BANGKOK — It’s that time of the year again, when many Thais reflect upon the year’s most pressing issues, such as social injustice and environmental degradation. Yeah, no.
It was circus of celebrity – who slept with whom, who left whom and who just lost it – that filled Facebook feeds and a forest’s worth of newspaper pages.
And there’s no better way to recap it all than the entertainment reporter association’s annual tradition of bestowing nicknames upon them all.
10 Seksan ‘Sek Loso’ Sukpimai : “Facebook Live It All the Way to Therapy”
Everyone’s loved/hated erratic rock star returned to the list for a second consecutive year, this time for livestreaming his craziness in a whack series of videos that left the social media debating the age-old question: drugs or mental illness? Sek ended up in a mental hospital for a month. The latest we heard is that he’s made a good recovery – for now.
Fun fact: the nickname is a reference to a 2005 song by Sek, “Give It Your All, Go All the Way.”
9 Thanawat ‘Pope’ Wattanaputi : ‘Lord of the DM’
The protagonist of period smash hit soap “Love Destiny,” Thanawat played a muen – a nobleman equivalent to the British rank of esquire. Offscreen, he got a reputation as a player, accompanied or fed by the usual “leaked” images showing him chatting up multiple babes in direct messages on Instagram.
8 Peeranee ‘Matt’ Kongthai : “Love Mischief in Norway”
When a popular Norwegian-Thai actress was spotted with newly divorced superstar Songkran Tejanarong in Norway, she initially denied even knowing him. The claim didn’t stick long; Songkran soon admitted the two had been dating five months.
7 Sornram Theappitak: “Suddenly Dad”
The soap star triple-shocked his fans by not only abruptly announcing he broke up with singer Nicole Theriault, and not only announcing his engagement to his new stuntwoman girlfriend, Sornram went one further – she was already pregnant with his child.
6 Ranee ‘Bella’ Campen : ‘Thermometer-Breaking Dame’
As the lead actress in romance lakorn “Love Destiny,” Bella quickly became the hottest celeb out there, snagging various presenter deals with big names like 7-Eleven.
5 Davika ‘Mai’ Hoorne and Chantavit ‘Ter” Dhanasevi: ‘Funny Chimpanzee and Uncle’
The couple, known for their humor, call each other “Chimpanzee” and “Uncle,” references to a popular Japanese TV show known in Thailand as “The Funny Chimpanzee and Bulldog.”
4 BNK48 : ‘Fortune Cookie Conquers Ota Hearts’
Best known for their pop anthem “Fortune Cookie,” the girl group went from niche to mainstream this year, amassing a zealous horde of ota, short for die-hard otaku fans in their spiritual homeland of Japan.
3 Nadech Kugimiya and Urassaya ‘Yaya’ Sperbund : “Sweet NY”
This celebrity couple (N & Y) is known for diabetes-inducing, cloying social media posts, inspiring awws and ewws alike.
2 Chutima ‘Arm’ Sodapak : “The Broken Jar”
Formerly on Haithongkam (“Golden Jar”), Chutima ended up sued by her own label for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was eventually withdrawn, but not before a nasty war of words damaged their relationship beyond repair.
1 Pramote ‘Oat’ Pathan : “True Love Loses to Passion”
When news broke that his relationship with a longtime girlfriend was over, Pramote would only say it’s because he lost his “passion,” drawing mirth and ridicule from netizens.
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