From the ArcaMax Publishing, The Hollywood Exclusive Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/thehollywoodexclusive/s-642178-493364
George Lopez is premiering his new show, "Lopez Tonight," on TBS
Monday night (11/9) -- which will make him the first Hispanic
late-night talk show host on mainstream U.S. television. If done
right, he says, it could be a big step in the right direction for his
community. "If it fails, it's not a milestone. But if it succeeds,
then I think it will help Latinos and give us a higher profile, much
like Sonia Sotomayor does being a Supreme Court Justice. We need it.
We're still trying to find our place," says Lopez.
"It won't be just about the negative things that Latinos bring to the
United States, which is what you see a lot on other shows -- we're the
butt of the joke. I'm too proud to always make us the butt of the
joke, but I understand in comedy that sometimes we are."
In fact, when the show premieres Nov. 9, Lopez tells us audiences will
notice a lot of differences. "It doesn't look like a traditional talk
show. It looks kind of like a club. I'm not going to use a desk. I
believe our studio audience will be the biggest one so far -- I think
it's 400 people," he says.
"I think what will really set my show apart is that I am very secure
in my abilities as a performer. I have a 30-year track record of being
a comedian. I want it to be an inclusive show and much like a disciple
of 'The Arsenio Hall Show,' which I was very involved with 20 years
ago. I saw it done that way and we want to pay homage to that and make
it even bigger and better."
It certainly doesn't hurt having President Obama on his side. "I
consider him a friend. He had my support early and I had his support
early and it really means a lot," says Lopez, who had Obama do a promo
for his show during the campaign. Now the trick is getting him on the
show! "To get the president to come to the West Coast isn't easy. If
his schedule permits, I would be honored if he would come by,
obviously."
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MAKING IT: When you're part of a $15,000 film that exceeds $85 million
in box office grosses in its first month of release, big things
happen. "I feel like my life right now wouldn't even recognize my life
from before," says Ashley Palmer, who plays the supporting part of
Diane in "Paranormal Activity." "It's strange. It doesn't feel real
yet. I'm still waitressing and things like that, but I'm getting
scripts; I'm getting offers. I now have a fantastic agent. Managers
and people who wouldn't have taken my calls before are now calling
me."
In fact, by the time you read this, Palmer may be signed for a big
horror flick that will shoot in Scotland, in a castle. "It's an
exciting project, a good script. For me, it doesn't have to be horror.
I have a theater background. I sing and dance," she notes. However,
"Now, with the craze of 'Paranormal Activity,' people want to put me
in their horror movies."
The beautiful strawberry blonde has already experienced being
recognized. She reports she was met by a group of autograph seekers at
a premiere earlier this week, "and paparazzi were waiting across the
street. Other people didn't know quite why I was there," acknowledges
the actress. For her, the breakthrough has been 20 years in the
making. "I was 5 when I did my first play and I've always wanted to
act. It's something that's been part of me my whole entire life, and
all of it culminated over one weekend."
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THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Andrew Garfield, the last co-star of the late
Heath Ledger, didn't even tell the Australian movie star that he'd
auditioned for a role in his "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" --
although they had a mutual friend. Even so, "He came to my (birthday)
party, gave me this really big hug, and said, 'Welcome to the
family,'" Garfield recalled. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly for
its holiday movie preview edition that comes out tomorrow (11/6),
Garfield recalled that although Ledger couldn't have been friendlier
outside the film, once they were on the set, they competed -- since
they were playing rivals for the attentions of the fatherly mystic
Parnassus and his comely daughter.
"We wanted to challenge each other, and Heath was so strong," says
Garfield. "He made me fight harder than I ever had, and I'm so
thankful to him for it." Ledger's death mid-shoot left a huge void,
filled on screen by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. On the
set, "it was like limping," recalls Garfield. "A limb had been severed
from all of us."
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BOY, OH, VOYEUR: A reality show centered on men and women in therapy
for sexual promiscuity and addiction is on the way. Casting for
therapists and experts in the field is underway, with those
know-it-alls being offered $100 an episode, and, of course, the
exposure.
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With reports by Emily-Fortune Feimster. To find out more about
Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit
the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.