The “J.Lo” album was released 8 Years Ago today on January 23, 2001.

Jennifer Lopez attends at the 2009 Latino Inaugural Gala - Celebrando El Cambio at Union Station on January 18, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

With the presidential inauguration just days away – and stars like Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez and Scarlett Johansson poised to descend on the nation’s capital – PEOPLE.com presents a guide to Washington, D.C., hot spots for those who want to see and be seen – and those who prefer to monitor the fun from home.

D.C. DINING WITH THE STARS
Washington might be better know for its politics than its food, but there are scrumptious eats you won’t want to miss. Question No. 1: Where does Barack Obama eat? For one dinner last week, it was Ben’s Chili Bowl, where the President-elect chowed down just last week. For a more decadent night out, try Oya, where Diddy and Kim Kardashian have dined, or The Palm, the scene of a recent power dinner hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Celebrity chef Art Smith, best known as Oprah’s personal cook, owns the swank Art & Soul. And after a day of sightseeing, there’s no better reward than a beautifully crafted cupcake at Georgetown Cupcake. Just ask Russell Crowe!

HOTEL HOT SPOTS
Though booking a room in D.C. is nearly impossible with crowds flocking to the city, you can still check out the lobby scene at Donovan House, the hipster hangout where Samantha Ronson likes to crash or for old-school elegance, you can’t beat Ben Affleck’s favorite, the Four Seasons. And rumor has it George Clooney likes to unwind at the Ritz-Carlton.

CAPITAL RETAIL ROUNDUP
For sensational shopping, all roads lead to Georgetown, the neighborhood where Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Garner and the Bush daughters bop around for fashionable finds. The colonial-era quarter’s chic M Street is home to Cusp (where Nicole Richie has been spotted) to Annie Creamcheese (Victoria Beckham is a fan). If you’re a shoe enthusiast, walk your way to the Steve Madden store, where Mya has shopped till she dropped.

WHERE TO GET GLAM
Erwin Gomez Salon is the hair (and eyebrow!) destination for everyone from Rosario Dawson to Jennifer Lopez. The SkinCeuticals facial, offered at the Hela Spa in Chevy Chase, Md., has found fans in Uma Thurman and Renée Zellweger. Meanwhile, Vanessa Hudgens gets her mani-pedis at the ultra-chic Andre Chrekey Salon, but book in advance – even after the inauguration has come and gone!

Jennifer Lopez has an itty-bitty problem with her absentee wedding ring explanation.

The singer-actress poo-poos reports that her marriage to Marc Anthony is on the rocks in the new issue of In Touch Weekly, telling the mag that she occasionally leaves her 8.2 carat Neil Lane engagement ring at home because it doesn’t go with her outfit.

“Every time I’m not wearing my ring, people think I’m getting divorced,” says Lopez, who doffed her diamond for the Golden Globes.

“That’s crazy! It just didn’t go with the dress.”

Oh, really?!

Lopez made waves in early December when she hit the red carpet for the premiere of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” sans her significant bauble, reportedly worth $1 million.

And she was wearing … white.

Lopez  doesn’t seem to have anything against the neutral tone: The 39-year-old flashed the ring while wearing white on at least four separate occasions in September.

She has also paired her platinum sparkler with gold jewelry and accessories in the past.

Despite multiple reports to the contrary, the thrice-married singer denies that the couple is headed for Splitsville.

“Divorce is not — and was never — an option,” she says.

Sources have said the twosome plan to split after their big Valentine’s Day show at Madison Square Garden.

Lopez and Anthony , who are parents to 11-month-old twins Max and Emme, wed in a secret ceremony in 2004.
NY Daily News

Screaming. Pushing and shoving. Throwing things. Jennifer Lopez’s marriage to Marc Anthony is exploding — and she’s run back to Diddy for help!

In the Jan. 26 issue of Star — on newsstands now! — we report that after months of fighting the couple’s fiery marital brawls have escalated to a whole new level. Sources close to the couple say that the twosome’s emotional war of words has now crossed the line and become physical.

“They love hard; they fight hard — and sometimes that has led to pushing and shoving,” reveals an insider close to Marc. “They throw things and scream and just go bananas. It’s been war in their house!” And while Jennifer is known to let loose on him, another source says Marc “can be really mean. He’s a macho guy with a horrible temper and can say awful things.”

What triggers these blowups? A number of things — from various women calling their home to speak with Marc to his comments about Jennifer’s “chubby” post-baby body. And it’s not all him, another source insists the physicality of their relationship is just Jen’s way of getting her husband to pay attention to her.

Star Magazine… get a life and stop making up stories to sell magazines.

arrives at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California.

Jennifer Lopez could have been a Globe statuette herself in her plunging V-neck, gold-bead gown by Marchesa. “Jennifer Lopez looks exactly like you want Jennifer Lopez to look,” said Hal Rubenstein, fashion director at InStyle.

Jennifer Lopez’s volatile marriage continues to spark controversy - after The ENQUIRER caught her in what seemed to be a stony-faced showdown with her husband Marc Anthony!

Shocking photographs snapped on New Year’s Eve show sour-faced Marc apparently pointing his finger in J.Lo’s startled face.

The superstar couple continues to deny they’re having problems, but sources say they have fought bitterly and fear Marc’s controlling ways may have stretched their 4 1/2-year marriage to the breaking point.

And insiders say if they do split, there could be a bitter showdown over their fortune, estimated to be $350 million, plus wrangling for custody of their nearly year-old twins.

J.Lo, 39, and Marc, 40, have been showing a united front in public in a bid to shrug off reports that their once idyllic marriage is on the rocks. But the strain seemed to be showing with an explosive argument at a  New Year’s Eve party in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The couple started the night at boxer Oscar De La Hoya’s mansion, and then moved on to La Concha’s ritzy, invitation-only bash that guests watched as the glamorous beauty and her salsa-singing hubby dropped their smiles.

“Jennifer and Marc partied in the outside lounge surrounded by a close-knit set of friends and heavy security,” revealed an eyewitness source at the party.

“They danced a little bit as they stood near each other, but it was nothing serious like a long romantic dance or anything.

Then Marc’s mood suddenly seemed to take a turn for the worse.

“At one point Marc took Jennifer to the side and got very serious with her,” revealed a hotel staffer.

“It looked as if he was giving her some kind of orders - like a father scolding a child. It didn’t look like a nice conversation. Put it this way - no one was smiling, and it was the biggest party of the year!”
The National Enquirer

January 2, 2009, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez attend the inauguration ceremony of Luis Fortuno as the new governor of Puerto Rico at the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez depart in a private jet on January 3, 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are reportedly considering buying a property in Puerto Rico.

The couple - who are parents to 10-month-old twins Max and Emme - have put an end to rumours their marriage is in trouble after enjoying a romantic holiday together in the self-governing territory.

Jennifer, 39, and Marc, 40, are said to have been so impressed with their visit to Trump’s International Gulf Club Puerto Rico during their trip they are now considering splashing out on a home there.

The pair first sparked rumours of trouble in their relationship after they were both spotted in public without their wedding rings.

Friends of the couple say the arrival of their babies fuelled issues they were dealing with in their marriage.

One friend explained: “They have been having problems, like in any marriage. They’ve been arguing.

“The marriage is experiencing frustrations because of the added stress of the twins but they will work things out. They love each other, and that will dictate what happens. I don’t think divorce is in the picture.”
Bang Media Int’l

Solo trips to Las Vegas, public appearances without their wedding rings – what’s up with Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez?

According to those who observed them on a holiday vacation to Puerto Rico, nothing.

The couple, who left for their romantic jaunt on Dec. 26, rang in 2009 poolside at La Concha Hotel, reports the Puerto Rico newspaper El Voce.

On their trip, which lasted through the first week in January, the couple also attended the gubernatorial inauguration and had a cozy dinner together at Marmalade restaurant in Old San Juan.

What’s more, a reliable source tells PEOPLE that Lopez, 39, and Anthony, 40, are seriously considering purchasing property at Trump’s International Gulf Club Puerto Rico, where they took a tour over the holiday.

‘They’ve Been Arguing’
While both their reps tell PEOPLE that the couple are “great,” insiders indicate that their marriage isn’t perfect. “They have been having problems, like in any marriage,” says one. “They’ve been arguing.”

The likely cause? The growing pains naturally associated with raising 10-month-old twins Max and Emme.

“The marriage is experiencing frustrations because of the added stress of the twins,” says another source familiar with the situation, “but they will work things out. They love each other, and that will dictate what happens. I don’t think divorce is in the picture.”
People

Is  J. Lo  a no-go for Boston?

There’s still no word on when Yari Film Group’s romantic comedy “The Governess,” starring Jennifer Lopez, is slated to start filming in the Hub. But it doesn’t appear it’s anytime soon.

State film cheese Nick Paleologos told the Track he hasn’t heard a peep from production peeps about the flick’s shooting schedule.

When the project was announced last summer, Yari, which produced made-in-Mass. movies “The Lonely Maiden” and “What Doesn’t Kill You,” had expected to start shooting here in the fall.

But since the announcement in the Hollywood trades, there’s been little to report about the comedy - other than it stars J. Lo as a bank-robbing pro who, in order to make her big score, poses as a nanny for three rich brats who live with their widowed father. No other cast has been announced.

And during the months-long radio silence on “The Governess,” Lopez has signed on to star in CBS Films’ “Plan B,” a funny flick about an aging single gal who turns to artificial insemination only to meet her Prince Charming the same day the stick turns blue. The flick, written by “Will and Grace” scribe Kate Angelo, has a start date of April or May, but a director has yet to sign on.

Also mucking up the Mass. movie is the fact that Yari Film Group’s distribution arm - the one that releases the movies - was forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in recent weeks. Producer-slash-financier Bob Yari claims the move, caused by a $6 million wipe-out of its payroll account, doesn’t affect its production company. But Hollywood insiders told us they find that hard to believe - especially in this economy.

As always, do stay tuned.

Boston Herald

Puerto Rico’s new governor takes office Friday, inheriting an island government that is battling a recession, a soaring murder rate and a deficit of more than $1 billion.

Luis Fortuno, who defeated an incumbent tainted by federal corruption charges in November, is taking the oath of office at the U.S. Caribbean territory’s Capitol. Expected guests included Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, actress Jennifer Lopez and reggaeton star Daddy Yankee.

Fortuno has promised to reduce the tax rate, create thousands of private-sector jobs and boost community policing on an island that reported more than 800 killings last year for the first since 1996.

But the economy will take center stage. His advisory committee has warned the territory is on such shaky ground that it might not have money to pay public employees in the next three months. In August, the government requested a $500 million credit line from the state-owned bank to pay 120,000 workers.

Fortuno, 48, belongs to the party that wants Puerto Rico to become a U.S. state. He has been serving as the island’s nonvoting delegate to the U.S. Congress.

He ousted one-term Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila, who is awaiting trial for allegedly violating campaign finance laws.
AP

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are vacationing in Puerto Rico, “laughing” and “having a great time” - and scuttling rumors their union is in jeopardy.

The cozy crooners were part of a jolly group earlier this week at an upscale eatery in the old town section of San Juan, E! News reported yesterday.

“Jennifer and Marc looked very happy, so it is hard for me to believe the rumors that their marriage is in trouble,” Trace Donaldson, the general manager of Marmalade, told E! The pair were joined by a group that included Lopez’s sister, Lynda.

One report this week had the Brookville duo fighting and heading for a split, to be announced publicly at the end of Anthony’s Valentine’s Day gig at Madison Square Garden. Lopez’s rep has denied that any such theatrical displays are in the works.

Lopez was seen the day after Christmas boarding a private flight straight to Puerto Rico out of Van Nuys Airport in California.
NewsDay