Camera Café is Asian TV's Best Comedy show

The Philippines won one award and four Highly Commended recognitions in the 13th Asian TV Awards held last December 11 in Singapore. Camera Café was chosen Best Comedy Program. This show is produced by Euro-Asia Media Group Ltd. and is being shown on GMA and QTV. GMA's gag show Bubble Gang was Highly Commended (or runner-up) in the same category, along with Thailand's Raberd Thurd Theung. Bubble Gang's Ogie Alcasid was Highly Commended in the Best Comedy Actor category, which was won by Chusak Lamsuk of Raberd Thurd Theung. QTV's Reunions, hosted by Jessica Soho, was Highly Commended as Best Reality Program, which was won by South Korea's Nature's Platform: Deserted Dogs for Evacuated Village. GMA Network Inc. was Highly Commended for Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year. The award went to MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd. The Kapuso Network won this category in 2004. The Philippines actually had eight nominations in this year's Asian TV Awards, excluding the Terrestrial Broadcaster of The Year, which is announced during the awards night itself. The other finalists from the Philippines this year are the following: Lovely Day (Best Children's Program), All Star K! The One Million Videoke Challenge (Best Game or Quiz Program), Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus (Best Adaptation of an Existing Format), and Michael V for Bubble Gang (Best Comedy Performance by An Actor). Here is the complete list of winners in the 13th Asian TV Awards: Best Documentary Program (30 mins or less) Winner: China 21 - The People's Dumplings (Discovery Asia, Inc./China) Highly Commended: The Lost Tribe Secret Array of the CIA (Al Jazeera English/Malaysia) and Spirit of the Times - Chinese Contemporary Art: Heroism or Confusion (Singapore) Best Documentary Program (31 mins or more) Winner: Big Wall Challenge (NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp./Japan) Highly Commended: A Bride, Her Last Message - A 24-Year-Old Who Battled Breast Cancer (Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc./Japan) and Brat Camp China (National Geographic Channel Asia/Singapore) Best Natural History or Wildlife Program or Docu-drama Winner: Kingdom of the Elephants (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) Highly Recommended: Soul of a River - Cambodia (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) Soul of a River - China (Discovery Asia, Inc./China) Best News Program Winner: CNN Today (CNN International/Hong Kong) Highly Commended: News at Seven: Magnitude-8 Sichuan Earthquake (I-Cable News Limited/Hong Kong) and News at Seven: Quake Relief Day Four (I-Cable News Limited/Hong Kong) Best Single News Story/Report Winner: Sichuan Earthquake: Landslide (Now TV/China) Highly Commended: China Quake: Wedding (CNN International/Hong Kong) and China Quake Orphan by Kyung Lah (CNN International/Hong Kong) Best Drama Series Winner: Galileo (Fuji Television Network, Inc./Japan) Highly Commended: Rookies (Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc./Japan) and Lee San, Wind of the Palace (Munwha Broadcasting Corporation/Korea) Best Single Drama or Telemovie Program Winner: Singapore Short Story Project: The Other (MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore) Highly Commended: Sorapuchi (Hokkaido television Broadcasting Co., Ltd./Japan) and Manam Series 2 - Episode 7 (MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/ Singapore) Best Comedy Program Winner: Camera Café (Euro-Asia Media Group Ltd/Philippines) Highly Commended: Bubble Gang (GMA Network, Inc./Philippines) and Raberd Thurd Theung (Workpoint Entertainment Public Company Limited/Thailand) Best Current Affairs Program Winner: Inside Myanmar - The Crackdown (Al Jazeera English/Malaysia) Highly Commended: The Lost Tribe - Secret Array of the CIA (Al Jazeera English/Malaysia) and People and Power- Coal Face (Al Jazeera English/Malaysia) Best Children's Program Winner: R.E.M.- The Next Generation (MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd- TV12/Singapore) Highly Commended: Gali Gali Sim Sim Episode 3: Chamki Karate (Miditech Pvt Ltd/India) and Blue Water High (Southern Star International/Australia) Best Entertainment (One-off/Annual) Winner: Wedding Affair Grand Finals (MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore) Highly Commended: POGO Amazing Kids Awards (Turner Entertainment/Hong Kong) Best Entertainment Program Winner: Happy Citadel (Hunan TV/China) Highly Commended: Celebrity Coach (Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation/China) Best Game or Quiz Program Winner: Lharn Phoo Koo E-Joo (Workpoint Entertainment Public Company Limited/Thailand) Highly Commended: Foodie 2 Shoes #13 (Television Broadcasts Limited/Hong Kong), Fan Pan Tae (Workpoint Entertainment Public Company Limited/Thailand), and Yok Siam (Workpoint Entertainment Public Company Limited/Thailand) Best Music Program Winner: Kinkakuji Sound Stage (Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc./Japan) Highly Commended: AF6 Finale (Astro Production Sdn Bhd/Malaysia) and Vidiya Vidiya Kondaduvom (Astro Production Sdn Bhd/Malaysia) Best Reality Program Winner: Nature's Platform- Deserted Dogs for Evacuated Village (SBS- Seoul Broadcasting System/Korea) Highly Recommended: Reunions (GMA Network Inc./QTV/Philippines) Best Infotainment Program Winner: All Things Paper (Channel NewsAsia, MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore) Highly Commended: Lead Me On (MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore) and Tales of Four Cities (Channel NewsAsia, MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore) Best Talk Show Winner: Talk Asia (CNN International/Hong Kong) Highly Commended: Love Just Aint's Enough (China Business Network Co.,Ltd TV/China) and State of the Nation (ibn 18 Broadcast Limited/India) Best Animation Winner: Dogstar Episode 16- Hounded (Media World Pictures/Australia) Highly Commended: Ostrich (Miditech Ptv Ltd/India) and Hoshi Shinichi's Short Shorts (NHK- Japan Broadcasting Corp./Japan) Best Social Awareness Program Winner: Robot Jockey (National Geographic Channel Asia/Singapore) Highly Commended: China 21- Green Wall of China (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) and Moving Mountains: Computer School on a Wheelchair (Beijing Key Frame Cultural Development Co., Ltd./China) Best Adaptation of an Existing Formats Winner: The Amazing Race Season 2 - Episode 11 (SPE Networks Asia Pte Ltd./Singapore) Highly Commended: Skatoony (Turner Entertainment Networks Asia/Hong Kong). Best News Presenter or Anchor Winner: Martin Soong (Squawk Box - CNBC Asia Pacific/Singapore) Highly Commended: Kristie Lu Stout (CNN Today -CNN International/Hong Kong) and Hugh Riminton (CNN Today - CNN International/Hong Kong) Best Current Affairs Presenter Winner: Christine Tan (Managing Asia - CNBC Asia Pacific/Singapore) Highly Commended: Vikram Chandra (The Big Fight - New Delhi Television Ltd/India), Anjali Rao (Talk Asia - CNN International/Hong Kong), and Karan Thapar (Devil's Advocate - ibn 18 Broadcasts Limited/India) Best Entertainment Presenter Winner: Guo Liang (Lead Me On -MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore) Highly Commended: Quan Yi Fong (Buzzing Cashier - MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore), Aznil Haji Nawawi (Jangan Lupa Lirik - Astro Production Sdn BhdMalaysia), and Phanya Nirunkul (Black Box - Workpoint Entertainment Public Company Limited/Thailand) Best Drama Performance by an Actor Winner: Raymond Lam (The Master of Tai Chi - Television Broadcasts Limited/Hong Kong) Highly Commended: Lim Kay Tong (En Bloc - MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore and Patrick Teoh (En Bloc - MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd/Singapore) Best Drama Performance by an Actress Winner: Chiranan Manochaem (The Slave - Bangkok Broadcasting & TC Co., Ltd.,/Thailand) Highly Commended: Pan Li-Li (Astemisia - Public Television Service Foundation/Taiwan) and Piyathida Woramusik (The Slave - Bangkok Broadcasting & TV Co., Ltd./Thailand). Best Comedy Performance by an Actor/Actress Winner: Chusak Iamsuk (Raberd Thurd Theung - Workpoint Entertainment Public Company Limited/Thailand) Highly Commended: Ogie Alcasid (Bubble Gang - GMA Network Inc./Philippines) and Michelle Chong (Sayang Sayang - MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd./Singapore) Best Cinematography Winner: Kingdom of the Elephants (Discovery Asia Inc./Singapore) Highly Commended: Revealed Hajj (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) and Soul of a River - China (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore. Best Direction Winner: Kingdom of the Elephants (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) Highly Commended: China 21- Go Buddha Boys (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) and Portraits of Taiwan- Jimmy Liao (Discovery Asia Inc./Singapore). Best Editing Winner: Ultimate Olympics - Go Beijing (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) Highly Commended: Take Off - The A380 Saga (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) and Man Made Marvel - Beijing Airport (Discovery Asia, Inc./Singapore) Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year Winner: MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd (Singapore) Highly Commended: GMA Network Inc. (Philippines) Cable/Satellite Network of the Year Winner: Discovery Asia Highly Commended: CNN International - Philippine Entertainment Portal