Lopez enters late night fray
TV | Actor-comedian excited to represent Latino audience
His new show is called “Lopez Tonight,” but today the comedian is talking politics.
It’s true that President Obama did a promo for George Lopez’s new TBS talk show. Lopez campaigned for Obama and in return the comedian got to spend some time at the White House.
Is Lopez actually in the administration?
He laughs and insists, “I wasn’t actually in the White House. I was in a tent on the lawn, but I did walk up to the president and say, ‘Hey, enough of the tent. I want to go inside.’ As for my role, he won’t assign me anything official — although the Secretary of Labor and Secretary of the Interior are Latino.
“They have installed a red phone at my house for consultations,” he jokes.
At least, we think he’s joking.
What’s no laughing matter is that Lopez, 48, is thrilled to enter the late night fray. The show debuts at 10 p.m. Monday.
“I’m very excited and completely invested in this thing,” Lopez says with firm conviction. “If I do something, I do it all the way. This is my new gig and I will make it successful.”
He embraces the idea of being the first major Latino talk show host. Lopez is known for firsts. He is the fourth Latino ever to head a sitcom (the others were Desi Arnaz, Freddie Prinze and Paul Rodiguez).
“There has been nothing for the Latino population on late night,” he says. “This is a first and it’s exciting. I love that fact that people will have a late night talk show host who looks a little bit more like what their day looks like in real life and who they encounter.”
Lopez isn’t worried about the glut of talk shows or the disappointing ratings of Jay Leno’s new show on NBC.
“Yes, there are a lot of talk shows out there, but none of those other dudes look like me,” he says. “None will have the looseness of me. None are me.”
As for a few specifics, he insists that there will not be a desk.
“There will be a different vibe starting with the fact that my studio audience is bigger. I will have around 400 people,” he says. “This won’t even look like a regular talk show. The audience will be allowed to ask questions. And I will fill the hour with different things, including comedy, but I won’t let anything become bland. Everything will have an edge and a purpose.”
He says the key to talk show success is not becoming a buffoon.
“I won’t do anything that makes me feel uncomfortable,” he says. “I was the same way with my sitcom, which is now in syndication. I always insisted that if the joke doesn’t work then I wouldn’t do it. It will be the same thing with my talk show.
“Believe me,” he says. “A comedian knows when he’s rehearsing if it works or not.”
He will focus on stories in the news such as the recent Balloon Boy incident.
“Who are we fooling?” he asks. “This balloon looked like like some oversized bag of Jiffy pop. Who in their right mind could think that a 6-year-old kid could be lifted into the air by some raggedy a-- balloon? How in the world could you float off and never get your shoes caught in some wire?
“What was the father building the balloon to do? So, he could be a storm chaser? You know what a storm chaser is? Some fool who won’t come in from the rain.”
Insert laugh here.
Lopez has spent years touring with his stand-up act, including stops in Chicago.
“I love Chicago,” he says. “I’ve played the Rosemont many times. Afterwards, I always go have pizza at the Numero Uno place or Gino’s. I even wrote my name on the wall of one of those places. Then I went to Wrigley once and sang the seventh inning stretch for a game.
“Of course, the singing is always horrible for me. And I forgot that the moment would forever be on YouTube.”
Lopez’s dream lineup doesn’t include the usual suspects. He cites the newest Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, as a dream guest “because she doesn’t do this sort of thing.
“I would love to have people on who are tough,” he says. “I want to have on Bill O’Reilly or Lou Dobbs. I can hold my own with anyone.”
Anyone?
“I am afraid of Glenn Beck,” he admits. “I live next door to a dude who used to look like Glenn Beck and he even scared me.”
As for his dream of all dream guests, he says, “Michelle Obama. And her Mom.”
“Wait,” he says. “Let me get on the red phone and call the White House.”
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