Table of contents for April 4, 2022 in Globe

HAPPILY wed to his second wife for a decade, Dick Van Dyke confesses he feared hooking up with 46-yearsyounger Arlene Silver because he thought people would see her as a “gold digger!” Now 96, the Mary Poppins legend was 86 and Arlene was 40 when they tied the knot in 2012. But the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star, who has four grown kids with Margie Willett, his wife from 1948 to 1984, feared getting serious with the pretty makeup artist because “I thought there would be an outcry about a gold digger marrying an old man — but no one ever took that attitude.” Van Dyke, who also lived with actress Michelle Triola Marvin for 30 years, credits Arlene with keeping him chipper, gushing: “She loves to sing and dance, which…

MEGA rich rocker Rod Stewart traded his microphone for a shovel and road worker’s vest to fill potholes on the road by his British mansion to protect his beloved sports car. The 77-year-old Maggie May crooner complained the road ruts were so bad “my Ferrari can’t go through here” so he was rolling stones and gravel into the deep craters fronting his Essex home. “People are smashing their cars up,” he complains. “The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tire. “So me and the boys thought we would come and do it ourselves. We are filling the holes while millions and millions of dollars have been spent on the M11 [expressway].” The singer, who’s worth at least $300 million, adds: “Working for a living, filling holes, is good…

FLESHY French film icon Gérard Depardieu, 73, lost a bid to have a rape accusation against him tossed when judges ruled there was enough evidence to proceed — including CCTV footage of the alleged attack! Actress-model and family friend Charlotte Arnould has accused the Green Card hulk of raping her TWICE at his $65 million mansion in 2018 when she was 22. Depardieu, who has admitted to committing “plenty of rapes” in his youth, has called the accusations “baseless.”…

ARIES March 21 - April 20 Amazing energy gets your week off to a great start, Ram, and you could reconnect with an old flame or co-worker who brings a tempting opportunity to your door! It sounds good but can you afford it? Check out all the details before signing up! A minor health worry is resolved in time for weekend fun! TAURUS April 21 - May 21 Uranus has you fretting over things you can’t control, causing sleepless nights. Try the simple meditation practice a pal suggests, Bull. It’ll calm you down quickly! Midweek, don’t take sides in a disagreement between neighbors! Be the voice of reason instead! Single? New love holds a shovel! GEMINI May 22 - June 21 The focus is finance this week, Twin! You can…

MOVIE hunk Alec Baldwin broke safety rules when he pointed a revolver at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the gun fired, killing the young mom on the set, charges the armorer for the now unfinished film Rust. “Mr. Baldwin knew that he could never point a firearm at crew members under any circumstances and had a duty of safety,” insists the film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who adds the actor also failed to include Hutchins in a pre-filming weapons safety check. Baldwin, who’s being sued by Hutchins’ family for wrongful death, denies any wrongdoing and is blaming other people for the tragedy.…

HOLLYWOOD A-listers are exposing show business’ freaky underbelly — warts and all — with shockingly candid confessions about their sex lives. Macho singing icon Tom Jones, 81, who’s showered with undies from gals in the audience during performances, reveals It’s Not Unusual for him to dip his junk in mouthwash before a sex session, claiming “I use Listerine to make sure everything down there is sterile, like a surgeon before an op.” Bisexual model-actress Cara Delevingne has been linked to singers Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles, Pretty Little Liars beauty Ashley Benson and Will Smith’s son Jaden. The 29-year-old star of TV’s Carnival Row confesses she’s “had sex in planes a lot. But I’ve always been caught. “I had sex in the chair and there was a guy watching. We…

ON THE eve of the release of the new flick The Lost City, screen darling Sandra Bullock announced she’s quitting acting to devote her time to her two adopted kids! The 57-year-old The Blindside beauty had continued her hit-spinning career after adopting 12-year-old Louis when he was three months old and Laila, now 10, out of a foster home in 2015. But she blindsided fans at the recent SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, telling them: “I am just going to take some time to be a mom.” And her hiatus won’t be short. “I’ll get back to it. I don’t know when,” she adds. “Probably when they’re teenagers, solidly 16- or 17-year-olds.” That would put the Miss Congeniality star in her mid-60s when she returns and by Hollywood standards…

JUSTIN BIEBER’s model wife, Hailey Baldwin, narrowly cheated death after she developed a blood clot on her brain — and sources dish he’s taking it worse than her! The Biebs’ 25-year-old wife calls the medical emergency “one of the scariest moments I’ve ever been through. “I was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital,” she reveals. Docs found a “very small blood clot” had passed to her brain and was shutting off oxygen. She recovered in a few hours, but one expert believes she suffered a “mini-stroke.” “Can’t keep this one down,” praises Justin, who an insider says is “traumatized” and “panicked” by Hailey’s ordeal.…

FOOTBALL billionaire Jerry Jones was sacked by a paternity lawsuit from a 25-year-old gal who claims the Dallas Cowboys owner is her dad! In court documents, Alexandra Davis charges Jones, 79, established a trust fund for her and paid her mother $375,000 in hush money to hide her father’s identity and the pair’s extramarital fling. She’s asking to be released from the confidentiality agreement her mom signed in the ’90s and be legally recognized as the NFL bigwig’s child.…

SNARKY Pat Sajak was slammed by fans as “cruel” over his “rude” reaction to a contestant’s heartwarming tale on Wheel of Fortune — and critics say the outburst is the latest sign the oddball host is becoming unhinged! On the March 9 broadcast, Chicago native Scott Ingwersen, 47, explained his severed toe was reattached after a childhood accident and thanked the paramedics who’d helped him. As the audience applauded, Pat deadpanned: “That may have been the most pointless story ever told.” But viewers didn’t find 75-year-old Sajak’s stab at humor funny and Twitter was teeming with demands he apologize! As GLOBE reported, Pat — who rakes in $15 million a year — has grown increasingly crabby with contestants, and spies snitch he’s peeved producers didn’t acknowledge his 40th anniversary as…

Dancing with the Stars pro BRANDON ARMSTRONG, 27, is planning to waltz down the aisle with girlfriend BRYLEE IVERS, 23, a social media manager from Utah. Desperately Seeking Susan star ROSANNA ARQUETTE’s fourth husband, investment banker TODD MORGAN, is desperately seeking to divorce the 62-year-old after an eight-year marriage. TAYLOR SWIFT’s onetime beau CALVIN HARRIS, 38, and model girlfriend, AARIKA WOLF, 27, called it quits after four years. The View’s SUNNY HOSTIN begs to differ with KIM KARDASHIAN’s claim “no one wants to work these days.” Snaps Sunny: “People born on third base shouldn’t be talking about how easy it is to hit a home run.” Hollywood glamour girl and QVC maven TOVA BORGNINE, widow of McHale’s Navy legend ERNEST BORGNINE, died at age 80 in her Pennsylvania home. Sesame…

FRAIL Marianne Faithfull has been forced to move into a London nursing home after her lungs and short-term memory were ravaged by a near-fatal bout with COVID-19, sources dish. The As Tears Go By songbird, 75, was hospitalized for 22 days in 2020 with the killer virus, and last year, Mick Jagger’s ex-galpal confessed, “I may not be able to sing ever again.” The ailing icon also admits the pandemic “f**ked” up her finances because a planned biopic was scuttled.…

CONVICTED sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was so paranoid she was marked for death, murdered pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s madam kept a hand grenade on her desk and was fearful of deliverymen, says her former dog walker and gofer Rasmus Alpsjo. The 31-year-old Swede says he worked and lived at Maxwell’s East 65th Street Manhattan townhouse in 2015 for three months walking her Vizsla dog Captain Nemo, fetching her java from Starbucks and grilling hamburgers for her wealthy party guests. At the time, he had no idea Ghislaine, now 60, who was convicted of sex trafficking minors on Dec. 29, was the former mistress and pimp for twisted billionaire Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019. Alpsjo was interviewed for the gig by Ghislaine’s shipping tycoon pal Scott…

MOTORISTS in Wyoming aren’t stewing over dead deer and other deceased critters blocking their roads — they’re cooking ’em up thanks to a new roadkill app. The feature allows people to claim killed deer, elk, moose, wild bison or wild turkey for a mouth-watering din-din after registering the roadkill with state agencies. Recently, Marta Casey accidentally hit a mule deer doe while headed to a snowboarding adventure. She reported the severely injured critter to state troopers, who killed it, and then told her pal Jaden Bales, who used the app to claim the carcass and turn it into tasty steaks, sizzled in butter in an iron pan. Officials say 6,000 critters are killed annually on Wyoming roads and the app will help wildlife agents place animal crossing signs and reduce…

FURIOUS and humiliated Vladimir Putin purged Russia’s military — firing eight generals — for failing to overrun and conquer Ukraine in a few days! The Russian tyrant is also terrorizing his FSB spy agency for bungling intelligence estimates about the Ukrainians’ ability to resist and top advisors for embracing a screwed-up strategy that allowed the vastly undermanned defense forces to hand his massive army early defeats that have destroyed 12,000 troopers, 375 tanks, 86 attack helicopters and 74 jets. Former British intelligence and security officer Philip Ingram says Putin is “very angry” and blames his spy agencies for “seeding him the advice that led to the poor decision-making in Ukraine.” Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s security council, says foolish Putin expected “to win in two to three days and march…

PRO football player Akbar Gbajabiamila kicked off a TV career shortly after retiring from the NFL in 2008. And just last year, the American Ninja Warrior commentator joined The Talk nearly three months after Jerry O’Connell, which made him the second fulltime male panelist in the history of the CBS gabfest. Here are ten things you don’t know about the 42-year-old L.A. native. 1 He’s one of seven children born to Nigerian immigrant parents. 2 At California’s Crenshaw High School, he was a star basketball player but switched to football during his senior year. 3 He received scholarship offers from five colleges, but chose to attend San Diego State University with his older brother Kabeer — who’d later play nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers. 4 He was raised…

CROOKED cop Caleb Mitchell Rogers could get socked with a life sentence after snatching nearly $164,000 from three Sin City gambling dens, according to authorities. The 33-year-old Las Vegas police officer brandished a department-issued handgun, while robbing about $79,000 from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in February — and the brazen heist was caught by surveillance cameras, the FBI claims. But investigators say the greedy goon’s luck ran out as he was quickly tackled by a security guard and hauled off to the hoosegow! He’s also accused of swiping $73,810 from Red Rock Resort on Nov. 12 and $11,500 from Aliante Casino Hotel Spa on Jan. 6. Rogers, who joined the force in 2015, has been placed on administrative leave. If found guilty, he could get 20 years behind bars…

MORE women could potentially have successful pregnancies well into their 50s, according to scientists in Israel, who claim they’ve “reverse aged” human eggs by as much as 20 years! Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists say lab trials show an antiviral medication used to treat HIV appears to repair age-related DNA deterioration in eggs. Such cellular damage can impair fertilization and trigger miscarriages. However, the team has not yet proven the process can boost fertility or pregnancy viability because the treated eggs were not exposed to sperm, but plan to continue their research. Dr. Michael Klutstein, the biologist who led the project, explains, “Within ten years, we hope to use antiviral drugs to increase fertility among older women. This may help women between the ages of 40 and 50.”…

SHOWMAN Wayne Newton’s mug seems to be melting in a nip/tuck horror show and sources claim his own wife is urging Mr. Las Vegas to lay off having more procedures! Sources snitch the Danke Schoen singer, who turns 80 on April 3, has been tinkering with his face all his adult life, but he’s finally gone overboard. Even fans were gawking at Wayne’s waxy skin at this year’s Super Bowl when he showed up to cheer on the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23 to 20. “Like a lot of performers, Wayne’s petrified of aging and looking old,” says a source. “Now he just looks scary, like his face is thawing and dripping to the floor. “He has no eyelids, his nose looks like it’s been chipped…

DON’T get sore, but everything you know about the T-Rex is wrong! Scientists now say the gigantic predator who starred in Jurassic Park was actually three separate species of dinosaur, not one! DISNEYLAND’s staggering price increases make it cheaper for two Californians to tour Paris than visit the mouse house in Anaheim! Six nights at Disney’s cheapest lodge, Paradise Pier Hotel, costs $4,572 including park admission. The same stay in a hotel at Disneyland Paris costs $3,676, including airfare! SUPERSTITIOUS folks in Japan are freaking out because a cursed stone, said to kill everyone who comes into contact with it, mysteriously split in equal halves outside Tokyo releasing a vengeful demon! COMEDY duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello each have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.…