The mrbrown show
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- The correct title of this article is the mrbrown show. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
the mrbrown show is a Singaporean podcast with the slogan "Singapore's Favourite Podcast!" The daily episodes consists of lively, satirical audio skits and occasional interviews with guests, as well as original songs. The show lampoons current affairs or recent events in a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek manner, with the skits delivered in a range of accents, prominently including Singlish. Each episode is tinted with a strong local flavour, even those that use global events as their focus.
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[edit] Origins
the mrbrown show was created in March 2005 by satirical blogger and then-journalist mrbrown and his good friend Mr Miyagi. The show had humble beginnings as the duo started out with limited equipment. The two would almost always begin the show with their trademark greeting:
mrbrown: Hello and welcome to the mrbrown show once again, this is mrbrown...
Mr Miyagi: ...And this is Mr Miyagi. Hello everybody.
With the inclusion of new members and departure of Mr Miyagi from the show, the greeting has since changed and is no longer regular, but the format of the show remains somewhat the same.
[edit] the mrbrown show today
The show is now a daily podcast that can be downloaded free-of-charge from the official site listed below. The podcast has a large following in Singapore, with some episodes seeing over a hundred thousand downloads.[citation needed]
In 2006, the Persistently Non-Political Podcast series, an almost-daily special aired during the 2006 Singapore general elections, became a national phenomenon. In particular, Episode 6 – a satire on the James Gomez saga – saw over 60,000 downloads. The Bak Chor Mee Episode, as it is popularly known, spawned new local catchphrases,[citation needed] and even a computer wallpaper as well as T-shirts featuring a pork liver mascot. Another notable spoof in the series was Jedi Elections Special, which featured audio clips from the various Star Wars movies spliced together with original dialogue, providing a tongue-in-cheek analogy of Singapore's political state.
Even more recently, the mrbrown show featured a podcast titled A harmless Podcast, parodying Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally Speech after PM Lee commented on his Bak Chor Mee podcast. The podcast set an audio clip of PM Lee saying "mai hum" (literally "no cockles" in Hokkien) to the music of "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas. Other events that became the show's eventual fodder include U.S. President George W. Bush's second visit to the nation, integrated resort bids and the 2006 International Monetary Fund and World Bank visits to Singapore.
Mr Miyagi, the show's former co-producer, left the team in October 2006 to pursue other interests. With these changes also came the team's acquisition of a working recording studio of their own, with state-of-the-art equipment similar to those employed by radio stations.[1] The show is sponsored by various companies and advertisers.
[edit] Team
Currently, the team that writes, produces and hosts the show consists of mrbrown, as well as three newer members:
- Ruby Pan, a Ministry of Education scholar at Princeton University who is now a trainee teacher. She recently garnered considerable attention by starring in TalkingCock.com's 'We the People -- Talking Cock in Parliament' session. Colin Goh, founder of satirical website TalkingCock.com, notes that he first met her when she was doing voice impressions at a New York club. Pan is also a member of charity organization Migrant Voices.
- Imran Johri, a former sitcom scriptwriter and TV Works artiste.[2]
- DJ "Momo" Nair.
[edit] References
- ^ Lee, Kin Min (October 25, 2006). Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. the mrbrown show. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
- ^ SPH MediaWorks (December 5, 2000). TV Works unveils five artistes at A Party with The Difference. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
