Jennifer Lopez cannot believe the incredibly positive reviews she’s getting over her lead role in the film “Hustlers.” She was so moved that she cried on national TV. Last week while being interviewed by Hoda Kotb, Lopez expressed her emotional reaction over the surprising reviews for her role, which some critics say could get her an Acadamy Award nomination. Here’s just a snippet of what film critics are saying about the film that made a big debut this weekend. “Hustlers asks what a movie like Goodfellas looks like with women at the center of the story,” one film critic said. “If nothing else, we get to see Jennifer Lopez command the screen as easily as Ramona does the stage, offering up a seductive awards-worthy performance that makes us remember why she became a movie star in the first place,” another said. 

There is at least one person who isn’t raving about Lopez’s role, and that’s the one who inspired the film. 

Samantha Barbash, the woman who inspired “Hustlers,” said she would have liked to have seen Cardi B in the lead role instead of Jennifer Lopez. 

Credit: Instagram/@iam_missfoxita

The 45-year-old said in an interview with Hollywood Life that rapper Cardi B should have portrayed her instead of the veteran actress, even though this is Cardi’s first film. “I said it from day one, even to the producer. Cardi doesn’t have the acting skills that Jennifer does, but Cardi could relate more to who I was because even though she wasn’t in the same club, we were in the same industry,” she told the lifestyle website. “If Cardi took some acting lessons and shadowed me, I’m sure that she would have played a better role for my character.”

Barbash goes on to say that she is flattered that Lopez wanted to play her in a movie but stresses that the film got several things wrong about her. 

Credit: Instagram/@iam_missfoxita

For starters, Barbash wasn’t a stripper at all. The film, based on a 2015 New York magazine article, shows Lopez as a stripper who ends up drugging wealthy bankers and robs them of their money. However, Barbash said she was never a stripper. Barbash actually worked at a strip club in New York City as a hostess. Yes, the other stuff about the drugs and taking their money is correct, but seeing Lopez play her a stripper didn’t sit well with her. Barbash also said that Lopez never reached out to her in order to learn about her mannerisms, which is what actors do when they’re portraying real-life characters. Even when the real-life character is deceased, actors still study old footage to learn more about the role they are playing. You may recall the extensive research Lopez said she did to portray Selena Quintanilla. She even slept in her bed to get into deep character.  

Earlier this year, Barbash said she would release her own memoir about the ordeal (which she did) that got her 5 years probation and said she planned to sue the filmmakers. 

Credit: Instagram/@iam_missfoxita

“This is a living nightmare,” Barbash said in April in the New York Post after videos leaked of Lopez on a stripper pole. “So now I’m going to have to do a lawsuit. I’m getting a gag order.” Bruno Gioffre, also said back then, that Barbash was “considering all legal avenues with the possibility injunctive relief, including a lawsuit.” The movie was made despite her legal threats. Today, Barbash is an entrepreneur and owns her own spa business. 

We can see why she would have preferred to see Cardi B in the title role. 

Credit: Instagram/@iamcardib

The Bronx rapper did admit to drugging men and robbing them, just like the characters did in the movie “Hustlers.” In 2017, Barbash was charged for conspiracy, assault, and grand larceny in exchange for five years probation. 

In March, Card admitted on social media that during her stint as a stripper in New York she too did what the “Hustlers” did in the movie. “I had to go strip, I had to go, ‘Oh yeah, you want to f*ck me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go to this hotel,’ and I drugged n*****s up and I robbed them. That’s what I used to do.” 

Soon after that post, Cardi said she it was wrong of her to do that and has since tried to make a better life for herself. 

READ: Critics Think Jennifer Lopez Gave An Oscar-Worthy Performance In ‘Hustlers’

We’ve been there every step of the way. From the announcement late last year that Netflix and the Quintanilla’s would be teaming up to bring us the official coming-of-age story of Selena to the audition process of the series, to the casting of Selena herself. It’s been thrilling just to experience the process because that means we’re that much closer to filming the actual show. Now we have two more additions to the series. 

Actors Ricardo Chavira and Gabriel Chavarria will be playing the roles of Abraham senior and Abraham Jr. — Selena’s father and brother. 

Deadline is reporting that actors Ricardo Chavira and Gabriel Chavarria have been cast in the “Selena: The Series” — which is also been referred to as “the official story of Tejano music legend, Selena Quintanilla.” If you’re wondering why Netflix isn’t announcing any of the actors that are being cast in the project, it’s because they are keeping hush about it entirely, which we find a little strange.

Why won’t Netflix officially announce this news, considering it is their project? We’re going to assume that they don’t want to commit to any of these actors. For example, what if the actors don’t reflect what the Quintanillas want? They can change them at any point, but the thing is, that could happen regardless if Netflix made it official or not. It’s all a little bizarre. It’s also quite noticeable that the actors aren’t saying a thing about it on social media either. 

You may remember Ricardo Chavira as Carlos Solis in “Desperate Housewives.”

Yes, he played Eva Longoria’s husband! He’s also had a slew of roles since including on “Burn Notice,” “Santa Clarita Diet,” and “Jane the Virgen.” 

Chavira, who tweets regularly, has yet to comment on his new role. There’s also no information about the series on Imdb.com, at least not about the actors. 

Gabriel Chavarria will play Selena’s brother. Most recently he starred in the USA Network/Syfy series “The Purge.”

Chavarria could also be seen in “East Los High” as Jacob Aguilar, the film “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and as Danny in the movie “Lowriders.” He’s also staying mum on the topic as well. 

Last month, it was also announced that Christian Serratos from “The Walking Dead” was cast in the title role of Selena.

Netflix, the Quintanillas, and Serratos, of course, is you guessed it, remaining tight-lipped about the topic. So all of this information is based on unnamed sources. 

The only “official” word about this project came last year from Selena’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla.

Suzette released the following statement last year: “Selena will always have a lasting place in music history and we feel a great responsibility to do justice to her memory. With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family, and the impact she has had on all of our lives. We are excited to partner with Campanario and Netflix to give fans a never-before-seen glimpse at our story and highlight why Selena will remain a legend for generations to come.” 

As far as Netflix is concerned, all we have is this trailer. *Sigh*.

There’s no information as to when the series will be released but it probably won’t be anytime soon if we’re getting information released this late in the game. However, we’re going to throw out another theory, so bear with us. According to E! News, the series is set to begin shooting next month in Mexico. We’re thinking this marketing strategy is building up in this manner because of Telemundo’s release of “El Secreto de Selena.” 

The family is very much against that series, so what a better way to distract from that show — which continues to air on Sundays — than to release more information at a slow pace and keep the conversation going on this Netflix series. Remember, we still haven’t heard who will be cast in the role of Selena’s mom or Selena’s sister. We’re certain as that information is known the big reveal or some huge announcement will happen thereafter. Maybe around the holidays. And, yes, we’ve been thinking about this a lot. But mark our words: this is all a big marketing ploy and we’re loving every second of it. 

READ: Netflix Officially Cast The Role Of Selena Quintanilla And ‘Twilight’ Fans Will Be Thrilled