James will be fine if he can stick to lip-synching

The only dullness in the sheen is that James is still lagging far behind the country’s top singing talents.

Launched to the heights of fame by “Suphapburut Juthathep” two years ago, pretty-faced James could basically name his ticket, and his manager, Charnchalard “Pik” Dhaweesap, soon had him earning them both millions. He didn’t neglect the need to boost his boy’s talents further either, shipping James off to Cube Entertainment, the Korean pop-star factory, to become a better dancer and singer.

But when Channel 3 recently hosted a one-off concert to promote “Nueng Nai Suang”, James was way off tune in his duet with guest performer Ranee “Bella” Campen. She was too, but arguably he dragged her there. Leeway must also be allowed for the concert’s morning slot. Even established singers need time to wake their voices up.

Some of the fans weren’t so forgiving, given the high ticket price, and Pik – even though he had nothing to do with organising the show – stood accused of roasting his own golden goose. He does provoke misunderstanding, however. His remarks to the press afterward were misinterpreted as indicating he’ll never again put James on a concert stage.

So Pik then had to clarify that he never said any such thing and insisted that James is talented enough in every way to carry a full stage show. “We’ll find the right time to do it again, because James loves music, and doing concerts is a good way for him to learn from the pros.” Nor is there any suggestion that James will avoid the mini-concerts presented just for the fans.

A typical boss, Pik says James isn’t going to getting any vacation time. He’s “too young” to take a long rest, he says, and he needs to stay in the public eye. Plus, he enjoys working! 

Yes, of course, everyone does.

 

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Double kick for Sarah

Half-British actress Sarah Malakul Lane is back in Bangkok after a seven-year sojourn in Los Angeles pursuing career possibilities. Now she’s particularly proud to be appearing in “Kickboxer: Vengeance”, a film that’s partially shot in Thailand.

“I was hired as a Hollywood actress!” she beamed at a press conference on Wednesday to promote the movie.

Sarah explained the huge difference. She was cast in LA and flown to Thailand a week ago to start shooting, the producers insisting that she stay at a hotel rather than her home.

“Kickboxer: Vengeance”, of course, features Belgian martial artist Jean Claude Van Damme, who has decided he can make an even better “Kickboxer” than the 1989 made-in-Thailand action classic, in which he also starred.

More big news: Sarah got engaged to American actor-director Jared Cohn last December. They’d planned to marry soon after, but postponed the nuptials to next December (or maybe next year), when their work schedules are more open. He has three more movies in the works and she has another one after “Kickboxer”.

Shunning the current trend among celebrities to have a slew of wedding celebrations in different places, Sarah wants a single, simple ceremony in one spot – but she hasn’t said where. Their families live on opposite sides of the world, hers in Thailand, his in New York, and of course their home is elsewhere again, in Los Angeles.