Jennifer Lopez at 60 minutes

The Diva

Who do you think is the world's most powerful celebrity? Oprah Winfrey? Tom Cruise? A Kardashian perhaps?

Well, apparently, the answer is Jennifer Lopez.

J Lo earned a whopping $50 million last year - not bad for a humble Puerto Rican back-up dancer from the wrong end of town.

It's a triumphant return to the top for Jennifer, who reignited her career as a judge on the hugely successful American Idol.

She's now embarked on a massive six-month world tour and Allison Langdon got a taste of what we can expect.

She caught up with Jennifer, and her new and much younger man, back stage in California.

For further information about Jennifer Lopez’s Australian tour follow the linkwww.frontiertouring.com/jlo

Full transcript:

ALLISON LANGDON: It's less than an hour before show time, and while backstage is frantic, the star of the night - Jennifer Lopez - arrives for our interview relaxed and, surprisingly, alone.

ALLISON LANGDON: Ally from 60 Minutes.

JENNIFER: Hi, nice to meet you.

ALLISON LANGDON: Nice to meet you too. Where's your entourage?

JENNIFER: They're all busy, we have a show in 30 minutes. 'Cause my show doesn't start until like 10:00 at night.

ALLISON LANGDON: So you're going on stage about the same time I'm getting ready to go to bed.

JENNIFER: Exactly, and by the way that's my bedtime too.

ALLISON LANGDON: On stage, she is The Diva. I'd expected to sit down with a prima donna, but the 43-year-old is warm and engaging. What doesn't surprise me is how beautiful she is in person. This is the Jennifer that we're used to seeing, you know, amazing hair -

JENNIFER: Glam.

ALLISON LANGDON: Flawless skin, glamorous. Please tell me you have daggy mum days?

JENNIFER: Oh my God, you should've seen me walk in here today! I mean, they've gotten pictures of me with my bun on my head and my sunglasses and -

ALLISON LANGDON: But you still look good!

JENNIFER: I mean I try to! I don't want to go out looking like a bum, you know. My mum taught me better than that.

ALLISON LANGDON: Now, Jennifer is a mum herself - with four-year-old twins Emme and Max. And for this, J. Lo's first world tour, home is very much on the road. Are you a hands-on mum?

JENNIFER: Yeah, I mean the babies are with me all the time. They travel with me. I don't feel right when they're away, you know what I mean? It's just - you know, I'm a mom, I love them. I want them close to me. I'm only like "mom" - if they said "mom" right now, I'd have to say "excuse me" and go and see what they needed.

ALLISON LANGDON: How do they feel about how hard you work?

JENNIFER: I think they understand the concept of it, that you have to work to make money and money is how we have a house and buy clothes and buy food. You know, I explain all that to them so they don't think I'm just away having a party somewhere, you know what I mean? Or dancing on stage with like my 10,000 friends out there, and not worrying about them, that this is something I do for us, for our life, for, you know, so that they can have everything that they ever dreamed of, you know.

ALLISON LANGDON: There's not much that Jennifer ever dreamed of, that she hasn't achieved. She can sing, dance, and act. But in 2008, she disappeared to start her family, only to re-emerge in spectacular fashion, using her judging role on American Idol to re-launch her music career. It really allowed you to connect with your fans, didn't it?

JENNIFER: Yeah, yeah. Well, I thought they know who I was because I'd been around for so long. I was just like, they know, they know who I am, right? But it's kinda funny, sometimes they'd rather assume the opposite.

ALLISON LANGDON: Well, you came across as a nice and caring person.

JENNIFER: That I think because - that's because I think I am.

ALLISON LANGDON: That J. Lo warmth is matched - and some - by her astute commercial mind. So much so that respected business magazine Forbes ranked her this year's Most Powerful Celebrity - eclipsing Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga. I'm sitting here talking to the most powerful celebrity in the World.

JENNIFER: That's so funny, yeah.

ALLISON LANGDON: How does that sit with you?

JENNIFER: You kinda just go wow, that's nice, and then you just try not to think about it, because, you know, "Most Powerful Celebrity" - it's very daunting, you know what I mean? And it just feels like -

ALLISON LANGDON: What does it mean?

JENNIFER: I don't know. I think for me, the way I took it was like my hard work has not gone unnoticed.

ALLISON LANGDON: Ever since she was first noticed in the early 90s, Jennifer has ridden the highs and lows of celebrity. At times, her love life has attracted more attention than her professional life. So when marriage to husband number three and father to her twins, singer Marc Anthony, collapsed last year, J. Lo was back in the white-hot glare of the gossip spotlight.

JENNIFER: You know what? You take it, and you try to handle it with grace and dignity.

ALLISON LANGDON: How difficult was that period in your life?

JENNIFER: It was tough. It's still tough, you know. It's still tough. It's a hard thing to go through a divorce with children. It's not ideal, it's not something I ever wanted. I wanted my family to be together forever. But at the end of the day, you know, you have to do what you feel is right and most healthy for you and your children, And it's hard.

ALLISON LANGDON: Do you still believe in love, romance?

JENNIFER: Absolutely. Absolutely I do. I mean it's the only thing. It's the only thing that keeps us going. I mean, even just the love I have for my kids has kept me going, and I'm sure I'm not the first woman to say that who's gone through something like this, you know?

ALLISON LANGDON: Do you think you'll get married again one day?

JENNIFER: I don't know, maybe. I don't know.

ALLISON LANGDON: Husband number four may already be in her life - she's dating dancer Casper Smart, who starred in her recent music clip "Dance Again." At 25, Casper is also the choreographer of her world tour.

CASPER: She's easy. I mean she knows what she wants, if she doesn't like it, she'll tell you.

ALLISON LANGDON: We caught up with Casper backstage as Jennifer's support act, Enrique Iglesias, performed on-stage - and gave us a flying visit.

ALLISON LANGDON: Enrique was just in that box?

CASPER: Yeah.

ALLISON LANGDON: Are you serious?

CASPER: Yeah.

ALLISON LANGDON: Tearing through the back of - CASPER: Tearing through just like a maniac.

ALLISON LANGDON: And so that's so he can race up the back and miraculously appear and not be puffing?

CASPER: Exactly.

ALLISON LANGDON: So when did the romance blossom?

CASPER: When - how did we go from there to there? That was a jump.

ALLISON LANGDON: Because that's when we want to know!

CASPER: The romance blossomed - I don't know. I kind of happened quick, very natural, and it just happened.

ALLISON LANGDON: Are you uncomfortable right now?

CASPER: No, it's just, you know - every time I answer, I'm like flustered again.

ALLISON LANGDON: Who made the first move? You're not giving anything away, are you?

CASPER: I'm not giving you anything!

ALLISON LANGDON: That's mean.

CASPER: I've given you enough.

ALLISON LANGDON: You have. How do you find working with someone that you're dating?

JENNIFER: It's good. It's a creative venture for both of us. He has lots of ideas, I have a lot of ideas, and we just kind of work it out.

ALLISON LANGDON: Do you ever clash?

JENNIFER: Oh yeah. Yeah, I just don't think that there's ever a time when you don't clash when it comes to creativity, because everyone has their own vision.

ALLISON LANGDON: But you're the boss?

JENNIFER: On this one I am, yes. This is my show, and he understands that this is my vision, my show. They're like "what do you want?" I want it this way. "Oh, ok."

ALLISON LANGDON: It's almost time to hit the stage, and all that is left for Jennifer to do now is get dressed.

JENNIFER: I feel good, I feel relaxed about it, but it's definitely an adrenaline rush.

ALLISON LANGDON: Is there any pre-show ritual that you go through?

JENNIFER: I have to like stretch and do my whole kind of like abs and arms and everything and kind of just get like sweating and going and start to prep myself. And I do a lot of dancing in the show.

ALLISON LANGDON: So you do have to work very hard then to have this body?

JENNIFER: Yeah, no, you do.

ALLISON LANGDON: I just feel a little bit better, you know! As 15,000 fans scream for their idol, there's a quick prayer, a few encouraging words from Casper -

CASPER: Who's the champ?

JENNIFER: I'm the champ.

CASPER: Who's the champ?

JENNIFER: I'm the champ.

ALLISON LANGDON: And with that - it is show time. Jennifer will bring her show to Australia in December - a celebration of her music. She's redefining what it can mean to hit middle age. You're 43 years old now, you've had twins, how is it possible to look this good?

JENNIFER: When you say the words 43, I have an out of body experience, it's like a surreal moment for me, because I so wonder what happened! Like how did I get to that age? Because I still feel very youthful and kind of vibrant. And to me, when I was younger 43 sounded so different. But I just think we're in a different time in life right now in society, in the world, where people were written off so much younger. And now that's not the case, especially for women.

ALLISON LANGDON: It takes more than sheer talent to have longevity in this industry. Jennifer Lopez has proven she's nothing if not resilient, and for as long as she looks good in a leotard, J. Lo will keep shaking her thing. You're clearly happy.

JENNIFER: I am. I feel good where I am, because I feel like you get to a certain age and you realise it's always going to be a learning process. And when you get comfortable with that, you stop fighting everything around you and you kind of just go okay, this is what it is, and you know what, I'm doing okay. I'm doing okay. So let's enjoy the moment.