Jennifer Lopez Signs onto NBC's 'Shades of Blue' and Closes out 'American Idol'
Can you imagine what Jennifer Lopez's calendar must look like? To say that the multi-talented singer is a multi-tasker would be an understatement. Not only is Lopez a mega-brand, she might as well be a Latina Super Woman, but with a fabulous diamond-encrusted cape, of course!
With the bittersweet news of Fox's "American Idol" coming to an end, the actress/singer/TV exec and business savvy Mom of two is showing no signs of slowing down.
Her "Shades of Blue" gig on NBC is especially exciting given the increasing visibility of Latinas on TV right now, with "Jane the Virgin's" Gina Rodriguez on the CW, "Cristela's" Cristela Alonso and "The Club's" Callie Hernandez -- both on ABC. This is not including the fierce Latina presence on Netlfix with "Orange Is the New Black" as well as Hulu's "East Los High," which both feature a predominantly Latino cast.
"NBC is 'attacking the new season with the same programming strategy that successfully turned [the network] around,' said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment, 'a slate of provocative and innovative series and events that cut through the clutter and will continue to build on our momentum,'" Cynopsis Media reports.
"New programming includes 'Blindspot;' 'Heroes Reborn;' 'Heartbreaker;' 'The Player;' 'Chicago Med,' from Dick Wolf; 'Game of Silence;' and 'Shades of Blue,' starring Jennifer Lopez."
Actors Ray Liotta and Drea De Matteo have reportedly joined the cast of her upcoming cop drama "Shades of Blue" as well.
According to Latina, "Shades of Blue," which received a straight-to-series order from NBC, revolves around Lopez's character Harlee McCord, a single mother and detective who is recruited to work undercover for the FBI's anti-corruption task force.
"This isn't the first time the 'Booty' singer has had a reoccurring role on a TV series. Lopez, 46, also starred in the 1993 CBS series 'Second Chances.' Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after the 1994 Northridge earthquake destroyed their set," Latina added.
In other TV news, Lopez is slated to close out the once-hugely popular reality TV show "American Idol" as she will bring her expertise one last time as a judge the final season in 2016.
Now onto Sin City!
Lopez, who recently honored Selena during the 20th anniversary of her death at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, will become a resident artist in Las Vegas in 2016, after booking in for 20 performances at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. This is the same location where Britney Spears has been rocking the stage with her "Piece of Me" show.
Lopez will reportedly bring a more "Jenny from the Block" festive vibe and most likely a mix of her signature glitz and glamor.
"There's a lot of different things over the years people have come to know me as (and) so many different things we can delve into," Lopez told USA Today. "We haven't started exactly, but in my mind, I know it's going to be a multifaceted, high-energy kind of block party."
As a preliminary test-run in Las Vegas, Lopez performed to a sold-out New Year's Eve show at Caesars Palace last year, and reportedly raked in big bucks for herself and Caesars Palace.
So how does Lopez handle it all being in the limelight all of the time?
She acknowledges the Herculean feat and takes it head-on but in heels! You go girl! (Plus she must have an incredible team behind her!)
"It'll probably be a little bit of a challenge scheduling-wise, but nothing that anybody doesn't think I can handle," Lopez added. "I'm excited. It's something I've thought about a lot. Just being in one place (and) not having to tour the world as much."
Yet something tells me Miss Lopez, who's rocked the stage across the globe, will be anything but stationary after her Vegas run!