HAPPILY NEVER AFTER
December 31 – That’s the expiration date oddsmakers are putting on Jennifer Lopez’s surprise wedding to singer Marc Anthony.
Lopez and Anthony stunned the world – and, reportedly, their closest friends – by tying the knot on the grounds of her Hollywood estate on Saturday.
Ladbrokes, the British oddsmaker, is betting 3-to-1 that the union is kaput by year’s end – and even people who get paid to keep marriages together say this one’s in trouble.
“The rebounding – please!” says Catherine Burton, a marriage and family therapist who is working on a book called “Popular Delusions and the Madness of Fame.”
“She rebounds very quickly and never gives herself the chance to understand what she’s doing. It’s an emotional Band-Aid, and you fall into the exact same pattern with the next person.”
Burton – who thinks Lopez needs professional help – says she shows all the signs of classic love addiction.
“It’s the belief that the right man can fill the loneliness and emptiness they feel,” she explains. “The love addict tends to repeat a cycle, based in obsession and fantasy, that this person will fulfill those needs.”
Lopez and Anthony have known each other for years – he dueted with her on “No Me Ames,” a track from her 1999 album, “On the 6,” and it was rumored that they dated briefly and remained friends throughout their earlier marriages.
Lopez has had two, so far. In 1997, she began a 13-month marriage to waiter and aspiring model Ojani Noa, who has since said she went cold on him as her star rose.
In September 2001, she tied the knot with backup dancer Cris Judd – for 10 months.
Unlike her last two husbands, Anthony clearly has his own identity and career – but that fact alone doesn’t safeguard their marriage, say observers.
“It’s clearly based on impulse and passion, and it’s a disaster,” Sharyn Wolf, marriage counselor and author of “How to Stay Lovers for Life.”
“At the rate she’s going, she’s going to use up half of Hollywood by 2010.”
Anthony has been married twice, too – to the same woman. He married former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres in Las Vegas in 2000, and after a brief separation, the couple, who have two young children, renewed their vows in a lavish ceremony in December 2002.
Wolf believes this union has a “bad karmic future” – after father-of-three Anthony got a quickie divorce, reportedly at Lopez’s behest, last week in the Dominican Republic.
“Jennifer loves the high,” she says. “But she doesn’t love the work. I think the only way she can feel good about herself is if the person she’s dating wants to marry her.”
Famed divorce lawyer Raoul Felder says people like Lopez – who make similar mistakes over and over – keep him busy. “More power to her,” says Felder, a fan. “This is what keeps divorce lawyers in business – this is better than the Magna Carta!”
Lopez and Anthony tied the knot in the backyard of her L.A. estate in front of about 40 guests, most of whom had been told to come over for a summer party.
The third-time bride surprised them all when she walk down the aisle in an off-the-shoulder, cream-color gown by Vera Wang, with a reported $5 million worth of jewelry. Anthony wore a matching cream-color suit. Latin pop star Ricky Martin reportedly performed at the reception.
P. Diddy – who shared a highly publicized two-year relationship with Lopez – took the news in stride.
“If she’s in love with somebody and that makes her happy, I’m happy for her,” he told “Access Hollywood,” adding, “That’s my girl for life.”
“The one thing I love about Jennifer is she’s doing it her way, the Frank Sinatra way,” he says. “She’s not playing by anybody else’s rules, so she’s doing what makes her happy and that’s the beauty of it.”
Cris Judd, meanwhile, said, “I wish her and Marc the best, and hey, if it’s true to her heart, then by all means.”
E!Online writer Ted Casablancas also had kind words, sort of. He registered gratitude that Lopez got hitched “quickly and expeditiously, so we didn’t have to suffer.”
He called Lopez “another Liz Taylor,” adding, “even Liz says, ‘I was misguided – I thought I had to marry every guy instead of just having affairs with them.’ I think Lopez just really wants to be married. Maybe Marc’s the one – but I’d be stunned.”
And if he isn’t? Peggy Kennedy, editor-in-chief of Elegant Bride, has some practical advice:
“Next time, skip the white dress and go for color. Maybe go shorter, skip the veil – how many times can you be a virgin? – and be a little more relaxed with the hair. It seems like whenever it’s in an upsweep, it’s time to get married.”
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