Table of contents for June 8, 2020 in Globe

RYAN SEACREST’s shocking appearance on American Idol has friends fearing the workaholic media mogul is pushing himself into an early grave! During the singing contest’s May 17 finale, 45-year-old Seacrest — who has been hosting remotely from his home during the coronavirus pandemic — slurred his words and his left eye looked enlarged. Worried fans even believed he’d suffered a stroke and took to social media to voice their concerns! But afterward, his rep issued a statement, saying: “Ryan did not have any kind of stroke last night. “Like many people right now, Ryan is adjusting to the new normal and finding work-home balance, with the added stress of having to put on live shows from home.” A longtime friend and colleague dishes: “Ryan’s been really burning the candle at…

SITCOM cutie Valerie Bertinelli was just 19 when she had a hot-and-heavy fling with filmmaker Steven Spielberg — who was nearly twice her age! Just months before the One Day at a Time star hooked up with future hubby Eddie Van Halen — whom she’d divorce in 2007 — she found herself in the crosshairs of the 33-year-old Jaws director! “I went up to read for Raiders of the Lost Ark,” she recalls. “And the next day I got a call and some flowers … [Spielberg] asked me out. “We went out a few times … And did more!” But their whirlwind romance hit a snag when future foodie Valerie was making him dinner, and her brand-new beau revealed he hated garlic! “I was getting ready to chop up the garlic…

MAMMA mia! Pregnant Katy Perry strips down to her birthday suit and shows off her growing baby bump in her newest music video! The 35-year-old pop star — who’s expecting her first child with fiancé Orlando Bloom — donned a romantic white, see-through dress before slipping it off to bare her totally nude bod! Katy tastefully concealed her lady bits while singing Daisies — which is the lead single for her upcoming fifth album — surrounded by waterfalls.…

IAN ANDERSON — singer of Jethro Tull’s epic hit Aqualung — says his “days are numbered” because of a deadly pulmonary condition! The 72-year-old frontman and flautist reveals, “I am suffering from an incurable lung disease with which I was diagnosed a couple of years back.” And the Scottish-born musician, who cofounded the rock band in 1967, thinks on-stage smoke machines are to blame! “I really do believe that’s a very significant part of the problem that I have,” he explains. In the Halls of Justice the only justice is in the halls.— Lenny Bruce…

DENISE’S DAFFY LOVE WHISTLE! CHARLIE SHEEN’s offbeat ex-wife DENISE RICHARDS uses a $59 whistle to keep love pitch perfect! “The Lovetuner is a whistle that, when blown, makes a sound at the frequency of 528 hertz, which is known as the frequency of love,” toots the 49-year-old Real Housewife of Beverly Hills beauty. “I know it might sound odd, but if you try it, you’ll see that it immediately changes your state of being,” explains Denise, now married to AARON PHYPERS, who runs an alternative healing center in Malibu. “It’s very calming. Anytime I’m feeling stressed out or overwhelmed, it helps ground me,” she says. The reality star also confesses to scattering $110 “grounding bags” filled with pink crystals, believing they help repel EMF frequencies from cellphones and computers. She…

A DEPRAVED Texas grandmother tied up her six-year-old grandson and tossed him in a rat-infested shed for weeks before the helpless boy was rescued by police, investigators say. Esmeralda Lira, 53, and her boyfriend, 66-year-old Jose Balderas, have been charged with child endangerment and are each being held on $100,000 bond. When Dallas police arrived for a welfare check on the kid, Lira claimed he was away with his mother. But Balderas then pointed officers to the backyard shack where they found the boy with his hands behind his back! According to cops, the child — whose name was not released — said he’d only been there for an hour, but they claim Balderas told them Lira had him locked up for two weeks for stealing food! Authorities also say the…

ROCK legend Kurt Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean, and widow, Courtney Love, have apparently lost their ferocious battle over the tragic suicide’s famed guitar. Julien’s Auctions in Culver City, Calif., says the 1959 Martin D-18E Cobain strummed in MTV’s famed 1993 Unplugged session is going on the block in late June. It’s likely being sold by Bean’s ex Isaiah Silva, who won it in their bitter 2018 divorce after claiming she gifted it to him as a wedding present. Since then, Cobain’s kin have battled to reclaim it, with Silva charging Love and others even tried to kill him, an allegation she denies. Love insists the guitar is “a treasured heirloom of the family. It’s not his to take!”…

RACING legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. is speeding toward a NASCAR comeback, sources tell GLOBE — but insiders fear his history of head injuries may mean he’s risking his life and endangering his fellow drivers! Dale, 45, was named NASCAR’s most popular racer 15 years in a row before leaving the track in the dust in 2017 after experiencing more than 20 concussions! But a tipster says Earnhardt is still raring to compete and finally win his first NASCAR Cup Series championship — no matter the cost! Sources dish Dale’s about-face was partly inspired by Ryan Newman bouncing back just three months after his near-fatal crash at this year’s Daytona 500! “Dale saw that and figured if Ryan could come back from something that horrific — he could, too!” an insider…

WHAT an electrifying story! An orthopedic surgeon says being struck by lightning turned him into a concert pianist — even though he didn’t know how to read or write music! After Tony Cicoria survived being zapped by a thunderbolt at age 42 in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., in 1994, he became obsessed with classical compositions. “I started to have this incredible desire to hear classical music,” explains Tony. “But then I had this realization that listening to this would not be enough. I would need to learn how to play it.” Though the doc says his hands “had no idea what to do,” he taught himself how to tickle the ivories and had a vivid dream about performing his own work for an audience. Tony called his first composition Opus One:…

BELOVED comic Fred Willard went to his grave haunted and humiliated by an X-rated sex bust! The This Is Spinal Tap scene-stealer, who died at 86 on May 15, was mortified in 2012 when cops claimed they’d caught him with his pants down at the Tiki Theater, a sleazy adult venue in Hollywood. “Fred swore to the day he died that he did nothing wrong,” says an insider close to the Waiting for Guffman funnyman. “But he was so deeply in love with his wife, Mary — who was his high school sweetheart and comedy writing partner — that he was devastated she had to suffer through that embarrassment!” Though he escaped with just a few hours in an offender program, Fred — who first found widespread fame starring alongside…

FED UP with being humiliated, seething Caitlyn Jenner has issued a blistering ultimatum to young galpal and fellow sex-swapper Sophia Hutchins: Stop bringing your lovers to my home or we’re done! The shocking explosion follows a major change in the relationship between Caitlyn, 70, and Sophia, who at 23 is young enough to be her granddaughter. As GLOBE previously revealed, the guys turned dolls reworked their romance, which began in 2018, calling off their engagement and agreeing to stay just good pals. But the former Olympic decathlon champ, who fathered six kids with three ex-wives during his days as Bruce Jenner, is desperately in love with her young companion and seethes when she brings other lovers to their Malibu nookie nest. “Cait went along with this open romance arrangement, but…

FOOTLOOSE newsreader Lester Holt was horrified to realize he was broadcasting barefoot while working at home! “I put on a suit and tie, and yes, I wear pants. But I hit rock bottom one day,” admits the NBC anchor. “I was doing the newscast … and I looked down and realized, ‘Oh my God, I’m barefoot.’” Though his tootsies were out of sight of the audience, he says: “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is where I’m at.’”…

THE pet tabby of Cats composer Andrew Lloyd Webber didn’t have nine lives — it was tragically killed by a car! Left with nothing but memories of Mika, from a breed called a long-haired Turkish Van, the Broadway legend recently honored his feline friend by providing live commentary for a webcast of a filmed 1998 stage production of Cats. Webber boasts he revealed “an awful lot of secrets that I want to really let out of the bag, if you’ll forgive the pun.”…

AFTER nearly five years of marriage, MARY-KATE OLSEN, 33, is calling it quits with 50-year-old French husband PIERRE OLIVIER SARKOZY, the half-brother of former French president NICOLAS SARKOZY. It’s a girl for Ugly Betty star AMERICA FERRERA, 36, and actor/writer husband RYAN PIERS WILLIAMS, 39, who welcomed their second child. Married at First Sight alums JAMIE OTIS and DOUG HEHNER are now married with children. Baby boy Hayes joins big sis Henley Grace, 2. DWTS pro dancer LINDSAY ARNOLD, 26, and her high school sweetheart hubby, SAMUEL LIGHTNER CUSICK, are expecting their first baby in November. The lovebirds married in 2015. Modern Family star SARAH HYLAND, 29, and fiancé Bachelorette alum WELLS ADAMS, 36, are putting down ritzier roots. The actress forked over nearly $4 million on a new love…

THAT’S one way to get tanked! California cops say liquor-loving Gabriel Moreno jumped onto a truck carrying red wine, climbed beneath it and began swilling vino from a valve while the vehicle traveled along the highway, say California cops. Authorities allege the thirsty thief latched onto the big rig when it was stopped by the side of the road — then went along for the ride and began guzzling! When the driver noticed a dashboard gauge showing he was losing his precious cargo, he pulled over and found his soused stowaway! “This individual was able to release the wine from under the tanker, and he placed himself underneath the tanker,” says Modesto CHP officer Tom Olsen. Moreno was charged with felony vandalism after allegedly causing the truck to spill nearly…

FAMED Brit actress Judi Dench has hit the highest levels in her profession — including winning an Oscar and garnering six Academy nominations — but the 85-year-old has one huge regret: not doing enough sex scenes! Looking over her 60-year career on stage and in flicks, she moans: “I have done only a few bed scenes … What a disappointment.” Ironically, the actress, who played spy boss M in the James Bond thrillers, was first told early on she “would never make a film” because of her looks. As for real sex, she notes she still feels desire for nookie. “Does it ever really go away?” she asks?…

WITH about 60 percent of body weight consisting of water — and so many body systems relying on it — proper hydration plays an important role in overall health. According to registered dietitian Melissa Majumdar, even mild dehydration can put the body under stress. If we’re not adequately hydrated, she says, we may experience nausea and loss of appetite, and may find it difficult to concentrate and perform physical tasks. But how much water should we knock back? The Institute of Medicine suggests women consume about 91 ounces of fluid daily — including that found in your food — while men should take in almost a gallon! After adjusting for food intake, gals’ daily water goals should be about 72 ounces, or 4.5 pints, while guys should aim to drink…

RIVAL talent show judges Christina Aguilera and J.Lo’s racy “battle of the boobs” has triggered a backlash from fans and plopped them in hot water with government bigwigs! The divas strutted their stuff to grab watchers and ratings — X-Tina on The Voice and J.Lo on American Idol — so much in the 2015–2016 seasons that shocked viewers wrote complaints to the Federal Communications Commission, which can boot a show off the air for obscene content. An alarmed Ohio woman griped to the FCC about one show-all outfit worn by chesty Christina, saying: “Christina Aguilera’s outfit on The Voice was very inappropriate. It revealed nearly her entire breasts.” The gal even suggested NBC was uncomfortable “as they started showing Christina from the neck up after about the first half hour…

A BELOVED Georgia woman was found dead in a ditch, and cops say the culprits are a pack of murderous mutts! The mauled body of Nancy Shaw, 62, was discovered by the side of a road in Lyons, about 80 miles west of Savannah. And police say an autopsy determined the hospital internist died from a vicious animal attack! Shaw was a familiar face to officers because the doctor would often stop by the station to check on those she’d treated. “When I realized who it was, it was devastating,” says Police Chief Wesley Walker. The four-footed suspects have been collared. Charges have not been brought against their owner but the investigation is continuing.…

U.S. OFFICIALS just announced that the Saudi pilot who killed three American military men at the Pensacola Naval Base last December was an Al Qaeda terrorist — but GLOBE readers knew that just days after it happened! On May 18, Attorney General William Barr finally confirmed that the iPhone of murderous Royal Saudi Air Force trainee Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani showed he had been in cahoots with Al Qaeda, including the night before his cowardly attack. On Dec. 6, 2019, Alshamrani, 21, who was being trained at the Florida base, gunned down three U.S. military members and wounded eight others. Just days later, in GLOBE’s Dec. 19 issue, terrorism expert Ryan Mauro exposed Alshamrani as a secret jihadist — and warned more like him were ready to attack again!…

BATTY Twilight vampire ROBERT PATTINSON proved he should stay out of the kitchen — his new, wacky biz plan for selling fast-food pasta literally went up in smoke! ”I was trying to figure out how to capitalize in this area of the market, and I was trying to think: ‘How do you make a pasta which you can hold in your hand,’” rambled the British hunk during a FaceTime confession with a totally perplexed reporter. “All right, so obviously, first things first, you gotta microwave the pasta,” explained the 34-year-old star, launching into a disastrous demo of a gross prototype recipe. “I found after a lot of experimentation … to congeal everything in an enormous amount of sugar and cheese … It really needs a sugar crust,” he garbled before…

A DEVIL dad threw his baby girl to her death off a California cliff after stabbing his pregnant wife, cops say. The sickening slaughter came after Adam Slater, 49, was involved in a rollover car crash six miles south of Palm Desert. According to Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez, the creep then tossed his one-year-old daughter, Madalyn, over “a steep cliff into a ravine.” Earlier that day, police responded to a “domestic violence incident,” which led them to Madalyn’s six-months-pregnant mom — 23-year-old Ashley Grome — who had multiple stab wounds. Ashley’s uncle says Slater had attacked the expectant gal in a church parking lot and tried to “stab her several times in the stomach and the throat.” Authorities allege Slater then sped off with Madalyn, and Ashley…

TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie has been gamely shooting the morning show from her home with occasional onscreen visits from her scene-stealing kids, Vale, 5, and Charlie, 3. Here are ten things you don’t know about the 48-year-old TV star, who’s helmed the NBC show with Hoda Kotb since 2017 — when NBC kicked serial sleaze Matt Lauer to the curb! 1 She was born in Melbourne, Australia, where her father was stationed for work. 2 She’s named after her great-grandmother — not the Georgia city of Savannah. 3 Her family moved back to the U.S. and settled in Tucson, Ariz., when she was two years old. 4 During her childhood, she had a desert tortoise as a pet. 5 She learned to play tennis and the piano as a kid.…

ALICIA KEYS’ father abandoned her and her mother when she was just 2 — and she’s shared a heart-breaking “divorce paper” that she sent him at 14. “You treat me as if I was never born,” she wrote, adding that she “never wanted to hear from him again.” In an Instagram post, the multiple Grammy Award winner writes: “At the time it hurt so much to experience what felt like empty promises. I swore I didn’t care, but I did and it affected me deeply.” The two are now close and Alicia, 39, says she was shocked to learn her father, Craig Cook, kept the letter. “I’m glad he and I can look back at it now as a sign of how far we’ve come,” she says.…

ARIES March 21 - April 20 A new hobby you’ve been considering is easier than you think, Ram! Go ahead and try — it might turn into a new income stream for your family! On Wednesday, Venus teaming with Pluto reveals secrets to health and happiness that you will find astonishing! For some, they lead to a renewed romance! GEMINI May 22 - June 21 You’re finding it hard to stick to boring chores while you want to have summer fun, Twin. But with Venus retrograde, it’s vital you handle business before pleasure, or something important might slip through the cracks! A romantic secret revealed Saturday takes your relationship to a deeper level! LEO July 23 - Aug. 23 Back off, Lion! The situation you’re involving yourself in is none…

JENNIFER LOPEZ and Alex Rodriguez’s arrogant airs and ravenous publicity-grabbing has led them to lose friends fast, sources say. Sources snitch that for every showbiz pal who has stayed, like Ryan Seacrest, several others have fallen away, including big names Leah Remini, Jane Fonda and Matthew McConaughey. “Jennifer and Alex have become vulgar and annoying,” tattles an insider of the pair, whose bid to buy the New York Mets recently crumbled. “They give off the impression that nobody is really in their league and it’s backfired in a big way and left them feeling socially isolated.” You can’t undo the past … but you can certainly not repeat it.— Bruce Willis…

THE Popsicle was invented by an 11-year-old boy! In 1905, California kid Frank Epperson accidentally left a sugary soda mixture he had made outside — and it froze overnight with the wooden stirrer embedded in it. Calling it the Epsicle, he started selling it in his San Francisco-area neighborhood. Eventually he patented the treat, calling it the Popsicle after his kids urged him to change the name. THE world’s highest underwater waterfall is almost two miles deep! Situated in the strait between Greenland and Iceland, the descent over the 11,500-foot Denmark Cataract is more than three times the highest on land. COTTON candy — a big enemy of teeth — was invented with the help of a dentist! Cooperating with confectioner John Wharton, Nashville gnasher-fixer William Morrison debuted the teeth-rotting treat in 1897,…