#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

1. The Naomi Osaka controversy, the resulting fallout and reactions (2:36)
2. Other examples of celebrities, like Novak Djokovic, Britney Spears and Naomi Campbell, warring with the media (7.45)
3. The Asian celebrity ecosystem and how celebrities have clashed with the media there (11:04)
4. Do celebrities have an obligation to the media? (15:11) 
5. Monique refusing to do promote the film Precious at Cannes Film Festival (18:24)
6. Celebrities being hostile to the media during interviews (20:16)
7. 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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