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It’s seventh time lucky for Jeanette Aw at the Star Awards

SINGAPORE — After last week’s dramatic instalment, with Rui En’s public apology stealing the show, you would think that Sunday's (April 25) 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.

Jeanette Aw takes home her first acting award.

Jeanette Aw takes home her first acting award.

SINGAPORE — After last week’s dramatic instalment, with Rui En’s public apology stealing the show, you would think that Sunday's (April 25) 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 six-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 said later 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, um, 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. 

Also on the list were Zhang Yao Dong, Dennis Chew, Zheng Geping, Shane Pow, Lee Teng, Zhang Zhen Huan, first-time nominee Jeffrey Xu and Elvin Ng, who looked relieved to be included in this list. This is the 10th time the popular actor has received this award. Next year, he 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 cheekily.

Interestingly, previous popular entries Shaun Chen and Romeo Tan did not win.

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.  ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MAY SEAH, HON JING YI, ZHANG WEIFANG AND GENEVIEVE LOH

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