...And As For Her Side Gig

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

In the video for her new single Love Don't Cost a Thing, Jennifer Lopez strips off her jewelry, strides into the water off a beach and proceeds to divest herself of her blouse (her back turned coyly to the camera), all to dramatize her disdain for the trappings of wealth. It's a critique of materialism that wouldn't have half as much impact if it were, say, Friedrich Engels half-naked in the surf.

As an actress, Lopez has an assertive allure, and she brings that quality to her videos and to her new CD, J.Lo. Yeah, sure, Love Don't Cost a Thing's theme is borrowed from Madonna (circa her Material Girl phase), and, yes, Lopez is dating Sean ("Puff Daddy") Combs, a rap mogul who can afford to repurchase all the clothes she strips off (or replace them with items from his clothing line). But on J.Lo, even more than on her 1999 debut, On the Six, she throws herself into her role as a singer. Her recipe on such numbers as I'm Real and Ain't It Funny is simple: throw in meaty, hip-hoppy beats; add poppy melodies; season to taste with Latin spices; cook at high sexual heat.

Lopez's songs portray her as an optimist (someone who wouldn't, one might surmise, let a boyfriend's legal troubles drag her down). She's only a fair vocalist, but, hey, it isn't as if Britney is Aretha. With sheer will, sheer clothing and perhaps some method acting, Lopez has made herself a true pop star.

--By Christopher John Farley