STIFFENING RESOLVE, MISSED BIRTHDAY OPPORTUNITY

       Two presenters of a saucy late-night TV show are bickering over the right way to refer to the male member in public, in a growing row which started over herbal erection gels.
       Piyamas "Boo" Monayakul has warned co-presenter Jutharat "Mor Oiy" Athakorn to watch her words, after bad publicity concerning an erection gel that she promotes started hurting her own sex-aid earnings.Both co-hosts have a hand in the lucrative herbal supplements industry.
       Mor Oiy has fallen foul of the law for endorsing an illegal sexual performance gel, which Boo says is having an impact on her own business.
       Boo runs a health and cosmetics company which sells the Return Brother erection gel. She said sales have plummeted since drug authorities declared last week that a rival erection gel promoted by Mor Oiy is actually fake.
       Mor Oiy promotes the Max Andro for Men erection gel for a Bangkok company which was raided by drugs authorities.
       On Sept 18, the Food and Drug Administration raided Property Technology Ltd and Facial and Body Essentials Ltd in the Chatuchak area.Two men were arrested, and 500,000 baht worth of goods seized.
       The suspects have been charged with distributing and selling a fake gel, and displaying a bogus label.FDA's deputy secretary-general,Narangsan Peerakij, said he would call in the gel promoter, Mor Oiy, to warn her to be more careful.
       Her television co-host Boo says Thais are now confusing the two gels, and that as a result, sales of her product, Return Brother - which she says has drug agency approval - have suffered.
       Boo and her business partner in Return2Beauty Ltd, Anan "Uan"Semathong, went before the media holding a tube of Return Brother,and a prosthetic penis.
       "In comments on the drug raid,Mor Oiy mentioned the words,'little brother' to refer to the penis.
       "Our product goes by a similar name, and Thais are now linking the two. Our income has plunged,"said Boo, who struggled to hold back tears.
       "Thais are asking whether Return Brother is fake, and whether a herbal coffee we have launched is actually a sexual enhancement drug in disguise," she complained.
       The coffee is aimed at older men,but is not a sex drug, she insists.
       "We have worked together for more than a year, and are still friends.But her slip of the tongue has cost us dearly," said Boo.
       Boo and Mor Oiy present the Sexy Night show on H Plus Channel, part of Asia Television, where ads for Mor Oiy's gel were also aired.
       In response, Mor Oiy said everyone knows that "little brother"(nong chai in Thai) is a veiled reference to the male member. She would keep using it, as there are few better alternatives.
       "It's just a misunderstanding,"she said, referring to Boo's warning.
       Known for her daring magazine shoots, Mor Oiy posed virtually naked in July for the Thai edition of Penthouse magazine.
       "I graduated in nursing, and have examined men's penises for years.The company selling the gel naturally thought of me when it wanted a star to promote it," said Mor Oiy.
       However, she denies complicity in any attempt to hoodwink the public."I'm a woman - how would I know if it actually works?"
       The model and presenter insists she took proper precautions before agreeing to promote the product."The owner told me it had FDA certification, and showed me the documents," she insisted."I also asked the guys on my television crew.They assured me it did the trick."
       As for the drug agency warning,Mor Oiy said she suspects the FDA is merely trying to drum up publicity for itself."I might have to sue. I act as promoter for many products, and this could damage my credibility."
       Many happy returns?
       Woe betide a man who forgets his former girlfriend's birthday, says playboy model/DJ Pakorn "Dome"Lum, still smarting after his exgirlfriend accused him of having no heart when he failed to send her best wishes on her big day.
       Actress Cherman "Ploy"Boonyasak is unhappy Dome forgot her birthday last Tuesday, and has told everybody how she feels.
       He did not send her a text message to mark the event, which showed he was selfish and mean, she told reporters. They were also supposed to make merit at a temple, but he did not contact her.
       Asked about her remarks, Dome insisted he did not forget, but chose to let Ploy's birthday pass - just as Ploy had chosen to say nothing on his birthday, which fell just three days before.
       "I am getting sick of this nonsense," said Dome, fuming at journalists.
       "If I was to say that my own birthday fell three days before, and that Ploy let it pass unremarked,what would you say? It would become a bone of contention between us.
       "I am now seeing someone else.If I had sent Ploy a birthday message,then you'd start asking howmy new friend felt. I can't win," he said.
       Two stars who have fallen out should set an example to the young,and avoid skirmishing in public, he said.
       "We have to be able to look each other in the face, even though we are no longer an item."
       Ploy and Dome were hailed by the media as a fairy-tale couple.Dome said that despite the exchange over the forgotten birthday, they are still good friends, and are hired to turn up as a couple at industry events.
       Sticks and stones
       Model Sura "Nicky the Stick"Theerakol has hurt himself in a motorcycle accident, but says his vital parts are still in working order.
       "My right elbow is shattered, and I cut my nose, but my nine inches are still intact," said Nicky, referring to the "stick" that gives him his nickname.
       "I checked with a male nurse,and he said it's fine."
       He was speaking from Piyawet Hospital, where Nicky is recovering after his motorcycle overturned in the Ratchayothin Road area early last Tuesday.
       Nicky was heading to the market when the front tyre of his bike burst.
       "I came off the bike, which charged on ahead of me. I was spun about,and felt my arm strike the footpath.Then I hit a tree face-on.
       "At that moment I thought I would probably not be able to pose nude again, but it turned out to be not so bad," he joked.
       "I didn't faint, which is a pity, as it might have dulled the pain," he said."The first person I called, as I propped myself up on the footpath,was a woman friend, as I needed care and attention."
       Also known as the "Godfather of Nude" for his revealing photo spreads, Nicky underwent a threehour operation on his elbow, and will wear a cast on his arm for six weeks.
       Mirror, mirror on the wall
       Grammy singer Pichaya "Golf"Nitipaisalkul has severed a tendon in his hand. After he was bandaged up, mum hastened him off to a temple to make merit.
       Golf, of the singing duo Golf and Mike, was practising his dance moves in front of a mirror when he whacked it with his right hand, severing a tendon.
       The doctor says he will have to wear a plaster cast for a month, but his mum is worried it might herald a spell of further bad luck.
       "This is the most serious injury Golf has suffered," said Mrs Prasai."Last time he tore a tendon, this time he has severed it. Who knows what will happen next, so I took him to a temple in Sing Buri to make merit.
       "I can't remember the name of the place, but we made a donation for a new Buddha statue, so hopefully that will alleviate any bad luck which follows. I also told him to visit his fortune teller, to see what he has to say," said Mrs Prasai.