The daily gossip: Steve Buscemi is his own meme, Mariah Carey is ready for Christmas, and more

(Image credit: Andrew Toth/Getty Images for The Webby Awards)

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1. Steve Buscemi dresses as his own meme
2. Mariah Carey declares it Christmastime
3. Kal Penn reveals he's engaged to his longtime partner, Josh
4. Are Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson sitting in a tree?
5. Ed Sheeran looks back on his much-criticized 'Game of Thrones' cameo

published 1 November 2021

1. Steve Buscemi dresses as his own meme

How do you do, fellow trick-or-treaters? For Halloween 2021, Steve Buscemi did what only select people on Earth can: dress as a meme he spawned. The actor handed out candy in costume as his 30 Rock character from the "how do you do, fellow kids" meme, complete with backwards hat and skateboard. The meme, which is used to mock lame attempts at appealing to young people, comes from a 30 Rock gag featuring Buscemi as an obviously adult undercover cop trying to infiltrate a high school. Other celebrity Halloween costumes included Ariana Grande's insanely elaborate one based on Creature from the Black Lagoon, but we've seen enough to declare Buscemi the holiday's winner. Better luck next year, everyone!

The second the clock struck midnight on Monday, the Christmas season began. Mariah Carey says so. As much of the world headed into a candy-induced coma, Carey shared a video at precisely 12:00 a.m. on Nov. 1, which opens on a shot of three jack-o'-lanterns that spell out the phrase "it's not time." But, clearly, it is (Christmas) time. Carey subsequently enters and smashes the "not" pumpkin with a baseball bat before "All I Want For Christmas Is You" immediately starts playing. You heard her, folks! The day Carey officially takes over Santa Claus' gig Tim Allen style may be fast approaching, though her video does end with a reminder that "we still gotta get through Thanksgiving."

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Kal Penn, who played Kumar in the Harold & Kumar movies and Lawrence Kutner on House, has come out as gay, revealing in his new book he's engaged to his partner of 11 years, Josh. Penn told People he's "always been very public with everybody I've personally interacted with" about this, but he's "really excited to share our relationship with readers." The actor, who worked in the White House under former President Barack Obama, also shared the story of their first date, during which he quickly thought "this obviously is not going to work out" after his now-fiancé flipped the TV to NASCAR. Cut to a few months later, Penn writes, "and we're watching NASCAR every Sunday."

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson were spotted holding hands on a rollercoaster, but they're apparently just friends — "right now." Photos published by People showed the two on a ride at Knott's Scary Farm, with a source telling the outlet, "They hang in the same circles so they will be together from time to time. It's just friends hanging out." Nothing to see here, then, right? Well, Gawker doesn't appear to be buying it, citing an insider as saying they "spent the night together at a Los Angeles hotel" in an article bluntly titled "Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson are doing it." Allegedly! Still another insider told Us Weekly, "They are just friends right now, but things could turn romantic."

Remember when Ed Sheeran's cameo on Game of Thrones was something people were really, really mad about? He sure does. The "Shape of You" singer opened up on the Armchair Expert about his controversial appearance on the HBO series, recalling that filming his cameo was "great" and was actually meant to be a "surprise" for Maisie Williams for what was supposedly "meant to be her last season" originally. But fans at the time complained relentlessly about Sheeran's appearance, saying it took them out of the show, and he said this "sort of muddied my joy to it." In fact, in a separate interview, Sheeran revealed that after the backlash, he's "more careful when I am offered cameos now."

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.