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| Star Awards 2011 |
THE storm in a D-cup came nearly at the end of last night's Star Awards when Dennis "Aunty Lucy" Chew piqued the devastatingly dashing and debonair Dai Yang Tian to clinch the last spot in the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes list.
How did the fast-rising star who was in the Top 10 just last year miss out on that? With the number of Dai-hard fans he has, his seemingly unstoppable momentum starring in blockbuster drama series upon blockbuster drama series - The Little Nyonya, Together, Breakout - and his countless magazine and newspaper coverage, it seemed like a sure-thing.
Rumours were swirling that it could have been due to the Shanghai-raised actor's supposed desire to return to China to expand his career. When Today caught up with him after the ceremony, however, Dai laughed the whole thing off good-naturedly.
"I think it's because I didn't call my own telepoll line this year. It was probably thanks to those few calls that my good buddy Zhang Yaodong got the award instead! Or my good buddy Elvin Ng. I wouldn't dare mention Huang Wenyong!
"I think it's because I have bad luck this year. It really is just luck," he said, before adding: "I hope to win it next year. Perhaps it's because I've been filming overseas quite a bit this year - I hope the fans in Singapore still remember me."
Dai needn't worry about his fans forgetting - they were devastated, crying openly at the event. Ironically, it was the actor who ended up doling out some comfort by telling them "not to cry anymore". "I saw you guys crying hard outside and it's okay - there's always next year."
First-timers and overdue winsHow did the fast-rising star who was in the Top 10 just last year miss out on that? With the number of Dai-hard fans he has, his seemingly unstoppable momentum starring in blockbuster drama series upon blockbuster drama series - The Little Nyonya, Together, Breakout - and his countless magazine and newspaper coverage, it seemed like a sure-thing.
Rumours were swirling that it could have been due to the Shanghai-raised actor's supposed desire to return to China to expand his career. When Today caught up with him after the ceremony, however, Dai laughed the whole thing off good-naturedly.
"I think it's because I didn't call my own telepoll line this year. It was probably thanks to those few calls that my good buddy Zhang Yaodong got the award instead! Or my good buddy Elvin Ng. I wouldn't dare mention Huang Wenyong!
"I think it's because I have bad luck this year. It really is just luck," he said, before adding: "I hope to win it next year. Perhaps it's because I've been filming overseas quite a bit this year - I hope the fans in Singapore still remember me."
Dai needn't worry about his fans forgetting - they were devastated, crying openly at the event. Ironically, it was the actor who ended up doling out some comfort by telling them "not to cry anymore". "I saw you guys crying hard outside and it's okay - there's always next year."
Well, at least that big shocker of the night provided much-needed excitement for this year's Star Awards - which was starting to resemble a show by Cirque du Soleil. A contortionist hiding in a suitcase and nimble acrobats flying across the room on a trapeze almost hijacked the proceedings.
Thankfully, other smaller surprises kept the limelight shining on the MediaCorp celebrities who glittered, preened and smiled modestly whenever their names were announced.
First-time hosting nominee Joanne Peh snatched Best Info-ed Programme Host from under the noses of hot favourites Mark Lee and Guo Liang. She was just as shell-shocked with the win.
"No, I didn't expect this - not with Mark, Bryan (Wong) and all the veterans in this category," she said. Still, it was a lovely early birthday present for Peh, who will be celebrating her day today.
Will her boyfriend, Fighting Spiders actor Bobby Tonelli, be the first person she will call if she wins, we asked before the show. "Where can I put my phone in this dress?" she laughed, referring to the tight Ashley Isham number she was wearing. "Maybe I should put something in my collar and call him like a spy ... Like, 'Hey, Baby ... I won!!!"
Pan Ling Ling was just as overwhelmed when her name was announced as Best Supporting Actress. Her rush of gushing thank yous to everyone spoke volumes about how speechless she was to triumph over Ann Kok's hotly tipped, scene-stealing role in The Family Court. What made the victory extra sweet for her was finally getting an award after two decades in the business.
"This is my very first job. I've done it for 20 years. But an award has always been out of my reach. I have never been nominated (for an acting category) in all my 20 years," she said, her voice thick with emotion.
Also feeling the love after eons was Terence Cao. "If I don't get the Best Supporting Actor Award, I should really feel ashamed because I'm the eldest nominee in terms of the number of years I've been in MediaCorp," the 43-year-old jokingly confided to us before his name was finally announced. Cao has been with the company for 21 years.
While winner of Best Variety Show Host, Kym Ng, had snagged that award twice before, the last time she received one was a good 10 years ago, as she reminded us gleefully after her win.
"Finally! These chefs are my lucky charms," she said, referring to the nine chefs featured in the food travelogue Love On A Plate. "I started doing this show right after I got married - I didn't even have a chance to go on honeymoon with my husband! I just went off with these chefs!"
Winners and losers
The show nearly went south at the halfway point when Mark Lee and Taiwanese host Zeng Guo Cheng took to the stage and started yammering about the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees. Their banter resorted to shock antics like mentioning Michelle Chia and Shaun Chen's divorce rumours and Christopher Lee and Fann Wong's baby-making efforts.
Hopefully, this was not a preview of a show the duo are said to be hosting together soon.
Giving hope to angsty girls everywhere is Rui En who walked off with the Best Actress award in a three-cornered fight with fellow princesses Joanne Peh and Jeanette Aw.
"Despite those who said I won't succeed with my personality and image, it shows with hard work you can do it," she said upon receiving the trophy from Hong Kong actors Maggie Siu and Gordon Lam.
Also cucumber-cool was Best Actor Qi Yuwu. The thespian of the group beat out hot favourite Christopher Lee with his role as a tormented lawyer with a secret in The Family Court. Calling himself "just a guy from Guangzhou who loves to perform", Yuwu revealed post-win: "I put a lot of myself into each role, which is very taxing emotionally. It's for the sake of the audience. I'm happy and grateful."
It was hard to tell seeing as he wasn't exactly grinning ear-to-ear.
While the high-point for some in the audience was an appearance by '90s Taiwanese teen idol Nicky Wu - looking not a day over 25 at 41 - most will agree they were heartened to see Xiang Yun take home the All Time Favourite Artiste this year.
On the secret to her eternal popularity, she said: "I believe a person's charm comes from inside. Because you will age on the outside. True beauty is about being nice to people."
Perhaps those who missed out on this year's Most Popular list should take notes.
Catch the repeat telecast of Star Awards 2011 Walk Of Fame on May 8 at 2pm, followed by Star Awards 2011 Show 2 at 3pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.
Best Actor: Qi Yuwu, The Family Court
Best Actress: Rui En, With You
Best Supporting Actor: Terence Cao, The Best Things In Life
Best Supporting Actress: Pan Ling Ling, Breakout
Best Drama Serial: Breakout
Best Variety Show Host: Kym Ng, Love On A Plate
Best Variety Show: Love On A Plate
Best Info-ed Programme Host: Joanne Peh, The Activist Journey
Best Info-ed Programme: Tuesday Report: 3 Days 2 Nights
Best Variety Special: Star Awards 2010 Show 1
Best News Presenter: Lin Chi Yuan
Best Current Affairs Presenter: Tung Soo Hua, Money Week
Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes: Qi Yuwu, Chen Hanwei, Huang Wenyong, Elvin Ng, Pornsak, Zhang Yaodong, Zheng Geping, Tay Ping Hui, Bryan Wong, Dennis Chew
Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes: Joanne Peh, Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Michelle Chia, Ann Kok, Yvonne Lim, Vivian Lai, Michelle Chong, Quan Yi Feng, Zhou Ying.
