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Connect the World
Interview with Mark Anthony and Jennifer Lopez
Aired June 16, 2010 - 16:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're one of the most powerful couples in music and between them, they've sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony are anything but manufactured stars.
Lopez grew up on the tough streets of the Bronx and consistently made music auditions a priority in her life. After a series of background vocal work, she grabbed the world's attention with her portrayal of the title character in the film "Selena" in 1997.
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FOSTER: Since then, the Latin beauty has become a bona fide triple threat, with music, dancing and acting.
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JENNIFER LOPEZ, ACTRESS & SINGER: I thought you were in Phoenix.
FOSTER: Anthony, who's of Puerto Rican descent, climbed his way up to become one of the most successful salsa artists of all time.
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FOSTER: Today, he boasts five Grammy Awards and has sold over 10 million albums worldwide. The couple wed in 2004 and have gone on to collaborate on a number of musical projects.
Today they're teaming up with Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope Gala to raise money for Lopez's Maribel Foundation. It's a non-profit the singer set up with her sister, Lynda, to encourage better health care options for women and children.
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony -- a first couple of show biz and your Connectors of the Day.
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FOSTER: And I caught up with your Connectors and Lynda Lopez just before that Samsung Gala.
And I began by asking them what had motivated them to set up that charitable foundation.
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J. LOPEZ: It's something that we just started and we just formed. It's something we thought about for a long time, to form a foundation where we could help women and children around the world in different areas, including health care and education. And right now, our focus is on telemedicine. And that's why we're here tonight.
LINDA LOPEZ: Yes, basically, we get to work with a really wonderful children's hospital here in -- in Los Angeles, actually, here in the States, in Los Angeles. And what we do is we help them create a program that we can take to other countries all around the world.
So we have the top pediatricians who are here who can treat very serious pediatric diseases. And what we're able to do is, through telemedicine and tele -- and technology -- the technology that we use, is use the doctors at the hospital to diagnose and examine and treat patients and children in any country in the world where we can set up a telemedicine clinic so...
FOSTER: On to the viewer questions then.
B.B. has a question for Jennifer and for Lynda: "Have you accomplished what you set out to do, then, with the Maribel Foundation?
J. LOPEZ: We're figuring it out as we go along, you know?
Like we said, the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles has been a great partner for getting us, you know, focused on the first kind of, you know, theme that we wanted to do -- a big dream of -- of bringing health care and great health care to every child on the planet, which is the big dream.
So it's -- it's something that, you know, it's -- it's really one step at a time. It's not something that is like, oh, go and you make this happen tomorrow because your name is Jennifer Lopez and Lynda Lopez and you did this Maribel Foundation and then everything happened. It's -- it's not that easy.
So, you know, we're taking our baby steps.
FOSTER: And, Marc, a question for you from Tania. She asks if you're going to record a new album soon and whether it will be salsa.
MARC ANTHONY, SINGER-SONGWRITER: I just recorded my first studio album in six years. It -- it's actually out now. It's called "Iconos." It's not in salsa. It's a ballad album. And so that's out -- the first fresh, new material in six years. So I'm really, really excited about that. It's doing really, really well.
And I believe I'm in the middle of -- of arranging the second singles -- I'll have a salsa version. But this year, I'm definitely going to put out a -- a new salsa album. So, yes, I'm really excited about that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all excited about that.
FOSTER: That's good.
That's good.
Theresa asks: "Jennifer, what future movie roles would you be excited to try?"
Anything in mind?
J. LOPEZ: You know, I have had such a good time doing comedies. I really want to kind of spread my wings in that area a little bit. So I'm looking at a bunch of comedies right now. I love the drama and I know, you know, some of my fans really like when I do that. But I -- I really feel like it's a great time to kind of, you know, really explore comedy a little bit more. I'm really enjoying that.
So that's what I'm looking at right now. So I think that's what you'll probably see me in next.
FOSTER: I can hear the -- the comedy writers going to their computers already.
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FOSTER: OK. Luis Enrique asks: "Marc and Jennifer, how does it feel to represent the legacy and values of many Puerto Ricans in the US?
ANTHONY: It's an honor and a privilege to even hear that.
J. LOPEZ: Yes.
ANTHONY: You know, but -- but, you know, we're -- we're basically trying to live the best life we can. And -- and if people are aware of it and that -- that's a route to take, you know, that it's a -- it's a -- it's OK to, you know, to work hard and, you know, have your ethics in place and your morals in place and, you know, then -- then I guess that's a great thing.
FOSTER: Giorgia has got a -- a good question, back to the foundation for a question for Jennifer and for Lynda here. It's about the name of your foundation and how you chose it. I know that, Jennifer, you chose it. But give us the reasons why.
J. LOPEZ: You know, this is about children and -- and moms. And Marc had a sister named Maribel who died when she was nine years old of brain cancer.
ANTONY: She had a brain tumor. Yes.
J. LOPEZ: Of a brain tumor. And, you know, when Lynda and I sat down to talk about the foundation, we were very inspired by the fact that we had just had children. And I had went through -- Marc and I had went through - - Marc and I had went through a little thing with our daughter. And we just realized that Maribel was the perfect name for the foundation. And I ran it by Lynda and, you know, just the whole idea of thinking that if Maribel would have had the right health care and the fact that my daughter Emme had great health care. And, you know, that is the key. It just seemed appropriate.
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FOSTER: Jennifer Lopez and her husband and her sister are speaking to us.
And tomorrow's Connector's soulful sounds have become a big hit with music fans across the world. But when he's not performing, Jason Mraz is also addressing a hard-hitting issue. That is child slavery. He's just returned from a trip to Ghana to visit children in the first taste of freedom -- getting involved in rescuing them, indeed.
So send us your questions for all of our Connectors. And remember to tell us where you're writing in from. Head to CNN.com/connect.
Tonight, though, we'll be right back.
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