Andrés López Forero

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Andrés López

Andrés López, considered the pioneer of stand-up comedy in his country
Born Andrés López Forero
June 25, 1971(1971-06-25)
Bogotá, Colombia
Official website

Andrés López, (born June 25, 1971 in Bogotá, Colombia), comedian, actor, considered the pioneer of stand-up comedy in his country. Lopez gained notoriety in Colombia after releasing his show called La Pelota de Letras (The Ball of Letters) which earned him a Double Diamond award from Universal Music.

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[edit] Beginning of his Career

As a student of Systems Engineering and Anthropology 1990 he started performing in the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. Later the University assigned a classroom for him to teach the art of stand-up comedy to people interested in performing dramatic and comedic theater. He also created the University Newspaper “El Mercurio” where there was room for people to express themselves artistically by placing their stories, paintings, poems and photographs.

Later he went to Toronto to study Experiential education and became a dedicated reader and a researcher of human behavior. Lopez returned to Colombia to work at "La Mega RCN". A pop-music radio station which was aimed mainly at young people. There he became a creative force by developing many comedy skits such as 'Tratame Suavemente' (Treat me Softly) better known as 'Catalina y mi Andy', 'Juan Bracitos' (Juan Little Arms), 'Jason Libardo' and many others for the morning show also known as El Mañanero. On 2008 he uploaded new material of those skits on iTunes.

Due to the rising popularity of the morning show it was given its own TV show by RCN TV. Pido La Parola, as this show was called was mainly based on sketches, spoofs and prank calls, many of which were led by Andrés López.

[edit] Theater Plays

López has also been performing in various venues as part of the cast. In 1998 he performed in the Colombian version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare or “Las Obras de William Shakespeare” directed by Juan Angel and co-starred by David Guerrero and Fernando Solórzano. Andrés played Juliet Capulet, Desdemona, Lady Macbeth, Ophelia and other Shakespearian women on this work.

In 2003 the show changed its name to “The Royal Shakespeare Criollo” and later changed it again to “Shakespeare para locos”. The original version by the Reduced Shakespeare Company was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987 and is London's longest-running comedy.

[edit] Recent career

López's most recognized show The Ball of Letters-La Pelota de Letras consists of a subtle sociological analysis of life in Colombian families between the 1960's and the 2000's. In the first two years, more than 900,000 people attended his shows since his first appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe Bogota in the beginning of 2004. In 2005 and 2006, when he opened a concert with 44,000 guests, he was given a standing ovation after the show.

More than 400 sold out shows at the National Theater, Teatro Nacional, 5 tours around Colombia and more than 350 private shows for companies. Andres has performed in many cities in Colombia and internationally.

In 2005 he won the “HOLA” Award for the "Outstanding Solo Performance" after his sold out shows in New York and Miami

In December 2005, he launched, La Pelota de Letras on DVD in the Hard Rock Cafe Bogota under the Universal Music Colombia label .

On March 2 of 2006 Andrés López was presented with a Diamond DVD from Universal Music Group.[1] [2] Attending this celebration was singer Wilfrido Vargas. By the end of 2006 Lopez had sold more than 100,000 DVDs, and the Ball of Letters is now the best selling DVD in Colombia.

López began his international tour in July 2006 performing in the cities: Los Angeles at the Alex Theatre[3]; Panamá at Teatro Balboa; Quito at Teatro Nacional; Toronto at the John Bassett Theater[4]; New York at the Town Hall[5]; Miami at James L. Knight Center[6]; Greenville at the Peace Center[7]; Madrid at Teatro Gran Via and Palacio de Congresos de Madrid; Houston at Stafford Center[8]; Orlando at Osceola Performing Arts Center and Atlanta at the Center Stage Theater. An average of 1,500 people attended these shows.

On April 23, 2007 Andrés launched a new DVD called Me Pido La Ventana (I have the Window!, as he translates it). On the same day Andrés López was presented with a Double Diamond DVD from Universal Music Group.

From May to June 2007 Andrés performed in Spain, the biggest Latin comedy tour after the famous Les Luthiers [9][10]

On July 2007 Andrés was presented with another Diamond DVD from Universal Music Group. Andrés López sold more than 70,000 DVDs of "Me Pido la Ventana", his second DVD, since its launching on April 2007.

On September 2007 Andrés toured USA with Me Pido la Ventana: Orlando, FL at Bob Carr Performing Art Center [15]; Queens, NY at Colden Auditorium Queens College; Elizabeth, NJ at The Ritz Theatre and Performing Arts Center; Atlanta, GA at Center Stage [16]; Houston, TX at Stafford Center Theatre [17] and in Boston, MA at The Symphony Hall[18] where he performed "La Pelota de Letras".

[edit] News

Since the end of 2007, Andres is part of the agency William Morris[11]. In January 19, 2008 for the first time a Colombian, Andrés López, performed on a Festival sponsored by IMPROV, Comedy Central, The Miami Herald and others, at The Fillmore, The Jackie Gleason Theatre 7:30pm.

More information at: South Beach Comedy Festival [12]

Andrés performed with other comedians like Kathy Griffin, nominated to the Emmy Awards and famous for been the cast on the show Suddenly Susan, Brooke Shields. Other Comedians: Dave Attell, Jeff Dunham, Jeffrey Ross, Katt Williams, Kristina Wong, Lous C.K., Ralphie May and Stephen Lynch.

[edit] Media

According to Revista Semana, López is one of the 40 Most Influential People in Colombia under 40. [13]

The most important newspaper in Colombia, El Tiempo, has also described his show The Ball of Letters-La Pelota de Letras as:

"The performance portrays the customs of recent generations of Colombians, which is better than any sociology study".

On December 2007, El Tiempo and the Ministery of Culture gave an award to the 10 most important artist of the last 10 years, Andrés was ranked fifth.

[edit] Other Activities

López has created a motivational speech product for employees which includes parts of his shows and these products have been used by businesses to bring about radical internal changes.

Companies using López include: Hewlett-Packard, Alquería, Oracle Corporation, Roche, Microsoft, Merck & Co., IBM, The Coca-Cola Company, BAT, Unilever, Grupo Santander, Porvenir, ETB, Pharmacia, Pfizer, Intel Corporation, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Nestlé, Avantel, Alpina, Bavaria, Altria Group, Colsubsidio and more.

López has also taken part in numerous talk shows, hosting TV programs as well as a multitude of interviews on TV and radio; he has also written for newspapers and various magazines.

[edit] Scientology

Andres became a Scientologist in 2003. Today he performs conferences about the booklet "The way to happiness", written by the founder of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

Lopez is an active member of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, CCHR. In Colombia he fights against the use of Psychiatric Drugs on children.

In August 2006, Andres Lopez attended the 37th Anniversary Gala at the Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood, California. [14] He also visited the headquarter office of The Way to Happiness in Glendale, California.

In October 2006, Andrés López attended a meeting of the IAS, International Association of Scientologists, in the United Kingdom. He was presented with the plaque of Patron.

Since Andres began speaking of Scientology in Colombia, the media has been conducted many articles and interviews about this belief. [15][16]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Universal Music Group "Andrés López - La Pelota de Letras"
  2. ^ Colombianitos
  3. ^ Alex Theater
  4. ^ Colombia en Canada
  5. ^ The Town Hall NYC
  6. ^ James L Knight Center
  7. ^ Peace Center
  8. ^ Stafford Center
  9. ^ `La pelota de las letras´- de Andrés López - Teatro en Barcelona - Atrapalo.com
  10. ^ El cómico colombiano Andrés López triunfa en los escenarios españoles con su ‘Pelota de las Letras’
  11. ^ William Morris Agency
  12. ^ South Beach Comedy Festival | Jan 16-19 2008
  13. ^ Revista Semana: Los 40 menores de 40. Semana Magazzine: "40 younger than 40"
  14. ^ Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Hosts 37th Anniversary Gala
  15. ^ Canal RCN - Noticias RCN
  16. ^ Articulo Archivado Los nuevos creyentes

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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