Table of contents for September 30, 2024 in Globe

TV CHEF Rachael Ray has triggered fears with her slurred speech and unrecognizable appearance, and sources say even her cooking rival Martha Stewart is deeply worried about the kitchen cutie’s health. “Martha’s reached out to see how she can help, which goes to show how bad this really is,” tattles a tipster. Fans of the 30 Minute Meals kitchen dynamo say they’re “seriously concerned” as the 56-year-old foodie appeared to slur her words and got visibly emotional in a cooking video aired on social media Sept. 2 where she was paying tribute to the late crooner Tony Bennett by making his favorite dish — ossobuco. Now, everyone in Rachael’s world is buzzing about her bizarre behavior, says the source. “Her inner circle has been worried about her for a while…

FANS of rock icon Bruce Springsteen have learned the heartbreaking reason his longtime bandmate and wife, Patti Scialfa, rarely performs with him anymore — she’s battling deadly blood cancer. Scialfa, 71, who began singing with the Born in the U.S.A. singer’s E Street Band in 1984 and married him in 1991, reveals she got the devastating news — that she was stricken with multiple myeloma in 2018 — in the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The cancer causes pain, weakness, tiredness and nausea, among other symptoms. Patti adds it also “affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go. “Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I…

TRUTH-stretching Selling Sunset sales agent Alanna Gold has said sorry to residents of Pioneertown, Calif., after falsely claiming she owned their whole town — and referred to herself as its sheriff! Alanna, 32, a newcomer on the Netflix show, bragged to her co-stars she owned “a little Western town” in the desert outside L.A. Pioneertown’s residents were livid when they heard Alanna’s lies. In a post on Pioneertown’s Instagram page, the reality-show Pinocchio was slammed for “belittling” the community with her “baseless claims” and clarifying she has a “non-controlling interest in an entity” that owns “less than one percent of Pioneertown’s total 640 acres.” An apologetic Alanna has tried to do damage control, sending letters to residents in which she admits, “I certainly do not own Pioneertown, I never should have…

THE claws were out when catwalker Naomi Campbell didn’t show up on time to accept the Fashion Icon Award from Anna Wintour! The Vogue editor shaded the supermodel, telling the audience she was “presenting tonight to someone who is often late.” Harper’s Bazaar editor Samira Nasr stepped in to give the tardy-for-the-party cover girl the award. In her acceptance speech, Naomi clapped back at Anna, saying, “It wasn’t my choice to have the other lady. I would much rather have this.”…

SLACKER Prince Harry has a lot of time on his hands now that he has no royal duties crowding his plate — and details are coming to light about how the Spare heir spends his downtime! According to neighbors of Harry and Duchess Meghan’s $14.5 million, 18,000-square-foot, 16-bedroom estate in Montecito, Calif., there are very few sightings of the reclusive pair except for when Harry walks his dog on the beach or rides his bike. And these neighbors would know, because everywhere the Duke and Duchess of Sussex go — with or without son Archie, 5, and daughter Lilibet, 3 — they are tailed by a massive entourage, the biggest security team around, according to one local, who says even in such a wealthy community, they’ve never seen anything like…

AVISITOR’S seemingly innocent dropping of a bag of Cheetos in a cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park triggered ecological chaos inside the gloomy grotto. Rangers at the New Mexico park say the damp cavern turned the yummy, salty corn chips into a mouth-watering banquet for a mob of creepy cave critters and had “world changing” consequences for the area. “Cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies soon organize into a temporary food web, dispersing the nutrients to the surrounding cave and formations,” says a Facebook post by park bigwigs. The cave-tastrophe should remind visitors to “leave no trace” of foreign materials that could interfere with the natural workings of the area, say officials. In order to restore order from the Cheetos disruption, rangers spent 20 minutes scrubbing the area of foreign…

THE perfectly preserved corpse of Saint Teresa of Avila, who died in 1582, was recently exhumed from a Catholic church in Spain — and true believers are calling the state of her “incorrupt” remains a “miracle!” Teresa’s body was removed from its silver coffin for the first time since 1914, so researchers could better understand the health conditions the sickly 67-year-old may have endured. But the team that unearthed the Carmelite nun say her face is still “clearly visible!”…

SONGBIRD Carrie Underwood will have plenty of nerves as she takes Katy Perry’s hot seat on American Idol, but sources say she can expect support from a superfan — fellow judge Lionel Richie, who’s crushing hard on the married country cutie. “He thinks Carrie is the best thing that’s happened to Idol in a long time, and he can’t wait to work with her,” dishes a source. “He knows she’s married, but he tells people she’s the most beautiful, talented singer he’s set eyes on in many a year.” The 75-year-old All Night Long dude, who’s been dating 34-year-old entrepreneur Lisa Parigi for more than a decade, joked he hopes Carrie will be “a ham sandwich” sitting between him and fellow judge Luke Bryan, 48. “Lionel was trying to be…

INFAMOUS mom Casey Anthony — who was notoriously acquitted of killing her toddler daughter in 2008 — is a home-wrecking Jezebel who seduced a married father of two and lured him away from his 22-year marriage, sources charge. Tipsters tattle Casey, 38, met 48-year-old Tyson Ray Rhodes at a South Florida gym and began dating the hunk in January. The accused killer has since uprooted her life in the Sunshine State and planted herself in Tennessee to be with her musclebound beau — even though he has yet to legally leave his wife! The lovebirds were recently captured on camera outside Casey’s apartment complex before driving off in Tyson’s pickup truck. A friend squeals, “She doesn’t care if he’s married or not. That’s his business. All she knows is he…

KICKIN’ booze and livin’ clean is hurtin’ the career of country crooner JAMEY JOHNSON, according to a pal. The 49-year-old Redneck Side of Me singer burned up the charts before giving up booze in 2011. Says his friend: “Jamey is one of Nashville’s best songwriters, and could turn out a bunch of songs about revving up the truck and getting wasted on the weekend that would hit No. 1.” Indeed, Johnson won the Academy of Country Music Song of the Year award for his tune Give It Away in 2007 and his 2009 hit In Color while still enjoying hooch. And while he’s been nominated for Grammys and other awards 11 times since he kicked booze, he’s been shut outta the winner’s circle. Johnson’s just-released ditty Sober “is about how…

FOO Fighters front-man Dave Grohl made a shocking confession, announcing he’s fathered a baby daughter “outside” his 21-year marriage to Jordyn Blum! The Long Road to Ruin singer, 55, revealed on social media he “recently” became a dad to a newborn girl with an unidentified woman after cheating on the mother of his three kids — Violet Maye, 18, Harper Willow, 15, and Ophelia Saint, 10. The skirt chaser swore he plans to be “a loving and supportive parent” to his newly arrived offspring, whose name he did not divulge. The horndog also howled, “I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness. We’re grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved, as we move forward…

ROCKER Billie Joe Armstrong, 52, and his Green Day bandmates have put a new spin on their seminal 2004 concept album, American Idiot, by releasing a special 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, which includes demos, previously unissued tracks and live performances. The original disc sold over 23 million copies and spawned a 2010 Broadway musical of the same name — and its power ballad Boulevard of Broken Dreams earned Armstrong and the group a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Here are ten things you don’t know about the eyeliner-wearing frontman. 1 Notorious Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold is one of his ancestors. 2 He’s seen every episode of The Brady Bunch. 3 At age ten, he met future Green Day collaborator Mike Dirnt in their school’s cafeteria. 4 He…

BOOZY body snatcher Patricia Sierra swiped a casket containing a corpse from a Las Vegas funeral home — but the pickled perpetrator claims she doesn’t remember committing the grave deed because she “blacked out from drinking six beers,” lawmen say. Late last month, a witness called Sin City police to report a dead body lying face down on the walkway of Affordable Cremation & Burial Service. Responding officers discovered the unlucky stiff whose feet were covered with plastic bags near an abandoned coffin. According to an arrest report, security cameras captured Sierra, 47, as she smashed a window of the business and reached in to unlock the front door. The document states the supposedly soused suspect was also recorded sauntering into a chapel and wheeling the loaded casket away! The…

Unscramble the letters highlighted in the finished puzzle to spell a pumpkin-picking happening. ACROSS 1 Dutch cheese 5 Old horses 9 Sign of healing 13 Umps 17 Bad habit, so to speak 18 Instrument in a wind quintet 19 Bishop of Rome 20 Carpet layer’s calculation 21 Ancient Andean 22 Inning enders 23 Breezed through 24 Lowly chess piece 25 Noisiest 27 Sleek, for short 29 Brought up 31 Character in a play 32 Little devils 33 Speculates 34 Defrosts 36 “Trick” joint 37 Call to a matey 38 Feed bag contents 39 Large amount of money 40 — salts 42 Rock’s Motley — 46 “—to Billie Joe” 47 Smidgen 48 A Nightmare on — Street 49 Big piece 50 Launch 52 Anger 53 Bert’s pal 54 Flower feature 57…

NONSTOP stress can trigger a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion known as burnout — but clinical psychologist Molly Burrets says there are warning signs that may signal the problem is on the horizon! The L.A.–based professional calls burnout a “chronic condition” that occurs when the overwhelming demands of life “exceed our capacity” to meet them. But she says certain symptoms can help attentive folks spot potential trouble so they can take charge of their health. “Some of the most common physical symptoms are things like chronic fatigue or insomnia — difficulty either falling or staying asleep,” notes Burrets, who says frequent headaches, muscle pain, digestive issues and a weakened immune system are also hallmarks of the phenomenon. According to the expert, many people are familiar with the emotional…

SENSITIVE Selena Gomez was planning to keep her heartbreaking pregnancy struggles secret — until “hurtful” comparisons to ex-boyfriend and new daddy Justin Bieber got under her skin, sources squeal! “I unfortunately have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s in jeopardy,” spills the “grieving” former Disney kid, 32. And while Justin, 30, and his wife, Hailey Baldwin, 27, welcomed a baby boy last month, Selena and record producer beau Benny Blanco, 36, are not hurrying down the aisle just to keep up! “There was pressure on Selena to have a baby and to get married,” says a spy. “She has found the love of her life in Benny. But every time Selena had an extra cheeseburger, peo ple were speculating she’s pregnant!”…

ARIES March 21 - April 20 Low energy is replaced by a burst of enthusiasm when Mercury and Venus align midweek! You’ll be inspired to pick up an abandoned project or plan an adventure, leading to new friendship! Later, a teen seeks advice — you’ll know exactly what to say! A cash surprise boosts savings Saturday. TAURUS April 21 - May 21 The cosmos urges care in money matters now! Avoid excess spending and be cautious with long-term investments! Ask a fire sign for advice if you’re unsure of anything. Midweek, tooth trouble could erupt — don’t try to ignore it! Romance is waiting behind a blue door. You’ll meet Friday. GEMINI May 22 - June 21 Monday finds you struggling to be patient with annoying people. Try not to…

JILTED Jennifer Lopez is trying to numb the pain of being dumped by hubby Ben Affleck with booze, according to insiders who say her inner circle is terrified she’ll plunge into a dark abyss. The 55-year-old beauty was seen knocking back a glass of her Delola Margarita cocktail in a video on her Instagram page and according to a source, she “needed” the liquid courage before meeting up with her estranged hubby on Sept. 4. “The fact she needed booze in her belly before her latest meeting with Ben kind of says it all,” spills an insider. “She appears to be self-medicating and unable to handle the raw reality of this divorce without some type of pick-me-up. “She used to only drink socially, but now it’s a bigger part of…

BELEAGUERED Alec Baldwin is not out of the woods yet — he is facing a possible retrial in the on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins now that a prosecutor claims the actor’s lawyers tricked the court into letting him off the hook! “This is a smoke screen created by the defense and was intended to sway and confuse the court,” charged special prosecutor Kari Morrissey in an Aug. 30 motion, “and it was successful.” State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dropped the involuntary manslaughter charges against the 66-year-old 30 Rock star after his legal team argued law enforcement bungled the handling of ammunition evidence after the October 2021 tragedy on the set of the Western Rust. Shockingly, the judge agreed, citing “severe discovery violations amounting to misconduct” and false…

COWARDLY California gunman Vicente Arroyo massacred 81 animals in a bloody, three-hour shooting spree, officials say. According to lawmen, beastly Arroyo, 39, went on an early morning rampage at his neighbor’s farm near Prunedale. Cops claim the cruel hothead used an illegal assault weapon along with rifles, shotguns and handguns to mow down a menagerie of hoofed, furry and feathered critters — for no apparent reason! “These animals varied from miniature horses to goats and chickens and ducks and guinea pigs. We had cockatoos — different types of animals,” explains Commander Andres Rosas of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department. “These were all people’s pets and they were being cared for, and they were all shot and killed.” Deputies and a SWAT team descended on the scene and collared Arroyo after…

THE fishy death of a notorious beluga believed to be a trained spy for the Russian military has sparked calls for a criminal investigation in Norway as activists say the white whale was assassinated! The mammoth mammal’s 14-foot, 2,700-pound carcass was found floating in the bay of Risavika, off the southern coast of the Scandinavian country — five years after initially being spotted in the area wearing a specially made harness marked Equipment St. Petersburg, which appeared to have multiple video camera mounts! Suspicious locals didn’t consider the gear a red herring and wondered if they were dealing with a sea spook — even as Moscow denied any link to the sketchy cetacean. Witnesses reveal the tame beluga had no fear of humans as it played fetch, begged for food…

HIP-HOP honcho Sean “Diddy” Combs — who’s being buried under lawsuits from over a half dozen abuse accusers — was recently socked with a $100 million default judgment in a sex assault case brought by a man! Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith — who’s currently serving up to 75 years in a Michigan prison for criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping — has claimed in a civil suit the rapper attacked him at a party in Detroit in 1997! According to the jailbird’s filing, he and Combs were boozing and smoking weed and started getting busy with a bunch of babes. Cardello-Smith charges the music mogul manhandled his butt and served him a spiked drink that caused him to pass out. The accuser claims he awoke hours later to see Combs having sex…

THE tragic Jon & Kate Plus 8 feud between reality star mom Kate Gosselin and 20-year-old son Collin has exploded again with his bombshell charge that she cruelly tortured him as a kid — binding him hand and foot and locking him away in a dark basement room like a prisoner of war! Collin, who with sextuplet sister Hannah has shunned their mom and lives with dad Jon Gosselin, already accused Kate of destroying his dream to be a U.S. Marine, when he was discharged after she publicly posted he’d spent 22 months in a nuthouse as a teen. Kate, 49, claims she had her son locked away because he was violent and uncontrollable. But Collin claims he became Kate’s whipping boy and she literally tortured him as a youth.…

TWO years after their breakup, actress Shailene Woodley is finally spilling what might have happened between her and 40-year-old Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers! The Big Little Lies star, 32, says she is “not interested” anymore in a partner who “disrespects” or “crosses” her. “Now, I respectfully go, ‘Thank you so much for that information. Have a beautiful life. I wish you well.’ ” They ended their engagement in February 2022, followed by what Shailene calls the “darkest, hardest” time of her life.…

CANNY Vanna White is saying nice things about Ryan Seacrest in public — but she’s privately lunching with former Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak, who is coaching her on how to navigate the game show’s tricky change in command while he picks up all the latest onset gossip, sources spin! As these pics show, Sajak, 77, and the glamorous letter turner, 67, look thick as thieves after a cozy lunch for two Sept. 3 at California Pizza Kitchen in Encino. “It’s no secret Pat was upset over the way he was ousted — some of which was his fault given his bad jokes and embarrassing gaffes — but he still has a loyal friend in Vanna,”spills an insider. “Truth is, Vanna feels lost, and Ryan doesn’t hold a candle…