At the moment, right this minute as we speak to her, Jennylyn Mercado considers herself a freelancer. She just ended her long-term contract with GMA, her home studio.

The veteran actress, a Kapuso for 20 years, clears she has no plans to bolt the studio that built her up.

“It’s now up to my managers to decide my future,” she told a media conference hosted by Ms. Rhea Anicoche-Tan of Beautederm. Jenn is the latest endorser of the beauty company celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. She is the face of Cristaux Retinol (anti-aging), Cristaux Vitamin C (brightening), and Cristaux Hydra-Beauty (anti-acne).

Jennylyn also said she has no standing offer from ABS-CBN, although she’s open to accepting projects from all producers. She also announced that she and her husband, Dennis Trillo, have opened their own production company, Brightburn.

According to Ms. Rhea, character is a priority when choosing an endorser. She finds Jennylyn simple and too down to earth.

“She comes bareface, eats with my staff, a cowboy.”

At the Beautederm mediacon held at Solaire North, Jennylyn proudly admitted she’s already 37, to which Rhea Tan, 43 but looking 34, said aging is a blessing.  

“I can’t help it. I came from a reality show (Starstruck). We’re used to telling the truth,” she said.

The veteran actress added she may have sensitive skin, yet it won’t stop her from engaging in her favorite sport, motorcycle riding.

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MMFF goes to New York, ‘Fiesta In America' hosts

‘Fiesta In America,’ the longest-running trade and multi-cultural event on the East Coast of the United States, will host the New York edition of the Metro Manila International Film Festival in early 2025. The festival will bring some films from MMFF 2024 to the East Coast. MIFF debuted on the West Coast early this year.

Fernando Mendez, president and founder of Fiesta in America, announced in a media launch on July 24 in Quezon City that slots are still open for more Philippine business operators and LGUs who may want to take advantage of the many opportunities awaiting them in the wide American market.

Mendez said over 10,000 Filipino-Americans and around 50,000 additional mall visitors traditionally visit the biggest indoor trade and culture exposition mounted by a Filipino group yearly for the past 26 years.

As in the past couple of years, Fiesta will be held at American Dream, the second largest mall in the US, along East Rutherford, New Jersey on Aug. 17 and 18, 2024.      

Jessica Sanchez of American Idol fame leads this year’s Fiesta entertainers line-up.

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PASSERBY:

A sequel to the 2006 hit movie The Devil Wears Prada is currently in pre-production. Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Meryl Streep are supposed to reprise their characters in the original story set in a traditional print media environment. What’s exciting is that times have changed digitally, and Meryl’s stiff, stern, diabolical editor-character, Miranda Priestly, is now at the mercy of one of her former subordinates, who now holds the advertising purse in a giant corporation.