Table of contents for December 21, 2020 in People

‘I was already ready to throw it out the window in June last year’—LIL NAS X, on being “so ready to move on” from his hit song “Old Town Road,” on Apple Music’s At Home With ‘It’s a new decade, so we get to make another movie together’—ADAMSANDLER, hinting at doing another film with frequent costar Drew Barrymore, at the MTV Movie & TV Awards ‘I am very competitive in Mario Tennis Aces to the point where I can’t lose, or I’ll get very upset and start not liking the character’—SERENA WILLIAMS, on the Nintendo Switch game, to Essence ‘She married an actor, so she had to think the weirdness would come out at some point’—JOE MANGANIELLO, on wife Sofia Vergara’s thoughts about his blue Mohawk, to Entertainment Tonight…

As the temperature drops in New York City, Rihanna’s new relationship with rapper A$AP Rocky is heating up. On Dec. 2 the pair, both 32, looked cozy as they took a nighttime stroll together around the city. Days earlier they enjoyed a dinner date at New York City’s Beatrice Inn. “They’ve been inseparable the past few weeks,” a source says of the couple. “It’s a new relationship, but they both seem very into it.” Flirty friends for years, Rihanna (born Robyn Rihanna Fenty) and A$AP (born Rakim Mayers) ignited rumors that their relationship had become more than platonic in January, after the Grammy winner’s split from her boyfriend of nearly three years, Saudi billionaire Hassan Jameel. “Their lives were too different, and it was hard to maintain a relationship,”…

Elliot Page is starting a new chapter. On Dec. 1 the Juno actor, 33, revealed he is transgender in a moving social media post. “My pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” Page, formerly known as Ellen, wrote in the heartfelt statement. “I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self. I’ve been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community.” Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Page began acting at age 10 and got his breakout role in 2005’s Hard Candy. Three years later he earned an Oscar nomination for his 2007 performance in Juno with Michael…

It was a low-key kind of Thanksgiving for Alexis Sharkey. Instead of traveling back home to Pennsylvania for a big family feast, the 26-year-old social media influencer opted to spend the day at her new home in Texas. After a leisurely morning with her husband, Tom, at their Houston-area apartment, Alexis stopped by a friend’s house, where she happily played board games and chatted excitedly about her growing business and skyrocketing Instagram following. She been planning a trip home to Pennsylvania for the December holidays, and in a Thanksgiving family group text she shared her anticipation. “It was all, ‘Love you. Miss you. Can’t wait to see you at Christmas,’” says her mother, Stacey Robinault. “It was very light, with lots of hearts and emojis… and just fun.” That family…

My day starts with a walk to the park… I try to be outside in my neighborhood in Brooklyn with my dog Fenway for 45 minutes to an hour. It’s when I relax and figure things out, even things like my grocery list. I love a good shower… I like it hot like a steam room, and I’ll blast music—whatever I am in the mood for that day, from Jay-Z to Kygo to Whitney Houston. Then I jump into Zoom-land. The year has been tough—but I’ve grown… Without question, 2020 has been challenging, but it has also opened me in ways that I least expected—and in ways I originally felt unprepared for but discovered I needed. A friend said to me, “It’s like the world’s turned upside down,” but…

For the DIY Pros on Your List Three gift ideas to help keep ’em busy until quarantine is officially over…

Last Time I Danced Yesterday. The song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” came on, and my dog Nikki got on her hind legs and danced with me. It was pure joy. Last Time I Stayed up Too Late I’ve definitely had the dreaded lockdown-induced insomnia that everyone is lamenting about right now. I’m up way too late, alternating between doom-scrolling and rewatching episodes of The Office. Last Time I Was Scared I was gifted the cardboard cutout of myself from the Emmys audience; it’s sitting in a dining room chair. I walked past it the other day and jumped five feet in the air, petrified before I realized it was literally me. Last Thing I Took From a Set In season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Midge and…

1 Oreo goes Gaga Lady Gaga teamed with Mondelez to create a pink Golden Oreo cookie filled with green crème inspired by her Chromatica album. The limited-edition treats will hit stores in January, giving you a million reasons to skip the New Year’s resolutions. 2 Mariah gets in the cookie game too All Carey wants for Christmas is you… enjoying Mariah’s Cookies, available for delivery now in festive flavors like pumpkin, gingerbread and white chocolate cranberry. 3 Catherine O’Hara re-creates her Home Alone 2 scream The star’s reenactment of the famous scene from the 1992 sequel went viral on TikTok. (Schitt’s Creek fans promptly said, “I am dying inside!”) 4 Matrix 4 will premiere on HBO Max in 2021 With COVID-19 leaving the future of moviegoing in flux, Warner Bros. announced upcoming films…

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas have taken their relationship to the next level. The Knives Out actress, 32, recently moved in to Affleck’s L.A. home after putting her own house on the market, a source says. “Their relationship continues to be strong,” a friend of Affleck’s says of the pair, who met last year while filming their upcoming thriller Deep Water. Since taking their romance public in March, Affleck, 48, and de Armas have grown increasingly serious. Last month, after spending time apart while de Armas worked in New York City, the two reunited in New Orleans for reshoots of their film. They then celebrated Thanksgiving together at Affleck’s house, along with his children with ex Jennifer Garner: Violet, 15, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, 8. “They safely visit with his…

Chip Gaines is no stranger to hard work. Growing up in Texas, the Fixer Upper star, 46, sold candy for cash, and in college he started a wash-and-fold laundry business. “I’ve always known that hard work yields great results, even when there may be little to show for it,” says Chip. While he and wife Joanna, 42, have plenty to show for it, including their massive Magnolia lifestyle empire, Chip says their biggest project yet—the launch of their Magnolia TV network (a partnership with Discovery) next year—will be the “hardest work we’ve ever done.” Ahead of the new venture, Chip will share the keys to the couple’s success in his new memoir, No Pain, No Gaines, out in March 2021. “There must be thousands of books about networking that have useful…

Emily Blunt adored playing a headstrong Irish farmer in love with her neighbor (Jamie Dornan) in her new drama Wild Mountain Thyme but admits there was one major problem: “I’m wildly allergic to farm animals!” she says with a laugh. “So is Jamie. The both of us were on antihistamines every day.” Despite the sneezing, Blunt says spending four weeks in the idyllic Irish town of Ballina while making the film last year was a dream come true. “The locals welcomed us with open arms, and we definitely frequented all the pubs,” she says. But the highlight of her time on the Emerald Isle occurred when daughters Hazel, 6, and Violet, 4, with husband John Krasinski, 41, came to visit. “My girls took falconry lessons, and I have pictures of…

½ cup lime juice (from 4 limes)¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger1 Tbsp. granulated sugar10 red Fresno chiles, stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped2 Tbsp. minced garlic, divided1¼ tsp. plus a pinch of kosher salt, divided1 lb. skirt steak or flank steak (about 1-in. thick), trimmed4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted4 Portuguese rolls or split-top dinner rolls, split horizontally 1. Process lime juice, oil, ginger, sugar, chiles, 4 teaspoons of the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, to make piri piri sauce. Set aside. 2. Place steak and ½ cup of the sauce in a large ziplock plastic bag. Seal, and massage steak and sauce together in bag. Let marinate at room temperature 15 minutes or in fridge up to…

Across 1 Daytime TV “opera” 5 Burlap bag 9 15 Across in We Bought a ___ 12 Starting poker stake 13 The Case of the Velvet Claws author ___ Stanley Gardner 14 Alison Krauss’s “___ Fly Away” 15 The Martian Oscar nominee (2 wds.) 17 “___ a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” 18 Anthem: “___ the land of the free…” 19 15 Across in ___ Private Ryan 21 Actress Brie or cartoonist Gary 24 Musician Brian 25 Dragonfly ___ (Lorelai’s Gilmore Girls lodge) 26 “Ew, gross!” 28 Pants, slangily 32 1989 Costner film in which an unknown 15 Across played a Fenway Park extra (3 wds.) 36 Irish singer 37 Offstage signal 38 Popeye’s spinach holder 39 “It ___ to Be You” 42 The Crown’s__ Bonham Carter 44 Jason played by…

Ready to Wed Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton “This won’t be a long engagement,” a source says of Shelton, 44, who proposed to Voice costar Stefani, 51, in October. “They are both ready to get married.” As for wedding planning during a pandemic, Stefani told Ryan Seacrest, “I just want my parents there.” New Couple Chrishell Stause & Keo Motsepe One year after her ex Justin Hartley filed for divorce, Selling Sunset star Stause, 39, has moved on with Dancing with the Stars pro Motsepe, 31, whom she met while competing on the latest season. “He’s the best,” she said on the Viall Files podcast. Happy Anniversary! Luke & Caroline Bryan The American Idol judge, 44, and his wife, 40, celebrated 14 years of marriage on Dec. 8. In…

Olivia Jade Giannulli is breaking her silence. Nearly two years after her parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, were charged in a nationwide scandal over college admissions fraud, the YouTube star opened up for the first time about the “mistakes” her family made in an emotional episode of Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk. “There is no justifying or excusing what happened, ’cause what happened was wrong,” Olivia, 21, told hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris. “Every single person in my family can be like, ‘That was messed-up. That was a big mistake.’” With her parents currently serving their prison sentences after pleading guilty to fraud charges—Loughlin, 56, is serving two months; Mossimo, 57, five months—Olivia said she “was not fully aware of what was going…

Babies • Country singer Chris Lane, 36, and Bachelor alum Lauren Bushnell Lane, 30, are expecting their first child. “Hope you look like your Mama,” Chris wrote on Instagram. • Scandal star Katie Lowes, 38, welcomed her second child, daughter Vera, with husband Adam Shapiro, 40. The two are also parents to 3-year-old son Albee. Weddings • Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop and 2020 World Series MVP Corey Seager, 26, married his high school sweetheart Madisyn Van Ham, 24, near Nashville. • Country singer Jake Owen, 39, proposed to Erica Hartlein, 35, 19 months after they welcomed daughter Paris. Owen is also dad to daughter Pearl, 8, from his previous marriage. Relationships • Real Housewives of Orange County star Braunwyn Windham-Burke, 43, came out as a lesbian and is dating a…

1 (14-oz.) pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained1 small head cauliflower (about 1¼ lbs.), cut into florets2 medium-size (8 oz. each)bell peppers, thinly sliced1 medium-size (9-oz.) white onion, thinly sliced1 cup sliced fresh cremini mushrooms (about 3½ oz.)1 Tbsp. chili powder1 tsp. ground cumin½ tsp. paprika¼ tsp. garlic powder¼ tsp. onion powder3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided1¼ tsp. fine sea salt, dividedWhole-wheat tortillas, guacamole, vegetarian refried beans and lime wedges, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 425º. Place tofu on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels and a second plate; place a weight on top. Let stand 30 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, place cauliflower, peppers, onion and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, 2 tablespoons of the oil…

See If You Can Find the Differences in These Two Pictures Spotted on New York’s Upper East Side: Whitney Peak on the set of the Gossip Girl reboot in a scene shot on Dec. 1. While Peak’s character has yet to be revealed in the teen drama series—premiering on HBO Max in 2021—the revival will begin eight years after the original series finale in 2012. Currently Kristen Bell is the only confirmed returning star, reprising her role as the show’s mysterious narrator. 10 Changes to Keep Score! 1. The camera, top left, is larger. 2. The black backdrop extends farther to the right. 3. The street lamp light, right, is now on. 4. The bottom row of panes on the window, right, is gone. 5. The drawstring on the yellow sweatshirt worn by the student with the pink hair,…