BABY girl ang magiging unang supling ng celebrity couple na sina Luis Manzano at Jessy Mendiola. Ito’y ipinaalam ng couple sa kanyang vlog last Thursday, August 25 sa gender-reveal party hosted by the TV host-actor’s mom, ang actress-politician na si Vilma Santos-Recto.

Nagpustahan ang couple na sina Luis at Jessy sa magkaibang gender ng kanilang magiging unang baby. Boy ang gusto ni Jessy at girl naman si Luis at ang huli ang nanalo.

Tuwang-tuwa naman ang Star for All Seasons na si Vi dahil sa wakas ay matutupad na rin ang matagal niyang pangarap na magka-apo at girl din ang choice niya.

The celebrity couple had an intimate wedding nung October 21, 2021 na ginanap sa The Farm in San Benito, Lipa, Batangas na susundan sana nila ng isang grand church wedding this year pero nauna na ang pagbubuntis ni Jessy kaya isinantabi na muna ang kanilang plano.

Luis and Jessy were a couple for four years bago sila nagpakasal.

Grace Lee bridges Pinoy and Korean entertainment world

PURE South Korean national ang radio-TV personality and entrepreneur na si Grace Lee pero walang mag-aakala na hindi ito Pinoy.

Grace Lee is Lee Kyun-hee in real life. She was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. But when she was ten years old, her parents and a younger sister moved to Manila and considered the Philippines their second and permanent home. Her businessman father is involved in the car business.

Since grade school up to high school ay sa St. Paul College (Pasig) siya nag-aral and moved to Ateneo de Manila University kung saan siya nagtapos ng Communications Arts.

When Grace was in college, she always wanted to become a journalist. After graduation ay nagpadala siya ng kanyang resume sa iba’t ibang TV networks and got a callback from GMA kung saan nagsimula ang kanyang TV career.

For almost four years ay naging bahagi siya ng lifestyle magazine program na “The Sweet Life” na ipinalabas sa dating Q11, sister network ng GMA. She also hosted “Eateria,” “Diz Iz It,” “News on Q,” “Cooking with the Stars,” “24 Oras Weekend,” at “Balitanghali”

On 2012, she moved to TV5 where she did “Good Times,” “Good Morning Club,” “Wowowillie” “Aksyon Weekend (Saturday and Sunday), Aksyon sa Umaga at Aksyon sa Tanghali”.

She stayed with TV5 up to 2015.

She went back to South Korea for a while and returned to Manila to put up her Korean restaurant business na labis ding naapektuhan when Covid-19 struck worldwide at nagkaroon ng lockdowns sa iba’t ibang lugar ng Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines.

In 2019 before the pandemic, itinatag ni Grace ang sarili niyang production outfit, ang Glimmer Productions na inaasahan niyang magiging conduit between the Philippines and South Korea pagdating sa distribution of Korean films and content in the Philippines, development and co-ventures at iba pang related business na may kinalaman sa Korean and Filipino productions.

Sa kabila ng pandemic, nag-focus si Grace sa iba’t ibang negotiations with various production companies in South Korea hanggang makapagsara siya ng iba’t ibang deals.

Dahil sa pagluluwag ng mga negosyo hindi lamang sa Pilipinas but globally sa pagpasok ng taong 2022, sinimulan na ng Glimmer Productions ni Grace ang pagdi-distribute sa Pilipinas ng recent hit Korean movie na “The Round-Up2,” isang crime action movie na pumatok din sa Pilipinas.

Ngayong August 31 (Wednesday) ay nakatakda namang ipalabas sa mga sinehan sa Pilipinas ang, ‘Hunt,’ directorial debut and hit movie ng Korean hit TV series star na “Squid Game” na si Lee Jung-jae. He also co-wrote and co-stars in the movie “Hunt” which was invited and screened sa non-competitive Midnight Screening Section ng 2022 Cannes Film Festival and premiered in South Korea nung nakaraang Aujgust 10, 2022.

“Hunt” is a South Korean espionage action film where the actor, co-writer and director Lee Jung-jae plays the character of Park Pyong-ho, isang KCIA Foreign Unit Chief who’s been with the agency for 13 years at isa sa mga iginagalang na agent.

Bukod sa South Korea and the Philippines, the movie “Hunt” is also scheduled to be released globally.

Although ipapalabas pa lamang sa Pilipinas ngayong August 31 ang “Hunt,” naka-line up na ang mga susunod na proyektong ipapalabas sa Pilipinas distributed by Grace Lee’s Glimmer Productions.

Bukod sa distribution of Korean Films in the Philippines, pumasok din ang production outfit ni Grace sa mga joint venture ng film productions to be shot in the Philippines kung saan hindi lamang ang mga Korean ang involved kundi pati Filipino actors and production people gayundin din ang paghu-shoot in South Korea ng ilang films kung saan magkasama ang Koreans and Filipino cast with Korean directors.

Ang ginagawa ng Glimmer Production ay magbi-benefit nang husto hindi lamang sa mga Korean filmmakers, actors ang production people kundi pati na rin sa mga Filipino actors at maging ng mga Filipino production staff and will also earn revenues for the Philippine government kung dito sa Pilipinas ang filming na lalo pang magpapatatag sa relasyon between the Philippines and South Korea.

Samantala, inamin sa amin ni Grace that’s she’s in a relationship ngayon with a Filipino businessman na inaasahan niyang magiging `the one’ na niya matapos hindi magtuluy-tuloy ang kanyang short-lived relationship with the late former President Noynoy Aquino.

Grace was all praises and have so much respect sa yumaong Pangulo dahil nakilala niya ang human side nito bago ito nagkasakit and eventually sumakabilang-buhay.

Nagkalapit sa isa’t isang sina Grace and the late Noynoy Aquino nang gawin siyang official interpreter ng Malacanang sa kanilang relasyon with South Korea.

Grace is fluent in Korean, English and Tagalog language.

She has a younger sister na isang medical doctor na konektado sa Manila Doctors Hospital.

The (former) TV host considers herself a Korean na may pusong Pinoy.

Bago nakilala si Grace sa Pilipinas ay una munang nagkapangalan ang Korean singer-actress si Sandara Park who moved back to South Korea to pursue her career. Sumunod si Grace at si Ryan Bang na isa sa mga hosts ng noontime program ng ABS-CBN, ang “It’s Showtime”.

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