. More recently the development of music styles such as reggaeton and bachata have also had a great impact within the nation.

Dominican Republic

Merengue típico and Orchestra merengue has been popular in the Dominican Republic for many decades, and is widely regarded as the national music.

Bachata is a more recent arrival taking influences from the Bolero and derived from the country's rural guitar music. Bachata has evolved and risen in popularity over the last 40 years in the Dominican Republic and other countries such as Puerto Rico, with the help of artists such as Antony Santos, Luis Segura, Luis Vargas, Teodoro Reyes, Yoskar Sarante, Alex Bueno, and Aventura. Bachata, Merengue and Salsa are now equally popular among Spanish speaking Caribbean people. When Spanish Crusaders sailed over the Atlantic they brought with them a new type of music called Hesparo, which contributed to the development of Dominican music.

Also, the romantic style is present in the Dominican Republic, wonderful voices like Angela Carrasco, Anthony Rios, Dhario Primero, Maridalia Hernandez and Olga Lara among others.

Ecuador

Traditional Ecuadorian music can be classified in mestizo, Indian and black musics. Mestizo music comes out of the interrelation between Spanish and Indian music. In it there are rhythms such as pasacalles, pasillos, albazos and sanjuanitos and is usually characterized by the use of string instruments. There are also regional variations such as more Coastal styles such as vals (similar to Vals Peruano (Waltz)) and ''montubio'' music, referring to the coastal hill country.

Indian music in Ecuador is determined in varying degrees by the influence of quichua culture. Within it we find sanjuanitos (different from the meztizo sanjuanito), capishkas, danzantes and yaravis. Non-quechua indigenous music ranges from Tsáchila music of Santo Domingo which is influenced by the neighboring afro marimba; or Amazonian music of groups such as the Shuar.

Black Ecuadorian music can be classified in two main forms. The first type is black music from the coastal Esmeraldas province and is characterized by the use of the marimba. The second variety is black music from the Chota Valley in the northern Sierra, mainly known as Bomba del Chota, and is characterized by a more pronounced mestizo and Indian influence than marimba esmeraldeña. Most of these musical styles can also be played by windbands of varying sizes in popular festivals all around the country.

Like other Latin American countries Ecuadorian music includes several local exponents of international styles from opera to salsa to rock to cumbia to thrash metal to jazz and everything in between. Such is the state of being a modern nation despite the traditionalist folkloric gaze of this article which presupposes that Latin music is ethnic music.

El Salvador

Salvadorian music can be compared to the Colombian style of music call Cumbia but different style which is more well know outside El Salvador Popular styles in moder El Salvador besides Cumbia are Salsa, Cumbia, Bachata, Reggaeton. "Political chaos tore the country apart in the early 20th century, and music was often suppressed, especially those with strong native influences. In the 1940s, for example, it was decreed that a dance called "Xuc" was to be the "national dance" which was created and led by Paquito Palaviccini's and his "ORQUESTA INTERNACIONAL POLIO." In the last ten years Reggaeton and Hip hop have many popularity and Salvadorian youths form groups such as Pescozada and Mecate. Salvadorian music have many styles such as Mayan music on the border of El Salvador and Guatemala which is known as Chalatenango. Another style of music not originally from El Salvador could be known as Punta a Belizean and Honduran much more style. One of the leading classical composers from El Salvador is Carlos Colón-Quintana.

Haiti

Rich blend of African and European sounds; along with Cuban and Dominican influences, come together to create Haiti's diverse music. The most notable styles are Kompa and Méringue.

Evolving in Haiti in the 1850s, the Haitian merengue, called the "mereng," is regarded as the oldest surviving form of merengue still performed today.

Haitiean Creole, méringue in French is a national symbol in Haiti. according to Jean Fouchard, mereng evolved from the fusion of slave musics such as the chica and calenda with ballroom forms related to the French contredanse Mereng's name, he says, derives from the mouringue music of the Bara, a Bantu people of Madagascar. That few Malagasies came to the Americas renders this etymology dubiou, but it is significant because it foregrounds what Fouchard, and most Haitians, consider the essentially African-derived nature of their music and national identity. Dominican merengue, Jean Fouchard suggests, developed directly from Haitian mereng Dominicans are often disinclined to admit African and Haitian influences on their culture. As ethnomusicologist Martha Davis points out, many Dominican scholars "have, at the least, ignored African influence in Santo Domingo. At the worst, they have bent over backwards to convince themselves and their readers of the one hundred percent Hispanic content of their culture. This is not an uncommon Latin American reaction to the inferiority complex produced by centuries of Spanish colonial domination".

Honduras

The music of Honduras is very varied, from Punta, the local genre of the Garifunas, to Caribbean music like Salsa, Merengue, Reggae, and Reggaeton all widely heard especially in the North, to Mexican rancheras heard in the interior, rural part of the country. The country's ancient capital of Comayagua is an important center for modern Honduran music, and is home to the College for Fine Arts.

Mexico

Mexico is perhaps one of the most diverse countries in the world when it comes to music. Each of its 31 States and its capital city (and its Burroughs) claim unique styles of music. The most representative is the Mariachi serenade music. Although commonly portrayed as music wanderers play, it is extremely technical and purist mariachi music follows very strict rules. Most of its music is sang with verses and prose of complex poetry. Other regional music includes:

Son Jarocho or Mexican mambo, Mexican pop, Rancheras which differs from Mariachi music as it is less technical and its lyrics are not sang in prose - form of Mexican country music, Boleros, etc.

Another popular style called or Norteña mainly played in the Northeastern part of the country it assimilates Mexican Ranchera with Colombian cumbia and is usually played with Bavarian accordions and it is very similar to Tex-Mex music. Many other versions exist such as Mexican Spanish rock, Duranguense, Veracruzan Danzon, Trio, Cha Cha Cha, Sinaloan Tambora, etc. Cuba usually disputes ownership of mambo music, but notably one of its major composers was Perez Prado, a Mexican. The Mexican mambo however is highly technical and its use of metal is less aggressive than its Caribbean counterpart, some opine the Mexican mambo is more refined.

Nicaragua

The most popular style of music in Central America Nicaragua is Palo de Mayo which is a dance and genre of music, as well as a festival in which the dance and music originated. Other popular music includes marimba, punta, Garifuna music, son nica, folk music, merengue, bachata, and salsa.

Panama

The popular style of music in Panama is Spanish reggae. Spanish reggae is a style of music that originated here in 1977 and continues to the present, even though reggaeton enventually was created in Puerto Rico and it has strong Puerto Rican influences such as the island's bomba and plena soca. Salsa, bachata, and merengue can be heard as well throughout the nation. Other Hispanic and Latino styles can be heard as well as can Caribbean, Salsa and West Indian music.

Paraguay

Polka Paraguaya, which adopted the name from a European beat, is the most typical type of music and has relatively different versions including the Galopa, the Krye’ÿ and the Canción Paraguaya, or Paraguayan Song. The first two are faster and more upbeat than the standard polka, and the third, a slight bit slower and melancholic. Other popular styles include the Purahéi Jahe’o and the Compuesto, which generally tell sad, epic or love stories.

The polka usually is based on poetic lyrics, but there are some emblematic pieces of Paraguayan music that exist, such as Pájaro Campana, or Songbird, by Félix Pérez Cardozo. Guarania is the second best known Paraguayan music style and was created by the great musician José Asunción Flores in 1925. Paraguayan music depends largely upon two instruments: the guitar and the harp, whose first copies were brought by the conquistadors and found their own style in the country.

Peru

Peruvian music is made up of indigenous, Spanish, and West African influences. Coastal Afro-Peruvian music is characterized by the use of the Cajón peruano. Amerindian music varies according to region and ethnicity. The most well known Amerindian style is the huayño, also popular in Bolivia, played on instruments such as the charango and guitar. Mestizo music is varied and within it we find as most popular valses and marinera from the northern coast.

Puerto Rico

Out of all of Puerto Rico's musical exports, it is known for its version of salsa music as well as reggaeton. Bomba and plena have been popular in Puerto Rico for a long time, while reggaetón is a relatively recent invention. Reggaeton is a form of urban contemporary music, which often combine other Latin musical styles and Caribbean and West Indies music together such as reggae and soca and Spanish reggae, most commonly salsa music and merengue music and bachata. Now in current times in Puerto Rico it has a genre known as Malianteo which is blend Rap, Regaeton, and Rap Core version

Venezuela

Llanera is Venezuelan popular music originated in the "llanos" plains, although you will find the more upbeat and festive Gaita beat in the western area, specifically in Zulia State. There is also African influenced styles which emphasize drumming and dance and such diverse styles as music from the Guayana region influenced by the neighboring English speaking countries as well as andean music from Mérida.

Uruguay

Uruguay has similar roots to Argentina. Uruguayan tango and milonga are both very popular styles. Plus, their folk music from along the River Plate is indistinguishable from its Argentine counterpart. Uruguay rock and cancion popular, essentially their versions of rock and pop music, are currently the most popular local forms. Candombe, a style of drumming descending from African slaves in the area, is one of the few things that can be deemed quintessentially Uruguayan, although it does also occur to a lesser-extent in Argentina. It is most popular in Montevideo but can be found in a number of other internal cities too.

Popular styles

Nueva canción

Nueva canción is a Latin American music genre which emphasizes social progressive themes and social commentary along with influences of the trovadour tradition and singer-songwriter confessionalism. It can range from more folk styles such as groups like Inti Illimani from Chile to individual Nueva trova acts such as Silvio Rodriguez from Cuba.

Salsa

Based on Cuban music (especially Cuban son and son montuno) in rhythm, tempo, baseline, riffs and instrumentation, Salsa represents an amalgamation of musical styles, including rock, jazz, and other Latin American musical traditions including Puerto Rico. Modern salsa as it became known worldwide was forged in the pan-Latin melting pot of New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Tejano music

Tejano music can be categorized as a blend of country music, rock, and R&B; born in Texas and performed in both Spanish and English with a variety of cultural influences.

Most Tejanos today reside in South Texas and have their own unique form of folk and popular music, greatly influenced by yet quite distinctive from both traditional genres of Mexican music and mainstream genres of American music. Latina Superstar Selena brought Tejano music to the mainstream and is credited frequently for bringing it to the top.

Reggaetón

Reggaeton has become an Latin American phenomenon and is no longer classifiable merely as a Panamanian or even Puerto Rican genre. It blends Jamaican musical influences of reggae and dancehall and Trinidadian soca with Latin American music, such as the Puerto Rican bomba and plena, as well as that of American hip hop and rap. The music is also combined with rapping (generally) in Spanish.

Latin Ballad

The Latin or romantic ballad is a latin music genres that originated in the 60 years. This kind of ballad is very popular in Latin America and Spain and is characterized by a very sensitive musical rhythm. Descendant of the bolero, it have Several variants, such as salsa and cumbia romantic between others. In the second half of the twentieth and in twenty-first century a number of artists have popularized the genre such as Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel and Christian Castro.

Imported styles

Imported styles of popular music with a distinctively Latin style include Latin jazz, Argentine rock and Chilean rock, and Cuban and Mexican hip hop, all based on styles from the United States (jazz, rock and roll and hip hop). Music from non-Latin parts of the Caribbean are also popular, especially Jamaican reggae and dub, Trinidadian calypso music and Soca. See also Spanish Tinge. Flamenco, rumba and pasodoble from Spain is popular in some segments due to the Spanish heritage of Latin-America.

See also

Opera in Latin America

References

, cited in Nettl, p. 163.

External links

Latin American Music on the Open Directory Project

Greatest Latin Contemporary Albums of AllTime

South American Music and Culture Magazine

Further reading

Blackburn, Manuella. “Electroacoustic Music Incorporating Latin American Influences: A consideration of implications, reception and borrowing.” ''eContact! 12.4 — Perspectives on the Electroacoustic Work / Perspectives sur l’œuvre électroacoustique'' (August 2010). Montréal: CEC.

Category:Latin pop Category:Latin American styles of music

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Name	Vin Diesel
Birth name	Mark Sinclair Vincent
Birth date	July 18, 1967
Birth place	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1990–present
Partner	Paloma Jimenez
Website	VinDiesel.com }}

Vin Diesel (born Mark Sinclair Vincent; July 18, 1967) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including ''The Fast and the Furious'' and ''xXx''. He founded the production companies One Race Films, Tigon Studios and Racetrack Records.

Early life

Vin Diesel was born in New York City, the son of Delora, a psychiatrist and astrologer. Diesel has Italian and black ancestry. He has described himself as "definitely a person of color" and stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity – Italian and a lot of other stuff". Diesel has never met his biological father, and was raised by his African-American father, Irving, an acting instructor and theatre manager. He made his stage debut at age seven when he appeared in the children's play ''Dinosaur Door'', written by Barbara Garson. The play was produced at Theater for the New City in New York's Greenwich Village. His involvement in the play came about when he, his brother and some friends had broken into Theater for the New City's space on Jane Street with the intent to vandalize it. They were confronted by the theater's artistic director, Crystal Field, who instead of calling the police, handed them scripts and offered them parts in the upcoming show. He remained involved with the theatre throughout adolescence, going on to attend the city's Hunter College, where his creative writing studies led him to begin screenwriting. Diesel became an active film-maker in the early 1990s, first earning notice for the short film ''Multi-Facial'', which was selected for screening at the 1995 Cannes Festival. Diesel has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor as a result of early difficulties finding roles due to his mixed heritage.

In an interview on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', he said that he changed his name to "Vin Diesel" while working as a bouncer at the New York City nightclub Tunnel, because in that business one's real name is not usually given out. The name "Vin" is simply a shortened version of "Vincent". He received the nickname "Diesel" from his friends who said he ran off diesel fuel, referring to his non-stop energy.

He has a twin brother, Paul, a younger brother, Tim, and a sister, Samantha.

Career

Diesel's first film role was a brief uncredited appearance in the 1990 film ''Awakenings''. He then produced, directed, and starred in the 1994 short film ''Multi-Facial'', a short semi-autobiographical film which follows a struggling actor stuck in the audition process, because he is regarded as either "too black" or "too white", or not black or white enough. He made his first feature-length film, 1997's ''Strays'', an urban drama in which he was self-cast as a gang boss whose love for a woman inspires him to try to change his ways. Written, directed and produced by Diesel, the film was selected for competition at the 1997 Sundance Festival, leading to an MTV deal to turn it into a series.

He was then cast in Steven Spielberg's 1998 Oscar-winning film ''Saving Private Ryan'' on the poignancy of his performance in ''Multi-Facial''. In 1999 he earned critical acclaim for his voice work as the title character in the animation film ''The Iron Giant''. He followed it up with a major role in the Business drama ''Boiler Room'' (2000) and then got his breakthrough role as the anti-hero Riddick in the science-fiction film ''Pitch Black'' (2000). He attained action hero super stardom with the box office hits, the street racing action film ''The Fast and the Furious'' (2001), starring opposite Paul Walker, and the action thriller ''xXx'' (2002).

In 2004, he reprised his role as ''Pitch Black's'' Riddick in ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' which was a box office failure considering the large budget. In 2005 he played a lighthearted role in the comedy film ''The Pacifier'', which became a box office success. In 2006 he chose a dramatic role playing real-life mobster Jack DiNorscio in ''Find Me Guilty''. Although he received critical acclaim for his performance, the film did poorly at the box office. Later that year he made a cameo appearance in ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', reprising his role from ''The Fast and The Furious''. Diesel was originally offered the lead in ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' but turned it down. He was also offered the chance to reprise his role from ''xXx'' in ''xXx: State of the Union'' but turned it down as well. In March 2006, Diesel stated that he was working on a sequel to ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' which as of 2011 is still in pre-production stages.

In 2007, he was set to produce and star as Agent 47 in the film adaptation of the video game ''Hitman'', but eventually pulled back and served as executive producer on the film instead. In 2008 he starred in the science-fiction action thriller ''Babylon A.D.''.

He returned to the ''The Fast and The Furious'' series, alongside all the actors from the original 2001 film, in ''Fast & Furious'', which released in April 2009. In 2011, he once again returned, for the fifth film in the series, titled ''Fast Five''.

Personal life

Diesel is noted for his recognizable deep voice; he has said that his voice broke at around age 15, giving him a mature sounding voice on the telephone.

Around 2001, Diesel dated his ''The Fast and the Furious'' co-star, Michelle Rodriguez.

Diesel has expressed his love for the Dominican Republic, and how he relates to its multicultural facets. He is also acquainted with President Leonel Fernandez, and has since appeared in one of his earlier campaign ads. "Los Bandoleros", a short film directed by Diesel, was also filmed in the Dominican Republic.

Diesel claims that he prefers dating in Europe, where he is less likely to be recognized and where celebrities are not romantically linked to each other. He prefers to maintain his privacy regarding his personal life:

Diesel has played ''Dungeons & Dragons'' for over twenty years and wrote the foreword for the commemorative book ''30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons''. In the 30th Anniversary of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' issue of ''Dragon Magazine'', they examine the fact that Diesel played ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and reveal that he had a fake tattoo of his character's name, "Melkor," on his stomach while filming ''xXx''.

Diesel has a daughter, Hania Riley, born April 2, 2008, with his girlfriend, model Paloma Jimenez. Speaking to ''An tEolas'', an Irish newspaper, Diesel stated he has been seen as a hard man, but is in touch with his soft side as a father.

Filmography

Actor

''Multi-Facial'' ''Strays (film) ''Saving Private Ryan'' ''The Iron Giant'' ''Boiler Room (film) ''The Fast and the Furious (2001 film) ''xXx'' ''A Man Apart'' ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' ''The Pacifier'' ''Find Me Guilty'' ''Babylon A.D. (film) ''Fast & Furious'' ''Fast Five (film)

Year !! Movie !! Role !! Other notes
1990	''Awakenings''	Orderly
1994	|	Mike
1997	Strays'' ||	Rick
1998	|	Private Adrian Caparzo
1999	|	The Iron Giant (voice)	Animated
rowspan="2"	2000	Boiler Room'' ||	Chris Varick
''Pitch Black (film)	Pitch Black''	Richard B. Riddick
rowspan="2"	2001	The Fast and the Furious'' ||	Dominic Toretto
''Knockaround Guys''	Taylor Reese
2002	|	Xander Cage
2003	|	Sean Vetter
rowspan="2"	2004	|	Richard B. Riddick
''The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury''	Richard B. Riddick (voice)
2005	|	Lieutenant Shane Wolfe
rowspan="2"	2006	|	Jack DiNorscio
''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''	Dominic Toretto
2008	Babylon A.D.'' ||	Hugo Cornelius Toorop
2009	|	Dominic "Dom" Toretto
2011	Fast Five ||	Dominic "Dom" Toretto

Producer

! Film Title	! Year	! Description
''Multi-Facial''	1994	Producer
	1997	Executive Producer, Producer
''xXx''	2002	Executive Producer
''A Man Apart''	2003	Producer
''Chronicles of Riddick''	2004	Executive Producer
''Life is a Dream''	2004	Documentary, Executive Producer
''Find Me Guilty''	2006	Producer
	2007	Executive Producer
''Fast & Furious''	2009	Producer
	2011	Producer

Director & Writer

! Film	! Year
''Multi-Facial''	1994
	1997

Games

# ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'' (2004) # ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena'' (2009) # ''Wheelman'' (2009)

References

External links

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American writers Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American film directors of Italian descent Category:American film producers Category:American screenwriters Category:American stage actors Category:American voice actors Category:American video game actors Category:American writers of Italian descent Category:Hunter College alumni Category:Dungeons & Dragons writers Category:Twin people from the United States Category:Writers from New York City

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Name	Don Omar
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	William Omar Landrón Rivera
Alias	El Rey
Birth date	February 10, 1978
Origin	Puerto Rico
Genre	Reggaeton, Pop, Rap, R&B;
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, composer, CEO, actor
Years active	1999–present
Label	Orfanato Music Group (His Label)VI MusicUniversal Music LatinoMachete Music
Website	Don Omar }}

Don Omar, also known as El Rey (born William Omar Landrón Rivera; February 10, 1978, is a Puerto Rican Reggaetón singer and actor.

Early life

William Omar Landrón Rivera is the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. He was raised in Santurce, a barrio of San Juan, Puerto Rico, specifically in the Villa Palmeras area. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC, but never actually followed it. During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo, in Bayamón where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.

Several months later, he had his first public presentation in a night club, accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJ's and producers like Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also started working as a backup singer for the duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor Delgado, helped him produce his first solo album.

Career

2000–2005: The Last Don

Don Omar's career catapulted to stardom with the release of his first studio album, ''The Last Don''. Both the studio version and its live edition have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Worldwide, ''The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD]'' has sold over one million copies, according to his official website. Omar's debut single, “Dale Don Dale”, sold over 500,000 copies in South America. He earned awards for “Latin Pop Album of the Year” and "New Artist & Latin Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year” by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2003. ''The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD]'' was also nominated for "Urban Music Album" at the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards.

2006–2008: King of Kings

Omar's May 2006 album ''King of Kings'', became history's highest ranking reggaeton LP in the top 10 US charts, with its debut at #1 on the Latin sales charts and the #1 spot on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Radio Chart with his single “Angelito”. Omar was also able to beat the in-store appearance sales record at Disney World's Virgin music store previously set by pop star Britney Spears.

With the highest charting debut by a reggaeton artist, Don Omar's "King of Kings" entered at No. 7 with 74,000, beating Daddy Yankee's No. 24 entry with 2005's "Barrio Fino En Directo". In April 2007, Don Omar received the Latin Billboard award for "Reggaeton Album Of The Year" for King of Kings. The songs "Los Bandoleros" and "Conteo" were featured in the movie ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' in the ending credits.

On September 18, 2007, Landrón was briefly under police custody in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, when a local company sued him after he canceled a concert scheduled for earlier that year in La Paz, Bolivia as part of an international tour titled "Up Close". The organization claimed that he had stolen $70,000 due to the cancellation. Landrón responded that he canceled the concert because the company did not provide air tickets in time. After the case was presented before a local judge, both parts reached an agreement. Landrón was allowed to leave the country in order to comply with a previously scheduled appearance in Buenos Aires on Argentine television and returned the next day to hold his concert in Santa Cruz's Tahuichi Aguilera soccer stadium.

Landrón participated as in Gilberto Santa Rosa's presentation in an event titled "Concierto del Amor", presented in the Madison Square Garden on February 9, 2008. Where he closed the event and performed reggaeton themes.

In late 2009 Billboard recognized that this was the most successful album of the decade (since 2000) in Latin America, besides being the most successful in the history of the genre of Reggaeton and Latin music, Don Omar ended in 2009 devoting even more over its rivals as the best of this genre and urban music. It is estimated that the album until the end of 2009 according to Billboard recount has sold just over 4.1 million copies.

"Salió El Sol" is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

2009: iDon

Don Omar's third studio album titled ''iDon'' was released on April 28, 2009. This album was dedicated to his cousin Cordell Brown. He misses his family in St.Louis, thats's why the first single from this album titled "Virtual Diva" was performed on MTV's Tr3s variety show, ''Virtual Diva''. ''iDon'''s Virtual Diva became the most requested song on Latin radio stations. The second official single, titled "Sexy Robotica", was released on June 5, 2009.

2010–present: Meet the Orphans

Don Omar confirmed the name of his upcoming collaborative album, titled ''Meet the Orphans''. The single "Hasta Abajo" was released in advance of the album. The album was set to be released on August 24, 2010 through Orfanato Music Group, but now is scheduled on October 19, 2010. He is currently signed to VI Music and Machete Music through Universal Music Latino.

Personal life

William Omar Landrón is the father of three children. He married forecaster/journalist Jackie Guerrido on April 18, 2008. Divorce rumors surrounded the couple two years into the marriage and were compounded by comments Landrón made via Twitter. In March 2011, it was revealed they had divorced. Landrón is banned from Univision, after Univision got involved with his marriage, he is no longer allowed to attend any award shows from Univision. Omar is also the owner of Orfanato Music Group.

On September 2004, Landrón and three companions were detained by police personnel in Puerto Rico. The jury was selected on July 8, 2008. Two days later, Judge Angel Ramírez Ramírez of the Tribunal de Carolina denied a prosecutor's request to extract a DNA sample from a marijuana cigarette, noting that if a previous test done in June brings back negative results the charges against Landrón may be dropped. The hearings had to be postponed on July 10, 2008, because one of the prosecution's witnesses was unable to attend due to pregnancy. The DNA tests were "inconclusive". On July 22, 2008, the charges against Landrón were dropped by the prosecution, after several inconsistencies appeared in the witness accounts.

Discography

Studio Albums

2003: ''The Last Don''

2006: ''King of Kings''

2009: ''iDon''

Live / Special Edition Albums

2004: ''The Last Don Live''

2006: ''The Last Don: The Gold Series''

2006: ''King of Kings: Armageddon Edition''

2007: ''King of Kings Live''

Compilation Albums

2005: ''Don Omar Presenta: Los Bandoleros''

2005: ''Da Hitman Presents Reggaetón Latino''

2006: ''Don Omar Presenta: Los Bandoleros Reloaded''

2007: ''Don Omar Presenta: El Pentágono''

2010: ''Don Omar Presents: Meet the Orphans''

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role
	''Fast & Furious''	Rico Santos
	''Los Bandoleros''	Rico Santos
		Rico Santos

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

List of Puerto Rican songwriters

References

External links

Official IDon Album Website

Official Website

Official MySpace

Official Facebook

Category:1978 births * Category:Living people Category:People from Carolina, Puerto Rico Category:Puerto Rican male singers Category:Puerto Rican people of African descent Category:Puerto Rican rappers Category:Puerto Rican reggaeton artists Category:Reggaeton musicians Category:Spanish-language singers

ca:William Omar Landrón de:Don Omar es:Don Omar fr:Don Omar ko:돈 오마르 it:Don Omar nl:Don Omar ja:ドン・オマール no:Don Omar pl:William Omar Landrón pt:Don Omar ro:Don Omar ru:Дон Омар fi:Don Omar sv:Don Omar ta:டான் ஒமார் tr:Don Omar

name	The Basics
background	group_or_band
origin	Melbourne, Australia
genre	Rock
years active	2002 – (present)
label	Independent, Albert Records
associated acts	Gotye, Down Hills Home, Dog With Wheels, Blood Red Bird
website	The Basics Official Website
current members	Wally De BackerTim HeathKris Schroeder
past members	Michael Hubbard
notable instruments	Lead guitar, drums, bass guitar. }}

The Basics ( ) are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show them span a wide range of genres including reggae, ska, country, and electro-pop. They are "recognised as one of Australia's hardest-working bands".

With close to 1000 shows in their nine-year career, their live performances are well-known for their sense of humour and energy.

Formation

The Basics were formed after Kris met Wally at a party in Melbourne. The event was to see off the young aspiring producer, who was about to depart for Los Angeles, and together with a number of musician friends, the two jammed on some blues-rock standards. Later that night, they bonded over a mutual love of The Beatles, 70s & 80s cartoon theme songs and old Sierra adventure games.

Initially they played around Melbourne as an acoustic guitar/drums combo, starting at The Opposition in Frankston and the House of Fools in Footscray, where in late 2002 they met and later invited Michael Hubbard to join them on electric guitar. Though lacking any real experience with the instrument, Kris willingly purchased his first bass guitar and the trio was born. During this time the group start performing songs with more complicated three-part harmony.

During late 2002 and early 2003 The Basics recorded and released an album called ''Get Back'' through MGM Distribution. They began what was to become regular tours of the East and West coasts of Australia.

2004-2005: Current lineup

Tim Heath joined the group in June 2004, after Michael decided to pursue his solo career, which has included being one half of Down Hills Home. Tim was reportedly the only person to reply to an advertisement in Melbourne's Beat Magazine looking for a new guitarist. Tim apparently answered the advertisement - which said the applicant "must have a love of 50s and 60s rock'n'roll" - thinking that he would be meeting "a couple of old guys to play with on the weekends over some beers". They soon recorded ''For Girls Like You''.

The Basics in 2005 continued to tour and play small festivals, and after releasing ''For Girls Like You'' through MGM Distribution they departed for a national tour of Australia, which lasted for two months and took them to every Australian state and territory. Stuart Padbury, a young Melbourne sound engineer, joined them on much of this tour. On returning, the band began demoing songs for a new album.

2006-2009: Touring and soundtracks

In 2006, The Basics began recording what is to become known as ''Stand Out/Fit In''. This took several months and was not completed until the end of the year, despite intentions to have it released in June. Instead, they held a successful 'album preview' where each of the tracks was demonstrated in 'rough form' accompanied by a music video for each (produced by Melbourne photographic artist James Bryans). The band also talked about the origins of the songs. This event brought a lot of attention to the band for the idea's originality. They pre-released a radio single 'Just Hold On' from the album. The band were invited to play the hugely popular Homebake Festival in Sydney, where they received a great response ("one of the highlights" wrote ''The Daily Telegraph'').

In 2007, the band departed on a tri-state residency which saw them play Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane every week for the month of April - a bold move which brought further attention to the band for its original idea. Riding on the wave of this tour, Schroeder, De Backer and Heath departed on their first overseas tour which saw them performing 26 shows around Japan, Norway and the United Kingdom. They also toured twice more up the East Coast, one of which was with popular Japanese band The Bawdies. Their song 'Rattle My Chain' was used in a series of commercials for Volvo Australia. The song 'Hey There!' featured in the British film ''The Bank Job'' - starring Jason Statham - and was used as the backing for a February 2007 short film directed by Tim Longhurst called The Rip. Their song 'Better' was featured in a surfing documentary about the invention of the shortboard in 1967.

In 2008, the band appeared on Australia's Channel 9 for Australia Day celebrations, performing two of their songs - 'Just Hold On' and 'Hey There!' - to an estimated audience of 2 million. Securing an Australian Government grant, they embarked on a two-month tour of Australia, specifically targeting "culturally underprivileged groups" in rural and regional schoolchildren and Indigenous communities. The programme had them holding masterclasses and performing alongside Indigenous groups in the remote Northern Territory and Queensland. Their initiative also had them raising money for the charity Lifeline, their contribution to which was recognised with a plaque at the end of the tour. Season two of ''Californication'' starring David Duchovny featured their cover of the classic 'Have Love, Will Travel', most famously covered by 'The Sonics'.

In 2009, The Basics for the first time enjoyed the support of Australian radio network Triple J, which had reportedly snubbed the band's previous material. The singles 'With This Ship' and 'Like A Brother' were added to the station's playlist, and momentum carried The Basics overseas for a second tour of the United Kingdom and Norway, and also a series of shows in Dublin, Ireland. They were joined by the longtime front-of-house engineer Stuart Padbury who had been mixing them since 2005. The band was often seen in the Grafton Street Mall in Dublin busking to promote their concerts there. Their second show in Oslo, Norway saw the band perform with Hot Tub, one of the members of the Norwegian boy band "Boyzvoice", in his first performance for several years. Season Eight of ''Scrubs'' featured the song 'Lookin' Over My Shoulder'.

Despite all this promise, the band's album ''Keep Your Friends Close'' - produced and part-recorded by Peter Cobbin at London's Abbey Road Studios - though enjoying many favourable reviews, failed to impress Richard Kingsmill, music director of Triple J. This effectively ended the band's apparent upward spiral and the resulting album launch tour was reportedly "trying".

2010: Hiatus and live album

In 2010, following the band's fourth stint at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and the recording of a yet-unreleased live album, an indefinite hiatus was announced on the band's websites. This was in part due to the impending release of a new album produced by Wally for his Gotye project, and also to reported tensions within the band following the previous year's disappointments.

However, this hiatus was soon broken with a two-month residency at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne, which saw an apparent return to form. The band's EP "Wait For You" enjoys airplay on Triple J. The Basics also played a one-off show at Sydney's Oxford Art Factory.

On 20 August 2010, The Basics released their fourth LP , available free online and exclusively from *[www.FreeBasicsAlbum.com]. The band had reportedly moved to expand their listenership through this free giveaway, though 300 "Deluxe" CD/Vinyl versions have been printed. was recorded at the Northcote Social Club on 6 February, "in front of a live studio audience", and like the previous record was mixed by Peter Cobbin at Abbey Road Studios. Technically a self-titled album, the phonetics spell out the accurate pronunciation of the band’s name. Kris Schroeder: "For years we’ve worked at bringing our live energy into the studio and thus far it’s been a bit hit-and-miss. Our trick this time was to pull a switcheroo and bring the studio to us instead; the result is the best and closest to us we’ve sounded yet."

Melbourne thespian and Dog With Wheels bassist David Bramble - friends with Heath from university days - has occasionally joined the band on tour, playing keys, often while sporting a large moustache. Other guests have included Jake Mason (saxophone), also of Cookin' on 3 Burners and The Bamboos, Gideon Brazil (saxophone, flute), Simon Imrei (guitar and vocals) and Monty MacKenzie (saxophone).

Covers have often made an appearance from various sources: to date, some of the bands covered have been Cream, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, New Kids on the Block, Richard Berry, Sonny Curtis and The Crickets, JJ Cale, Harry Nilsson, Bill Scott, Ryan Adams and The Coasters (via The Beatles for their cover of Three Cool Cats).

Members

Kris Schroeder: Bass, Vocals

Wally De Backer: Drums, Vocals

Tim Heath: Guitar, Vocals

Discography

Albums

Get Back (15 January 2004)

Stand Out/Fit In (5 May 2007)

Keep Your Friends Close (25 September 2009)

(20 August 2010)

EP

For Girls Like You (11 July 2005)

Lookin' Over My Shoulder (10 February 2007)

Like A Brother (5 June 2009)

Wait For You (21 May 2010)

Singles

Call It Rhythm & Blues (20 August 2004)

Just Hold On

With This Ship (22 February 2009)

Upcoming projects

The band are taking a two year hiatus, set to return to the stage together in early 2012. Wally De Backer will be launching a new album under his Gotye act in August 2011, Tim Heath will be touring and recording with Blood Red Bird, and Kris Schroeder is currently recording a solo album.

References

External links

Official Website

Myspace Website

Category:Victoria (Australia) musical groups

name	Jennifer Lopez
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jennifer Lynn Lopez
alias	J.Lo
birth date	}}

| genre = | occupation = Actress, businesswoman, dancer, recording artist | years_active = 1986, 1991–present | label = Epic, Island, Work | website = }} Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), often known by her moniker J.Lo, is an American actress, businesswoman, dancer and recording artist. She began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program ''In Living Color''. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller ''Money Train''. Her first leading role was in the biographical film ''Selena'' (1997), in which she earned an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress. She earned her second ALMA Award for her performance in ''Out of Sight'' (1998). She has since starred in various films, including ''The Cell'' (2000), ''The Wedding Planner'' (2001), ''Maid in Manhattan'' (2002), ''Shall We Dance?'' (2004), ''Monster-in-Law'' (2005), and ''The Back-up Plan'' (2010).

Lopez came to prominence within the music industry following the release of her debut studio album ''On the 6'' (1999), which spawned the number one hit single "If You Had My Love". Her second studio album, ''J.Lo'' (2001), sold eight million copies worldwide; it was number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 the same week her film ''The Wedding Planner'' led the Box Office. ''J to tha L–O! The Remixes'' (2002) became her second consecutive album to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. Her third and fourth studio albums – ''This Is Me... Then'' and ''Rebirth'' – peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 2007 she released two albums: her first full Spanish-language album, ''Como ama una Mujer'', and her fifth English studio album, ''Brave''. Lopez returned to music and released her seventh studio album, titled ''Love?'', on April 19, 2011, which produced her most successful single to date, "On the Floor". Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous achievements, including two Grammy Award nominations; two Latin Grammy Award nominations; three American Music Awards, amongst six nominations. She has amassed estimated sales of over 55 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' ranked her as the 27th Artist of the 2000s decade. In 2010, Lopez became a member of the judging panel for the American reality television competition ''American Idol''. Lopez has been selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 for the "Recording" category.

She led ''People en Español''s list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in February 2007. That year, Lopez made the ''Forbes'' magazine's list of "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment," ranking ninth. She has parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement. A fashion icon, several of her dresses have received considerable media attention, most notably the Jungle green Versace dress which she wore at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2000—voted the fifth most iconic dress of all time. Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, Lopez advocates for human rights and vaccinations, and is a supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In 2011 she was named the most "Beautiful Person" by ''People'' magazine in its annual issue. As of 2011, her wealth is estimated to be $150 million.

Early life and career beginnings

Lopez was born on July 24, 1969, in The Bronx, New York, and was raised on Blackrock Avenue in the borough's Castle Hill neighborhood. She is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe (née Rodríguez), a kindergarten teacher, and David Lopez, a computer specialist, both born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Lopez was raised as a Roman Catholic. She has two siblings, Lynda and Leslie. Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools, finishing at the all-girls Preston High School in the Bronx. She financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of nineteen. After attending Baruch College for one semester, Lopez divided her time between working as a notary public in a legal office, dance classes, and dance performances in Manhattan night clubs. She had a small part in the 1987 film ''My Little Girl'', at the age of sixteen. After months of auditioning for dance roles, Lopez was selected as a dancer for various rap music videos, a 1990 episode of ''Yo! MTV Raps'', and as a backup dancer for the New Kids on the Block and their performance of their song "Games" for the American Music Awards in 1991. She gained her first regular high-profile job as a "Fly Girl" dancer on the television comedy program ''In Living Color'' from 1991–1993. Soon after, Lopez became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and made an appearance in her 1993 video "That's the Way Love Goes".

Entertainment career

1993–98: Acting debut and film breakthrough with ''Selena'' and ''Out Of Sight''

Lopez's first television job as an actress was on the Fox series ''South Central''. She also made guest appearances in ''Second Chances'' and ''Hotel Malibu''. She then appeared in the made-for-television film ''Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7''. Lopez's first serious screen role was in Gregory Nava's 1995 drama ''My Family'', playing the character of Young Maria in the 1920s. After starring alongside Jimmy Smits and Edward James Olmos in ''My Family'', which earned her a Independent Spirit Award nomination, Lopez starred in the action film ''Money Train'', opposite Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. In 1996, she reportedly beat out Ashley Judd and Lauren Holly for the supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy ''Jack'' starring Robin Williams. She then starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Bob Rafelson's well-received noir thriller ''Blood and Wine'' (1996). thumb|left|200px|Lopez earned widespread acclaim for her role as "Selena" Lopez's first big break came in 1997, when she was chosen to play the title role in ''Selena'', a biopic of the Tejano pop singer Selena. Despite having previously worked with Nava on ''Mi Familia'', Lopez was subjected to an intense auditioning process before landing the role. Production of the movie began in mid 1996. Lopez played Selena in her 20s, while Rebecca Lee Maza played Selena in her younger years. During pre-production, Mexican-American activists were highly critical that Jennifer Lopez, a New York City native born to Puerto Rican parents, was selected to play Selena. They preferred an actress with Mexican roots. However, after seeing Lopez's portrayal of Selena, they revised their opinions and were more accepting of Nava's decision. Lopez earned widespread outstanding reviews and praise from critics for her portrayal of Selena. Kenneth Turan from ''Los Angeles Times'' film critic Kenneth Turan while giving the film a mixed review, he wrote that ''Selena'' was not just a celebration of Selena's life, but the actress who played her. Joe Baltake said that Lopez was "is sensational in the title role" and complimented her for pulling off lip-syncing to Selena's original tracks as her own, as she wasn't a trained singer at the time. She garnered multiple awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy". Lopez has won an MTV Movie Award. ''Selena'' had a budget of $20 million, and grossed $35 million

Later that year, Lopez appeared in two major films. She starred in the horror film ''Anaconda'' alongside Ice Cube and Jon Voight, playing the role of Terri Flores, a director who is shooting a documentary while traveling through the Amazon River. Despite being a modest box office hit, the film was critically panned. Lopez then starred as the leading actress in the neo-noir film ''U Turn'', which is based on the book ''Stray Dogs'', starring alongside Sean Penn and Billy Bob Thornton. In 1998, she had one of her most acclaimed roles, starring opposite George Clooney in ''Out of Sight'', Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal, Lopez won rave reviews for her performance and in the process she became the first Latina actress to earn over $1 million for a role. That same year, she provided the voice for Azteca on the computer-animated film ''Antz''.

1999–01: Musical debut with ''On the 6'', ''J.Lo'' and continued box office success

By May 1999, publicity for Lopez's debut album had begun, and the news spread fast. 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. Her debut single, "If You Had My Love" was released on May 21, 1999. It debuted at the lower ends of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at 64, and due to high airplay and sales, it reached the top spot on June 12, 1999, her first number-one lead single; it remains her only song to reach the top spot without a feature. It stayed on the chart for a total of 25 weeks, and in addition peaked at number-two on ''Billboard'' Pop Songs Chart. Looking back on the record's success, during an interview in 2011, Lopez stated "Still I think about that and still it's like wow, my first record I ever did went to number one. It's just an overwhelming feeling. This does not happen all the time. This is a very special thing." It was proceeded by the release of "Waiting For Tonight", which peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and was a dance club hit. Prior to the release of "Waiting For Tonight" as a single, a Spanish language Latin-flavored ballad with Marc Anthony (her husband from 2004 to 2011), "No Me Ames" was released and failed to chart on major charts. ''On the 6'' featured guest artists such as Big Pun and Fat Joe on the track "Feelin' So Good", which had moderate success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, however failed to reach the top 50. "Let's Get Loud", the final single, earned Lopez a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Dance Recording" category in 2001 Grammy Awards. "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 Duo/Group with Vocal Performance" and "Best Music Video". In addition, Lopez was nominated for more awards then any other at the 1999 The Billboard Music Video Awards, scoring seven nominations in total, leading the likes of Christina Aguilera. ''On The 6'' had sold three million copies worldwide by August 2000. With the release and promotion of ''On The 6'' over, Lopez had successfully converted herself from film star to pop star within 12 months. Lopez then starred opposite Vincent D'Onofrio, in the psychological thriller film ''The Cell'', released on August 18, 2000. She portrayed Catherine Deane, a child psychologist who uses virtual reality to enter into the minds of her patients to coax them out of their comas. The film was released in August 2000 and became a box office success opening at number one. By August 2000, Lopez had begun work on her sophomore album. ''J.Lo'', was released on January 23, 2001 and debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, exceeding sales of 270,000 copies in its first week. In addition, the album dethroned The Beatles's ''1'' from the top spot. At the same time, her romantic comedy film, ''The Wedding Planner'', which she stard in alongside Matthew McConaughey led box office receipts, making Lopez the first female to have a film and an album at number one in the country, in the exact same week. ''J.Lo'' was more urban oriented than ''On the 6''. 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 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached number three in the UK. Her next single were "I'm Real" reached number one on the Hot 100, as well as spending over a year on the chart, with a total of 62 weeks. "I'm Real" was controversial for using a sample of the song "Firecraker"; which singer Mariah Carey had wanted to sample first. It was later shockingly announced that Carey's ex husband, Tommy Mottola had instructed record executive Irv Gotti to give Lopez the sample before Carey, and Lopez hadn't any knowledge of this at all. "Ain't It Funny" was released however didn't receive proper commercial promotion in the United States therefore ineligible for charting on the Hot 100. To capitalize on this, Lopez asked The Inc. Records (then known as Murder Inc.) to remix both songs ("I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny), which featured rap artists Ja Rule (on both) and Cadillac Tah (on the "Ain't It Funny" remix). "Ain't It Funny (murder remix)" reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for several weeks, and led Radio Airplay and Pop Songs charts. On July 24, 2001, She re-released ''J. Lo'' on her 32nd birthday with the remix of "I'm Real" as a bonus track. Also, "Si Ya Se Acabó" was released in Spain, due to the success "Que Ironia." In 2001, Lopez performed on tour on the ''Let's Get Loud "Live in Puerto Rico" Concert''. ''J.Lo'' has sold 4 million copies in the United States alone. On September 27, 2004, a box set was released by Epic Records featuring ''On The 6'' and ''J.Lo'' combined. Lopez next role, in the supernatural romance film ''Angel Eyes'' released May 2001, was a box office flub and failed to garner a proper audience, in addition film critics were not impressed either.

2002–06: ''J to tha L-O! The Remixes'', ''This Is Me... Then'', focus on film and ''Rebirth''

Following the success of the re-release of ''J. Lo'', Lopez decided to devote an entire album to the remix 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, selling over 150,000 copies in its opening week. Featured artists on ''J to tha L-O! The Remixes'' included P. Diddy, Fat Joe, and Nas, and the album included rare dance and hip hop remixes of past singles. It is the third all-time biggest-selling remix album in history, after Michael Jackson's ''Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'', The Beatles' ''Love'' and Madonna's ''You Can Dance'', having sold a total of 1.5 million copies as of October 2010. In addition, it dethroned Alan Jackson's ''Drive'' from the number one spot on the chart, which had spent 3 consecutive weeks at the top. ''J to tha L-O: The Remixes'' sold 624,000 copies within its first month, and stayed in the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200 for a month, too. It remained the only album to debut at number one in the United States for nearly 10 years, until Justin Bieber's remix effort in 2011 debuted at the top spot with similar opening sales. "I'm Gonna Be Alright" which was previously on her ''J.Lo'' album was released as a single; impacting the charts by July 2007 and reached the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "I'm Gonna Be Alright" spent 23 weeks on the chart. In May 2002, she starred in the thriller film Enough as Slim, a woman abused by her husband and on the run from him. The film garnered negative reviews, however the fight scene at the finale chapter of the movie in which Slim kills her husband was praised. In addition, the film was considered a "kick-butt, female empowerment" movie. Lopez released her third studio album, ''This Is Me... Then'', on November 26, 2002. It was dedicated to her then fiancé, actor Ben Affleck. The songs, in particular the fifth track, "Dear Ben" detailed her romantic relationship with Affleck. The album debuted at number six (her lowest debut as of that time) however contained her highest first-week sales of over 310,000 copies; more then double to that of ''J to tha Lo: The Remixes''. It moved to 2 on the chart later on, where it peaked, and spent 40 weeks on the chart. By February 2003 (5 months following its initial release) it remained in the Top 10, managing to average around 80,000 copies per week. The album's lead single, Jenny from the Block" (featuring Jadakiss and Styles P) was released and reached the third spot on the Hot 100. The song "intones her (Lopez) modest childhood roots vowing she wishes to remain simple despite her diamonds." Its accommodating music video featured Lopez and her then fiancé, Ben Affleck under the scrutiny of the paparazzi. ''This Is Me ... Then'' spawned three other singles , "All I Have" (featuring LL Cool J) being the second, reached number one on the Hot 100, and "I'm Glad" and "Baby I Love U!" were the final two singles released from the album, peaking at 32 and 72 on the Hot 100 respectively. The video for "I'm Glad" recreated scenes from the 1983 film ''Flashdance'', leading to a lawsuit over copyright infringement, which was later dismissed. In addition, ''This Is Me Then'' included a cover of Carly Simon's 1978 "You Belong to Me". The album has sold 2.5 million copies in the United States, lower then her previous studio albums. Following her third studio effort, Lopez took a musical hiatus to focus on her film career. She appeared alongside Ralph Fiennes in the romantic comedy film ''Maid in Manhattan'', released on December 13, 2002. Her character, Marisa Ventura, is a struggling single mother who lives in the Bronx and makes her living cleaning rooms in a super-luxurious Manhattan hotel, and gets mistaken for a socialite by a princely politician. ''Maid in Manhattan'' was a box office hit, opening at number one. ''The New York Times'' compared the film's storyline to her 2002 song, "Jenny from the Block", commenting, "In her new single, ''Jenny From the Block,'' Jennifer Lopez declares that despite her enormous wealth and global fame, she has not lost touch with her roots." ''Gigli'' a film which Lopez starred as a Lesbian, across her then-lover Ben Affleck was released on August 1, 2003, and was a box office flub, and is often considered one of the worst films ever made. In 2004, once again she starred in another movie with Ben Affleck, Jersey Girl, but only grossed $36 million at the box office and received poor reviews. In August 2003, (after the international flub of "''Gigli''") it was announced that Lopez was star in ''Shall We Dance?''. The move was released in 2004, in which Lopez starred as Paulina alongside Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon; it reached the third spot at the Box Office.''Shall We Dance?'', grossed $112,238,000, at the international box office. Domestically, ''Shall We Dance?'' grossed $57,890,460 and a total of $170,128,460 worldwide. By this time, Lopez was well established as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and the highest-paid Latin actress in Hollywood history, though she's never had a film grossing over $100 million in the USA. She was on ''The Hollywood Reporter'''s list of the top ten actress salaries in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Lopez released her fourth studio album, ''Rebirth'', on March 1, 2005. The lead single was "Get Right"., reaching 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was a dance club hit. The song reached number one in the United Kingdom. The video for "Get Right" has Lopez portraying many different characters in a nightclub and sporting several different looks and occupations. Following the release of "Get Right", the album debuted (and peaked) at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 261,000 copies in its opening week. It quickly fell off the charts, and produced one more single, "Hold You Down", which featured Fat Joe, reached number 64 on the Hot 100 while it peaked at number six in the UK and ascended to the top 20 in Australia. The song "Cherry Pie" was intended to be released as a single, however due to low sales (despite a high start) of ''Rebirth'' these plants were scrapped. ''Rebirth'' was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA; selling over 700,000 copies so far in the United States, and has enjoyed international success. In May 2005, the film ''Monster-in-Law'' was released. It was Jane Fonda's first movie in several years. It featured Lopez as Charlie, an artist who is pitted against her fiance's conniving mother when she doesn't accept her as her son's girlfriend (or soon-to-be wife). However, the $43-million film became a box-office smash debuting at number one, earning $83 million ($154.7 worldwide) during its theatrical run in summer 2005. Lopez received $15 million for her role in ''Monster-in-Law''. Later, she starred in a film entitled ''An Unfinished Life'', which did not do well; only reaching 11 at the Box office. In 2006, Lopez was featured in LL Cool J's single "Control Myself", which was released on February 1, 2006. It reached number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart, Lopez's first collaborative Top 10 Hit in the U.S. since 2003. Also that year, she was in the movie ''Bodertown''; The movie is based on a series of unsolved murders in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, a ''maquiladora'' border city across the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) from El Paso, Texas. Estimates of the murders conflict, yet, conservatively speaking over four hundred women, maybe many more, have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered since 1993 in and around Ciudad Juárez. Lopez garnered a few awards and recognition for this part. The film wasn't a large success, though. Jennifer was one of the recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award, after her appearance in ''Bordertown''.

2007–08: ''Como ama una Mujer'', ''Brave'' and career break

From early 2006, it was reported that Lopez was to release a full Spanish language album. Contactmusic.com said that Lopez would "prove critics wrong" and prove that she actually has a voice, through this new project. Upon the eve of the album's release, Lopez explained that she had previously aimed to sing in Spanish, however her career took a different path. Lopez officially released her first full Spanish-language album, ''Como ama una Mujer'', on March 23, 2007. It was one of few Latin albums to debut within the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200, debuting at number 10. The album was a natural and large success within the Latin community, reaching number one on ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums. The record enjoyed moderate international success, reaching the top 10 in countries such as Italy, Germany, Greece, Poland and Austria, however was her first album to fail on the U.K. charts, charting briefly somewhere under the Top 100 mark. thumb|left|Lopez with husband Marc Anthony (right) and Greek singer Kostas Martakis (left), who opened her September 2008 concert in Athens. ''Como ama una Mujer'' marks the highest debut sales in the United States for a Spanish album and the highest digital sales for a Spanish album. It went straight to number one in Switzerland. ''The York Press'', on the album, stated that "Lopez stunned many with her Spanish language Como Ama una Mujer, which at last proved that she is a major musical force." For promotion of ''Como Ama Una Mujer'', Lopez traveled with her husband, Marc Athony, back to the Bronx, to meet fans and sign copies of her album in her hold neighbourd. Over 500 people attended. In an interview, Lopez stated "It touches my heart to be able to bring this album back to my neighborhood, back to my home." Her husband, singer Marc Anthony, produced the album with Estefano, except for "Qué Hiciste", which Anthony co-produced with Julio Reyes. The lead single, "Qué Hiciste" (Spanish for "What Did You Do"), was released to radio stations in January 2007. It peaked at 86 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Latin Songs and the Hot Dance Club Play. It also went top ten on the European chart. The video for the song was the first Spanish-language video to peak at number one on MTV's ''Total Request Live'' daily countdown. The second single released is called "Me Haces Falta" and the third is "Por Arriesgarnos". Lopez won an American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist in 2007, which she won again four years later in 2011. Lopez performed "Qué Hiciste" on Reality singing competition ''American Idol'', in the same week she was a mentor; she is the first person to perform a Latin (non-english) song on the hit show. On July 24, 2007 (Lopez's birthday) ''Billboard'' magazine reported that Lopez and husband Marc Anthony would "co-headline" a worldwide tour called "Juntos en Concierto" starting in New Jersey on September 29. The tour launched September 28, 2007 at the Mark G. Etess Arena and ended on November 7, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. In August 2007, Lopez collaborated on the feature film, ''El Cantante'', with her husband – singer-actor Marc Anthony. Ms. Lopez, who's also a producer of the film, "does enough acting for the two of them in her role as Puchi, Héctor’s wife" while creating a very interesting and edgy performance. The film is in English, with creative use of subtitles for songs with Spanish lyrics. On August 15, 2007, it was confirmed that Lopez had begun working on her fifth English language album, and sixth studio album overall, that was confirmed for a release on October 9, 2007. The title was announced as ''Brave''. The lead single was announced as "Do It Well", which was serviced to radio stations and released in August. It debuted at 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling only 53,000 copies in its opening week. Commercially, it was her least successful album. "Do It Well" managed to reach 31 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, but remained on the chart only for a mere nine weeks. It earned mixed to negative reviews, Rashod D. Ollison from ''The Sun'' said that "Brave – was not to daring". However, there were a ''few'' positive reviews. ''The York Press'' compared ''Brave'' to Britney Spears' album due for release around the same time. Praising Lopez for not needing digital enhancement of her voice in "Brave" compared to Spears, they turned their favor to ''Brave'' instead of ''Blackout'' despite praising Spears' for delivering a "decent album". Aside from this, ''Brave'' garnered negative or mixed reviews, who complained that despite the title, there was nothing brave about it. She collaborated with producers Midi Mafia, J. R. Rotem, Lynn and Wade and Ryan Tedder, with Rotem working on some tracks with writing partner Evan "Kidd" Bogart. Earlier, on August 26, 2007, ABC premiered a promo for the fourth season of ''Desperate Housewives'', featuring a snippet of the song "Mile in These Shoes". "Do It Well" was released as the lead single and reached the top 20 in many countries. "Hold It, Don't Drop It" was released as the second single in certain European territories only. The third single was set to be the title track "Brave", and it was even posted on director Michael Haussman's official website that filming of the music video for the song had completed, however, the release of "Brave" as a single was eventually scrapped, most likely due to low album sales. ''Brave'' has sold over 160,000 copies only (which sales are comparable to that of Lopez' previous ''first'' week sales of her first five albums).

2010–present: ''American Idol'', ''Love?'' and comeback

While pregnant with twins Max and Emme, Lopez had been writing material for her seventh studio album ''Love?'', with a planned release for the summer of 2010. A song titled "Fresh Out the Oven" featuring Miami rapper Pitbull surfaced online in October 2009 but her record label said that it was simply a buzz single. It topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The project's official lead single, "Louboutins", had its radio debut on November 23, 2009, following the song's premiere and performance at the 2009 American Music Awards. The song only managed to enter the Hot Dance Club Play chart six weeks after release and reaching number 1, however, it failed to enter any other chart, including the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On January 27, 2010, it was announced that Lopez would guest-star on an episode of ''How I Met Your Mother'' as Anita Appleby, a no-nonsense author of self-help books that teach women how to mold men into "relationship machines" through the power of denial. In February 2010 Lopez and her record label of ten years, Epic Records, parted ways. Lopez's manager, Benny Medina, confirmed the news, saying "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 later released a statement to the media where she said that she had already completed her contractual obligations with Sony Music Entertainment and Epic Records and decided it was for the best to end the partnership on amicable terms. She added that she found a new "home" [record label] for the album 'Love?'. Shortly after being spotted talking to Island Def Jam's chairman and CEO L.A. Reid, it was confirmed on March 19, 2010 that Lopez signed with Island Def Jam, and was working on new material for ''Love?'' with RedZone Entertainment (Kuk Harrell, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart). In April 2010, she appeared in the romantic comedy ''The Back-up Plan''. The film debuted at the top spot at the Box Office.

In June 2010, following the departure of Ellen DeGeneres from ''American Idol'', it was reported that Lopez was in talks to join season ten's judging panel. However, it was then reported that Lopez was out of the running due to "outrageous demands", something which returning ''Idol'' producer, Nigel Lythgoe responded to by saying "[Jennifer] is in no way a diva, I've worked with her on quite a few occasions and I have never yet seen her be a diva." He did not confirm or deny reports of the contract negotiations between Lopez and the other ''Idol'' producers. Both Lopez and husband, Marc Anthony, were being considered for a role on ''The X Factor'' for their appeal to 'Latin' and 'International' markets. Lopez's involvement in ''The X Factor'' was ruled out when the media reported that she had accepted an offer to become a judge on season ten of ''Idol'', despite being offered roles on both shows. The announcement was made official on September 22, 2010. MTV said "the deal was mutually beneficial to all those involved" whilst CNN reported that Lopez was viewing it as a decision to revive her career while ''Idol'' producers believe Lopez and Steven Tyler's appointments will strengthen viewing figures. The public agreed that Lopez was a more suitable judge replacement for Ellen, as she had experience within the music industry, which DeGeneres lacked.

In January 2011 Lopez's new single, "On the Floor", featuring American rapper Pitbull surfaced online. Behind the single was producer RedOne, who predicted that it was going to be a "big hit". The song samples Kaoma's 1989 hit "Lambada". On March 3, 2011 "On The Floor" debuted at nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after selling 170,000 copies, the highest debut of her career, and her highest charting of any sort since "All I Have". Later that night, the video for "On The Floor" debuted on ''American Idol''. The song peaked at three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and peaked at number one in over fifteen different countries, and over twenty different charts. Worldwide, it was the fourth best selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 8.4 million copies. The video for "On The Floor" as a result of its ''American Idol'' premiere has received 480 million views on Lopez's VEVO channel on YouTube, the second most watched video of all time. ''Love?'''s second single written by Taio Cruz, "I'm Into You" was released on April 1, 2011 and features rapper Lil Wayne it debuted at 72 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and peaked at 41 in August 2011. In addition, the song was a dance club hit, peaking at number one on ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs, and number nine in the United Kingdom. The video for "I'm Into You" was released, co-starring William Levy as her lover in the video. ''Love?'' was released on May 3, 2011, and opened at five on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 83,000 copies. It was a moderate success, and viewed as a humble comeback from Lopez, as many had considered her recording career well over. Lopez has been selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012, in the "Recording" category, along with Boyz II Men. "Papi" was released on September 13, 2011 and charted at 96 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became her 11th number one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The following month, she was named "Women of the year" by ''Glamour Magazine''. Lopez was then featured on will.i.am's song from his upcoming album, ''#willpower'', "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)" and she was also featured in the music video. By the end of November 2011, it was confirmed that Lopez would be releasing a greatest hits album by 2012, in which her vocal producer and The-Dream were on board.

On December 13, 2011, Lopez was named the "World's greatest musical comeback act" announced by ''Los Angeles Times'', a ranking from an accuracast, a digital search that analyzed over a billion Google searches since 2004. Lopez ranked ahead of comebacks from artists such as Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin. On December 22, 2011, the former head of Island Def Jam, L.A. Reid, announced via twitter that Lopez' Greatest Hits album would be arriving soon. On December 25, 2011 Lopez was named "Best Comeback" act by Billboard.com Reader's Poll, leading with 47% of votes for the title, beating out Kelly Clarkson (17%) and Evanescence (12%). She was also ranked 43rd most successful artist of 2011. In late 2011, Lopez worked with ex-husband Marc Anthony and director-choeographer Jamie King on a Latin talent series created by Simon Fuller, called ''¡Q'Viva! The Chosen''. Filming of the show began in October 2011. It follows Lopez and Anthony as they travel across 21 countries to find new talent. It is slated to air on the first quarter of 2012 on Univision. During an interview with ''Extra TV'' Lopez confirmed that she had been working on new music and a possible tour, Lopez had also previously talked about the possibility of a tour after the release of ''Love?'' around June 2011, which never materialized, as it could have jeapordised her position as a judge on ''American Idol''. Lopez's film, ''What to Expect When You're Expecting'', in which she will play Holly. The film will be released to theaters on May 11, 2012. Another film which Lopez has shot her parts for, ''Parker'' will be released in 2012. Lopez will portray Leslie. Lopez voices Shira in the upcoming animated film, ''Ice Age: Continental Drift'' which is the fourth movie in the ''Ice Age'' series.

Business ventures

Fashion

Lopez launched a clothing line in 2001. Entitled JLO by Jennifer Lopez, the line included different types of clothing for young women, including jeans, T-shirts, coats, belts, purses, and lingerie, a jewelry line, and an accessory line that includes hats, gloves, and scarves. Lopez participated in the Louis Vuitton Winter 2003 campaign. In 2003, she launched a new clothing line called ''Sweetface'', which was closed in 2009. In late 2007, Lopez retired JLO by Jennifer Lopez and launched a new juniors' line called JustSweet. Her fashion lines have featured at many New York Fashion Week events. In 2011, Lopez launched her clothing line at Kohls, which she labelled as affordable and completely her style. Her ex, Marc Anthony, also put out his clothing line for Kohls at the same time.

Production company

Lopez owns the film and television production company Nuyorican Productions, which was launched as early as 2003. It was co-founded with her manager Benny Medina, who was supposed to receive half the producing revenue from the company. Lopez split with Medina shortly after the company was founded, but they later restored their business relationship.

Nuyorican Productions produced mini-series broadcast on Univisión, which Jennifer was a co-executive producer of; the shoe was names after her CD ''Como Ama Una Mujer'', it ran in five episodes from October 30 to November 27, 2007, and starred Adriana Cruz. Another show that came from her production company, "Brethren" which FOX gave script commitment, and it later aired on the channel. The production company, which has produced "Taming Ben Taylor", "Nannyland" and "Amigas Sweet 15 Club" has signed deals with FOX for films to be made.

Endorsements

Lopez ventured in the perfume industry with her debut ''Glow by J.Lo'', which can be purchased anywhere including every-day shopping outlets like Macy's and pharmacy chains. Lopez said that she wanted Glow to be "Sexy and sensual." ''Glow by J.Lo'' has a scent of orange, grapefruit, jasmine, orris, Irises, vanilla and musk. Lopez re-visited Glow later, creating a limited edition spin-off, ''Miami Glow by J.Lo''. ''Still'' was released as the third major fragrance in October 2003; it is described as "the scent of a woman," and "A scent that captures the way a woman feels when she has discovered herself. Real and true. Serene and sensual." ''Glow by J.Lo'' and ''Still'' were very successful in the fragrance market.

In 2005, Lopez launched three fragrances: ''Miami Glow'', ''Love At First Glow'' and ''Live''. In 2006, she released another fragrance, ''Glow After Dark'', a perfume suited to night theme. In 2008, she released her ''Deseo'' fragrance line, which featured ''Deseo'', ''Deseo Forever'' and ''Deseo For Men'', her first male fragrance. ''Live Platinum'' was released in 2008 as well. ''Sunkissed Glow'' and ''My Glow'' were released in 2009; ''My Glow'' was inspired by the birth of her twins, and the top was an angel/baby. TLC, a division of Discovery Communications Inc, had signed Lopez to an unscripted reality series about the launching of her new fragrance, but the series never materialized. Her next fragrance, ''Blue Glow By J.Lo'' which was a refreshing "watery feel" fragrance.

Her 15th fragrance is ''Love and Glamour'', which was launched in June and released to counters in October, 2010. Her 16th fragrance is ''L.A Glow'', inspired by L.A. Nightlife. Lopez launched her 17th fragrance, ''Love & Light'' In July 2011. She launched it on HSN where she appeared for six hours, and the perfume sold 51,000 bottles in that amount of time, her most successful fragrance launch to date. Apart from Fragrances, Lopez has endorsed several other products.

In 2003, Lopez was in a pepsi commercial featuring Beyoncé Knowles and David Beckham entitled "Samurai". She endorses several L'Oréal products, and was named "L'Oréal Paris Global Brand Ambassador" In December 2010. She has shot several adds for the endorsement deal. Lopez's recent L’Oreal EverSleek campaign made its debut during the Golden Globes ad break, kicking it off in a big way. Products that Lopez has endorsed for L'Oreal recently include El Vive Triple Resist, True Match, Color Riche, GlamShine, and Voluminous Lashes commercials, the EverSleek commercial and print ads, and the Infallible Lip Color and ElVive Triple Resist print ads. In 2011, Lopez endorsed and promoted a variety of products. In addition to L'Oréal, lopez endorses Gillette women's products, such as the "Get Your Goddess Showing" project. She was named the first ever "Gillette-Venus Global Ambassador" In 2011, too. She recorded a cover of "Venus" by Shocking Blue for her Gillette-Venus advertisement. Lopez is a spokesperson for Harmon Kardon home surround sound system. Lopez is the face of TOUS Jewelry. Lopez is a spokesperson for Lux shampoo in Japan, appearing in the product's television commercials. As of late 2011, she promotes FIAT cats in the United States. Her advertisements for the brand have garnered negative reviews, and in January 2012 a United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) group told Lopez to end her endorsement for problems with the FIAT brand which "freely does business with a regime that is developing an illegal nuclear weapons program."

Philanthropy

Lopez is an avid supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and was presented with the Children's Humanitarian Award at the hospital's inaugural Noche de Niños gala in September 2004. Lopez continues to attend the annual red carpet event and is a regular visitor to the hospital. The singer participated in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon benefiting the hospital in 2008. In May 2009, Lopez formed The Maribel Foundation, with the goal of supporting Children's Hospital Los Angeles and improving health care internationally. On February 14, 2007, Lopez received the Artists for Amnesty International award "in recognition of her work as producer and star of ''Bordertown'', a film exposing the ongoing murders of hundreds of women in the border city of Juárez, Mexico". Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta presented the award to Lopez at the Berlin International Film Festival. She also received special recognition and thanks from Norma Andrade, co-founder of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa A.C. ("May Our Daughters Return Home, Civil Association"), an organization consisting of mothers and families of the murdered women of Juárez. Lopez has also been involved in promoting vaccination for whooping cough. Lopez is working with Sounds of Pertussis and March of Dimes to promote awareness about the disease and encourage vaccination of adults to prevent spread of disease to infants.

Lopez owns a foundation with her sister, Lynda Lopez, entitled ''The Maribel Foundation''. The name ''Maribel'' is Marc's sister who died due to a brain tumor. The foundation was publicly launched on ''Larry King Live'', in which Lopez and her sister appeared in June 2010. In a letter from the official website, Lopez said that the foundation was important as it braught a "greater sense of security and well-being to under-served and under-privileged communities." The foundation will help parents who haven't access to medical services and health care facilities, and therefore can't be informed about critical child and health care topics. ''The Maribel Foundation'' worked with Telemedicine clinics abroad and near to increase healthcare for serious cases. "Telemedicine" is a delivery system that uses technology (telecommunications) to conduct medical diagnoses, consultations, treatments, transfers of data, education of physicians, and dissemination of public health alerts and/or emergency updates. The program is mainly reaching out to those living in under privileged or deserted areas without proper medical services. The foundation can also save children's lives who have serious diseases; as it provides them services over communication from elsewhere. Prior to the foundation; at 2008's annual Woman's Conference, oh her foundation, Lopez said "My foundation will prioritize the importance of empowerment. I have lots of big dreams and envision big changes toward proper healthcare, prenatal care, pediatric care. And that, coming together in the biggest possible way is what I believe women are capable of." Also at this Woman's Conference, Lopez confirmed that she was building a foundation for woman, health, children and education. The foundation's slogan is "Where children are concerned, there is no time to lose."

For her foundation, Lopez recording a song, "One Step At a Time", dedicated to her twins. It was included on an album for the foundation, ''Every Mother Counts'' a CD which was released exclusively only to Starbucks from April 2011; the money was donated to the foundation. The album was devoted fully to mothers. Lopez was one of the recipients of Love Our Children USA's “Mothers Who Make A Difference” awards in 2009. On October 25, 2011, ''The Maribel Foundation'' received a $500,000 dollar donation pledge from Samsung and Best Buy. An advertisement featuring Lopez promoting Samsung products for ''The Maribel Foundation'' has aired.

Honors and awards

During her career, Lopez has had various nominations, awards and achievements. For her contributions to the music industry and her film work, she has garnered 7 American Music Award nominations (winning 3), 18 MTV Video Music Awards nominations (winning 2), 9 MTV Europe Music Award nominations (winning 3), 2 Grammy Award nominations, 2 Latin Grammy Award nominations, 1 Golden Globe nomination, 9 ALMA Award nominations (winning 3), 2 Billboard Music Awards nominations (winning 2), 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards nominations (winning 5), 4 World Music Awards nominations (winning 2), 2 Brit Award nominations, 5 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards nominations (winning 3) among others.

Her role in the 1998 film ''Out of Sight'' earned her a paycheck of over $1 million, making her the world's highest paid Latin actress. In 2001, Lopez became the first female to have a film and album both be number one at the same time in the United States. Lopez has been recognized by ''People en Español'' magazine as both the cover subject for the "50 Most Beautiful" issue in 2006 and the "100 Most Influential Hispanics" issue in February 2007. In 2011, she was named "World's Most Beautiful Woman" by People's Choice magazine.

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''Us Weekly'' named Lopez as Style Icon of the 2000–2010 decade.

Lopez's most memorable Fashion moment in her career was the Green Versace "Jungle Dress" that she wore at the 42nd Grammy Awards In 2000. A poll by Debenhams, published in the ''Daily Telegraph'', voted it the fifth most iconic dress of all time. It has been cited along with the Elizabeth Hurley's black Versace dress as being the top dresses that made Versace a household name and the turning point in designer Donatella Versace's career after the death of her brother Gianni Versace. The dress is currently on display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. For her Fashion sense, Lopez has earned several awards including a VH1 Award and Vogue Fashion Award in 1999 for "Most Fashionable Female Artist", achieving multiple other awards since for outstanding achievements and recognition. Lopez was complimented in an article for ''ELLE'', the author wrote – "She wears little visible makeup, and with her hair in a bun, huge hoop earrings, and a long halterdress on, she’s squarely in casual-mother mode, a style Diane von Furstenberg describes as “exotic and earthy." Lopez cites Urban, Edgy Bronx style as a contribution to her continuing fashion style. Lopez says she is a fan of "Glamour" and "Old Hollywood Movie Stars" as a fashion sense.

Aside from her fashion sense in clothes, Lopez has changed her personal appearance multiple times, scoring several different hairstyles over the years. Lopez's two-piece (eventually stripped down to a body-suit) "train dress highlighting her curves and flawless skin" at the 2011 American Music Awards was both welcomed and praised but was received mixed and negatively, too. Despite popularity and favoritism with her outfits, Lopez has also received negativity; the dress she wore in 2011 to the BAFTA Gala gave her the title of "Worst Dressed" of the evening along with others, most likely due to her open-abs section. 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 premiere of ''Monster-in-Law'', more than 100 protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a demonstration to highlight their concerns.

Personal life

Starting in 1984, when Lopez was 15 and in high school, she began dating David Cruz. They split up in 1994, but remained close; Lopez said in 2004, "He's a friend and he probably knows me better than anyone else".

Lopez's 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 January 1998. Lopez later employed Noa as the manager of her Pasadena restaurant Madre's in April 2002, but he was fired in October 2002. After Noa sued Lopez over the termination, they drew up a confidentiality agreement. In April 2006, Lopez sued to prevent Noa from publishing a book containing personal details about their marriage, contending it violated their confidentiality agreement. In August 2007, a court-appointed arbitrator issued a permanent injunction forbidding Ojani Noa from "criticizing, denigrating, casting in a negative light or otherwise disparaging" Lopez. She was awarded $545,000 in compensatory damages, which included nearly $300,000 in legal fees and almost $48,000 in arbitration costs. Noa was also ordered to hand over all copies of materials related to the book to Lopez or her attorney. In November 2009, Lopez sued Noa for breach of contract and invasion of privacy, citing a previous confidentiality agreement between the two, to prevent Noa from releasing his planned film, "How I Married Jennifer Lopez: The JLo and Ojani Noa Story", and alleged "previously unseen home video footage". On December 1, 2009, judge James Chalfant granted a temporary injunction against Noa and his agent, Ed Meyer, barring them from distributing the footage in any forum. Lopez's lawyer said that he will return to court to make it permanent, stressing that "there wasn't anything even close" to a sex tape in Noa's possession: "It's private and personal, but it wasn't a sex tape. They are innocent and they have been misrepresented... to increase value and media attention". After the hearing, Noa said he planned to fight the injunction: "It's not about the money, it's about my life".

Lopez next had a two and a half year relationship with hip-hop mogul Sean Combs. Combs allegedly showered Lopez with diamonds and jewlery, the inspiration for her 2000 hit, "Love Don't Cost a Thing". 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. A gun was found in the front seat of their vehicle. Combs was charged with felony gun possession. Stress over Combs' trial and pursuit by the press multiplied their problems, and Lopez terminated her involvement with Combs one year later. During a related civil suit in 2008, the plaintiff's lawyer said Lopez had “nothing to contribute to the case”.

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 the L.A. suburbs. Prior to the marriage, it had been reported by the tabloids in June 2001 that Lopez was expecting, which never turned out to be true. Their marriage effectively ended in June 2002, when Lopez began publicly dating Ben Affleck. They were divorced in January 2003. On April 12, 2002, Lopez opened a Cuban restaurant in the South Lake district of Pasadena, California named ''Madre's'' with her family. In July 2008 ''Madre's'' closed down for unknown reasons.

Her relationship with Affleck was highly publicized, with the media dubbing the couple "Bennifer". Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck in November 2002, after Affleck gave her a six-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. They announced the end of their engagement in January 2004. Their relationship was parodied on the ''South Park'' episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", which aired on April 16, 2003. In 2003, Lopez and Affleck acted together in the film ''Gigli'' and in the 2004 film ''Jersey Girl''. He also appeared in her "Jenny from the Block" video.

Marriage to Marc Anthony and motherhood

Less than two months after her break-up with Affleck, Lopez was seen with singer Marc Anthony, a longtime friend with whom she had worked in music videos. They had briefly dated in the late 1990s, before his first marriage and her second. Lopez and Anthony were recording a duet together in early 2004, for Lopez's then-upcoming film ''Shall We Dance?''. In October 2003, Anthony became separated, for the second time, from his first wife, former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, with whom he has two children. Torres filed for divorce three months later. Lopez and Anthony married in a quiet home wedding on June 5, 2004, four days after his divorce from Torres was final.

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. The couple had planned not to publicize their marriage early on, allowing more privacy and time together in an otherwise intrusive environment. Days after the wedding, Anthony refused to comment on their marriage during interviews which were scheduled earlier to promote a new album "Amar Sin Mentiras" (To Love Without Lies). In February 2005, Lopez confirmed the marriage, and added that "everyone knows. It's not a secret". A few months later, Anthony's daughter, Ariana, appeared at the end of Lopez's music video "Get Right" as her little sister. Regarding his marriage and family life, Anthony maintains a private and sometimes defensive stance with the media, which has influenced Lopez to set some boundaries with interviewers.

On November 7, 2007, the last night of her "En Concierto" tour, Lopez confirmed she was expecting her first child with husband Marc. The announcement ended months of speculation over the pregnancy. Her father later confirmed on February 5, 2008, that she was expecting twins. Lopez gave birth on February 22, 2008 to fraternal twins, a girl and a boy, Emme Maribel Muñiz, and Maximilian "Max" David Muñiz. The twins were introduced in the March 11, 2008 issue of ''People'' magazine, for which the magazine paid $6 million.

By January 2008, Lopez lived with her family in Brookville, New York, on Long Island. Her mother, Guadalupe Lopez, moved into the gated home in June that year. In June 2008 Lopez was hit with a $5 million-dollar lawsuit after her guard dog allegedly attacked her 40-year-old women, causing her back troubles. Marc Anthony, too was later added to this lawsuit for equal ownership of the German Sheppard. On July 15, 2011, following seven years of marriage to Anthony, the couple's representative announced that the couple were separating. It has been speculated that during Lopez marriage to Marc Anthony, he tried to control her fashion wardrobe according to ''Us Weekly'' among other sources. Anthony allegedly wanted Lopez to dress more appropriately for a mother of two and a forty-year old.

In September 2011, Lopez purchased a home in the Hamptons for $18 million. Lopez is a practitioner of Krav Maga. She is also active on social networking site Twitter. As of 2012, media has focused on Lopez's alleged relationship with her back-up dancer, Casper Smart. Anthony himself has also an open relationship with Venezuelan model Shannon De Lima.

Religion

It was reported that Lopez and Marc Anthony were taking professional business meetings at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, California, in late 2006. It was also rumored that Lopez and Anthony became Scientologists during that period with the help of Angelo Pagan, the husband of ''The King of Queens'' actress and Scientologist Leah Remini. Just prior to those reports, Lopez said to NBC, "I'm not a Scientologist, I was raised Catholic. But it's funny the way people come at it. To me it's so strange. These are some of the best people I've ever met in my life." She added, "My dad has been a Scientologist for 20 years. He's the best man that I know in my life and so, it's weird to me that people want to paint it in a negative way." It has been reported that a factor in Lopez's break with Anthony was over the religious education of their twins; Lopez desired to send the children to a "specialist Scientology school" a position Anthony disagreed with.

Works

Discography

''On the 6'' (1999)

''J.Lo'' (2001)

''This Is Me... Then'' (2002)

''Rebirth'' (2005)

''Como ama una Mujer'' (2007)

''Brave'' (2007)

''Love?'' (2011)

Filmography

''Selena'' (1997), Selena Quintanilla

''Anaconda'' (1997), Terri Flores

''The Cell'' (2000), Catherine Deane

''The Wedding Planner'' (2001), Mary Fiore

''Angel Eyes'' (2001), Sharon Pogue

''Enough'' (2002), Slim Hiller

''Maid in Manhattan'' (2002), Marisa Ventura

''Monster-in-Law'' (2005), Charlie

''Bordertown'' (2006), Lauren Adrian

''The Back-up Plan'' (2010), Zoe

See also

List of Puerto Ricans

List of songs recorded by Jennifer Lopez

Marc Anthony

''American Idol''

Notes

References

External links

Official website for Jennifer Lopez fragrances

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American dancers Category:American dance musicians Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American fashion businesspeople Category:American fashion designers Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:English-language singers Category:Hip hop singers Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Hispanic and Latino American women Category:Idol series judges Category:Krav Maga practitioners Category:Latin pop singers Category:Musicians from New York City Category:Notaries Category:People from the Bronx Category:Puerto Rican actors Category:Puerto Rican female singers Category:Spanish-language singers

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