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Will Jennifer Lopez be second time lucky?

July 27, 2007 16:06 IST

Is this going to be another Gigli (remember Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck's desperate attempt at on-screen chemistry in August 2003)?

Four years later, there is reason the question comes to mind. August 2007 sees the release of Jennifer Lopez's production debut, El Cantante, which is based on salsa legend Hector Lavoe and his wife, Putchi.

The biopic follows Hector's life through his wife's eyes -- his incredible success as a salsa star, his addiction to heroin, his love-hate relationship with her and his death from an AIDS related illness.

And -- surprise, surprise! -- it stars hubby Marc Anthony as Hector, with Lopez playing his long-suffering wife, Puchi.

The stunningly proportioned actress-singer, who is the only one to have a number one movie and album, returns to the screen after a gap of three years.

'Since I got married, the focus has really been my marriage and my life... It was a conscious decision to pull away and find out a different way to live where I wasn't on the cover of tabloids all the time... Now I feel like my focus can be on things like (El Cantante) that I work on very hard and I'm very proud of..." she told ABC News.

But there was also an underlying worry. Friends warned the duo that shooting for the film, especially for the violent scenes between the on-screen couple, could damage their relationship.

Lopez told contactmusic.com. 'It almost scared me into quitting. With those scenes, we'd end up exhausted. But driving home, we'd just look at each other and say, 'We are so normal.''

Does that mean there are plans for a baby? Anthony prefers to remain tightlipped, but Lopez told ABC News, 'When it happens, it happens. It would be a tremendous blessing.'

Meanwhile, though, the celebrity duo are also gearing up for their concert tour which takes off on September 29 and will touch the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Photograph: Getty Images