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There are few human beings on Earth as impressive as Jennifer Lopez.  She’s released more than one hit album, commanded $15M paychecks for her films, and been married to quite a few big-time catches.  With an entire lifetime, we doubt we’ll be able to achieve a tenth of what J-Lo’s been able to make happen for herself in just a few decades.  Today, in anticipation of the release of her latest film, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, this weekend, we’ve decided to take a look back at her long and fruitful journey…

Jennifer Lopez was born in the Bronx in 1969. At the age of 5, she began taking singing and dancing lessons, and her parents encouraged her and her sisters to put on performances at home.
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While in her final year of college, Jennifer learned of a film casting teenage girls in bit parts. She auditioned and was selected for one of the roles. The film was called My Little Girl.
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At age 19, “Jenny From The Block” began financing her own dance lessons. She quit college and split her time between the lessons, working as a notary, and dancing in Manhattan clubs.
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At the same time, Jennifer auditioned furiously as a professional dancer. Eventually, she landed gigs in various music videos and worked as a backup dancer for the band New Kids on the Block.
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In 1991, she became a “fly girl” dancer on the show In Living Color.
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Not long after, Jennifer became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson. She also appeared
in her music video “That’s The Way Love Goes.”
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Lopez then landed a role on the TV show South Central. She also made guest appearances on shows like Second Chances and Hotel Malibu. Her first big-time big screen appearance, however, was in the film My Family. She won an Independent Spirit Award for the performance.
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She next starred in the film Money Train opposite big-timers like Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.
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In 1996, she starred opposite Robin Williams in the film Jack and opposite Jack Nicholson in the film Blood and Wine. Not shabby company for a young girl from the Bronx…
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Despite all of this steady work, however, Jenny Lopez didn’t become a star until her film Selena was released in theaters in 1997. Though many critized the film’s use of a Puerto Rican actress to portray the Mexican-American icon, Jennifer’s performance won them over in the end. As she wasn’t a trained singer at the time, Lopez lip-synced in every performance scene. The film earned Jennifer a Golden Globe nomination, and a place on the A-list. The same year, Jennifer married for the first time.
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She was divorced by 1998, the same year she acted alongside George Clooney in the film Out of Sight.
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Not satisfied with an acting career alone, Jennifer sent a Spanish-language demo to a major record label in 1999. The label loved it, but suggested she sing in English instead. Her first album, entitled On the 6, debuted in June of that year, and it eventually reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200. Around this time, Jenny began her highly-publicized love affair with Sean Combs, aka Puff Daddy.
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In 2001, Jennifer released her sophomore album, which she entitled J. Lo. At the same time, her romantic comedy The Wedding Planner released in theaters. Both were huge successes, and J. Lo quickly became the first female to have both a film and an album at number one at the same time. Around this time, she got married to dancer Chris Judd.
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In 2002, Jennifer and Chris divorced, and Jennifer began a very public relationship with Ben Affleck. That same year, she released This Is Me…Then, her third album.
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In the years that immediately followed, Jennifer starred in two films with Ben, Gigli and Jersey Girl. Both were bombs. She and Ben subsequently broke up.
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In 2004, Lopez married Marc Anthony. She also released her fourth studio album, entitled Rebirth. The following year, she was paid $15M for her role in the film Monster-In-Law.
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In 2007, Lopez released a fifth album entitled Brave. It became her first album to fail to produce a top 20 hit.
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Happily, Jennifer gave birth to twins, Max and Emma, the following year.
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Following the birth of her babies, however, Jennifer took a couple of years off from working. In 2010, she restarted her career by joining American Idol as a judge. The following year, she released the single “On the Floor,” which became a huge hit.
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Sadly, J.Lo and Marc Anthony split in April of this year. On a happier note, however, Jennifer also announced in April that she and Enrique Iglesias would be embarking on a world tour together. .

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On May 16th of this year, Forbes listed Jennifer in the number one position on its “Celebrity 100 List,” effectively naming her the most powerful celebrity in the world. We’ll find out this weekend if that power translates into box office success, no?
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Will you see What to Expect When You’re Expecting this weekend?