http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/28 ... a-20120128
'Q'Viva': JENNIFER LOPEZ, MARC ANTHONY TAKE A GENTLE APROACH
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony aren't harsh toward 'Q'Viva'
contestants — or toward each other.
/ Jennifer Lopez and Marc
Anthony are friendly toward
QViva contestants,… (XIX Entertainment)
by Gerrick D. Kennedy, Los Angeles Times
January 28, 2012
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony wanted their upcoming talent show,
"¡Q'Viva The Chosen!," to stand apart from an already cluttered
slate of song and dance reality TV offerings.
Instead of judging contestants from behind a panel, spinning around
in oversized chairs or rejecting talent with a buzzer, Lopez and
Anthony, along with choreographer/creative director Jamie King,
traversed Latin America to handpick the talent for
"Q'Viva," which
premieres Saturday on Univision.
The premise of the series has Lopez, Anthony and King vetting singers,
dancers, musicians and artists for a Las Vegas spectacle. The 12-
episode series chronicles the multi-country selection process and
rehearsals in Los Angeles before a two-hour live finale in April.
During a recent show preview at Soho House in West Hollywood, the
question of where
"Q'Viva" fits into a landscape of juggernauts that
includes "The X Factor," "The Voice," "America's Got Talent" and
"American Idol" — where Lopez returned as judge for its 11th season
— was quickly answered. In the previewed episode, Lopez assessed a
capoeira troupe in Brazil and a malambo group in Argentina, while
Anthony ventured into an abandoned warehouse in Colombia to watch
salsa caleña dancers.
"Q'Viva" is sparse on tear-stained back stories and public humilia-
tions as entertainment — even when Anthony had to pass on a young
singer in Nicaragua he did so gently by telling her he didn't know
how she fit into the show. Those looking for snarky put-downs or
dramatic contestants might be disappointed.
"We're not judges, we're show producers and we're putting together
a live show," Anthony stressed to reporters during the recent
Television Critics Assn. press tour. "What makes it interesting is
we're documenting the process. You don't win anything. You either get
cast in the final show, or not."
Though the show is focused exclusively on Latin artistry and culture
"Q'Viva's" ambitions don't wholly lie in the Spanish-language
market. To strike a more universal appeal, the show was filmed in
three languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese. It will also air
in 21 countries across major TV networks in North, South and Central
America. And Anthony revealed that Fox, home of "Idol," will broadcast
the show in English in the spring, but the network has yet to formally
announce any plans.
"American Idol" creator Simon Fuller and his XIX Entertainment will
distribute the show outside the U.S. with the help of Dutch reality TV
show producer Endemol ("Big Brother"/"Fear Factor").
"The English version will have additional footage and will be
edited specifically for mainstream TV viewers in the U.S.," Fuller
wrote in an email from the set of "Idol." "We're confident that
it will find an audience that will be intrigued by the 'Q'Viva'
journey, & Jennifer and Marc's quest to put together this
spectacular show in Las Vegas.
A source from XIX Entertainment said the show has the potential to
reach a global audience of 38 million — this is excluding the U.S.,
where Univision is the fifth-largest television network — after adding
up the viewers in the other 20 countries slated to see the series.
Mexico's Televisa and Caracol TV in Colombia have announced plans to
air the series.