I know I’ve been moving about, blog to blog, in the recent year, but I had really hoped to settle down here at dramafocus.com. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be done, and dramafocus.com is a hacker’s target, leaving me with no choice but to kinda abandon it. The backup site which I just set up, sgdramafocus.wp is basically a temporary backup site, and since I have managed to create the Drama Focus Network, the site will no longer be used.

Thank you for your kind understanding and continuous support over the years!

I would appreciate it if you all could help me with The Drama Community, and submit any reviews, thoughts, information or news to be published there! I’m aiming to make the Drama Focus Network the one-stop site for anything concerning dramas, so I would need a lot of help and support from you all :)

the Drama Focus Network

1. Singapore Mediacorp Channel 8 drama serials @ sg.dramafocus.co.cc

2. Hong Kong TVB drama serials @ tvb.dramafocus.co.cc

3. The Drama Community @ blog.dramafocus.co.cc, where reviews & information are specially provided by guest writers :)

thank you so much :)

Yours,
qingling~

I’m terribly sorry for the lack of updates, but most of all, for the huge problem my site is facing after being hacked. I’m aware that all external links to posts and pages DO NOT WORK, and no one is able to access the high-traffic *Watch Online* and *Drama Songs* pages, let alone leave comments on any of my posts. For this, I apologise for the inconvenience caused.

I’ve decided to hereby set up a backup site back at wordpress –

HERE

everything there is updated, so please head over there till I can finally try to get the problems here fixed :)

i’ve also decided to attempt to set up a “Drama Focus Network” which will entail ditching the name ‘qingling’ from the urls, and using ‘dramafocus’ instead. In a sense, I’m trying to “re-brand” my review sites. This will include the Singapore Mediacorp drama reviews, and Hong Kong TVB drama reviews. I’ll be working on setting this site up in the next few weeks :)

I’ll also try my best to update my posts. I will have to complete “Baby Bonus 添丁发财 “, and will also write about the upcoming “Daddy at Home 企鹅爸爸”. Also in my drafts is the post on the ntv7/Mediacorp co-productions. I hope I will be able to complete these soon!

Thank you all for the continuous support!
I’m always contactable via email, twitter and facebook :)

Wishing all of you all the best, and good health,
qingling~

Thanks for bearing with me, and sorry for the long wait! It’s been ages since I’ve last posted a proper post!!

Enjoy! :)

***

I started this post sometime last year, but I never managed to complete it. And even today, after I added and removed people to ‘complete’ my list of *new 7 princesses*, i still don’t have 7 outright candidates. Last year, the candidates I had in mind were Jacqueline Sue, Joey Feng, Cai Peixuan, Paige Chua, Rebecca Lim and Koh Yah Hwee. When I looked at it again today, I realised that Kola Zhou and Tiffany Leong were missing. That’s how I’ve finally come up with this list. I now have 5 outright candidates - Paige, Yah Hwee, Kola Zhou, Tiffany Leong and Cai Peixuan, and the other 3 - Rebecca Lim, Jacqueline Sue and Joey Feng… i’m not sure if they really qualify, ‘cos they’ve all been MIA. I added 1 more contender, but she’s not done enough shows nor made an impression at all, but i should mention her, ‘cos she’s also a 美女 whom we’ve seen recently - Jessica Tan.

I had planned to write another post a few weeks ago focusing on news that Fiona Xie resigned, and it’ll be The Seven Princesses - Dawn Yeoh, Felicia Chin, Jeanette Aw, Jesseca Liu, Joanne Peh, Rui-en - no more!! With Fiona gone, there’d be only Six Princesses. But since I saw this incomplete post while I was browsing through my drafts, and I hadn’t yet decided what I was going to say in the new post, I decided to write everything here!

who to replace Fiona? should there be even a ‘replacement’?~


with Fiona gone, will there be someone to replace her in the ranks of the princesses? how about her replacement in ‘Together 当我们同在一起’ — Eelyn Kok ? Eelyn is a very capable actress, and recently, she definitely has been given many more different kinds of roles and has been challenged - she was 1st female-lead in ‘My Buddy 难兄烂弟’, playing a good role. Mediacorp seems to be grooming Eelyn for good-girl roles, after audiences have seen far too many with her playing evil and scheming. in ‘Together 当我们同在一起’, it seems that Eelyn will have to revert to playing the bad girl, but apparently, the character isn’t entirely bad. could her role in ‘Together 当我们同在一起’ convince the audiences that she is capable of being in the ranks of the princesses, and no longer the ideal candidate for bad-girl roles?

how about Ng Hui? her Best Supporting Actress winning role as Ah-Tao in ‘The Little Nyonya 小娘惹’ brought her to many people’s attention. before Ah-Tao, her roles varied, but they were leaning towards the evil, scheming sort. now with a Best Supporting Actress award under her belt, will she be given more likable roles which audiences can relate to? be still… she doesn’t strike me as one to be in the ranks of the princesses. her image is different; she’d stick out like a sore thumb. i mean no malice nor intend to offend - her image now to me is that of Ah-Tao. haha :D plain, simple and harmless.

in my opinion, who i think are the top 5 contenders for the *NEW* generation of Seven Princesses~

Paige Chua 蔡琪慧

Debut performance: Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸 (2008)
Discovered: was a model
nominated for Best Newcomer in Star Awards 2009
Other shows: La Femme 绝对佳人 (2008), Crime Busters x2 叮当神探 (2008), The Dream-catchers 未来不是梦 (2009), Your Hand in Mine 想握你的手 (2009/10)
*seen as Fiona Xie’s replacement in the ranks of The Seven Princesses - Dawn Yeoh, Felicia Chin, Jeanette Aw, Jesseca Liu, Joanne Peh, Rui-en*

What i say: she’s seen as the princess to replace Fiona, who has left. judging from this, i’m not sure she should be in this list, considering that i’m searching for a *new* group of princesses. nevertheless, Paige does deserve such honour. her screen debut was that of an unlikeable role, where she was selfish and materialistic, but she has proved to be a capable actress, and people no longer see her as her character in ‘Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸’ (ironically Fiona Xie’s older half-sister!). in the shows following her debut, she proves that she can play a variety of roles. she impressed me most in ‘Crime Busters x2 叮当神探’, where she played a mentally-disturbed forensic pathologist. her image is that of ‘ice-queen’, but the tomboy-ish role she has played in ‘The Dream-catchers 未来不是梦’ tried to change that. she is involved in the 180-episode mega-drama ‘Your Hand in Mine 想握你的手’, which dominates the 7pm slot from late 2009 to 2010. we’ll be sure to see much of her in 2010 :)

Koh Yah Hwee 许雅慧

Debut performance: Love Blossoms 心花朵朵开 (2008)
Discovered: Star Search 2007
nominated for Best Newcomer in Star Awards 2009
Other shows: Love Blossoms II 心花朵朵开II (2008/9), Reunion Dinner 团圆饭 (2009), Table of Glory 乒乓圆 (2009), My Buddy 难兄烂弟 (2009), 全家福 (2010), 五福到 (2010)

What i say: Yah Hwee is a likable actress, and because she is young, she is the obvious candidate for those 小妹 roles. her image is unlike Paige’s, which borders on ‘ice queen’, but is that of a bubbly girl who brightens the screen with her sweet smile. Yah Hwee manages to light up the screen in every scene she appears in, and her presence is felt (mainly because of her loud voice too). such an achievement from her is great, especially for a newcomer. since her debut, she has played a variety of roles, and has proved her versatility. her role in ‘Table of Glory 乒乓圆’ was by far the most challenging. she was a table-tennis player determined to succeed, and betrayed herself to do so. her sweet smile was not seen once in the entire show, as her character was a ruthless woman who was head-strong and stubborn. we’ll be seeing more of her — she already has 2 shows lined up for 2010! :)

Kola Zhou 周颖

Debut performance: Table of Glory 乒乓圆 (2009)
Discovered: Star Search 2007
i’m quite sure she’ll be nominated for Best Newcomer in Star Awards 2010
Other shows: Together 当我们同在一起 (2009)

What i say: Kola is virtually unknown to those who didn’t follow Star Search 2007. in the competition, she was knocked out quite early, leaving not much of an impression. when Mediacorp decided to sign her on, and give her the 2nd female lead role in the highly anticipated drama ‘Table of Glory 乒乓圆’ as a determined table-tennis player from China (she’s a China native in real life), viewers didn’t know what to expect. her character was cold, serious, and she barely spoke more than one sentence, giving a very distant and detached feeling. as the story progressed, it showed that she was a very nice girl who had a kind heart. when she was cast as the 3rd female lead in year-end blockbuster ‘Together 当我们同在一起’, she was dubbed as the next big thing to watch. i feel that her performance in ‘Table of Glory 乒乓圆’ was convincing, and managed to touch me - i grew to love her character. she’s definitely an actress to watch - i’m waiting for her in ‘Together 当我们同在一起’! :)

Tiffany Leong 梁丽芳

Debut performance: Man of the House 男人当家 (2007)
Discovered: took part in a beauty pageant in Malaysia, and signed a contract as a host with Astro. later signed on with Mediacorp after her contract with Astro ended.
will she qualify for a nomination for Best Newcomer in Star Awards 2010?
Other shows: ntv7 co-productions - The Beginning 原点 (2006), Falling in Love 情有可缘 (2006), Fallen Angel 天使的烙印 (2007/8), Where the Heart is 大城小爱 (2008), My Destiny 幸福满贵 (2008), Welcome Home, My Love 快乐一家 (2009); La Femme 绝对佳人 (2008), Priceless Wonder 游戏人生 (2010)

What i say: she’s dubbed by i-weekly as the next big thing. she’s acted in many co-productions, which i don’t watch, so she hasn’t really left an impression on me. i’m also not sure what kind of characters she has played, and how good her acting is, but it must be pretty impressive, ‘cos she has been cast as 1st female lead in new drama ‘Priceless Wonder 游戏人生’. she also acted in ‘La Femme 绝对佳人’, and was going to get married to Shaun Chen in the drama - she was a really spoilt and whiny girl in that drama. i’ve also seen her hosting a travelogue show with Dai Yangtian too. if i-weekly says she’s the next big thing, then i think we’ll see much more of her, and i hope not just in co-productions! i’ll be looking forward to seeing her in ‘Priceless Wonder 游戏人生’, where the 1st male lead is Zzen Zhang (also a first) :)

Cai Peixuan 蔡佩璇

Debut performance: The Beautiful Scent 美丽的气味 (2007 co-production); but The Golden Path 黄金路 (2007) aired in Singapore 1st.
Discovered: Star Search 2003, but did not sign a contract with Mediacorp till 4 years later.
excluded from Best Newcomer in Star Awards 2009 due to the fact that she’s not a newcomer (acted in M’sian shows for a few years prior to signing with Mediacorp)
Other shows: mostly M’sian ntv7 co-productions - Fallen Angel 天使的烙印 (2007/8), Her Many Faces 有你终身美丽 (2008), Lionhearts 谈谈情，舞舞狮 (2009); Your Hand in Mine 想握你的手 (2009/10)

What i say: she impressed Singapore viewers with her portrayal of 肉骨妹 in ‘The Golden Path 黄金路’, where she was a tough woman, who Li Nanxing’s character fell for. after marrying him, she rose to the position of respected underworld boss’ wife. since that impressive appearance, all the dramas she has acted in are all co-productions. the characters she has portrayed aren’t the kinds princesses portray, that’s why she’s at the bottom of the selection. her characters are either really tough, or rough and uncouth. i’ve yet to see her in ‘Her Many Faces 有你终身美丽’ - apparently she’s pretty glam in this role. at the moment, Peixuan just doesn’t seem to fit into the princess image. however, she’s proven that she’s a capable actress. it’s great that she isn’t just restricted to co-productions (which are pretty low-key), ‘cos we’ll be seeing much more of her — she’s in the 180 episode mega-drama ‘Your Hand in Mine 想握你的手’! :)

***

the other 3 who have now gone MIA~

Rebecca Lim

Debut performance: The Truth (2008) - first main role (lets just say i only noticed her here)
Discovered: Miss S’pore Universe 2005
Other shows: apparently she’s acted in Love at 0′C (2005), Love Always (2005), Family Matters (2006), Mars vs Venus (2007), Honour and Passion (2007); The Defining Moment (2008), guest-starred in Crime Busters x2 (2008)

What i say: she was last seen in the Channel 5 drama ‘Fighting Spiders’, as the prostitute Andie Chen’s character saved. ever since she got the role as 2nd female lead in ‘The Truth’, her roles have been limited, and very small. she hasn’t been able to make an impression on Channel 8. last year, i felt that she had a lot of potential to make a name for herself, but i think she’s put her acting career to hold for her studies - but she’s since graduated. yup, she’s gone MIA. i personally feel Jacqueline is a better actress though. but Mediacorp seems to be giving more chances to Rebecca.

Jacqueline Sue

Debut performance: Like Father, Like Daughter (2007)
Discovered: Star Idol (2005)
was nominated for Best Newcomer in Star Awards 2007
Other shows: Love Blossoms (2008) - don’t remember seeing her here, Taste of Love (2008)…

What i say: she went MIA after taking part in Star Idol in 2005. in Star Idol, she was portrayed as an evil girl. then she suddenly appeared 2 years later in ‘Like Father, Like Daughter’, as a really stupid and naive girl - she really made an impression there, and even got a Best Supporting Actress nomination (Best Newcomer too). her role in 2008’s ‘Taste of Love’ was so small, and so insignificant. i’ve not seen her since then - i think she’s MIA ‘cos of her studies. do hope to see her back on screen, ‘cos she did really well in “Like Father, Like Daughter”! :)

Joey Feng

Debut performance: The Golden Path (2007)
Discovered: Miss S’pore Universe 2007
Other shows: small roles in The Defining Moment (2008), Reunion Dinner (2009), The Dream-catchers (2009) - don’t remember her here, Baby Bonus (2009)

What i say: she made a big impression in ‘The Golden Path’, as Tay Ping Hui’s lazy and irritating step-sister who became an actress and his love interest. hiding their relationship from their family, her situation was tragic when she got pregnant with his child. he later caused her death to prevent her from revealing the truth and ruining his plan of marry rich girl played by Felicia Chin. Joey was an actress i was hoping to see more of, ‘cos her debut revealed a lot of potential, which could be developed. however, i’ve only seen her in those super minor roles, where she’s playing some bad-company/influence girl - not satisfactory at all! she’s MIA from bigger roles, and that’s sad.

edit: she’s in Baby Bonus as Ruth, Apple (Felicia Chin)’s friend. her role isn’t big either, but she does appear for 5 episodes. i think.

+ 1 more~

Jessica Tan

Debut performance: The Defining Moment (2008)
Discovered: Miss S’pore Universe 2007
Other shows: The Defining Moment (2008), The Ultimatum (2009)

What i say: she’s not acted enough, nor made an impression. however, she was recently cast as Felicia Chin’s love rival for Zhang Zhenhuan in ‘The Ultimatum’. i think we can’t ignore her existence, even though the roles she plays are so forgettable. maybe she might be given a chance to prove that she can really act, if they give her a bigger role, with more depth. she might just surpass those who’ve gone MIA. placing her in this post is rather chance-y, but i’ll take this chance. haha :D she’s pretty and pleasant, and since Jacqueline waited 2 years for her break, maybe Jessica’s break is coming soon? let’s see lah~ i don’t have much confidence in this choice of mine though.

***

Dear Readers,
Hope you all enjoyed this post! it’s my first long complete post in ages! please do leave your comments, so i’ll know what you all think! :)

thanks!

qingling~
http://twitter.com/qing_ling

yes, i’m kinda officially on my  break now, but i found something last night which i’d like to share!

i was reading Paul Chan’s BaguaTV blog post on 小娘惹 being dubbed in Cantonese, English, Thai and Bahasa Indonesia, and that aroused my interest in the Cantonese-dubbed version, seeing how TVB bought the rights to broadcast it, and i’m a die-hard TVB fan :)

upon doing a google search (which btw didn’t give me any preview to a Cantonese-dubbed version), i ended up finding this site — http://www.xiaoniangre.com/, and 1 post in particular, aroused my interest (http://www.xiaoniangre.com/xiaoniangrexinwen/380/). If TVB were to film a TVB version of 小娘惹, who would act as who? the cast list below is what i found on this site.

菊香（月娘）——Fala Chen 陈法拉
山本洋介—— Bosco Wong 黄宗泽
陈锡—— Ron Ng 吴卓羲
黄珍珠——Shirley Yeung 杨思琦
黄玉珠——Leila Tong 唐宁
阿桃——Myolie Wu 胡杏儿
刘一刀——Kenny Wong 黄德斌
桂花——Li Si Kei 李司棋
天兰——Rebecca Chan 陈玉莲
陈老太——Lee Heung Kam 李香琴
罗伯张——Stephen Huynh 黄长兴
秀凤——Maggie Siu 邵美琪
秀娟——Christine Ng 伍咏薇
黄金成——Raymond Cho 曹永廉
黄天宝——Jack Wu 胡诺言
查理张——Marco Ngai 魏骏杰
黄老爷——于洋
苏菲丽——Mandy Cho 曹敏莉

陈锡的叔叔 (陈升)——Steven Ma马浚伟
陈锡的父亲——Wayne Lai 黎耀祥
美玉——Louisa So 苏玉华
大傻——廖启智
陈锡的母亲——吕姗

this got me thinking, and i have made my own choices and amendments :) i think this will be a great cross-post with my TVB-related site, which is dead, at the moment!

please head over to http://qinglingtvb.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/if-tvb-were-to-film-thelittlenyonya-xiaoniangre/ for the continuation of this post!

btw, if you can’t see Paul Chan’s video uploaded on the Mediacorp site, head over to see this on youtube — The Little Nyonya — dubbed versions 0:56 :)
i feel the English version is so fake! the rest are OK, i guess…

***

strictly speaking, “The Little Nyonya” & “Love Blossoms II” should be classified under 2008 dramas, but i didn’t manage to write comprehensive reviews on those 2 dramas, so you all really didn’t get to read how i felt about these 2 dramas! so i shall cover them here, in this post!

hope you all will enjoy reading!

***

The Little Nyonya 小娘惹
(Blockbuster drama)

official site
my 1st post
my 2nd post

this drama created so much hype! as i said before, when i was doing my Star Awards 2009 posts:

everyone expects “The Little Nyonya” to win, and why not?! it was a really good show, and it was engaging, and full of evil people. but its weak point was that it was too simple a story — it was either black or white, people was just good or bad, no grey, no conflicting struggles within a character.

“The Little Nyonya” will win [Best Drama] (based on the fact that it’s the biggest thing which has happened on Singapore TV in 20 years!)

[on The Little Nyonya winning Best Drama at Star Awards 2009]
this was expected! although in the poll i put up, it was no.3 behind By My Side and The Golden Path. well i guess enough has been said about this drama. people are getting irritated ‘cos of the over-exposure, and this is an expected result. i’m rather pleased with it, but would’ve been more pleased if The Golden Path or Just in Singapore had won :)

not only did this drama win Best Drama at Star Awards 2009, but Best Actress - Joanne Peh, and 2 Best Supporting Actress - Xiang Yun and Ng Hui - awards were also given out!

this 34-episode drama can be considered a milestone in Singaporean dramas. it created so much hype, and started a “Nyonya-craze”. but let’s not go into that. i’ll comment on the plot, and acting!

as i’ve said before, i thought it was a good show, and it could have been due to the simple plot, where black was black, and white was white - people were either extremely good or extremely evil, or just plain stupid.

the story concentrated on the life of the deaf-mute Juxiang (Jeanette Aw), and how she and her mother (Xiang Yun as Tian Lan) struggled as servants, although she was rightfully part of the family (she’s an illegitimate child). she was bullied left-right-and-centre by the mistress of the house (Lin Meijiao as Guihua), and her half-siblings (Darren Lim as Jincheng & Apple Hong as Meiyu), and cousins (Pan Lingling as Xiufeng & Cynthia Koh as Xiujuan). her weak-willed father (Yan Bingliang) never had a say. nevertheless, she was brilliant at cooking and bead-work. because of her disabilities, she was denied of an arranged marriage (to Pierre Png as Chen Sheng), and was forced to give the place to her half-sister Meiyu. she was forced to marry a ruthless and unscrupulous man (Desmond Sim as Charlie Zhang), but a Japanese photographer, her knight-in-shining armour (Dai Yangtian as Yosuke) saved her, and from Malacca, they ran to Singapore. they lived blissfully for a few years, until WWII came, and the Japanese Occupation began. both of them died, leaving their daugther, Yueniang, who grows up to be as pretty and talented as her mother.

thus begins the second part of the story, where Yueniang (Jeanette Aw) grows up happily with her grandmother (Xiang Yun as Tian Lan), and a faithful ma-jie (Ng Hui as Ah-Tao) in the Huang Mansion, as the rest of the family have fled to England. trouble begins when the family come back. and so starts the whole story again, where Yueniang is bullied by her half-cousins (Eelyn Kok as Zhenzhu & Andie Chen as Tianbao) and ‘grandma’ (Lin Meijiao as Guihua), aunt (Pan Lingling) & uncle (Darren Lim). however, she has one sweet and kind cousin (Joanne Peh as Yuzhu), who helps her and even teaches her English. Unknowingly, Yueniang falls for the heir (Qi Yuwu as Chen Xi) to the Chen family fortune, thinking he is a driver. the two lovers meet many obstacles, including that of a competition arranged by his great-grandmother (Li Yinzhu as Chen lao-tai) to pick the perfect wife for him. Yuzhu wins the competition, but gives Yueniang and Chen Xi her blessings and arranges for them to elope on the night before the arranged wedding. however, Yueniang changes her mind, and runs back, only to find that Yuzhu has been raped by Robert Zhang (Zzen Zhang). with no choice, the families arrange for Zhenzhu to marry Chen Xi, and for Yuzhu to marry the unscrupulous Robert. to punish Yueniang and make her life miserable, the family agree to marry her off to the boarish butcher Liu Yidao (Yao Wenlong). shortly after, however, Chen Xi falls very ill and Zhenzhu marries into the family to bring them blessings, hoping Chen Xi will awake. Yueniang and Liu Yidao settle their differences, and he becomes god-brother. they embark on a mission to legalize his triad business.

the story ends with Yuzhu going completely mad, as Robert tortures her and arranges for her to sleep with other men. he abandons her in the end when she gets pregnant. she even tries to suffocate her child. Liu Yidao’s business grows, and they trade in bird’s nest. Yueniang and Chen Xi don’t end up together. she marries a Caucasian lawyer, Paul, and they adopt Yuzhu’s child, who grows up to look exactly like his father, Robert. the story ends with Yueniang’s death.

writing this summary brought back many memories. it was a good series! i really enjoyed recapping the incidents which happened in the plot. this drama is a love-story, a family-themed story, a story of hate and revenge, and somewhat educational, where we are introduced to the Peranakan culture. through the many incidents in the story, we saw the strength and will of Juxiang and Yueniang, who managed to overcome obstacles, however big. the story was beautifully crafted, with beautiful sets which bring you into that era. this drama was clear-cut - we hated the evil people and felt unjust for the good people. we cursed the stupid people who had no backbone, and wished for a beautiful ending which we never got. but still, even though we weren’t satisfied by the ending, i thought it was ok. once in a while, it is acceptable for such an ending. at least we know that Yueniang and Chen Xi lived lives which were meaningful, even though they didn’t have each other. the bad people got their just desserts, although not always in ways we wanted (Gui Hua suffered a stroke, but Yueniang took care of her).

i really enjoyed this drama very much. i thought the acting was brilliant, and the plot was easy to follow and to digest. :)
you were able to feel sorry for the characters; feel hatred towards others; and just relate to the whole plot.

WATCH OR NOT?
you can’t miss this!
4.8/5.0 (EXCELLENT!)

===

Love Blossoms II 心花朵朵开II
(Long-running drama)

official site
my one-and-only post

this was THE BEST Part II of a long-running drama i’ve seen. the new characters they added brought life back into this series, and irritating characters were written out; the focus on the bak-kut-teh shop (Huang Wenyong, Lin Meijiao, Eelyn Kok) and its problems were settled, allowing the karang-guni father-and-son family (Richard Low, Cavin Soh, Yvonne Lim) to steal some limelight.

in my link above for “my one-and-only-post”, i’ve pretty much summarized the story, so if you’re interested, do read it :)

i thought Part I was pretty good, but Part II was better!

Part I concentrated too much on Zijing (Ivy Lee) not wanting to have another child, and her squabbles with Sammi (Patricia Mok), which got really irritating to watch as the show progressed. and the bak-kut-teh shop problems started getting on my nerves, with the spoilt Meiwei (Eelyn Kok), and scheming Wenhao (Terence Cao). i thought it was pretty cool how they managed to link good old friends Dashun (Chen Shucheng) and Dongcheng (Huang Wenyong) to the point of Dongcheng’s adopted son being Dashun’s biological son. though Miaochang (Hong Huifang as Wenhao & Meiwei’s mum)’s death was untimely, it paved the way to another chapter in Wenhao’s life, where Dashun welcomed him to the family, and finally, to his love affair with Jiaqi (Yvonne Lim), who was his mother’s lawyer and god-daughter in Australia.

we finally saw Sammi get her just desserts in Part II, although it wasn’t very satisfying. her washing toilets was a one-day stint, to help her mother (Jin Yinji) who was on sick leave. i was, however, very pleased when Kaiwang (Zheng Geping) flared up and beat his horrible brother-in-law Qingxiong (Rayson Tan), after he came back from where-ever he was, after leaving the family to clear a huge debt for him. finally, Erbo (Priscelia Chan) could stand up for herself, and had a man who truly loved her and cared for her - Jiaqiang (Cavin Soh). in the beginning, Peter (Richard Low) & Jiaqiang as garang-kuni were very entertaining, but when Peter got senile dementia, it was quite sad :( another sad part was how Zijing’s savior Zhongkun (Chew Chor Meng) fell ill with a muscluar-deterioative condition… it was very sad seeing him deteriorate, since that is similar to what he is suffering in real life (Chew Chor Meng, 加油！).

the climax of Part II had to do with Haitong (Felicia Chin)’s kidnapping by Lu Gua (Chen Tianwen), who collaborated with Zipeng (Adam Chen) as they were eager to get money out of Dashun. the incident ended with Zipeng killing himself. however, Lu Gua was still around, but in the end, they managed to get him caught, and he was put in jail — YAYY! :) the ending was pretty cliche. it was the big-happy-reunion ending where everyone was happy - those who were dating got married; those who got married had children; even those abroad suddenly returned.

Zijing & Kaiwang had twins - 1 boy 1 girl
Haitong & Daji married; had 1 girl (?)
Erbo & Jiaqiang - she’s pregnant
Jiaqi & Wenhao - married
Wenzhu returned with her boyfriend…

this is, by far, the BEST Part II of a long-running drama i’ve seen. it was funny, sad, touching, irritating, happy, and just plain enjoyable!
looking forward to “Your Hand in Mine”, the 180 mega-drama airing later this year :)

WATCH OR NOT?
yup. i enjoyed it! i think you can watch Part II without watching Part I, ‘cos it’ll take a long time if you watch both Part I & Part II. and to be honest, Part II was much better!
4.2/5.0 (Very Good)

***

Reunion Dinner 团圆饭
(Chinese New Year drama)

official site
final review! :)

’nuff said in my final review, which i’d taken SUPER LONG to write, and which i was quite pleased about! hahaha :)

WATCH OR NOT?
yes! a very heart-warming family-oriented drama which i enjoyed! it was funny, but also touching and meaningful.
4.5/5.0 (Very Good)

===

The Dream-catchers 未来不是梦

one-and-only post.

i didn’t watch this drama… ‘cos:

1) the theme didn’t excite me — engineering.
2) my family didn’t want to watch it. LOL

WATCH OR NOT?
i have no idea.
but you would probably have watched it if you’re interested in Engineering (think 2007’s “The Peak”), or if you’re fans of Rui-en, Jesseca Liu, TPH, Elvin Ng, Nat Ho, Zhang Zhenhuan, Dawn Yeoh etc.

===

Housewives’ Holiday 煮妇的假期
(heartland drama)

official site
one-and-only post.

i gave up after 1 episode, ‘cos:
MY FAMILY DIDN’T WANT TO WATCH IT.
sigh. but i didn’t think it was THAT interesting.

currently airing at 9pm on Ch 8 on weeknights is “Housewive’s Holiday 煮妇的假期“. i only watched the 1st episode, and didn’t feel that it was worth spending time to watch. it was quite funny, but i’d expect more of the same antics and ranting, raving and similar situations which appear in any other drama. i’m so sorry to announce that i won’t be reviewing this series.

WATCH OR NOT?
many have done so already! — i think this drama holds the record for number of viewers so far in 2009!
think of it as the Singaporean heartland version of HK-TVB’s “The Family Link”, with alterations, of course.
watch it if you want mindless entertainment, which brings laughs :)

===

Table of Glory 乒乓圆
(Sports-themed drama)

this drama looks really exciting! even though a sports-themed drama like 2004’s “The Champion” and 2008’s “Beach.Ball.Babes”, this drama has so much more publicity than its predecessors, with trailers starting in February!
it’s Joshua Ang’s 1st official drama role (his role in “Crimebusters x2″ was only a cameo)! it’s also Dai Yangtian’s 3rd role, and this will be his 1st main role. wow, he progressed from unknown newbie to “new ah-ge” in only a year! i’m still amazed.

i typed “乒乓圆” into youtube, and it came up with a slew of trailers and interviews. if you’re interested, CLICK HERE!

more behind-the-scenes pictures and info from Paul Chan:
- feature on DYT and Joshua Ang
- feature on Kola Zhou

- photo gallery from Joshua Ang’s blog

- feature with links to interviews HERE (courtesy of mysteryblogger)

THIS DRAMA LOOKS VERY PROMISING! FOR SURE, WITHOUT DOUBT, I’LL BE WATCHING!!! :)

official site
1st post
2nd post

it was quite disappointing, despite all the high hopes, and interesting trailers. i felt that it concentrated too much on Tiantian (Kym Ng) & Yingxiong (Zheng Geping), and their many ridiculous antics to complete their hate-turns-to-love story. that took up too much of the drama, and not table-tennis! the table-tennis bits came later in the story, but looked sad.

the characters they focused on were not very interesting. we had the very bad-attitude DYT, who was forced to come to Singapore to train under his father (Guo Liang); we had the super emo Joshua Ang, who never uttered more than a few words, and was obsessed about table-tennis; then there was Xiaofen (Teresa Tseng of Campus Superstar 1 fame), who played professional table-tennis but never made any progress, and was always grumbling; and Ziyi (Kola Zhou), who was by far, my favourite character, ‘cos under her cold exterior, she was actually a very hardworking and driven player who had a kind heart. in the other camp (”the bad side”), we had Ma Li’an, who was intent on carrying out revenge Guo Liang’s character, and the overly-ambitious Liu Yu (Koh Yah Hwee) — both were used by Rayson Tan’s evil character.

the ending was what got on my nerves. after the whole show of yearning to play table tennis, Ah-Wu (Joshua Ang) won the finals against Jiajun (Dai Yangtian), then he swore before his mother’s grave that he’ll never to play table tennis again? not only that. the love-relationship problems were never settled! it was the case of Ziyi liking Ah-Wu who likes Xiaofen, who likes Jiajun who likes Ziyi. and there was something going on between Ma Li’an and Liu Yun (Alan Tern), but that was never settled too.

AND THE PRODUCERS SAY THERE WON’T BE A PART 2! :(
no chances to continue this story then…

WATCH OR NOT?
yes if you’re a fan of DYT. or maybe not.
maybe if your expectations aren’t high. it wasn’t that bad.
no if you’re a table-tennis fan. the scenes don’t look real, with all the jumping and smashing. too drama!
3.9/5.0 (Good)

===

My School Daze 书包太重
(School-themed drama)

1st post
i didn’t review this drama ‘cos i didn’t have time!

this drama was aired in-between blockbusters “Table of Glory”, and “The Ultimatum”. it didn’t steal their limelight, but i feel that it had a result which was better than both! the plot was well-drawn out (with 3 story-planners no less), and although not suspenseful or full of evil people or revenge plots, this show was able to get the audience to relate to the experiences and situations of the characters.

[to be continued....]

WATCH OR NOT?
yes! i enjoyed this drama a lot!
it was very current and funny, heartwarming and the young actors and actresses did such a good job!
4.5/5.0 (Very Good!)

The Ultimatum 双子星
(Blockbuster drama)

official site
1st post

i didn’t review this drama, and shall do so here!

WATCH OR NOT?
no, please don’t waste your time.
well… unless you’re a major fan of Zoe, Fann, LNX, TPH.
i personally feel it’ll be worthwhile to just watch the parts where Constance, Felicia, Jerry and Elvin appear in. i was impressed by their acting :)

My Buddy 难兄烂弟
(heartland drama)

i haven’t even written a 1st post of the drama…

WATCH OR NOT?
maybe. if you like a show with loud people!

upcoming…

Fiona out of year-end blockbuster! who is gonna replace her?
EELYN KOK :)

Sorry for my lack of updates these few months.

I’ve been very busy, but on top of that, I am beginning to find writing reviews very tiring. I’m beginning to lose direction; I have no idea how I’m to keep this site going and progressing. My stats show my hits have lowered ever since I’ve moved from qingling.wordpress.com, and I’m getting far less comments and discussions compared to how active and lively my site was then. Maybe it was due to my constant updating (my most active year was in 2007), but I feel that the last few months at qingling.wordpress.com, and the few months here at dramafocus.com have been very dead.

I know my recent “FINAL REVIEW” posts have been very lengthy, because of the in-depth summaries I spend so long writing. These summaries really take me a very long time, are very tedious, and I dread writing them. But if I decide to emit the summaries, I feel that I’m not writing enough for you all to stop by and spend your time reading my posts.

I need to take a break, and rethink the direction and objectives of dramafocus.com. I need to figure out a new way to write reviews which will keep you in touch with the story, but are not too draggy, and are clear and concise. I need to regain the state-of-mind I had when I first embarked on this blogging-reviewing journey; the state-of-mind which was so full of enthusiasm, and interest. Currently, I find it a chore to sit down and type the reviews. I’m not even sure if anyone reads what I write, and/or appreciates my effort. I know I used to do this just for interest, but as more people came, commented and discussed, I felt that this interest had turned into a ‘job’, and I have to do my very best in providing information and my thoughts, views, source for links, and update often, to make their visit worthwhile.

I appreciate the support all of you readers have given me for the past 2+years.

Rest assured, I won’t be closing this site down!

I just need a break to sort things out. During this period of time, I won’t be replying any comments. I’ll be back in action in August.

I hope I’ll be able to bring a new reviewing style which I’ll enjoy writing and you’ll enjoy reading :)

Wish me luck!

I’ll be working on a short review titled “Channel 8’s 2009 Dramas (Jan-Jul 09)” before I take my break. Look out for it!! :)

Best wishes,
qingling~

http://twitter.com/qing_ling

2009’s 1st blockbuster drama debuts on Wednesday 27 May 2009.

starring:
ah-jies Zoe Tay & Fann Wong, ah-ges Li Nanxing & Tay Pinghui, with Felicia Chin, Elvin Ng, Chen Shucheng, Constance Song, Zhang Zhenhuan, Jerry Yeo, Hong Huifang, Lin Meijiao, Benedict Goh, Lynn Poh, Cynthia Koh…

Official synopsis here

I missed the 15 minute preview which aired on Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May, but the trailers look super suspenseful and action-packed! I love revenge plots, so i definitely won’t miss this drama.

Fann and Zoe are switched at birth, and Zoe’s character grows to be set on revenge. There’s even a scene where she shoots Fann! Tay Ping Hui is a con-man, a thief; and Li Nanxing reprises his “The Unbeatables” ‘God of Gamblers’ who mysteriously disappears and reappears as a poor man… leading everyone to think he’s lost his memory. Felicia gets an ugly role as a girl pretending to be a guy; Elvin will be evil (WOW, i’m surprised!), and Jerry Yeo will be super evil! OK, what else… Chen Shucheng is the grand-old-man who holds all the power and he looks super old. Constance Song is his god-sister, and she’s scheming, she’s done lotsa evil things and she currently holds the power.

LOTSA JUICY DETAILS ON WHAT’S IN STALL :) (from Paul Chan’s Bagua blog)

I’m looking forward most to:

1. Zoe in her most outstanding role since i-dont-know-when-must-be-long-long-ago!
2. Felicia’s breakthrough role which might, like Jeanette & Joanne’s roles in TLN, propel her to an ah-jie status.
3. Jerry Yeo — Paul Chan is full of praise for his acting skills and i’ve been a fan since Crimebusters x2, so let’s see what he does here. i hear it’s really amazing :)
4. Elvin Ng is evil! Wow, never thought that day would come, did we?
5. Constance Song, who’s rather under-rated, but a great actress. i’m glad she’s here and is given such a juicy role!
6. stars who’ve disappeared for ages - Benedict Goh (who does ENGLISH shows) and Lynn Poh — let’s see how their acting and diction fare…

by the way, the theme song is sung by Jade Liu 刘力扬. links to watch the theme video and the full version are HERE.

sorry, i’ve been really busy and have had no time to update with a review!

i’ve hereby decided that i’ll write whatever i feel on twitter, so please follow me and look out for my updates!

when i have enough time to spare, i’ll try to get some reviews done!

sorry for the lack of updates!!
thank you for your continuous support! :)

i also post on my forum quite regularly, so it’ll be great to see you all there joining the discussions!

Best wishes,
qingling~

http://twitter.com/qing_ling

official Mediacorp page here!

this drama stars: Rui-en as Zhang Luoyun, Chen Hanwei as Tan Xiangchun, Terence Cao as Tan Xiangfeng, Ann Kok as Kang Qiaozhen, Darren Lim as Tang Andi, Cynthia Koh as Yao Guijuan, Chen Tianwen as Ma Guo Liang, Lin Meijiao as Huang Liqin, Eelyn Kok as Lin Yu Xuan…

Tan Xiangchun is a traditional, Chinese-educated senior teacher who deeply feels unappreciated at work because of his poor command of the English language.  The younger generation no longer sees the importance of their mother tongue and moral education.  As such, they despise and disrespect him.  Gradually, Xiangchun becomes disillusioned with education and upon facing some health issues, dejectedly leaves the teaching line.

Xiangchun’s wife, Kang Qiaozhen, used to compile textbooks with the Ministry of Education (MOE).  She had left her high-paying job for more flexibility in juggling her children and career, and started a tuition centre in the heartlands, hoping to carve out a great career in the education industry.  Not wanting to be a loafer, Xiangchun becomes a staff of her centre.

Xiangchun’s younger brother, Tan Xiangfeng, is free-spirited and uninhibited by nature.  A trend-setter, he’s a freelance DJ, model and because of his travel articles, is a celebrity of sorts.  Their father died young and Xiangchun had been shouldering the responsibility of caring for Xiangfeng.  As a doting elder brother, he even attends match-making sessions with his wife in tow, in the hope of finding Xiangfeng a suitable other-half.  Because of this, Xiangfeng becomes involved with sassy teacher, Zhang Luoyun, and the two later become an item.

Luoyun belongs to the new generation of teachers who is skilful at using innovative methods (like bringing students for a ride in her sports car, giving them CDs of their idols, etc.) to bring her students close to her.  Wildly popular with her students, she manages education like a career, with lofty ambitions of scaling the hierarchical ladder.  Overly eager for success, she spoke harshly to her student, Ma Jialing, because the latter’s grades were below expectations, a move which hurt Jialing’s pride, thus many students started feeling uncomfortable with her.  She had always been confident of being promoted to head-of-department, and upon not getting selected for promotion, she leaves teaching in disappointment.

Through Xiangfeng, Luoyun joins Qiaozhen’s tuition centre.  To raise the standards of the centre, Luoyun suggests the starting of elitist classes, much to Xiangchun’s objection as it contravenes his philosophy that education should be non-discriminatory.  The difference in ideologies causes Luoyun to leave the centre, and she brings Xiangfeng along with her.  Together with Yu Xuan (her friend who had just graduated and returned from abroad) and Xiangfeng, she starts a premium tuition centre that accepts only outstanding students.

Tuition centres proliferate with parents’ over-anxiousness for their children to get ahead in life through academic excellence.  Regardless of their children’s needs, “kiasu” parents usually jam-pack their schedules with courses and classes.  Qiaozhen’s neighbour, Tang Andi, is a typical example.  Due to his wife, Yao Guijuan’s, wish to groom their son for success, the two become a money-grubbing couple who think of all means to raise money for their son Dehua’s tuition fees.  Andi, a hawker, even piggy-backs his wife for a medical drug test, causing much hilarity.

Dehua is an average student, but has a flair for cooking.  He is “force-fed” with tuition so much so that he feigns spirit-possession, then runs away from home.  Dehua’s talent gets discovered by a celebrity chef, who gives his parents a talking-to.  Enlightened, Andi and Guijuan finally come to terms that their son is not academically incline, and no longer subtract the possibility of letting him pursue his career in the food & beverage industry.

A dedicated and hands-on parent, Qiaozhen never suspects anything amiss with her teaching methods.  Her daughter, Tan Yixin, is a star pupil who excels in studies, badminton and music.  Unfortunately, she loses out to Jiang Jun, a student from China who joins her class in mid-term.  Unable to face her own “failure”, Yixin completely loses it, much to her parents’ shock.  It is only then that Xiangchun and Qiaozhen realise that their daughter has high IQ, but near-to-no EQ.  Their son, Yijie, lies to wriggle out of tuition classes because of his passion for badminton.  Upon deliberation and co-ordination, the couple finally instil correct values in their children and acknowledging Yijie’s aptitude in sports, lists the Sports Academy as one of the choices for the latter’s secondary education.

Luoyun’s preoccupation with elitist education causes a rift in her relationship with Xiangfeng.  Troubled, she gets to know that Jialing is suffering from depression because of her studies and parents’ divorce.  Luoyun wholeheartedly helps Jialing.  In the process, she comes to identify with Xiangchun’s belief that education should be non-discriminatory and subscribing to it, gives up upon her tuition centre’s elitist education, returning to becoming a down-to-earth teacher with MOE again.

i don’t know if the airing of this drama is at the right time, ‘cos it’s exam time for many students now… which would mean lower viewership?? (especially as they’re concentrating on a school-theme)

although it resembles 2007’s “Let it Shine”, this drama focuses not on secondary school students, but primary school students, and emphasize much more on the tuition aspect of student-life. it also seems like it focuses more on the parents, their problems and mind-blocks, rather than just the students’ problems.

in “Let it Shine”, we had princess Felicia playing a new-age teacher, and here, we have another princess, Rui-en, playing a new-age teacher (sports car and all). newly crowned Best Actor, Chen Hanwei, will act as the old-fashioned teacher, who lacks the command of English, and is builied left-right-and-centre by his students, who have no respect for him at all. Terence Cao will play Rui-en’s prince charming, a new-age guy who is the total opposite of his brother Chen Hanwei. interestingly, the trio worked together on “Metamorphosis” and “By My Side”.

Darren Lim and Cynthia Koh will be an onscreen couple for the 3rd time (1st in Kinship, 2nd in The Little Nyonya), this time as hawkers who sell prawn mee. Lin Meijiao will be a very strict mother, who is constantly caning her daughter, and Ann Kok plays a naggy wife who runs her own tuition centre.

looks like this drama will be close to our hearts, as it addresses the problems students and parents face nowadays, and also situations in school (although i don’t know how much of the drama will happen in the school-environment).

i’ll be watching! :)
stay tuned for more updates :D
qingling~

RESULTS:

*all nominations are listed according to alphabetical order*
*all winners are highlighted in BOLD and/or respective pictures*

***

BEST DRAMA 最佳电视剧

1. By My Side 不凡的爱
2. Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸
3. Love Blossoms I 心花朵朵开
4. Perfect Cut 一切完美
5. The Golden Path 黄金路
6. The Little Nyonya 小娘惹
   

BEST ACTOR 最佳男主角

1. Adrian Pang as Alan for “Nanny Daddy 奶爸百分百”
2. Chen Hanwei (3rd win!) as Chen Bufan for “By My Side 不凡的爱”
   
3. Huang Wenyong as Lin Bang for “Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸”
4. Pierre Png as Chen Sheng for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
5. Qi Yu Wu as Chen Xi for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
6. Tay Ping Hui as Huang Kaijie for “The Golden Path 黄金路”
   

BEST ACTRESS 最佳女主角

1. Chen Liping as for “The Golden Path 黄金路“
2. Chen Liping as for “Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸”
3. Fann Wong as Lin Kexin for “The Defining Moment 沸腾冰点”
4. Felicia Chin as Lin Fei for “The Golden Path 黄金路”
5. Jeanette Aw as Shanben Yueniang for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
6. Joanne Peh (1st win!) as Huang Yuzhu for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
   

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 最佳男配角

1. Chew Chor Meng (has 1 Best Actor win) as Huang Kaida for “The Golden Path 黄金路”
   
   
2. Dai Yangtian as Shanben Yangjie for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
3. Darren Lim as Huang Jincheng for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
4. Yao Wenlong as Liu Yidao for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
5. Zhu Houren for “The Defining Moment 沸腾冰点”
6. Zzen as Robert Zhang for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
   

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 最佳女配角

1. Cai Peixuan as Rougu-mei for “The Golden Path 黄金路”
2. Eelyn Kok as Huang Zhenzhu for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
3. Li Yinzhu as Chen Lao-tai for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
4. Lin Meijiao as Guihua for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
5. Ng Hui (1st win) as Ah-Tao for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
   
6. Xiang Yun (4th win) as Tianlan for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
   
   

BEST NEWCOMER 最佳新人

1. Andie Chen (”The Defining Moment”, “The Little Nyonya”)
2. Dai Yangtian (”Taste of Love”, “The Little Nyonya”)
   
3. Jerry Yeo (”Beach.Ball.Babes”, “Perfect Cut”, “Crime Busters x2″)
4. Koh Yah Hwee (”Love Blossoms”, “Reunion Dinner”)
5. Paige Chua (”Just in Singapore”, “La Femme”, “Crime Busters x2″)
6. Zhang Zhen Huan (”The Dream-catchers”)

BEST THEME SONG 最佳电视主题曲 (given at the preliminary awards)

1. ‘如燕 （Ru Yan）’ by Olivia Ong from “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
   
2. ‘路 （Lu）’ by Mi Lu Bing from “The Golden Path 黄金路”
3. ‘我知道我变漂亮了 （Wo Zhi Dao Wo Bian Piao Liang Le）’ by Chew Sin Huey from “Perfect Cut 一切完美”
4. ‘心花朵朵开 （Xin Hua Duo Duo Kai）’ by Cavin Soh from “Love Blossoms I 心花朵朵开”
5. ‘屋檐（Wu Yan）’ by Yi Xun from “Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸”
6. ‘幻听（Huan Ting）’ by Daren Tan from “Crimebusters x2 叮当神探”

YOUNG TALENT AWARD 青苹果奖 (given at the preliminary awards)

1. 陈宇萱 as Little Yueniang from “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”
2. 林家安 as Chen Tiantian from “By My Side 不凡的爱”
3. 胡康乐 as Huang Rongxuan from “La Femme 绝对佳人”
4. 彭修轩 as Weijie from “Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸”
5. 黄馨仪 as Feifei from “Love Blossoms I 心花朵朵开”
   
6. 林咏谊 as Lin Keke from “Perfect Cut 一切完美”
   

***

BEST VARIETY SHOW HOST

1. Christopher Lee for “Life Transformers”
2. Quan Yi Fong for “Life Transformers”
3. Kym Ng for “Buzzing Cashier”
4. Lee Teng for “On the Beat 3″
5. Marcus Chin “Golden Age Talentime 2008″
6. Guo Liang (1st win!) for “CelebriTea Break”
   

BEST VARIETY PROGRAMME

1. Buzzing Cashier
2. CelebriTea Break
3. King of Thrift 2
4. Life Transformers
   
5. Star Chef 2
6. SuperBand 2

BEST INFO-ED PROGRAMME HOST

1. Belinda Lee for “Find Me a Singaporean 2″
2. Belinda Lee for “Come Dance with Me”
   
3. Chua Lee Lian for “Food Old Days”
4. Dasmond Koh for “Tourism Insiders”
5. Guo Liang for “Breaking Barriers”
6. Lin Pei Fen for “So Simple II”

BEST INFO-ED PROGRAMME

1. Come Dance with Me
2. Food Hometown
3. My World My Blog
4. Of Rites & Rituals 2
5. TR- In the Face of Death
   
6. TR- 5 Years of SARS-free

BEST VARIETY SPECIAL

1. S-Pop Hurray! Music Gala
2. Star Awards - 25th Drama Anniversary Show
3. Star Search 2007 (Finals)
4. SuperBand 2 Grand Finals
5. The Anniversary Gala 2008
   
6. The Sichuan Earthquake Charity Show

BEST NEWS/CA PRESENTER

1. Helen Cheung
2. Lim Chi Yuan
3. Ng Siew Leng
4. Tung Soo Hua (5th win)
   
5. Wang Zheng
6. Zhao Wen Bei

***

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR MALE ARTISTES

1. Adrian Pang 彭耀顺
2. Bryan Wong 王禄江 (6th win)
   
3. Chen Han Wei 陈汉玮 (6th win)
4. Chen Shu Cheng 陈澍城
5. Christopher Lee 李铭顺 (10th win!)
6. Elvin Ng 黄俊雄 (3rd win)
7. Guo Liang 郭亮
8. Gurmit Singh 葛米星
9. Henry Thia 程旭辉 (surprise! 2nd win)
10. Huang Wen Yong 黄文永
11. Marcus Chin 陈建彬
12. Mark Lee 李国煌 (10th win!)
13. Pierre Png 方展发
14. Pornsak (1st nomination; 1st win)
15. Qi Yuwu 戚玉武 (5th win)
16. Richard Low 刘谦益
17. Tay Ping Hui 郑斌辉 (8th win)
18. Zhang Yao Dong 张耀栋
19. Zheng Ge Ping 郑各评 (1st nomination; 1st win)
20. Zhu Hou Ren 朱厚任

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR FEMALE ARTISTES

1. Dawn Yeoh 姚懿珊
2. Felicia Chin 陈靓瑄 (3rd win)
3. Fiona Xie 谢宛谕
4. Hong Hui Fang 洪慧芳
5. Ivy Lee 李锦梅 (7th win)
   
6. Jeanette Aw 欧萱 (5th win)
   
7. Jesseca Liu 刘芷绚 (3rd win)
8. Jin Yin Ji 金银姬
9. Joanne Peh 白薇秀 (3rd win)
10. Kym Ng 鐘琴
11. Lin Mei Jiao 林梅娇
12. Michelle Chia 谢韵仪
13. Michelle Chong 庄米雪
14. Pan Ling Ling 潘玲玲
15. Patricia Mok 莫小玲
16. Quan Yi Fong 权怡凤 (4th win)
    
17. Rui En 瑞恩 (4th win)
    
18. Vivian Lai 赖怡伶 (5th win)
    
19. Xiang Yun 向云 (9th win)
    
20. Yvonne Lim 林湘萍 (2nd win)

***

COMMENTARY (my thoughts):

CLICK HERE for Paul Chan’s extra awards post! :) there are exclusive photos!

wow. what a night! i had missed the 1st hour ‘cos i wasn’t home, and it wasn’t simulcast on TVMobile! OMG! i was shocked when i read about 2 Best Supporting Actress winners on my friend Shi Liang’s blog. so i watched the rest of the awards ceremony. i got really irritated with the ‘magic trick’ ways to announce the awards for Best Variety Show Host and before that. quite annoying.

i wanted to do this post last night, but i was too sleepy! i only managed a facebook status update:

i’m shocked, happy, excited and confused! Star Awards 2009 did this to me! 2 Best Supporting Actress winners and Joanne Peh for Best Actress!!! wow.

OK… i’m pleased that most of my predictions came true!

The Little Nyonya for Best Drama (congrats to 243 people; 17% who polled), Chen Hanwei for Best Actor (congrats to 103 people; 28% who polled), Chew Chor Meng for Best Supporting Actor (congrats to the 127; 29% who polled), Ng Hui for Best Supporting Actress (congrats to the 100 people; 28% who polled, although only 1/2 right!), Dai Yangtian for Best Newcomer (143 people polled this)… but i’d never have expected JOANNE PEH (congrats to the 53; 7% who polled!!) for Best Actress! or 2 Best Supporting Actress awards, with the 1st going to Xiang Yun, then the 2nd surprise one going to Ng Hui! NEVER IN THE HISTORY of Star Awards has this happened before! WOW~

there have been many surprises since news that the annual year-end Star Awards were moved from November/December 2008 to April 2009, making 2008 a void year, when there won’t be a Star Awards. when the nomination list came out, we had 6 nominees (a first in Star Awards history!), to bridge the gap of over 1 year 5 months, but we also had DOUBLE nominations (another first in Star Awards history!!) in the same category for Chen Liping (Best Actress) and Belinda Lee (Best Info-Ed Host). by the way, Guo Liang also had 2 nominations, in the Best Variety Host category (which he won), and Best Info-Ed Host.

then in the awards show, we had 2 winners for the Best Supporting Actress category (yet another first in Star Awards history!!!). this year’s Star Awards were really full of surprises!

but the biggest surprise had to be Joanne Peh’s unexpected win for Best Actress! she beat hot fave Jeanette Aw, who held the main role in The Little Nyonya, when she was the 2nd female lead, who appeared for 24/34 episodes, compared to Jeanette’s 34/34 episodes! more on that later :)

FIRST, i’d like to congratulate all the winners of the awards, and all the nominees too! we appreciate your hardwork and effort :)

BEST DRAMA: The Little Nyonya 小娘惹

this was expected! although in the poll i put up, it was no.3 behind By My Side and The Golden Path. well i guess enough has been said about this drama. people are getting irritated ‘cos of the over-exposure, and this is an expected result. i’m rather pleased with it, but would’ve been more pleased if The Golden Path or Just in Singapore had won :)

BEST ACTOR:
Chen Hanwei (3rd win!) as Chen Bufan for “By My Side 不凡的爱”

YAY! :) this is Chen Hanwei’s 2nd Best Actor win, his last was for 2005’s A Life of Hope. he played a sick man in both shows! but Chen Hanwei is really a good actor, he totally deserves it! i don’t think the media are right to call him “Xie Shaoguang no. 2″. he’s a great actor in his own right! i loved both his speeches (for Best Actor and Top 10), so sincere. i now a fan! poor TPH, it has been 10 years since his only win, and that was for Best Supporting Actor. it would have been good if there were 2 winners for Best Actor (yes, Qi Yuwu, but the 2nd award won’t go to you), and TPH could win the other one. well… next year 吧！

BEST ACTRESS:
Joanne Peh (1st win!) as Huang Yuzhu for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”

this was totally unexpected, even to Joanne! i was speechless last night. gosh. i mean, Jeanette Aw was the drama’s main lead, and she was obviously the hot fave! i thought Joanne was just added in to complete no.6, and i never expected her to win. to me, she wasn’t even a black horse! sure, she did portray her character well towards the end of the show, when she went mad, but i didn’t think it was enough to get a Best Actress award! if we had an award like TVB’s Most Improved Award, i think Joanne should get it. however, we don’t have it. still, we can’t ignore the fact that Joanne can act, and she did impress. but i would have liked it if Jeanette, Liping or Felicia won instead. i don’t think Joanne is ready for the title of 影后 yet.

i’m now confused. if Jeanette had won, she would confirm her status as the 2nd or 3rd-generation ah-jie, but with such a result, is Joanne headed on that path too? how about Felicia? without doubt, these 3 actresses are the front runners for the next generation of ah-jies.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Chew Chor Meng (has 1 Best Actor win) as Huang Kaida for “The Golden Path 黄金路”

i felt the most touching moment of the awards ceremony was when he went upstage to receive his award. you could see the effects of his illness, and it was so sad, to see him in such a state. although i said i preferred Zzen for this award, i changed my mind when i finally saw the recaps of his performance. i’d forgotten how good he was in The Golden Path. Chew Chor Meng is a great actor, and he deserves this award. :) 加油，we’ll support you all the way :)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Xiang Yun (4th win) as Tianlan for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”

Xiang Yun has proved over time that she is a great actress who fits into every role she takes on. she really deserves this 4th Best Supporting Actress win! although i’d have preferred Lin Meijiao, ‘cos i felt she was really really good! but Xiang Yun was equally good too! :)

Ng Hui (1st win) as Ah-Tao for “The Little Nyonya 小娘惹”

this was the surprise win! no one expected it, and i do think Ng Hui deserves it. she’s improved so much, and i really couldn’t think of any other person to play her role of Ah-Tao :) we’ll expect more of her from now on!

BEST NEWCOMER:

Dai Yangtian (”Taste of Love”, “The Little Nyonya”)

hahaha. this was totally expected! i wouldn’t have thought ANYONE else would win this award. well… in all fairness, he’s the FASTEST RISING STAR i’ve ever seen! from virtually unknown actor, he became an overnight star when he appeared in just 8 episodes of blockbuster drama The Little Nyonya, to lead actor in Table of Glory. WOW. it’s luck. he’s really lucky; he was in the right place at the right time.

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OTHERS:

i’m not a variety show fan, but i was so happy when Guo Liang finally got his Best Variety Show Host award!!! :) Guo Liang is such an eloquent host, and he has so much presence; he’s really good at what he does :)

Life Transformers was definately a hot fave for the Best Variety Show award. although i’d only watched a few episodes, it was very touching and Quan Yi Fong and Chris Lee were very sincere and real.

Best Variety Special — The Anniversary Gala 2008! :) that was such a great special (which replaced Star Awards place!) and i had so much fun watching it! the actors and actresses put in a lot of effort, and it paid off, making it an unforgettable experience for me!

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR:

i was very glad when Pornsak and Zheng Geping got their very first awards! this is the first time they’ve appeared in the top 40 nomination list! WOW. Zheng Geping is really a dark horse, who has come from behind to rise up and make his mark, after years of minor supporting roles as someone’s father or brother. since he received his Best Actor win in 2007’s Star Awards, he has really started to make a big impression on viewers; he’s really risen the ranks to become an actor who, after years of hard work, is finally recognized and acknowledged :D

Chen Hanwei got his 6th win, after weeks of not making it on the list! i loved his speeches :)

Christopher Lee and Mark Lee will make their exit from the Top 40 next year, as they will be up for the All-Time Favourite award :)

the surprise Top 10 winner was Henry Thia aka Alamak! haha :D he even beat Zhang Yaodong, who was in the lead all these weeks!

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half of the Top 10 Female Artistes winners are the 7 princesses — Felicia, Jesseca, Joanne, Rui-en and Jeanette!

Xiang Yun got her 9th win! 1 more year and she’ll be up for her All-Time Favourite Artiste award!! :)

the surprise winner was Yvonne Lim! she’s not won a Top 10 since her 1st one in 1998! it is probably due to her Best Actress win in 2007, and the fact that she’s doing many local productions, and no more China-collaborations recently!

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OPPS! i forgot about Huang Biren’s All-Time Favourite award!!! :) Biren’s a great actress; even though she’s not acting anymore, we’ll remember her brilliant acting skills — 3 Best Actress wins!

well… i guess this sums it up! i really enjoyed watching Star Awards 2009 :)

once again, i’d like to congratulate the winners!!! :D

PLEASE COMMENT, THANKS!!