“Mom, it’s a pretend wedding. J-Lo has them all the
time.”—
Lorelai Gilmore [played by Lauren Graham], reassuring
Emily (nervous about renewing her marriage vows), in Gilmore Girls,
Season 5, Episode 13, “Wedding Bell Blues,” original air date Feb 8,
2005, written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino
It’s amazing how some sitcoms just feel really dated,
while the jokes in others have a habit of coming around again. Jennifer Lopez
is the gift that keeps on giving.
When the episode from which this joke was taken first
aired, Facebook had only gone public within the past year and was still unknown
to many members of the public. Alexa, Netflix “streaming,” “Grubhub,” TikTok,
Instagram were not around at all.
But audiences then and now would nod approvingly and
chuckle at “J-Lo.” The year before Lorelai Gilmore tried to cheer up her mom by
invoking her name, the actress-singer had broken off her engagement up with Ben
Affleck.
Recently, you may have heard, “Bennifer” reunited and married. It’s hard not to escape the suspicion that she wed the
Oscar-winning actor-writer-director-producer on the rebound from her broken
engagement to former baseball slugger Alex Rodriguez.
In case you’re not keeping count, this is J-Lo’s
fourth marriage. She’s also been engaged six times. Don't ever try to keep track of the men she's been with in between.
No wonder she confessed eight years ago to being a "love addict."
Many economists tell us that a recession is around the
corner. But, as long as Ms. Lopez is around, it’ll always be full employment
for entertainment reporters working the celebrity matrimonial beat.
