AXN Names “Asia’s Got Talent” Hosts: Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez

AXN announced that the Philippines-based TV personalities Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez will reunite once again on the channel as hosts of the inaugural season of the talent search series “Asia’s Got Talent,” set to launch this March.

Nelson and Fernandez will support the four previously-announced celebrity judges -- David Foster, Anggun, Van Ness Wu and Melanie C. -- in their search for Asia's most jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, and breathtaking performances. Contestants who advance to the semi-finals will face an even tougher judge, as AXN audiences at home will decide who wins the first season of “Asia’s Got Talent.”

Hui Keng Ang, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said: “As competitors on the second season of ‘The Amazing Race Asia,’ Marc and Rovilson captivated viewers with their on-screen charisma. We saw them as a natural fit to host a show like ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ and are proud to have them back on AXN.”

Paul O’Hanlon, Managing Director of FremantleMedia Asia, said: “In addition to their years of experience, Marc and Rovilson bring an incredible energy that will encourage and motivate the contestants. They complement our panel of judges perfectly and we look forward to working with them in the season ahead.”

George Levendis, Head of International for Syco Entertainment, said: “Marc and Rovilson are about to take us on a fantastic ride across Asia. We welcome them both to the ‘Got Talent’ family and look forward to them bringing their warmth, wit, humour and magnetism to this unique production.”
Nelson and Fernandez burst onto the scene in 2007 on AXN’s “The Amazing Race Asia,” where the best friends held pole position for a record length of the race, from the second to the eighth episodes, ultimately reclaimed the lead during the penultimate episode. From there, they hosted “The Duke,” AXN’s original talk and lifestyle magazine show that profiled some of the most successful men in the region.

Both continued to build their respective careers. Nelson hosted ABS-CBN’s “Sports Unlimited,” and appeared with Fernandez in QTV 11’s “Dare Duo.” Fernandez, who has served as an editor of Maxim men’s magazine in the Philippines, currently hosts his weekly countdown show “Ang Pinaka” on GMA News TV.

Nelson said: “It is an honor and a privilege to host ‘Asia’s Got Talent,’ the biggest talent competition in the world, and to do so with Rovilson is a bonus. We look forward to working with the judges as well as setting the stage for the incredible contestants to shine.”

Fernandez said: “I am humbled to play a part in this great search for talent across our region. With Marc, we will do our best to bring our amazing experience on ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ to AXN viewers.”
The Guinness World Record-breaking hit “Got Talent” format, which was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia, is launching its 63rd version on AXN. Billed as the biggest talent competition in the world, the show will dazzle audiences across Asia and spotlight some of the region’s most amazing performing artists competing for the coveted winning title. “Got Talent” is officially the most successful reality TV format in history and currently airs in 186 countries.

AXN is a leader of regionally-produced original content in Asia with four seasons of the International Emmy-nominated “The Amazing Race Asia,” the Asian Television Award-winning “Cash Cab Asia,” “The Apprentice Asia,” “Cyril: Rio Magic,” “Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition,” and the Asian Television Award-nominated “Cyril: Simply Magic.”
“Got Talent” Sponsors

As previously announced, the inaugural season of “Asia’s Got Talent” on AXN is proudly presented by Marina Bay Sands, BIG Cola, Pantene, Caltex and Jetstar.

Marina Bay Sands is the premier sponsor of “Asia’s Got Talent.” As Asia’s leading entertainment destination and crossroads for global celebrities, Marina Bay Sands provides opportunities for local talent to shine on the world’s stage. The semi-finals and finale of “Asia’s Got Talent” will be held at the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, where the winner will take home a contract to return and perform live at Asia’s leading entertainment destination.

BIG is the exclusive beverage partner of “Asia’s Got Talent.” With BIG Cola, ‘if you can dream it, you can do it.’ Contestants and fans across Asia will be encouraged to ‘think big’ and ‘dream bigger’ in pursuit of their dreams.

Pantene, the exclusive haircare partner of “Asia’s Got Talent,” makes hair stronger inside and shinier outside to enable contestants to shine and be the world’s number one talent.
Caltex is the exclusive petroleum partner of “Asia’s Got Talent.” Caltex delivers a hassle-free experience to get people back on their journey quickly, so they can have more time and energy to do whatever matters most to them. By being a part of “Asia’s Got Talent,” Caltex wants to celebrate key moments of the contestants’ journey to stardom, providing viewers the opportunity to enjoy the journey with them.

Jetstar is proud to be the official airline of the very first edition of “Asia’s Got Talent.” With more than 600 weekly flights to 22 destinations across 13 countries in Asia Pacific, Jetstar enables talent to fly further, connect with families and fulfil dreams.
www.AXNAsia.com/AsiasGotTalent

Asia's Got Talent is set to premiere on AXN on March 12

AXN’s “Asia’s Got Talent” is set to premiere first on AXN on 12 March 2015, airing on Thursdays at 8.05pm (SG, MY, PH, HK) / 7.05pm (JKT, BKK). The series is the biggest talent competition in the world featuring some of the region’s most incredible performing artists as they compete to take home the coveted winning title.

Officially launching “Asia’s Got Talent” today is the series’ esteemed celebrity judging panel made up of 16 time Grammy-winning Canadian musician David Foster, UK pop sensation and former Spice Girl Melanie C., Indonesian rock icon Anggun, and Taiwanese-American pop idol and actor Van Ness Wu. The judges met with 500 members of the media, sponsors and partners for the first time at the “Asia’s Got Talent” showcase held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

From thousands of applicants from 15 territories across Asia, the four judges must select the most jaw-dropping, mind-blowing and breath-taking performances. Those who advance to the semi-finals will face an even tougher judge, the AXN audience at home who will decide the winner of the first season of “Asia’s Got Talent”.



Adding to the excitement, the semi-finals and finale will be held at the iconic Marina Bay Sands. Prizes worth up to US$100,000 are at stake, along with the opportunity for the winner to return and perform at Asia’s leading entertainment destination.



Supporting the judges are Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez as hosts of “Asia’s Got Talent”. Marc and Rovilson are familiar to AXN audiences as contestants of “The Amazing Race Asia Season 2” and hosts of the talk show “The Duke”.

“Asia’s Got Talent” will span a total of 10 weekly episodes, leading with five judges’ auditions episodes, before three semi-finals, a finale episode and concluding with the results show. In addition to enjoying the amazing performances, audiences can expect to learn more about their favourite acts as “Asia Got Talent” tells the life stories behind some of the most colourful individuals and groups in the competition.

The inaugural season of “Asia’s Got Talent” on AXN is proudly presented by Marina Bay Sands, Big Cola, Pantene, Caltex and Jetstar.

Anggun, Rock Icon
Anggun started singing at seven and by 12 released her first Indonesian studio album, ‘Dunia Aku Punya’, with hit single ‘Mimpi’ recognized as one of the ‘150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time’ by Rolling Stone magazine. A series of singles and albums followed to make Anggun the biggest Indonesian rock star of the 90s.
Her international breakthrough came in 1997 with ‘Snow on the Sahara’ which was released in 33 countries worldwide, topped music charts in Italy and Indonesia, and made the top 20 in Finland, France, Japan, Spain and the US. Following that, Anggun released five more studio albums, and released songs that featured in Danish movie, ‘Open Hearts, and the Hollywood box office hit, Transporter 2. Anggun is a recipient of the ‘Chevalier des Arts et Lettres’ from the French government. She is also a judge on “X Factor Indonesia” and “Indonesia’s Got Talent” TV series.

David Foster, Music Producer
David Foster discovered and launched some of the greatest music careers including Michael Bublé, Josh Groban and Celine Dion. He has created hit songs and award-winning platinum and gold albums for Earth, Wind & Fire, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Seal, Chaka Khan, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Brandy, ‘N Sync, Boz Scaggs, and Gloria Estefan; propelled classical singers like Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban into mainstream popularity, as well as created soundtracks for hit films like ‘The Bodyguard’, ‘Urban Cowboy’ and ‘St Elmo’s Fire’. In 2008 and 2011, David performed and hosted his very own, star-studded ‘Foster & Friends’ concerts in Las Vegas to celebrate the music from his career and toured Asia annually from 2010-2012. David has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations and is the chairman of Verve Music Group.

Melanie C., Pop Icon
Melanie was part of the iconic five-member Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed ‘Sporty Spice’. Following that, as a solo artist, Melanie sold more than 12 million records from six albums that she released. She has the second most No.1 singles in the United Kingdom and is the only female to top the charts as part of a quintet, a quartet, a duo and a solo artist. Melanie also performed the role of Mrs Johnstone in the West End musical ‘Blood Brothers’ for which she was nominated for ‘Best Actress in a Musical’ at the Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2012, Melanie co-starred in the musical ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, and also judged the preceding talent search series ‘Superstar’ to select the lead actor for the said musical.

Van Ness Wu, Actor/Singer
Van ness Wu was born in California where he took classes in performing arts, acting and languages in Hollywood before moving to Taiwan at 21 to build his career. His breakthrough came with his lead role in the wildly popular hit idol drama ‘Meteor Garden’ and its sequels. Van ness and his co-actors of the series formed the pop idol group F4 – now known as JVKV – and released three studio albums. Turning his attention to his solo career, Van ness released his debut solo album in 2002 and followed that with six other solo studio albums up to 2013, as well as singles, collaborating with musicians including Kanye West, Beyonce, Wang Lee Hom, Gangta and Coco Lee. He also acted in many other TV series, including ‘Autumn Concerto’, ‘Material Queen’ and ‘Peach Girl’, as well as movies such as ‘Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon’ and ‘Kung Fu Chefs’.

About the hosts
Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez

Philippines-based TV personalities Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez reunite on AXN as hosts of the inaugural season of the talent search series “Asia’s Got Talent”. The pair of friends burst onto the scene in 2007 on AXN’s “The Amazing Race Asia,” where the best friends held pole position for a record length of the race, from the second to the eighth episodes, ultimately reclaimed the lead during the penultimate episode. From there, they hosted “The Duke,” AXN’s original talk and lifestyle magazine show that profiled some of the most successful men in the region.
Both continued to build their respective careers. Nelson hosted ABS-CBN’s “Sports Unlimited,” and appeared with Fernandez in QTV 11’s “Dare Duo.” Fernandez, who has served as an editor of Maxim men’s magazine in the Philippines, currently hosts his weekly countdown show “Ang Pinaka” on GMA News TV.

AXN home for Asia"s Got Talent has David Foster, Melanie C, Anggun and Van Ness Wu as celebrity judging panel

It’s a YES! Grammy-award winner David Foster, UK pop sensation and former Spice Girl Melanie C, Indonesian rock icon Anggun and Taiwanese-American pop idol Van Ness Wu have been named as the celebrity judging panel for the season premiere of hit talent search show, “Asia’s Got Talent” on AXN.

Billed as the biggest talent competition in the world, “Asia’s Got Talent” will light up screens across Asia in March on AXN and will feature some of the region’s most incredible performing artists as they compete to take home the coveted winning title.

Hui Keng Ang, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said, “We have put together a superb panel of judges for ‘Asia’s Got Talent’. This is definitely our most ambitious original series to date and is very much in line with the type of smart, high-quality local programming that audiences have come to expect from AXN."

Paul O’Hanlon, Managing Director of Fremantle Media Asia said, “We’re proud to say that ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ will be the largest version ever of the Got Talent franchise, and our judges bring a depth and breadth of experience and talent worthy of this show.”


From thousands of applicants, the four judges must select Asia's most jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, and breathtaking performances.  Those who move on to the semi- finals will face an even more intimidating judge, the AXN audience at home who will ultimately determine who wins the first season of Asia’s Got Talent. Adding to the excitement, the semi-finals and finale will be held at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, with the winner awarded a contract to return and perform live at Asia’s leading entertainment destination.

A powerful judging panel:

Anggun, Rock Icon
Anggun started singing at seven and by 12 released her first Indonesian studio album, ‘DuniaAkuPunya’, with hit single ‘Mimpi’ recognized as one of the ‘150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time’ by Rolling Stone magazine.

A series of singles and albums followed to make Anggun the biggest Indonesian rock star of the 90s. Her international breakthrough came in 1997 with ‘Snow on the Sahara’ which was released in 33 countries worldwide, topped music charts in Italy and Indonesia, and made the top 20 in Finland, France, Japan, Spain, and the US. Following that, Anggun released five more studio albums, and released songs that featured in Danish movie “Open Hearts” and the Hollywood box office hit, “Transporter 2”. Anggun is a recipient of the ‘Chevalier des Arts et Lettres’ from the French government. She is also a judge on “X Factor Indonesia” and “Indonesia’s Got Talent” TV series.

David Foster, Music Producer
David Foster discovered and launched some of the greatest music careers including Michael Bublé, Josh Groban and Celine Dion. He has created hit songs and award-winning platinum and gold albums for Earth, Wind & Fire, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Seal, Chaka Khan, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Brandy, ’N Sync, BozScaggs, and Gloria Estefan; propelled classical singers like Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban into mainstream popularity; as well as created soundtracks for hit films like “TheBodyguard”, “Urban Cowboy”, and “St. Elmo’s Fire”. In 2008 and 2011, David performed and hosted his very own, star-studded “Foster & Friends” concerts in Las Vegas to celebrate the music from his career and toured Asia annually from 2010 – 2012. David has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations, and is the chairman of Verve Music Group.

Melanie C., Pop Icon
Melanie was part of the iconic five-member Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed ‘Sporty Spice’. Following that, as a solo artist, Melanie sold more than 12 million records from six albums that she released. She has the second most No.1 singles in the United Kingdom and is also the only female to top the charts as part of a quintet, a quartet, a duo and solo. Melanie also performed the role of MrsJohnstone in the West End musical “Blood Brothers,” for which she was nominated for ‘Best Actress in a Musical’ at the Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2012, Melanie co-starred in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar”, and also judged the preceding talent search series “Superstar” to select the lead actor for the said musical.

Van Ness Wu, Actor/Singer
Van Ness Wu was born in California where he took classes in performing arts, acting and languages in Hollywood before moving to Taiwan at 21 to build his career. His breakthrough came with his lead role in the wildly popular hit idol drama “Meteor Garden” and its sequels. Van Ness and his co-actors of the series formed the pop idol group F4 – now known as JVKV – and released three studio albums.

Turning his attention to his solo career, Van Ness released his debut solo album in 2002 and followed that with six other solo studio albums up to 2013, as well as singles collaborating with musicians including Kanye West, Beyoncé, Wang Lee Hom, Kangta, and Coco Lee. He also acted in many other TV series including “Autumn Concerto”, “Material Queen” and “Peach Girl”, as well as movies such as “Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon” and “Kung Fu Chefs”.

“Asia's Got Talent” is the 63rd version of "Got Talent", which won the Guinness World Records title for being the world's "Most Successful Reality TV Format" in 2014. The hit format is co-owned by FremantleMedia and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment.

The season premiere of “Asia’s Got Talent” on AXN is proudly presented by Marina Bay Sands, BIG COLA, Pantene, Caltex, Jetstarand Tune Hotels.

Marina Bay Sands is the premier sponsor of “Asia's Got Talent.” As Asia's leading entertainment destination and crossroads for global celebrities, Marina Bay Sands provides opportunities for local talent to shine on the world’s stage.

BIG COLA is the exclusive beverage partner of “Asia’s Got Talent”. With BIG COLA, ‘if you can dream it, you can do it’. Contestants and fans across Asia will be encouraged to ‘Think BIG’ and ‘Dream Bigger’ in pursuit of their dreams.

Pantene, the exclusive haircare partner of “Asia’s Got Talent”, makes hair stronger inside and shinier outside to enable contestants to shine and be the world’s number one talent.

Caltex is the exclusive petroleum partner of “Asia's Got Talent.” Caltex delivers a hassle-free experience to get people back on their journey quickly, so they can have more time and energy to do whatever matters most to them. By being a part of “Asia's Got Talent,” Caltex wants to celebrate key moments of the contestants’ journey to stardom, providing viewers the opportunity to enjoy the journey with them.

Jetstar is proud to be the official airline of the very first edition of “Asia’s Got Talent.” With more than 600 weekly flights to 22 destinations across 13 countries in Asia Pacific, Jetstar enables talent to fly further, connect with families and fulfil dreams.

Tune Hotels is an international select-service hotel brand that provides accommodation with high quality essentials in key gateway cities.  Five star beds and power showers help “Asia’s Got Talent” contestants get a good night’s sleep and perform at their best.

AXN is a leader of regionally produced original content in Asia, with notable ratings successes including four seasons of the international Emmy-nominated “The Amazing Race Asia”; the Asian Television Award-winning “Cash Cab Asia”; “The Apprentice Asia”; “Cyril: Rio Magic”; “Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition”; and the Asian Television Award-nominated “Cyril: Simply Magic.”

www.AXNAsia.com/AsiasGotTalent