She arrived like a modern-day Cleopatra, smiling and waving down at her adoring masses from the top deck of a trolley, her tresses fluttering in the wind.

Jennifer Lopez climbed up onstage at the Grove, an outdoor mall in Los Angeles, and talked about her new album, “Love?”; about being a spokeswoman for the cosmetics company L’Oreal; and about how to dress in her style for less money. “It doesn’t have to be expensive,” she said.

Meet the new, accessible J. Lo, who is back to doing it all, only without the imperious attitude that helped propel her to fame. In a few days she would fly to New York to introduce the new fashion lines that she and her husband, Marc Anthony, are designing for Kohl’s, a department store chain geared toward bargain shoppers. Then she would return to Los Angeles for events promoting “Love?” and her twice-a-week gig as a judge on the TV show “American Idol.”

Until recently, Ms. Lopez’s career trajectory was mirrored by the infamous tumble she took while performing her recession-insensitive ode to $900 shoes, “Louboutins,” at the 2009 American Music Awards. She and Sony, her longtime record company, split up after several lackluster albums.

But with “Idol,” which has 25 million viewers, Ms. Lopez, 41, has not only reentered the public consciousness, but also modified the goddesslike persona that had become a liability. Whatever her protestations that she was Jenny From the Block, as her fame escalated in the early 2000s, Ms. Lopez became known as a demanding diva.

Today, Ms. Lopez is being praised for being a “nice,” constructive judge who, at this point, has shed more tears than any of the contestants.

“Right now, Jennifer is a celebrity of the people, and it’s a strategy that is really, really working for her,” said Peter Castro, deputy managing editor of People magazine, which recently named her the world’s most beautiful woman. “Before, there was a huge distance with the American public.”

Ms. Lopez dismisses the idea that there has been a makeover.

“The person everyone’s getting to know on ‘Idol’ now is always the person I’ve been,” she said.

Well, with maybe a little less energy. Now the mother of 3-year-old twins , Ms. Lopez insisted that she does not go as “full throttle” as she used to.

When Ms. Lopez was first asked to be a part of “Idol,” she dismissed the idea. Then she realized the schedule would keep her close to her family. “I love artists, working with them and collaborating with them, and this seemed like the ultimate way to do that,” she said. “And it has turned out to be that, even more than I expected.”

But when asked what the biggest disappointment in her career had been, she didn’t hesitate: her failed fashion lines.

A sportswear line that debuted in 2001 was criticized for being overpriced and cheaply made - Ms. Lopez said she “didn’t understand the business well enough” and didn’t have enough creative control. The Kohl’s partnership is an attempt to rectify this with a “lifestyle brand” oriented toward bargain shoppers.

The fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger, a partner in the deal, has no doubt she’ll succeed.

“She lives fashion,” he said. “She sings about and says it’s the most fun thing about getting ready for ‘Idol.’ Her eyes light up when you ask her what kind of shoes she’s wearing. Louboutins, naturally.”


By NICOLE La PORTE