Much joy for Joys Of Life

SINGAPORE — Thirteen could be a lucky number for Chinese drama serial Joys Of Life.

The mid-year blockbuster leads the nomination pack for this year’s Star Awards, which happens in April, garnering 13 nods across various technical and acting categories including Best Director, Best Actor (for Chew Chor Meng), Best Supporting Actress (Kate Pang) and Best Supporting Actor (Romeo Tan).

Following close behind is It Takes Two (12 nominations), and there are four dramas that picked up nine nods each: Pillow Talk, Unriddle 2, Don’t Stop Believin’ and Poetic Justice.

Tan said he was excited to be nominated for his first villainous role.

“I’m very happy ... because it was a mid-year blockbuster and I worked with so many veteran artistes,” he said. “I learnt so much from them, especially Chen Liping and Zheng Geping, who played my parents. And I enjoyed playing the bad guy because it pushed me to another stage (in my acting).”

Speaking of firsts, popular actress Rebecca Lim picked up her first acting nod — Best Actress, for Unriddle 2.

“I’m feeling very honoured, very humbled and very happy,” said Lim, who has experienced a career surge in recent years. “It’s really surreal.”

As for her chances of winning, the first-time nominee said: “I think every year when Star Awards comes around, you don’t really dare to expect anything. I’ve never been nominated in any of the acting categories, so I always keep an open mind, hoping for the best. To be nominated for Best Actress is a huge thing for me, and an encouragement. I’ve seen the list and they’re all so ahead of me and a lot of levels above me. It’s an encouragement for me to improve and up my level.”

Lim will face-off with Unriddle 2 co-star Rui En, Cynthia Koh (Show Hand), Joanne Peh (Pillow Talk) and Kym Ng (It Takes Two) for the award.

For the men, the Best Actor nominees are Christopher Lee (Show Hand), Chew Chor Meng (Joys Of Life), Pierre Png and Thomas Ong (Pillow Talk), and Dai Yang Tian (Poetic Justice). This nomination is a coup for Dai, after missing out on awards in previous years.

“It’s really hard to say (what my chances are),” he texted from Shanghai. “The nominees are all good. They’re all my seniors. I guess it’ll depend on my luck. I hope I’ll be able to get my first Best Actor award.”

Catch the Star Awards Show 1 on April 21 at 7pm, and Show 2 on April 28, at 7pm (Walk Of Fame at 5.30pm) live on MediaCorp TV Channel 8. For the full list of nominees, visit http://www.todayonline.com/blogs/stargazing