OK, i'm Italian American myself and I always get called latina, as do much of my family.
To be perfectly honest, there's not really that much difference. Hispanic-Americans are descended from the Spanish and Portuguese that went to South/Central America during the colonial period and Italian-Americans are descendents of the Italians. They're both from almost the same part of the world originally, and while there admitedly is a difference, it's not all that huge, and i know a lot of Italians who could pass for hispanics and vice versa.
PLUS the word Latino/a that people seem to be using frequently here, actually isn't synonymous with south/central america. the world can be used to describe anybody with latin heritage (Portuguese, Spanish, and ORIGINALLY Italian)
And i also don't see her accent as being particularly hispanic it's just a new york accent. And as for having African features?? Ummm.. like what?
I wish I could think of something witty to put here but I can't.

I thought she was Hispanic in this film? The mother looked it, the father kind of did and the brother was the odd ball.
Yeah she is a Mestiza, shes not only just white. They need to have her playing a PUERTO RICAN woman like she is. In the wedding planner weren't they Hispanic, her family??
But OP I do not think she has a Hispanic accent, just a New York one. No race/ethnicity attatched to it.

I desagree particularly when it's not important to the story. + there is plenty of Italian who looks like her.

i too think casting jennifer lopez as an italian is ludicrous, unless she's playing a mixed italian/puerto rican type.. but for the record, jennifer looks ethnic, and there's probably some black or amerindian ethnicty in her.. no doubt.. this is particularly evident in her nose and lips.. although, one of jennifer's sisters, whom i believe is also in show business, is not nearly as ethnic-looking jennifer cannot pass for anything but what she very obviously is: latin or mixed. ethnic roles suit her much better. period.
actors who are obviously not of a particular race should not be 'pretending' to play actors of that race.. it's silly and jennifer is obviously not of the caucasian persuasion and even mediterranean-looking italians don't have the negroid features jennifer does. sorry!
either alter the script to make her character mixed or ethnic, or drop this foolishness of having jennifer playing irish or italian types.. silly!

I don't see the problemMexican is not a race, Italian is white though. Al Pacino played a Cuban, there are white Cubans.so there is nothing wrong with it.
Illegals out!:
http://www.nbpc.net/Miscellaneous/nafbpo_position_paper0507.pdf

And, dude, I don't know what movies have white folks playing traditional Asians, but that's gotta be pretty funny.
I'm guessing you've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's. I remember Blake Edwards saying he regreted casting Andy Rooney.
As for people bringing up the blackface comparisons, I'm sorry, but J.Lo playing an Italian woman in some movie is not the same thing.
I'm suprised no one mentioned Al Pacino in Scarface yet.
I found my inner bitch and ran with her-Courtney Love

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I agree, she definately looks hispanic.
Years ago, when I saw her for the first time in Money Train, and I never heard or saw her before, I immediately thought she's latina. I never thought she was caucasian. Her looks doesn't mean she couldn't have been something else other than latina. Just my opinion.

As used in the United States, Hispanic is one of several terms of ethnicity employed to categorize any person, of any racial background, of any country and of any religion who has at least one ancestor from the people of Spain or Spanish-speaking Latin America, whether or not the person has Spanish ancestry. It is therefore not a racial term, although as used in the United States it often carries racial connotations.
Hispanic (Spanish Hispano, from Latin Hispānus, adjective from Hispānia, "Iberian Peninsula") is a term denoting a derivation from Spain, its people and culture. It follows the same style of use as Anglo, which indicates a derivation of England and the English.

Amanda
http://groups.myspace.com/jonathanrandallfanclub
myspace.com/amanda_marr

Dude, you cannot compare Alexis Bledel to Jennifer Lopez. Alexis's mom is not "Mexican" She's french and german but was raised/lived in mexico. that is why she looks white. Cause she IS. If anyone looks at Jennifer Lopez and cant tell she is hispanic, they should lay off the sauce. Just say no.
she was raised/lived in Mexico means she's Mexican. Perhaps you are confusing Mestizo with Mexican but if you are from Mexico you are Mexican. It is a fallacy that all Mexican's are one race Mexican is a nationality.
Hispanics AND Latinas come in all colors, shapes and races. Hispanics are those who come from spanish speaking countries (and/or cultures). Porta Rican's are 100% AMERICAN and they are still hispanic. Latina/Latinos are from Latin America.
Latin America (Portuguese/Spanish: Amrica Latina) is the region of the Americas where Romance languages those derived from Latin, namely Spanish and Portuguese are officially or primarily spoken. Latin America is distinct from Anglo-America, a region of the Americas where English, a Germanic language, predominates.
The most common view is that Latin America includes territories in the Americas where Spanish or Portuguese prevail: Mexico (North America) and most of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean (both in land area and population). The acronym "LACRO" refers to this view. The English-speaking countries of North and South America are not included in Latin America.
Sometimes, particularly in the United States, the term "Latin America" is used to refer to all of the Americas south of the U.S., including countries such as Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and Suriname where non-Romance languages prevail[1].
Geopolitically, Latin America is divided into 20 independent countries and several dependent territories. Spanish is predominant and an official language in most Latin American countries with the exception of Brazil, where Portuguese prevails, and Haiti, where Haitian Creole is the dominant language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America
Latin America includes such countries and regions as
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela
French Guiana
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Aruba
Bonaire
Curaao
U.S. Virgin Islands
Puerto Rico
Latin America has a very diverse population, with many ethnic groups of different ancestries, the majority of which are European, Amerindian, or African in origin, or a mix of any of these.

Amanda
http://groups.myspace.com/jonathanrandallfanclub
myspace.com/amanda_marr

Hey Imz Granted Her mom maybe as you say was just raised in Mexico, though her father is still Argentinian and after all Argentina IS a LATIN COUNTRY!!!!!!!!
though I do agree with you that if someone can't tell that J-Lo is a Latina they are def. on crack or spaced out beyond return and never coming back. Doo-DEE-DOO.
def=definetly
I'm Bucky Katt! , who the hell are you?
(Bucky Katt from the comic Get Fuzzy)

Dude, you cannot compare Alexis Bledel to Jennifer Lopez. Alexis's mom is not "Mexican" She's french and german but was raised/lived in mexico. that is why she looks white. Cause she IS. If anyone looks at Jennifer Lopez and cant tell she is hispanic, they should lay off the sauce. Just say no.

Well Latinas come in all shapes, sizes and color. Take Alexis Bledel for example. She looks as white as they can be but her father is Argentinian and her mother is Mexican. You can read about her in the June 2005 issue of Latina. Also in the article is the lovely America Ferrera.
I'm Bucky Katt! , who the hell are you?
(Bucky Katt from the comic Get Fuzzy)

Who the heck in their right mind looks at Jennifer Lopez and sees a white hispanic? You'd have to be smoking something.
how doesnt she look like a white hispanic?? you must be smoking something to think she's not. What is she then a asian or black hispanic?! lmao
and her only "african" feature is her ass
you're thinking way to deep into this

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Italian is a Latin culture, after all what did they speak in Ancient Roma, (LATIN)
I'm Bucky Katt! , who the hell are you?
(Bucky Katt from the comic Get Fuzzy)

you guys dont understand >< all the characters lopez has played that arent latino the race of the character isnt the main point of the character.LIke in out of sight int he book karen sisco is a tall blonde blue eyed girl think uma thurman but in the movie she is a latina but does it make any difference no the accent is not needed either not every italian speaks like a person from little italy.The main point is that is not the race of the character that matters is the acting itself and she does a good job in this film so why should her race matter.
and her mom in the film is sonia braga who is mexican so her character is half mexican half caucasian.

I didn't say anything was wrong with African features. I am black, so I have VERY defined African features. Acknowledging something is not the same as criticizing it.
And, just because someone isn't 100% full-blooded African, it doesn't make much of a difference. I can't think of one black American or mixed hispanic (from somewhere in Latin America), etcwho IS 100% African. That said, just because someone doesn't LOOK like what someone else would EXPECT a black/hispanic to look like, it doesn't make them any less of a black/hispanic person. I can pretty much look at another person of color and identify them as being a person of color, and I've had long and (and often hilarious) conversations with my white friends who couldn't figure out how I could tell.
And while it's a beautiful thought that one day maybe race wouldn't be something we're judged by, I think it's dangerous to attempt to create an environment where ethnicity is irrelevant. People should be proud of who they are and where they came from, which is why I get uncomfortable when some celebrities try to keep their background secret. Although, I agree, ethnicity and the whole concept of race shouldn't change public opinion.
However, this whole thread came about because I think it's a popular thing to do now, in films, to try to white-wash a film- or try to use actors who may be able to 'pass' as white (presumably to a white audience, because, as I've said, people of color can usually recognize such things) in roles. Or, otherwise, add more white characters or interracial relationships. And while I think all of those things are good for film, because they promote multiracialism, it's BAD that this is being done because, perhaps according to some, white audiences can only relate to other whites. Especially since people of color have had to relate to white characters forever.

What's wrong with African features? This is ridiculous!
I would love that Jennifer was a newcomer with no background information! Nobody would know her ethnicity. There would be pages and pages of people coming up with "ah, she's this mixed with that", or "she look this so she must have some of that", blah, blah.
This is what's wrong with today! We know too much about actors private affairs and personal background info. It breaks the spell and the fantasy of the FAKE MOVIE.
It's not that serious! I bet if they cast her as an African queen everyone would be in an uproar! You can't please everybody.

Who the heck in their right mind looks at Jennifer Lopez and sees a white hispanic? You'd have to be smoking something. And, dude, I think we need more diverse roles for people of color, especially those with talentbut having a German actress play a traditional Asian person is ridiculous. It's equivalent to blackface.
And, Alexis Bledel is a white hispanic. Lopez is obviously mixed.

J- Lo wears way too much makeupin all scenes where she is waking up she has makeup caked on her face. This along with her hair dye demonstrates that seh is making herself lighter than seh should. And I do see the African features you were mentioning.
What are you talking aboot?" - Gotta love Canada!

ughhshe's an ACTRESSher work is to PRETENDtheir work..all the actors..

Man you're off. One of the first things I noticed about J-Lo when I first saw her on TV about 12 years ago is how caucasoid she is. And her skin's light, like her dad's (who's quite white, a white Hispanic. I saw him in a doucmentary about J-Lo). J-Lo's a white Latina, so what's your problem? (Even if she called herself something else, she has the same features as caucasians, including the pigmentation, is what I mean). Honestly, man, is she any less caucasoid-looking than say, Cindy Crawford? Or a gazillion other brunettes?
J-Lo can definitely play Italian, having the same general appearance as most of them.
I agree about the need for more Hispanic actors and characters, though.

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