The Brunch round-up for October 24: The week and how it made us feel

This week, we’re hoping Virat Kohli gets hired, wondering what the Girls sequel will be like, getting locked up in Arkham and drooling over Emilio Sakraya

Thrilled to announce… that Virat Kohli is on LinkedIn. He signed up last week, headlined himself as Professional Athlete at Indian Cricket Team, and casually dropped a long note about his achievements. It’s viral ad campaign vibes, TBH. Because, honestly, is the job market so bad that star cricketers are Open To Work?

We knew Klara and the Sun wasn’t going to be great. But we didn’t think it would be a one-star wreck. (Columbia Pictures)

Feeling sunburned. We were so excited about Taika Waititi’s film adap of Kazuo Ishiguro’s sci-fi novel, Klara and the Sun. Then, the peppy, colourful trailer dropped, and we deflated a little. But no one expected it to be as bad as it seems to be. The unsettling tale about humanoids and companionship has been reduced to a comedy. One-star reviews all around. Ugh. Just unplug.

No gaps here. Darshan Magdum finally made it to the US to perform with Boy Throb!

Completing the set. Remember when the US boyband Boy Throb was trying desperately to get Indian singer Darshan Magdum to join them abroad as their fourth member? It’s happened! Magdum got a visa this week after a year of trying, and got a Darshan Day welcome at a New Jersey mall. On their first performance as quartet, a fan commented, “Is this what the moon landing felt like?” It probably did.

Mindy Kaling is on Shark Tank. Let’s hope she champions more than women’s businesses. (ABC)

Cashing in. Look who’s swimming among the millionaires on Shark Tank: Mindy Kaling. Kelly Kapoor is in her investor phase. She’s supported a probiotic soda brand, a skincare brand and a clinic in the past. But please, let her not be the Shark who only supports women-centric businesses. That performative girlboss era is over.

HBO’s Girls was the voice of their generation, or at least “a” voice of their generation. And are returning.

Girls’ girls. A Girls sequel is coming. We suspect the actors sprung for the show because they peaked with the HBO series. The world is in a worse mess than when Girls aired. Millennials are struggling, but in different ways. Greta Lee, then an extra, is now our queen. Where will the show go? Is Hannah a suburban mom blogger? Marnie, a failed wellness influencer? Jessa, an ironic tradwife? We’re staying tuned.

Kelly Clarkson vs the shop that treated her badly for trying to buy a mechanical bird. Grab popcorn.

Getting cheep thrills. We love a pointless hyperfixation. The internet gave us one via Kelly Clarkson’s feud with Brooklyn boutique Art of Play. Clarkson claims employees gave her the Pretty Woman treatment, refusing to sell her a $15,000 mechanical bird because they thought she was poor. The store says Molly was never for sale and that Clarkson’s claims “have put them in danger”. TL;DR: Molly is totally worth the drama.

Emilio Sakraya is playing Xaden in Fourth Wing. Please don’t step on the drool, ladies.

Hot and bothered. The screen adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing is on the way, with Emilio Sakraya playing Xaden, and Esther McGregor as Violet in the Prime Video series. Romantasy fans are already swooning over Sakraya’s biceps, abs and Instagram thirst traps. We’ve never seen the internet so unanimously approve of a casting choice.

Batman fans, it’s time to go back to the madhouse. A new Arkham Asylum comic is in the works.

Suiting up. The Arkham Asylum graphic novel was creepy, chaotic, Lynchian and loaded with allegory. Batman, trapped in the Gotham madhouse, had to confront his demons while facing off against the Joker, Two-Face, Mad Hatter and Killer Croc. The landmark comic is getting a sequel set 1,000 years in the future. We have questions. We have chills.

From HT Brunch, October 24, 2026Follow us on www.instagram.com/htbrunch