It looks like James Wan is assembling a pretty tough crowd for his Fast & Furious 7. In addition to the recently added MMA champion Rona Rousey, Thai actor and martial arts expert Tony Jaa is said to be in talks for a role. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Jaa would join Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson with many more franchise favorites expected to be confirmed in the days to come. Jaa is best known for his Ong Bak franchise, which currently stands at three films. He also has recurring franchise roles in theThe Bodyguard and The Protector series (both of which currently have two films each). Continuing from the cliffhanger tease at the end of Furious Six, Fast & Furious 7 is said to return the action to Los Angeles, although the production is eyeing an Atlanta shoot.
Samut Prakan politician Chonsawat Asavahame and American-born Thai actress and model Janie Tienphosuwan signed their marriage certificate on Thursday morning.
Mr Chonsawat, who is the son of fugitive former deputy interior minister Vatana Asavahame, and his new wife will live at his home in Samut Prakan province. The 45-year-old politician is the former husband of renowned Thai singer Nantida Kaewbuasai, now aged 53.
The newly married couple displayed their marriage documents to the press. It was signed at 9.09am.
"We've been dating for five months and our relationship has continued to grow," said the polititican.
Mr Chonsawat said he and Ms Nantida had not been living together for the past 10 years. However, they do have an 18-year-old daughter named Chontida Asavahame, who is a friend of Ms Janie, he said.
Nantida Kaewbuasai, left, and Chontida Asavahame
The Samut Prakan politician said he had been doing his best as a father even though he and Ms Nantida had separated a long time ago.
He said he had asked Ms Janie not to talk about their relationship up until now, because he had to sort things out with his former wife and daughter first.
"I like Ms Janie because she's cute and she's the person I can happily sleep with every night," Mr Chonsawat said.
Ms Janie said she wanted to apologise to the public for not speaking out about the relationship earlier.
"Other people may see Mr Chonsawat as a different person than I do. I think he is a warm, calm and discreet person, and we'll see how it goes," the 32-year-old superstar said. "I want to thank Chonsawat for everything he has done for me."
"I've talked with Ms Nantida but this is a family issue," Ms Janie added.
The couple showed their engagement rings to a crowd of reporters and a medical document confirming that Ms Janie was not pregnant, as media reports had suggested.
Ms Nantida and her daughter were unavailable for comment because they were taking a vacation in the United States, reports said.
Mr Chonsawat was born on Nov 19, 1968. He graduated from Bangkok University, where he earned a bachelor degree in business administration.
He is now the chairman of Samut Prakan Provincial Administrative Organisation.
In the past, he has reportedly dated many celebrities and models.
The Asavahame family owns 22 companies with a total registered capital of 1.70 billion baht and assets of 10.38 billion baht.
According to reports, Mr Chonsawat formalised the union with his superstar wife with a 7.8-carat diamond ring.
Mr Chonsawat's father Vatana is a politician who was sentenced to three years in jail alongside 10 others for their role in the Klong Dan waste water treatment project scandal. Mr Vatana fled the country and is believed to be living in Cambodia. He was widely regarded as the jao por of Samut Prakan
Ms Janie was born in Los Angeles on Sept 11, 1981. She made her soap opera debut in 1997, and has appeared in about 30 soap operas. She starred with Ms Nantida in one of the shows.
The actress has also appeared in many television advertisements and music videos.
Recently, Ms Janie won a Best Actress award at the Siam Dara 2013 for her role in the hit soap opera "Raeng Ngao".
In the television drama, Ms Janie played two of the lead characters, twin sisters. One of the siblings fell in love with a cheating husband who was also her boss, but later gave him up because of his crazed wife. The other sibling then took revenge for her sister in the fictional soap.
Ms Janie has also been reported to have dated many "hi-so" and well-known men in the past.
Thai netizens mostly posted negative comments about the "romance" between Mr Chonsawat and Ms Janie.
On Sanook.com, an internet user going by the alias A, wrote: "I used to like her, but why does she have to steal another woman's husband?"
A poster who went by the name Dor wrote: "The two just dated for five months. How’s it so easy?"
On Youtube.com, Kritpandit Ruaydee posted a message saying that a husband had been stolen from a wife without a (marriage) certificate, describing it as "wrong and painful".
Another commenter with the alias Non Thailand said: "There's much more to real life than soap operas."
A video of a "Raeng Ngao" parody theme song was uploaded to YouTube, mocking Mr Chonsawat and Ms Janie.
Ben Affleck will don Batman's cape and cowl, and fans aren't too thrilled by the news.
Warner Bros. announced Thursday that the 41-year-old actor-director will star as a new incarnation of the Dark Knight in a film bringing Batman and Superman together.
The studio said Affleck will star opposite 30-year-old Henry Cavill, who will reprise his role as Superman from "Man of Steel." The movie will also feature "Man of Steel" stars Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White and Diane Lane as Martha Kent.
The big-screen DC Comics superhero mash-up was first revealed by director Zack Snyder at last month's Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Snyder, who will direct the sequel written by "Man of Steel" screenwriter David S. Goyer, said in a statement that Affleck will provide an "interesting counter-balance" to Cavill's Clark Kent.
"(Affleck) has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne," said Snyder. "I can't wait to work with him."
The reaction from fans of the franchise, however, was less enthusiastic.
The term #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck was the top trending Twitter hash tag on Friday, with scores of users suggesting that just about anyone would have been a better pick for the role.
"Chumlee from Pawn Stars #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck," one user quipped.
Others suggested Damon Wayons, singer Pink, "the guy who played the Beaver on 'Leave it to Beaver,'" Peewee Herman and Russell Brand.
Some users were gentler in their crticism, suggesting that Affleck would be a better fit for the director's chair than the starring role.
"I thought we were in the 'Ben Affleck the awesome director' phase, not the 'I still want to be a movie star' phase," one user tweeted.
A petition quickly popped up on Change.org demanding Warner Bros. "Remove Ben Affleck as Batman/ Bruce Wayne." It had garnered nearly 2,000 signatures by early Friday morning.
Production on the as-yet-untitled film is expected to begin in 2014 for release July 17, 2015.
It won't be Affleck's first time in superhero garb. He played a blind Marvel crime fighter in 2003's "Daredevil" and portrayed 1950s Superman actor George Reeves in 2006's "Hollywoodland."
Affleck's "Argo," which he starred in and directed, won the Academy Award for best picture earlier this year.
Channel 7 says it will continue to broadcast the soap opera Fah Jarod Sai despite complaints by the Muslims for Peace Foundation that it misrepresents their religion and culture.
Bangkok Broadcasting and Television (BBTV), which operates Channel 7, said there was no intent to insult Islam or its followers.The soap opera or lakorn, directed by Siam Sungvaribudh, is broadcast on Channel 7 on Monday and Tuesday nights. It is a romance involving a mixed-race Thai girl named Michelle and Sharif, a royal officer in the fictional desert kingdom of Hinfara.Fah Jarod Sai, or "Where the Sky Meets the Sand", is adapted from a popular novel of the same name written by Sopak Suwan, who spent time living in the Middle East. Bangkok Post columnist Kong Rithdee said the TV adaptation was too "silly" to be taken seriously by anyone."Like a mirage or an opium dream, this is a romantic vision fuelled by risible, naive, dumb, Orientalist fantasy," he wrote. Palakorn Somsuwan, managing director of BBTV, said the company had conducted a review of the 12-episode series after studying the complaint from the Muslims for Peace Foundation.The broadcaster late on Friday issued a statement saying that the fictional events portrayed were produced for entertainment purposes and the production aimed to follow the original literary work. "At the beginning of the soap, there is a written message declaring the intent of the production is for entertainment," said Mr Palakorn.Channel 7 executives on Saturday met with the Office of the Sheikhul Islam of Thailand, or the Chularatchamontri, and agreed to adjust the scripts of the remaining eight episodes with assitance from the office. Mr Siam, who is also the managing director of Dara Video Co, which produced the series, thanked the foundation for its comments. However, he insisted that his main aim was to be faithful to the novel which was written more than 30 years ago.Before the production, he added, the company submitted the scripts of all 12 episodes translated into English to the Egyptian embassy and the Culture Ministry of Egypt for examination and comment.
