23 Nov– The glittering event that pays homage to local artistes is back again as Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian (ABPBH) promises something different for its 26th outing. For the past 10 years, the event has been held at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands. This year, the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil will play host to ABPBH on 7 April 2013. "Putra Stadium is capable of accommodating more than 9,000 people. Moving to this venue also means that there is more room for fans to join us in celebrating this glorious event," said co-chairman of the ABPBH 2012 Organising Committee Shamsul Azree Samshir, who is also an entertainment writer for Berita Harian. As ABPBH is an award ceremony that is completely controlled by the voting of the fans, it is only logical that a larger location is chosen to give them the opportunity to join in and enjoy the highlights, added Shamsul. "The change of venue is also to honour long-time requests proposed by certain quarters for the annual event to be held in Kuala Lumpur," he said at a the ABPBH 2012 press conference held at the Holiday Villa Hotel & Suites, Subang recently.
Meanwhile, ABPBH 2012 will introduce an additional online category this year through their Facebook page. It will feature a total of six side categories which include 'Best On-screen Chemistry', 'Most Stylish Actor', 'Most Stylish Actress', 'Most Popular Local Animation Character', 'Most Influential Artist on Social Sites' and 'Evil Character in Film or TV', explained Shamsul. He also announced the list of shortlisted nominees that will compete across 15 categories at the event. The shortlist nomination forms will be issued through Berita Harian beginning Thursday, November 22 till December 26 for determining the top 5 finalists for each category. ABPBH will be held on 7 April 2013 at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil at 9pm.