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Comedian George
Lopez is Ready to Change the Late-Night Landscape With Groundbreaking
New Talk
Show Launching in November
 March 26, 2009 --
The late-night
landscape is about to shift when comedian and actor George Lopez
headlines a new talk show for TBS. The program -- from 2.2 Productions,
paraMedia Inc. and Telepictures Productions, in association with Warner
Horizon Television -- will bring the excitement back to late night with
an outdoor street-party atmosphere and a high-energy crowd. The fun
will include visits from celebrity guests, live music and comedy acts
and the benefit of George's own flair and personality. Lopez and Jim
Paratore (The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Bonnie Hunt Show) serve as the
executive producers for the not-yet-titled series, which will air on
TBS Mondays through Thursdays at 11 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning in November
2009.
While high-energy, Lopez's new series will feature
a casual environment
that invites guests to engage fully with the crowd, giving audience
members the chance to interact with the guests, ask questions and walk
away feeling as though they've experienced something new.
"George Lopez is a special talent, with an everyman
appeal that makes
him uniquely positioned to be the next great late-night host," said
Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TBS,
TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "George and TBS are going to
change the late-night television landscape and bring a brand-new energy
to the talk-show genre by giving it a street-party atmosphere. We're
excited to see this show come to life."
"If change can come to the White House, then change can come to late
night," said Lopez. "Yes I can!"
"George Lopez is one of the most talented, popular and successful
comedic performers today, and we are thrilled to partner with him and
with TBS on a nightly talk-variety show," said Hilary Estey McLoughlin,
president of Telepictures Productions. "He has an extraordinary ability
to authentically connect with a diverse audience and will bring a
really different point of view that will be a game-changer in late
night."
Executive producer Jim Paratore said, "George will
bring a fresh voice to late-night talk. He's done it all, from standup
to television to movies. He's a proven writer, producer and performer
with the kind of broad appeal that will have real impact and speak to
an audience largely underserved in late night."
The new talk show represents Lopez's return to series
television after co-creating, writing, producing and starring in Warner
Bros. Television's groundbreaking hit sitcom George Lopez, which ran
for six seasons on ABC. George Lopez remains a hit with viewers in
syndication on both broadcast stations and cable's Nick at Nite,
ranking as one of the top-rated shows on the network and among the top
five comedies and top 20 weekly programs in syndication. George Lopez
is one of only four off-net comedies to post weekly ratings gains among
households from the 2007-08 to 2008-09 season.
Lopez has risen to become one of the premier comedic
talents in the entertainment industry. He has been praised by audiences
and critics alike for his work in television, film and standup, as well
as his extensive charity work with various foundations.
Lopez's most recent film credits include the box-office
hit Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Swing Vote, Henry Poole Is Here and Balls
of Fury. He will next be seen starring opposite Jackie Chan in The Spy
Next Door and Mr. Troop Mom, with Jane Lynch.
In August, Lopez will film his second HBO Comedy
Special, Tall, Dark and Chicano. He headlined his first HBO Comedy
Special, America's Mexican, in 2007. Lopez has also performed as part
of HBO and TBS's Comic Relief 2006. His acclaimed comedy concert, Why
You Crying?, debuted on Showtime in 2004. Lopez released his third
standup CD, El Mas Chingon, in 2006, earning a Grammy nomination in the
category of Best Comedy Album. Prior to that, in 2004, he was nominated
for a Grammy in the same category for his CD Team Leader. In May 2004,
his autobiography, Why You Crying?, entered The New York Times
Bestsellers Top 20. The book was co-written by Emmy(R)-winning writer
and sportscaster Armen Keteyian. Lopez also was the focus of the
award-winning documentary Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the
American Dream.
In 2006, Lopez received a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame. In addition, Time magazine named him one of the 25 Most
Influential Hispanics in America, and the Harris Poll named him one of
the Top Ten Favorite Television Personalities. Lopez has made more than
200 television comedy, talk show and hosting appearances, including
co-hosting the Emmy Awards and twice hosting the Latin Grammys. In
2001, Lopez hosted a major morning radio show in Los Angeles, becoming
the first Latino to headline the key morning slot on an
English-language station in one of the nation's top radio markets.
In 2005, Lopez received a kidney transplant with a
kidney donated by his wife, Ann. They have since become spokespeople
for the National Kidney Foundation, helping to raise millions of
dollars for the cause. Lopez was presented with the Artist of the Year
and Humanitarian Award by Harvard University and the Spirit of Liberty
Award by the American Way. He has received the Manny Mota Foundation
Community Spirit Award and was named Honorary Mayor of Los Angeles for
his extensive fundraising efforts benefiting earthquake victims in El
Salvador and Guatemala. Other honors include an Imagen Vision Award,
the Latino Spirit Award and the National Hispanic Media Coalition
Impact Award.
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