First Look: Eva Longoria and George Lopez on ALMAs and Unemployment

Despite news of his TBS talk show's abrupt cancellation and her Desperate Housewives wrapping up after the upcoming season, there was a lot of laughter when George Lopez and Eva Longoria came together recently in a Hollywood warehouse. The two old amigos were shooting promos for their second go-round as co-hosts of the ALMA Awards, honoring the best in Latin music, film and television.

After taking a year off to retool, the ALMAs will air September 16 on NBC. I was the only print reporter invited to the shoot to talk to the pair about what we can expect from the show and how they're dealing with all the changes in their lives.

TV Guide Magazine: Eva, this will be your fifth year hosting the ALMAs. What's going to be different?
Eva Longoria: It's going to be really packed, because it's an hour-long show for the first time so we're going to be tight with our musical acts and awards. NBC has a huge mandate to diversify, so they've welcomed the ALMA Awards with open arms and recognize the importance of promoting positive images of Latinos in music, television and film.      

TV Guide Magazine: You two have great banter. Where does that come from?
George Lopez: It's amazing what you can find in the back of the L.A. Weekly (newspaper classified ads). From the first time we met, we had it. She's the only woman left who can get me to do the things I don't want to do.

TV Guide Magazine: Are you both nominated?
Longoria: I pull myself out every year [Longoria is also an executive producer], but George is.
Lopez: I nominated myself twice — and am up against all the Lopezes: Mario, Jennifer...

TV Guide Magazine: Will you be cracking jokes about both your shows going off into the sunset?
|Longoria: I'm sure we will.
Lopez: We've already made unemployment references. If it's funny, we will.

TV Guide Magazine: Eva, how do you feel about Housewives ending in the spring after eight seasons?
Longoria: An eighth year is a bonus year, so we're excited to even have this. We were all in on the knowledge that this would probably be our last. And we've had fun shooting. Hiding the body at 3 in the morning in the middle of nowhere was a lot of fun. I got awfully dirty.

TV Guide Magazine: What's up next for you?
Longoria: I have a bunch of movies coming out. I shot (the period drama) Cristiada with Andy Garcia in Mexico and (the comedy crime film) Baytown Disco with Billy Bob Thornton in Louisiana. And it hasn't been announced yet, but I'm going to start work on Four Kings with Brendan Fraser.
Lopez: And I'm going back to my first love, stand-up, and producing a couple things I can't talk about yet.

TV Guide Magazine: Eva, on Desperate Housewives, I've heard that after you help cover up the murder of Gaby's stepfather, Carlos isn't going to want to have sex with you. That's hard for me to imagine.
Longoria: It's very hard for me to imagine, too! George, did you hear that? Carlos doesn't want to have sex with me. George has offered to come on my show as my new gardener.
Lopez:  I said "love interest," and I ended up with "gardener." I can't even get in the house.

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