Orlando Bloom's mom says he's not racist, plus more news

By Wonderwall.com Editors 8:01am PDT, May 15, 2017

Orlando Bloom's mother weighs in on his derogatory remark

Two weeks after Orlando Bloom faced backlash for describing himself as a "pikey from Kent," the actor's mom, Sonia Bloom, is speaking out about the controversy. 'I think anyone listening would have known it was said jokingly about the place where he was born and bred," she said in a letter sent to her local paper, the Kentish Gazette (via the Daily Mail). "Orlando, I feel sure, was referring to the fact he enjoys mixing with people from all walks of life," she continued. "He is a friendly, courteous, respectful guy, happy to meet, chat, sign autographs and take selfies with anyone who asks." Sonia also said she made amends for Orlando's use of the word — a slur associated with gypsies and travelers — with the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups, which she said agreed the incident had been "blown out of proportion." In his apology, Orlando explained, "I've come from Kent and I grew up with a lot of, like, freewheeling, cool, interesting characters like that. I certainly wasn't taking a slant at that at all. I'm very respectful."

The Kardashians stand up for Planned Parenthood

Kim Kardashian West, Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian stand with Planned Parenthood. They made their position clear on social media over the weekend after visiting a Los Angeles Planned Parenthood office, where staffers discussed the basic health services about 2.5 million people could lose if the GOP's health care reform bill passes. "My sisters and I visited Planned Parenthood recently and learned that the House of Representatives forced through a bill that strips health care coverage from millions of people and raises health care costs, including Planned Parenthood patients," Kim wrote on Instagram after the visit, adding, "😢They are such an amazing place that provides so much to so many! #istandwithpp." Khloe posted about the meeting as well, noting on her social media that she "learned so much" about the cancer screenings, STD prevention and birth control services the organization provides to millions at low-cost. As E! News points out, the new health care bill would defund Planned Parenthood based largely on the fact that the group provides abortions — even though none of the government's funding goes toward that service.

John Legend, Chrissy Teigen face backlash over Seaquarium visit

John Legend's tour kicked off this weekend under the shadow of criticism about his decision to visit Miami's Seaquarium. "Pre-show activities on #LunasFirstTour #DarknessAndLightTour #miamiseaquarium💦🐋🐳🐬🐟💦" the excited singer captioned a photo from the visit with his wife, Chrissy Teigen and their daughter, Luna. The comments that poured in beneath the post, however, indicated a number of fans were surprised to see the politically-minded liberal couple supporting a place that keeps animals in captivity. "I really liked them until this 😩 they are supporting the oppression of living and breathing creatures," wrote a commenter. "Not cool🙅🏻 they are able to utilize resources and information to know not to support this. No excuses." Others echoed the critique, blasting the couple and saying they "should know better." Last year, the Sun-Sentinal reported Miami's Seaquarium had added "environmental and conservational elements to its marine mammal shows."

Howard Stern explains his myserious day off

"I don't want to be here." So said a still-ill Howard Stern on the air on Monday, May 15, according to the New York Post, The shock jock made headlines last week when he took a rare personal day and missed work, causing fans to worry something terrible had happened in his personal life. "There was a lot of speculation, 'Where was I on Wednesday?'" Howard said. "Many people pointed out that me taking what they call a 'personal day,' by the way, I never said 'personal day.' I didn't take a personal day, I took a sick day and I'm still sick, you can still hear it in my voice." Though fans suggested it was the first time Howard ever took an unscheduled day off, he didn't understand why his absence became so important to people. "Why was it such a big deal that I took a f–king day off?" he asked. "I wanted to take off today because my voice is still shot, but I was afraid to. I felt so f—— guilty. I missed a day of work and all of a sudden it's bigger news than James Comey."

Camila Cabello: My new album represents my 'journey from darkness into light'

Former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello is set to release her first solo album this week. She announced the news, along with the album's title, in a long and candid post on Twitter over the weekend, where she described how her new music came out of her recovery from a dark place about a year ago. "The first song from my forthcoming album 'the hurting the healing the loving' will come out on 5.19.17," she tweeted. "The hurting the healing the loving' is the story of my journey from darkness into light, from a time when i was lost to a time when i found myself again," she continued. "The story behind the album starts with the second song that you'll hear called 'I have questions' which I started writing in a hotel bathroom on tour a little over a year ago. I was completely broken during that time, i was in the kind of pain that's uncomfortable to talk about, and it was the kind of chapter you never want to read out loud…. i couldn't write another song for 6 months because writing meant i had to feel everything, and i wasn't ready to do that yet. so when i graduated from hotel bathrooms to studios to make my first album, i was making music about everything BUT what i was going through, it was like a secret burning on my tongue and for some reason i could not get myself to say it. till one day i just could not run anymore. i pulled up the lyrics from the year before, and 'i have questions' was written." Camila went on to describe how she kept writing about her sadness "until i was sick of the sad songs." As she continued to feel better, she said she noticed her new songs were getting "happier" as well. "i realized i wasn't making music just to make an album anymore, i was making this music to heal," she said. When she signed off, she raised a figurative glass to her album's namesakes: "To the hurting, thank you for teaching me that even if at night you take me into the deepest depths of the ocean, i will still wake in the morning," she wrote. "To the healing, thank you for the tears. when they finally came, they tasted like God. to the loving, you are even more beautiful than i remember."

Ashlee Simpson, Evan Ross reveal their most embarrassing parenting moment

Twenty-one months after their daughter, Jagger, was born,, Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross have come to understand some of their early parenting foibles. "When you're in the beginning of parenthood, there are so many embarrassing moments," Ashlee told Us Weekly on Friday, May 12. Asked to share one of the most embarrassing incidents, Ashlee and Evan offered up the time she and Evan tried to change Jagger on the seat of an airplane. "We were supposed to take the baby to the bathroom, but we thought we could do it really fast on the chair," Evan explained, citing his concern Jagger could contract germs if she touched anything in the small plane bathroom. "We were trying to be sneaky, but the stewardess was like, 'I'm sorry, but people are really unhappy about the fact that you're [changing her diaper here].'" Ashlee chimed in: "She was such a little baby. I didn't want to have to go in [the bathroom]. She was like 4 months old. But no, it really isn't OK and I do know that, but my sneakiness was really embarrassing. It wasn't so sneaky." The couple also confirmed they're still working on an album together and may plan a tour together once it's finished.

Olivia Newton John reportedly can't walk because of sciatica

New details have emerged about the debilitating sciatica that derailed Olivia Newton John's tour this year. "… To see her unable to walk or get out of bed because the pain is so severe is incredibly rattling," a source is quoted as saying in the tabloid New Idea (via the Daily Mail). "We are very worried." Olivia, who recently announced she was canceling her May dates in order to "rest and deal with this painful condition," is reportedly also struggling to understand her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi's recent behavior. In a series of Instagram pictuires earlier this month, Chloe showed off her plastic surgery-aided figure and shared strange captions including one in which she claimed to be a witch. "Just when Olivia thinks she's on the straight and narrow, she starts up with this bizarre business. It's just adding to Olivia's stress and her health troubles," said the source. Chloe, 31, has previously been treated for anorexia and drug addiction. Olivia's reps have said she plans to reschedule the missed shows.

Kate Beckinsale shares sweet post about her daughter, Lily

Most celebs marked Mother's Day with social media posts about their mothers or special ladies in their lives who happen to be moms. Kate Beckinsale reflected on the holiday in a different way. First, she shouted-out her daughter, posting an Instagram pic from of the 18-year-old with a loving — and sort of hilarious — caption. "Lily You take my breath away @lily_beckinsale #prom you're funny and clever and gorgeous and just enough crazy to be my favourite person in world," Kate wrote. "My Fallopian tube is like BITE ME I KILLED THIS," she added. In another post, the actress gave some love to those who struggle with Mother's Day. "Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas 💕and , to all the girls feeling like s— today , whether it's miscarriage , abortion , trying and not yet managing to get pregnant , having lost your own mother, lost a child ,family fighting ,not having met the right person or just feeling crummy, love you too," she wrote. "These holidays are hard when you're bearing something private and painful . Hugs ladies , you are not forgotten 💕💕💕💕💕."

Emily Ratajkowski shares super-hot Mother's Day pic

Yowzah. If you've ever wondered where Emily Ratajkowski got her ridiculous bod, look no further than the photo she posted on Mother's Day. "Mama 💙," Emily wrote on the pic, which shows the model sharing a bikini moment with her 64-year-old mom, Kathleen Balgley. It didn't take long for Emily's followers to notice that beauty apparently runs in her family and they quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of likes, according to the New York Post. Kathleen is reportedly an English professor.

Exes Carmelo and La La Anthony spend Mother's Day together

Carmelo and La La Anthony put their differences aside and stepped out as a family with their son, Kiyan, on Mother's Day. TMZ reports the threesome dined on sushi at Neta in New York before taking their 10-year-old out for a frozen yogurt dessert treat. Neither Carmelo nor La La have filed for divorce since news of their split — and rumors Carmelo cheated — surfaced in April.