Listen to our news commentary podcasts on the go every week. Podcasts have become part of the global media landscape these days. The audio-on-demand format allows many listeners to often do other chores or hobbies, while hearing the shows in the background over headphones or bluetooth speakers Almost every weekday, check out our discussions on Singapore current affairs and social issues, geopolitics through an Asian lens, health, climate change, personal finance and career. Follow our shows on y...
Jun 19, 2025•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1
How a variety talk show with one of the oddest hosting pairings became one of the most successful in the Chinese language entertainment scene. Synopsis: How Did We Get Here is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, which will take a look in each episode about a celebrity, a band or the cast of a movie or film that made an impact on Asian entertainment and how they got to where they are now. If you follow Chinese-language entertainment, there is a good chance you have heard of the v...
May 23, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 2
It is one of the most famous Chinese period dramas ever, but where are the members of its main cast now? Synopsis: How Did We Get Here is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, where host Jan Lee will deep dive into a celebrity, a band or the cast of a movie or film that made an impact on Asian entertainment and how they got to where they are now. There is a good argument to be made that the most famous Chinese drama ever aired is the Qing dynasty period royal romance My Fair Princ...
Apr 26, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. PopVultures host Jan Lee explains her transition from the previous year-long Can I Tell You Something Crazy series about pop culture zeitgeist moments to a new scripted series in 2024 along the lines of Where Are They Now. For once-famous Asian or global celebrities you might like to know more of but just don’t know where to start, DM Jan Lee your suggestions on Instag...
Mar 23, 2024•4 min•Season 1Ep. 84
One of our guests also shows us the brilliance of her lyrics by reading them out to us. What are your faves? Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. American superstar Taylor Swift has dominated pop culture with her mega-successful Eras Tour, her historic fourth Grammy win for Album of the Year in 2024 and her fairytale-like romance with American football star Travis Kelce. And she will soon be bringing her ...
Feb 23, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 83
The actor was found dead in an apparent suicide after a two-months long high-profile investigation into his alleged misuse of drugs. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. The year of 2023 ended on a shocking and tragic note for the South Korean entertainment industry when actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for playing a wealthy patriarch in the Oscar-winning film Parasite (2019), died of an apparent suicide at...
Jan 12, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Revisiting the legacy of a 1990s Singaporean icon Synopsis: Can I Tell You Something Crazy is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, which examines with fresh eyes, events that shook Asian media and entertainment. In 1990, Singaporean model Bonny Hicks, just 22 at the time, published her first book Excuse Me, Are You A Model? The book was meant to be a tell-all about the modelling industry. How does one become a model, what are the perks of the job and are there any secrets to succ...
Dec 22, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Host Jan Lee recaps everything from Barbieheimer to K-pop boyband BTS entering the military Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. As 2023 comes to an end, #PopVultures host recap and give updates on some of the biggest happenings in entertainment across the world, from the revenge concert-going and ticket-buying mania that gripped Singapore to the writers and actors strike in Hollywood and the fall of idol...
Dec 08, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Part Two: The horror of how Britney Spears came to be placed under a 13-year-long involuntary conservatorship. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. Pop diva Britney Spears' memoir has been a smash hit, selling over 2.4 million copies worldwide in the first week of its release. In our previous episode (Pt 1), host Jan Lee discussed the bombshells the now 41-year-old singer dropped in the first part of her ...
Nov 23, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Part One of the bombshells the pop star dropped in her best-selling book. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. After being freed from a 13-year long conservatorship, pop diva Britney Spears released her highly anticipated memoir The Woman In Me on Oct 24. The book is a smash hit and a New York Times best-seller, with 2.4 million copies sold worldwide in just a week. Previously unknown bombshells - like ho...
Nov 09, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Three Swifties discuss the pop star’s romance, music and how she has changed and matured Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. #PopVultures host and recent Swiftie convert Jan Lee invites The Straits Times lifestyle journalists Yamini Chinnuswamy and Charmaine Lim, both fellow Swifties, to talk about superstar Taylor Swift’s new relationship with American football player Travis Kelce. They discuss the mast...
Oct 27, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 78
How they "mass-reported" to Chinese authorities, a fan fiction about him and fellow actor Wang Yibo. Synopsis: Can I Tell You Something Crazy is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, which examines with fresh eyes, events that shook Asian media and entertainment. In 2019, Chinese actor Xiao Zhan was easily one of the hottest stars in China. The previously little-known star had broken out that year in China and across the world with the mega-hit Chinese fantasy period series The Un...
Oct 13, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Each follow on the audio apps below and a rating really helps us! Happy listening! Synopsis: A brand new feature is within The Straits Times app, which you can download from the Apple app store or the Google Play store. For those of you who already have it, the latest version update now has a dedicated Podcast Section, where you can listen to our latest incoming show episodes and check out back episodes too. You can also choose to follow our podcast RSS feeds, or the shows on Apple Podcasts and ...
Oct 09, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Find out why netizens back their agency instead in an ongoing dispute. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. If you are on TikTok, you might have a heard a viral song that goes like this: "I'm feelin' lonely/Oh, I wish I'd find a lover that could hold me." Those are the lyrics to Cupid, one of 2023's biggest songs, sung by rookie K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty. Cupid is a record-breaking hit. Not only did it...
Sep 08, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 77
It can be traced back to his daughter's lifelong fixation with the Hong Kong movie star. Synopsis: Can I Tell You Something Crazy is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, which examines with fresh eyes, events that shook Asian media and entertainment. In March 2007, Hong Kong movie star Andy Lau attended a joyous event organised by Andy World Club, his official fan club. There, he played games, chatted with fans and took photos - including one with Yang Lijuan, a Chinese fan who h...
Aug 25, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This marks the first time since 1960, that both labour unions representing writers and actors, are on strike together. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. Despite the double summer blockbuster of Barbieheimer - which brought in the fourth largest weekend box office of all time - Hollywood is currently at a standstill. Amid deteriorating working conditions and salaries that have failed to keep pace with r...
Jul 28, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Explore the emergence of an unprecedented #MeToo movement in the Taiwanese entertainment industry. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. The Taiwanese entertainment industry has been rocked by an unprecedented #MeToo wave, where sexual assault and harassment allegations have been levelled at several prominent celebrities, including hosts Mickey Huang and Blackie Chen as well as boy band Fahrenheit member A...
Jul 14, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Revisit the watershed 40-month legal dispute between SM Entertainment and former TVXQ members, that has seen a repeat attempt by three EXO members recently. Synopsis: Can I Tell You Something Crazy is a new scripted series every month under the #PopVultures banner, which examines with fresh eyes, events that shook Asian media and entertainment. In 2009, the five-man K-pop boy band TVXQ were on top of the world. Their fourth album Mirotic was the best-selling album of 2008 in South Korea, with ov...
Jun 30, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Allegations about the prominent Japanese talent agency first date back to the 1980s. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. #PopVultures host Jan Lee examines the major sexual abuse scandal surrounding J-pop boy band agency Johnny & Associates, known for producing groups such as Arashi and Smap as well as the younger, million-seller groups like Snow Man and SixTones. Former idol trainees at the 60-year-...
May 26, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 75
The series of events unfolded after the late Hong Kong superstar retired from the music scene in 1992. Synopsis: Can I Tell You Something Crazy is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, which examines with fresh eyes, events that shook Asian media and entertainment. In 1992, Anita Mui was only 29, but she had made up her mind to retire from music. The late Hong Kong superstar, known for songs like Bad Girl (1985) and The Song Of Sunset (1989), bid farewell to her singing career wit...
May 11, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Why is an awards show reimagined to be a 'concert' this year? Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. The annual Star Awards event in Singapore has come and gone yet again. Mediacorp's annual glitzy awards show for its Chinese language content and performers wrapped up on April 9. #PopVultures host Jan Lee covered the show and gives her opinions on what went down. From the show's K-pop inspired opening to a ...
Apr 14, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 74
April 1, 2023 is the 20th anniversary of the Asian pop icon's death. Synopsis: Can I Tell You Something Crazy is a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, which examines with fresh eyes, events that shook Asian media and entertainment. On April 1, 2003, the world was shocked by the loss of one of the most beloved, enduring and seductive stars to ever grace screens. Singer and actor Leslie Cheung died by suicide at the age of 46, leaping to his death from the 24th floor of the Mandarin...
Mar 31, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 3
How celebrities in this genre are marketed and their relationship with LGBTQ audiences. Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. PopVultures host Jan Lee examines the unique pop culture genre of Thai boys' love dramas in this region and how they are marketed. She also looks at the term 'queer baiting' - what it actually means and how the term has been mistranslated and misused. Thai actor Mew Suppasit Jongche...
Mar 03, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 73
The shocking sex scandal that forced him actor and pop star Edison Chen of Hong Kong's film industry. Synopsis: Host Jan Lee takes a look at how the saga unfolded in a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, titled Can I Tell You Something Crazy. Actor and pop star Edison Chen was at one time one of the hottest, most promising young celebrities in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. But a shocking sex scandal forced him out of the city's film industry. Now, 15 years after the scanda...
Feb 10, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 2
It has been exactly 15 years since the scandal first broke on Jan 27, 2008. Get a cuppa, sit back and let us transport you back in pop culture history. Synopsis: Host Jan Lee takes a look at how the saga unfolded in a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, titled Can I Tell You Something Crazy. Actor and pop star Edison Chen was at one time one of the hottest, most promising young celebrities in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. But a shocking sex scandal forced him out of the ci...
Jan 27, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. After a three-month hiatus, #PopVultures host Jan Lee teases what she has been working on and gives her first reactions to some of the more thrilling revelations coming out of Prince Harry's autobiography - the brilliantly titled Spare. Highlights (tap/click above): 0:48 An update on #PopVultures. 06:20 A brief recap on what Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have...
Jan 13, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. In this very special crossover episode of #PopVultures and Green Pulse, hosts Jan Lee and Audrey Tan discuss celebrities and the climate. Hollywood personalities like Kylie Jenner recently found herself the subject of much criticism after she posted a picture of herself with her partner Travis Scott standing between two private jets with the caption: "You wanna take mi...
Oct 28, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. Is Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne dead? Are One Direction members Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in a secret relationship? Has Chinese actor Zhang Zhehan been replaced by a body double? In this #PopVultures episode, tumble down host Jan Lee's favourite pop culture rabbit hole - bizarre fandom conspiracy theories. Highlights (tap/click above): 3:25 Examining pop cult...
Sep 30, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. #PopVultures host Jan Lee goes all in on the Adam Levine cheating scandal. The frontman of pop band Maroon 5 found himself raked over the coals on the Internet, after an Instagram model named Sumner Stroh went on TikTok and claimed she had an affair with Levine. The bombshell allegation came just four days after Levine’s wife, former Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prin...
Sep 23, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene. In this episode of #PopVultures, Jan Lee talks about the most popular K-drama of late -Extraordinary Attorney Woo - and the well-received local Channel 8 series Your World In Mine. Both shows feature protagonists who are neurodivergent. Extraordinary Attorney Woo, fronted by actress Park Eun-bin, tells the tale of a rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum while Your World...
Sep 02, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 68
