This week comedian George Lopez became the first Latino to host a late night talk show.
Yes. It's 2009. Latinos are more than 15 percent of the U.S. population and Lopez is the first Latino to get a major gig on late night TV (airing on TBS at 10 p.m. central).
On his second show Tuesday night Lopez joked that he wasn't the only Latino first this year. Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
And another Latino first - Cash for Clunkers.
Huh?
That joke fell flat for me. I guess he meant that lots of Latinos drive crappy cars.
Now I really want to like Lopez. I like his message about diversity and inclusion.
He started the Monday and Tuesday night shows with a similar message.
"This is what America looks like," Lopez shouted to the diverse audience. "Young, old, black, white, Asian and Latino."
So far his lineup of guests also is diverse. They included Carlos Santana, Eva Longoria Parker and Ellen on Monday night to a visit to singer and actor Marc Anthony's house (he's also married to Jennifer Lopez) and a dance jam with Jamie Foxx on Tuesday night.
Fox even tried to speak and sing a little ditty in Spanish. He did a sexy salsa dance and declared, "I'm officially Latino now." And he told Lopez to call him "Jaime."
Now I thought that was cute.
And the visit to Marc Anthony's house was funny especially when they broke J Lo's MTV Moon Man while playing ball and when Lopez broke a portrait of the famous singer and actress. Oops.
But some of Lopez's jokes rely on ethnic humor and they don't always work.
On Monday night Lopez made a joke about his grandmother and how ethnic people reminded her of things she had to do. She saw a "chinita," a Chinese woman, and was reminded she needed a pedicure. She saw a black man and wondered if she remembered to lock the doors.
OK now. I didn't think those jokes were funny. Call me politically correct.
But I think it's tough to find the right line with ethnic humor. For Lopez, it's hit and miss on some of the jokes.
I did get a good laugh from a Sammy Sosa joke he told Tuesday night. It's been noted that Sosa looks paler in recent photos and this is due to a cream he's using, according to an Associated Press story. Lopez put pictures of Sosa on two bottles of beer. Then and Now.
"Sammy Sosa and Sammy Sosa Light. Tastes great, less threatening."
Lopez has great energy and the comedian adapts naturally to the talk show format. I also like how he sometimes speaks in Spanglish.
It's good to see him back on the air since his television show ended two years ago. It ran for five years on ABC.
It's also great to see more people of color on the late night scene and that includes the new shows of Mo'Nique on BET and the Wanda Sykes Show on Fox.
I really hope Lopez succeeds and that people tune in to watch.
But as I've blogged before, I'm still waiting for the Latina Oprah.
Filed under: Hispanic, media, television
Tags: Carlos Santana, Ellen, Eva Longoria Parker, George Lopez, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, Mo'Nique, Sammy Sosa, Sonia Sotomayor, talk show, Wanda Sykes
Um, did he really make that joke about his grandmother, a black man, and locking doors? For real? Really? The thing that makes humor funny is that it has some root in truth - and THAT did not. I want to like him too - and I can take a joke, but...I did not get that one. If anything, Grandma may try and date the black guy (oops, did I type that out loud?). I'm just sayin'...
George Lopez is allowing his fans to be part of the show by having them submit video questions to him. Give it a try!
http://www.lopeztonight.com/show/respond/?PlugID=46