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 management agency Johnny & Associates in Japan.

She also runs down her list of favourite television shows and films of the year.

Here is what she covers:

2:07 Concert mania - Taylor Swift, Coldplay and J-pop acts like Yoasobi

6:23 Summer of Barbieheimer - blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer - bringing audiences back to the movie theatres

11:13 The Hollywood writers and actors strike, which gained both unions historic gains and protections

15:29 Updates on the sex abuse scandal that brought down Japanese idol agency Johnny & Associates

26:15 Taiwan's #MeToo wave and why it was disappointing to observe

31:13 The case of K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty takes a turn

33:22 Drug allegations against BigBang leader G-Dragon and South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun

34:51 BTS enlists into the military

36:50 Jan's favourite television shows and movies of the year

TV: The Last Of Us, Succession, The Glory and Oh No! Here Comes Trouble
Films: Past Lives and Marry My Dead Body

Produced by: Jan Lee (janlee@sph.com.sg) and Amirul Karim

Edited by: Amirul Karim

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Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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