Bark + Bite

Should J.Lo go back to American Idol next year?

On the one hand, American Idol has been an absolute plus as far as raising Jennifer Lopez's profile. Prior to her stint on Idol, J.Lo was mired in the stench of flop. Flop movies and a flop album, to be more specific. But with Idol, she got to wipe away all that muck and grime with her gig as a high profile judge.

On the other hand, doing a judging gig like Idol longterm doesn't bode well for a viable music career. Just ask JC Chasez and Lil' Mama, who've pretty much thrown in the towel as recording artists and now seem to have no ambitions beyond collecting a paycheck for their judging gigs on Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew.

J.Lo was asked up front in an interview with BBC and she left her future role on the show ambiguous. For now, Jennifer says she's "on the fence" about returning next year.

So what's the best move for Jennifer Lopez now that she's completed her first year on Idol?

Ranking the Voices of 10 Women in Pop

When it comes to sports, athletes are broken down and ranked according to their stats so that fans can contrast, compare and build fantasy leagues. So why not do the same for singers?

This post examines 10 women in pop music and breaks them down according to their vocal abilities. This is perfect as material for stan wars or just good background info for the less rabid pop music fan.

Jennifer Lopez sets the floor on fire with blazing Idol performance

Jennifer Lopez is back. No ifs, ands or buts about it. After scoring a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "On The Floor," Jennifer finally proved that she still has what it takes to set the stage on fire when she performed the hit song during the results show on Idol.

In a carefully choreographed routine, Jennifer dropped it, popped it and rocked the crowd with every bit of spectacle she had in her possession. She managed to break glass, rise on an elevated podium and throw a hair flip with a burst of flames behind her all in one performance. Pitbull was also there to pump up the hype in his signature sports coat and shades.

The climax was Jennifer's eye-popping floor routine. The recent mother of two pounded the floor and got to humpin' around like Bobby Brown. Thank god this turned out so much better than when the last time an Idol judge took to the stage. Sorry, Paula.

Watch Jennifer Lopez's smokin' performance on Idol below

Jennifer Lopez goes sightseeing in "I'm Into You" video

Jennifer Lopez packs her bags for a romantic getaway with telenovela star William Levy in the sunkissed video for her second single "I'm Into You." Filmed largely in Mexico, Jennifer Lopez poses in front of the iconic Chichen Itza, a Mayan temple in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The video alternates between Herb Ritts-esque black and white scenes on the beach that look like the ad for one of Jenny from the Block's latest line of perfumes. In other shots, it looks like a setup for a spread in Vogue magazine. There's no real plot for the video, just Jennifer Lopez as J.Lo.

Thankfully, with her relevance restored thanks to a hit song and Idol, a video that centers on nothing more than her high profile presence actually works.

Jennifer Lopez breaks down in tears after sending contestant home on Idol

In the greatest piece of acting from Jennifer Lopez since Selena, J.Lo crumbled on national television after she and her fellow Idol judges had to dismiss pop/faux rock singer Chris Medina from the competition. The experience rocked her so much that Jennifer tearfully shook her head saying, "I can't do this anymore." Apparently, telling people that they just weren't good enough is a really hard job for Jennifer. Puffy, Cris Judd and Ojani Noa might be inclined to disagree though.

Or maybe Jenny is just trying to soften up her "diva, bitch" reputation. Or maybe motherhood has made her super emotional. Whatever it is, Jenny needs to suck it up, cause it wasn't that serious. Even Paula showed more cajones when it came to this stuff. Paula would purse her lips, look down at the floor and make a compliment about how sweet the contestants' personalities were. She saved her incoherent, embarrassing sobfests for subpar performances from the young male contestants she fancied.

Being the teases that they are, the Idol producers added a "to be continued..." after Jennifer's meltdown in an attempt to leave the viewer in suspense. It's a safe bet that Jennifer will take a bathroom break and get back to work, so there's really no need to worry.

Watch Jennifer Lopez lose her cool in dismissing a contestant below

Jennifer Lopez is officially back in the game

Jennifer Lopez has finally managed to do what Paula Abdul was incapable of doing: Using her post as a judge for American Idol as a launching pad for restarting her ailing music career.

After a poorly performing album (Brave), two flop singles ("Louboutins," "Fresh Out the Oven") and the dissolution of her record deal with Sony, it looked like J.Lo's music career was a wrap. And when she accepted the gig as a judge on American Idol, it further reinforced the notion that Jenny's pop star days were behind her.

But surprise, J.Lo's got a hit, which means she's awash in relevance again. Jennifer Lopez's RedOne-produced song "On the Floor" has taken off with a roar on iTunes. It currently occupies the #2 spot right behind Lady Gaga and her record-breaking single "Born This Way." In other words, if it weren't for Gaga being in the way, Jennifer would definitely have the #1 spot.

Continuing to use the Idol platform for all it's worth, Jennifer will be premiering the video for "On the Floor" during the March 3rd episode of Idol, according to MTV. Ain't no shame in the cross promotion game.

It's remarkable that Jennifer was able to land a hit by essentially dusting off "Waiting for Tonight," slapping Pitbull on it and letting RedOne put a lil' somethin', somethin' on it. Are people really interested in hearing about a 41-year-old mother of two hitting the club? Or is Jenny from the Block just forever young in that way?

Jennifer Lopez is proud of herself as a vocalist

Well, it finally happened. Someone finally posed the question many had been repeating at the water cooler, on Facebook and on Twitter: How can Jennifer Lopez judge Idol contestants' singing when she can't sing herself?

Jennifer's response: That's hater talk. Oh, that's mature, original and thought out. Never heard that one before. In an interview with Angie Martinez of Hot 97, Jennifer talked about her run on Idol as a judge, talked a little bit about her upcoming album Love? (though no word on her imploded relationship with Sony) and answered a few questions on family and motherhood.

The juicy Idol soundbyte went a little something like this:

Angie: One of the things I love about you is that you've constantly grown, even in your voice. I've heard you talk about how Marc has kind of helped you find this voice.

Jennifer: Yeah, absolutely. It was funny, at one of the other places they were like, 'You're judging on American Idol and people say you can't sing!' and I was like, really? Well, first of all those are haters. And I don't really have time for that. There's just too much beautiful things in my life.

But to be quite honest, I'm very proud of who I am as a vocalist.

Listen to part of the Jennifer Lopez Hot 97 interview yourself below

Jennifer Lopez feels "On the Floor" reflects her roots

While on the set of her latest video, "On the Floor," Jenny from the Block sat down to chat with MTV News un poquito about her new song and what it means to her. Jennifer Lopez spent much of her early career in the public eye as a dancer. She started out on In Living Color and went on to dance for Janet Jackson. (Peep her in the background in the "That's The Way Love Goes" video).

So the RedOne-produced dance floor burner feels like a return to form for her. And others agree, as the song has been dubber a 2011 version of her 1999 club hit "Waiting For Tonight." Her's Jennifer explaining that tingly feeling in her own words:

"I connected to it, but also because of how much I love to dance and how much that's always been such a big part of who I am since I started. Since I was a little girl, I just totally connected with the idea of getting out there."

Watch a clip of Jennifer talking about the song below