Entertainment
Stay updated with the latest happenings in Thailand and globally by visiting our Entertainment section. Catering to diverse interests, this news page offers a wide variety of topics, ranging from celebrity gossip and film reviews to updates on music festivals and cultural events. Keep yourself informed and entertained with our engaging local and international content in one convenient location.
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Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailandās healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isnāt as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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“One For the Road” film is Thailand’s 25th Oscar attempt
Thailand is hoping that next year will be the year when the country finally brings home an Oscar. The kingdom has previously entered 24 films for consideration in the Best International Film category but has yet to have a single movie accepted. One for The Road is hoping to break that losing streak and be the first Thai film nominated…
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Hot tip – Don’t pay hot tips!
To tip or not tip is becoming a hot issue among Thailandās restaurant goers and waiting staff. For foreigners, tipping can be problematic in this part of Asia with expectations ranging from Chinese-style (no tips ever, anywhere, for anything) to Filipino (tips with everything). No matter what your situation is though, according to the law, 10% is enough. On Tuesday,…
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The tax returns don’t lie – Shakira prepares for court battle in Barcelona
Pop star Shakira is to stand trial in a Spanish court accused of defrauding tax collectors out of 14.5 million euros (536 million baht) between 2012 and 2014. The singer, whose real name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, said she didnāt move to Spain until 2015. A court in Barcelona charged the megastar with tax crimes but no date has…
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Controversial British street artist Banksy in Bangkok
An art exhibition by the controversial British street artist Banksy is coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Bangkok next month. Under the banner of The Art of Banksy: Without Limits, the exhibit will display over 150 works by the anarchic graffiti artist on October 26 until the end of the year. The exhibit will showcase a number…
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Love Destiny a box office holiday smash in Thailand
The cinema proved to be a popular destination over the four-day holiday weekend in Thailand with Love Destiny proving to be a box office smash. The movie, a spin-off from the 2018 TV series of the same name, registered record takings at the box office for a Thai movie in over two years, raking in almost US$5 million (about 178…
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Lalisa causes a rush on roti sai mai after Instagram post
Lalisa Lisa Manoban of K-Pop supergroup Blackpink has been a trendsetter lately after her debut solo video broke YouTube records gathering 50 million views in 12 hours. She has been named one of the top 20 most admired women in the world and caused a snack shopping frenzy when she mentioned in an interview that she loved the meatball vendors…
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Popular Thai movies you need to watch at least once
Have you had enough of watching Hollywood movies or indie films? Yes? Then maybe it’s time to change your moviegoing habit and check out the best Thai films on offer. The selection just keeps growing and improving. Choosing which one to watch can be difficult. But let The Thaiger help you out with a few popular Thai movies that will have…
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5 Thai LGBTQ+ movies to watch during Pride Month 2022
June is International Pride Month in Thailand and it is celebrated in a variety of ways. While some of the LGBTQ+ community like to get out and celebrate their sexuality ostentatiously waving rainbow flags around the streets of the metropolis, others prefer to stay at home and relax. But whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert The Thaiger has compiled…
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Netflix’s Q1 losses spark crackdown on shared accounts, impending ads
Netflix is facing the threat of stagnation, after losing subscribers for the first time in more than a decade. Stock prices drove about 35% on Wednesday, eliminating US$50 billion in market cap. The news comes after the Netflix reported a loss of just 0.1% of its overall user base, or some 200,000 people yesterday morning. The company’s stock had already…
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BTS score their second win as ‘Global Recording Artist of the Year’ from International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
Superstar K-pop band BTS have won the The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s 2021 Global Recording Artist of the Year award, again. Itās the second year in a row for the seven-member group. BTS again received the award based on their worldwide performance across digital and physical music formats over the past 12 months. Around the world, BTS were…
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Movie Guide: Top Thai films to watch on Netflix 2022
There are countless movies to watch at home, whether itās on one of the many streaming services, that dusty DVD collection you have laying around, or even your favourite pirating site (not recommended). But what about Thai films? When it comes to local Thai entertainment, choosing a movie to watch after work, on a date or on vacation can be…
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UPDATE: Spotify removes over 100 old Joe Rogan Experience episodes
Streaming service Spotify has now removed 113 episodes of the highly popular Joe Rogan Experience from its platform. It follows an apology from Joe Rogan, for using racial slurs on his podcasts and comes just 2 weeks after another controversy regarding criticism of apparently misleading Covid-19 guests and conversations. The Instagram apology isn’t directly related to the mounting criticism over some…
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Streaming services rake in more than 815 million baht, emerge as new cash cow for Thai entertainment industry
The Department of International Trade Promotion announced on Tuesday that international streaming services like VIU, iQiyi, WeTV, and Netflix, alongside the Thai film industry, have earned Thailand more than 815 million baht. The news comes after the DITP held a meeting with members from international streaming providers and 15 Thai content creators to improve their relationship on January 27. This…
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Spotify vs Neil Young: Spotify win round one, facts come second
Spotify have started to respond and offer commentary to the swirling debate over comedian Joe Roganās podcasts on their platform. Firstly it was musician Neil Young, then Joni Mitchell, who said they were taking their music off Spotify in protest to misinformation spread about Covid-19 by the Joe Rogan Experience. Now theyāre being joined by other podcasters and musicians complaining…
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BTS Covid scare – RM, Jin and Suga test positive
Even the world’s Number 1 band isn’t immune from Covid. South Korea’s BTS, the 7-member K-Pop supergroup, have announced that 3 of their members have tested positive for Covid 19. Big Hit Music have revealed that, RM and Jin tested positive for Covid just 1 day after fellow member Suga was also diagnosed with a positive test. All members received…
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Thai K-Pop Star Lisa in top 20 most admired women worldwide
After a record-breaking YouTube debut, there is no denying that K-pop supergroup Blackpink member Lalisa Lisa Manobal commands clout, influence and admiration. Now YouGov has added the Thailand native Lisa to their list of the most admired women in the world after an international survey placed her at number 17. Her influence is undeniable in Thailand – when she said…
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Thailand’s creative industry to grow by over 3% next year
Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency says the creative industry is expected to grow by 1.51 trillion baht in 2022, which is about 3.55%. The CEA says the growth demonstrates Thailand’s soft power and international cultural influence. But, some experts say more can be done to increase its growth, as Thailand has long been know for its exceptional tourism, cuisine, traditional medicine,…
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Thailand planning countdown event with Lalisa, Andrea Bocelli
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is aiming to nab celebrity opera singer Andrea Bocelli and Thai-born K-Pop superstar Lalisa for a New Year’s Eve celebration after Thailand’s reopening. The plan is still pending but after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced a November 1 reopening, the TAT aims to put Thailand front and centre in global tourism interest again in part with…
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Prayut to propose to CCSA to reopen theatres, allow filmmaking
Fans of the silver screen may have some good news coming soon, as Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has agreed to pass on a proposal from the Creative Industry and Artist Network to reopen theatres and to allow filmmaking to proceed again. The prime minister met with representatives of the network which acts as a lobbying force on behalf of…
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Blackpink’s Lisa causes sales frenzy for Buri Ram meatballs
After the legendary K-Pop group Blackpink’s Thai-native member Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban gave an interview where she said that if she travelled from Korea to her hometown of Buri Ram the first thing she would eat is the local grilled and deep-fried meatballs, the province has been experiencing a rush on fans buying the traditional meat snack. People have been ordering…
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Entertainment and nightlife reps submit petition for aid, reopening
At 10 o’clock this morning a rally of owners, staff, musicians and entertainment sector workers gathered at the House of Representatives to submit a petition for support after long-term Covid-19 closures or permission to reopen August 1. Dozens of representatives from the entertainment industry took part in the demonstration after 3 continuous months of shuttered businesses due to the pandemic…
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Nightlife, restaurants suggest opening in defiance of restrictions
After a year and a half of closures and lockdowns and restrictions and regulations that often start and even end with the nightlife and entertainment industry, some bar and restaurant owners are sick of it and growing defiant. Citing the lack of government assistance and the sporadic and last-minute closure decisions that through livelihoods into chaos, some owners are urging…
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121 arrested in raid of “restaurant” clubs violating Covid-19 rules
A raid around Pattaya at the earliest hours of this morning brought over a hundred arrests for violating Covid-19 measures, drinking, gathering, and smoking shisha. The raid of 2 venues that attempted to skirt the national bar and club closure laws by operating as an alleged restaurant took place between midnight and 2 am. The so-called restaurants had been operating…
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Elephant that broke into Hua Hin kitchen now in memes and ads
Andy Warhol said, “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” But in today’s world, you haven’t arrived until you’ve become a meme. The elephant that broke the wall into a Hua Hin home’s kitchen on Sunday to snack may have gotten a taste of fame (and a taste of rice too, reportedly) when its video went viral…
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BTS smash YouTube records with their new song “Butter” and are courted by Rock royalty
On Thursday the internet-of-music went into a minor churn when the band Queen’s Twitter account commented about the forthcoming BTS release of ‘Butter’, the South Korean band’s second full-English track. “Are you ready, hey are you ready for this? Another One Bites The Dust.” Was Queen doing a collaboration with the 21st century’s biggest music act? A quick listen to…
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‘One Night In Bangkok’, an unlikely hit about a bygone era in Thailand
“One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain’t free” When ‘One Night In Bangkok’ was released in 1984 it was an unlikely hit. It was the opening song from a (at the time) little-known stage pop-opera called ‘Chess’. The song made Number 1 in South Africa, West Germany, Switzerland and Australia,…
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Sex toys popular in Thailand despite conservative laws
While Thailand is a conservative country with conservative laws, the underground sex trade and sex toy economy is a thriving not-so-well-kept secret. Thailand is famous for its LGBTQ acceptance and red-light districts, but many don’t realise that most drugs, gambling, soliciting for prostitution, sex toys, and even vaping are against Thai law. The customs department confiscated more than 4000 sex…
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Is this the next big change in pop music? The winners of the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award, BTS
https://youtu.be/bFmUwmQZ30A 2020 IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award. In the past 8 years the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award has been given to Ed Sheeran, Adele, One Direction, and Taylor Swift and Drake. BTS are backed up by ARMY, their huge fanbase. The power of ARMY. The IFPI represents the recorded music industry worldwide. Itās…
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Lights, camera, Covid – Tourism Ministry wants film crews to come to Thailand now
Without much luck with their ‘cunning ideas’ to draw back a few of the remaining world’s travellers, Thailand’s tourism officials are turning to the film industry to attract some people and investment. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is aiming to generate around 3 billion baht from foreign film crews and is targeting film projects with an investment over 100 million baht.…
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Dawn Wells, “Mary Ann” from Glligan’s Island, dies at 82
Dawn Wells, one of the castaways in Gilligan’s Island, playing Mary Ann, has died in Los Angeles from Covid-19 complications. She was 82 years old. Her career lasted a lot longer than the fateful trip of the SS Minnow… the three hour tour! Dawn was born in Reno, Nevada, and started a career in Hollywood where she appeared in TV shows…
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