The daily gossip: Ian McKellen gets the COVID-19 vaccine, Tom Cruise reportedly screamed at film crew members again, and more

(Image credit: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Warner Bros)

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1. Ian McKellen says he feels 'euphoric' after getting his vaccine
2. Tom Cruise can't stop yelling at people about COVID-19
3. Alison Roman officially departs from The New York Times, months after the Chrissy Teigen drama
4. Mariah Carey does not approve of the unauthorized Mariah Carey ornament
5. Ellen's doing fine!

published 17 December 2020

1. Ian McKellen says he feels 'euphoric' after getting his vaccine

You shall not pass up the chance to get your COVID-19 vaccine, Sir Ian McKellen says. The 81-year-old actor received a "jab" of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in London, calling it a "very special day" and saying he feels "euphoric," BBC News reports. The Lord of the Rings star added that he feels "very lucky" to have received the vaccine, which for now is being administered in the U.K. to frontline health-care workers, nursing home workers, and elderly celebrities (as well as anyone else over the age of 80). McKellen, who will still require his second dose of the vaccine down the line, stressed that he "would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone" when it becomes available to them.

Tom Cruise apparently won't stop yelling at people! After leaked audio of Cruise being a major coronavirus scold on the set of Mission: Impossible 7 went viral, the actor lost it again — and this time reportedly caused five crew members to quit. "The first outburst was big but things haven't calmed since," a source told The Sun. "Tension has been building for months and this was the final straw. Since it became public there has been more anger and several staff have walked." It's good that Cruise is taking health precautions seriously, and he's correct that if production gets shut down again by an outbreak, it will hurt the industry's lowest-paid workers the worst. But also … now five people don't have jobs? Unclear if Cruise is good or bad!

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Shallot pasta queen Alison Roman is officially no longer at the New York Times, following her long hiatus from the paper's Cooking section after she made controversial comments about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo earlier this year. "What Chrissy Teigen has done is so crazy to me," Roman had said in the fateful interview. "She had a successful cookbook. And then it was like: Boom, line at Target ... That horrifies me and it's not something that I ever want to do." Though Teigen accepted Roman's apology and called for her to be reinstated, Thursday felt like "a good time to mention I won't be returning to NYT Cooking," Roman wrote on Instagram, adding that her "new chapter" will include "more recipes, videos, and writing over on A Newsletter, and beyond."

Mariah Carey may be a Christmas enthusiast, but even she has her limits. On Thursday, CNN Politics editor Kyle Blaine shared a photo of a "festive" ornament that his husband gifted him, which he helpfully identified as being "Mariah Carey" since it wasn't immediately clear from looking. Carey herself somehow stumbled onto the tweet, and was awed and baffled by her likeness — or, er, lack thereof. "This is ... not approved," she replied. But, this being the season of generosity and forgiveness, she added parenthetically, "it's the thought that counts."

Ellen DeGeneres is back to playing competitive Connect Four with her wife, Portia de Rossi, after testing positive for COVID-19. "One thing they don't tell you is you get, somehow, excruciating back pain," DeGeneres updated fans in a video, adding: "I didn't know that was a symptom." DeGeneres had initially announced she had COVID-19 a week ago, on Dec. 10, when she confirmed "anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified." But now that she's back to "100 percent" and feeling "really good," she's resumed whooping Portia in speed rounds of classic Hasbro games while Augie the dog looks on dispassionately in the background.

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.