Surachai, 60, ready for his second childhood

SINGER-ACTOR Surachai “Add” Sombatcharoen, who’s 60, shocked everyone just before Valentine’s Day with the announcement that he was about to have plastic surgery.
In this day and age, when you can get a nip-and-tuck in about the same time it takes to make a caramel macchiato, that’s no big deal, of course. But Add said he was going to get a nip, a tuck, a hairline pull and a hair implant, plus sundry liposuction work. The surgery ended up taking nearly nine hours.
He said he wanted to turn back the clock so he’d look 20 years old again. “I have no confidence – I look so old!” the smooth-voiced luk thung crooner told our sister newspaper, Kom Chad Luek, just before going under the knife. “I hope to look younger so I can feel good about myself and get more work in show business,” he declared, not beating about the bush.
Add’s daughter Kamolchanok was by his side after the operation and says he kept asking, “Am I handsome now?” “He was worried he wouldn’t look too good and the media would make fun of him.”
We won’t get a chance to see him for at least two weeks, but once the sutures heal and the hair implant takes root, we can start making fun of him. That is, of course, unless he comes out looking like George Clooney, in which case we’ll want the surgeon’s name and number.
But Kamolchanok says the effort does seem to have been a success. “So far it’s very satisfactory. Even with bruises and scars, Dad looks much younger and wrinkle-free. Now my mum’s worried that she’ll look like a grandma next to him!”

Feathers but no tethers on Bird
Superstar Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre is certainly in no need of improving his looks, even at age 57. He’s probably one the few men of that age in Thailand who youngsters still called pi (big brother) rather than loong (ancient uncle). And he’s as busy as ever, too. He’s just shot a TV commercial for a coffee brand that was supposed to have put Bt100 million in his bank account.
“Are you crazy?” he objects strenuously when asked to confirm the figure by Siam Dara. “I never get paid that much!” Though unwilling to reveal the true amount, Bird says it was “very fulfilling work”.
There’s no word yet when we’ll see the ad, but of course Bird’s got a pair of big shows lined up for Impact Arena on February 27 and 28, his “Ruam Wong Thongchai Concert”.
“We’ve been rehearsing very hard, even during the commercial shoot, because everything has to be perfect for the fans,” he says. “I’ve been wearing a headset every free moment to help me prepare and I’m 120 per cent ready. I could put on the show right now!”
And then there’s the possibility that Bird might get back to acting, as he hinted late last year, mentioning a sensational drama series. “I’ve been thinking about that seriously,” he reaffirms. “I’m waiting for the right time and the right role to come along, but you’ll definitely see me in an exciting role this year.”