Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

George Lopez tells us if his latest TV venture doesn't work, that's the last we'll probably be seeing of him on the small screen.

The comedian says he has no interest in doing another sitcom. "No, no, no. I did it. It was very successful. I don't believe at 48 I'm going to do something else like that. If this show does not succeed, I believe it to be my last foray into TV," claims Lopez, who is busy trying to make his late-night TBS talk show a hit.

Luckily, if things don't go as planned, he's always got stand-up and films to fall back on. In fact, he has several projects on the way. "I'm in the 'Marmaduke' movie and a movie with Jackie Chan. I'm also in 'Valentine's Day' with Garry Marshall and everybody else in Hollywood," says Lopez. "I had some really funny scenes with Ashton Kutcher. He's a good actor. It was great to work with him, although standing beside a guy that attractive is hard for a guy in his late 40s," he adds with a laugh.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Reba McEntire's former "Reba" co-star Melissa Peterman is back hosting her second season of "The Singing Bee" on CMT and she tells us she has high hopes for getting the country singer to make a guest appearance on the show.

"I'm not at liberty to say anything, but I'm working on it. I'm not above using our friendship for the greater good," notes Peterman with a laugh. "She's actually a fan of the show so I think I might have an in. After the first episode aired, Reba said, 'Melissa, this is a great show. I'm really proud of you,' so that made my day. From being in Nashville, I've heard that a lot of artists are watching the show because it's their music so they're interested to see what people do with it," she says. "Our hope is to maybe get some of the country artists whose music we're performing and have them come on and say hello and give a word of advice to the contestants. That's my dream."

When the show returns Jan. 15, Peterman says people can expect a much more polished product now that everyone's settled into a routine. "I think we have some of the best episodes yet. The great thing about coming back is that we now have people on there who have watched the show so we had actual fans. It made the stakes a little higher. There were also at least three contestants who had never even been on a plane," recalls Peterman, who felt even more comfortable as host.

"Even though I felt like this was a great niche for me the first season, I felt so much more at ease. I also knew the rules better, which was the hardest part of last year, figuring the game out. This time, I could understand the strategy a lot more."

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL: Anjelah Johnson, the former "Mad TV" cast member and creator of the YouTube sensation Bon Qui Qui, tells us her sense of humor comes from a positive place and audiences will pick up on that in her newest Comedy Central special, "That's How We Do It."

"I'm very observational with my comedy so in this particular special, it's a lot of stories about my life. Anything that I've observed — from the way guys hit on me to getting cereal as a birthday present to my time as an NFL cheerleader," she says of the special airing tonight (12/28).

"In general, my point of view doesn't really come from a place of hurt and brokenness. That's not my way of telling jokes," notes Johnson. "People usually say that comedians are usually sad and depressed and that's why they can be so funny, but my comedy actually comes from a place of joy. It has to do with growing up in a big family. We were always laughing and making the best out of our situation. We weren't the wealthiest family on the back, but we had each other and we were happy."

Johnson is certainly happy about the way things are going in her career as of late. Even though her time on "Mad TV" was short lived, her presence in comedy has become more prominent and she's even branched out into acting. "I just finished filming an episode of 'Ugly Betty,' which should air in January or February. I'm in 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.' Then I have 'Our Family Wedding,' which comes out in March. It's been a great year. I'm really blessed."

TOO HEALTHY: Ralph Macchio, whose good-guy character on "Ugly Betty" ended up breaking up with his beloved Hilda (Ana Ortiz) last month — a good move, since she's pregnant by another man — has a reality show on the burner. Bu he admits there's a challenge. "I don't have a train wreck of a life. Knock wood, we're the anti-'E! True Hollywood Story,'" says the actor, who rose to fame as "The Karate Kid," has been married to the same woman since 1987 and has a daughter and son in their teens and doing well. His children, he tells us, are amenable to doing a reality show, but "for me to bring the cameras into my house and show how I eat dinner and talk to my kids — that's not interesting. There are other ideas. We're in talks about it. Nothing is locked in."

With reports by Emily-Fortune Feimster

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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