LA's loss: Hugo just can't keep away from us
Musician-songwriter Chulachak "Hugo" Chakrabongse has announced that his upcoming album - from Jay Z's Roc Nation label - will be his last.
He’s been away from home for four years and misses Thailand too much. “I’m going to end my contract by next year, after I finish the album,” he tells ASTV Manager.
Hugo and Roc Nation had no problems. It’s just that Hugo believes it’s about time to get back to his roots, and he’s looking forward to having more time to spend with his wife “Hana” Tusdanawalai and their two sons. Asked if he and his wife are planning to have a baby girl to go with the brace of boys, Hugo said more offspring aren’t part of the outlook at all. “Actually I never planned to have any, but I do enjoy having kids,” he says.
His fans are delighted too that he plans to stage a concert here when he gets back. “I plan to play my whole new album for the Thai fans. I spent three years on this album. It’s almost done – only two songs waiting to be remixed.” The release is scheduled for December at the latest. After that, Hugo plans to work independently. “I’ll compose songs for Lullaby and Warner Brothers Thailand,” he says.
And what about getting back into acting? Nope, he says. He reckons he’s terrible at it. “My acting is too stiff – I think I’d better stop!”
--------------------------------------------------------------
Fowler swaps footie for film
Not so for former Liverpool football star Robbie Fowler. The man who’s been called “God Himself” might be scoring in the movies soon too. Well, fingers crossed, because his cinematic debut arrives on British screens on Thursday.
The gala premiere of “One Night in Istanbul” is taking place in (where else) Liverpool – despite the fact that Fowler occupies all of 20 seconds in it.
Fowler tells the Liverpool Echo that performing (even for 20 seconds) in front of a couple of dozen cast and crew was quite a different challenge from playing in front of 50,000 football fans.
He actually had a small role on TV once, playing himself in an episode of the series “Children’s Ward”. Could “One Night in Istanbul” be his springboard to big-screen glory? “It’s very, very minimal,” he says of his role, adding even more modestly that he doesn’t think he’s good enough for a movie career.
Nevertheless, “I really enjoyed filming. It was special to be part of it – anything to do with Liverpool and Istanbul.” The movie derives from Nicky Allt’s hit 2009 stage comedy about two pairs of dads and sons travelling to Turkey for the European Cup final between Liverpool and AC Milan. Various setbacks ensue. Interestingly, Fowler was also among the thousands of Reds fans at Ataturk Stadium that night.
Director James Marquand says he wanted to “bring out the heart and soul of the fans”. “They won the match. It was their collective will that turned the game around. They were the 12th man.”
It’s not yet clear whether the film will make it to Thailand, but we all remember going to see “Will”, a dramatic movie about that same match. Maybe someone will grab “One Night” for screening here since Fowler is no stranger in Thailand. He visited as the club’s ambassador and spent months playing for Muang Thong United in the Thai Premier League. He might have only 20 seconds on screen this time, but we’d love to see him again.
