Brothers Tito and Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon make up TVJ Productions
If plans push through, the yet-untitled noontime variety show that will be coproduced and cohosted by brothers Tito and Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon (TVJ) will air live inside the studios of TV5 in Mandaluyong City on July 1.
Former senator Tito denied rumors that the pilot episode will air from either the Philippine Arena in Sta. Maria, Bulacan province, or the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. “We’re afraid that this will cause too much stress for the production team. With all the people expressing interest to see the show, we’re afraid that we will not be able to accommodate all of them. The original plan is for the program to first air on TV5. We will start humbly,” he told reporters during a recent media gathering organized for TVJ by the Kapatid network.
The show, a joint venture between the newly created TVJ Productions and MediaQuest Holdings, owner of TV5, will feature “enhancements” of segments in “Eat Bulaga” that were considered audience favorites, Tito announced.
New portions
“A few days ago, we were talking with Jenny (Ferre, creative director) about this. We will not rely on what we had before. There will be new portions that will be incorporated into the show. This has always been our system through the years: If viewers aren’t too receptive to a particular portion, we take it down immediately. Those that last long are portions that they like,” said Tito, adding that an example of this is the widely popular “Pinoy Henyo.”
The trio refuses to reveal the title of the show, especially because the right to use “Eat Bulaga” is still in contention. Since 1982, “Eat Bulaga” was produced by the production firm TAPE Inc.
“For me, we’re still ‘Eat Bulaga,’” declared Vic. “On a serious note, we are definitely working [on being allowed legally] to use ‘Eat Bulaga.’ Joey invented that title. History and the law are backing us up. It might take some time, but we will be able to use ‘Eat Bulaga.’ I’m sure of that. On July 1, we will surprise all of you,” declared Tito.
“We’re working on continuing with that title. Whether it’s ‘Eat Bulaga’ or ‘E. A. T. Bulaga,’ which stands for ‘eto ang totoo,’ kami pa rin ‘yon. Whatever name it is, we will strive to have it continue even past 50 years. The three of us share this dream,” said the former senator.
Mixed feelings
Meanwhile, Vic refuses to give up “Eat Bulaga,” adding that “whatever happens, this title is still identified with us. You can just imagine, I have been with ‘Eat Bulaga’ for 44 years … [that’s] more than half my life. My life feels dull and uninspiring whenever I’m absent from ‘Eat Bulaga.’ I will not let anyone take this away from me,” he declared.
Joey added: “I have had mixed feelings over what is happening to us. It’s sad to be removed from our home, but it’s funny to think that TVJ has become controversial now that we’re much older. I thought of the title ‘Eat Bulaga’ while we were hanging out in the kitchen of Tito’s house. We can always go back to the original title, ‘It Bulaga,’ but my wife said, ‘What will that mean, if ever?’ I said, ‘We can change it to ‘It It Bulaga’ to mean ‘isang thousand, isang tuwa.’”
Dabarkads (left to right, first row) Ryza Mae Dizon, Carren Eistrup, Maine Mendoza, Ryan Agoncillo; (second row) Allan K, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Paolo Ballesteros
Tito said the entire cast of “Eat Bulaga,” popularly known as Dabarkads, will be joining TVJ in the new show, namely Allan K, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Paolo Ballesteros, Ryan Agoncillo, Maine Mendoza, Ryza Mae Dizon and Carren Eistrup.
‘More than ready’
Meanwhile, TV5 president and CEO Guido Zaballero said the network is “more than ready” to accommodate TVJ and the Dabarkads. “We have two studios for them here in Mandaluyong City. In terms of production equipment, we have all of what we need. We are supplementing with additional lights and lenses. We’re getting ready for our big day on July 1,” he said.
Tito added: “The production staff is getting ready. We will start rehearsals next week. We will also have a dry run for the hosts who will be on the field, just to fine-tune what we need to [improve on]. We know TV5’s equipment is world-class.”
MediaQuest president and CEO Jane Basas added that the company “has been forging a lot of strategic collaborations” with TVJ Productions. She said they are working on the relaunch of the 1996 gag show “Wow Mali,” which featured Joey as host, and the 1978 sitcom ‘Iskul Bukol,’ which starred Joey and Tito as the notorious Escalera brothers, and Vic as Victorio Ungasis.
“There’s been a lot of informal discussions. It’s possible for us to work on a lot of things with TVJ Productions. They have the software, while we have the hardware assets. Can you imagine, when you merge the two together, how powerful that can be? Right now, what we want to focus on is the launch of the new noontime show. Let’s all look forward to more in the coming months,” Basas said. INQ