Lopez weds on television
Apparently, it’s a good time to be Mario Lopez. In addition to a plush anchor’s spot on tabloid talker Extra, Lopez, 39, has a new gig as co-host of The X Factor’s live shows (opposite Khloé Kardashian). He’s also got an adorable two-year-old daughter, Gia. And, most recently, he not only married a stunning Broadway dancer — but he did it in front of TLC’s cameras. Not bad for a guy we thought would never escape A.C. Slater.
The aforementioned nuptials between the former Saved by the Bell star and Gia’s mom, Courtney Mazza — taped on Dec. 1 in Punta Mita, Mexico — will hit the airwaves tonight. The apt title: Mario & Courtney’s Wedding Fiesta. Such wedding specials are nothing new to matrimony-obsessed TLC; Lopez and Mazza follow in the footsteps of fellow lovebirds Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo (Nick & Vanessa’s Dream Wedding) and Niecy Nash and Jay Tucker (Niecy Nash’s Wedding Bash).
As with past specials, the two-hour outing will take us through Lopez and Mazza’s planning process, the discovery of The Perfect Dress, and an in-depth look at the ceremony and reception. The last time you got this up-close-and-personal with Lopez, he was ballet-dancing in tights for Jessie Spano at The Max.
Will this be a romantic fantasy wedding? Oh heck yes — it’s the stuff Say Yes to the Dress fans’ dreams are made of. Will it be any less romantic because it’s Lopez’s second trip to the altar (his marriage to Ali Landry in 2004 was annulled after two weeks)? I guess that depends on just how big of a crush you had on Slater. While most viewers will only just be getting to know Mazza via this special, the fact that Lopez can garner interest as the subject of a TLC wedding special in 2012 is impressive enough to get us watching. Eat your heart out, Zack Morris. (TLC — 9 p.m.)
For the younger set, there’s The Flight Before Christmas. A young reindeer hopes to follow in his dad’s hoof tracks, but first he’ll have to overcome his fear of flying and save Santa from a hungry pack of wolves. (CBS — 10 p.m.)
Less festive but far funnier is Due Date. It’s no Planes, Trains & Automobiles, but the road-trip comedy in which a panicky daddy-to-be (Robert Downey Jr.) travels across the U.S. with a delusional thespian (Zach Galifianakis) is funny enough to keep you along for the ride. (Showcase — 8 & 10 p.m.)
Oh, and hey, did you know they still make music videos? And that, sometimes, people even watch them? Even if they’re awful — like the batch you’ll see on Video on Trial: 2012 Best of the Worst, part of MuchMusic’s December-long Holiday Wrap. (MuchMusic — 8 p.m.)