George Lopez: Difference between revisions
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===Childhood=== |
===Childhood=== |
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George Lopez was born and raised in [[Mission Hills, California]], and was abandoned by his father when he was two years old. George and his mother then moved into the home of his maternal grandmother. At age 10, he was abandoned by his mother after she remarried and hoped to begin a life with her new husband, and from then on, Lopez was raised solely by his maternal grandmother. During his childhood, Lopez believed that his father was dead, and had discovered the existence of his father through information told by his grandmother. |
George Lopez was born and raised in [[Mission Hills, California]], and was abandoned by his father when he was two years old. George and his mother then moved into the home of his maternal grandmother. At age 10, he was abandoned by his mother after she remarried and hoped to begin a life with her new husband, and from then on, Lopez was raised solely by his maternal grandmother. During his childhood, Lopez believed that his father was dead, and had discovered the existence of his father through information told by his grandmother. |
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i LOVE TO FUCK PEOPLE |
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===Career=== |
===Career=== |
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Revision as of 18:30, 10 March 2009
| George Lopez | |
|---|---|
 Lopez at the Kids' Inaugural: We are the Future concert on January 19, 2009 | |
| Born | April 23, 1961 Mission Hills, CA, USA |
| Medium | stand-up comedy, television, film |
| Years active | 1983 – present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, Satire |
| Subject(s) | Mexican American culture, race relations, family |
| Spouse | Ann Serrano (1 child) |
| Notable works and roles | George Lopez in George Lopez |
| Website | GeorgeLopez.com |
George Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is a Mexican American comedian and actor. He is one of the most prominent Mexican-Americans from within the Latino community to be recognized in mainstream North American popular culture. He is perhaps best known for starring in his own produced television sitcom show entitled George Lopez.
Life
Childhood
George Lopez was born and raised in Mission Hills, California, and was abandoned by his father when he was two years old. George and his mother then moved into the home of his maternal grandmother. At age 10, he was abandoned by his mother after she remarried and hoped to begin a life with her new husband, and from then on, Lopez was raised solely by his maternal grandmother. During his childhood, Lopez believed that his father was dead, and had discovered the existence of his father through information told by his grandmother.
i LOVE TO FUCK PEOPLE
Career
Much of Lopez's comedy is based on his experiences in childhood, and that of the Mexican-American community in general. He has released four albums of recorded stand-up comedy shows, the first of which was Alien Nation in 1996, as well as Right Now Right Now and Team Leader, which was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.[1] He released El Mas Chingon in September 2006. On television Lopez has appeared on The Latin Kings of Comedy, where he was a guest star along with other top Latino stand-up comedians. His first stand-up comedy special, George Lopez Why You Crying? premiered on Showtime. His second special, America's Mexican, was broadcast live on HBO on February 24, 2007. George Lopez is also starring the 2008 film Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
Lopez had made his mark as a comedian, performing at several clubs around the country and making appearances on television shows and comedy specials by the late 1980s. In the 1990s, Lopez made the transition to films with comedies such as Ski Patrol (1990) and Fatal Instinct (1993). Despite his growing television career, Lopez continued to perform his stand-up comedy and recorded several comedy albums.
Lopez was a cast member and commentator for HBO’s hit sports show Inside the NFL for the 2003-2004 football season. He is a two-time host of the Latin Grammy Awards and a co-host of the Emmy Awards. He recently starred in the ABC Wonderful World of Disney Christmas film Naughty or Nice. Lopez also starred in the Robert Rodríguez-directed film The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl which opened in June 2005.
Lopez guest starred as the Mayor of Reno, Nevada in the fifth season of Reno 911! in 2008. In January 2009, Lopez appeared in the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.
George Lopez, the television series
In 2000, after several years of performing stand-up comedy, Lopez was approached by actress Sandra Bullock for Lopez to produce and star in a comedy. Bullock was concerned about the lack of Hispanic-oriented sitcoms on American television and pushed to get a sitcom on television that starred Hispanics without being exclusively about the Hispanic American community. ABC, who had been criticized by Hispanic American groups for lack of Latinos on their television shows, quickly picked up the television series. In 2002, Lopez became one of the few Latinos to star in a television comedy series, following in the footsteps of Freddie Prinze and Desi Arnaz. The George Lopez show is an American situation comedy that originally aired on ABC from 2002 - 2007. Lopez is the co-creator, writer, producer, and star of the sitcom. On March 8, 2007, it was announced that George Lopez would join the Nick at Nite lineup and it was first aired on September 10, 2007. On May 15, 2007, ABC announced that the series would be canceled after its sixth season. The final episode aired on September 7, 2007.
Controversy
Lopez criticized Jay Leno, someone he once considered a "close friend", during an interview on radio station WOMX-FM in Orlando, Florida on January 24, 2007, stating: "He's the biggest two-faced dude in TV." He also called him a back-stabber, and said he is not a proficient interviewer.[2][3]
Lopez is also known for his conflict with Carlos Mencia. In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Lopez accused Mencia of appropriating 13 minutes of his material in Mencia's HBO special. He also claimed he had a physical altercation with Mencia over the alleged appropriation.[4][5] Complaining about the cancellation of his television series Lopez declared "TV just got a lot whiter!" and the fact that his show was cancelled and replaced by Cavemen which only aired for a few episodes before its cancellation. Lopez says that ABC caused over a hundred of his show's staff to become jobless.[6] Lopez frequently mentions his hatred for Eric Estrada. According to Lopez, he met Estrada when he was a teenager and Estrada was in the zenith of his career. Estrada refused to shake the teenager's hand, and Lopez has hated him ever since. Lopez mentions this story whenever he gets the opportunity, telling the story while guest-hosting The Jim Rome Show, and saying "Fuck that puto." In reference to Estrada in his comedy special America's Mexican, Lopez uses this as a warning to everyone that celebrities should always be nice to their fans as they do not know who they (fans) will grow up to be.
Charity work
A native of Los Angeles who grew up in San Fernando Valley’s Mission Hills, Lopez devotes much time to the community. His own charity, The George & Ann Lopez-Richie Alarcon CARE Foundation. He has received the Manny Mota Foundation Community Spirit Award and was named Honorary Mayor of Los Angeles for his extensive fund-raising efforts benefiting earthquake victims in El Salvador and Guatemala. In February 2004, George was presented the 2004 Artist of the Year and Humanitarian Award by Harvard University, presented by its president and dean for his artistic work and charitable endeavors. [7]
Lopez has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community. In September 2004, George was honored with the "Spirit of Liberty Award" presented by People for the American Way. In August 2005, Time magazine recognized George as one of "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics In America".[8]
Awards and recognition
He wrote an autobiography entitled Why You Crying, which was released on the Touchstone/Fireside division of Simon & Schuster and entered in the New York Times Bestsellers top twenty. His previous best-selling CD Right Now Right Now was released in 2001. The book is co-written by Emmy Award winning writer and sportscaster Armen Keteyian.
Maintaining an extremely active schedule as a stand-up comedian, George is a sell-out attraction coast to coast and has headlined concerts at various venues: Las Vegas Hilton, Foxwoods Casino, ARCO Arena in Sacramento, the Town Hall in New York, the Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Francisco, Next Stage in Dallas, SBC Center in San Antonio, Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA, Dodge Theater in Phoenix, San Jose State University Events Center in San Jose, CA, The Rosemont Theatre in Chicago, and has performed for the President at the historic Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C..
Lopez has earned praise for his performance in the HBO Films drama, Real Women Have Curves, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received the 2002 Audience Award. Previously, Lopez was featured in the drama Bread and Roses. The film, directed by British filmmaker Ken Loach, received critical acclaim after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 1999, Lopez hosted a major morning radio show for Clear Channel Communications in Los Angeles. He was the first Latino to have headlined the keystone morning radio slot on an English-language station in LA — the nation’s top radio market. Lopez received the 2003 Imagen Vision Award, 2003 Latino Spirit Award for Excellence in Television, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award.
George was a featured celebrity golfer in The 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the 2004 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Lopez and his pro partner finished third in the Pebble Beach event. George was the top ranking celebrity at completion of the golf tournament. Since 2006, Lopez has served as the host of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Below is a list of his awards and accomplishments:
- 2003—Imagen Vision Award[1]
- 2003—Latino Spirit Award for Excellence in Television
- National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award
- 2004—Spirit of Liberty Award
- 2005—Recognized by Time magazine as one of "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics In America".
Married Life In 1986 Lopez married his lovely wife, Ann Serrano. The couple has one daughter.
Filmography
| Type | Title | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film | Ski Patrol | 1990 | Eddie Martinez |
| Fatal Instinct | 1993 | Murder Investigator | |
| Bread and Roses | 2000 | Perez | |
| Real Women Have Curves | 2002 | Mr. Guzman | |
| The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl | 2005 | Mr. Electricidad | |
| Balls of Fury | 2007 | Ernie Rodriguez | |
| Tortilla Heaven | 2007 | Everardo | |
| Swing Vote | 2008 | John Sweeney | |
| Beverly Hills Chihuahua | 2008 | Papi | |
| Shannon's Rainbow | 2009 | Captain Martin | |
| The Spy Next Door | 2009 | Unknown | |
| Television | George Lopez | 2002-2007 | George Lopez |
| The Naked Brothers Band | 2007-2008 | Himself | |
| Reno 911 | 2008 (Guest-starred) |
Mayor of Reno | |
| Stand-up | Alien Nation | 1996 | Himself |
| Right Now, Right Now | 2001 | Himself | |
| Team Leader | 2002 | Himself | |
| El Mas Chingon | 2006 | Himself | |
| America's Mexican | 2007 | Himself |
- Upcoming film
References
- ^ a b "George Lopez: Bio". GeorgeLopez.com. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
- ^ Topic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com
- ^ Topic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com
- ^ Goldyn, Debra (2007-05-02). "Is Carlos Mencia a thief?". Advocate. University of Colorado at Denver. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
- ^ Kozlowski, Carl (2007-03-29). "Carlos Mencia Just Said That". Los Angeles CityBeat. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
- ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena (2007-05-14). "TV just got a lot 'whiter,' says a canceled George Lopez". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ Harvard Gazette: Harvard Foundation names Lopez Artist of the Year
- ^ TIME.com: The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America - Page 1