Dawn Yeoh & Felicia Chin with Desmond Sim

The thought of seeing former local actors like Desmond Sim (Shen Jinxing), Sean Say (Cheng Jianhui), Angela Ang (Hong Zhaorong), Tang Miaoling and Lin Mingzhe again on the goggle box has sent me giddy with anticipation for weeks. These yesteryear idols had walked through the childhood and teenage years with me and were what Fann Wong, Jeanette Aw, Christopher Lee and Elvin Ng are to the young these days. So there's no blaming me for my impassioned outbursts tonight when the 100 former and current actors took their entrance at the Star Awards - 25th Drama Anniversary Show at 7pm tonight.

Angela Ang, He Xiuqing, Tang Miaoling

"OMG! He looks so gay in that flowery shirt and white suit!"

"Just what was she thinking with that 'Darth Vader' hair! She might as well just stick to that poufy curly brown wig of hers!"

Don't call me bitchy; I just take my stars very seriously. But it wasn't all just tongue-clicking; I thought Tang Miaoling and Angela Ang still look fantastic enough to be acting on TV and Zoe Tay and Chen Liping looked totally ravishing tonight. And who would have thought TV's best incarnation of the wicked mother-in-law Li Yinzhu could look so beautiful and young?? I was also very much delighted to see both Yinzhu-jie and Xiang Yun-jie getting gorgeous outfit changes, a sartorial privilege often given to the other younger Ah Jies and more marketable starlets in the Star Awards ceremony.

Despite the several disappointments in the show, this was still the best three hours I had spent in front of the telly for a long while. Here's what I thought were the highs and lows of the 25th Drama Anniversary Show...

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The Whoopees

Power Station

Eric Moo

- Oldies are still the best! The opening sequence and 'live' performances by Eric Moo and Power Station of drama theme songs from the 80s and 90s brought back such wonderful memories. In fact, Hong Huifang, Li Yinzhu and Chen Liping even wept when Carrie Yeo performed the main theme song from Samsui Women! (Huifang and Yinzhu-jie had acted in the drama.) Such is the power of music.

- Artistes taking friendly digs at each other, like Screen Sweetheart of the 80s Chen Liping announcing how she thought Li Nanxing would be the publicly-voted Heartthrob of the 80s. The real winner Huang Wenyong came back with a fast rejoinder - "Well I thought Xiang Yun would be the Screen Sweetheart too!"

- Before classic scenes were filmed, there were classic filming anecdotes. Carole Lin recalled how she stuck tape over her vital areas when she filmed her nude scene in The Price of Peace (voted one of five Classic Scenes) but because of the heat and perspiration, the tape gradually fell off. "One of the kalefei told me 'it' was exposed; I was devastated!' Zoe Tay had a funnier recount over her Classic Scene where she, Fann and Alex Man had their ears glued to the Golden Pillow to listen to messages. "We were filming in a European castle and it wasn't Fann's turn to film yet so she was sleeping in a room. The director told me to open a window and peer outside while they adjusted the lights. They took so long and I was freezing in my thin outfit! Of course I had to pretend I heard messages from the Golden Pillow just so I could go sleep too!" Zoe said chuckling.

- Public confessions of adoration; was it for real that Tay Ping Hui had a crush on Fann Wong five years ago and Fann had one on Chen Hanwei seven years ago??

- That Fann Wong initially hated current squeeze Christopher Lee when they worked together on the drama Return of the Condor Heroes! "He was always late; I even brought the AP (Assistant Producer) to knock on his door to get him!' Fann said bashfully.

- Xie Shaoguang in his pre-recorded thank-you message, even though it was only an audio recording. I'm grateful enough.

- It's also a family gathering! Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen, and Hong Huifang and Zheng Geping, each brought their lovely children to the show, while I had a first glimpse of Wenyong's wife and two grown-up offsprings!

- Zheng Geping's handsome son squirming in his seat during a yawn while Daddy looked like he was stifling one himself!


The Oops

Bai Yan, Chen Meiguang

- Why go to all the trouble to invite more than 50 former actors only to have them parade in the entrance scene only? They weren't even introduced individually! Die-hards like myself could only scour the sea of faces for some familiar ones during those wide-angled shots of the audience.

- That with the exception of retired actors Xie Shaoguang and Andrew Seow, the many awards handed out tonight were to existing MediaCorp artistes.

- Dawn Yeoh with watery eyes and indulging in reminiscence when the theme song for her debut drama the Shining Star was voted as one of the Top 5 Drama Theme Songs. Huifang and Yinzhu getting emotional over the long-gone past (see above), I can understand. But Dawn over a show just two years ago? Me no comprehend.


If you missed the 25th Drama Anniversary Show or want to do even more reminiscing, catch the repeat telecast on Sat Dec 22 at 3.30pm!

Star Awards 2007 will be shown next Sunday Dec 16 at 7pm!

The Flying Fish's Wang Yuqing with Maggie Teng, the singer of the drama's theme songs

Florence Tan

Tang Miaoling

He Yongfang

Jiang Long

Mao Wei

The Winners

Screen Sweetheart & Heartthrob:
1980s - Chen Liping, Huang Wenyong

1990s - Zoe Tay, Li Nanxing

2000s - Felicia Chin, Qi Yuwu

This is the closest we'll get to Xie Shaoguang now.

Top 5 Drama Theme Songs:
Zao An Lao Shi from Good Morning Sir; Hong Tou Jin from Samsui Women; Chu Mo from The Shining Star; Kuai Le Mi Ma from Holland V; Bie Rang Qing Liang Nan from Brave New World


My Favourite Actor & Actress:
Xie Shaoguang, Huang Biren


My Favourite Drama:
Stepping Out; The Awakening; Wok of Life; The Unbeatables; Holland V


Classic Characters;
Ah Bee played by Chew Chor Meng in Don't Worry Be Happy
Ah Shui & Ah Mei played by Huang Wenyong & Xiang Yun in the Awakening
Ai Yo Yo played by Chen Liping in Good Morning Sir
Bobo played by Zoe Tay in Pretty Faces
Mo Wanwan played by Chen Liping in Holland V

Best Screen Couple:
Edmund Chen & Ivy Lee in Double Happiness
Christopher Lee & Fann Wong in Return of the Condor Heroes
Xie Shaoguang & Huang Biren in Stand By Me
Huang Wenyong & Xiang Yun in The Awakening
Li Nanxing & Zoe Tay in The Unbeatables


Evergreen Veterans:
Chen Shucheng
Huang Wenyong
Li Yinzhu
Xiang Yun

Best Classic Scenes:
The final scene where Alex Man, Zoe Tay and Fann Wong lay their ears on the Golden Pillow to 'listen to it'.
[Golden Pillow]

Playboy Xie Shaoguang showers rice from the upper level of his rice warehouse to impress Ivy Lee.
[Stepping Out]

Top view of immigrants huddled together at the bottom deck of a junk ship and looking up towards the light as the cover is lifted.
[The Awakening]

Babes sprinting down Orchard Road in bikinis after losing a bet.
[The Champions]

Nude Scenes of Hong Huifang and Carole Lin. Huifang gets stripped and bound to a tree by Japanese soldiers. Carole gets thrown out of a vehicle nude by the traitor she was forced to marry.
[The Price of Peace]

Top 10 Villians:
Chen Hanwei in A Life of Hope
Xie Shaoguang in Golden Pillow
Jeff Wang in Holland V
Andrew Seow in Love Is Beautiful
Cavin Soh in Portrait of Home
Yvonne Lim in Portrait of Home
Rayson Tan in The Homecoming
Chew Chor Meng in The Reunion
Tay Ping Hui in The Unbeatables
Ivy Lee in The Wing of Desire

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