TODAY reports: Aw’s win denied veteran actress Zoe Tay a chance to claim a second Best Actress award.
SINGAPORE: After last week’s dramatic instalment, with Rui En’s public apology stealing the show, one would think that Sunday's (Apr 24) second part of the Star Awards ceremony would be markedly more staid. After all, the show producers had scrapped the red carpet segment (having moved it to Part 1), so there was less to ogle over, with Part 2 kicking off with a dance segment.
But, as it turned out, it wasn’t a boring show at all.
The big winner of the awards was The Dream Makers 2, which swept most of the big categories. The series, which looks at the lives of people working in a television station, picked up the prize for Best Drama Serial, while one of its stars, hot favourite and seven-time nominee Jeanette Aw, finally snagged the Best Actress award for her role as the tortured Zhao Fei Er in the drama.
Looking visibly elated, Aw, 36, gave a speech with a bite: “To this Mediacorp senior executive who said ‘fat hope’ when asked to predict my chances, well, hope has always been slim or even non-existent for me. But I guess today, against all odds, there’s still hope,” she said, before thanking everyone who supported her. “Your blessings were a bright light to me and gave me hope.”
Aw’s win denied veteran actress Zoe Tay a chance to claim a second Best Actress award, after her 1996 win for The Golden Pillow, but Tay, ever the queen, gave Aw a tight hug when her name was announced. Backstage, Aw explained how the veteran actress gave her encouragement.
“A lot of people showed their support for me and that made me very nervous,” she said. “Zoe Tay was sitting next to me and holding my hand and saying, ‘Whatever the results, whether it’s you or not, you just have to smile okay? When you go on stage, just take your time and talk.’
“She made me feel at ease and she’s actually very generous. I feel that through this all I’ve got her blessings ... I’m very grateful that she was right next to me,” she added. “I think my parents will be the happiest because every year they would always hope that their daughter would win.”
On whether this was a long time coming, Aw disagreed. “I don’t think it is. I think it’s an opportune time.”
Qi Yuwu, who received the All-Time Favourite Artiste Award last week, took the Best Actor award for his role as an executive producer in The Dream Makers 2. This is his second Best Actor win, his first having come in 2011. Qi later said that while he felt there he had a chance of winning, he had not thought much of it.
“I don’t need an award to make myself feel confident about my acting,” he said. “Although I wasn’t born here, my career began here. I hope Singapore’s TV and movie industry will prosper.”
Last week’s Rocket Award winner Julie Tan also had something to celebrate: The 23-year-old grabbed the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as a red-haired a villain hell-bent on destroying her sister (played by Aw) on The Dream Makers 2.
Incidentally, it was the first time she departed from her usual sweet or tragic-laden roles to play a villain.
Backstage, Tan revealed her grand ambitions for the next steps in her career: The Best Actress award, Taipei’s Golden Horse - and then the Academy Awards.
“I will still strive hard,” she said.
“I didn’t think a lot (about winning) tonight and I didn’t prepare a speech. I don’t feel any stress yet. I just feel very blessed,” added Tan, who appeared a lot more composed this week.
The Best Supporting Actor award went to Tan’s co-star Zhang Zhen Huan, for his role as a scheming veteran; while the Young Talent Award went to Damien Teo, his second consecutive win in this category.
The spotlight was also on the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes awards, in which self-professed “brothers” Xu Bin and Aloysius Pang finally got their wish to stand on stage together as recipients in this category. It was Pang’s first nomination and win, after watching his best friend claim it for the past two years.
Joining the duo were Zhang Yao Dong, Dennis Chew, Zheng Geping, Shane Pow, Lee Teng, Zhang Zhen Huan, first-time nominee Jeffrey Xu. Elvin Ng also took home the award, the 10th time he has done so. And next year, Ng - who look relieved to be included among the top 10 - will join fellow artistes Joanne Peh and Quan Yifeng on stage to receive the All-Time Favourite Artiste Award.
“Thank you for accepting an imperfect Elvin Ng, so that he can walk bravely and be the unconventional person that he is," Ng said.
“To those who always break into a cold sweat for me during this category, you don’t have to worry anymore ... This is my last thank-you speech for the Top 10. I know you will miss me,” he added.
Previous popular entries Shaun Chen and Romeo Tan missed out on the prize. However, the best line of the show went to host Pornsak, who didn’t get a spot on the Top 10 list.
“If you loved me, why didn’t you vote for me? Do you know who I am?” he exclaimed as he and fellow show hosts Lee Teng and Dennis Chew closed the show — obviously a reference to the accident involving actress Rui En days before last week’s show.
The camera panned to the actress, who raised her hands in mock defeat, which perhaps was a fitting end to this year’s edition.
The full list of winners at Star Awards 2016 are:
TOP 10 MOST POPULAR MALE ARTISTES: Aloysius Pang, Zheng Geping, Shane Pow, Dennis Chew, Xu Bin, Zhang Yao Dong, Zhang Zhen Huan, Lee Teng, Jeffrey Xu, and Elvin Ng
TOP 10 MOST POPULAR FEMALE ARTISTES: Rebecca Lim, Felicia Chin, Joanne Peh, Jayley Woo, Jesseca Liu, Julie Tan, Carrie Wong, Belinda Lee, Kym Ng and Quan Yi Fong
BEST ACTRESS: Jeanette Aw (for The Dream Makers 2)
BEST ACTOR: Qi Yu Wu (for The Dream Makers 2)
BEST DRAMA SERIAL: The Dream Makers 2
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSS: Julie Tan (for The Dream Makers 2)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Zhang Zhen Huan (for The Dream Makers 2)
ALL-TIME FAVOURITE ARTISTE AWARD: Rui En and Qi Yuwu
BEST PROGRAMME HOST: Lee Teng (for Love On The Plate 3)
ROCKET AWARD: Julie Tan
YOUNG TALENT AWARD: Damien Teo (from The Dream Makers 2)
BEST THEME SONG: Finally from The Dream Makers 2 (performed by Kit Chan, composed by Wu Jiahui, lyrics by Li Xinyi, arranged by Terence Teo)
TOP RATED DRAMA SERIAL: Tiger Mum
TOP RATED VARIETY PROGRAMME: GeTai Challenge
BEST EVERGREEN ARTISTE AWARD: Chen Shu Cheng
SOCIAL MEDIA AWARD: Carrie Wong
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL: GeTai Challenge: The Ultimate Battle
BEST VARIETY PROGRAMME: GeTai Challenge
BEST INFO-ED PROGRAMME: Tuesday Report: Where The Home Is
Read the original TODAY report here.
