J. Lo

JENNIFER LOPEZ

THE GLASS IS HALF FULL

Jennifer Lopez commenced 2022 with pretty exciting news for her millions of fans worldwide: in June, she would be the subject of a Netflix documentary called Halftime. The show mainly covers the years 2019 and 2020, when so many watershed moments took place in the singer, dancer, and actor’s life. Its title is testimony to the fact that in 2019, she turned 50. To many, she is a shining example of the importance of mental resilience when it comes to staying young and vibrant. Far from slowing down or taking a backseat to upcoming stars, J-Lo is taking centre stage, and she plans on being around for at least another

50 years. WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY SHUTTERSTOCK

IN HER SHOES

Production has been hushhush about Halftime. It will undoubtedly be one of the most viewed Netflix shows of the year, for audiences have always been curious about the person that lies behind the performance powerhouse we have become so accustomed to. Little is known about J-Lo because she has always been successful at keeping her emotions close to her chest. In interviews with even the most skillful of journalists, she has been professional and friendly, but her answers have always been work-oriented, and she has hardly ever said more than a few words about her relationships or her children.

Halftime will be giving us a little more insight into her personal challenges and victories, which is befitting considering the fact that her recent film, Marry Me, reveals the loneliness that often lies behind fame and fortune. The producers have hinted that the new documentary will cover the way she tries to balance being a mom and an artist, her journey as a Latina artist, and one of the performances of her lifetime: the 2020 Halftime show, which she performed alongside Shakira. ›

THE YEAR IT ALL CAME TOGETHER

It is funny how most of us look back on our 20s and 30s with nostalgia. It’s easy to forget the insecurity that may have led us to make mistakes we wouldn’t repeat in our maturity. Equally risible is the myth that by the time we are 40, we are expected to have it all worked out. There are still so many lessons to learn, flaws to work on, strengths to leverage. J-Lo says it herself, explaining that it wasn’t until she turned 50 that she started to feel like everything was in its right place. In an interview with The New York Times, she said that 2019 was the year in which “everything I had worked for in movies, music, and fashion just started happening.”

DEFYING EXPECTATIONS

Many of the J-Lo’s most daring moves were made recently. A good example is her breakthrough role in Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers. You may recall that Jennifer played Ramona – a character based on real-life stripper-turnedscammer/entrepreneur, Samantha Barbash. True to form, J-Lo went the extra mile, learning how to pole dance and showing off her acting chops, which are often underrated. If you thought she couldn’t act, check out Bordertown, her 2007 film about the alarming number of female homicides in Ciudad Juárez. The fact that the media continues to mainly see her as a sex symbol, harping on incessantly about her body and especially her booty, reveals a refusal to acknowledge her undeniable talent. Halftime hopes to reveal more about the work and passion that goes behind her decades-long domination of the pop kingdom. The same year also saw J-Lo receive the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s

Fashion Icon Award and walking the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week donning what is arguably her most famous outfit: that green Versace jungle dress that has become one of the brand’s top-selling pieces, in no small part thanks to Ms. Lopez.

BENNIFER IS BACK

One aspect of J-Lo’s life that we hope will be touched upon in Halftime is Bennifer. This year, after just a few months of dating, Ben Affleck popped the question to the diva with a rare green diamond valued at between €4.8 and €9.6 million. Because the relationship is so new, the documentary may have just missed out on covering it. However, Halftime will hopefully make some type of mention of the rekindled relationships that took us by surprise. Earlier this year, she told People, “I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him. It’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.”

A SUPERBOWL HALFTIME SHOW TO REMEMBER

As its title suggests, Halftime will feature J-Lo’s much-publicised Superbowl show. You may recall that she not only performed many of her greatest hits (including Jenny from the Block and On the Floor) but also sang a duet alongside her daughter, Emme. If you have never heard Emme sing, let me tell, you – the girls got pipes! Her voice is a logical result of being the daughter of not only J-Lo but also Marc Anthony, arguably the most acclaimed male voice in popular Latino music. Her range, power, and control already surpass those of her mum, though whether she will dedicate her professional life to music remains to be seen. As J-Lo told Extra TV, when she asks Emme to join her onstage, “it’s not about putting her out in the spotlight, it’s about doing things together that bond us. I don’t put her in everything, she’s not going to work professionally – a lot of people are asking me that. It’s something that we connect on, is singing.”

i Halftime is scheduled for release on June 8. www.netflix.com

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