3 hours. 207,193 calls. $2,720,120 raised for the disadvantaged elderly.

That was the main aim of the Silver Tribute Charity show, initiated by SMRT Corporation, in support of its Silver Tribute Fund.

The 3-hour “live” show, aired on MediaCorp’s Channel 8, saw stars band together to show support for 8 charitable organisations, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Association and Singapore Leprosy Relief Association Home, which care for the needs of more than 8,000 senior citizens.

The UrbanWire recaps the most memorable moments of the night.

#1 – The caricature that touched hearts – Jesseca Liu and Olivia Ong

Mdm Yeow Ah Mo was clearly impressed by a caricature of her, done by Malaysian artiste Jesseca Liu.

Singing and drawing may have no relation to each other, but on Jun 5, these 2 talents were put together for a pleasant surprise, when actress Jesseca Liu, who has recently quit from MediaCorp, and local songstress Olivia Ong took to the stage with Mdm Yeow Ah Mo.

The 77-year-old, who has no kith or kin, was rooted to a chair for 5 minutes, as Liu hurriedly pieced together a caricature of the lady, who spoke mainly Cantonese. At the same time, Ong belted a medley of evergreen hits by the late Teresa Teng, accompanied by a band. The final product? A finely-drawn work of art by the Langkawi-born Liu, that brought Mdm Yeow to tears.

#2 – Father & Son combo – Pornsak

It is not every day that you find a young person of Thai descent performing Teochew opera.

But MediaCorp host Pornsak Prajakwit did just that.

Accompanied by his father, the former radio DJ was decked out in traditional costume from head to toe – fake beard included.

As he sang along in his native dialect, the 90-year-old patriarch played the erhu, a traditional Chinese string instrument.

Speaking to The UrbanWire after the performance, Pornsak reminisced about how that very instrument played an integral part of his life.

Pornsak and his aged father went back to their cultural roots, with a Teochew opera performance.

“My father is an avid player of his erhu. In the morning, from 6 am, he would sit in the living room and practice with it. As the hours went by and it was time for me to wake up, the sounds would approach closer, finally encroaching into my realm of peaceful sleep,” he chuckled in Mandarin.

“Even at 2 am this very morning, he still insisted that we continue practicing for this show!”

True dedication indeed, for Pornsak’s aged father. We were curious, though. How did he think of his son’s debut opera performance?

“100 points!” he said in Teochew, giving the thumbs-up.

#3 – Disability is no barrier to success – Yang Guang

He’s known to have a knack for mimicking established singers like Wakin Chau, Jonathan Lee, Jackie Chan and Hong Kong entertainment stalwart Eric Tsang. Meet Yang Guang, the visually handicapped singer from China.

Yang lapped up the applause of the crowd as he imitated all of these artistes, after performing a piece entitled ‘My Sun’, with 8-year-old flautist Nikolai Song.

But the 32-year-old winner of talent show Star Boulevard had a life that was less than sunny. After losing his grandparents and father on successive trips to the Chinese capital of Beijing, Yang’s only kin is his mother. During his 10-minute appearance, he paid tribute to her, with an original song. His heart-wrenching rendition of the song included lyrics like “When you grow old, I want to see the sunset with you.”

Imparting values of filial piety, the blind tenor drew rapturous applause from the crowd in the auditorium.

#4 – Getting all egg-cited

Everyone loves sitting on a sofa, even jumping on it if your Tom Cruise, but try doing both on one made entirely out of eggs.

That was the challenge Adam Chen, Dasmond Koh, Pan Lingling, Pierre Png and Patricia Mok faced.

The quintet managed to pull off their act successfully, without breaking a single egg.

However, this wasn’t the initial lineup of artistes. Acting veterans Hong Huifang and Xiang Yun were supposed to go on the show. However, injuries sustained during rehearsals saw the duo pull out.

Veteran actresses Xiang Yun (left) and Hong Huifang were injured to the extent that they were unable to participate.

10-time Star Awards winner Xiang Yun lamented, “This is what happens when we grow older.” She suffered from severe muscular strain around her neck while trying to lift her male co-stars in a challenging segment of the act.

50-year-old Hong probably had it worse. She rolled up a portion of her dress to reveal her swollen knee and later told The UrbanWire that she dislocated her shoulder thrice during rehearsals.

#5 – Determination to stand and sing – Chen Mei-guang

Local singer and actress Chen Meiguang, a hit with the Mandarin and Hokkien-speaking communities in the 1950s, took to the stage. This time, the singer, who is in her 80s, was wheelchair-bound and looking frail.

Despite that, she voluntarily stood up for a rendition of her classic “Flower”, bringing tears to the eyes of audience members, for behind her hunched frame was a hale and hearty voice willing to sing for fellow senior citizens.

For that, she duly deserved a standing ovation from the crowd.

Catch a repeat telecast of the show on Jun 12, over Channel 8, from 3pm to 3.30pm.

To donate to the 8 beneficiaries until that day, you can call

1900-112-1305 For $5 donation

1900-112-1315 For $15 donation

1900-112-1350 For $50 donation

1900-112-1380 For $80 donation

Additional reporting by Avelyn Ng. Photo credits go to SMRT Corporation and Tan DingXiang.