MARIO LOPEZ: MORE TWISTS AND TURNS THAN WALT DISNEY’S SCARIEST ROLLER COASTER RIDE!
7/11/08Mario Lopez has seen incredible success in recent times but we should know its been far from easy. In this first insert of, our guest-blogger, Connie Wilson, begins to look at the amazing life and times of the young star...
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(Sung to the tune of “Maria” from “West Side Story,” with apologies to Leonard Bernstein).
Mario! I just saw a man named Mario!
And suddenly I see,
How beautiful he is to me…
Mario!
Say it loud and it’s almost like crying!
Say it soft and you’ll think that you’re dying!
Mario! I’ll never stop saying, Mario...
The most beautiful sound I ever heard: Mario!
This piece started out to be a Second Coming story about 34-year-old Mario Lopez. As I drifted off, the verses of the beautiful song I have inserted above came to mind...seemingly bringing realization of the amazing life this guy has had…his “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” roller coaster career and reluctant admission on my part that I could easily see Mario with the sign…WILL WORK FOR FOOD!
OK…let’s back up a little. Mario…”I’ll never stop saying” (sing along) is perhaps best-known for his role (1989-1993) as A.C. Slater, (the friend and chief rival of schemer Zack), on the now-defunct NBC television series “Saved by the Bell.”
Yeah…He, in fact worked in the entertainment industry before Saved By The Bell (SBTB), but A.C. Slater was his ticket to stardom, and he rode that train…until it said no more!
A brief history of SBTB? Well, 4 or 5 seasons on the regular show, followed by: “Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style” (1982); “Saved by the Bell: Graduation Special” (1993); “Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas” (1994); and “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” (1993-1994.)
Hmmm…can you say MILK IT? Yes I can and I swear I’m not making this up. Check for yourself and behold!...the number of very short-lived SBTB spin-offs. A nightmare (must be) to NBC that they must have thought would never end.
Mario... …”I’ll never stop saying” (hum verse) and the SBTB cast were the nightmare friends who would come over for dinner, invite themselves to supper and stay for a nightcap. I even remember that, for a fee, cast members of “Saved by the Bell” were prepared to make a personal appearance right here in Bettendorf, Iowa (at the then fledgling Sylvan Learning Center I ran back in the eighties. We (Sylvan) didn’t pony up the money though and the event was canceled. Hmmm…can you say NOT WORTH IT? Hah!
An episode of Saved By The Bell...as if we haven't had enough...
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Join us for the second part as we continue to look at the intriguing life and times of Mario…” I just saw a man named Mario” (sing aloud)….
Reader Comments (2)
I'll be back to read more.
Ken