Star Awards: Veteran actor Brandon Wong lands first Top 10 nomination
At the upcoming Star Awards on April 24, veteran actor Brandon Wong will be vying for his first Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste trophy after nearly three decades in the business. The 50-year-old star, who had joined Star Search in 1995, has been shortlisted as one of 20 male stars for the award.
Wong was in high spirits following a press conference unveiling the nominees on Thursday (March 10). He wrote in a post on Instagram: "Perhaps for many people, this is no big deal. But for me, this is a bit of recognition that I achieved after 27 years of taking one step at a time, working hard and staying true to who I am."
At Mediacorp's annual awards ceremony, the Top 10 Most Popular Male and Female Artiste awards come from a pool of 20 male and 20 female stars. This year, the 40 celebrities nominated were identified via a popularity poll of 1,000 people. The final results will be determined by the poll (30 per cent weightage) and a public vote, which will account for the remaining 70 per cent.
Both the male and female shortlists this year are dominated by established names. The youngest nominees are Xu Bin, 33, and Chantalle Ng, 26 - who starred in the hit romance series My Star Bride together. They are both nominated for the top acting awards as well.
Younger stars like Ayden Sng, Benjamin Tan, Zhang Zetong and Bonnie Loo were shut out. On social media, Sng and Tan thanked fans for their words of comfort.
Sng, 28, gave a thumbs up to fans and wrote: "Don't worry, I'm doing great. One step at a time, ok? Lots of friends and veterans I look up to are nominated at this Star Awards so (definitely) continue to support and show them love."
Tan, 28, wrote: "I'm very happy just having the support of (my fans) and being recognised on the streets by aunties and uncles who encourage and praise my acting."
Loo, who won her first Top 10 trophy last year, joked that her supporters can "take a break" this year.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on Felicia Chin and the newly engaged Rebecca Lim, who both have nine Top 10 awards. If they win one more, the actresses will receive the All-Time Favourite Artiste award in 2023.
Chin, 37, shockingly missed out on a win last year. Her actor beau Jeffrey Xu, who was not nominated for the Top 40 this year, showed up at the press conference to support her.
In the Top 10 male artiste category, host Pornsak is also hoping to land his 10th trophy this year.
Another surprising inclusion in the Top 40 is host Michelle Chia, who has not been nominated since leaving Mediacorp in 2012. The 46-year-old now runs Mdada, a live-stream sales platform she co-founded with Pornsak and celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee.
Apart from the main awards ceremony, the public can also vote for their favourite stars in the new My Pick! Awards, which includes categories like Favourite CP (couple pairing), Male Show Stealer, Female Show Stealer, Most Hated Villain, Perfect Combo and Most Attention-seeking New Gen Host. The results for these categories will be unveiled at the Backstage Live show.
Public voting began at noon on Friday (March 11). Fans can cast their votes at this website.
Star Awards 2022 will air on April 24 at 7pm on Channel 8 and Channel U with a simulcast on meWatch and Mediacorp Entertainment's YouTube channel. The Backstage Live show will air on the same day at 3.30pm on meWatch and YouTube.
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