Going off-stage. BTS is back. Their album, Arirang, dropped last week. Armies are analysing the lyrics, the symbolism, even the silences in certain tracks. But their comeback concert in Seoul had a lower turnout than expected. Maybe that’s because we grew up while they were away. We’re not the rabid sasaengs we once were. We have jobs now.
Humming along. The Dune 3 trailer is here, and the best part isn’t Robert Pattinson who got the role by casually asking Zendaya (networking pro max), or Anya Taylor-Joy cosplaying as Sophie Thatcher. It’s Han Zimmer’s soundtrack. That war chant gave us goosebumps. Waiting for the West to discover Bhajan Night. They’ll go crazy for it.
Out swimming. Sharks are victims of horrible PR – why’d you do them dirty, Steven Spielberg? They’re less bloodthirsty than mosquitoes, and new research says that they love hanging out with their homies and are OK with males and females being friends. Look up the bull sharks Chunky and Lady Lazarus. Friendship goals!
Giving no pucks. We’re all done with Heated Rivalry, except maybe Prime Video. They’re reheating the Canadian nachos with a hetero ice-hockey romance titled Off Campus, based on Elle Kennedy’s books. Talk about being de-yassified. You got it right with the Red, White and Royal Blue sequel, Amazon. Not this.
Off the leash. Dog parents are used to puns. Chewy Vuitton and Bad Spaniels are popular toy brands. There’s even Dogue,a canine-fashion magazine (literal doggy style). Now, Conde Nast (the publishers of Vogue) are suing, alleging that this dilutes their brand value. Boo. This better be a sub-plot in the new Devil Wears Prada movie.
Scaling back. Any time we see a TV show title with “big,” “little,” or “tiny,” we know what to expect: A bunch of wealthy suburban women, clutching glasses of wine, and spiralling in a well-lit kitchen. It began with the TV adap of Big Little Lies in 2017, followed by Little Fires Everywhere, A Million Little Things, Tiny Beautiful Things and Tiny Pretty Things. Liane Moriarty’s sequel is called Big Little Truths.Think bigger, Liane.
Logging off. New studies are confirming what Boomers smugly feared all along: That Gen Z is the first generation to be less intelligent than the one before it. Neuroscientists say it’s screen-based learning that’s causing weaker attention spans and lower overall IQ. Can you hear your mum yelling “I told you so?”
Feeling thirsty. Tom Welling thirst traps are blowing up on TikTok. Specifically, Tom Welling as an adolescent Clark Kent in the 2001 show Smallville – all chest, muscles and chiselled jawline. How to get Kansas-farmboy sexy? Welling did it with a diet of bananas and coconut water. No one had the Smallville Method on their 2026 trend forecast PPT, BTW.
From HT Brunch, March 28, 2026
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