Dear Woody

Dear Woody,

I am intrigued by the recently announced split of an industry icon.  I was genuinely surprised, given all the years it was held together, not to mention the commitment that was countlessly reinforced with the press.  What is your take on all of this?

- Dazed and Confused

 

Dear Dazed and Confused,

It may seem surprising at first blush, but this has been in the making for many years.  Yes, the divorce is now official, but Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony actually separated way back in 2011.

While the two valiantly tried to hold their relationship together early on, their collaboration didn't really make much sense to anyone.  They dabbled in acting, writing, producing and even design, but they never achieved much beyond their initial, core music success.  And even there, they had little to no synergy, despite the promise.

For instance, they released the duet "Escapémonos" in 2004, but it was barely noticed.  This was, in part, due to the fact that Marc's fans are Latin music listeners while J Lo's followers are pop music lovers.  In other words, they confused their vastly different audiences.  In latter years, Marc and J Lo seemed to instinctively understand this, and didn't even bother to look for opportunities to collaborate.

In the end, it is probably best that the two part company so they can each try to reinvigorate their independent careers.  Note, however, that even with the split, some critics still believe that neither is likely to return to the glory of their early years; the entertainment industry has evolved without them, and recent attempts to reconnect with their audiences have been embarrassing at best.

Let us hope the naysayers are wrong and Marc's and J Lo's misguided releases are a thing of the past.  (I mean, come on.  I Luh Ya Papi?  Really?!)

As always, the split will be hardest on the kids.

-Woody