CATCHING FIRE: Connor Storrie, Chinese baddies and nasty with the Pucci outfit
Do keep up!
Hello! Just nine days into 2026 and I’m wondering if it has a return policy. If not, then I might have to rethink my dry January pledge. The only thing keeping me sane is that in less than 24 hours I will be able to distract myself by watching Heated Rivalry. For reasons unknown it was held back here in the UK, but it drops on Sky tomorrow *screams*.
I haven’t given you a CATCHING FIRE for two whole weeks, so buckle up as this is an extra-large culture round up.
Today we’re taking the temperature of a “mind-altering” shoe, a $317,545 Christmas haul, peptides, a perverted chatbot, friction-maxxing, a new nepo model, drama in a celeb mom group, the Irish actress who’s going to win everything, Rene Caovilla heels, the no explanation necessary trend and much more. Let’s get into it…
So hot right now
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams… I’ve already blabbed on the cultural phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry, so this week I want to talk about the wild rise of the shows two leading men, because Storrie and Williams are so hot right now they defy my usual scales.
Indeed I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone - let alone two actors - blow up with such velocity in such a short space of time.
In the middle of November Storrie, 25, and Williams, 24, were complete unknowns who’d not long finished shifts in the service industry. They could walk down the street entirely unbothered. Fast forward six weeks and they’re now icons, have screaming crowds at their public appearances, have multiple massively-followed fan accounts dedicated to dissecting their moves and almost every piece of video of them goes viral.
The behind the scenes compilation from their thirsty GQ shoot, and this one of Storrie lip syncing Like a Prayer for Interview magazine practically melted servers…
Our old friend Google Trends has the receipts for how interest in them has exploded in a short space of time…
And according to Social Blade Storrie’s Instagram following has risen more than 300 per cent in the last 30 days. Williams’ account similarly went from 200,000 to 1.5 million in the same time.
Heated Rivalry, a horny Canadian drama about gay hockey players, is what launched them out the canon, but it’s the fan response of the girls and the gays that’s sent them stratospheric.
The only zero to hero journey that comes close to Storrie and Hudson’s blow up is the sudden and sharp rise of One Direction. And just like the band back in the early 2010s the actors have the world at their feet.
In terms of what’s next, Storrie and Williams have confirmed that they’ve signed up for season two of Heated Rivalry, they’re presenting at this Sunday’s Golden Globes, and Storrie will soon release his directorial debut, Transaction Planet. Let’s hope neither of them come crashing back to earth any time soon.
Vivian Wilson… The estranged daughter of Elon Musk has pivoted her public beef with him into a modelling career and booked her most high profile gig to date — a spot in Savage x Fenty’s Valentine’s campaign.
Wilson (on the right) also recently hit one million followers on Instagram.
Jessie Buckley… who is the bookies favourite by a country mile to pick up every single best actress award this season following her performance in Hamnet.
The 36-year-old Irish actress, who started her career on the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything, just picked up a Critics’ Choice award last week and is set to nab her first Golden Globe this Sunday.
In Hamnet Buckely plays William Shakespeare’s wife opposite Paul Mescal. Critics have hailed Buckley’s acting as:
“Unselfconsciously beguiling” by The Guardian
“Ferocious and astounding” by The New York Times
And Empire said that it “could well shatter your soul”
I welled up watching the trailer so there’s that.
Going viral
Nasty with a Pucci outfit, nasty… is TikTok’s new catchphrase and it comes courtesy of Alabama Barker. The creator, who’s the daughter of Travis Barker, already has a big following on the app, but she blew up after she posted her gargantuan Christmas haul…
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The catchphrase took hold after Barker unboxed a pair of Saint Laurent strappy heels, and described them as “nasty, with the Pucci outfit, nasty”. Within days TikTokers couldn’t stop saying it and one creator has had over ten million views on their tribute to it, while others admit it’s their new “vocal stim”.
The heels that prompted Barker’s saying were just one pair in a vast haul of designer gifts. Podcaster Tracie Morrissey did the Lord’s work and produced a nearly ten minute analysis video of every item Barker unwrapped. The grand total? $317,545/$236,261.
RELATED Barker got FOUR pairs of Rene Caovilla heels — the hot-right-now stiletto for rich, rich girls. This classic black design cost $1,320/£925…
Maduro’s sick fits… One of the unlikely winners of the coup in Venezuela was Nike after Nicolás Maduro was pictured in one of their $260/£200 Tech track suits.
After Trump posted the unverified image search traffic for ‘Nike Tech’ spiked and the suit, usually worn by rappers like Central Cee, sold out in minutes.
Not explaining yourself… When a TikToker called Tamara posted a now deleted comment on this video about 2026 rebrands I don’t think she ever thought she’d become a viral sensation or a self-help icon, but that’s where she found herself. In fact the response was so big she appears to have took fright and deactivated her account.
It all started when she said she was going to mark 2026 with 365 buttons, when other users asked her why she responded by saying: “Hey, so it actually only has to make sense to me for me to do it and I don’t feel like explaining it to anyone else.”
Her nonchalance and exacting boundaries drew a chorus of praise. Brand accounts, including the Philadelphia Eagles, jumped on it and someone gave her retort a Brat makeover…
Now some are saying they are going to use the mantra as their guide to 2026. Why not? It’s better than anything Mel Robbins has ever come up with.
Need to know
Gen A love sushi… and it’s financially crippling their parents
Nike released a “mind-altering” shoe… which it claims can clear your head and stay present in the moment. They’re calling it Nike Mind, they cost $95/£80 and they look like this…
