Actor-comedian Buboy Villar, comedian Betong Sumaya, and P-pop group XOXO also performed
MANILA, Philippines – After four days of Eat Bulaga! replays, the show’s producer, TAPE Incorporated, finally aired a live show on GMA Network on Monday, June 5, with actor Paolo Contis, singer-actress Alexa Miro, and the Legaspi twins, Cassy and Mavy, as the main celebrities on the noontime show.
Other artists who performed on Monday were actor-comedian Buboy Villar, comedian Betong Sumaya, and P-pop group XOXO.
Except for Miro, all of them are handled by Sparkle GMA Artists Center. Miro is under Tyronne Escalante Artist Management.
A former child star, Contis, 39, became a household name via GMA’s gag show Bubble Gang. He starred recently in the Netflix-distributed film A Faraway Land.
Miro, a former ABS-CBN Star Magic artist, is the rumored girlfriend of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s eldest son, Ilocos Norte Congressman Sandro Marcos.
TAPE had no choice but to air replays over the past four days after the trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon or TVJ “disengaged” from the production outfit owned by the Jalosjos family following a bitter dispute on how to run Eat Bulaga!, the country’s longest running noontime show.
Most of the other Eat Bulaga! talents and production staff followed suit and quit from TAPE, forcing the blocktimer to air replays since May 31.
GMA senior vice president Anette Gozon-Vales said last week that the Kapuso network would lend TAPE talents from Sparkle, as it has done so in the past, but it would be up to the talent to decide.
GMA star and Dabarkads Alden Richards last week posted on his Instagram account that he was supporting TVJ, saying, “Always and forever…eatbulaga1979.”
In a clear move to avoid a legal dispute, the Eat Bulaga! brand and theme song were not used on Monday’s episode.
Tito Sotto has insisted that TAPE can only use the Eat Bulaga! trademark for merchandising, not for entertainment.
Fans react
The hashtag #EatBulaga was the top trending topic in the Philippines on Monday afternoon, with some fans of the show expressing disappointment over the revamped variety show.
On veteran entertainment talk show host Cristy Fermin’s YouTube page, where she discussed the new hosts of Eat Bulaga!, netizens mostly expressed disappointment over Monday’s episode, with some using the hashtag #FakeBulaga. Some of them also noticed that there were fewer advertisements aired on Monday’s show.
Other viewers said they would rather watch ABS-CBN’s noontime variety show It’s Showtime, which is shown on free TV via the A2Z channel and online platforms. Others said they would wait for the return of the original Eat Bulaga! cast.
Tito Sotto, who is leading the talks with other networks, has indicated a transfer to either the Kapatid network of businessman Manny V. Pangilinan, TV5, or the Iglesia channel, NET25.
Noon shows are considered prime time in the Philippines. – Rappler.com