The US, becoming a military state run by a dictator right before our eyes. Again, if this was any other country (in Asia) other than the US, the world would be up in arms and be a lot more accusatory. Ah, the double standards.

It shouldn't be fear, Guardian. It's exasperation; and of course it's a female actor that's being created here, one where directors and producers can just bend to their will without care for ethics.

Sometimes, when I listen to people from other disciplines talk about fandom, I feel like telling them, here is a list of books and journal articles that address the fan practices you were talking about as if they were new (in this case, we would call it material fandom) 👀🤨

"People are realising that their creativity doesn't need to be boxed in by a budget. There are no constraints creatively and that's why AI can really be a positive." Yes, it’s called animation. cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainmen...

Some people are less than excited about Bad Bunny headlining the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, and took to social media to spout racist backlash about it: www.teenvogue.com/story/bad-bu...

People kept talking about Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, and I just keep waiting for the food to appear. Gave up 30 minutes in. Clearly I’m not the target market; still can’t stand these kind of Korean romance-dramas. I’m just going to wait for the rest of Tempest to be released.

Politicians appear to have become stupid. Why in the world would you need to vote on whether a genocide is happening when it’s right in front of your eyes!? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Netflix is just obsessed with wanting to charge me for another household when I’m just travelling. Now the travelling option refuses to pop up. Ugh

Land of the free

Dear academic journals (yes, even business journals, as much as I dislike you), I don't need an AI summary for the article I've just sought out. I'm pretty sure I can read it on my own if I've sought them out!

Judging from the reactions on Tumblr, I gathered I should probably wait till all the remaining episodes of #Tempest is out...😅

Sadiq Khan hits back at ‘racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic’ Trump

If you’re 18 or older, and have purchased makeup or beauty products based on your fandom (e.g licensed tie-ins or fan-run brands, small businesses, etc), my friend and colleague, Suzanne Scott is looking for you to answer a short survey with an opt-in for a follow up interview.

Seems bad for our society when you can’t make racist terrorists the villains

Have deleted my account at Academia[dot]edu. I hardly ever check the site anyway, so if anyone wants to reach out, you can do so here or via my institution's page. I signed up to H Commons, so will take time to explore that space.

We begin today’s session of the East Asian Pop Culture workshop at NUS with an introductory address by Prof Chua Beng Huat.

Over the weekend, the world's richest man appeared on screens in central London to call for a race war and for the UK government to be overthrown. No arrests were made in connection with that communication.

A while ago, Lincoln Geraghty, @acafanmom.bsky.social, @memorieschild.bsky.social & myself did a special issue on “The Past, Present & Future of Fan Fiction”. This is now being reprinted in book format, & available for download for free #FanStudies www.mdpi.com/books/reprin...

Is John Cho to Tempest what Park Hae Soo was to Butterfly? Actually kinda loving Tempest. All the Jun Ji Hyun 😍

New addition to Trump's royal photo album? (everyone in the UK knows that the Trump visit is nothing more than the hollow politics of sycophantic opportunism) Windsor Palace last night.

When a white man gets slained, there's lots of RIPs and calls to talk about political violence. Where were the RIPs or calls to talk about political violence when Melissa Hortman was murdered? Was it because she was a woman and a Democrat, and thus presumed to be a "leftist" and less important?

Asian massage work as erotic healing: Performance (auto)ethnography within Red Canary Song By Eunbi Lee #FR139: journals.sagepub.com/share/DXUF9R...

From an Atlantic editor. I cannot get over how the entire centrist hivemind is attempting to wish into existence a person, and a movement, that does not exist. You are journalists, you are supposed to describe things as they are, not how you want them to be!

And Judith Butler is on the list… www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

I’ll always love Star Trek: Strange New Worlds but season 3 somehow lacks the heart of Season 2.

2 episodes into Disney+’s Tempest. In terms of co-productions, this is a much better show than Butterfly.

It has been an interesting few years, but @memorieschild.bsky.social @drrossgarner.bsky.social and I are stepping down as editors for @popcommjournal.bsky.social T&F has put a call out for new editor / editorial team to take over. Please apply! think.taylorandfrancis.com/editor_recru...

Yes, this is an important stance to take, because fandom resonates across ALL ages, races, everything. As a person who studies fans, I’m frustrated by why we need psychologists to endorse tell us being fans is actually ok. 😑 cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/women/fangir...

Adds to the problem when politicians are also using racial slurs in their political discourse…. www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysi...

Sharing this, because as the first line of the article rightfully asked: "If this were happening elsewhere - in Latin America, say - how might it be reported?" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

There's a reason why films like K-Pop Demon Hunters is now the most-watched film on the Netflix (hint: it's not about K-pop). It's about what resonates with audiences (and fans!) in the end. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/a...

The programme for the East Asian Pop Culture workshop, documenting 30 years of transformation is now out. It features @tbaudinette.bsky.social as the keynote speaker this coming Sept @ NUS, Singapore. ari.nus.edu.sg/events/east-... #EastAsianPopCulture #FanStudies #AsianStudies

Korean sci-fis are often hit or miss for me, but I really loved Blood Free on Disney+. Its premise was interesting, not to mention the debate on the ethics of science progress and how that might create new hierarchies. Even without the Ju Ji Hoon factor, I would have loved it. 😂

Interesting to see (and track!) how this has exploded. Also shows there's so much value in original storytelling without the pressure of it having to live up to a franchise or what came before. cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainmen...

Funny for those who know me: Disney+ is recommending me The X-Files based on the shows I’ve been watching. 😂😂 For those who don’t know: my PhD was on The X-Files 🤭

Can people run around Seoul and shoot guns indiscriminately like it’s any generic American city? #Butterfly

Ok, Butterfly, killing off a character played by an actor you used to promote the show is a cheap shot.

Mechademia seeks to expand its scope beyond Japan to look at pop cultural flows into the region and beyond. Next year’s conference will be in Singapore! www.mechademia.net/conferences/... #fanstudies #academicconferences

The bits I love about the UK

Saw 2 episodes of Butterfly so far (the one with Daniel Dae Kim). I really want to like it, but so far am a bit ambivalent. The action is great. But I guess I wanted a bit more....heart to it? I don't know; it feels like something's missing.

UPDATE Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, says Prime Minister Albanese. "Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary... Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own"

The UK, on a steady mission to implode as it continues to make itself available on to people who work in banks and finance, if at all now. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I’ve just been using KakaoMap, although not navigating between the two would be easier. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

But! It’s not like Malaysian public universities are the bastion of diversity for locals either. Please don’t try and emulate American politics; Malaysian politics is toxic enough without tone deaf politicians trying to get soundbites.