Pop Stop, Friday, Nov 23, 2007, Page 14

Pop Stop

Compiled By Ho Yi
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Nov 23, 2007, Page 14

Veteran actor Chang Kuo-chu went from being a winner to a loser in one fell swoop. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CTV

The most embarrassing moment in the Golden Bell Awards' (金鐘獎) 42-year history came to light on Monday when the jury panel confessed that a top honor, the Best Supporting Actor accolade, was awarded to the wrong person at the ceremony on Saturday. The real winner was Hong Kong-based Chang Chia-nien (張嘉年), also known as Tai Pao (太保), not veteran actor Chang Kuo-chu (張國柱).

Jury committee convener Wang Chang-an (王長安) explained that the two nominees' similar-sounding names confused the awards ceremony presenter, which is the same as saying, "Oops, we handed the envelope to the wrong person."

What showbiz pundits are wondering is how badly the jury members squirmed on the night of the awards ceremony, which was televised live.

An anonymous source, quoted in the Chinese-language press, claims jury members were called back for an emergency meeting during the ceremony. Official statements indicate the jury assembled on Sunday to formulate a damage-control policy and came up with a solution that was supposed to make everyone happy: the award goes to both Changs.

Gracefully accepting the trophy that didn't actually belong to him, Chang Kuo-chu couldn't help but voice his discontent by saying to the local press: "Rather than a celebration party, I'll just treat everyone to a bowl of Udon noodles [Udon is written as 烏龍 in Chinese, a term that means 'daft mistake']."

(Veteran actor Chang Kuo-chu, Nominated for Best Supporting Actor for THE HOSPITAL)

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