The Brunch round-up for September 26: The week and how it made us feel

This week, we’re spritzing cat perfumes, trolling our exes, saying Zuck Off and listening to Ella Langley bangers

A bit shaken. Who’s beaten Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is You to spend 23 weeks on top of the Billboard chart? Ella Langley, just 27, with her country hit, Choosin’ Texas. It’s playing in Australia, South Korea, even Egypt. Texas not so much. We’re just glad Beyoncé’s Texas song is a thing of the past.

There are so many feline-themed scents lately. We’re obsessed. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Taking a whiff. Does it smell like cat in here? Or is it just us? So many feline-themed scents lately. Get a psspss of Diffractive Studio’s Black Cat (sweet, woody, intended to evoke smooth fur and mischievous eyes) and Odette Parfum Co’s Pas de Chat (cake, amber, vanilla bean). Demeter Fragrance Library has a Kitten Fur cologne, which they say smells just like the back of a kitten’s neck. It’s clawing at our purse strings!

Polish developer Pawel Szydlowski’s free app, ZuckOff, detects smart glasses in the vicinity. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Stalking stalkers. The anti-pervy-glasses movement has a tech division now. Polish developer Pawel Szydlowski’s free app, ZuckOff, uses Bluetooth to detect whether there are smart glasses in the vicinity and sends you an alert. Great service but 10/10 for the name. The next time a tech bro tries to mansplain consent to you, you know what to say.

Best of the Best, which stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, has got Bollywood-meets-Never Have I Ever vibes. (NETFLIX)

Getting a degree. Who’s into Netflix’s Best of the Best? The one with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as an ambitious, stubborn dancer? It’s got Bollywood-meets-Never Have I Ever vibes. Fans have decided that this is Devi Vishwakumar’s college arc. Plus there is now choreo to Tujhe Dekha Toh + Enhyphen’s Brought The Heat Back in the universe. Highkey fire.

Zoë Kravitz and Harry Styles are engaged, and Channing Tatum may be trolling them via a fake account. (INSTAGRAM/@ZOEISABELLAKRAVITZ; @CHANNINGTATUM)

Feeling bitter. Zoë Kravitz and Harry Styles are engaged, Channing Tatum is not happy, and the whole internet knows. Weird negative comments started appearing on posts of the couple (“Just here for the hate”), and when you clicked on the profile of writer @NonyaBidness, it had only one follower… Tatum. Both insist they’re not related. We totally believe them.

Bengaluru events are levelling up. We want a Bridgerton ball in our city, too. (INSTAGRAM/@TOGETHERAPP.IN)

Heading south. While Mumbai and Delhi are stuck with Aditya meet-ups and slop events, Bengaluru has levelled up. Earlier this month, Bridgerton fans turned out in gowns and gloves for The Whistledown Affair and waltzed to ballroom music. Last week, Gen Zs got together for Pimp Your Pal, at which they pitched their single friends to potential partners. Our city when?

The Blackpink girls have been releasing solo bangers lately. Keep them coming. (INSTAGRAM/@LALALALISA_M)

On a roll. First, Jennie from Blackpink dropped her spooky song, Fallen Angel, in August. Then, Lisa released her rap bop, SaWaDika, the next week; and Jisoo followed with her horror-amusement park-themed MV Click. Now, Rosé’s New Trick, about heartbreak and moving on, is out. Our favs are slaying. Keep giving us solo bangers, please.

Grace Reiter has joined SNL on S52 – the first cast member to be born in this century. (INSTAGRAM/@GRACEREITER1)

Fans of a Reiter. Grace Reiter has joined SNL on S52 – the first cast member to be born in this century. Look, we love her internet comedy. She released McRib, an ode to McDonald’s pork sandwich, with the vibes of a Tate McRae song. Her sketches – everything from Harry Styles fanfic to holding in farts – are so sharp. “She’s not pregnant, but she’s always delivering,” one fan commented. This!

From HT Brunch, September 26, 2026

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