J Lo’s magic moment
EVERY now and then a picture appears on a movie that leaves an indelible mark on your life. A moment that – even when you forget the rest of the movie’s characters and plot – stays with you because of the sheer poetry or impact of that moment.
Like when Julie Andrews as Maria is spinning around on the hill in Austria in Sound of Music.
When Martin Sheen’s character is going crazy in the hotel room in Apocalypse Now. Or when Riki is running in slow motion and drops the milk as he is killed in a drive-by shooting in Boys In The Hood.
In Godfather when that guy wakes up and finds a horse’s head in the bed next to him.
Like Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, when he makes an epic speech on an airfield runway and lies to let go of the love of his life so she can run off with her boyfriend, even though he really loves her hard out.
Or in Psycho when Anthony Perkins stabs that woman in the shower. Psycho changed everything for showers. Until that moment, showers were always places of safety, solace and singing.
The cinematic moment I am thinking of – for me – changed lawns and lawn mowing forever.
It was when I saw Jennifer Lopez, dressed in a pair of track pants and mowing the lawn in her first lead role as Mexican superstar Selena in the film of the same name.
It was the beginning of a life-long relationship of unrequited like.
Sure in this particular era there have been many screen and song sirens who have reigned. Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Christine Aguilera in music. Salma Hayek, Tia Carrera and Eva Mendez all had throngs of fans for their movies.
Janet Jackson is from music royalty so she’s in a different league.
J Lo was the one ring that has ruled in all of these fields, and just this week was moved to the top of the Forbes 100 most powerful celebrities list in the world.
The list measures power by entertainmentrelated earnings, media visibility and social media popularity.
Forbes estimated Lopez’ earnings in the past 12 months at NZ$67.8 million and her current worth is believed to be about $250 million. She also just announced her first world tour.
She had a supreme start as one of the Fly Girls from In Living Colour and later a dancer for Janet Jackson in one of her music videos. Great stuff.
Then she starred in Money Train, did Selena, was stunning with Sean Penn in U Turn and with George Clooney in Out of Sight. More great stuff. But then she gave the world The Cell (2000), Wedding Planner (2001) and Maid in Manhattan (2002.)
Mind you she was going around with Puff Daddy at the time.
She later hooked up with Ben Affleck and during that time gave the word Gigli and Monster In Law.
But she has ridden the waves, survived the lifestyle, stayed afloat and is now the world’s most powerful celebrity at the age of 42.
I don’t know if I will ever meet J Lo in real life. Probably not.
But if I do, I doubt I will be able to say anything. I’ll be thrown back to that moment in 1997 when I saw her mowing the lawn in her track pants as Selena.