MAKING THE CUT

We’ve scanned the zeitgeist for what to read, watch, wear and drink now.

1 Podcast

Ben Lee, the Aussie musician whose hits Catch My Disease

and We’re All in This Together

were practically jangling with good-humoured idealism, has earned a cult following on TikTok for his hilarious takes on everything from COVID-19 to The Wiggles. He’s also parlayed all his hippy charm – plus insights into relationships – into a new podcast, Weirder Together, that he co-hosts with actor Ione Skye (Say Anything…),

his wife of 14 years.

2 Streaming

Ana de Armas, the doe-eyed brunette from Knives Out and No Time to Die, goes platinum to play actress Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, a Netflix movie co-produced by another iconic blond, Brad Pitt. Starring Bobby Cannavale as Joe DiMaggio and Adrien Brody as playwright Arthur Miller, the film focuses on the duality of Marilyn the performer and Norma Jean, the woman who invented her. Streaming from 23 September.

3 Beauty

Like Thor and his hammer, there are few greater partnerships than Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness and a shampoo bottle. Van Ness, a hair stylist who turns ordinary folk into their best selves for the hit series, has just released his own

JVN line of haircare products, including shampoo, conditioner and a hair mask. The superhero in the range is the Complete Air Dry Cream ($37; sephora. com.au). Apply to damp hair, leave to air dry and your locks will appear styled.

4 Drink

It’s been 10 years in the making but the Pirie Late Disgorged 2011 sparkling wine is finally here ($145 per bottle; tamarridge. com.au). Created from select parcels of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes grown in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley, it’s a concentrated and classically structured wine with notes of cashew, citrus and brioche.

5 Gadget

Global cycling brand Specialized has invented an e-bike that experts are hailing as the best ever of its kind. Called the Turbo Levo (from $9400; specialized. com), it’s a mountain bike with a powerful motor and the ability to manage your ride so you don’t run out of battery.

6 Style

The matriarch of Australian jewellery is showcasing her timeless designs at the Museum of Brisbane in an exhibition called World of Wonder: Margot McKinney (until 6 November; museumofbrisbane.com.au). It’s a fitting title for the collection, which includes rare gems such as the intensely blue tanzanite, lilac amethyst and pink tourmalines.

7 Film

Ticket to Paradise, like the soapy Greek Island blockbuster Mamma Mia! before it, is frothing with champagne, dancing, aspirational holiday living and… little else. The plot centres on an acrimoniously divorced couple, played by Julia Roberts and George Clooney (above), going to Bali (in reality it’s filmed in Queensland) to present a united front for their daughter’s wedding. But those who thrilled at the lust-charged bickering between these two in Ocean’s Eleven will understand that just like a sarong worn in shallow water, the narrative works best if it stays loose. In cinemas 15 September.

8 Book

There’s a convincing argument to be made that without Stephen King, the master of ’70s and ’80s suburban horror, there would be no Stranger Things. Well, the master has gone deep into Stranger Things territory with his latest novel, Fairy Tale, about a lonely 17-year-old boy named Charlie who, after the death of his mother, discovers a parallel world in his own neighbourhood. In bookstores on 6 September.