Mediacorp Spouting New Fann-Zoe Rivalry?

Over the years, every Singaporean would know about the rivalry for being the Queen of Mediacorp between Zoe Tay and Fann Wong. If memory serves me right, it started with our very first big hit drama serial Golden Pillow (金枕头), where both Zoe and Fann were vying for the lead man, Hong Kong actor Alex Man. (by the way if anyone is keen the re-runs are on Ch8 at about 4am or 5am Saturdays and Sundays)

Since then catfights between the two stars were reported on newspapers, and they have been also termed the “Ah Jies” of the Singapore Media Industry. Very seldom you would see the two celebrities appear together at the same venue. (Star Awards an exception)

So back to our main topic. I’m very sure the entire Singapore (even within Mediacorp itself) thought that Jeanette Aw would win the Best Actress Award for her dual roles in Little Nonya. Jeanette played both Yue Niang and her mother in the hit Drama Serial that swept a number prizes on the big night.

I didn’t catch the show, but correct me if I’m wrong. Joanne Peh’s character only appeared in the middle of the serial, though she did play a big part later on as the story develops. Hence it was a big shock when Joanne Peh snatched the award from right under Jeanette’s nose.

Here’s why I think Mediacorp decided to give the award to Joanne Peh instead:

Joanne Peh (白薇秀) has generally been known as a somewhat sophisticated person. She has excellent track record in her studies, from Temasek Secondary (Head Prefect) to Victoria Junior College, Bachelor of Communication Studies with NTU. I’m quite sure with her credentials, she wouldn’t want to stay in the media industry too long. To me, she should be looking for more opportunities in the business world.

Jeanette Aw (欧萱) boasts equally impressive study records from Raffles Girls Primary to Cresent Girls Secondary, then Nanyang Junior College and NUS. However Jeanette is more of the artsy type. Unlike Joanne Peh, Jeanette’s degree was in Theatrical Studies, while she took part in dancing, swimming, band and other activities back in school.

So could it be that the publicly well-liked Joanne Peh is thinking of quiting the media scene? After all the efforts by Mediacorp to groom her up, it would be a waste to let her move on, especially since she’s gaining huge popularity even though far away from reaching her peak.

Like I said, Jeanette Aw gives the public an impression that she enjoys being in the limelight. So my guess is that Jeanette should be putting a strong foothold into the entertainment industry, rather than moving somewhere else. Besides, thats what her degree is in as well.

As of now, Jeanette and Joanne are probably the “hottest” starlets in Mediacorp. Starlets here meaning princesses. The queen titles are still held strongly by both Fann Wong and Zoe Tay. You may agrue that Rui En, Felicia Chin and some others are well-liked as well. But I’m sure many will agree that popularity wise, they lose out to the two. However with more emphasis being placed on our princess.

So like all entertainment industries, what better way to spout a new rivlary among the upcoming stars, than making use of the Star Awards? Fann is getting married to Christopher Lee soon, and he mentioned that they intend to start a family soon. The Zoe craze has already died down for quite a while now. So something new, fresh, and able to trigger excitement has to be put up.

Many have said that Jeanette Aw is a very arrogant person in real life. I’ve never seen her, so I don’t really know. But assuming she is, then I think she must be fuming inside when the winner was announced. Her face didn’t show any signs of anger though, I guess she was too shocked herself. Thinking that the award is already in the bag for her.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 2:01 pm and is filed under Celebs, Entertainment, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.