Mrbrown
Encyclopedia
Lee Kin Mun aka mrbrown, is a Singaporean
blogger well known for his social and political commentary amidst Singapore's tight media restrictions. Affectionately known by many as Singapore's "Blogfather", mrbrown is one of the more notable bloggers in the Singaporean blogosphere
. His podcast attracts some 20,000 downloads per day. In 2007, mrbrown was the only Singaporean to make it to the World Business Magazine's annual list of Top 20 Asian Progressives. mrbrown was also educated in Hwa Chong Junior College
(presently part of Hwa Chong Institution
) and the Anglo-Chinese School
.
produced by mrbrown. It was formerly co-produced by Mr Miyagi, another local blogger, who has since left the show to pursue other interests. The show showcases guests from various quarters of Singapore, and parodies
a wide variety of subjects, ranging from VISA
's advertising campaign starring Richard Gere
, to political satire. Zhng My Car, a recurring series in the mrbrown show, is a spoof of MTV
's Pimp My Ride
, and has seen over 100,000 downloads.
s and technology
. Gadgets that have been covered range from mobile phones and headphones to Global Positioning System
devices to even video games. A common feature of the WTF show includes guests paying a sneaky visit to mrbrown.
movies to the films themselves to win tickets to the Singapore premiere of Next, and in another had to come up with Singapore-flavoured pirate phrases in order to win a Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End gift pack. In December 2009, mrbrown travelled to Los Angeles to interview the cast and crew of 2012 (film)
, including Singaporean actor Chin Han
. As of December 2009, there have been no new episodes of the podcast.
, this series discussed local events, highlighting many ironies in government policies and poking fun at the behavior of Singaporeans.
The title appears to be a play on the Singapore government
's National Education program, which has the stated aims of developing national cohesion, the instinct for survival and confidence in the future.
Singapore National Education was released in parts; the first part was published on 24 Sep 1997 on the newsgroup
[news:soc.culture.Singapore soc.culture.Singapore]. They were later archived and published on mrbrown's website. The series has since petered out; the latest issue is part 108, dated 25 Jul 2005.
newspaper concerning the rising costs of living in Singapore. Three days later, on 3 July, an official from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
(MICA) published a reply in the same newspaper calling mrbrown a "partisan player" whose views "distort the truth". On July 6, the newspaper suspended his column. Mr Miyagi subsequently resigned from his column.
Later, Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
responded to the unhappiness that resulted from MICA's handling of the incident. He stated that "mrbrown had hit out wildly at the Government and in a very mocking tone", and that the government had to respond to such criticisms lest they be taken by the public as true. He also stated that national issues should not be debated in such a fashion (referring to mrbrown's article). PM Lee maintained that Singapore was an open society.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
blogger well known for his social and political commentary amidst Singapore's tight media restrictions. Affectionately known by many as Singapore's "Blogfather", mrbrown is one of the more notable bloggers in the Singaporean blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
. His podcast attracts some 20,000 downloads per day. In 2007, mrbrown was the only Singaporean to make it to the World Business Magazine's annual list of Top 20 Asian Progressives. mrbrown was also educated in Hwa Chong Junior College
Hwa Chong Junior College
Hwa Chong Junior College was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1974 and merged with The Chinese High School on 1 January 2005 to form Hwa Chong Institution.-Founding:...
(presently part of Hwa Chong Institution
Hwa Chong Institution
Hwa Chong Institution is an independent school in Singapore for students aged 12 to 18 covering both secondary and pre-university levels. A Ministry of Education-designated FutureSchool, it operates under the Special Assistance Plan for bilingualism, and offers the Integrated Programme and also...
) and the Anglo-Chinese School
Anglo-Chinese School
The Anglo-Chinese School ; is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore, and Indonesia.The name is usually abbreviated as "ACS", with the junior college as "ACJC", and its students and alumni referred to as "ACSians" , or "ACS boys" .ACS was the first school...
.
the mrbrown show
Created in March 2005, the mrbrown show is a podcastPodcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
produced by mrbrown. It was formerly co-produced by Mr Miyagi, another local blogger, who has since left the show to pursue other interests. The show showcases guests from various quarters of Singapore, and parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
a wide variety of subjects, ranging from VISA
VISA (credit card)
Visa Inc. is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered on 595 Market Street, Financial District in San Francisco, California, United States, although much of the company's staff is based in Foster City, California. It facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout...
's advertising campaign starring Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
, to political satire. Zhng My Car, a recurring series in the mrbrown show, is a spoof of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
, and has seen over 100,000 downloads.
The WTF! Show
Similarly produced and hosted by mrbrown, the WTF! (standing for "Wow, that's Fierce!" aka "what the fuck") Show is a vodcast that covers the latest in video games, gadgetGadget
A gadget is a small technological object that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention...
s and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. Gadgets that have been covered range from mobile phones and headphones to Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
devices to even video games. A common feature of the WTF show includes guests paying a sneaky visit to mrbrown.
See What Show
See What Show is a weekly review podcast produced by mrbrown which reviews television programs, movies and DVDs. The podcast is billed as "The Movie, TV and DVD review podcast for regular people", and features candid comments about these entertainment mediums by mrbrown and his guests. The show occasionally makes use of sound clips obtained from distributors of the shows. Contests on the website also revolve around the movies and TV shows reviewed, with premiums sponsored by local film distributors as prizes. For example, participants in one contest had to match lines from various Nicolas CageNicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
movies to the films themselves to win tickets to the Singapore premiere of Next, and in another had to come up with Singapore-flavoured pirate phrases in order to win a Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End gift pack. In December 2009, mrbrown travelled to Los Angeles to interview the cast and crew of 2012 (film)
2012 (film)
2012 is a 2009 American disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, including Singaporean actor Chin Han
Chin Han
Ng Chin Han , usually credited as just Chin Han, is a Singaporean actor of stage, film and television whose career has spanned over twenty years. He starred in Masters of the Sea, Singapore television's first foray into English-language drama. In recent years he broke into the Hollywood film...
. As of December 2009, there have been no new episodes of the podcast.
Singapore National Education
mrbrown wrote a series entitled Singapore National Education. As a form of satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, this series discussed local events, highlighting many ironies in government policies and poking fun at the behavior of Singaporeans.
The title appears to be a play on the Singapore government
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
's National Education program, which has the stated aims of developing national cohesion, the instinct for survival and confidence in the future.
Singapore National Education was released in parts; the first part was published on 24 Sep 1997 on the newsgroup
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
[news:soc.culture.Singapore soc.culture.Singapore]. They were later archived and published on mrbrown's website. The series has since petered out; the latest issue is part 108, dated 25 Jul 2005.
Censorship
On 30 June 2006, mrbrown wrote an article, titled "S'poreans are fed, up with progress!", for his weekly opinion column in TodayToday (Singapore newspaper)
Today is a free English-language compact in Singapore published by government-owned MediaCorp print media arm. It is distributed from Monday to Sunday....
newspaper concerning the rising costs of living in Singapore. Three days later, on 3 July, an official from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is a ministry of the Government of Singapore...
(MICA) published a reply in the same newspaper calling mrbrown a "partisan player" whose views "distort the truth". On July 6, the newspaper suspended his column. Mr Miyagi subsequently resigned from his column.
Later, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
responded to the unhappiness that resulted from MICA's handling of the incident. He stated that "mrbrown had hit out wildly at the Government and in a very mocking tone", and that the government had to respond to such criticisms lest they be taken by the public as true. He also stated that national issues should not be debated in such a fashion (referring to mrbrown's article). PM Lee maintained that Singapore was an open society.