¡Viva Hollywood!

It's María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza Rasten aka Charo!. Buddy TV previews tonight's episode of ¡Viva Hollywood! – 10PM, Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Hey, kids, don't forget to watch episode 5 of ¡Viva Hollywood! tonight at 10 on Vh1. Latin bombshell Charo explodes in the Casa de Locos, shaking and waking things up. And then there's the incident with Geovannie and the butter knife. Tonight. 10:00. Vh1.

Don't You Wish Your Office Was Hot Like Ours?

Yeah, that's right – RuPaul and Charo totally hanging on the fourth floor at World of Wonder. (Photo by Chris McKim)

¡Viva Hollywood!

Here's a little scene from episode 5 of ¡Viva Hollywood! which starts out with simple table talk among the remaining six contestants and quickly flares up into shrill hysteria over Geovannie playing with a butter knife. A butter knife. "You're so frickin' over-dramatic!" Jenn shrieks at him, apparently without irony. The frickin' over-dramatic ¡Viva Hollywood! airs Sunday night at 10 on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Don't ask us; we don't know. All we know is that it's comedian Danny Leary recapping Vh1's ¡Viva Hollywood! on Here TV's Busted hosted by Shawn Hollenbach. So, it seems we did know after all. But that's all we know. And we like it.

¡Viva Hollywood!

That Charo! Such a coochie-coochie dynamo! On episode 5 of ¡Viva Hollywood! the Latin bombshell is a guest who makes her entrance marching up the stairs bright and early one morning at Casa de Locos, mini mariachi band in tow, waking up all the residents, and whipping off their bedcovers without any apparent concern for possible EMBs* on the chicos. Of course, you know by now that ¡Viva Hollywood! airs Sunday nights at 10 on Vh1.
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* Early morning boners.

The Viva Four

Silvia, Jenn, Jainmy, and Berto from Vh1's ¡Viva Hollywood! got together for a recent Reality Cares charity event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Seeing these four contestants doing the red carpet after their reality show has wrapped, but while the show is still airing every week is kind of like experiencing a flash-forward on Lost.

¡Viva Hollywood!

¡Viva Hollywood! is the "only show where you have Latin stars who are known in the mainstream – like Perez Hilton, Daisy Fuentes, Charo, and Cheech Marin – together with eminently Latin celebrities like Cristian de la Fuente, Anjelica Vale, and Sofia Vergara," said Latin World president Luis Balaguer, who partnered with World of Wonder Productions to develop the reality show. "We wanted that crossover MTV/VH1 audience that has grown up watching telenovelas at home and can feel them and identify," he said. The show manages to strike a balance, attracting viewers who aren't Latin as well as those who have never seen a soap. According to VH1 executive vice president of programming and development Jeff Olde, ¡Viva Hollywood! which airs its fourth installment tonight at 10PM on Vh1, has already garnered a 21% jump in viewership. (Reuters)

¡Viva Hollywood!

¡Viva Hollywood! contestant Berto Colon already has scored roles in three upcoming films and parts on several daytime soaps – and the reality show's aired only three times so far (tonight's the fourth). “I considered it being on a major feature set for a month,” Colon told Buddy TV. “Technically, I feel I can step onto any situation and be technically sound. It's what the experience was about. Obviously, there was the element of reality, but even that helped me tremendously, by having a camera following me around and learning to be comfortable.” ¡Viva Hollywood! airs tonight at 10 on Vh1.

<¡Viva Hollywood!

''[¡Viva Hollywood! is] the first time in English-language television that we have a show where everyone involved is 100 percent Latino,'' Maria Conchita Alonso tells the Miami Herald. "It's definitely a risk, and some people might not like it – but it's simply a fun show.'' She goes on to say, "There aren't a lot of shows out there which are just plain fun and that also focus on the Latin talent. This show is for us – the Latin community – to learn to laugh at ourselves, and for others to laugh with us. It's all in good, innocent, fun. We are dramatic, we cry and we laugh, and you will see a lot of that in the show. A lot of people ask me why we toast with tequila at the end of the show, and the answer is simple: I love tequila! Stay tuned because the drinks are going to change, and before you know it, you might see us toasting with mojitos and champagne in the end of the show!" (Read the story)

Episode 4 of ¡Viva Hollywood! which also stars astrologer Walter Mercado and blue-eyed Puerto Rican heartthrob Carlos Ponce airs Sunday night at 10 on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

It's a veil of tears on episode 4 of World of Wonder's ¡Viva Hollywood!, as the contestants each have two minutes to tell a sad story that will make Latin superstar Lorena Rojas cry. Have hankies ready when the episode airs Sunday at 10PM on Vh1.

In Arm's Way

Handsome Chilean soap star Cristian de la Fuente, who recently served jury duty on World of Wonder's ¡Viva Hollywood! star-search show, suffered a severe muscle cramp in his arm, oddly, while dancing the samba with partner Cheryl Burke and had to end the routine abruptly. Burke said she "heard something crack." (gaywired)

El Snappo!

What are the odds that all of the boys of ¡Viva Hollywood! would be allergic to cloth.

Latina Loves ¡Viva Hollywood!

"Finally, a chunk of English-language programming that you and Abuela can enjoy together," says Latina magazine about ¡Viva Hollywood! "It's more than enough to blow your bicultural mind."

¡Viva Hollywood!

Episode 3 of ¡Viva Hollywood!, airing tonight at 10 on Vh1, is jam-packed with all the crazy drama that makes telenovela such novel television. The contestants learn to strut like runway models in next to nothing, then things turn extremely ugly – literally. Check out Buddy TV.

Reminders

• The World of Wonder Storefront Gallery reopens tonight with the 8PM reception for the "depARTed" group show. 6650 Hollywood Boulevard at Cherokee.

• The When I Knew documentary screens at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on Sunday, April 27, at the Regal Cinemas 17 at 7:15PM. Randy and Fenton will answer questions afterward and screen videos from the When I Knew confessional booth.

• Episode 3 of ¡Viva Hollywood! airs Sunday, April 27, at 10PM on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Gisel freaks out because she can't sing "America the Beautiful," which leads to a fight about Vinci changing the gay scene in last week's show. Episode 3 of ¡Viva Hollywood!, in which the sin of telenovela is Vanity, airs this Sunday, April 27, at 10PM on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

In this sneak preview of episode 3 of ¡Viva Hollywood! you'll see the contestants learning their runway walks wearing nothing but bikinis and speedos. The episode airs this Sunday, April 27, at 10PM on Vh1.

Talk About PopMuse

PopMuse had a post yesterday about our ¡Viva Hollywood! show. And we were honored to be mentioned because the Muse has such good taste in pop culture and what we love about the guy is that he always gets what we do. Just saying.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Jezebel.com calls World of Wonder's Vh1 series ¡Viva Hollywood! muy gay, campy, and funny. "If you need a reason to tune in, that reason should be aspiring actor Vinci. He's so, so, so, so hot. (Or should I say "caliente"?)"

¡Viva Hollywood!

Here is the audition tape that scored Vinci Alonso a place on ¡Viva Hollywood!, WOW's new reality show on Vh1. Vinci is apparently allergic to cloth – at least from the waist up. And that makes Vinci very convincy.

Viva Maria!

We had a little chat today with Maria Conchita Alonso, the totally delicious host and judge on WOW's ¡Viva Hollywood! telenovela star-search series, which airs its second installment tonight at 10 on Vh1. We couldn't get the singer-actress-telenovela veteran out of our head after meeting her at the series premiere screening last week, so this was a cheap excuse to get in touch with her again. The exchange went something like this:

Are you surprised by all the ecstatically positive reviews for Viva Hollywood?
I am happy! But also I have learned not to expect anything in anything I do. By doing that, whatever comes will be taken with much more joy, and if it's not good, it will not bother me much.

What do you say to those people who have said Viva Hollywood relies on and advances Latino stereotypes?
That they have not gotten it. It is a show that, for me, more than reality, is a comedy. We have to learn how to have fun with ourselves, not take things as seriously. This is about having fun, enjoying life and who we are. We (Hispanics) are dramatic! And if we don't take that in a fun and funny way, we will all have heart attacks! Ha ha!

Did Viva Hollywood stir up any memories of your days in telenovelas?
Well, there are some contestants that are not that good as actors, and when I started my career, I was horrible! But I was born with the talent and, with training, paying attention to the good actors, and loving it, I was finally able to show the good actress in me.

So you didn't see yourself in any of the contestants?
Not really. Maybe all of them together made one of me! I'm kidding, OK?

Did you have a secret crush on any of the contestants?
A crush? Not really. Did I think one or two of them could be good to have a "good time" with? Yes.

Did you have a say over your wardrobe on the show? Because wowee!
I did! And the producers loved it that I am someone that could be out there and try almost anything. In my younger days I was quite a wild person, wearing these wild clothes, eccentric see-through dresses, driving my motorcycle around Caracas, doing exactly what I wanted to do without thinking about anything. I am more demure now, I guess, a bit more mature. Hee hee. But it's about not taking anything serious, as long as you don't hurt others. Your life is yours to do as you please. Just have fun! If you have the body, why not take advantage of it?

Yesterday was Maria Conchita Alonso Day on the website Starlet Showcase. How would you like people to celebrate you on such a day?
Watch my movies, hear my songs, love and cry with them, and share it with me.

You've won so many beauty pageants, become Miss This and Miss That, but the one that's puzzling is Miss Distrito Federal. What was that? Is winning pageants helpful in starting a telenovela career?
The first big one was when I won Miss Teenager of the World, and that one opened the doors for my successful modeling career. The title of Miss Distrito Federal was representing the capital in the Miss Venezuela pageant, and then I went to the Miss World pageant and became sixth runner-up. Yes, pageants can help start your career.

You were a hottie in The Running Man with Arnold and, 20 years later, you're still a hottie in Spread with Ashton. What's Spread about?
Ashton (in the film) is a gigolo after rich older women. It's a very sexy movie. Ashton and everyone in it is very hot.

What's your best advice for the winner of Viva Hollywood?
Don't take anything for granted. And try to always take advantage of what comes your way. Enjoy not only when you get where you want to be, but also the ride. Keep believing in yourself no matter how many No's appear before you. Don't be lazy and always keep fighting, learning, and being humble no matter how big you may get.

And, finally, if you had two tickets to paradise, where would you go and who would you take?
Well, the beaches are always very welcoming, sexy, and peaceful to me. So I would go to an island. I would take the person I am in love with. And if there is no one at the moment, my pets.

Shameless Plug

Mikey Likes TV (http://www.mikeylikestv.com/reality-week-¡viva-hollywood-esta-loco/) and tonight he likes ¡Viva Hoillywood!.

¡Viva Hollywood!

On tonight's must-watch second episode of ¡Viva Hollywood!, reports Buddy TV, "Telenovela romantic actors Cristian De La Fuente and his wife Angelica Castro guest star... to teach the hopefuls about the art of romantic lovemaking for the camera. As part of their preparation, the contestants are tasked to warm up with yoga. A surprising twist occurs when the yoga instructor strips and asks the contestants to do their yoga in the buff. Expect some sparks to fly when several contestants strip completely naked. Some tension will also mount as the scenes are assigned to include a three-way scene, a lesbian scene and a gay love scene." ¡Viva Hollywood! airs tonight at its regular 10PM on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Cristian De La Fuente from Dancing With the Stars tries to convince Vinci to stay in the Casa when he's forced to play a gay character. From episode 2 of ¡Viva Hollywood!, airing Sunday at 10PM on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Television Without Pity hails ¡Viva Hollywood! as the best show of the week, which it was. And will be again when episode 2 airs on Sunday at 10PM on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

"Bobby Trendy, meet your long lost, lip-glossed Latin abuelita!" says TMZ about Walter Mercado, 76, the famously ageless, flamboyant Puerto Rican astrologer who introduces the seven deadly sins of telenovela, one by one, on World of Wonder's Vh1 series, ¡Viva Hollywood! (On a side note, this puzzle is easy for WOW Report readers.)

¡Viva Hollywood!

The TVgasm blogger has an insanely detailed recap of Sunday night's ¡Viva Hollywood! and says, "I have a moral weakness for schlock, schmaltz, camp or kitsch. Any of the above can make me happier than Governor Spitzer getting a lap dance, but this show has all of these qualities and I'm happier than Brett Michaels would be crammed into a room full of greased up strippers." A show can ask for no greater praise.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Telenovela superstar Carlos Ponce knows what he's doing when he leads the ¡Viva Hollywood! housemates through their duels each week. We thought you might like to get a look of him changing his shirt in episode 8 of the Telemundo soap, Dame Chocolate. ¡Viva Hollywood! airs Sundays at 10PM on Vh1.

¡Viva Hollywood!

“I don’t go for looks. I don’t go for craziness and scandal. Of course, being not bad-looking helps a lot,” says ¡Viva Hollywood!' host and judge Maria Conchita Alonso in the NY Daily News today.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Seems watching ¡Viva Hollywood! has had somewhat of an affect on Ivana Martini, the fashion police at the Boston Herald's Edge. It can happen.

"After four hours, three whiskey sours and two bent butter knives, I still can’t find my television’s V-chip. I need to do some technical tinkering to make it an M-chip – one designed to block programs that incite Manolo, my beloved Pom. I speak of “Viva Hollywood,” that fabulous new VH1 reality show where contestants vie for a starring role on a telenovela. Manolo has embraced la vida hysterical. “Esta muerta!” he cried, tossing a mojito at my butler Peevish. “He called me a harlot and pulled my hair this morning,” moaned P. “He said something about sleeping with his husband and stealing the ranch.”

!Viva Hollywood!

In a four-star review of World of Wonder's Vh1 reality series ¡Viva Hollywood!, the website siuDE says, "The absolute deliciousness of overt sexuality, scathing storylines, bombastic acting and the epic dramatic pause of telenovelas has come to VH1 in yet another reality show monopolizing its airwaves... It's sort of like watching the behind the scenes of American soap operas on drama-laced steroids."

Mas

And in case you missed ¡Viva Hollywood! last night, Guanabee live-blogged it for you. Here's a four-minute sample:

11: 36 Time for some words of encouragement from Walter Mercado. “Be brrrave, my friends.” He’s like the Latino Merlin.

11: 38 Everyone’s watching from above. Very Eyes Wide Shut.

11: 39 Maria Conchita Alonso just asked each of the ladies to state their case for why they should stay in the house. Both of them immediately start crying.

11: 40 Jainmy says she had to ask her mom to pay for her flight to the audition and she had to leave her baby at home. This is supposed to make us like you? Get a job and don’t leave your daughter with the woman who named you Jainmy.

11: 40 Bwa ha ha ha! did Jainmy (HA!) just tell Maria Conchita Alonso she has the best name in the bible after Jesus and God. Can we stab her?

11: 40 Jainmy is a real woman and we’re really having another shot to get through this

¡Viva Hollywood! Premiere Screening and Party

The ¡Viva Hollywood! premiere screening party last night at El Cid on Sunset Boulevard was as vibrant as you might expect from a crowd of open bar-fueled telenovela stars and wannabes.The reality show's host, Maria Conchita Alonso (above), in a T-shirt that warned "Please don't feed the model," was even lovelier in person, and the endlessly amusing Charo (below, with Viva stars Roseny and Enrique), in a short, ruffled confection, couldn't stop entertaining guests with the dismaying news that her record company had reduced her new single from 135 beats-per-minute to 128. Most of the participants of Vh1 and World of Wonder's well-received star-search series were there mingling, as well as veteran Latina actress Lupe Ontiveros. The male and female beauties got to see themselves for the first time on the venue's big screen, and sometimes the excitement in the room matched that on the screen. (All photos by Lana Dandan)

Tequila Sunrise

OMG, the first sentence of this ¡Viva Hollywood! review on BuddyTV this morning gave us goosebumps because it's even more hyperbolic than what we've written about the show, but it's from someone outside the walls of World of Wonder:

"Without sounding too dramatic, the greatest reality show in the history of television premiered tonight as VH1 launched Viva Hollywood, the search for the next great telenovela star. On a camp level, the Latino culture is miles ahead of America in terms of soaps. Spanish-language soap operas, or telenovelas, are cattier, more over-the-top, and just plain more fun than their American counterparts. In that tradition, Viva Hollywood succeeds as pure entertainment. Twelve aspiring actors are placed in a house, called the Casa de Locos, and forced to compete in a series of challenges designed to test their ability to thrive in the passionate, sinful world of telenovelas." (More)

¡Viva Hollywood!

Today's Star-Telegram lists five reasons why you should watch ¡Viva Hollywood! on Vh1 tonight at 10:30, adding that "it's cool to have so many Latinos on an English-language show where Jimmy Smits is not involved!"

Reason 3: With challenges tonight that include scenes with hair-pulling, slapping and water-throwing (for the ladies) and punching, fighting and falling (for the guys), contestants get to take out their aggressions on each other without the risk of getting thrown out of La Casa. And, just in the first episode, there are already wars between studious Geovannie and slacker Vinci, and especially between leggy, arrogant Gisel and down-to-earth mom Jainmy.

Reason 5: Two words: Walter Mercado. The iconic, flamboyant Puerto Rican astrologer appears to the contestants [...] in "a magic portrait to tell them they must master the Seven Deadly Sins of Telenovela": passion, lust, vanity, drama, fire, seduction and scandal. As far as reality TV goes, it really doesn't get much better than that.

Conozca las Estrellas de ¡Viva Hollywood!

Super pretty Silvia Tovar is an acting student from New York. She may look sweet, but watch out when her Colombian temper flares up. • This is the first time Alexcy Aranguren has gone out for an audition. The studly California real estate broker is looking for something new. ¡Viva Hollywood! premieres tonight on Vh1 at 10:30PM.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Back in '79, Maria Conchita Alonso, the hot Cuba-born Venezuelan singer-actress who's hosting WOW's new series ¡Viva Hollywood! (premiering tomorrow night on Vh1), recorded a hot single, "Love Maniac," using her nickname Ambar. Mira.

Conozca las Estrellas de ¡Viva Hollywood!

With the looks of a leading man, model Geovannie Gomez lights up the screen, and he knows it. He put his dreams of becoming a lawyer on hold to see if he can make it as an actor. • Plus-size model Jainmy Martinez is a hard-working single mother who longs to be in the spotlight. She left her family in the Dominican Republic to pursue her passion for acting in America. ¡Viva Hollywood! premieres on Vh1 Sunday, April 13, at 10:30PM.

¡Viva Hollywood!

The Boston Herald's The Edge calls ¡Viva Hollywood! "every bit as nutty as any good telenovela." The series, which premieres Sunday at 10:30PM on Vh1, "revels in the over-the-top histrionics of the genre. It features a dozen hard bodies with IQs that match their waists. In the 90-minute premiere, contestant Geovannie introduces himself by saying, “I’m a trained actor, just like Shakespeare.”

Conozca las Estrellas de ¡Viva Hollywood!

Puerto Rico-born Berto Colon is ready for his closeup, the closer the better. A former football player, Colon manages a bar in New York and hopes to toast his new career as a star. • Janet Michel, who's hosted a late-night talk show, grew up watching her mother act in Mexican telenovelas, and she's got her heart set on following in her footsteps. ¡Viva Hollywood! premieres on Vh1 Sunday, April 13, at 10:30PM.

¡Viva Hollywood!

Let the excitement from other people about our show ¡Viva Hollywood! begin! WOW's reality series got a nice mention and positive comments today on the Survivor Sucks message board, where the remarks are usually reserved for "other shows that suck." Check out the cast photos. ¡Viva Hollywood! premieres Sunday, April 13, at 10:30PM on Vh1.

"I Had My Pants Down Before Anybody in This Room!"

The WOW reality show ¡Viva Hollywood! puts 12 hot Latins together in a house and challenges them to learn the "Seven Deadly Sins of Telenovelas" until one emerges victorious as America's Numero Uno Telenovela Star and takes home $100,000 and wins a breakthrough role on a Telemundo telenovela. We're not kidding, it's the cattiest, wildest, sexiest, hottest, most exciting reality (or any other kind of) TV show you're likely to see! ¡Ay caramba! – we can't even watch this teaser without our palms itching. The series premieres Sunday, April 13 at 10:30PM on Vh1, then airs in its regular timeslot on Sundays at 10PM.

Conozca las Estrellas de ¡Viva Hollywood!

Puerto Rican Kalain Santos has the body of a model and the heart of a clown. He lives in Miami Beach and is working on learning English and becoming an actor. • Total diva Roseny Carrero grew up in Puerto Rica and Colorado then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of stardom. She's modeled for print ads and runway shows, and is now ready to show off her acting skills. ¡Viva Hollywood! premieres on Vh1 Sunday, April 13, at 10:30PM.

Conozca las Estrellas de ¡Viva Hollywood!

Actor Enrique Sapene, who grew up in Venezuela and moved to LA to become a star, was in the cast of the 2002 TV show Livin' Large. In addition to acting, he has his eye on production • Fiery Jenn Pinto, a dance instructor from Brooklyn who's also handy with comedy improv, is not to be confused with Jenny from the Block but is one chica you don’t want to mess with.

Conozca las Estrellas de ¡Viva Hollywood!

Former Abercrombie & Fitch model with an MBA, Gisel Saumat has traffic-stopping good looks and isn't afraid to use them and whatever else it takes to win the $100,000 and a breakthrough role on a Telemundo telenovela. • Miami top model Vinci Alonso, the bad boy from 8th & Ocean, comes on like a lamb but makes out like a lion. When he sees what he wants, watch out. (Mañana: dos mas)

¡Viva Reviews!

Our show ¡Viva Hollywood!, hosted by the fabulous Maria Conchita Alonso with Carlos Ponce and featuring Walter Mercado, is already getting rave reviews and it doesn't start airing until Sunday, April 13 – on Vh1. Us Weekly's review after the jump.