Everything you didn’t see behind the scenes at the Star Awards 2023

I cover the Star Awards every year, but this was the first year that local Mandarin television’s glitziest event signalled an alarming crisis: There seems to be a severe shortage of shirts in celebrity-land.
 

How else do you explain the not one, not two, but seven shiny-chested male artistes who rocked up to the red carpet on Sunday (Apr 9) with nothing on under their blazers? Suffice it to say that for that one evening, Marina Bay Sands was man-cleavage central.

Should you start panic-buying shirts like it’s the Great Toilet Paper Scare of 2020? Well, if the deep-V look is good enough for Elvin Ng, Romeo Tan, Tyler Ten, Desmond Ng, Herman Keh, Joel Choo and Benjamin Tan, it’ll be good enough for you. Maybe.

To pull off the look, “My stylist told me to get a bit of a tan,” Elvin told me, “so, I went to the pool for a few hours. But, I think I overdid it!”

Edwin Goh went for a torso-baring vibe, too, but in a completely different way.

Famous for having recently taken up crocheting, the actor turned up in a tank top he had crocheted himself. It was his stylist’s suggestion, he told me, and it took him a full week of basically doing nothing but crocheting, to make. He then sewed red Swarovski crystals on all over it.

This is doubtless the first time an artiste’s Star Awards outfit has been something they made themselves from scratch, and personally, I want to give him a trophy for it. Congratulations, Edwin, you win the inaugural Ownself Make, Ownself Wear Award.

Just when I thought we had reached peak crochet, I saw Edwin again half an hour later, sitting at a table – you guessed it – crocheting. He’s in the process of making a skirt for Zoe Tay, he told me. “She DM’d me on Instagram and asked me to make one for her.”

It’s going to be a patchwork skirt, with some of the iconic characters she’s played on the squares. “I’ve done 25 squares so far.” He added: “I think anyone with anxiety should try this… it’s kind of like a fidget toy. And I’ve realised that since I started this, I’ve been spending much less time on my phone.”

Speaking of all-consuming hobbies, Benjamin Tan said he wore a green suit because “I love plants”. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve.

It was an extra special day for Romeo Tan because it was also his birthday. He even received some flowers from Marina Bay Sands, he told me, and “many people made the effort to wish me a happy birthday and sing me a song”.

However, “It’s not easy to have your birthday on Star Awards day – I’m trying to reply all my messages, but I don’t have time!” He did, however, find time to sneak himself some “fried stuff” for brunch, behind his stylist’s back.

On the healthier end of the spectrum, Rebecca Lim “did a 20-minute work out” and had “two eggs, coffee and blueberries” for breakfast. “Oh, and half a burger just now!” she added.

Desmond Tan very kindly offered me an almond that he happened to have in his hand. I made sure to ask how long it had been in his hand, and he assured me it was fresh, so I accepted it in good faith. Thanks for not letting reporters go hungry, Desmond.

Dennis Chew, swigging from a flask of the legendary yearly bird's nest potion prepared by hair stylist David Gan, quipped that he was “already beautiful”, but the bird's nest would make his “heart beautiful, too”.

Since he was nominated for Best Programme Host for his show, Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories @ Singapore Sightings, I asked if he felt any supernatural presence then and there at the venue. He said no, but he also confessed, “Actually, I have never seen anything myself.” In fact, he’s been told he has a “cleansing energy”. So, if you’re afraid of spooks, the safest place to stand would be next to Dennis Chew.

Xiang Yun was rather preoccupied while getting ready to walk the red carpet, as her phone had been hacked, she told me. Thankfully, her son, Chen Xi, was there with her, helping her fix the issue. “He’s my personal assistant,” she said with a laugh.

In her head-turning, neon yellow cape-sleeved dress from the label Pois, she stood out for all the right reasons. She picked the dress because she thought the drapey sleeves were interesting, she said. Definitely one of the best dressed stars of the evening, she was a glowing – pardon the pun – example of how a 61-year-old can and should put her best foot forward on the red carpet.

Also topping my best dressed list was Zoe Tay in her red Oscar de la Renta gown, almost channelling an elegant Frida Kahlo in the best possible way.

Chantalle Ng’s space-age look kind of brought to mind a certain Chen Xiu Huan character from the 80s.

Then there was Wang Yu Qing, who came as Elton John.

I made a bet with Richie Koh that he would win the Best Actor award, and if I was right, he'd have to dance for me. When our eyes met backstage after the awards show, he knew I had come to collect. He kept his word.
 

I think the one moment in the course of the evening that impressed me the most, though, was the fact that YouTuber Das DD, who won the Best Rising Star award for his work in web series #JustSwipeLah and made history as the first Indian ever to be nominated for and to win a Star Award, made his thank-you speech and gave his backstage media interviews in fluent Mandarin, which is more than I would have been able to do.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have picked me,” he blurted, but I think he deserves to take home that trophy. And, he was one of the lucky ones – he managed to get his hands on a shirt. 

Catch the repeat telecast of the Star Awards 2023 on Channel 8 on Apr 16 (2pm for the Walk of Fame and 3.30pm for the show) as well as on-demand via mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment’s YouTube channel.