"Like the stars above I'm gonna shine, anything I want will be mine." Not just a line from a song but a statement of intent. And who'd dare disagree with the formidable Jennifer Lopez (sorry, J-Lo)?
With pop in one arm and popcorn in the other, the Latin Luvvly has tasted success in both showbiz camps, while retaining her A-List credibility.
So it all looks peachy for the big-bottomed one. Except movie critics hate most of her films with a passion normally reserved only for Adam Sandler.
Her latest, "Enough", opened to a fit of hissing and spitting in the US, critics left slack-jawed by the film's sensationalist take on domestic violence.
At best it's been described as "clich茅d"; at worst "disgusting".
Still, and as always heedless of criticism, it's likely that J-Lo will ride out the storm, for this is a woman who knows the sum of her parts - and it adds up to more than "Enough".
Forget that she could serve coffee off her backside (the lady's own analogy, folks), the key is that she marries frilly femininity with a hard-bitten edge and does it better than any woman working in Hollywood today.
Her acting skills are little more than adequate, but what she represents is far more saleable: a resolutely working-class, ethnic woman who has broken free of societal restraints.
J-Lo is a genuine survivor, a real scrappy woman who's sexy to boot. These inherent qualities lend her a broad appeal, and she's savvy to it.
Already bridging the gap between romantic lead and kick-ass action lady with films like "The Wedding Planner" and "Out of Sight", J-Lo is set to continue the trend that's won her a loyal following. Even while upsetting the critics.
Next year you can catch her as a soft-centred chambermaid who falls for the aristocratic Ralph Fiennes in "Maid in Manhattan". And in "Gigli" she'll be packing heat as a hard-case gangster alongside hubby-to-be Ben Affleck (also her romantic interest in Kevin Smith's new project, "Jersey Girl").
J-Lo's film career resembles the old good cop/bad cop routine you've seen played out in every Hollywood thriller. Sure, she's got as much chance of winning an Oscar as she has of being allergic to confetti, but you can't deny it: the formula works.
