Table of contents for October 11, 2021 in Globe

SHOPPERS who stopped to help a homeless man slumped on the street and talking to himself were shocked to discover it was famed X-Men star Ian McKellen! The eccentric 82-year-old thespian, who played baddie Magneto in four of the epics, was rehearsing for an “ageless” version of Hamlet at the nearby Theater Royal in Windsor, England. Stunned shopper Abida Sheikh says she thought the shabby, mumbling oldster needed help. “Windsor often has lots of homeless people sitting outside shops, and I thought this elderly man was just one of them,” she says. “I went up to ask him if he wanted a coffee and a sandwich, but when I got closer I suddenly recognized him as Ian McKellen. “He told me that he was fine, just sitting there learning his…

MOONFACED Tom Cruise owes his badly bloated mug to Botox overkill and a grueling work schedule, sources say. The screen superspy’s puffy face shocked onlookers when Tom parachuted out of a chopper into the English countryside recently during filming for Mission: Impossible 7. “His eyes appear to be pretty fatigued,” says Dr. Otto Placik, a plastic surgeon. “He looks older than he’s ever looked — and it looks like he’s gained a lot of weight.” Plastic surgeon Dr. Joel Shahar tells GLOBE Tom’s kisser has “more of the square look,” and suspects it’s due to fillers in the lower part of his face. “His eyebrows are also a little on the low side, which indicates he could have had Botox in his forehead as well,” notes Dr. Shahar. As GLOBE has…

FLEETWOOD MAC musician Lindsey Buckingham got a wakeup call when his wife of 21 years, Kristen Messner, filed for divorce in June — and now he says he’s “working on” winning her back! “Relationships in the long term can be challenging, and they have their ups and downs,” says the 72-year-old Go Your Own Way singer. “You’ve got to take that ride and be willing to take it.” The two are parents to William, 23, LeeLee, 21, and Stella, 17.…

LOVE & Hip Hop Atlanta star Mo Fayne was slapped with a 17.5-year prison sentence for misusing millions of dollars in federal money! The rapper, 38, applied for a $3.7 million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan during the pandemic, falsely claiming his trucking company had 107 employees and a payroll of $1.4 million. PPP loans were meant to help small businesses and employees impacted by COVID-19 keep their workers and maintain payroll. But Fayne used the money to finance a glitzy lifestyle and pay off debts! The reality TV star bought $85,000 worth of jewelry and a $136,000 Rolls-Royce, paid $40,000 in past-due child support and used $90,000 to start a new business. Fayne cut a plea deal with prosecutors, who agreed to drop 14 other charges, and pleaded guilty…

ARIES March 21 - April 20 Ouch. Mercury’s lingering retrograde leads to electronic hassles — from trouble connecting with Wi-Fi to a zapped TV. But good news, Ram. The cosmos sends cash that solves the problems. Be careful with your health after Thursday when you’re prone to injury. Single? “T” holds the key to your heart. GEMINI May 22 - June 21 A situation isn’t as dire as it seems Monday. You can resolve it by talking it over with that person you’ve been disagreeing with. Venus has your back. Midweek, a lover’s surprise puts you into a great mood. Looking for a new hairstyle? Wait until next week when a pal suggests the ideal ‘do for you. LEO July 23 - Aug. 23 Take off those rose-colored glasses and…

POP tart Britney Spears’ boytoy fiancé, Sam Asghari, “hit the jackpot” when he finally reeled her in, declares HIS ex-galpal! “He finally hit the jackpot!” gushes Sam’s ex Mayra Veronica. “She hit the jackpot too, though. “He’s extremely supportive. He’s a really, really supportive guy, and after all the s**t she’s been through, that’s what she needs.” Mayra and the muscled Iranian model dated in 2015, a year before he met the singer, who is worth $60 million. While Hollywood hookups are notoriously short-lived, Mayra says, “I think she’s with the right guy. It’s so hard to tell, but he’s such a charming, sweet guy that I really hope so for her sake. I feel very happy for them.”…

PLUS-SIZE supermodel Ashley Graham is gushing that she’s having twins! The 33-year-old hottie, whose 5-foot-9, 201-pound bod graced Sports Illustrated’s bathing suit issues, showed a video of her sonogram visit to the doc, where she asks: “Is that twins?” Then she says, “That’s a penis” and also notes that the second baby is “a boy too!” Ashley and cinematographer-hubby Justin Ervin already share year-old son Isaac. Now he’ll have two brothers as playmates.…

CAUGHT ON CAMERA! A TEENAGE surfer frolicking in the waves off a Florida beach is lucky to be alive after being ambushed by a man-eating shark that tore a chunk from his arm! Horrified witnesses watched helplessly as unsuspecting 16-year-old Doyle Nielsen paddled 500 feet offshore near New Smyrna Beach’s shark-infested Ponce Inlet, not realizing the bloodthirsty brute was tracking him. Around 200 surfers were out that day braving the swells — which were particularly rough because Hurricane Larry was whipping up waves 1,000 miles off that section of the Florida coast, which is now dubbed The Shark Bite Capital of the World. But the kid was blissfully unaware of the danger until he felt a sharp, sudden pain “like someone on their surfboard had come full speed directly at…

SINCE leaving The Tonight Show, gearhead Jay Leno has turned his personal passion for cars into a successful series. Jay Leno’s Garage revved up on the web in 2014 before parking itself at CNBC. The show featuring 71-year-old Jay running his mouth about vintage rides is currently in its sixth season. Here are ten things you don’t know about the chin-wagging chatterbox. 1 His birth name is James Douglas Muir Leno. 2 Growing up in Andover, Mass., his favorite comedian was Jack Benny. 3 His first onscreen kiss was with Fran Drescher in the 1978 movie American Hot Wax — when he was 27 and she was just 20. 4 He claims he doesn’t smoke, drink booze or gamble. 5 He says he’s “somewhat dyslexic.” 6 In 2009, he donated…

HARD-WORK-ING actor Samuel L. Jackson has a look-alike — only it’s a pooch, according to a flood of social media posters. But the 72-year-old star of oodles of flicks including Pulp Fiction, Captain Marvel and Snakes on a Plane shouldn’t feel arf-ful — ’cause the pup’s name is Dr. Handsome! Jackson’s dead ringer was discovered when the rescue dog’s photo was posted on a Facebook page by his owners, Amber and Jordan West. Suddenly, they were hit by a tidal wave of posts comparing the mutt they adopted from a shelter in their town of Ocean Springs, Miss., to the actor. “Am I the only one seeing Samuel L. Jackson in him? I expect him to call me a mofo any moment,” posts Ky Spangenberg. Ky was backed by Anthony…

AVID hunter Ty Powell’s first try for a gator could’ve been his last when he found himself grappling with a powerful, 13-foot monster weighing nearly 800 pounds. Luckily for him, the 28-year-old had good help — he was with four experienced hunters: Adam Steen, Bubba Steen, Kent Britton and Eli Frierson. It took the five of them four hours to land the beast and nearly another one to get it into the boat. The hunters spied about 15 gators as they floated down the Yazoo River in northwest Mississippi before spotting a big one. One of the group used a rod and reel to hook the brute and handed it to first-timer Ty, who was super thrilled until the raging reptile got off. “It’s a little bit of helplessness,” says…

THONGS for the memories! Actor Kevin Bacon was doing the household wash when he pulled out a pair of wife Kyra Sedgwick’s undies — a thong bejeweled with his initials! “Sometimes doing laundry can be fun and full of surprises,” the 63-year-old Footloose star wrote on Instagram beneath a pic of his 56-year-old wife’s bedazzled bloomers. The blue lace undergarment spells out “I [heart] KB” in crystals. “Thanks for airing my dirty laundry,” kinky Kyra commented!…

JUST when you thought the COVID pandemic couldn’t get any worse, America’s liquor stores are facing a booze shortage because distilleries don’t have enough bottles and cans! Now business experts reveal suppliers are running out — and stores are rationing their liquor! It’s all because bottles, cans and bottle tops — and the ships that carry them — are stuck in ports waiting to be unloaded. Dozens of ships are currently lined up waiting to get into ports in L.A. and Long Beach, experts say. Meanwhile, shortages of liquor are being reported in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont, North Carolina, South Dakota and other states. Liquor stores in the Keystone State are so stressed, they’ve slapped a two-bottle limit on bourbon, tequila, cognac, whiskey and champagne. “The issue we’re seeing across the…

McDREAMY WAS BIG PAIN IN ANATOMY! Despite his character’s recent dream sequence comeback, traumatized Grey’s Anatomy cast and crew are relieved PATRICK DEMPSEY’s Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd remains permanently dead and buried! The long-running ABC medical drama’s creator SHONDA RHIMES put a nail in that coffin when she brutally killed off McDreamy, leaving fans heartbroken and mystified. Now, a new book’s exposing the season 11 emergency surgery. “There were HR issues. It wasn’t sexual in any way. He sort of was terrorizing the set,” executive producer JAMES D. PARRIOTT dishes in LYNETTE RICE’s new book, How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy. “Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him,” explains Parriott in a shocking interview with the author. “He had this hold on…

ROCKET MAN Elton John says he’s not launching the European leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour until 2023, so he can recover from surgery on his wonky hip! The I’m Still Standing singer, 74, was set to kick off a 22-show stint on Nov. 14 — before he was injured in a summertime stumble. Elton claims docs have now advised him to go under the knife ASAP, and he’s hoping for “a return to full mobility without pain.”…

LACK of sleep can keep your brain from working properly and recovering from lost zzzs can take a week or longer, say experts. The World Sleep Society calls sleep issues “a global epidemic that threatens health and quality of life for up to 45 percent of the world’s population.” Sleep deprivation plays havoc with reaction time, problem solving, decision making and attention. Now a Minnesota Mayo Clinic study finds a small group of twentysomethings, who slept 30 percent less than necessary for ten nights, hadn’t fully recovered after a week. “What the study showed is that there are things like memory and mental processing speed that will not be restored that quickly,” says sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta at the University of Southern California.…

TROUBLED Wendy Williams suffered a booze relapse and was rushed to a hospital to treat her addiction and a breakthrough COVID infection, sources say. Now insiders fear for the future of the 57-year-old TV chatterbox and her popular talk show after her shocking meltdown. On Sept. 14, Wendy, a recovering alcoholic and cocaine addict, was checked into the hospital for “psychiatric issues” after she was discovered “drinking every day,” says a source. She’s also reportedly being treated for COVID despite being vaccinated. Sources say her boozing is no big secret to those around her. “Wendy drinks daily and the only time she was sober was when she was at the sober house in 2019,” the source says. “Her staffers are worried. But no one is ever going to speak up…

JUSTIN BIEBER’S wife, Hailey, flipped out and blasted the buzz that the pop star is mean to her and makes her cry. “There’s so many narratives that float around about me, about him, about us together,” the 24-year-old model fumes. “Like, ‘Justin is not nice to her and mistreats her’ and I’m just like, it’s so far from the truth and it’s the complete and utter opposite.” On the eve of their third marriage anniversary, Hailey insists the Biebs, 27, is her “best friend” and she feels “lucky” because he makes her “feel special every single day.”…

DONNY OSMOND says that behind his toothy smile, anxiety tore him “to pieces” during the 1990s! The 63-year-old Puppy Love singer says dread that his career would go down in flames ate him alive while starring on Broadway in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “It tore me to pieces because I thought, you know, I tried to be perfect,” he says. “Anytime I would make a mistake onstage, I would berate myself, and I was very hard on myself!”…

AFTER vowing he wouldn’t play at a venue that banned the unvaccinated or fans who didn’t provide proof they were not infected with COVID, back-sliding rocker Eric Clapton performed for a virus-free crowd in hurricaneravaged New Orleans on Sept. 19. The 76-year-old guitar guru had previously sworn to “not perform on any stage where there is a discriminated audience present” after England’s prime minister declared all concerts would have to be COVID-free. The Cocaine crooner says he detests vaccines after claiming his AstraZeneca shot left him “useless for two weeks.”…

GEORGE CLOONEY is caught in a real-life nightmare, fearing bloodthirsty African warlords are targeting his family now that wife Amal’s taken a new job bringing the murderous scum to justice, insiders say! The 60-year-old star’s legal eagle wife is advising the International Criminal Court on its probe into horrific claims of genocide by officials and terrorist militias in Africa’s Sudan. That means Amal and her family could be in the crosshairs of the followers of Ali Kushayb, a vicious warlord suspected of 31 counts of war crimes, and “George is scared witless for the sake of their beautiful four-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander,” reveals a family friend. “He would move heaven and earth to try and make sure that nothing would happen to them!” Says the star: “We don’t really…

MOST American shelter dogs are adopted, not euthanized. In the 1990s shelters killed 10 million canines every year, but the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says only 670,000 dogs are put down annually. ALL Froot Loops are the same flavor regardless of color — and there is no actual fruit in the beloved Kellogg cereal! SCIENTISTS are trying to save the planet by potty training the world’s 1.4 billion cows! Each cow produces about 65 pounds of manure and 3.5 gallons of urine daily, contributing to the greenhouse gas and water pollution. Potty training allows waste to be collected and processed. NAZI maniac Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939 — just months before the German leader started World War II.…