Yuku free message boards

tah71 wrote:

---

Marc hangs with kids at sound check

For a while there, the whole J.Lo-Marc Anthony thing was puzzling.

The fast courtship, the hush-hush 2004 wedding, the lack of constant press.

It looked as if Anthony were a rebound romance.

Judging by the string of men the diva-inclined singer-actress had been attached to -- dancer Cris Judd, model Ojani Noa and Hollywood hunk BenAffleck -- it was hard to grasp that she could be attracted to the soulful salsa singer.

Well, you gotta meet the man. We get it now. Anthony, 39, seems like a super guy.

He showed up at AmericanAirlines Arena a few hours before his concert Thursday for a sound check -- and to greet a bunch of boys and girls from Belen Jesuit Prep and Allapattah Middle School.

The 30 students were invited to the mini-concert after they committed to partake in the ING Run for Something Better program, encouraging kids to eat well and stay healthy.

They'll finish the last 1.2 miles of the ING Miami Marathon in January.

If there's someone to chat about the anti-fat cause, Anthony is it. He's a small guy -- not more than five-foot-five, and slim as a reed.

The kids got to pepper him with questions; he answered candidly and graciously.

His face is gentle, with an open, sweet smile -- terrific with kids. Good thing, besides his new twins with Lopez, Anthony has two sons with former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, and a daughter with an ex-girlfriend.

``How hard is it to be a star?''

''There are a lot of challenges,'' said Anthony, dressed in slacks and a gray V-neck sweater. ``But those challenges are going to make you who you are. Before you know it, you've formed your own opinions about how much you want to do this [business],''

For someone who has sold more than 10 million records worldwide, Anthony's incredibly humble.

''There are so many more people with so much more talent than I have that just gave up. They never overcame those challenges,'' he said. ``I was able to, thank God.''

''What's it like being famous?'' another asked.

``There are things that come with being well known. People expect a lot from you. I try to behave responsibly as a father, as a husband, a son, an uncle. I come out here and do what I do. Fame doesn't bear on my life at all.''

Then, the inevitable: ``Is that ring from J.Lo?''

''Ha! It is,'' he laughed, pointing to his left-hand finger. ``She wouldn't have it any other way!'

http://www.miamiherald.co.../people/story/674477.html