BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 3, VIVA LA FIESTA! - Interview w George Lopez & movie review

Frank Helmer- designing for diva dogs!

In anticipation of next Tuesday's (9/18) release of Disney's BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 3, VIVA LA FIESTA! on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download, we present you with a Q&A interview with the film's star George Lopez!

 Keep Reading to see my review of the movie  and the Q & A!

 

GEORGE LOPEZ (Voice of Papi) is a multi-talented entertainer whose career encompasses television, film, standup comedy and late-night television. For two seasons, Lopez hosted “Lopez Tonight,” a late-night television talk show on TBS, which represented 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.

In the summer of 2012, Lopez hosted Fox’s new dating series “Take Me Out” and debuted his third solo stand-up special on HBO.  Lopez recently voiced the character Rafael in the animated blockbuster, “Rio,” along with Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg, and Grouchy Smurf in “The Smurfs.” His other most recent film credits include the box-office hit “Valentine’s Day,” directed by Garry Marshall,  “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2,” “Swing Vote,” “Henry Poole Is Here” and “Balls of Fury.”

In August 2009, Lopez filmed 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. He 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 list top 20. The book was co-written by Emmy^®-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.

Lopez 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.

My review of the movie !

This is a great family movie! Usually, sequels are not as good as Originals, we've discussed this earlier this month! But I gotta say, I don't think it will matter if there is a Beverly Hills Chihuahua 50, Giana is still going to make me sit through them. Something about the fact that there are talking adorable tiny little dogs (and big ones too!) just tickles her fancy and she loves movies like this. But especially this. I can still remember her excitement in seeing the first one (Beverly Hills Chihuahua) in theaters. But you know, she was just as excited to own it, if not even more so than seeing it on the big screen! 

Of course, Reese Witherspoon and George Lopez make for perfectly fitting voices and roles in the movie, albeit recognizable, which plays in the movies favor.

The DVD contains an amazing Special Features section, and since Giana will be getting a Tablet or a laptop for Christmas from "Santa" this year (we haven't decided which is best, please comment below with your thoughts on which 1 is best for a 7 year old) I especially loved that the DVD combo pack came with a BluRay, plus a regular disc, so she can watch it in her room, and I loved that included is a digital download for later when we get the present, whichever we decide on that is..

This way- she can watch movies from her tablet/laptop (WHICH ONE!?#!?%$!?) and I don't have to worry about her not putting the discs away (like she has always done) and scratching up an expensive disc by simply not taking care of it (she also does this too) the Digital Download inclusion is perfect for this problem's solution, if you have this similar problem. 

What happens with mine is, she "forgets" to put it up before putting the next disc in, because she sets it down somewhere, (the case, I mean) and promptly piles stuff on top of it, or forgets where she laid it. This creates a problem when the moves goes off and she wants to change the DVD, because-- instead of locating the disc's case, she just sets the disc down (usually face down, which is the worst way for scratches) and forgets about it -- until I come in later yelling about taking them all away because she won't take care of them. 

So, like I was saying, the digital download inclusion helps to curb this problem, since I can tuck the disc(s) safely away, and not worry about Gigi ruining them anymore!

Thanks Universal!
We love it, best idea ever!!!

Available for pre-order on Amazon for $24.96 (free super saver shipping eligible!)

The Lopez Foundation, founded by George, was established to create positive, permanent change for underprivileged children and adults confronting challenges in education and health, as well as increasing community awareness about kidney disease, organ donation, and the military.

Q:        THIS IS YOUR THIRD “BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA” FILM. TELL US HOW YOU BECAME INVOLVED IN THE FRANCHISE.

GL:      I’ve never been part of a trilogy before. I didn't make the cut on “Twilight.” But “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is a passion for me now. I’d never done ADR before the first one and the first part wasn't really that big. Raja Gosnell (director) gave me some lines and I ad-libbed a few more lines and then the part began to grow and grow and then it became the drive of the movie. And now these other characters have come in, but Papi is the Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Chloe is Chloe, but Papi drives the franchise, which is nice. I really enjoy it. I'm happy to be associated with it, that's why I'm back for the third one. I love it.

Q.        WOULD YOU PLEASE GIVE US A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE STORY FROM PAPI’S POINT OF VIEW?

GL:      He started out single, and then he married Chloe and became a dad. He’s trying to be a good parent to his puppies, who are very modern and his ways are kind of old ways but they still work for him—in theory. But the kids go to a private school and they learn things in a very safe way and he's trying to teach them precautionary lessons—and lessons about staying focused and centered and the history and the ancestry of a Chihuahua, which I think any parent would want to instill in their kids. His kids don't want to hear it, but it's still not a bad lesson to teach.

Q.        PAPI IS SUCH A GOOD DAD. WOULD YOU TELL US WHY THAT IS, ESPECIALLY HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ROSA.

GL:      He's a very passionate individual. In the first movie when he fell in love, he was as romantic as anybody had ever been, human or canine. People would ask me, are you really that romantic? When I saw the movie the first time I couldn't believe that I was that romantic. He's passionate about his kids. He loves, loves, loves his kids. Rosa is the smallest one, the youngest one, the baby, so you could see that there's obviously a connection with the baby. She hasn't progressed as much, is not as mature as the others who can go out on their own, so he guards Rosa and shelters her and they share some very nice moments.

Q.        WOULD YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE PAPI’S PERSONALITY AND HOW HE HAS EVOLVED OVER THE THREE FILMS?

GL:      Papi started out very loyal to Sam. He’d do anything for Sam. He says, “Come on Sam, let's do this and let's go here and let's do that.” Then, when Chloe got lost he was like, “I’ve got to find Chloe!” He was in love and passionate. And then he had the kids, and wanted to make sure that he didn’t overprotect them. But you have to let them grow and like any journey that any father would go through about getting married and having children and being passionate about the kids is they have to stand on their own. And I think sometimes parents have a hard time letting go at different levels of a child's life. They eventually have to stand on their own four paws.

Q:        WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT PEFORMING THE VOICE OF PAPI

GL:      I just like his personality. I hear Papi a lot in my normal conversations. I love the voice. It allows me to be very passionate and over the top and funny and connected and wild in a dog form. I think it's almost like what kids feel when they play videogames and they get to hide behind a character. I've been able to navigate and negotiate this dog through three movies and it has never been boring. I was finding my way as Papi in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and in the second one. But for the third movie I really get to hear the voice mature and become very strong in this movie.

Q.        IS IT MORE OF A CHALLENGE TO DO VOICE-OVER WORK THAN YOUR ON-CAMERA CHARACTERS?

GL:      Yeah, you have to capture the character entirely in the voice. I like the fact that they tape the performance when you're doing it. They tape it so they can get a little bit of your mannerisms and try to give the dog a little bit of flavor. When I saw the dog for the first time, the dog that plays Papi, he was a rescue. They showed me a picture of him and he stood so regal. He thinks he's a big dog. And the way he stood, I understood him. I saw in that dog someone strong and forward and passionate and loving. Being around him was nice.

Q:        TELL US ABOUT WORKING WITH ERNIE HUDSON.

GL:      I love Ernie. Ernie is a fantastic actor and so funny and can be dramatic. I’ve been friends with him for a long time. I’m a huge fan of his work and we got to ad-lib together in this movie. He’s such a big part of the last two films as my brother. It’s nice to get to work with him again.

Q:        ALTHOUGH THIS IS YOUR THIRD “BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA” FILM, IS IT STILL FUN FOR YOU TO SEE THE FINAL PRODUCT AND TO HEAR YOUR VOICE COMING THROUGH PAPI?

Gl:        I'm more excited. I'm excited about every one of them, but this one really has a great story. There are so many new characters and there's the little mini Doberman and mariachis, which I think are hilarious every time I see them. It has a more constant flow comedically, and a great story through the whole film. So I think when you make movies like this, the kids love the movie and they've loved the other two, but the parents do too. People say they forget that they're watching dogs. They’re looking at them like actors. You're rooting for a dog that makes you feel they’re actors.

            Q:        THANKS TO THE ACTORS LIKE YOURSELF, THE VOICES ARE HUMAN

                        AND THE DOGS MOVE THEIR MOUTHS IN A WAY THAT’S NOT CARTOONISH.

            Gl:        The technology and what they've been able to do is very amazing. Also the dogs

            are very well trained and they move in human form. They don't look like they're being lead to a certain mark or they don't look unnatural. So I think that smoothness helps the illusion. They do most of that stuff on their own.

           

            Q:        WHY DO YOU THINK THIS FRANCHISE IS SO POPULAR WITH AUDIENCES OF

                        ALL AGES?                                              

            GL:      Well, first of all, it has the greatest name—“Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”

                        Everybody loves dogs. They're way over the top about dogs. They dress dogs.

            They take pictures of their dogs. They have dog screensavers and wallpaper and lock screens and they're on Christmas cards and they sleep in your bed and they're everywhere you go. People travel with them. They fly first class. I waited my whole life to fly first class and there are dogs in first class! And not in a kennel, just loose. They’re in their chair, but also half in mine. I'm like, hey man, I waited all these years to fly first class, get on your own side!

Q:        TELL US HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING PART OF MOVIES THAT THE WHOLE FAMILY CAN WATCH.

            GL:      It’s absolutely an honor. Disney gave me an opportunity to be in the first one and

            then invited me to come back on the second and now the third. So I love the fact that kids now recognize my voice. They say, “Are you Papi?” And I say, “Yeah, you know, I am Papi.”

            Q:        PLEASE TELL US HOW STARRING AS PAPI IN THE “BEVERLY HILLS

                        CHIHUAHUA” FILMS HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE.

            GL:      Since I started this franchise I've met every Chihuahua owner and

            held every Chihuahua on the planet. So I've seen different shades and colors and ages from calm ones to super hyper ones. I'm Papi. If you have a Chihuahua, you'll bring it over to me and let me hold it. I take it as a mark of a job well done.

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 3, VIVA LA FIESTA! is out on DVD next Tuesday the 18th!!!

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Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3, Viva La Fiesta! will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download on  September 18th

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