Ojani Noa's Story Deserves To Be Told

February 26, 2010 by
Jenna Zine
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And told it shall be - if all continues to go well! Despite a legal tussle to block the film, courtesy of Jennifer Lopez, Ojani Noa's onscreen adaption of his life's story is currently set to proceed. Ojani is best known as Jennifer's first husband - and there's a reason it went down that way. Most notably because J.Lo allegedly screwed over Ojani - supposedly defrauding him out of cachet, cash and credit. Yep, Jenny from the Block can be ruthless. Raise your hand if you're surprised. Thanks to my pal, Chuck Lamb, I was able to speak with filmmaker/agent/producer Ed Meyer to get some exclusive quotes about this upcoming project. And by "speak with" I mean I phoned Ed out of the blue and he generously took my call on the spot. Here's a brief paraphrasing of his end of our conversation: 

["We've shot all the tests. We have, at this point, about 3 hours of B-role in the can. We've been stopped by Jennifer Lopez on information that she's calling "private." Basically it's just home movies. She's got one of the top Hollywood lawyers, she's kept us busy with a flurry of activity. But we had a big breakthrough last week.

It's like a bad divorce that's been going on for years and years. The Sony contract that she lost last week is something Ojani negotiated for her. He's saying she defrauded him out of millions. She lied about what she was worth at the time of their divorce. During their marriage they were down to $149 in their bank account. Ojani got her some gigs in Hollywood and she shot straight to the top. Next thing you know, Diddy [who was going by Puff Daddy at the time] was in the picture and she kicked Ojani to the curb. 

Two weeks ago she screamed "sex tapes" - which were really home movies. But she got his film shut down. Then we had a huge victory recently, which has eased some restraints on making the film. Now, if J.Lo wants to stop the film, she'll have to take the stand in court - and she definitely doesn't want to do that. She's nothing like the image she presents to the public. One of her exes is even in the witness protection program.

Ojani is not trying to defame her, but it's his story and it deserves to be told. It can't be told without the dirt because that's the way it happened. It's gonna show her days in Miami, running clubs with Mafia money. They [Lopez and Noa] owned clubs with Mickey Rourke and other investors, which was funded with Mafia money.

She's endeared herself to fans with a different image - she's not what she portrays herself to be. She's made it in this industry on her back, with Mafia money. The dirt is an intergral part of the story - and Ojani wants his story to be heard."]

I think her rise can also be credited to her Fly Girl spot on In Living Color, as well as her work with influential manager, Benny Medina. However I don't doubt Ojani's claims that he busted his ass to help his former wife make it in a very competitive industry. I also believe that J.Lo screwed him over in numerous ways. One thing I know about Lopez is that it's all Jennifer, all the time. I sincerely hope Noa's epic journey makes it to the screen. I, for one, would love to hear both sides of the story. As for the dirt? Please, oh please - don't leave it out!

[Photo Credit: Ojani Noa, on the set: left. Ojani Noa with Joe Estevez, on the set: right. Yep, that's Charlie Sheen's uncle! Pictures courtesy of Chuck Lamb. Please do not use without permission.]

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