Veteran stars lauded, young ones win big at Star Awards

SINGAPORE - Familiar faces like former MediaCorp artists Yang Li Bing, Huang Yi Liang and Chen Hui Hui, who are past Star Awards winners, were invited to the awards ceremony.

Snippets of speeches from award winners in the past 20 years were also aired during the show, bringing back memories not only for the audience, but also for the stars themselves.

But it was the young actors who dominated the ceremony, especially in the Top 10 Most Popular Male/Female Artistes category.

Newcomer Xu Bin, who snagged the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste award, has been in the industry for only a year.

Other first-time nominees who won in the same category included Desmond Tan, Koh Ya Hui, Zhang Zhen Huan and Chris Tong.

Local actress Rebecca Lim, 27, surprised everyone with her unexpected Best Supporting Actress win for her role as Lisa in the drama The Dream Makers. She was also in the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste category.

She broke into tears backstage and told the media: "I'm very touched. Many seniors had told me that they wished I would win the award.

"I didn't dare to have any expectations because I didn't want to feel disappointed. I thought Priscelia (Chan) would win."

She added: "Yes, I feel like a million bucks now."

This article was published on April 28 in The New Paper.

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