March 2022 Episode Guide
On 17 Carat K-Pop
WOOJAE Interview: The multitalented musician WOOJAE opens up about his music, gives his rationale for NOT wanting to collaborate, shares some unexpected life advice, and much more!
American Song Contest, 7Fates: CHAKHO Ep. 7-10, and Much More: A recap of 7Fates: CHAKHO episodes 7-10, everything you need to know about American Song Contest and AleXa’s role in it, Taeyong’s new song and YouTube channel, backlash to K-pop companies’ NFT-related plans, TXT’s unique new title, and more of the latest updates in the world of K-pop!
ODDINARY and the Evolution of Stray Kids: This episode covers all things ODDINARY, from the best lyrics to the surprising ways the album and its corresponding videos nod back to previous Stray Kids releases!
“Fade to BLACKPINK”: A series of episodes explaining the movie references, both overt and rumored, in K-pop songs and music videos!
Episode One: A Trip to the Moon, Days of Being Wild, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and The Great Gatsby
Episode Two: The Grand Budapest Hotel, La Boum, Chungking Express, Love Letter, Ghost, La La Land, Saturday Night Fever, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, (the much darker, original version of) Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, and Alice in Wonderland
Episode Three: Inception, The Matrix, Black Swan, Louder Than Bombs, Snowpiercer, The Fifth Element, Interstellar, Alien, and The Silence of the Lambs
Episode Four: Oldboy, James Bond films, Léon: The Professional, and Batman Returns, plus the true story of Bonnie and Clyde
Episode Five: The Mummy, The Shining, IT, The Tag-Along, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, and American Psycho
Episode Six: Thelma & Louise, Kill Your Darlings, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Scarface, and Trainspotting
Rolling Quartz Interview: Rolling Quartz discuss their musical influences, their new mini-album, and lots more!
New K-Pop, J-Pop, and C-Pop: Best of February 2022: A ranking and review of the twenty best new releases from February!
On How to Stan
Reality TV: A condensed history of the most bizarre and concerning reality shows of all time, reality television's rise, and the reasons why reality TV stars gained a permanent spot in the world of pop culture.
Elvis: An overview of what goes on at the world's largest Elvis festival, the conspiracy theories surrounding Elvis's death, the rumors that Elvis worked for the FBI, and why the intrigue surrounding and the love for Elvis prevail to this day.
My Writing
Stray Kids’ ODDINARY: Album Review and Press Conference Coverage
Four Takeaways from KIM WOO SEOK’s Press Conference
Buzz-Worthy Singer-Songwriter Anna Sofia Debuts “Surround Me”
D-CRUNCH Share Fun Facts About Each Other, Their New Video, and More
Rothy’s Musicianship and Gratitude
Kim Jeong_uk on His Surprising Muse, Staying Humble, and Much More
The Best K-Pop, J-Pop, and C-Pop: February 2022
You can also watch the interview below!
You can also watch the interview below!
An Always-Updating Guide to Art References in K-Pop (PAYWALLED)
A Guide to Stray Kids’ Discography (PAYWALLED)
Sources and Further Reading
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Seven
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Eight
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Nine
7Fates: CHAKHO Episode Ten
True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us by Danielle J. Lindemann
The legacy of The Real World
The impact of Big Brother
Research on how 16 and Pregnant influenced teen birth rates in the USA
The gentrification of Byron Bay that caused the backlash to filming a reality show there
“Why Women Do Better on Naked and Afraid”
Interviews with former contestants on Kid Nation
Interviews about being on I Wanna Marry Harry
An essay on the comforting familiarity and routine presence of watching reality TV at home
Literature on the normalization of television’s background presence throughout our daily lives
Some research on reality TV’s appeal
A piece that looks at the two-way street of today’s “advertainment”
Literature on the concept of “confessionalism”
How reality TV viewing affects online activity
An analysis of Asian stereotypes in reality TV
How race impacts The Bachelor
The influence of Black stereotypes on reality shows and reality stars’ portrayals
Research on depictions of and views on social class caused by reality television
How media perpetuates “the stigma of singlehood”
A trend reinforced by dating shows: the deinstitutionalization of marriage
Research on how reality dating shows shape views on “real-world” relationships
Steven Mintz on the “sentimentalization of childhood”
“What TV Series Do Rich And Smart People Watch? You Might Be Surprised”
How religion is depicted in reality TV
Consuming Religion by Kathryn Lofton
Research on how views on welfare are shaped by “materialistic media messages”
A study linking tanning bed usage with reality TV consumption
A study looking at the relationship between plastic surgery and reality TV watching
The literature regarding who decides what is “good taste,” versus “guilty pleasure” viewing
Entitled: Discriminating Tastes and the Expansion of the Arts by Jennifer C. Lena
The ways in which documentaries and reality television have defined and shaped one another
Depictions of minorities in “docu-soaps” on MTV
What reality TV says about the world’s “surveillance state”
Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV by Jennifer L. Pozner
American Idolatry: Celebrity, Commodity and Reality Television by Christopher E. Bell
Fix Me Up: Essays on Television Dating and Makeover Shows, edited by Judith Lancioni
Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched by Mark Andrejevic
The story of an Elvis super-fan
All about the Porthcawl Elvis Festival
The activities found at an Elvis festival
Coverage of the Elvis impersonation performances at the world’s largest Elvis festival
More on the world’s largest Elvis festival
An interview with a well-known Priscilla Presley impersonator
Long-held conspiracy theories regarding Elvis’s death
The data showing how small the group of Elvis-death-hoax-theory-believers actually is
The truth in the speculation regarding Elvis’s interactions with the FBI
Information about The Faithful, the documentary mentioned on the Elvis episode that compares and contrasts worshiping the Pope, Princess Diana, and Elvis