Lopez wants to put mark on the talk-show genre

George Lopez is ready to party.

The comedian, who has packed every venue he's played in Fresno, launches his new talk show, "Lopez Tonight," at 11 p.m. on cable channel TBS.

Lopez's party plans include breaking the talk-show mold. He wants spontaneity.

"There might be some stand-up in the beginning. Some nights there will be a great guest or great musical act. If we have Bruce Springsteen or Prince or Santana or somebody good, we put them out first," Lopez says. "Why would you hold George Clooney back? Why would you not bring out somebody fantastic early to get that thing going, to get that party started that way?"

Sometime during the party he'll get around to chatting with his guests. The lineup for his first show includes Ellen DeGeneres, Eva Longoria Parker and Kobe Bryant.

The Bee caught up with Lopez to ask him a few questions about the new show and what it's like to be the first Hispanic late-night talk show host.

Question: How long have you been working on the show?

The writers have been in the office since early September. When I haven't been busy doing other things, I go into the office and talk about the show and about guests.

You can test comedy in small clubs before you take it to the masses. Is it similar?

It is different because the material is always different. With stand-up you work on something familiar. This is seven or eight or nine minutes of new material every night. It is doing the stuff on Monday night and then completely forgetting it for Tuesday night.

Is there too much emphasis put on a talk show host's first guest?

I think so. You are going to be doing more than one show, so you are going to have a lot of guests. If you are engaging and amusing, why would it matter who the first guest is. It is personality driven so if they like me, they will watch the show. If they don't like me, they won't watch the show.

Will being on cable make the competition with other talk shows tougher or easier?

Jay Leno will be at 10 and Conan is at 11:30 and David Letterman 11:35. I'm at 11. So it's really a very beautiful position to be in. There's competition in every business that you're in. The simple plan of the show is to create an energy that isn't anywhere on TV, and it's with us.

Have you been working on your interview skills?

Listen, when you've been interrogated as much as I have been, you can ask questions and then naturally answer your own questions.

Are you feeling added pressure because you're breaking new ground?

I only feel added pressure because apparently in some parts of the country, I'll be up against novellas. I don't think I can win that battle. But no, I don't feel any pressure to do anything other than what I've been doing the last 30 years and it's making people laugh and entertaining. The "George Lopez" sitcom has a tremendous following in syndication. Now, those people, I would assume, would want to see me every night. Ultimately, the goal is to do a show so great that people who are out there with black boxes actually want to turn themselves in and pay for cable.