
The Straits Times Podcasts S1E49: Naomi Osaka and celebrities' media dilemma: #PopVultures Ep 49
#PopVultures Ep 49: Naomi Osaka and celebrities' media dilemma
37:42 mins
Synopsis: The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene.
This week, the #PopVultures Jan Lee and Yeo Sam Jo talk about A-list tennis player Naomi Osaka and her declining to speak to the media and attend press conferences during the French Open, citing mental health concerns, which set off a firestorm of reactions. She was fined for refusing her press obligations and eventually pulled out of the competition.
She is hardly the only star to have had media woes - celebrities in both Hollywood and Asia have had contentious relationships with the press. From fellow tennis player Novak Djokovic to supermodel Naomi Campbell to Hong Kong's one-time bad boy Nicholas Tse, celebrities have clashed with the media over the years. Certain A-listers like Beyonce also famously do not give interviews, while others have been rude, hostile or uninterested during arranged interviews.
This gives rise to the question - do celebrities have an obligation to the media and do they need the media? As fans but also journalists, Jan and Sam Jo give their in-depth thoughts.
Here's what they cover
- The Naomi Osaka controversy, the resulting fallout and reactions (2:36)
- Other examples of celebrities, like Novak Djokovic, Britney Spears and Naomi Campbell, warring with the media (7.45)
- The Asian celebrity ecosystem and how celebrities have clashed with the media there (11:04)
- Do celebrities have an obligation to the media? (15:11)
- Monique refusing to do promote the film Precious at Cannes Film Festival (18:24)
- Celebrities being hostile to the media during interviews (20:16)
- Overall thoughts (26:31)
Produced by: Jan Lee (janlee@sph.com.sg), Yeo Sam Jo (yeosamjo@sph.com.sg) & Penelope Lee
Edited by: Penelope Lee
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