Livestock keeping comedianThep deep in debt

 It’s only 5 or 6 million, he said with a straight face on the “Chow Doo Woody” TV show, and he certainly does not have a gambling problem.
We’re betting (pun intended) that the rumour evolved out of Thep’s decision to semi-retire from show business. He’s moved to his farmhouse on 20 rai in Baan Pong, Ratchaburi and he’s not doing any more stand-up gigs.
“I’ve done that for decades and now I only accept jobs on TV or in movies,” the 64-year-old said. He most recently appeared in “The Rocket” (“Bang Fai”), Australian director Kam Mordaunt’s award-winning movie, and will next be seen in “Si Riang Sien Tod” (“Four Kings”) from Sahamongkol Film.
But occasional film roles might not be enough to support his farm, Thep admits. “I have so many cows, buffalo, dogs, fish, ducks and chickens that it costs me over Bt100,000 a month!” he said. He’s already sold off the 50-rai bulk of the farm and next plans to unload his house in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, which could bring in Bt5 million, “so I have a better cash flow”, he explained.
Viewers yelped a collective “Yikes, this guy’s deep in trouble!” but there’s more. Thep wants to invest in a massage business in Laos, leading people to assume he wants out of showbiz for good.
His fellow comedians have expressed concern, with Ped Chernyim stepping forward to offer Thep some help. “I plan to talk to all senior friends including Der [Doksadao], Note Chernyim and Petthai ‘Mum Jokmok’ Wongkamlao to discuss how we could give him a helping hand.
“My only worry is whether Phi Thep would accept the help. He’s kind of very artistic and doesn’t like to bother with others. But then he is also very stressed out.”

You hear bells?
Considerably better news seeps into 2014 in the form of an announcement from actors Atichart “Aum” Chumnanont and Myria “Nat” Benedetti that they plan to get married around the middle of the year.
Aum tells Channel 3 it should happen no later than June. The wedding ceremony will be rather minimal, with only family and close friends invited, he predicts – but of course we haven’t heard from Nat yet, and she might well have an alternative perspective.
Asked whether they plan to have a child soon after, Aum says parenthood is indeed on the cards and they know that the first step is staying healthy. “Now I have more free time to exercise regularly and yes, I am very healthy now. But after our wedding, we’ll go through a full health check to prepare for that.”