Does it seem like it’s been over two-and-a-half years since the dramatic rescue of the 33 Chilean miners from a San Jose mine after they were trapped for 69 days? Time really does fly, and I still freshly recall watching the live feed of all of the miners emerging, one at a time, from the bowels of the Earth to feel fresh air on their faces and find themselves ensconced within the arms of Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. From the very beginning of the end of the day-long rescue, there have been buzzings of this tale being brought to life on the big screen. Now that day has arrived (or at least, the pre-production phase is happening), and Jennifer Lopez has been tapped as part of the ensemble cast.

Last week, Lopez revealed that she was circling a small indie flick, and now it’s emerged that she has signed on to appear in The 33, which will tell the (supposedly) true story of what happened during the more than two months that these miners were trapped. What role will JLo play in the movie? IMDb provides no clues, but it can’t be a huge role. Maybe she plays one of the miners’ wives … or maybe one of the mistresses. There was also a nurse who spoke to many of the miners while they were trapped, and she said she got hit on a lot. That seems like a decent role for JLo, but I question whether she has the gravitas to treat this subject matter with dignity. Here’s a bit of good news though — Antonio Banderas is starring in the movie:

Jennifer Lopez has signed on to join Antonio Banderas in the Chilean miner film The 33.

Mike Medavoy is producing the drama, based on the true story of the 33 Chilean miners who were rescued after being trapped for 69 days in 2010.

The film will mark Lopez’s first big-screen role since starring opposite Jason Statham in this year’s action-thriller Parker.

Martin Sheen and Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro also have boarded the ensemble film, which was presented to foreign buyers at last month’s Cannes Film Festival. Good Universe is handling international sales.

Patricia Riggen (La Misma Luna) is directing from a screenplay written by Mikko Alanne and Jose Rivera, with production scheduled to begin in the fall in Chile.

In 2011, Medavoy nabbed the rights to the 33 miners, whose remarkable rescue from the San Jose Mine garnered headlines worldwide. The men were trapped half a mile beneath the Earth’s surface. Banderas is playing the role of Mario Sepulveda, the charismatic miner nicknamed “Super Mario.” Sheen will play a miner’s father, while Santoro is tackling the role of a trapped miner.

[From Hollywood Reporter]

Mmm, Rodrigo Santoro. Dude does have a nice booty (as did Antonio in his Original Sin days), and this film will surely have plenty of eye candy because you know they’ll handsome-up the miners a great deal, but I still can’t get over the casting of Jennifer Lopez in this movie. Surely, there are plenty of other Latina actresses (albeit unknown ones) with a lot more acting cred than JLo, but it could’ve been worse … say, if Eva Mendes were cast. Still, it really sounds like JLo signed onto this film to try and rebuild her acting career, which hasn’t been worth anything more than cheesy romcoms since the days of U Turn and Out of Sight. I wish her luck, but JLo would be better off releasing mediocture dance club tunes than attempting to be a “serious” actress on the backs of these miners.

Photos courtesy of WENN

These are photos of Jennifer Lopez at the amfAR inspiration Gala in New York last night. She’s in a very form-fitting blue lace Tom Ford gown. This looks like Jennifer’s typical style, skin-tight, shiny look-at-me. At least the thing is long and has sleeves. She could be flashing us. In terms of her hair and makeup, I really dislike that severe pulled-back hair, but maybe she didn’t want her hair to compete with that dress.

Lopez regularly brings Casper Smart with her to events, but in this case she was there with designer Kenneth Cole. Lopez does not like to be alone. She’s a serial monogamist and she falls hard and fast for seemingly whomever guy is in the right place at the right time, hence her current relationship. So does it shock you that Lopez is unable to sleep alone? When her very young bought and paid for backup dancer isn’t available to fill the bill, she’s said to make her female assistant sleep in the same bed with her. Allegedly there’s no funny business going on, it’s just Jenny from the manse needing company.

The superstar freely admits she’s got a real problem with sleeping alone. “But it has nothing to do with sex,” reports my inside source. “When Jennifer and her ex Marc Anthony were traveling all over South America taping for their 2012 show ‘Q’Viva,” Casper often didn’t accompany her – and when he wasn’t around, she’d ask her female cousin/assistant, Tiana, to spend the next right next to her because ‘I just get so lonely in bed!’”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, June 24, 2013]

It’s her cousin, so maybe Lopez feels like she’s known her all her life and it’s no biggie to ask her to sleep in the same bed, but still that sounds ridiculous. The lady is also Lopez’s assistant, and this is really stepping over a line. You know who does that? Lady Gaga. The story came out when her ex assistant filed a lawsuit against Gaga for unpaid wages. Gaga’s assistant claimed she “felt it was required” to share the bed with Gaga. If this story about Lopez is true, her assistant probably feels the same way.

In other J.Lo news, it was thought that she might be returning to American Idol after she was seen meeting with Ryan Seacrest. A source tells E! News “That’s not happening.” Lopez’s reluctance to return to Idol may have something to do with her movie career. She was live on a radio station when she got a phone call informing her that she’d earned a film role she was hoping for. TMZ has the footage where she happily freaks out and says “it’s a small movie, but it’s a great role and a lot of people wanted it.” Maybe that has something to do with why she’s not returning to Idol.

Jennifer Lopez is shown on 6-1-13 with Casper and on 6-13 with Kenneth Cole. Credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet

Here are some photos of Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart outside of the Dorchester Hotel in London last night. They were returning to the hotel after her performance on Britain’s Got Talent, where she performed her new single “Live It Up” (which is horrible). Jennifer is actually facing a lot of criticism this morning because of the performance. She performed in what I think of as “the Muppet outfit in black” – she wore a similar Muppet outfit in red for the Billboard Music Awards AND in the video. Here’s her performance:

Did that shock you? Were you upset by Jennifer’s butt cheeks and skimpy Muppet outfit? Did the thigh-high boots make you clutch your pearls? Were you angry to see Jennifer shimmy down a fireman’s pole and to see her Chris Brown-looking back-up dancers stare at her shaking booty? Well, you might not have been offended (because this is pretty much the same performance she gave at the BMAs), but the UK viewers were pearl-clutching because Britain’s Got Talent IS a family show:

She was there to give an exclusive performance of her new single, but Jennifer Lopez gave the audience and viewers of Britain’s Got Talent a lot more than they bargained for as she took to the stage on Tuesday night.

The multi-platinum album-selling singer arrived on stage wearing a tiny black leotard that barely covered her famous derriere, and within moments both Twitter and viewer forums were awash with angry comments from BGT fans who were furious at the ‘inappropriate’ nature of her appearance.

And by Wednesday morning, broadcasting industry regulator Ofcom had been inundated with complaints from viewers who were unhappy to see such a raunchy performance on a family show.

A spokesperson for Ofcom told MailOnline: ‘Ofcom can confirm that it has received complaints about the Britain’s Got Talent broadcast last night, which we are assessing but not currently investigating.’

Fans of the show were left in shock as the superstar cavorted around the stage wearing little more than skimpy underwear, a bizarre fur bolero and thigh-high boots.

[From The Mail]

That Mail link has some highlighted tweets too, and people really were upset. I really didn’t think this mess was all that raunchy, and while Jennifer’s costume was skimpy in the crotch and butt area, you didn’t really see anything. Eh. I wish there was someone to call to complain about that sketchy choreography. I wish I could issue a complaint about Casper Smart’s douche-face.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart came out for the Billboard Music Awards. She performed with Pitbull they did their new song, which… have you heard it? It sucks. Much like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer is totally stuck at the height of her fame circa 2000-01. That’s how she dresses too – check out this Zuhair Murad Couture gown. I only saw the top part and I was like, “Oh, this is going to be surprisingly good.” But it’s not. The sheer skirt is terrible. I give her some credit for tailoring though – the top part fits her like a glove. J.Lo is usually good about getting her gowns tailored for her body. Also bad: her makeup! That eyeshadow deserves to be specifically called out.

Jennifer looked like a Muppet for her performance too, and she had a costume malfunction with those terrible boots.

I don’t have the designer ID on Nicki Minaj’s dress. It’s okay – the bodice is too tight, but I guess she liked it because it squished her boobs together. This is maybe the most uneventful she’s ever been on a carpet.

Here’s Kesha in Givenchy Spring 2013. Was she even wearing drawers? I don’t know and I don’t care. The funniest part is that she paired this revealing Givenchy with… cheap little wedges. Poor Kesha. Props to her for losing weight though – her body looks the best it’s ever looked.

Here’s Stana Katic in Nicholas Oakwell Spring 2013 Couture. There were several jumpsuits on the carpet, and Stana’s was hardly the worse. I feel like the big hair turned her onesie into a costume though. She looks very Studio 54.

Kelly Rowland in Rami Al Ali Spring 2013 Couture. I don’t hate this at all, but with those bangs, I think she’s morphing into Gayle King (Oprah’s BFF).

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I’ll admit that the Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart has amused me for over 18 months since the two were revealed to be enjoying some sort of relationship (i.e., “banging”) since November 2011. Don’t get me wrong — this is not without some degree of envy that I giggle. When I’m JLo’s age (43), I would be flattered as hell to be considered sexy enough to attract a much younger dude. Mind you, Casper Smart is not exactly my type of young, 20-something dude. However, there’s something about him that keeps JLo coming back for over the past year-and-a-half. How does he do it — special moves in the sack? Never mind, I just grossed myself out.

At any rate, Kaiser mentioned a few months ago how weird it is that Jennifer and Casper are still not engaged, which really is odd because she usually moves so fast. Instead, JLo’s been taking it slow even though she admitted late last year that she’s into the fairy tale aspect of romance. Now JLo revealed to ET Online that she’s open to marriage with Casper and that it will “probably” happen. Uh-oh:

These days, Jennifer Lopez and her beau Casper Smart are rarely seen without the other, and in a sit down interview with ET, the 43-year-old performer dished on what makes her relationship with the dancer/choreographer, 25, work, and why she’s open to tying the knot again.

Our Rob Marciano caught up with J.Lo on the set of her new music video for Live it Up, where talk quickly turned to her boyfriend, who just so happened to be choreographing her sexy video set on the warm sand beaches of Fort Lauderdale, Florida .

First seen as a background dancer in Lopez’s Papi video in 2011, Smart has become an integral part of the musician’s team.

“He’s a creative partner to me. He knows what I want to accomplish,” said Lopez. “He helps me and I help him, and it kind of works that way.”

As for the romantic connection between the two, J.Lo can’t help but sing her praises for Smart.

“It’s a sweet relationship,” gushes Lopez. “It’s kind, it’s healthy.”

Whether they’ll take a walk down the aisle together remains to be seen, but J.Lo admits she’ll “probably” take the plunge again in the future.

“I like [being married],” she said.

[From ET Online]

Ha. Poor Jennifer is so taken with this little dude that she’s not only decided that he’s her “creative partner” as stated in the above interview, she also allowed him to negotiate her way out of an “Idol” contract renewal. Then Casper unironically sat down to hold his own autograph sessions at JLo’s concerts because he is so important. I wonder if Casper “advised” JLo to purchase her new $10 million Hampton’s home? He probably had some say in that transaction.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, WENN, and Casper Smart’s Facebook

Call me crazy, but I actually like Jennifer Lopez’s Met Gala look. No, it’s not punk. At all. And I’m surprised to find out that it’s Michael Kors, because Kors has been phoning it in, design-wise, for a while. But I actually think J.Lo looks good here. Think about it – Jennifer is covered up yet still showing her crazy body. The cut of the gown is clingy yet perfect. The reptilian vibe of the pattern really works. And Jennifer paid homage to the punk theme with big hair, I guess. Yeah, I really like this. I think this works so much better for the Met Gala than, say, Gwyneth’s dumb pink dress. Oh, and Casper Smart was there. Which sort of negates all of the nice things I just said about Jennifer. Ugh.

Speaking of disappointing couples, Gisele and Tom Brady were at the Met Gala, like always, although Gisele looked like she was about to go clubbing in Miami. Gisele wore an Anthony Vacarello minidress. I mean… for a premiere, or for a party or something, it would have been fine. It’s a sexy little mini and she has a crazy body. But for the Met Gala? It just seems kind of trashy. And I don’t know if I should even speak to whatever is going on with Tom Brady. I think Gisele just dresses him up like he’s her personal Ken doll.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

When I watched American Idol early this season I was impressed with how “nice” Mariah Carey was at that point, especially compared to Nicki Minaj, who was a real bitch, and not the funny awesome kind like us. I recently caught an episode from two weeks ago, (when Candice killed it singing the Cure’s Lovesong) and Mariah was so self-centered that her advice rang hollow. Nicki wasn’t bad, and although she played with her hair constantly she did seem more connected to the contestants and she gave good feedback. I put a call out on Facebook for opinions on the show, as my mom is the only one I know who watches it regularly. The fact that only one person answered out of 900-something people goes to show that not many people are watching it.

My one Facebook buddy who got back to me, Gigi of Gigi Eats Celebrities, says that she went to a taping last week and that “Mariah didn’t stand up once – when everyone else did. I really think those two think the show is a complete joke. Perhaps they know something we don’t- that AI is not being renewed? Or that they are both def not coming back.”

I think Gigi is right, because Mariah Carey is doing so poorly that AI honchos tried to replace her midseason with ex judge Jennifer Lopez! Mariah’s legal team shot that down really quick. It’s not just about Mariah’s lackluster personality, they need to shake things up because the show is tanking in the ratings.

With ratings in a steep slide, American Idol producers and Fox executives in recent weeks hatched a dramatic plan to jumpstart the show: replace judge Mariah Carey with Jennifer Lopez, according to knowledgeable sources.

These sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Carey, who was touted as the big new addition to the judge’s panel this year, responded with a threat of litigation. With that, the plan was dropped, though Idol’s producers still are negotiating with Lopez, who served as a popular judge during the past two seasons, to appear on the show’s finale in May. And insiders say a search already has begun to replace Carey, most likely Nicki Minaj and possibly the entire judge’s panel for next season.

“This is just another ridiculous Idol judge rumor, likely started by talks of Jennifer performing on the finale,” a Fox spokeswoman tells THR in a statement. Producer Fremantle NorthAmerica declines to comment. A rep for Carey denies these allegations. Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe tells THR: “I have not been included in any conversation regarding replacing Mariah with Jen this season.”

American Idol kicked off its 12th season on solid enough footing. Earning a 6.0 rating with adults 18-49 and 17.9 million total viewers in its January return, the 17 percent dip was less precipitous than some of the bigger drops in recent years. But the months since have been less kind. The Wednesday performance show is currently averaging a 4.3 rating with adults 18-49, its worst performance since its inaugural season in 2001. And it is dropping nearly every week.

Even worse for Idol, the robust reboot of NBC’s The Voice with Shakira and Usher recently has seen ratings climb to a 5.2 rating in the demo during the same week Idol bottomed out with a series low 2.8 rating. Adding insult to injury, Idol made headlines last week when preliminary numbers showed its total viewers for a results show was beaten by a repeat of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

Maybe Idol isn’t doing so well because it’s predictable. They have the same format as they’ve had for years and it seems like every episode lasts forever. They drag things out to a ridiculous degree. They should think about mixing up the show, not the judges necessarily. It’s probably not a bad idea to replace Mariah and Nicki though. THR goes on to report that producers are currently looking for judges for next season and they may go with an industry type who isn’t necessarily famous. We saw how that worked out with Kara Dioguardi.

J.Lo is shown on 3-23. Mariah is shown on 3-7. Credit: WENN.com

It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve covered any new photos of Jennifer Lopez, but in reality it’s just been about a month I think. I think it feels like forever because although I like J.Lo (in that I think she’s fun and I enjoy write-ranting about her), she’s exhausting and every time I write about her these days, I feel like “Ugh, this is the LAST time for a while.”

Anyway, Jennifer and Casper were out this weekend for “Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night XIX” in Phoenix, Arizona. I barely recognized Jennifer because I was like “No, that can’t be her – who’s the dude?” It’s CASPER!! Casper has stopped shaving his head and he’s growing out his perfectly nice dark hair. He looks completely different, right? CB always hated when I called him “Facial Challenge” and now I’m really wondering – if Casper had hair this whole time, would I have found him so facially challenged? I don’t think so. I mean, he’s still not “pretty” which is fine because not every dude has to be a pretty boy. But the hair definitely improved his look. Now he looks like “the smarmy dude” on a 1990s soap opera. He looks like a guest star on Melrose Place circa 1995.

As for Jennifer, she wore this unfortunate Maria Lucia Hohan dress. Couldn’t you see Sarah Jessica Parker in this? Right? SJP loves tulle and she loves dresses that make her look like an aging ballerina. For J.Lo, it’s a weird choice. The style is meh – it could have been cute, maybe, if it was a different color. But I hate when Jennifer wears flesh tones. So fug.

Photos courtesy of Marmolejos/WENN.com.

There are a few Jennifer Lopez-Casper Smart stories today, which is interesting because I just realized that we’ve barely talked about them for weeks. J.Lo wasn’t at the Oscars, and she and Casper didn’t go to any of the Oscar parties! How did that happen?! Did Jennifer just decide that she and Casper were going to do the Grammys and nothing more for the awards season? Hunh. Anyway, here’s a little conspiracy theory via Star Magazine: Casper and Jennifer haven’t been around lately because they’ve been spending too much time together and Casper thinks he needs his own place?

According to Jennifer Lopez, “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” – but if you’re Casper Smart, it could cost you personal space. Sources close to her backup dancer, 25, say he has been quietly looking for a place of his own after worrying that J.Lo, 43, may be growing tired of him.

“He is with Jen and her kids so much,” spills the insider. “He wants to have a place he can go to in case this comes to a screeching halt.”

Jennifer, who is known for her history of failed relationships, recently hinted at the ticking clock on her current romance when she said, “We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

Of course it might be BS, but my radar still went up. I mean… is it possible that Jennifer and Casper are having relationship problems and they could possibly break up… and that’s it? Like, they don’t have to get engaged or married or make some huge production about it? That’s so un-J.Lo. Also, if Casper really does want his own “space” that means he wants to go all Travolta on some masseurs. Now you know, J.Lo.

TMZ also had this interesting little story about Jennifer trying to get her twins into some fancy kindergarten in LA:

Jennifer Lopez is experiencing the kind of stress that hundreds of rich L.A. mommies endure every year — getting their kids into exclusive, VERY EXPENSIVE private schools.

We’ve learned Jennifer has been making the rounds in L.A., interviewing schools for her 5-year-old twins, who will be starting kindergarten in the Fall.

We know she went with kids in tow Tuesday to the famous Buckley School in the San Fernando Valley … considered by many to be the best L.A. has to offer. By the way, it better be — tuition and other costs total $33,345 for the year — PER KID!

And when we say Jennifer was interviewing … she’s the one — like all the other parents — who had to put on some snazzy clothes to impress. Lots of very rich, very famous parents try getting their kids into Buckley.

Alums include Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Richie, Matthew Perry and current student Paris Jackson.

We checked the roster for Buckley’s High School but couldn’t find Casper Smart on the list … kidding!

[From TMZ]

Not to get all judgy-childfree, but is it weird that Jennifer doesn’t already have some kind of education plan for her kids? I’m not saying that every mother of 5-year-olds needs to have it all figured out, but Jennifer is rich and she has access to lots of stuff that most mothers could only dream of. It feels like she’s doing this too late. It also feels like she didn’t have Max and Emme enrolled in any kind of pre-K program. JUDGMENT!!! Just kidding, I don’t care. Spend $34,000 a year on your child’s kindergarten. I won’t blink.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Page Six has a story today about Marc Anthony’s new romance, with 21 year-old TopShop heiress Chloe Green. Yesterday we talked about Chloe and Marc’s Disneyland outing with his kids. Chloe and Marc were looking cuddly and she was carrying his daughter around at one point. It was gross to me because Chloe is young enough to be his daughter and because it doesn’t seem too wise to have her around his kids when they’ve only been dating a month – tops. So Page Six’s theory about this new May-December romance is interesting, but I’m not really buying it and I’ll explain why in a moment. They say that Marc is into Scientology, in secret-like, and that he’s bringing Chloe into the fold. Say what? That’s news to me. Here’s more:

Marc Anthony’s relationship with Chloe Green, the 21-year-old heiress to the fortune of UK’s Topshop, has celebrity and social circles whispering about what’s really behind the sudden May-December romance.

Some fear that 44-year-old Anthony’s ties to the Church of Scientology could be an influence on Green, the aspiring actress and designer who starred in British reality show “Made in Chelsea.” The pair were seen strolling with their arms around each other at Disneyland this week, and also touring the park with Anthony’s and ex-wife Jennifer Lopez’s twins.

But Green — whom sources say Anthony has “known for years,” since she was a teen — is a stark departure from his stunning exes, Lopez and Shannon de Lima, the Venezuelan beauty queen he just split with.

Anthony and Lopez reportedly had close ties to Scientology, which is known for targeting celebs and scions of wealthy families, making Green a perfect potential object of interest for the church. While Anthony’s reps deny he’s a member of the faith, he and Lopez rubbed elbows with Scientologists including Tom Cruise and reportedly broke up over the religion.

Green, who arrived in LA two weeks ago for the launch of a Topshop there, posted a cryptic tweet after her date with Anthony on Tuesday. Quoting a friend, she tweeted, “ ‘LA thank you . . . I’ve found myself,’ ” followed by “So have I!”

[From The NY Post]

Kaiser pointed out to me that Rupert Murdoch owns the NY Post, and that he’s very vocal in his hatred of the cult of Scientology, so it’s possible the Post has some insider information that we don’t. It’s also possible that they’re jumping to conclusions based on some cryptic tweets which sound more to me like two goofballs thinking their new romance transcends age, famewhoring and excessive consumption.

We have heard that Marc and J.Lo were into Scientology, but it was J.Lo pushing the cult’s faux self-help crap, not Marc. Lopez’s dad is a Scientologist, and she’s good friends with Lean Remini (also a Scientologist). She’s spoken very positively about it in the past, but claimed that she wasn’t personally a Scientologist. She’s just down with them or something. It just doesn’t seem to be Marc’s thing, and if it was Lopez probably would have converted.

So I don’t really believe this story that Marc is into Scientology and that he’s introducing it to this Chloe character. He’s just psyched to be banging some young chick again, and is taking every opportunity to throw it in his ex’s face. (Just like she’s been doing, basically.)