Jennifer Lopez’s stint on American Idol hasn’t even been officially confirmed yet, but the rumor mill is already claiming that Jenny from the block has been axed from the show due to her diva demands.

Both Fox News and People are reporting that JLo’s demands got so “out of hand” that the network were forced to give her the boot, and are now looking over some of their earlier picks for the new Idol judge.

Bad move Jenny.

Moving on now… I know that nobody around here particularly cares about Taio Cruz, but he’s just been made momentarily relevant again thanks to Ms. Lopez, who has just recorded the official remix for his latest hit “Dynamite”. The bad news is that the remix isn’t very good, but I’ll take any old scrap that I can get when it comes to Jenny’s music career.

Check out the “Dynamite” remix below.

With American Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres today announcing her departure from the hit talent show after only one season, diva Jennifer Lopez has reportedly stepped in to take her place.

Though not officially confirmed yet, People, Deadline and Gossip Cop are all claiming to have the ‘exclusive’ on JLo as the new Idol judge. According to their reports, Jenny’s manager Benny Medina has been orchestrating the deal for over a month, and was waiting for Ellen to announce her departure before revealing the news.

The American Idol rumor mill has been in overdrive over the past week, with rumblings indicating that the show’s executive producer Nigel Lythgoe could be looking to wipe out all the existing judges with new faces. With Simon Cowell moving to X Factor and Ellen returning to her daytime talk show, Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson are the only regulars left. No possible replacements for the pair have been announced yet (and that’s if it even happens), but Steven Tyler’s name has already come up, while the generally reliable Entertainment Weekly have reported that Jessica Simpson has been in talks.

None of the rumors thus far have had as much weight behind them as Jennifer’s though, so I’d probably expect to hear an official confirmation some time soon.

For Jennifer — who has had her fair share of career troubles over the two years — a gig on American Idol would be a great move for her, but you also can’t deny that she’s getting a bit of a bum deal. While still a wildly popular show, American Idol is considered as a bit of a sinking ship lately, with most of the focus now being directed at Simon Cowell’s upcoming X Factor. Still, when it comes to finding an Idol judge, you can’t get much better than JLo. She may not be the best vocalist, but Jennifer has single-handedly conquered singing, acting, television, dancing, fashion and about every other creative endeavor known to man during her career. If anybody knows star potential, it’s her.

Superstar Jennifer Lopez was honored at the recent World Music Awards with the ‘Legend for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts’ award, and just in case the world forgot exactly why JLo got the prestigious honor, she decided to remind everyone about her glory days by performing that old greatest hits medley that she’s been flogging to death for a few years now.

As it turns out though, Jenny had a few tricks up her sleeve and proceeded to bust out one of the most electrifying performances of her whole career, charging full-throttle through a non-stop seven minute dancefest.

Jennifer may be allergic to the charts lately, and yes, she’s not the best vocalist, but she’s still on hell of a performer and at the age of forty she could still go toe-to-toe with women half her age. I’m not even going to bother listing the younger women that Jennifer is a better performer than, a better actress than and prettier than.

I don’t really see much happening for her music career and upcoming ‘Love?’ album, but JLo the actress is still quite bankable; ‘The Back-up Plan’ debuted at #1 at the box office upon it’s release and has since easily out-grossed it’s budget.

Anyways check out the performance below, via Toyaz-World.

Despite confirming that she’d left Epic Records for Def Jam, Jennifer Lopez has remained fairly tight lipped over just exactly what is going on with her new album Love? and why she actually split with Epic, but now thanks to a new interview with her biggest fansite OnlineJLoFan we can now get the scoop on just exactly what went down.

Check it out below the cut. Read more »

[Pic Via Rap-Up]

Last November Jennifer Lopez released what was supposed to be her comeback single “Louboutins”, from her new album ‘Love?’, but long before Jenny from the block got her hands on the designer shoes the song was actually recorded by her Epic Records label mate Brandy, who was forced to give it up when she split with the label.

Brandy has since expressed her love for The-Dream & Tricky produced track, but it was looking unlikely that her version would ever surface. Now thanks to some sneaky snake hacker we’ve finally been given the chance to hear what walk in Brandy’s Louboutins would’ve sounded like.

I’d say that this song was better suited to JLo than B-Rocka, but in the end Jenny is the one who got the short end of the stick since it tanked in the charts.

Despite suffering from a few recent career setbacks, Def Jam’s latest signee Jennifer Lopez is still charging ahead with the release of her sixth studio album ‘Love?’, giving fans an update on the status of the project during another press junket for her new romantic comedy The Back-up Plan.

“I recently parted ways with my old record company and we have a new one, so you know, they are gonna get involved with it. They’ve heard what I’ve been working on already. Everybody is really happy with it. We just need to finish it.”

“[The album] hasn’t taken its full shape, yet,” she says. “I mean, there’s a real base of material that really goes with that concept and then there’s gonna be stuff that we create now, that I don’t even know what it’s gonna be.”

“It’s gonna be that combination of, like, dance and a little bit of street, and a little bit of hip hop, and a little bit of R&B and just all of those influences that I grew up with and that my music has always had, you know. My albums if you [listen] from the first one to the last one, it always has a few ballads and then there’s a few great dance cuts and then, you know, kinda mid-tempos,” she says.

In addition to trying to get Love out there, Jenny is also working on a follow-up to her successful Spanish language debut Como Ama una Mujer.

“I’m going to start working on a new Spanish album, probably in about a month, as well. Probably right as I finish the other one. I’ll put [Love?] out this year and we’ll ride that out and probably do the Spanish album for release next year.” {source}

Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying. It sounds like L.A. Reid has a very specific plan in place for reviving JLo’s music career, but whether or not it’ll pay off remains to be seen. It’ll be very interesting to see what sound her newly revamped “first” single will take when it’s released.

As for the Spanish album, I think it’s a good idea because her first one did very well. If you’re keen you can take a look at her 2007 Spanish hit “Qué Hiciste” below.

Read more »

After weeks and weeks of speculation and rumors, singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has confirmed that she’s signed with Def Jam Records during a recent press junket for her new film The Back-up Plan.

Hitfix’s Greg Ellwood asked Lopez point blank “Are you signing with Def Jam” on Monday during an interview for “The Back-Up Plan” and she said yes, not once, but twice, smiling about the prospect. Word on the street is that Reid will not only sign Lopez, but will produce the actress/singer’s new album. {source}

Jenny’s move to Def Jam is sure to ruffle a few feathers, and by “a few” I mean Mariah Carey who hates her guts, and vice-versa. It may not be the smartest move for L.A either, who hasn’t seen much success exec-producing Mariah’s last two albums, not to mention Janet Jackson’s Discipline which turned out to be a disaster when the music mogul and the legendary singer butted heads over issues regarding creative control.

Also, according to Toyaz-World, Jennifer will be revamping her Love? album by recording some brand new tracks with both Danja and Tricky Stewart’s RedZone team.

Do you think a fresh start will help JLo top the charts again, or did her former label Epic Records have the right idea by “amicably splitting” with the star?

The always attractive Jennifer Lopez still has a smile on her dial despite her recent label drama, showing up looking glamorous yesterday at the CBS Films luncheon held in Las Vegas.

The singer-actress was at the luncheon to promote her upcoming rom-com The Back-up Plan, which hits theaters in April.

Jen has also opened up in a recent interview about how good it feels to be back singing and performing after a long time out of the spotlight.

“When I was finishing up my album and the music was feeling right, everything just came together. It’s been nice to be back on stage and doing my thing. It’s like coming back into the ring.”

Jenny better finalise her new record deal quick smart or there won’t be an avenue for her to release this new album!

Now that Jennifer Lopez has cut ties with her label Epic right before the release of her new album Love?, there’s bound to be a lot of leaks coming our way soon, and the latest one being a Stargate production titled “Story of My Life”.

As with most Stargate tunes “Story of My Life” doesn’t add up to much more than an average and uninspired urban-pop radio record. Jennifer sounds like she’s on auto-pilot and the song is too safe and predictable to warrant any emotional connection to it from the listener.

Not to worry though, because according to Jen she’s now at a point in her life where she understands what the “important” things are.

“I guess I am [more relaxed in my career now],” she told OK magazine. “You start out young and confident, thinking you want to be an actress and singer. Then you actually do it and it’s great for a while, but then you have all this success and other things start becoming more important.”

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that the harder things are, the better things are. Where you’re test, that’s where you get to the next level in your life. You do things because your gut tells you to do them; then they can never be wrong because they’re right for you, no matter how [things are] perceived. The important thing is that you did it and you did it in the best way you could.”

In addition to the possible release of a new album this summer, Jennifer will appear on an upcoming episode of Glee and also has her new rom-com The Back-up Plan hitting theaters next month.

How do you think the movie is gonna do?

Jennifer Lopez had a bit of a bad week after splitting with her record label right before the release of her new album Love?, but the light at the end of the tunnel was her scheduled appearance on Saturday Night Live where she would not only be hosting and participating in skits, but also performing as well.

SNL was Jenny’s chance to brush off the critics and ease concerns over her future as a recording artist and a star, but instead of focusing on her strengths such as her tight choreography and electric stage presence, Jenny decided to slow things down with two stripped-back ballads; live vocals included.

The results were less than impressive, and that’s putting it nicely. The subject matter of the songs came across like a bizarre and misguided attempt to show the world that she was ready to dust herself off and keep fighting after all her career setbacks, but the whole thing just fell flat and felt underwhelming, and dare I say it – cringeworthy.

Jennifer also performed in some skits on the show, one being a parody of the “We Are The World” remake which saw Jennifer dressing up and spoofing Rihanna. You’d think that JLo dressing up as Rihanna would be hilarious, but, well, it wasn’t.

Sorry Jen! Better luck next time I guess.

In a statement released to the media Jennifer Lopez has confirmed that she has indeed split with her record label, but has insisted that the split won’t affect the status of her upcoming album Love? which is still due out this Summer.

“I am making this statement to put an end to any confusion in regards to my next album, titled ‘Love.’ I have belonged to the Sony family since the beginning of my career as a singer and together we’ve had great success. I have fulfilled my contractual responsibilities with Sony/Epic up to this point, and we have both reached friendly terms about my departure from the label. I’m also happy to say that we’ve found a new home for my album, ‘Love,’ and that it is slated for release in the summer of 2010.” {source}

Saying that your album is still coming out, and actually having it do so are two different things, but it’s good that Jenny has clarified the situation after reports indicated the whole album may have been scrapped.

The statement also adds weight to the rumors of Jennifer signing with Def Jam, so get ready for some drama with a capital ‘D’ because Def Jam is also home to Mariah Carey, and as everybody knows the pair have been mortal enemies ever since they fell out during Jlo’s heyday.

Besides some major catfights though what does the future hold for Jennifer and her new label (whichever it turns out to be)? Could the drastic change give Jennifer the media attention that could help her crack the charts again, and will it give her an excuse to release a brand new single, or is it all too little too late?

According to Deadline singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has split with her label Epic Records.

The split was supposedly amicable, but rumors are saying that Jennifer was dropped after the singles from her upcoming album Love? all bombed on the charts despite receiving heavy promotion.

Deadline are claiming that Lopez’s manager Benny Medina confirmed the split to them via e-mail earlier today.

“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 her career as an actress and recording artist. She is grateful and appreciative to everyone Sony for all that they accomplished together.”

Surprisingly though Lopez is said to be okay with the decision, and is even in talks with L.A. Reid about signing a new deal at Def Jam as we speak.

Read all the juicy details on the split over at Deadline here.

Despite the drama the 40-year-old is still scheduled to host and perform on Saturday Night Live this weekend to promote her upcoming film The Back-up Plan and what was supposed to be her new album.

I’ve already contacted Lopez’s label for an official statement or confirmation on the split, as I’m sure many others have, so I’m sure we’ll get a definite answer regarding the article some time today or tomorrow.

The news is pretty dire though, but it’s actually not a huge shock considering not only how her Love? singles are doing, but also the poor reception towards her past two albums Rebirth and Brave (the latter didn’t even crack the top 10 on the Billboard 200).

It seems like Jen has really hit that trademark slump that all female pop stars do when they’re around forty. Now many women besides Madonna have been able to maintain the same amount of success  that they had when they were younger once they reach forty. It’s a curse, and also reflective on how people are always looking for the next hot thing. One minute you’re a huge star, the next minute you’ve been dropped by your label. Unfortunately that’s just how it works in pop music.