01:15 AM EDT 10/15/2009
Mario Lopez
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Mario Lopez: Saved by the Bell Reunion Came Down to Wire
Originally posted 07/30/2009 02:00PM
It's a reunion 20 years in the making ... and a story that took over a year in planning.
When the cast of Saved by the Bell assembled for this week's PEOPLE photo shoot and cover story, everyone breathed a sigh of relief-including Mario Lopez, who nearly missed the whole thing.
"Everybody knew the 20-year anniversary was coming up," says Lopez. "This PEOPLE story has been in the works for over a year, long before [late night host] Jimmy Fallon started talking about it. We were all excited about it."
But Lopez's work ethic almost prevented the reunion from coming to fruition. "I'm so busy. I was concerned about my schedule," says Lopez, who in the past year alone has danced on Broadway in A Chorus Line, become the new host of TV's Extra and written a fitness book, Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness. The night before the PEOPLE shoot in Los Angeles he was making a public appearance in Canada, across the country, and arrived on set straight from the airport after a seven-hour flight.
Permalink | Filed Under: TV News, Saved by the Bell, Mario Lopez
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Eva Longoria Parker & Mario Lopez Grab Sushi in Sin City
Originally posted 02/13/2009 06:00AM
Eva Longoria Parker, stepping out for sushi with pal Mario Lopez at Koi Las Vegas. In Sin City to celebrate hairstylist pal Ken Paves's latest salon, the two squeezed in a quick meal in the restaurant's Fountain Dining Room. The Desperate Housewives star ordered extra-spicy tuna with crispy rice, along with yellowtail sashimi, among other dishes. On the way out, they stopped by the bar to check out a basketball game on television.
Permalink | Filed Under: Eva Longoria Parker, Mario Lopez
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Caught in the Act!
Originally posted 02/13/2009 06:00AM
Eva Longoria Parker, stepping out for sushi with pal Mario Lopez at Koi Las Vegas. In Sin City to celebrate hairstylist pal Ken Paves's latest salon, the two squeezed in a quick meal in the restaurant's Fountain Dining Room. The Desperate Housewives star ordered extra-spicy tuna with crispy rice, along with yellowtail sashimi, among other dishes. On the way out, they stopped by the bar to check out a basketball game on television.
Permalink | Filed Under: Eva Longoria Parker, Mario Lopez
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Mario Lopez Wishes Fergie and Josh Well on Nuptials
Originally posted 01/08/2009 06:30AM
While Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson and actor Josh Duhamel make final preparations for their weekend nuptials, Extra host Mario Lopez can't wait to share in their happy day.
And the Dancing alum has a special bond with Fergie: Both both were one other's first kiss in the '80s, when they starred on Kids Incorporated.
"It's a true story. I'm very proud of my first kiss," says Lopez, PEOPLE's top bachelor of 2008. "She says there was no tongue!"
But there was a romance, albeit brief, for the youngsters.
Permalink | Filed Under: Fergie, Mario Lopez
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There He Is (Again): Mario Lopez Hosts Miss America
Originally posted 12/01/2008 04:00PM
After a year off, Mario Lopez of Extra returns to host the Miss America pageant, to be televised live from Las Vegas.
Lopez, 35, who emceed the show in 2007, follows last year's host Mark Steines of Entertainment Tonight.
The Miss America pageant airs Jan. 24 on TLC. – Mike Fleeman
Permalink | Filed Under: TV News, Miss America Pageant, Mario Lopez
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Mario Lopez: No More Going Shirtless
Originally posted 09/15/2008 10:00AM
"My shirtless photo-shoot days are behind me," Mario Lopez tells PEOPLE in a bitter blow to beefcake.
Not that the buff new Extra host has anything to hide. "Obviously, being healthy and staying fit are important to me," says the 34-year-old, who in the past seemed like the only serious rival to Matthew McConaughey in the bare-chest sweepstakes.
As of Monday, former The Bold and the Beautiful and Dancing with the Stars favorite Lopez – who was also memorably bare-bottomed in the shower for a 2006 episode of Nip/Tuck – will be happily hosting Extra on his own, full-time.
Permalink | Filed Under: TV NewsMario Lopez
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Mario Lopez: Eva 'Gets a Kick' Out of Pregnancy Rumors
Originally posted 08/22/2008 10:15AM
Is that a belly – or a baby bump?
As the latest round of pregnancy rumors swirl around Eva Longoria Parker, good pal Mario Lopez says she's falling back on her usual coping mechanism: Humor.
"We get a laugh out of it," Lopez told PEOPLE Thursday after hosting the live finale of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew in Burbank, Calif. "She's really cool. She just takes everything as it comes."
The Desperate Housewives actress, 33, has been the focus of a bump-watch, ever since she tied the knot with husband Tony Parker in July 2007.
This week, speculation picked up again when she was spotted wearing a long, flowy top in Los Angeles. And just last month, she told reporters she "can't wait" to have children.
Permalink | Filed Under: Eva Longoria Parker, Mario Lopez
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Mario Lopez Named New Host of Extra
Originally posted 07/28/2008 03:50PM
Extra is saying goodbye to host Mark McGrath and hello to new anchor Mario Lopez, once the show returns for its 15th season on Sept. 15, its producers have announced.
Current co-host Dayna Devon is due to remain as a special correspondent on the show, which has been renewed through the 2011-12 season.
Lopez, 34, who last month was named PEOPLE's hottest bachelor, joined Extra in January 2007 and co-hosted the weekend edition of the program.
Permalink | Filed Under: TV NewsMario Lopez
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Screech to Tell All in New Book
Originally posted 07/24/2008 04:00PM
The actor who played Screech is planning a racy tell-all about his years as the lovable nerd on Saved by the Bell.
Dustin Diamond, 31, who played Samuel "Screech" Powers on the popular sitcom and its spinoffs from 1989 to 2000, has landed a book deal. In Behind the Bell, Diamond will dish on what he and his costars – including Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley – did when cameras weren't rolling, according to New York magazine.
The book, which Diamond will pen with help from a ghost writer, will include "sexual escapades among cast members, drug use, and hardcore partying," the magazine reports.
Permalink | Filed Under: Dustin Diamond, Mario Lopez
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Mario Lopez 'Would Be Honored' to Dance with Karina Again
Originally posted 07/15/2008 03:20PM
Mario Lopez wants to get back together Karina Smirnoff – at least on the dance floor.
"I love dancing and she's the best partner and the best teacher, and I'd be honored if she would dance with me," Lopez told PEOPLE at ESPN THE MAGAZINE'S ESPY Style Studio Monday. So does that mean everything is amicable between the two, despite her recent claims of his cheating? "Oh yeah, everything's all good."
Never far from the dance floor – Lopez is currently starring in A Chorus Line – insists he is a solo act these days.
Permalink | Filed Under: Karina Smirnoff, Mario Lopez
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