By Tan Kee Yun

YOU know you've hit the big time when folks scramble to capture pictures of what you've left behind on your dining table.

At the inaugural StarHub TVB Awards gala held at Ritz-Carlton Millenia on Friday, it wasn't hard to see that 30-year-old Raymond Lam outshone his fellow Hong Kong television stars hands down, in terms of popularity here.

After the event, female supporters of the handsome, tanned actor-singer busied themselves by scrutinising and snapping away at his dessert plate - apparently, he had taken only tiny morsels of his cake and wine glass.

Raymond, looking dapper in an equestrian-inspired outfit, did not disappoint his fans.

He emerged one of the biggest winners of the night when he took home the much coveted My Favourite TVB Male Star award.

The honest, filial character he played in family drama Moonlight Resonance also stole the hearts of many, winning him Favourite Male Character of 2009.

The awards, jointly organised by StarHub and Hong Kong's top broadcaster TVB, was attended by more than 500 guests.

Fans' votes counted for a hefty 70 per cent of the final results with the remaining 30 per cent decided by Singapore media.

The StarHub TVB Awards will be shown over VV Drama (StarHub Ch 55) on 14 Feb at 7.45pm.

Besides Raymond, several top Hong Kong stars such as Charmaine Sheh, Nancy Sit, Moses Chan, Fala Chen and Sonija Kwok also attended the event, delighting the audience with song renditions and candid, heartfelt acceptance speeches.

Charmaine, 34, who impressed viewers with her portrayal of a tough cookie cop in 2008's Forensic Heroes II, beat veterans such as Liza Wang and Susanna Kwan to bag My Favourite TVB Female Star.

"When I first started out in this industry, I couldn't really act. Thankfully, TVB didn't give up on me," she said.

Lucky

"I know I'm hardworking, but diligence alone is often not enough to get you far.

"Luck is important too, and I'm very lucky to have received wonderful scripts over the last few years."

Echoing her sentiments was Raymond, who, in his speech, agreed with Charmaine that "actors are a passive lot".

"Most of the time, we're waiting for that one good role that would help to elevate our performances," said the Xiamen-born star, who was recently also awarded Asia Pacific's Most Popular Male Artiste at TVB's annual music event Jade Solid Gold Awards.

He thanked "all the seniors who had given him advice and guidance along the way".

"I literally grew up at TVB, it's my first job," he said, with a chuckle.

Veteran actress and evergreen singer Nancy Sit, 59, was overwhelmed with emotion when she went onstage to receive her accolade.

She won My All-Time Favourite TVB Female Character, for her role as Leung Yun Ho (more affectionately known as Auntie Ho) in the long-running TVB series A Kindred Spirit, which helped Nancy through "the darkest moments" in her life.

Back then, her marriage had fallen apart and she had sunk into depression.

"I was feeling very, very low. Then A Kindred Spirit came along," she recalled, as she clutched her trophy tightly.

"It turned my life around and brought me back on my feet.

"More importantly, the warmth of the cast made me feel at home."

While award ceremonies are when stars come dressed in their most glamorous, simplicity was the running theme of the night.

Standing out among the men was 38-year-old actor Moses Chan, who appeared visibly gaunt after shedding more than 10kg for an upcoming role.

Wearing a hat to match his all-black get-up, he led the ensemble cast of Moonlight Resonance on stage to receive the award for My Favourite TVB Drama Series 2009.

Gorgeous Fala Chen showed off her long slender legs, while Sonija Kwok cut a sexy, alluring figure in her blue cleavage-baring dress.

The Winners

My Favourite TVB Male Star

Raymond Lam

My Favourite TVB Female Star

Charmaine Sheh

My Favourite TVB Variety Show 2009

Be My Guest

My All-Time Favourite TVB Male Character

Roger Kwok

My All-Time Favourite TVB Female Character

Nancy Sit

My All-Time Favourite TVB Drama Series:

War And Beauty

My Favourite TVB Male Characters 2009:

Roger Kwok, Wayne Lai, Steven Ma, Raymond Lam, Moses Chan

My Favourite TVB Female Characters 2009:

Charmaine Sheh, Sonija Kwok, Fala Chen,

keeyunt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.

Photos: ST, TNP
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