Zhi Hao, Author at Goody Feed

It's early Feb and you know what that means. That's right; it's time for... the Star Awards 2018! Image: myreviewcorner.wordpress.com Alright so maybe it takes place more than two months from now, but let's disregard such an insignificant notion. Anyway, yeah, the Star Awards 2018 is fast approaching, and like every other edition, there will be joy, speeches, heartbreaks, more speeches, hugs, many more speeches and perhaps even wardrobe malfunctions. (Okay, maybe not the last one. The speech part is definitely true though) Note: not what Elvin Ng really said. I think. Image: Video - Toggle But I will stop rambling for now, because I'm pretty sure you're not here to have a conversation with me. So without further ado, let's commence... The 8 interesting facts about this year's Star Awards! Because we still watch TV. #coldhardtruth #youreindenialifyoudenyit When Duty Calls is dominating the scene With Descendants of the Sun paving the way for army-themed shows all around the world, it felt only right that Singapore should produce its own version. And that, it did. When Duty Calls, as the show's called, is pretty much Singapore's answer to the Korean hit, and it's admittedly good. Image: Toggle The stats show too: the military-themed drama garnered a whopping eight nominations in this year's Star Awards, three more than the closest serials, Mightiest Mother-in-Law and The Lead, which collected five nominations each. Talk about domination! Non-Mediacorp artistes are in the running too No, you didn't read that wrong. For the first time in history, Star Awards will be tweaking its regulations slightly to open up nominations to non-Mediacorp artistes. According to 8Days magazine, the regulations were tweaked because the Awards wished to "recognise the contributions to local television more broadly". Well, we certainly don't mind. This would make the Star Awards truly local, instead of well... Mediacorp. First-timers As it turns out, there are a number of first-timers in this year's Star Awards. Six, to be exact. Carrie Wong and Paige Chua, who scored their first Best Actress nomination, will be going head to head. Image: Her World Image: Shape Singapore Desmond Tan, on the other hand, earned his first Best Actor nomination as tough guy Sergeant Loke in When Duty Calls. Image: Imgrum Although you got to admit; that scene in which he chews on a raw fish merits an Oscar in itself. Last but not least, Shane Pow and Marcus Chin will be competing for the Best Supporting Actor award for the first time, while local singer-actress Chen Mei Xin will be fighting for the Best Supporting Actress award. The Evergreen Artiste award is packed with favourites Now, lest you're unaware, the Evergreen Artiste award is actually a pretty prestigious one. In fact, I would personally rate it even higher than the standard 'top accolades' like Best Actor, Actress and such, simply because of the fact that it's only awarded to "Mediacorp veteran artiste(s) who has (have) delivered an outstanding performance in their field of profession". Additionally, the artiste "must be over 50 years in age and has garnered over 25 years of performing experience in the industry". Not a small feat by any chance, if you catch my drift. Which is why I have so much respect for it. And incidentally, this year's contenders are pretty much top favourites. Chen Shu Cheng Image: IMDb Hong Hui Fang Image: Yahoo News Singapore Marcus Chin Image: TODAYonline Xiang Yun Image: TODAYonline Zhu Hou Ren Image: Alchetron Having witnessed these veterans on the screen for more than a decade now, I feel hard-pressed to even pick a favourite. Although I might just give Chen Shu Cheng more slack, simply because he's won it in 2016. Gotta give chance to others, right? Rui En's not involved in the party Having collected seven consecutive Best Actress nominations over the years, of which she clinched two, Ruin En has become near synonymous with the award of Best Actress. Her impeccable performance as a tough cop in Unriddle 2 earned her a second Best Actress win in 2013. Image: 8Days And after putting in a strong performance in this year's Have A Little Faith, you would expect her to continue that trend, with perhaps even a third win on the line. But alas, it's not to be, as Rui En has been left out of this year's Best Actress list. Image: PopKey Although admittedly, she did have a strong line-up to go against in this year's edition, with the likes of Carrie Wong, Chen Li Ping, Paige Chua, Rebecca Lim and Zoe Tay taking the spots. Which is kind of a pity, as it would have made her eighth year running to be nominated for the award. Two industry veterans go head to head Chen Li Ping and Zoe Tay... where do I start? Image: Toggle Image: Hype Records For one, they are both practical legends in the industry. Who could ever forget Chen Li Ping's loveable role as Ai Yo Yo Lao shi, and Zoe Tay's riveting role as Luo Qi Fang/Long Jia Jia in the Unbeatables? For two, they have continued to dominate the industry. While actors and actresses have faded in and out, these two have survived the trials of time, and even managed to stay relevant. Which will make this next point even more exciting, because apparently... They will be going head-to-head with three other established actresses in this year's Star Awards, where they will all be vying for the Best Actress title! Could you imagine it? Chen Li Ping will be going up against Zoe Tay for one of the most coveted awards in the show's history! Granted, there will be three other established actresses going for the kill, but if you take Chen and Tay's ages into account... It speaks a lot about their professionalism and acting chops. Felicia Chin's up for the running, but not for acting Now, there's no doubting Felicia Chin's acting abilities. After all, she was the one who has given us relatable and memorable characters, time after time, again and again. In fact, if anything, her already remarkable acting chops have only seemed to blossom over time, and she's pretty much a stellar powerhouse in the industry right now. Image: TODAYonline Well guess what? She's involved in this year's nominations, again! If you're wondering, "That's nothing new. Where's the surprise?", check this out: She's not up for the Best Actress award. Heck, it's not even for the Best Supporting Actress award. Rather, she's up for the Best Programme Host award, whose nomination she earned through the programme Going Miles, Spreading Smiles! Image: Know Your Meme Yeah I know. Shocking stuff, isn't it? But if you think about it, it just makes her all the more impressive. She's like the complete package, you know. Can act, can host. Unbelievable, really. The nominations And of course, as interesting as the facts above are, there's no beating the actual lists. So let's get right down to it! Best Drama Serial Have a little Faith Mightiest Mother-in-Law My Friends from Afar When Duty Calls While We Are Young Best Actor Desmond Tan – When Duty Calls Pierre Png – When Duty Calls Romeo Tan – Life Less Ordinary Shaun Chen – My Friends from Afar Zhang Zhenhuan – Home Truly Best Actress Carrie Wong – My Friends from Afar Chen Liping – Mightiest Mother-in-Law Paige Chua – Mightiest Mother-in-Law Rebecca Lim – The Lead Zoe Tay – While We Are Young Best Supporting Actor Brandon Wong – My Friends from Afar Chen Hanwei – The Lead Chen Shucheng – Home Truly Marcus Chin – Have a Little Faith Shane Pow – When Duty Calls Best Supporting Actress Aileen Tan – Have a Little Faith Bonnie Loo – Mightiest Mother-in-Law Kym Ng – When Duty Calls Mei Xin – When Duty Calls Sheila Sim – 118 II Best Variety Programme Ah Ma Can Cook I Love You Mum Challenge – A Gift for Mum Oh My Heroes! Take a Break! The Love97.2 Breakfast Quartet Best Info-Ed Programme Fixer Going Miles, Spreading Smiles Little Maestros National Flavours Tuesday Report: #myconnectionsg Best Newcomer Award Chantalle Ng – While We Are Young Hazelle Teo – Dear DJ He Yingying – 118 II Richie Koh – When Duty Calls Zong Zijie – While We Are Young Best Evergreen Artiste Award Chen Shucheng Hong Huifang Marcus Chin Xiang Yun Zhu Houren Best Programme Host Felicia Chin – Going Miles, Spreading Smiles Guo Liang – Voices Kym Ng – Ah Ma Can Cook Lee Teng – Fixer Quan Yifeng – Unique Lodging Young Talent Award Damien Teo – The Lead Isabel Yamada – The Lead Tay Kay Zer Cruz – Home Truly Toh Xin Hui – My Friends From Afar Violet Raine Ong Yong Zhen – Mightiest Mother-in-Law Best Theme Song Dear DJ – ‘Shi Ai Ah, Ha Li’ performed by The Freshman Dream Coder – ‘Wei Meng Xiang Shan Yao’ performed by Derrick Hoh Life Less Ordinary – ‘Xiao Ren Wu Xiang Qian Chong’ performed by the cast The Lead – ‘Chu Zhong’ performed by Tay Ping Hui When Duty Calls – ‘Yi Gang Ke Gang’ performed by Desmond Ng and Kenny Khoo It's never too late to catch up I'll admit; I haven't watched Mediacorp dramas ever since I got hooked on Western and Korean shows. After all, you'll always choose the better quality ones to binge watch, wouldn't you? But I will still drop by then and again to check things out. For example, I made it a point to follow Li Nan Xing's gangster teacher series (because he's so cool) and the recent serial While We Are Young. And I gotta say: Production's improving! So if you're like me, who've pretty much sworn off Mediacorpse dramas, you might want to check the latest ones out. Because while Western and Korean ones are indefinitely cooler, there's still nothing quite like home. And what better way to relive your local memories, than to start with the upcoming Star Awards? :) You can catch Star Awards 2018 on April 22, Sunday, 7pm, Ch 8. It will be followed by Star Awards 2018 – Post Show Party at 10.30pm. Always quarrel with your bae? Then you need to watch this video and learn this trick on how to resolve arguments without any compromise or apology (and also subscribe to Goody Feed YouTube channel): https://www.youtube.com/watch?vFf-RmMGh_lU&listPLoa9nNa48ZVWkWQTqpjsUuSV2JldQluXY This article was first published on goodyfeed.com Read Also 10 Facts About Celebrity Couple Andie Chen & Kate Pang You Probably Didn’t Know Of Flu Season in S’pore didn’t End as Projected ‘Coz #WinterSingapore Celebrity Jamie Yeo Found Her Bae in Tinder & Shows Us Tinder is the New Matchmaker Do you love writing? Do you want a platform to showcase your works? Goody Feed is looking for part-time writers to join the team! Click here to find out more Featured image: 8days

Zhi Hao

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