The Brunch round-up for October 3: The week and how it made us feel

This week, we’re seeing John Green grow up, voting for chonky dogs, not sorry for Madonna and stanning Ancy Sojan

So humbled. Madonna has revealed that Sabrina Carpenter’s team ghosted her, forcing her to DM Sabrina herself to make their Bring Your Love collab happen. Awkward. But we remember how Madonna went after Lady Gaga repeatedly, calling her “reductive” and a “blatant rip-off” 15 years ago. The tables have a funny way of turning.

John Green’s new novel is for grown-ups. Feel old yet? (INSTAGRAM/@JOHNGREENWRITESBOOKS)

Feeling our age. Because John Green is writing for grown-ups now. Hollywood, Ending comes nearly a decade after the 2017 YA drama Turtles All the Way Down. It follows two young actors cast in an Andy Warhol biopic, who get into a relationship and have to deal with rumours, gossip and paps. Cool, cool. But where’s the yearning and sap?

We’re obsessed with Adéla and her debut album Prima. (INSTAGRAM/@ADELAJERGOVA)

Popping off. May we never run out of iconic pop star girlies to stan. We’ve discovered Adéla (that pink-haired singer who didn’t make it to Katseye). She’s 22 and a former ballerina. She opened for Demi Lovato’s concert, and her debut album, Prima, explores being rejected, and feeling homesick but deeply ambitious. New fav alert.

The video game Dressmaker became a surprise hit on Steam last week. (STEAM)

Doing a fit check. Are you also playing Dressmaker? The fashion-design video game gets players to cut fabric and sew patterns for delighted townsfolk (or irate ones, if you mess up). The game launched on Steam last week and became a surprise hit. But only OGs remember the dress-up games on GirlsGoGames in the ’00s, and the delusional belief that they’d succeed Tom Ford at Gucci.

How does The Intern have a South Korean remake, but not a Bollywood one?

Job hunting. How has Bollywood not remade The Intern yet? The treacly 2015 movie about a hotshot woman CEO and the old-man intern who teaches her about life, is so primed for senti desi audiences. There’s already a South Korean remake. Now, Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan will recreate Anne Hathaway and Robert de Niro’s roles. Retired uncles for the win!

We’re rooting for all the chonkers in the @FatDogsOfDelhi competition. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Freeing the fat. This week, Instagram belonged to the chonkiest. The @FatDogsOfDelhi’s competition brought together 64 super-thicc contenders. Our vote went to Moti from Sarojini Nagar, with Dahi Bhalli from North Campus and Googoo from Saket waddling a close second. Alongside there was also Alaska’s Fat Bear Week. Gosh, so many layers to this story.

Ancy Sojan, who won Silver at the Asian Games, is #StyleGoals. (INSTAGRAM/@RFYOUTHSPORTS)

Getting style tips. Ancy Sojan, who won Silver at the Asian Games, is #goals in every way. We will never match her 6.53-metre long jumps. So, we’re happy to just steal her look. With sequinned eyes, two gold chains, nose pin, sparkly earrings, and colourful braids and clips, she’s got major drip.

The US has Spill It Mic sessions, where people share anonymous gossip. We want in! (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Getting goss. Got some tea so good, you need to spill it ASAP? US Events company Spill It Mic organises themed gossip sessions for everything: Work drama, messy flings, ex-friend lore, NSFW flirtations or who slid into whose DMs last week. Some have even shared weird family habits that gave them the ick. Like your group chat, but IRL. Hate that we can’t be there.

From HT Brunch, October 3, 2026

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