Mediacorp Star Awards

In pictures: Star Awards Show 2

Awards host Dennis Chew's mother did not think he could win, but he ousted hot favourites to be on Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste list

Who knew Dennis Chew was such a ladies’ man? After winning a Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste award, the goofy star received kisses all over his face from actresses such as Rui En, Sheila Sim and Belinda Lee – and he has the red lipstick stains to prove it. PHOTO: MEDIACORP

Are you on the phone with your Woodlands comrades, Zheng Geping? Earlier on stage, the hunkle thanked Woodlands Citizens’ Consultative Committee, which he has been a part of since 2008, when he won the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste award.

Updated

Published

Apr 26, 2016, 05:00 AM

Even Star Awards host Dennis Chew's mother did not think her son could make it onto the annual event's popularity polls on Sunday.

Chew beat the odds and ousted hot favourites actor Romeo Tan and host Pornsak to get a coveted spot on the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes list.

"The competition was really intense this year. When the nominees were narrowed down during the show, my mother calculated my odds of winning and thought I wouldn't make," said Chew, 42. He was speaking after the annual glitz ceremony at the new Mediacorp campus at one-north.

He went home with other "trophies" - congratulatory kisses from colleagues such as comedian Mark Lee and actress Rui En, with whom he won Toggle Most Beloved Celebrity BFF Award.

"I was really nervous, my hands were cold. Rui En was sitting by my side, holding my hands to keep me warm. She was more excited than anyone else when my name was announced," said Chew.

Tan - who is one of the TV station's hot young male stars marketed as the Eight Dukes - was visibly crestfallen when the camera panned to him after all 10 winners were announced.

(Left) Quan Yi Fong got plenty of attention at April 17's Star Awards when she received her 10th Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste Award. This means she will get the All Time Favourite Artiste Award next year. In the second part of the Star Awards one week later, she attracted more eyeballs for a different reason - a lowcut gown that showed off her va-va-voom assets. (Right) Julie Tan is usually girlishly sweet, but she showed off her dark side in this sheer black gown that revealed her legs and back. She even donned black lipstick at first, before changing it to a subtle mauve later. Perhaps the look was created to match her first villainous turn in The Dream Makers 2 as a scheming blogger, for which she won the Best Supporting Actress award. ST PHOTOS: LAU FOOK KONG

But the 31-year-old, who told The Straits Times he had planned to dedicate his award to his mother, was touched by the outpouring of support from his colleagues and fans.

He said: "Fellow actors and staff came over to give me a hug. Actress Joanne Peh and actor Qi Yuwu comforted me, saying that there were years that they did not make it to the Top 10, either.

"When I met fans to pass them tickets to the ceremony, I saw that they had dark eye circles. They kept many late nights voting for me. I'm really thankful for their support. I will continue to work hard."

(Left) After donning an angelic white gown last week in which she apologised on stage for driving into and knocking down a parked motorcycle, Rui En went back to a typically sexy black outfit on Sunday that featured a high slit. (Right) Only Zoe Tay - Ah Jie - can come off as the best dressed at both Star Awards shows, oozing class and confidence at the second show in bright orange. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ THE_CELEBRITY AGENCY

The winners of the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste Award were Zhang Zhenhuan, Xu Bin, Zhang Yaodong, Zheng Geping, Aloysius Pang, Jeffrey Xu, Lee Teng, Dennis Chew, Shane Pow and Elvin Ng.

Ng's win is his 10th, which means that he will receive the All Time Favourite Artiste Award at the Star Awards ceremony next year.

Pornsak, who is one of Channel 8's most popular hosts and has five Top 10 Most Popular awards so far, took his loss this year in his stride.

His fans appeared to be more devastated than him. A smiling Pornsak could be seen comforting his sobbing fans in an online video posted by actress-host Michelle Chong, the boss of his talent agency Left Profile.

Pornsak, 33, said in jest: "I can't believe my fellow Left Profile artiste Lee Teng got in and I didn't! I think our boss Michelle Chong must have promoted him more than me this year. I'm definitely going to put in a complaint to the Left Profile HR department, which is, er, also headed by Michelle Chong."

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.