Table of contents for December 27, 2021 in Globe

BOOZE-BATTLING Ben Affleck’s revived love affair with Jennifer Lopez is making it easier for the hunk to stay off the sauce because she’s totally down on drinking, spies tell GLOBE. The 49-year-old actor has checked into rehab four times between 2001 to 2019 to control his alcoholism, but insiders chatter 52-year-old J.Lo is the Batman star’s best hope to stay sober. “Jennifer is anti-drug and against drinking,” says the source. “She’s not up for dealing with someone struggling with sobriety. “She made it clear to Ben when they got back together, that if they were going to pick up where they left off almost 20 years ago, he had to make sure his drinking days were behind him. “He was so happy to have her back, that it gave him…

BRAUNWYN’S BEACHY LESBIAN LOVE FEST RHOC alum BRAUNWYN WINDHAM-BURKE, 44, has been enjoying a sizzling round of beachside butt-grabs, kisses and PDA-filled same-sex fun in the Miami sun with a new girlfriend, New York–based model-dancer-designer VICTORIA BRITO. “I really like spending time with her,” professes the still-wed mom of seven, who came out as a lesbian last year. “A bonus is that she gets along with [my husband] SEAN [BURKE]. They went to an NFT event together in New York City and share common interests.” LEVINE PREENS NEW THORNY FACE TATTOO A rose by any other name is still a blooming thing tattooed onto handsome rocker ADAM LEVINE’s famous face! The 42-year-old former The Voice coach and Beautiful Mistakes singer added a floral facial petal to his multiplying menagerie of…

ACTOR John Goodman is half the man he was during his Roseanne sitcom heyday after shedding a whopping 200 pounds! The 69-year-old former 400-pounder showed off his slender new shape at an L.A. event promoting The Freak Brothers, an animated Tubi series where he, Pete Davidson, Woody Harrelson and Tiffany Haddish voice characters. John, who plays Freddie Freekowski, reveals he dropped the pounds — and kept them off — with diet, workouts and quitting booze. His previous diets all failed because “in the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack or whatever and just go back to my old habits,” he dishes. “This time I wanted to do it slowly. Move, exercise. I’m getting to the age where…

ACCUSED wife beater Johnny Depp’s reputation has taken a brutal beating, but he’s enjoying the sweet smell of success because his Dior cologne, Sauvage — meaning savage in French — is selling out. Despite being dropped from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Warner Brothers’ Fantastic Beasts flicks and dumped by some advertisers over his ugly divorce from Amber Heard, “Johnny’s fanbase has stuck by him and remains loyal to him,” blabs a source close to the star.…

A MILD-MANNERED church musical director has been charged with methodically executing his wife and two of his adult children — and pumping extra bullets into them “so they didn’t suffer,” authorities say! Jacksonville, Fla., parishioners are reeling after “happily married” William Conway Broyles, who worked at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church for 23 years, was arrested for the grisly crime. “It’s just a senseless act,” says Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. “When he was asked why he didn’t just shoot himself, he said he was too scared to do that, which is crazy considering what he just did.” Leeper says Broyles, 57, with no history of violence, called 911 to turn himself in and admitted shooting his 57-year-old wife of 30 years, Candace, in the living room, and then hunting down daughter…

AFTER nearly a year of mourning his wife Patricia, legendary crooner Engelbert Humperdinck has vowed to beat the blues and start singing and savoring life again. Engelbert, 85, went into his shell after Alzheimer’s-stricken Patricia, his wife of 56 years, died at 85 from COVID complications in February. “Now he’s looking forward to getting back to the stage because he believes Patricia wouldn’t want him to stop entertaining,” says a source. “But it’s not all about the work. “He wants to ramble around in California and England, see as many friends as he can, spend time with his four children and eight grandchildren, and treat himself to some shopping, fine dining and spas along the way.” Before Patricia’s death, the singer confessed he’d been a serial cheater and praised the…

CNN’S star pundit Chris Cuomo has been officially fired for lying about how much help he gave his disgraced brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to fight sexual harassment charges! Now the TV talking head is also facing accusations of his own bad boy behavior with gals. After first suspending Cuomo, network kingpins fired the 51-year-old mouthpiece from his $6 million-ayear gig on Dec. 4, saying: “Based on the report we received regarding Chris’ conduct with his brother’s defense, we had cause to terminate. “When new allegations came to us this week, we took them seriously, and saw no reason to delay taking immediate action.” Chris fired back at CNN, saying he was “disappointed” over losing his job, insisting he was only trying to “help my brother” and CNN…

VANDERPUMP Rules stars Raquel Leviss and James Kennedy have broken off their engagement after five years together — and she’s leaving him in her wake. Raquel, 26, who’d been engaged to James, 29, for just seven months, posted a video showing her packing her stuff in a U-Haul and bailing out from the love nest they’d shared for about three years. She joked her storage unit would be her “new home.” “After these five wonderful years we had together, we decided we have two different goals and made the decision to call off the engagement,” the pair say in a joint online announcement. “We love each other very much, but we aren’t in love anymore. We want nothing but the best for each other.” When the pair got engaged in…

COUNTRY crooner Blake Shelton has turned into a Botox girlyman over his craving for cosmetic fixes including sucking fat from his bulging belly, insiders say. Instead of being a traditional Oklahoma macho man who ages with a leathery cowboy look, the 6-foot-4 TV pretty boy has been chasing after cosmetic procedures favored by new wife Gwen Stefani and his The Voice co-star Ariana Grande, spies claim. “No one can blame the guy! Everything Gwen and Ariana have been doing has rubbed off on him,” tattles an insider. “He was already talking about getting lipo on his tummy. Now he’s getting injectables and starting to look like he’s going Hollywood hog on this stuff. “His forehead is Botoxed to the max and he’s lost the crinkles around his eyes from all…

A sour note kept ringing in NYC’s Washington Square Park when a loony loudmouth crooner kept disrupting a Law & Order: SVU street scene, breaking out into song whenever cameras starting rolling. When the noisy pest refused to pipe down, ignoring staffers’ pleas for silence, series star MARISKA HARGITAY came to the rescue, personally making a secret deal with the dude to STFU! “Your singing was beautiful, but we’re just trying to get the shot. Is it okay if you don’t sing when we say ‘action’?” pleaded the 57-year-old actress-producer, who’s played Capt. Olivia Benson on the NBC cop drama since 1999. She offered the dude an autograph in return for his silence. Now it gets weirder — the wacko wailer didn’t even know who Mariska is! “He goes, ‘Who…

ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will celebrate its 50th anniversary Dec. 31, and actress Lucy Hale has signed on to again appear alongside host Ryan Seacrest. Having previously helmed the New Orleans segments, Lucy landed Times Square duty when Jenny McCarthy bowed out in 2019. Here are ten things you don’t know about the 32-year-old Pretty Little Liars actress. 1 Her birth name is Karen Lucille Hale, but she’s long gone by Lucy. 2 The Memphis-born star says her Tennessee accent isn’t apparent when she talks but insists, “You can definitely hear it when I sing.” 3 At 15, she convinced her mother to move to L.A., so she could attempt to score a record deal. 4 In 2003, she was one of the five winners of the reality show…

ORANGE is the new black for the clotheshorse wife of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán as the aspiring fashion designer and former model begins her own three-year sentence on international drug trafficking charges! Emma Coronel Aispuro, 32, faces a whole different deal in a U.S. federal prison than the life of luxury she led as a “co-conspirator” in her husband’s Sinaloa Cartel. “In the past, she was able to rub elbows with some pretty fancy people. Now she will be treated just like any other female inmate in the federal prison system,” says Robert Almonte, a security consultant based in Texas. “It won’t be like in Mexico, where prisoners can pay for luxurious cells and takeout food. She is going to get a reality check!” She also…

MONACO’S Princess Caroline can forget about mending fences with estranged hubby Prince Ernst of Hanover — he’s hooked up with two-decades-younger artist Claudia Stilianopoulos, sources say. The 67-year-old skirt-chaser has been canoodling with Spanish-born Claudia, 48, since they met on Ibiza in July, according to insiders, who note they were recently spied sharing a smooch outside a Madrid supermarket. Now insiders believe Ernst wants to formally divorce Princess Grace Kelly’s daughter, his 64-year-old baby mom! Caroline and third hubby Ernst wed in 1999 and split ten years later, but never divorced. However, insiders say Claudia is pushing him to make things legal. But Ernst has other problems. He’s currently locked in a battle over the $250 million family fortune with son Ernst Jr., 38, whose mom was his first wife,…

HIGH blood sugar — the hallmark of type 2 diabetes — can cause unquenchable thirst and frequent urination. But experts say five more subtle signs may be the body’s way of signaling the presence of the serious metabolic disease. 1. Skin changes: Dark, velvety patches of skin — called acanthosis nigricans — can occur as elevated insulin levels due to high blood sugar promote the growth of melanin. 2. Improved vision: Diabetes can cause fluid levels inside the eyes to fluctuate, which can cause vision to temporarily get better. 3. Itchiness: Impaired circulation, caused by diabetes, can lead to dry skin. 4. Hearing loss: Researchers believe diabetes can damage the blood vessels and nerves of the inner ear. 5. Snoring: “About half of type 2 diabetics have sleep-disordered breathing,” says…

BIG-BUCKS pastor Joel Osteen’s prayers were apparently answered after “bags and bags” of cash and checks were discovered hidden in a bathroom wall — triggering speculation the stash is linked to $600,000 reported stolen from his megachurch’s safe seven years ago. The shocking treasure trove was found by a plumber, identified as “Justin,” who says he found the loot in a restroom wall while working on renovations at Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston on Nov. 10. “There was a loose toilet in the wall and we removed the tile,” Justin reveals. “We went to go remove the toilet, and I moved some insulation away and about 500 envelopes fell out of the wall — and I was like, ‘Oh wow!’” Now, cops are trying to trace who hid the cache…

YOU can’t make this stuff up! After the United States released its strategic oil reserve to bring down gas prices, Canada responded by uncorking its 50 million pound strategic maple syrup reserve to ease a global shortage! SAMMY the cat, who lives in Turner, Ore., is believed to be the oldest feline alive at age 26. The tabby was adopted as a stray in Memphis, Tenn., back in 2002. But Sammy’s vet confirms his age. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT is the only person to serve as president and chief justice of the Supreme Court. He moved into the White House in 1909 and was booted from office in 1913. He became America’s top judge in 1921 and served until 1930. THE average human body contains enough fat to make seven bars of soap.…

ASHLEY GRAHAM, heavily pregnant with twin boys, shares startling naked online snaps showcasing her growing belly. The supermodel, 34, posts her adoring husband, JUSTIN ERVIN, “says my stretch marks look like the tree of life.” The pair also have son ISAAC, nearly 2. Breaking Bad star AARON PAUL, 42, and wife LAUREN, 35, are expecting their second baby together. The pair have a three-year-old daughter, STORY. Baseball All-Star CODY BELLINGER, 26, and model CHASE CARTER, 24, welcomed their first baby, daughter CAIDEN. The ride’s over for Girls Trip star TIFFANY HADDISH, 42, and rapper-actor COMMON, 49, who’ve called it quits on their year-long romance. Musician CARLOS SANTANA, 74, underwent an “unscheduled heart procedure” and had to cancel upcoming Las Vegas shows. EDDIE MEKKA, who played CINDY WILLIAMS’ high school sweetheart…

METHOD actors go on starvation diets and muscle building programs for roles, but Dracula star Gary Oldman went bizarro to get ready for his 1992 vampire part — he slept in a coffin! Co-star Cary Elwes reveals, “Gary was sleeping in a coffin every night, that was how seriously he took it.” Meanwhile, Cary says the other vampire hunters were ordered to live together so their bond would translate to the screen. But blood sucker Gary had to live by himself!…

THE suspect in the senseless murder of music legend Clarence Avant’s wife was collared after he shot himself in the foot — literally! Aariel Maynor, 29, was arrested when he was found skulking in the backyard of a house in upscale Beverly Hills after a botched robbery, with blood pouring from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot to his foot, cops say. They found him shortly after 81-year-old Jacqueline Avant was gunned down in a nearby home invasion while 90-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Clarence was also in the house! He’s been charged with murder and burglary. “I don’t think it’s a random attack,” says Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook, who didn’t provide a motive for the brutal slaying. But the top cop took care to soothe the nerves…

ARIES March 21-April 20 You’re stuck playing a waiting game Monday but everything gets moving in time for New Year’s and suddenly life is all go-go-go. Single and seeking Rams could commit beneath sparkling twinkle lights — could some even elope this week? Look for a surprise late holiday gift to have you smiling Sunday. GEMINI May 22-June 21 Twins’ finances are spotlighted this week when the Capricorn sun brings an opportunity to get money matters under control by year’s end — and a savvy pal suggests a tax deduction to help you save big. A chance to show off a secret talent appears midweek — it could lead to meeting your soul mate. LEO July 23-Aug. 23 Clear the decks. It’s all systems go for you to finish this…

A LUCKY turtle was not only saved from certain death by supermodel Gisele Bundchen, the critter got to see the curvy cutie in a bikini! The hottie wife of Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass slinger Tom Brady was taking her pooch Onyx for a walk on the beach when she noticed a female turtle, belly-up and tangled in a fishing net. After being freed, the reptile was too tired to waddle back to the ocean, so Gisele carried her. “I felt relieved and so happy to see her swim away freely,” says Gisele.…

FORMER Cagney & Lacy TV detective Sharon Gless confesses she was such a heavy boozer, her doc warned her she was guzzling herself into the grave. The 78-year-old actress, who starred as Christine Cagney opposite Tyne Daly’s Det. Mary Beth Lacy on TV’s hit cop drama from 1982 to 1988, recalls she was suffering crippling stomach pains when she went to see a doctor — who told her to quit drinking! But she was so hooked on alcohol she was back on the bottle just 36 hours later. When the tummy pains returned, her gastroenterologist chillingly told her: “If you ever have another drink again, don’t call me. “I don’t do suicides.” That finally drove Gless, then 72, to sober up and she’s been off her beloved martinis since May…

DEVASTATED comic Nick Cannon has tearfully revealed his five-month-old son — the youngest of his seven kids with four different gals — died from a fast-growing brain tumor earlier this month! The emotional Masked Singer host, 41, dropped the heartbreaking bombshell on the Dec. 5 episode of his new chatfest, The Nick Cannon Show. He explained two months after he and girlfriend Alyssa Scott, 28, welcomed Zen in June, they noticed his head appeared too large. Docs soon discovered the tiny tot had a tumor requiring immediate surgery. However, Nick says the boy took a turn for the worse near Thanksgiving. He held his son for the last time during a trip to see the ocean in California. When the news broke, Alyssa hadn’t yet publicly addressed Zen’s death, but…