While season 2 of America's Best Dance Crew is still currently underway, host Mario Lopez has a few activities to keep him busy throughout the whole audition process.  In fact, Lopez recently made a big debut in Broadway, with the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical A Chorus Line, which began its run on Tuesday.

"I'm ready to go," the 34-year-old Saved by the Bell alum said in a conversation with United Press before the show. "I'm all good."

It seems though that Lopez wasn't all too good, as there was a few things he wasn't prepared for on the show. He revealed that there was an unexpected incident that made it quite difficult to deal with the stage performance.

"I was a little nervous and I had lots more to work through tonight than just my job," Lopez told the New York Post after the Monday show. "Four understudies were in their roles, so that wasn't as smooth as could be, and then a lady patron in the theatre had a heart attack. I mean, I had all that to deal with."

Nonetheless, this won't stop him from putting on a great show in the succeeding performances of A Chorus Line, where he plays Zach. His character, according to Lopez's official site, is described as "demanding director who is casting the chorus roles for a new Broadway musical."

Lopez says that he best fits the role, as "Zach is very focused, so am I." He will be also showcasing not just his acting chops, but his singing and dancing skills as well. However, he says that he doesn't sing any solos in the play. He thinks he isn't good enough to handle that kind of performance.

"I can carry a tune, but that's it," Lopez admitted to the United Press. "I'm not a dancer, I'm an actor who moves OK. But I'm a pretty quick learner. I work really hard."

And working hard was something we've already seen in Lopez when he became a celebrity contender for the highly-watched Dancing with the Stars. In fact, his stint on the celebrity dance competition landed some hosting duties at MTV and Extra.

"That was the beginning of the career surge," he told the Daily News. "The last couple of years things have been taken up a notch. Everything really intensified."

The more intense his career became, the more Lopez had to deal with audiences, whether it was live or not. How did he deal with audience variety and role diversity?

"I was a little nervous. Not like I haven't worked to live audiences before, but, yeah, I was nervous," Lopez admitted to the New York Post. "I've done lots of live shows, but always playing myself. I know how to play me. But this time I was playing a character. It feels different."

Lopez's other current endeavors include a new fitness and exercise book entitled "Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness." A health and fitness enthusiast himself, Lopez enjoys keeping himself in top shape. His various topless magazine cover shots are proof of his success in maintaining a gorgeous body, and Lopez is proud to share his diet and exercise secrets in his new book. The 256-page hardcover publication includes full-color photography, personal anecdotes, and sidebars featuring his diet tips and recipes. "Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness" is set to be released on May 13 and will retail for $26.95.


-Valerie Anne del Castillo, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: MarioLopez.net, New York Post, Daily News, United Press
(Photo courtesy of MTV)