Celebrity Sightings – April 2017

 We have two of Hollywood’s hottest leading men on the lineup – just in time for things to warm up for spring.  From a suave TV personality to an action-packed film star who’s recently transitioned into comedy, the star power is heavy this April.
Kicking off our April Celebrity Sightings is Mario Lopez.  For the youngsters out there, you probably remember him fondly from Saved by the Bell.  Others may remember him from a.k.a. Pablo.  Born in San Diego, Mario launched his career on the 1984 comedic TV series and later moved over to the teen hit featuring a quirky yet endearing cast of high schoolers.  After his big TV hits, Mario went on to appear in more TV series, such as Pacific Blue, as well as movies including Colors, Depraved and Eastside.  Later, he made his break into TV hosting with hits like Name Your Adventure, The Other Half and Pet Star.  Before his TV fame, however, Lopez was a dancer, one of his true passions, as well as his future aspiration.  Lopez is married to Courtney Mazza and has two children.
In contrast to Lopez’s squeaky clean charm, our second Celebrity Sighting has quite the controversial image.  Rapper turned actor Mark Wahlberg was born in a working class district of Boston to a nurse’s aid and delivery driver.  As the youngest of nine children, the Wahlbergs didn’t have much growing up, and after Wahlberg’s divorce when Mark was 11, the family crammed into a three-bedroom apartment.  Since, Mark’s mother has admitted she focused on herself much after the divorce, which could have contributed to Mark’s fall into crime.  By the time he was 14 years old, he had dropped out of high school for a career in drugs, crime and scamming.  Within two years, he had been convicted of assault against two Vietnamese men after attempted robbery; he served 50 days in jail, where he transformed his scrawny young physique and found the motivation to leave crime behind.
Through connections from his older brother, Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block, Mark secured a record contract as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, which quickly produced a hit record.  However, the group often landed in the tabloids for rumors of violence and, eventually, racism, which crashed his career as a rapper.  When he came back as an actor, many didn’t believe he would succeed, until his performances began to surprise.  Since, Wahlberg has appeared in hit films including Renaissance Man, The Basketball Diaries, Fear, Boogie Nights, The Perfect Storm, Contraband, The Departed, The Fighter and more.  He was well known for the popular series Entourage and recently broke into comedy with Ted and The Other Guys.  He has been nominated for two Academy Awards, for The Departed and The Fighter.
Keep up the good hunt Santa Clarita.  Stay tuned for more celebrity sightings, as there are many more to report!  You never know which star you may run into.  And don’t be shy – snap a photo with your favorite celebrity and be sure to share your brush with fame with us.
Email your submissions to contest@santaclaritamagazine.com!