Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Albanian among Hispanics


Stand up comedians make really good on screen actors in a comic role. It’s obviously a flair that comes naturally with their background. Jerry Seinfeld is the best example. He may be more popular for his non-acting skills, but people took to him because he was simply funny. ‘Seinfeld’ must have been one of the funniest shows ever to be aired on American television, and its characters are iconic. There’s another stand-up comedian whose show became immensely popular; that’s George Lopez.


The George Lopez Show was a Sandra Bullock production, showcasing the life of a Hispanic family. It’s believed that there’s a grouch among the Latino community that there haven’t been enough actors picked up from their stables. This show seemed like it was an answer to their grievances. An almost all-Hispanic cast accompanied George Lopez in this show. The only exception in this crowd was Masiela Lusha, the Albanian American actress, who played George’s firebrand daughter, Carmen. Her character was highly appreciated and became glued to her image. She had a very successful stint with the show while she was a part of it (the first five seasons), and won two Young Artist Award for Best Actress.


George Lopez plays himself here, just like Seinfeld did. There’s no change in name or character. It’s an uncanny similarity, something that’s been highly successful for both.



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