E10: Joyride, Legal Woes, and Debuts: Kesha, Blake vs. Justin, and POLARIX’s Rise

In this jam-packed episode of BibimPOP with Sean, we’re diving headfirst into some current pop culture moments and controversies making waves right now.

First, we spotlight Kesha’s incredible journey back into the spotlight. After years of legal battles with Dr. Luke, she’s reclaiming her power with her own label, Kesha Records, and electrifying new music. From the high-energy “Joyride” to the introspective “Delusional,” we explore her rebirth as an artist and what’s ahead in 2025.

Next, we shift gears to the unfolding drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni surrounding their movie “It Ends With Us.” Allegations, countersuits, and celebrity support have turned this into one of Hollywood’s most explosive stories—hear all the latest updates and context.

We also review Netflix’s sci-fi thriller “Subservience” starring Megan Fox, where AI turns from helpful to horrifying. Is it worth your time? We break down the plot, themes, and Megan’s standout performance as a sentient robot.

Finally, we celebrate the debut of POLARIX, the boy band formed on the K-Pop survival show “Starlight Boys.” This group is already making history, so pay attention.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Episode 10
• 5:48 Kesha Is Joyriding Into 2025
• 10:50 The "It Ends With Us" Legal Drama Doesn't End
• 15:52 Megan Fox Is A Robot
• 19:14 New K-Pop Group POLARIX
• 25:11 Subscribe, Follow, Like, & Share

Transcript

Hello Pop Tarts, and welcome to episode ten of BibimPOP with Sean, where pop culture ate. How are you doing today? I hope your day is pop-tastic. I really wanted to go into 2025 doing a little bit of self-care. You know, treating myself right because that's the energy I want to put out there for my new year.

The other day, I was watching the finale of the K-pop competition survival show Starlight Boys that I talked about in episode seven, and a few of the boys that placed in the final group said in their speeches, I would like to thank myself, which I feel like I don't hear much in award ceremonies that take place in America, and that was so poignant to me.

They said they wanted to thank themselves for never giving up on their dream, and for working hard to achieve their goals, etc., etc. and I love that self-love, self respect, self acknowledgment, self care. I love all that I want and just need more of that in my life. I feel like we all need that. Later in today's episode, I will actually talk a little bit more about Starlight Boys and how the competition show wrapped up, including some exciting first ever ground breaking news in the K-pop world that happened because of this show.

So definitely stay tuned for that conversation. Anyway, back to the idea of self-care. I am wondering if any of you pop tarts out there use skin care face masks? I love me a good face mask. There are so many different kinds sheet masks, charcoal, clay, mud not the same as clay, gel, cream, the list goes on. What are some of your favorite skincare face mask types?

That's really hard to say. Skincare, face mask types and what brands do you like? I would love to hear! For a good portion of 2024, I used a cleansing mud mask to remove impurities and I would use it maybe once every few weeks. I liked it and I felt like it worked, but it also felt like my face was really dry afterwards and it just wasn't a moisturizing mask.

Anyway, I wanted to try a moisturizing sheet mask, and so I tried this really popular mask that I discovered while on my trip to Seoul, South Korea. These masks were flying off the shelves in Seoul, and I didn't end up getting any there. But I did find that they are sold on Amazon. And thank goodness for Amazon, am I right?

What would we do without Amazon? When I unwrapped the face mask from the packaging, I took it out and I had the hardest time trying to figure out how to peel it off of the plastic sheet that it was stuck onto, but once I figured that out, I was able to get it onto my face. There were two parts of the face mask, a top part that covered like the eyes and the nose and the forehead and the bottom part that covered the mouth and the cheek area.

And honestly, it was really easy to use. It was super nice. It stuck really well to my face once I put it on, and I loved the cooling sensation. Like when you put the mask on, it felt so cool to the touch and it just felt really nice. I definitely washed my face, used some toner before I put on the mask and I let that dry.

And this mask is no joke. It is a four hour face mask. Yes, four hours like you leave it on your face for four hours. And I know a lot of people actually sleep with this face mask on, and I cannot do that. I just can't, I cannot I can't sleep with something on my face. And I know that because when I was on Survivor season 45, I had to sleep or I didn't have to, but I chose to sleep with the buff over my face because I didn't want bugs crawling into my ears or my nose or my mouth while I was sleeping, and it was so hard to fall asleep with something over my face, and so I didn't want to put the face mask on and then try to sleep with it, because I probably would have gotten very minimal sleep. But I put it on and I did leave it on for a full four hours. And it was so cool because when you put the mask on initially, it goes on white.

It's a very white mask, and as the time pass is like hour by hour, the mask transforms from white to clear and that signifies essentially that the nutrients that are in the mask are being absorbed into the skin. And so it was really cool to see the passage of time going from the white mask to the clear mask, knowing that my skin was absorbing all these great nutrients to keep it moisturized and hydrated.

And after I took the face mask off after the four hours my skin was so dewy and it was literally glowing. It gave this really fresh glow, but not in like an oily way, I love it. I'm definitely going to continue with this treatment probably about once per month. The masks come in a pack of four for only around $16, and so I feel like it's totally worth it.

If you're interested in knowing the name and the brand, please just reach out to me and I will let you know. This is not like a sponsorship or anything, it's just real. Me doing things that I like to do with real results. So if you're interested, let me know. All right, pop tarts, get excited because today's episode is jam packed.

I'm really thrilled to be talking about these topics. Today I'm going to share thoughts on Kesha's new music, the ongoing drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, Netflix's subservience with Megan Fox, and share the results of the K-pop survival show Starlight Boys did my favorite make the cut. I hope you're ready, because here we go.

You know, the past few years, Kesha has kind of been in and out of the spotlight. It seems going into 2025, it appears she may be hard launching herself as an artist reborn, and I am eagerly anticipating and excited for new tunes from Kesha. Some of you may not know that about ten years ago, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Doctor Luke, a high profile music producer.

Allegations of abuse, contract disputes and more. The legal proceedings lasted nearly a decade. Disclaimer this is not me trying to turn this segment into a I believe this person and this other person is bad and wrong. Not at all. Just going through a timeline of events that paints the bigger picture of where Kesha has been and where she's at now.

She alleged that Doctor Luke had abused her over a ten year period. Soon after signing with him at 18 years old, she was seeking to be released from her contracts with his record label, which was under Sony Music. Doctor Luke countersued for defamation and essentially said she was trying to extort him and get out of her contractual obligations.

The case played out in courtrooms and the public eye, sparking debates about power dynamics, abuse in the entertainment industry and the rights of artists. The legal battle even brought in Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and other celebrities. In June 2023, a confidential settlement between both parties was reached. I'm sure Kesha just wants to move forward and create music.

With that chapter closed and as she moves forward, she announced in September 2020 for the launch of her own record label, Kesha Records. On July 4th of last year, she released a single called joyride. FYI, this song is quite explicit, so only listen if you are comfortable. The vibe of this song brings me back to her early music career, with songs like Blow and Take It Off.

It's very high energy and has electropop and EDM vibes. The lyrics are all about freedom and just wanting to do whatever you want to do. It's weird. It's kind of weird. It's a weird, like tune and song and background. I mean, it's weird. It's also catchy all at the same time. And of course, I love the Mean Girls reference, where she says in the chorus, get in, loser for that joyride.

The song itself really is not like a production or lyrical masterpiece by any means. At least that's my opinion. However, I am happy for Kesha. If she's having fun with it. Then in November of last year, she released what I feel is an even better song called delusional. This song showcases more of Kesha's vocal range and is a slower jam while still being a pop bop.

This is a song you can totally drive around to with the windows down as you scream, saying the lyrics are introspective as Kesha explores the aftermath of a difficult and complex relationship. I like these lyrics. Quote you should pay me for all the hours that I let you in the presence of my power. You had potential, but potential doesn't matter.

I'm already long gone. Close quote I also like these lyrics from the chorus quote baby, you're delusional. I already can tell I want to sing it. Okay, let's try that again. Baby, you're delusional thinking you could ever find something that's as beautiful. Someone with a love like mine. Close quote. And Kesha is clearly excited about this new journey.

In an interview with Paper magazine, she said the following quote. This is the first album I'm making where I'm 100% in control of everything. It feels like it's my first album. It feels divine. It feels like it stands for a lot. It's really beautiful and I cannot wait to share it. It's maybe the most beautiful time of my entire life.

I'm so excited. I got to work with the people I did and capture this moment in time and put it onto something. Other people can listen to. This is the first time in my life I felt similarly to how I did in that point of my life, when I was making music from a purely joyful place. It's all really 100% me.

That feels really good, just a step into my own worth and my own power, and not have anything in my mind or the external world. Say it's anything but me. Close quote I just think that's so cool. It sounds like she's in a really good place and that makes me excited and happy for her. Also shout out to Kesha, who wanted to do her own music and be creative in her own right without anyone telling her what to do or how to be a pop star.

So what did she do? She created her own record label, Kesha Records. Slay. Yes, I love it. Are you excited for some new Kesha music coming in 2025? How are you feeling? I'm interested to hear more and I'm definitely rooting for the Tick Tock Star. Not Tick Tock the app, but like, you know her song tick Tock, tick tock on the clock deejay, blow my speakers up.

Okay, you get it. If you are liking this content and discussion, remember to subscribe. Follow, like and share BibimPOP with Sean.

Right now. Okay, so I generally like to talk about happy things on this podcast. And sometimes pop culture would have it in another way, because it moves in such a way that trending topics just aren't always happy. My husband mentioned to me that he doesn't really know much about the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni legal drama, and so I knew I needed to do at least a little bit of coverage on this topic.

I want to emphasize that right now, the legal proceedings are still developing, and there has been no official, court or legal ruling. So hopefully I do okay with reporting things as we know them right now. And as far as Blake and Justin's claims, everything is quote, allegedly right now. So in case you haven't heard, Blake Lively filed a complaint against Justin Baldoni for interactions that occurred during the filming of their film together.

It ends with us on December 20th, 2024, Blake filed this complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, stating that Justin invaded her privacy by entering her trailer uninvited, improvising physical intimacy moments during their filming that were not a part of the script, commenting on her weight, asking inappropriate questions about her personal relationship with her husband Ryan Reynolds, and more.

The next day. Justin was then dropped by his talent agency due to the allegations. On December 23rd, reports came out that Justin coordinated efforts with others to undermine Blake's reputation. One thing about pop culture is that it never slows down on Christmas Eve. Yes, Christmas Eve Vital Voice is rescinded an award that they gave to Baldoni for his work in empowering women due to these allegations.

Then, either on December 30th 1st or January 1st, Blake formally filed a lawsuit with the New York federal court. Right around that very same time, Justin filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for their reporting on Lively's allegations. The New York Times put out a statement essentially saying that they did nothing wrong, and they followed all legal journalism protocols and expectations.

Their statement read, quote, the role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead. Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article close quote. Additionally, New York Times said that they plan to stand against the lawsuit brought to them by Justin on January 3rd, Justin's lawyer, Brian Friedman, reported that he plans to file a lawsuit against Blake for her allegations.

Justin's lawyer is also the same attorney who represented the Michael Jackson estate back in 2019 against HBO for their show Leaving Neverland. Celebrities have also started getting in the mix and speaking out on the drama, with some showing or seemingly expressing indirect and sometimes direct support of Blake Lively, including Robin Lively, Blake sister, and her husband Bart Johnson.

Blake Lively is Sisterhood of Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel also came out with a joint statement saying, quote, As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation. Close quote. They also went on to share, quote throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.

Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors. Stories to silence a woman who asked for safety, the hypocrite is astounding. We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment. Close quote Amy Schumer also posted on her Instagram Story quote, I believe Blake.

Close quote on December 22nd. I am sure we will be hearing more and more about the legal proceedings as they unfold. It sounds super messy. I am sure there are probably already new updates by the time you're listening to this podcast, because I recorded this episode a few days before it went live, and it seems like the drama surrounding Blake and Justin right now is developing at a rapid pace.

The irony of their movie title being it Ends with us is not lost on me. Hopefully the truth will be illuminated. What do you think about the drama? Where do you stand? Let me know. I would love to hear.

If you have opened the Netflix video streaming app recently, in the last few days or weeks, you probably have seen a movie title come up on your home screen titled subservience. Netflix recently released this movie subservient, which is an American sci fi thriller about advanced A.I. robots that can be purchased to perform duties such as household chores. In watching the trailer, it was giving me Black Mirror vibes and when done well, I like the whole humanity versus technology theme.

And the lead actress in this movie is Megan Fox, which that got me really excited because I don't think I have really seen Megan Fox in any acting capacity since Transformers, which was so long ago. I'm sure she's been in other films, but just not films that I have seen. The movie is rated R, so there are definitely some mature scenes and content.

Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you wanted to do your own research before watching the movie. Okay, here's a question for you. Do you look up movie ratings, such as on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes before you watch them? I always do. Always. Every single time. Without fail. I just want to know essentially what the critics and what the audience are saying about a movie.

Before I see it, I don't look up spoilers. I definitely don't want to know what happens. I just want to see the raw score like show me the data. What are people saying? Anyway, this movie has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 50%, which I totally and completely disagree with. I often actually disagree with Rotten Tomatoes. I thought this movie was much better than the 50% score it received from them.

The movie explores ideas of human dependence on technology and what might happen if A.I. becomes too advanced, and we incorporate it into our daily lives. Okay, let me set the scene. Alice the A.I. robot, aka Megan Fox character, is brought into the home of a father and his young daughter and infant child to help with cleaning, cooking dinner, and taking care of the children.

The mother fell ill and is currently living in a hospital awaiting a heart transplant. As the plot unfolds, Alice becomes more and more sentient and aggressive, leading to a lot of drama. Like a lot of drama. I definitely don't want to spoil the movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, go watch it if you're interested and I would love to hear what you think.

I will say I thought Megan Fox did an amazing job as a robot. She really captured like a rigid, stiff exterior that you might imagine a robot to have. Like, she's not robotic, just emotionless, kind of very stoic, but in an unhuman like way. It's hard to explain. You just have to see it. Like when you compare her behaviors, mannerisms and movements to the wife's character.

You know, the one getting the heart transplant or the one awaiting the heart transplant? I should say it's like a complete night and day difference. You really believe that Megan Fox is a robot? She did great. I thought it was fun. I would probably give this movie like an 80%, 85% just for pure entertainment value. Let me know what you think.

Alright, alright.I know you are all just eagerly anticipating how the K-pop survival competition show Starlight Boys ended. I am going to be talking about something really exciting in the K-pop world in a few moments, so definitely stay tuned. You don't want to miss this. It is actually really cool and I'm really excited about it. Okay, first though, my husband Matt and I did a segment where we talked about Starlight Boys in episode seven because there was quite a bit of drama and controversy around the show at that time.

It seems like all of that has calmed down now, and we just finished the finale, where the winners who placed in the now K-pop boyband were selected while the show was called Starlight Boys. That is not the name of the newly formed K-pop group. I know it's kind of confusing. It's kind of like how KATSEYE’s Show was called Dream Academy, but then the group debuted as the group KATSEYE.

Same concept applies here. The group will debut as POLARIX P O L A R I X from kprofiles.com, they explain the meaning of the group's name as the following quote nine stars together like the Polaris, the brightest star in the night sky, it means the creation of infinite possibilities. Close quote from 69 contestants down to the final line up of nine members.

Some of my favorites made the cut, while others unfortunately did not. Here are the members of Polaris, their ages and their background, and this is also in order from the contestants who received the most fan votes to the least. In the number one position is Shao Zi Heng. He's 20 years old, he's Chinese, and he was definitely one of my favorites.

So I'm super glad that he made it into the group. Number two was Lee Jun Hyuk, who is 24 years old, and Korean. Number three was Xu Shi Huan. He is 24 years old and he's Chinese. Number four was Xin Che. He's 18 and he's Chinese, and he was the one who I feel like made the most growth from when the competition show started to the end.

And honestly, I did not think he would place in the top nine at all. The fact that he placed number four is so shocking. I'm very happy for him and I'm definitely a fan. Number five is definitely one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite. His name is Pentor, he's 25 and he's Thai. Number six is Han Gyul and he is 25 and he's Korean.

Definitely a favorite. And you could tell this whole season that Han Gyul really, really wanted it. He actually debuted in another K-pop group previously, but unfortunately that group fell apart pretty soon after debuting, so he was able to achieve his dream. He was on the road to success and then everything fell apart. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for him.

He tried so hard in this survival competition show. He definitely deserved a spot in the top nine, and I'm very happy that he achieved his goal. Number seven is also one of my favorites. His name is Zai  and he is 20 years old. He's also Chinese and he is so good at dancing. Dancing is definitely his specialty. He's so captivating and fun.

I'm excited to see more from him. Number eight is Yang Dong Hwa and he's 21 and Korean. And last number nine was Lee Da Eul and he's 20 and also Korean. I'm really sad that some of my favorites did not make it into the group, such as CongB and Duan Xing Xing, and I definitely wish Sun Ying Hao would have stayed.

He would have debuted in the group for sure. Okay, I'm really excited to announce this groundbreaking record making news in the K-pop world. Xin Che, who I just talked about, right? If you remember, he placed number four in this group. He's the one that made the most growth across the survival show. I'm definitely a fan, and he's the youngest member of politics.

He has also just become the first openly queer K-pop male idol, having been open about his past relationships. I think this is so exciting. As of right now, the Lgbtq+ community is not really represented in Korean music and Korean culture. And so the fact that Xin Che is openly gay and is now debuting as a K-pop male idol, I think this is really exciting and he is paving the way for the future, really in K-pop.

And so I'm just excited for what the future has in store for K-pop. And huge kudos to Xin Che. I feel like he is so brave to be pioneering in this area and staying true to himself and who he is, and also being like, I want this dream. And even though I may not fit the stereotypical mold of what a K-pop male idol should be, I'm going for it and I'm going to make it happen.

I am wishing him all the most success in the world, and I hope one day I get to attend a concert where POLARIX is performing and headlining, and I get to support them in person as they live their dream and make others happy through their music. Really hoping the whole group POLARIX can be successful. So many K-pop groups come together only to fall apart in a year's time, sometimes even in a few months.

I'm definitely rooting for them and we'll keep you all updated. Of course, if you haven't listened to the song Good Luck by Starlight Boys, go find it on your Spotify or Apple Music right now and add it to your playlist. I would also say go on YouTube, look it up and watch the video. It's so fun. You'll be glad that you did.

It's just infectious pop music. And isn't that what we're all about here at BibimPOP with Sean?

Are you all right, pop Tarts? That is a wrap on episode ten. Can you believe it? Thank you so much for listening. Stay tuned for episode 11 as a reminder of the podcast schedule. Episodes will release on Tuesday and Thursday morning. Remember to subscribe, follow, like and share. BibimPOP with Sean and follow me on social media for updates @bibimpopwithsean on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok and @bibimpopsean on X or Twitter and go to my podcast website bibimpopwithsean.buzzsprout.com for more information. Thank you so much for listening to BibimPOP with Sean where pop culture ate.