George Lopez on the 2012 NCLR ALMA Awards: "We're Not Secondary Celebrities Anymore"

George Lopez said it plainly: "We're not secondary celebrities anymore. Our celebrity is on the level of everyone else — and now it's global, not just …" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

On September 10, 2012, George Lopez joined a press call ahead of the 2012 NCLR ALMA Awards, airing Friday, September 21 on NBC and Mundos. Lopez returns as co-host alongside Eva Longoria. Premier Guide Miami's Daedrian McNaughton asked the panel about Latino representation in media — and Lopez had the sharpest answer in the room.

The Latin community certainly gets a lot more exposure through your efforts. How do you feel about the way they are presented in terms of their profile? Do you feel like there still needs to be more emphasis on elevating the roles they have — to get rid of stereotypes?

In the media you have to change your thinking — and even your question: to put "stereotype" in a question that is about the progress of Latinos is a bit stereotypical as well. So we all need to do better as people, not just as Latinos. And obviously when you look at some other award shows they tend to be a little bit hard to watch and hard to take. The ALMAs, on the other hand, is very colorful and it moves and it's funny and it's vibrant. A lot of the other award shows suffer because they have a lack of vibrancy. This one is on Mundos and Telemundo and NBC — and it's performers who cross over to other cultures.

"We're not secondary celebrities anymore"

Lopez was direct about where Latino celebrity stands in 2012: "We're not secondary celebrities anymore. I don't think we ever have been. Our celebrity is on the level of everyone else. If you look at Eva, Eva is a celebrity of the highest magnitude all over the world — not only in the Southwest of the United States. If you look at Christina Aguilera, tremendous success on a show that's incredibly successful. And if you look at Pitbull as the musical director, composer of the song and performer — on a global level. These celebrities now are global and not just regional. That's an important thing to realize."

The election year and the show's tone

Lopez noted that the show has always been "a free place to be a little bit political but also not to cross the line — we're not trying to beat people over the head with a flag that says recognize us. Our work speaks for itself." He got a laugh at the expense of both national conventions: "I love, personally, this year watching the RNC and the DNC politicians add a little Spanish to their English. And I would like to say that I've been doing that myself for 20 years to my success." On the melting pot: "We are now — have a little bit of meat in the stew."

Naya Rivera's nomination

When a reporter praised the nomination of Naya Rivera for her landmark lesbian storyline on Glee , Lopez agreed without hesitation: "That's a good storyline for all people, any actor. It's contemporary and it's nice that we get to play those parts as well."

The night Prince showed up

Asked about the most memorable moment in ALMA history, Lopez's answer was immediate: "I liked when Prince came by." He was there to honor Sheila E. — a member of his musical family. "He came to perform on an homage to her really. And so that was a really wonderful moment." Lopez also noted the significance of honoring the late Lupe Ontiveros at this year's show: "The ALMA Awards are special because we get a chance to take a moment to honor her and to show her work and to show her family and all of her fans how much we love Lupe and how much we miss Lupe." The 2012 NCLR ALMA Awards air Friday, September 21 on NBC and Mundos.

For more upcoming events across South Florida, visit the Premier Guide Miami Events Calendar .