NBC is getting ready to unleash a new dating show on America called Ready for Love. It features 3 bachelors hand selected by Eva Longoria who are now committed to finding the right woman with whom to share their lives, hosted by Bill and Giuliana Rancic.
One of these men claiming to be ready to settle down and commit is Tim Lopez of the popular rock band Plain White T’s. In his bio for NBC he talks about the difficulties of being in a band and having a relationship. He attributes this juxtaposition with causing his divorce from his childhood sweetheart, Whitney Hardin.
Plain White T’s band member Tim Lopez admits to being a hopeless romantic his entire life. It is what drives his creativity and makes him so good at what he does. Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, he was blessed with amazing parents and an older brother and younger sister. After an 11-year romance – three of which were spent married – Lopez and his first love called it quits. The distance while on tour took a heavy toll on his relationship, and the couple slowly grew apart. Despite the difficulties, Lopez loved being married and believes he is finally in a great place to be in a healthy relationship where marriage and kids will play the lead role.
However, the success of his band has presented its own challenges. As a single, attractive man in a well-known band, Lopez is unsure about women he meets while working on the road. With the recent Grammy Award-nominated success of the Plain White T’s, he feels he has a large part of his life under control and believes that a television show could provide the perfect environment for finding his true love.
With a strong sense of loyalty that has helped keep his band together through the last 10 years, Lopez feels equipped with the tools for a long-term relationship and marriage. A true romantic at heart he said, “I wrote a song that sold 1.3 million copies, when all I really wanted was to impress the one girl I let go.”
Not only does he embody the perfect blend of James Dean and Marlon Brando, Lopez is a huge fan of writing poetry and believes his softer side will help steer his heart in the right direction.
Tim Lopez and ex-wife Whitney Hardin | Twitter
Tim and Whitney’s big day was covered in detail for Inside Weddings. It was a sweet courtship as Whitney, at the tender age of 13, mustered up the courage to talk to Tim who was 16-years-old. Seven years later Tim proposed to Whitney in a room at the Bacara Resort and Spa that he had covered in flowers. The wedding took place just one week after Whitney’s 21st birthday.
It turns out that at the time Tim’s ex-wife worked as a wedding planner. Not only that, but her co-employee was Tim’s mom, Colette Lopez! The best I can tell, Whitney no longer works there but Tim’s sister Kaitlin Lopez does and Colette is the owner. Here is a photo of Tim’s mom and sis from La Fete’s Official Facebook Page:
Tim Lopez’s mom Colette and sister Kaitlin
When I first read Tim’s bio above I assumed when he talked about the hit song he was referencing Whitney, but it turns out it was another long time hometown Santa Barbara girl that he wrote and sang “Rhythm of Love” for. In an About the Band section on MySpace the inspiration behind the song was revealed (sort of):
“It was written for this girl that I was dating while we were making our last album out in Malibu. We have a lot of history; I’ve known her since I was 11 or 12. I wasn’t really emotionally available to her at the time. I hadn’t completely gotten over my divorce, so when the band left on tour, I decided it wasn’t right to try to keep the relationship going so we called it quits. It was only over the last year or so that I’ve realized what I walked away from. The song was an attempt to rekindle things and win her back. She’s currently dating someone else, and I’m happy for her. But in case it doesn’t work out…who knows?”
It looks like we’ve got a pattern forming here with Tim and hometown girls, a romantic’s heart and relationships that eventually end because of the demands of his band. Here’s the official music video for the song in question:
In the following video from August of last year, Tim and Tom Higgenson explain how having hit songs about girls doesn’t always work out so well when trying to maintain a relationship with said lady:
Tim said:
“The bigger the hit, the longer you’re going to be away from home. So, you know if you want to focus any energy on it you’re already on the other side of the globe. It’s tough.”
So is this handsome rocker in an extremely successful rock band really Ready For Love? I guess we will start to find out when the show premieres. To keep up with Tim you can follow him via his Twitter account here.
Just to emphasize one more time about how being a rock star might make it hard for Tim to be Ready for Love, here is his most recent tweet as of this post and accompanying image:
The lack-of-success rates of TV dating shows combined with the lack-of-success rates of rock star relationships creates what appears to be quite an obstacle for Tim Lopez to overcome. But hey, they say love conquers all right?!?
Side Photo: Veronica Summers / Splash News
