Reconciliation works for TV
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It was a historic moment this week when chat television's arch rivals Vitawat "VT" Soonthornwinet and Panya "Ta" Nirankul shared the same stage on the VT's "Tee Sib" show on Channel 3, along the lines of Yellow Sondhi and Red Jatuporn sharing a bottle of
Vitawat invited Panya onto his show because the latter’s “Ching Roi Ching Larn” is moving to Channel 3, complete with Panya’s long-time co-host Mayura Sawetdila and the comedy troupe led by Petthai “Mum Jokmok” Wongkamlao.
So there’s no more vying for the same viewers on Tuesday nights. “Tee Sib” exists because Channel 3 dared not broadcast news in that time slot, knowing everyone would switch to “Ching Roi” on Channel 7.
Ta said he was quite relieved his show would no longer compete directly with “Tee Sib”. “It makes my life more comfortable,” he beamed.
The newly friendly casts admitted they always watched each other’s shows, although comedian Teng Chernyim said he only made sure “Tee Sib” was on at home because he didn’t want his wife hearing the jokes about “minor wives” on “Ching Roi”.
Hugo gets fat
Oscar’s power to boost box-office earnings is evidenced again by “Hugo”, which United International Pictures brought to Thailand just before the Academy Awards. The movie has thus far taken in Bt2 million, which is pretty good considering that director Martin Scorsese only allows it to be shown in 3D, so the number of available screens is limited and the seats cost more.
“But the story is always the major ingredient in a film’s success,” says a UIP spokesperson. “Some Oscar winners like ‘No Country for Old Men’ just weren’t popular with Thais.” “Hugo” has that big appeal here, though.
Regardless, the real winner this year seems to be Siam Square’s Apex chain, which is showing best film “The Artist” and “The Descendants” and “Midnight in Paris”, both awarded for their screenplays, and House on RCA, which has the best foreign picture “A Separation”. Of course it helps that the price for seeing them is just Bt100.
