November 26, 2001

We thought the results of Star Awards 2001 would be mostly in our expectation, but we couldn't be more wrong.

By Yap Geok Hui

Smile, you're on candid Star Awards

It was with the breezy coolness of an observer that I attended the annual starry bazaar the night before (November 25), thinking that the surprise quotient this year would not be high.

Boy, was I wrong. And perhaps most of the 1.06 million home viewers (people aged 4 and above) feel the same as me. The highest rating obtained (28.3%) since May 2001 when competitor channel started, it showed clearly that Singaporeans were anxious to find out the results of Star Awards 2001.

The unpredictable list of results aroused the viewing interests of local audience, no doubt, with the peak quarter-hour rating for the programme at 34.0% (1,273,000 viewers) at 9.45pm, when awards for the most surprising Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes were presented.

The full list of Star Awards 2001 winners

After the Most Popular Newcomer award was presented expectedly to Fiona Xie the first surprise came when Zoe was named the receiver of the Most Popular Actress (Malaysia).

Although Zoe was the dark horse in this category, the odds were against her, as Fann seemed to be the obvious choice, judging from her regional popularity as compared to Zoe's low profile with only The Stratagem in her portfolio this year.

Zoe was much astonished herself, "I never expected to receive this title as I had not been to Malaysia for promotions for quite some time. I thought initially that either Fann or Sharon would bag the award," she said during the post award reception.

Next up: Best Supporting Actor/Actress. San got his deserved award without a hitch. When it was time to announce the winner of the Best Supporting Actress category, shouts of "Huihui . . . Huihui . . ." were echoed throughout the theatre.

That electrifying moment before Hong Kong actor and presenter Nick Cheung voiced the name, I waited with abated breath . . . " . . . The Challenge - Xiang Yun".

Though luck was not with her again, Huihui appeared cool. In his Best Actor thank-you speech, Hanwei encouraged Huihui to believe in herself and to believe in the company.

With so many friends and audience supporting her and acknowledging her abilities, an award was just a formality after all. Take heart, Huihui.

Despite Huang Yiliang being the most promising candidate for Best Comedy Performer, madcap host and The Right Frequency actress Sharon Au unexpectedly emerged the winner. From her stupefied look on the camera, her surprise was evident.

A hot favourite for Best Variety Show Host, Sharon did not disappoint. Appearing on stage for the second time, Sharon was close to tears.

Just when it looked like the Best Variety Show Host would be her most coveted award, the Most Popular Female Artiste made the night all the sweeter.

How did the popular host feel about her hat trick?

"It's the happiest moment of my life, except my wedding day. After the first award, I thought there would be no more, but I didn't expect to go on stage for the second and then the third time. You must think that the more I go up, the easier it feels but I feel but no, every time, I would still feel nervous."

"Now I won't dare complain of too much work or long hours any more," the artiste quipped.

Hanwei and Aileen were crowned Best Actor and Best Actress, much to the expectation and wishes of the audience. Both were expectedly exhilarated, especially Aileen, who gave a heart-felt and 'colourful' thank-you speech. The bold use of Hokkien in the gutsy actress's speech won her thunderous applause.

However, the bulk of the day's surprises awaited in the most attention-arresting category, the Top 10 Most Popular Male/Female Artistes.

One by one, the artistes' names were eliminated and no prizes for guessing the heart-palpitations felt by the artistes as they sat waiting with bated breath throughout the 2 ½ hour show.

In the first round, Henry Thia, Mai Haowei, Wendy Tseng (Zeng Xiaoying) and May Phua were eliminated. It was rather surprising that May Phua, who had appeared on screen rather frequently with Battle Of The Best and Don't Worry, Be Happy, was eliminated so early in the rounds.

Second round: it was good-bye to Huang Yiliang, Nick Shen, Patricia Mok and Tracer Wong.

Things heated up when it got to Round 3. Chen Shucheng, Moses Lim, Cynthia Koh, and Pan Lingling were out of the popularity race.

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