Toronto jewelry designer MMCrystal has been selected to adorn the stars of E-Talk Daily and Entertainment Tonight Canada during the world-renowned Toronto International Film Festival, running September 10-19, 2009.

Hosts from Global TV’s popular ETCanada entertainment-news show, including Cheryl Hickey, Rosey Edeh, Arissa Cox and Kim D’Eon, will be wearing selections from MMCrystal’s newest collection, officially released just a few weeks ago. Preparing for the show’s televised red-carpet and gala interviews, Global’s stylist Maggie Bill selected MMCrystal over numerous other designers vying for the spots. “Your jewelry is going over wonderfully,” she said to designer Michelle Merizzi.

And as Tanya Kim’s stylist for E-Talk Daily, Jessa Bissett had only a few comments as she browsed the collection of Swarovski-crystal earrings, necklaces and bracelets during a trip to MMCrystal’s Mississauga office. “Oh, want that… oh yeah, want that too!”, she said as each selection was presented for the media celebrity’s appearances.

MMCrystal is no stranger to the show’s stars. In addition to being the jewelry of choice for red-carpet appearances during ETCanada’s many award-show events (including the Grammies, Emmys and Oscar-night interviews), Cheryl Hickey personally selected MMCrystal’s exclusive fashions for the bridesmaids at her own wedding last year. Merizzi recently remarked “My jewelry has a much more fabulous social life than I do!”

MMCrystal fine crystal jewelry is available at select boutiques and retailers throughout Ontario, and is featured in several national rewards programs and lotteries in Canada. Contact information plus recent and classic items from the jeweller’s collections are found on their website at http://www.mmcrystal.com

Standing under the stars ( – and I guess beside them!) we saw producer-director Sean Buckley and his beautiful wife Jennifer coming in (more Oakvillians!).Turns out sis is good friends with Jennifer’s best friend Jo.  (I can feel the world shrinking!)

I was so happy to see Sean again, since I worked with him in my days as a makeup artist.  As the head of Buck Productions, he’s excited about exec producing Defendor and his ongoing involvement with Darius Films.

Sean also produces and directs a television show called “Rich Bride Poor Bride”. And since Maureen and I were live models for MMCrystal jewelry (along with most of the girls of ET Canada ), Sean was thrilled at the idea of using MMCrystal on the show. “Oh Michelle, that’s so great,” he said. “Your stuff is perfect for some of our brides!”

Sean also has the ultimate wedding planner available – for all you brides in the throes of planning, it’s an invaluable tool.

I’ll have more great stuff later – off to bed now!

More on ET Canada’s Defendor party, a little bit of Miami on a downtown Toronto rooftop.

While we were chatting with Rosey and Kim D’Eon, she introduced Marianne Wisenthal, the Montreal-based editor for Vitamin Daily. Marianne wanted to  know  if MMCrystal is available in Quebec for her upcoming wedding to ET Canada’s exec producer. We don’t have a distributor in Quebec yet, so I told her to contact me directly and I’d hook her up with whatever she likes for herself and her bridesmaids.

I got the chance to talk with Dina Pugliese, the stunning co-host of Breakfast Television. You know, as good as she looks on the screen, she’s even more beautiful in person. Literally sparkling with personality as well as her great smile.

By this time the party was really starting to heat up, my sister was standing at the bar beside Woody Harrelson. Cute, she said. Yeah, I said, I just met Jian Ghomeshi from CBC”s “Q”. Double cute.

We saw Anne-Marie Mediwake from Global News  by the bar and had to tell her how sorry we were to hear that she’s leaving Global News. She lives in Oakville too, not far from Maureen’s current home. We  will miss her on the show,  but with triplets at home…..a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

But we weren’t leaving the party yet… more TIFF news and pics coming tomorrow!

Of course, a big part of the Toronto International Film Festival is…

the PARTIES!!

So I took my sister Maureen and went out to the Defendor party at ET Canada’s Festival Central, a glamorous “pop up club” on the very top of an industrial building in downtown Toronto. It was an amazing setting that looked totally like Miami, even though it was staged on the upper level of a parking garage in Yorkville.

Really… the folks at ET Canada sure know how to put on a party!

Fortunately, the place wasn’t too busy when we arrived at about 9pm, so I got to chat with Cheryl Hickey as soon as we walked in. She is the most beautiful pregnant lady ever.. and is ready to explode  right now!  Thank God  her baby’s due in just a few more weeks.

It was such a beautiful night, we stayed near the entrance to Festival Central . The perfect spot to catch people as they came in. That  meant we were close to the action, but far from the bathroom!

When Rosey Edeh came up wearing a stunning black pearl bracelet, she was thrilled to find out it was an MMCrystal piece. And she was smiling triumphantly, telling me that all the other girls were fighting over the bracelet, but she won the chance to wear it tonight for the gala!

That’s music to my ears… women fighting for the chance to wear my jewelry.

I’ll have more news about the TIFF party in my next post. Stay tuned!

Rosey Edeh, Cheryl Hickey and Kim D’Eon at the Defendor after-party
(September 11, 2009 – Photo by Jag Gundu/Getty Images North America)

TORONTO, CANADA – The Juno Awards will have more to celebrate on March 29th in Vancouver, along with Canada’s top musical stars. One of the country’s top jewelry designers, Michelle Merizzi has been chosen to adorn etalk’s red carpet hosts with her fashionable crystal ‘statement’ jewelry again this year.

As on-camera interviewers Tanya Kim and Lainey Lui meet and greet celebrities arriving for the star-studded red carpet show, they’ll be wearing fine crystal creations from the MMCrystal collection of earrings, necklaces and bracelets. And their selections will come from the same designs showcased on MMCrystal’s website at http://mmcrystal.com

Since 2003, when etalk pioneered the Canadian Red Carpet Show, the popular television and entertainment show has been producing and hosting the red carpet arrivals for The JUNO Awards in Ottawa. Showcased with impressive production, etalk was recruited by Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2005 to produce and host their annual Red Carpet Event as well. etalk now produces the entertainment pre-shows for The JUNO Awards and Canada’s Walk of Fame every year.

So selecting jewelry fashions to adorn etalk’s hosts makes an important statement of a different kind. Jessa Bissett, the show’s stylist, says she “loves choosing pieces from the whole MMCrystal collection, because they’re so bold and elegant. And they’re always in style.”

Ms. Merizzi describes her crystal jewelry designs as luxurious, sexy and unapologetically glamorous.

“I don’t create designs to follow trends,” the designer says. “ My clients want classic, contemporary looks that aren’t defined by a certain season. Only a certain type of woman can wear my collection without it wearing her.”

And with Canadian musical stars like Jully Black and Tamia being spotted wearing MMCrystal’s Swarovski crystal-studded earrings in their popular videos and publicity engagements, it’s clear that the designer’s eye for spotlight-arresting style is growing in popularity among the fashion and entertainment elite.

MMCrystal jewelry is sold by authorized dealers in North America. For more information about the company’s products and dealer locations, please visit the Web site http://www.mmcrystal.com. The site has pictures of their classic and latest designs for wedding and bridesmaid jewelry, and showcases video, television and print media appearances.

Contact: Michelle Merizzi at MMCrystal (416.550.7600)