Natalie might get dragged back to Sek

When last we heard from scandal-plagued rock star Seksai “Sek Loso” Sukpimai, his marriage was sailing off the cliff and he’d also been abandoned by another lovely lady in his life, would-be recording collaborator Natalie Glebova, the former Miss Universe who’s made Thailand her home.
But that last part’s just not true, Sek insists. Contrary to Natalie’s firm announcement to the press that she’s done with Sek and his mess of a life, he claims they’re still going to shoot a music video for “Way Back into Love”, the song they recorded at his home studio. The Russian-born Canadian had been adamant there would be no video, let along a guest appearance at his big concert next month. Oh, yes there will be a video, the Thai counters, waving a signed contract.
“Our sponsor wanted to postpone the video shoot, so we haven’t started it, but that will certainly resume soon,” he says. “We work like adults.”
Ouch! Did he really mean to imply that Natalie’s being juvenile by trying to get out of range of this loose cannon? Well, our deadline is about to expire, but we’re sitting by the phone and on full alert for social-media updates. Ring! “Oh, hi Nat!”

Apasra’s magic no secret

Meanwhile there’s another former Miss Universe in the news – Apasra Hongsakula, who was the first Thai to win that title. That was more than three decades ago, but here’s the thing: She looks stupendous in a photo of her that’s just appeared online. She certainly doesn’t look 67, but more like 37.
It’s not the scheming of Photoshop and it’s not, insists her manager, the result of any sort of anti-ageing regimen.
Seeing Apasra in the picture looking as though it was taken within years of her 1965 coronation, social-media prowlers swiftly reached the consensus that she’d undergone surgery or some other radical treatment. A rumour sprang up that the baby face had cost her Bt2.5 million, mainly for stem-cell gunk.
Yet Channel 3 got her manager on its morning news on Tuesday and the rumour was unequivocally dismissed. All Apasra did for the photo was straighten her naturally wavy hair, he said. Bingo – youth restored. He did admit that a digital portrait-enhancement app helped.
Finally the spicy newspaper Thai Rath cornered Apasra. “All I do is go to my spa,” she maintained, referring to the Apasra Beauty Slimming Spa. “I love getting a massage so I always get my staff to give me one – it makes me happy!”
Other than that, she said, she exercises regularly, eats healthy food and practises positive thinking (doesn’t slouch, smoke, gamble or dance the hoochie-koo, etc, etc). Okay, okay, all we need is a new hairdo and a photo filter.
Funny about that “Bt2.5 million” figure that was making the rounds, though. No one knows where it originated, and yet it immediately made the gossip seem plausible. Something for the spin doctors to keep in mind – whether they’re spinning the years forward or backward.