Vivica A. Fox Talks Vivica’s Black Magic and Her Favorite Part of the Male Body

The weather may be chilly, but Vivica A. Fox and Lifetime are heating up Wednesday nights with their new reality series, Vivica’s Black Magic, premiering Jan. 4. Fox is on the prowl for charismatic and steamy exotic dancers for an all-male revue. The actress reveals, “The goal of Vivica’s Black Magic is to create the ultimate girls’ night out that’s going to be full of fantasy [and] excellent dancing while watching Vivica be the head chick in charge.” After seeing another all-male dance show, and noting the lack of diversity among the dancers, Fox set out to create a troupe of ethnically diverse hotties, envisioning “an African-American version of Magic Mike.”

We talked to the actress and entrepreneur about January’s steamiest new series, but first, enjoy a peek at the magic …

Channel Guide Magazine: Tell us about Vivica’s Black Magic…
Vivica A. Fox: The goal of Vivica’s Black Magic is to create the ultimate girls’ night out that’s going to be full of fantasy [and] excellent dancing while watching Vivica be the head chick in charge.

In the series, you’re out to start the first Urban Exotic Male review. What are you looking for?
For our elite eight, what I am looking for the “it factor” more than anything else: a guy that has a wonderful presence, that can dance, that can be sexy and seductive without being sleazy.

What will viewers see each week?
Each week is going to be totally interesting to watch because my head team is all women. We broke through the glass ceiling and you’ll watch alpha men answer to a female boss, and you see how Vivica, the businesswoman, handles that pressure.

The guys look hot and sexy and everything, but there’s a lot of drama that unfolds. Every week we have a new theme, a new routine and a new show. In every show, you will be surprised how much work it is.

How did you come up with the idea for Vivica’s Black Magic?
How I got involved with this is, Ian Ziering invited me to see Chippendale’s in Las Vegas. I was looking at the stage and I didn’t see a lot of diversity and I was like, “Wow, whoever can get this and make it a little more diverse will win.”

I was trying to shop around an African American version of Magic Mike. I had worked with producer/director Jean-Claude La Marre before, and when he called me about the film Chocolate City, he was like, “Viv, I want you to come work on this movie with me,” and I jumped at the opportunity.

I played the mom in Chocolate City and when I saw all of the dance sequences, I said, “Do you know you’ve got a goldmine with this? This could be a gift that keeps on giving. You can take this on tour; you can do a reality show. You can do a lot with this.” He said, “Okay, fine. I’ll make you the boss, but you got to go pitch it.”

And the first place that we pitched it to, Lifetime, bought it. They bought eight episodes! They were like, “Love it. Let’s go for it.”

Next thing you know it’s a month later and we were up auditioning, filming and it was an unbelievable journey.

When can people catch your stage show in the flesh?
We’ve already taped the show, but we’ve got some pending deals to maybe go on tour and possibly getting that Vegas stage show. We did a Vegas showcase — which was filled from the front seat all the way to almost the balcony — and our main goal is to get the show a residency in Las Vegas. Stay tuned to see what will happen … Hopefully in Season 2!

What’s your favorite part of the male anatomy?
I’m going to start off with my guilty pleasure, a six-pack and a smile. Back in the day, this would have been my ultimate, ultimate temptation.

You said that this show is your attempt to create the ultimate ladies night out— but it seems like Vivica’s Black Magic might be the ultimate night in…
Exactly! Every Wednesday night after Empire — where I play Cookie’s older sister, Candice, — click on over to Lifetime if you wanna see some hot chocolate, with a little bit of whipped cream. Come and enjoy Vivica’s Black Magic; it’s a hell of a ride, literally!

I love it! Vivica, thank you so much for your time.
Okay, darling. thank you for the support.

Vivica’s Black Magic > Lifetime > Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT, 9pm CT, beginning Jan. 4