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| Mark |
Organisers of the Academy Fantasia talent quest are refusing to act after contestant No11 - Withawat "Mark" Thaokhamlue - criticised Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in a spirited message posted on his Facebook page.
AF franchise owner True Visions said the show avoids politics, and Mark, a secondary student in Chiang Mai, made the remarks before he entered the show.
Viewers, who vote by text message for contestants they want to support, would decide if he should stay at AF House, said executive producer Attaphon "Boy" Na Bangxang.
So far, the controversy has done him no harm. Mark is way ahead of the other 11 contestants, polling at least seven percentage points ahead of his nearest rival.
"Sunk before he has a chance to gain fame - Mark shows his true colours as a red shirt," trumpeted the Manager/ASTV newspaper, when news of his Facebook remarks came to light.
Mark, who was overseas at the time of the red shirt riots in April and May, said if Mr Abhisit had resigned as the red shirts demanded, they would not have set fire to Bangkok.
"You can resign now! Stupid Abhisit. If Abhisit resigned, it would have ended. Would the red shirts have protested to this extent?" said his message.
"If it had been me, I would have quit a long time ago. What now, it's all burnt. What are you going to do about it?
"You are probably scared you will be left without a job. You're not as rich as [former prime minister] Thaksin Shinawatra. You're scared of dying. Scared to leave the country without money," Mark said in his Facebook message.
The show's executive producer Boy said viewers should decide Mark's fate, not True.
"If he made such comments while on the show, we would have reason to act, as the contestants are forbidden from referring to third parties or discussing politics.
Apart from that, however, we should let the viewers decide," he said.
"One of the great things about being Thai is that we tolerate a diversity of views."
The pro-yellow shirt Manager/ASTV paper, however, was unamused. "True doesn't care" it claimed in another headline.
Interviewed by the media, Mark's father John said his son was on a student exchange in the US at the time of the riots.
"I don't think you can assume he is a red shirt. He was just describing it as he saw it. From that distance, it seemed to him at the time that the trouble could have been averted if the prime minister had resigned," he said.
Mark was a typical plain-spoken teen who called things as he saw them. His message about the prime minister - whose nickname is also Mark - was couched in the unlovely language of koo and meung because Mark was writing for an audience of his peers.
However, Mark was also conscientious and hard-working, scoring a grade point average of four in his studies.
His son also cared about the poor.
"He wants to be a cosmetic surgeon when he grows up, as he believes cosmetic surgery should not be the privilege of the wealthy alone. I hope this fuss over his Facebook comments does not persuade him to be a politician instead," he said. -
2.
Actor Supamorn "Andrew" Cronin, battling drug charges in court, wants to go back to work before the outcome of his case is known.
A decision on his case is months away, and Andrew is asking entertainment industry bosses to show him mercy in the meantime.
Andrew last week appeared before the Criminal Court, which postponed the next hearing in the case until March 17-18 next year.
The Thai/English actor denies drug charges laid by Bang Khen police, who allegedly found the actor with methamphetamines at an inner-city apartment on March 5.
Since his drug arrest, Andrew, who is out on bail, has withdrawn from a TV soap opera in which he was appearing. However, with no immediate end to the case in sight, Andrew now wants to return to work.
"The court set the first witness examination hearing for March, which is months away," he said outside the court.
"I feel good. My friends and fans give me encouragement. At first, I admit, I felt dreadful, but things look better now. I spend time in my own company, and am able to reflect.
"The case has had a big impact on me, it is true, although I am still hired to make appearances in the provinces.
"I lost the show I was acting in, and many other projects, and would like to know if I still have the right to expect acting assignments.
"I am asking industry bosses for the chance to go back to work," he said. -
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| Andrew |
A decision on his case is months away, and Andrew is asking entertainment industry bosses to show him mercy in the meantime.
Andrew last week appeared before the Criminal Court, which postponed the next hearing in the case until March 17-18 next year.
The Thai/English actor denies drug charges laid by Bang Khen police, who allegedly found the actor with methamphetamines at an inner-city apartment on March 5.
Since his drug arrest, Andrew, who is out on bail, has withdrawn from a TV soap opera in which he was appearing. However, with no immediate end to the case in sight, Andrew now wants to return to work.
"The court set the first witness examination hearing for March, which is months away," he said outside the court.
"I feel good. My friends and fans give me encouragement. At first, I admit, I felt dreadful, but things look better now. I spend time in my own company, and am able to reflect.
"The case has had a big impact on me, it is true, although I am still hired to make appearances in the provinces.
"I lost the show I was acting in, and many other projects, and would like to know if I still have the right to expect acting assignments.
"I am asking industry bosses for the chance to go back to work," he said. -
3.
Channel 3 presenter Peerapol "Champ" Euariyakul insists conflicting work schedules are behind his break-up with his co-presenter girlfriend, and is downplaying an unpleasant three-page email he wrote to her mother.
Champ and co-presenter Aiwarin "Charm" Raya Osathanond have called off their relationship, only weeks after declaring they were an item.
Work commitments, and a contrasting philosophy of life, contributed to the break-up, Champ told fans on his Facebook page.
Earlier, reports emerged that Champ did not want Charm working on TV soaps. Other reports claimed that after they parted ways, Champ sent a plain-spoken email to Charm's mother.
"I admit sending the email, but it did not contain swearing or anything else unpleasant," insisted Champ.
"Private matters should not be aired in the public domain, or there will be no end to them. The email was about how Charm and I might make the relationship work," he said.
Earlier, Charm told reporters that Champ's commitments to cover the World Cup, and her own work on a soap opera, had kept the pair apart.
Asked about the email, Charm said her mother had forbidden her to release it, as she did not want to hurt Champ. She wants to send only kindness, she said.
"My mother says there are many more people in this life who like her than do not like her," she said. "I have warned all the men in my life that my family will always come first," Charm said.
She declined to say whether she and Champ are still friends. "It should be clear how I feel by now," she said.
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| Charm, Champ |
Champ and co-presenter Aiwarin "Charm" Raya Osathanond have called off their relationship, only weeks after declaring they were an item.
Work commitments, and a contrasting philosophy of life, contributed to the break-up, Champ told fans on his Facebook page.
Earlier, reports emerged that Champ did not want Charm working on TV soaps. Other reports claimed that after they parted ways, Champ sent a plain-spoken email to Charm's mother.
"I admit sending the email, but it did not contain swearing or anything else unpleasant," insisted Champ.
"Private matters should not be aired in the public domain, or there will be no end to them. The email was about how Charm and I might make the relationship work," he said.
Earlier, Charm told reporters that Champ's commitments to cover the World Cup, and her own work on a soap opera, had kept the pair apart.
Asked about the email, Charm said her mother had forbidden her to release it, as she did not want to hurt Champ. She wants to send only kindness, she said.
"My mother says there are many more people in this life who like her than do not like her," she said. "I have warned all the men in my life that my family will always come first," Charm said.
She declined to say whether she and Champ are still friends. "It should be clear how I feel by now," she said.
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