ZOE TAY. Her DICHOTOMY between the GLAM PUSS + ANGEL personas. The QUEEN still REIGNS!

Beautiful women?

Let's check this one out.

ZOE TAY from SINGAPORE.

Our team is trying to find the appropriate superlatives:

She is a

Woman of style.

Beautifully clad,

Attractively staid.

Fashion icon.

Understated actress.

She's one soulful contradiction

MAKING HER STATEMENT .....

Roll on, buddy.

ZOE TAY IS STILL SINGAPORE'S TOPMOST GLAM PUSS.

Queen of Caldecott Hill SINGAPORE.

She has been, FOR MORE THAN ONE DECADE.

Passe, you said?

We beg to differ.

She basked in the limelight during her hey days as a top fashion model - long before she metamorphosized her transition into a stunning actress.

We dare say that there's not one female artiste in MediaCorp Singapore that can photograph as well as ZOE TAY does.

She crosses diverse roles on print, from the sublime to the sultry, the alluring housewife to the vixen.

She's the ANGEL. She's the DEMON.

There's this X-factor in her all her pictures, go ask any glitterati and paparazzi.

ZOE shines. Non-plussed at best.

Maybe only Miss FANN WONG comes close

But that's another story.

We adored ZOE years ago.

And we still have the hoots for her NOW.

She is one actress that has withstood the test of time.

She's still sparkling at 40, gloriously attractive all these years,

Some of her once-upon-a-time tarty fans have switched camps,

And may be unkind with their snide remarks about her.

But no matter -

To each his own and spite is adherent in most things we do,

Just like this song A CERTAIN SMILE -

We'll still go on carrying this torch for her.

A certain smile, a certain face
Can lead an unsuspecting heart
On a merry chase
A fleeting glance can say
So many lovely things
Suddenly you know why my heart sings

You love awhile and when love goes
You try to hide the tears inside
With a cheerful pose

But in the hush of night
Exactly like a bitter sweet refrain
Comes that certain smile
To haunt your heart again

ZOE TAY, the Glam Puss Dichotomy revisited and personified once more.

THIS QUEEN STILL REIGNS DESPITE CHALLENGERS FROM A STEADY STREAM OF SUCCESSORS-IN-WAITING.

There are simply, too many copy-cats,

Talking about FASHIONISTAS -

Our team researched into myriad of pictures of ASIAN BEAUTIES and am captivated by the perennial elegance and allure of:

In HONG KONG, BRIGETTE LIN CHING HSIA, LILY HO and JENNY HU reign supreme, past and present.

In SINGAPORE, our unanimous votes go to ZOE TAY, JACELYN TAY and PHYLLIS QUEK.

In THAILAND? PENPAK SIRIKUL and SINJAI PLENPANICH.

In the PHILIPPINES we are wowed by HEART EVANGELISTA and ANNE CURTIS.

These are BRANDS, not mere products, irreplaceable and will endear and glow- as long as the aura of glimmer still shimmers.

Kudos.

ACTRESSES I LOVE TO WORK WITH. Hitting 40, but still so BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS and TALENTED.

These are divas and fashionistas, hitting 40 and still look stunningly beautiful.

They are Thailand's SINJAI PLENGPANICH and Singapore's ZOE TAY, two of Asia's most talented actresses.

Some die-hards may differ in opinions, but being in the same industry, I'll vouch for them any time, man.

Bow out, armchair critics, it's easier to gripe than compliment.

Did your wife, girl friend or sister look this good when they were 40?

If so, I salute them.

But please have a sense of proportion.

Be fair.

As actresses, they may be deemed as "public properties", but hey... give praise when it's due.

In life, for all and sundry, a sincere compliment is always a morale booster.

A pat on our backs feels just great...

A stab....ouch!!

We all need love and encouragement. There's no need to build "walls" to protect ourselves.

Or should we?

SINJAI PLENGPANICH (THAILAND)

She is 43, with beauty, brain and a body to match.

She is a much revered artiste of the big screen, stage and soap operas.

She is also happily married to CHATCHAI PLENGPANICH, a famous Thai actor and has 3 children who adore her.

Because in Thailand, artistes are treated with adoration and professional respect, she has a blessed career that she immensely enjoyed.

Her latest film was LOVE OF SIAM, where she played the challenging role of a distraught mother-in-distress battling emotional "demons" brought about by a defiant gay son and an alcoholic husband.

For this difficult role, she finally bagged home the BEST ACTRESS accolade simultaneouly from 2 Thai film festivals as a glorious tribute to her accomplished acting career.

ZOE TAY (SINGAPORE)

This woman is friendly, professional and unpretentious. Having worked with her once, I should know.

She is Singapore's best known and most beautiful actress, joyously married to a RSAF pilot and blessed with 2 children.

She's really cool at 40, and she's still every inch the gorgeous belle.

Just check out the fashion spreads of her in bikini. Then ask any hot blooded male.

Yet fans in Singapore, unlike Thailand, are sometimes known to be selfish and "retarded" when it comes to according their homegrown artistes the professional respect they deserve. They are quick to criticize.

They should take a cue from Thailand.

Many derided ZOE with snide remarks when, as the spokeswoman for the IMEDEEN ad campaign, she was quoted as saying "My Secret to Beautiful Skin? I swallow."

The ad copy was intended to be naughty and provocative, but had never meant to upset a portion of the conservative market in squeaky clean Singapore.

Or was it just pure spite from a fickle audience who was ready to switch camp to another rising star?

Yet this advertisement created a "storm in a tea cup" and became the butt of sexist jokes from gossip mongers.

But ZOE TAY remains the undisputable queen from Singapore's Tinseltown for the past ten over years.

She's one established long lasting brand, chic and sophistication personified.

THESE ARE STARS that I hope to collaborate with in the near future with an appropriate script.

How about one on mid life crisis and marital angst, a la SEX AND THE CITY genre?

Can you remember the 1983 hit song I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ME sung by CHARLENE on women's rights?

Catch these lyrics:

HEY LADY,

YOU LADY,

CURSING AT YOUR LIFE,

YOU ARE A DISCONTENTED MOTHER

AND A REGIMENTED WIFE,

I'VE NO DOUBT YOU

DREAM ABOUT THE THINGS YOU'LL NEVER DO

BUT I WISH SOMEONE HAD TALKED TO ME

LIKE I WANNA TALK TO YOU.

It's a haunting and beautiful song, isn't it?

Now let's check out the script ......