Showbiz Roundup: ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya’ on GMA, Jo Koy’s Golden Globes stint

The entertainment industry was hit with explosive events in the first week, as Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc. changed the title of its noontime show to “Tahanang Pinakamasaya” after the Marikina regional trial court declared comedy trio Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon (or TVJ) as the rightful owners of the “Eat Bulaga” trademark.

Meanwhile, Filipino-American stand-up comedian Jo Koy’s hosting gig at the 81st Golden Globes garnered mixed reactions from celebrities and netizens on social media, with some hoping he wouldn’t host the awards ceremony again. Despite this, many international and local celebrities defended him on their respective platforms and pointed out that he was able to pull his gig off despite the odds.

Other news that caught the attention of showbiz watchers are Richard Gutierrez and Barbie Imperial sparking dating rumors after being spotted together at a gastropub in Alabang, which was eventually denied by a source close to “The Iron Heart” star.

Xian Lim, on the other hand, opted to not directly speak up about his split with Kim Chiu, his girlfriend of 12 years.

All these and more, as we look back at INQUIRER.net’s hottest entertainment news from Jan. 5 to 11.

From ‘Eat Bulaga’ to ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya’

TAPE Inc. used “Tahanang Pinakamasaya” as the new title of its noontime show after the Marikina RTC ruled that TVJ are the rightful owners of the “Eat Bulaga” trademark.

On Jan. 6—a day after TVJ announced its win on the copyright infringement and unfair competition case against the production company and GMA Network—hosts Paolo Contis and Isko Moreno began the noontime show by acknowledging the court decision.

Moreno and Contis did not further talk about the matter and instead went on to tease more surprises for its viewers.

The production company, meanwhile, changed its Facebook cover photo to the “Tahanang Pinakamasaya” logo.

“It feels like Day 1 at maraming salamat sa pagbisita sa Tahanang Pinakamasaya! Tuloy-tuloy lang ang Tulong, Saya at Sorpresa!” it said.

TVJ earlier stressed that the court order is “immediately executory” regardless of whether the production company or the Kapuso network files an appeal.

Jo Koy on Taylor Swift and his Golden Globes stint

Taylor Swift was clearly not amused when she was called by Jo Koy who was hosting the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 7 (Jan. 8 in the Philippines), held in Beverly Hills, California.

Swift’s death glare at Jo Koy was streamed on video, which became viral when Jo Koy said that there would be fewer cutaways of her than at the National Football League, where she had recently been seen regularly every time her boyfriend Travis Kelce plays for the Kansan City Chiefs.

“As you know, we came on after a football doubleheader,” Jo Koy said following a commercial break. “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”

Swift was at the Golden Globes for “The Eras Tour” concert film, which was nominated for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award.

Jo Koy became the subject of criticism on social media, not only for referencing Swift but also for some of his spiels.

In his opening monologue, he claimed to have the “best seat” as host of the awards show, but his punch lines touching on movie- and series-related jokes and celebrities were poorly received by some of those present.

One of his remarks included his “weird attraction” to the plastic doll Barbie, where Greta Gerwig based her commercial film of the same title, whose “key moment” in the film, Jokoy said went from “bad breasts, cellulite, and flat feet, or what casting directors call, a character actor.”

On Oppenheimer, he said the movie, which won the most awards that evening, “needed another hour.”

“I love the ‘Oppenheimer’… My New Year’s resolution for 2004 is to finish ‘Oppenheimer’ in 2025. Like seriously, I’m almost there, especially the first season,” Jo Koy said as the camera panned to Robert Downey Jr., who was now raising an eyebrow, and to filmmaker Christopher Nolan with a chagrined expression.

“Oppenheimer” won Best Supporting Actor for Downey, and Best Director for Nolan. It was also named Best Drama and Best Original Score.

Jo Koy further said “Oppenheimer” answered a question that had been bugging him for years. “Yes, scientists do get laid. As long as they look like Cillian Murphy,” he said, as this year’s Best Actor for Drama awardee laughed.

These, and his other remarks caused the audience to either squirm or have an uncomfortatable response.

Jo Koy said he merely signed the contract accepting the Golden Globe hosting stint just 10 days prior, thus he had very little time to think about his spiels. He further pointed out that some of his writers brought the punch lines to life.

“Some I wrote. Some other people wrote,” he said. “Yo, got the gig 10 days ago. You want a perfect monologue? Shut up. You’re kidding me, right? Slow down. I wrote some of these and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.

His explanation, however, failed to convince netizens, who took to social media to share their two cents on his hosting gig, with some asking organizers to “never invite him” to the Golden Globes in the future. Others also said the comedian-actor shouldn’t be lumped with Filipinos due to his heritage

Celebrities defend Jo Koy’s Golden Globes hosting

Despite the flak received by Jo Koy for his Golden Globes hosting stint, many international and local celebrities came to his defense.

During an episode of his radio show on Jan. 8, Howard Stern shared his thoughts on Jo Koy’s hosting gig, mentioning that no one in Hollywood wants to do the job, resulting in the comedian having little time to prepare.

“I think Jo Koy got the gig 10 days before the Golden Globes because nobody wants to host this thing. High-profile comedians reportedly turned down the gig, including Chris Rock. This shows is a difficult thing to do,” he said.

“You can’t make fun of anybody anymore. I feel bad for the dude because of the 10 days of preparation. I have talked to Jimmy [Kimmel] about this, and he did such a great job with the Academy Awards, but he prepared for like six months,” Stern continued.

Stern further pointed out that Robert De Niro was laughing at Jo Koy’s punch lines, noting it’s hard to stand up in a room full of people who don’t want to be joked about.

“Standing up there and telling those jokes with a bunch of people who don’t want to be laughed at is the biggest bummer in the world. I was watching this guy do his thing last night. He was talking about Robert De Niro, who was laughing hysterically. King De Niro could have been stone cold, but he seemed to like it,” said Stern.

Meanwhile, EGOT (Emmy, Golden Globes, Oscars, Tony awards) titleholder Goldberg defended Jo Koy during the Monday telecast of her show, “The View.” She also noted that hosting is a cruel job, and the latter pulled it off.

“For the first time, stand-up comedian Jo Koy took on the hosting duties, and it was a tough room for him. These gigs and these hosting gigs are brutal. If you don’t know the room, if you’ve not been in these rooms before and you’re thrust out there, it’s hit or miss,” she said.

Meanwhile, John Arcilla expressed his support for Jo Koy through a lengthy post on Instagram, saying his stint was just the usual scheme at the event yet he pushed forward.

“I have watched many Golden Globe Awards videos, and they have the usual roastings of guest actors and nominees, which made me really feel that Jo Koy’s stint was neither bad nor totally flat at all. Well, he’s maybe a little apologetic at times, which I think saved some of the “uncomfortable” moments, but he was able to pull it off,” Arcilla said.

He also claimed that Jo Koy’s hosting was not as bad as people painted it to be as he reminded everyone to be mindful of their feedback.

Fil-Am singer Kris Lawrence also spoke on behalf of the comedian, saying Jo Koy’s haters are going to hate and Filipinos should be proud of the comedian’s hosting effort.

Ogie Diaz also pitched in to defend the comedian, saying that Jo Koy’s hosting was good enough for him as jokes are not meant to be taken seriously.

Despite the defense pouring in, Gretchen Ho said Jo Koy’s Golden Globe hosting, especially his remark that seemed to pass the blame on his writers, was a “wasted opportunity” given the backlash.

“Hosts are always, always responsible for their scripts. Whether it’s your own or not, at the end of the day, it’s your face and career on the line. This was such a huge stage and a wasted opportunity,” Ho wrote.

Richard and Barbie not dating

A source close to Richard Gutierrez clarified to Ogie Diaz that he and Barbie Imperial are not dating, and they simply mingled for just a few minutes at the bar where they were spotted by netizens.

Diaz spoke about this on his YouTube vlog last Jan. 9, days after Gutierrez and Imperial sparked dating rumors.

“Ang totoo n’yan si Barbie Imperial ay isa sa mga shareholders [nung bar],” Diaz said, referring to the gastropub where the actress was seen with Gutierrez. “Bilang siya ay isa sa mga may-ari, may obligasyon ‘yung mga may-ari na pumunta sa kanilang negosyo para mag-entertain ng bisita.”

Diaz explained that Richard is friends with the other bar shareholders and that he sat to mingle with them at each of their tables, including Imperial’s.

Citing his unidentified source, Diaz noted that Gutierrez is still “sad” over his marriage to Sarah Lahbati being on the rocks, but that he does not want to sulk over it.

“‘Nangungulila pa rin si Richard at nag-eenjoy siya kaya hinahayaan namin siya magliwaliw,’” his source was quoted as saying.

Gutierrez and Lahbati—who have two sons together—have yet to publicly speak about their rumored split, as of this writing.

Xian Lim: ‘Everything happens for a reason’

Xian Lim is of the mind to leave all to fate when it comes to giving a failed relationship a second chance, amid his breakup with Kim Chiu, his girlfriend of almost 12 years.

At a press conference for “Love. Die. Repeat” with his leading lady Jennylyn Mercado, Lim was careful with his answer when asked if he is open to rekindling a past relationship.

“I think in life, everything happens for a reason. ‘Yun lang naman po ‘yun,” he said. “Kung umulit man or hindi umulit, everything is going to happen for a reason.”

Chiu, in confirming longstanding rumors of their split on Dec. 23 of last year, said while their relationship spanned more than a decade, “sometimes love is not enough.” She said their decision to break up was mutual in hopes that their love would transition to a “lifelong friendship.”

Meanwhile, Lim said his wish is for Chiu to “find all the happiness and love you are searching for.”

For her part, Mercado said she and her husband Dennis Trillo are a perfect example of a second-chance romance that turned out well.

“Kami ni Dennis, diba? Gan’un. Diba nag-repeat kami? Nanalo ang pagmamahal,” she said.

Mercado and Trillo first became a couple in 2010 after working together on a movie, but their relationship did not last long. Four years later, they would again get together, though initially, they refused to put a label on their relationship. They got engaged in October 2021, and then married in a civil ceremony a month later.

Following his split from Chiu, Lim said he is keeping himself busy with work, saying his plans for 2024 are to “work on [himself]” and keep himself busy.