By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:04am PDT, Apr 15, 2021
Sharon Osbourne books first major interview since her controversial departure from 'The Talk'
Sharon Osbourne's already landed her first major interview since she left "The Talk" following a heated, on-air conversation with Sheryl Underwood about Piers Morgan, Duchess Meghan and racism last month. "Real Time With Bill Maher" announced this week that Sharon will join Bill for a sit-down interview on the show's April 16 edition. The interview is set to land days after "The Talk" returned from a hiatus sparked by Sharon's interaction with Sheryl and a network investigation into other allegations made about Sharon after she exited her longtime spot on the show. Those included accusations of using racist and homophobic slurs as well as general workplace misconduct. TMZ, meanwhile, reported that Sharon was "otherwise engaged" when "The Talk" returned to the air at the start of this week, saying she has not watched it or spoken to privately to Sheryl.
Keep reading to see the sweet letter Taylor Swift sent a frontline nurse and more news…
RELATED: The biggest celebrity controversies of 2021 so far
Taylor Swift thanks 'brave' nurse for fighting COVID-19 with handwritten note, massive box of gifts
Last month, Macon, Georgia's local paper, The Telegraph, ran a story about Britta Thomason, whose work as a flight nurse "and true passion for helping people" put her on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic from day one. Asked what she enjoys outside of her demanding job, Britta said she loves Taylor Swift, telling the paper, "I am a Swiftie. I won't deny it." Turns out the feeling is mutual. On April 13, Britta revealed on Facebook that Taylor had sent her a massive care package with a handwritten note on top. "I can't read it because I'm gonna cry," Britta says in a video clip in the post. "I'm dying! Oh my god. Look at all this stuff!" That stuff included what appear to be everything from T-shirts and sweaters to pop sockets, water bottles and guitar picks. "Dear Britta, I wanted to write to you and personally thank you for serving on the front lines of this pandemic and for being brave enough to put yourself in danger to help others," Taylor had written to Britta in cursive. "I am so inspired by your passion for helping and caring for your patients and I was so touched that you mentioned liking my music recently! I've sent you some cozy clothes for when you're off duty," Taylor continued, adding a smiley face. "I'll be thinking about you and forever grateful." She signed the note, "Love, Taylor," with a hand drawn heart. "Y'all. Y'ALL!!" Britta captioned the post. "I mentioned in a recent news article with The Telegraph & macon.com that I am a big Taylor Swift fan…and this showed up at work today!! I've always seen videos of her fans opening packages she sent them but never did I EVER think I would be one of them! I'm not one to fangirl about anything, but if you know me, you know I'm a Swiftie! Don't mind me…I'll be crying the rest of the day 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️ Taylor, thank you!" Britta closed with hashtags including a cute reference to Taylor's 2019 song, "You Need To Calm Down," which Britta tweaked, apparently through excited tears, to "#INeedToCalmDown." By that evening, the rest of Taylor's fans were feverishly deciphering everything the singer said in her brief appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" to mean she'd just hinted her next rerecorded, "Taylor's Version" album release will be "1989." As one fan put it on Twitter, "that wasn't an interview, that was taylor swift dangling information in front of our faces and telling us to come and get it."
RELATED: The business of being Taylor Swift
Kanye West's $1M Yeezy prototypes expected to make auction history at Sotheby's
When Kanye West took he stage at the 2008 Grammy Awards to perform "Stronger" and "Hey Mama," he was clad in a pair of simple but unique black high-tops. We now know those shoes were the prototypes for the Yeezy line he would go on to develop with Mark Smith for Nike. And starting next week, sneaker heads will have the chance to own that very first pair — really wealthy sneaker heads, that is. The iconic, size 12 Air Yeezy Prototype worn by Kanye himself are headed for a private sale via Sotheby's, where they're valued at more than $1 million, the auction house announced this week. According to luxury outlets including the Robb Report, the kicks are likely to become the most expensive pair of shoes ever sold by Sotheby's. According to the auction house's Brahm Wachter, that specific pair of shoes "is critical to the development of the Yeezy franchise, which has become one of the most important sneaker and lifestyle brands in history." The night Kanye debuted them back in 2008, he added, "the sneakers set off waves in the sneaker community as people tried to identify the mysterious pair. " The Yeezy line that followed reportedly earned about $1.7 billion in sales last year, according to Forbes. Prior to being sold through Sotheby's and collector Ryan Chang, the prototypes will go on display to the public in Hong Kong from April 16 – April 21.
RELATED: Fashion hits and misses for April 2021
'Bachelor' alum Colton Underwood is reportedly filming a Netflix series about going public as a gay man
Bachelor Nation was treated to a big surprise on April 14 when NFL player-turned star of "The Bachelor" revealed to Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" that he's gay. "I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time … and I'm gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know," Colton said in the interview. His revelation sparked a wave of supportive social media posts from celebs and members of his former "Bachelor" family. "You're free now @colton," Andy Cohen sweetly told him. Following the initial news, multiple outlets reported that Colton's doing more to "[let] people know" about his identity than just the "GMA" appearance. According to Variety, he's also in the process of filming a Netflix series about his experience "living his life publicly as a gay man." The show will reportedly feature Olympian Gus Kenworthy as Colton's "guide of sorts" to the new experience.
Morgan Wallen cancels summer tour dates after taking 'time away to work on myself'
Morgan Wallen announced this week he's canceling all festival and tour date appearances this summer after he faced backlash over a video that showed him yelling a racial slur outside his home in February. In an open letter on April 13 that he's spent the past few weeks "figuring … out" the "mistakes" he made in 2020 and 2021, presumably including the slur incident as well as his arrests for public intoxication and disorderly conduct and his firing from a planned "SNL" gig due to his failure to follow COVID-19 safety protocols at a bar the week before the show. "I wanted to let you guys know that I've taken a couple months away and feel like I've really worked on myself," he wrote after praising fans for their support and discussing his chart-topping, "Dangerous: The Double Album." "I'm proud of the work I've put in and in many ways thankful to have had the time to do it. I've needed this time off. Not only has this time revealed to me the ways in which I want to improve, but it's also reminded me that I am still very proud of who I am and the man I am becoming," he wrote. "I've found this time away to be very valuable to me in many ways, but I feel like I need a little more of it …" Morgan continued. "It means I won't be playing festivals or the Luke Bryan tour dates. But it's important to me personally, if you can, still go to these shows — support country music." After the video surfaced in February on TMZ, Morgan, 27, was suspended by his label and barred from eligibility for the ACM Awards. Multiple radio networks also took his music out of rotation.
Daniel Dae Kim reveals he confronted 'Lost' creators about the pilot's Asian stereotype 'land mine'
Last month, Daniel Dae Kim testified before Congress about the spike in anti-Asian discrimination and violence in America this past year. But as one of the original cast members of "Lost" back in 2004, the actor and the show faced criticism for the stereotypical relationship between his gruff Korean character, Jin, and Jin's submissive wife, Sun. In a new interview with Vulture, Daniel, now 52, reveals he actually confronted "Lost" creators J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof about Jin. "When I read the script for the pilot, I knew this was a land mine," he said. "My greatest fear was that the pilot of 'Lost' would air but the series would not — because if you were to see the pilot as the totality of my character, you would have been left with that stereotype. While we were shooting, I remember sitting down with Damon Lindelof and J.J. Abrams and saying, 'Guys, this character cannot progress in this same way.' They basically said, 'Trust us.' I did, and it turned out for the best. As an Asian actor, you're just looking to get hired. It's about working within the system to try and change it when you have the opportunity. The character grew to a place where I don't think you'd call him a stereotype by the end." Daniel, who is Korean American, went on to explain that when it comes to representation, "… I choose to look at things as whether they're moving the needle of progress on a larger scale." And in his mind, "Lost" ultimately had "a positive effect … on representation." As Daniel tells Vulture, that approach isn't limited to pop culture. "If you're not aware of politics in any industry," he says, "you're missing all of the ways to navigate it,."
Katy Perry and Miranda Kerr open up about motherhood and their 'modern family'
Katy Perry and Miranda Kerr are proof modern families aren't just about pragmatism — they can allow genuine friendships to flourish. Katy, of course, shares daughter Daisy with her fiance, Orlando Bloom. Miranda, meanwhile, shares 10-year-old son Flynn with her ex, Orlando. She also has two more sons, Hart, 2, and Myles, 1, with her husband Evan Spiegel. Together, the whole group seems to be one big happy family — and Katy and Miranda and have become close pals. The singer joined the model on Instagram this week to help Miranda promote her new KORA Organics skincare line, but they ended up spending much of the time discussing their shared bonds with their kids. "In our modern family, she's probably the most health conscious of everyone," Kerry explained at one point, per People. "The kids are my number one love," Miranda replied. "It's just the best thing in the world, being a mom." Katy, who just became a mom last year, agreed. "It's the best job, and the most fulfilling," she said. "I feel like I got the opportunity to climb every single mountain, especially career-wise, and see those views, and a lot of them I'm really grateful for. But there was no feeling like the feeling of when I had my daughter. … That was like all the love I was every searching for." Nodding and smiling, Miranda replied that motherhood is truly "the heart-opener of all heart-openers." As the two continued to talk, they again agreed on how amazing it is to feel the kind of unconditional love a mom gets from her kids. As a performer, Katy said, the love she receives "fluctuates," depending on fans. "But the love from your children is constant and unconditional and isn't based on what you have, what you don't have, what career, what product. And so that's definitely made me feel so full, to know that there's this unwavering, unconditional love. Nothing is being asked of me, just to be a mother. And that comes naturally." As Miranda told Drew Barrymore on her talk show last fall, she couldn't be happier that "Orlando found Katy … and I found my incredible husband … and that we all really respect each other." Talk about a Hollywood ending ..
Bethenny Frankel shares new details on her 'Housewives' exit: 'It became not who I was anymore'
Her "Apprentice"-style show, "Big Shot With Bethenny," heads to HBO Max this spring and her BStrong emergency assistance charity continues to help victims of Winter Storm Uri in Texas. But somehow, Bethenny Frankel can't seem to dodge questions about her "Real Housewives" past, even though she left the New York City cast in 2019. On this week's edition of Paris Hilton's "This Is Paris" podcast, Bethenny said "RHONYC" "became not who I really was anymore." She went on to explain, "I didn't want to be arguing about things that didn't really matter anymore." Bethenny also argued that the show has "changed" since she joined the cast in 2008. Back then, she admits, "none of us really even knew what it was." Now, she said, " … people have a preconceived notion about it and they know what's going to happen." She continued, "I mean, how many charity events can we go to? How many friends can we not support on vacations and how much drama do we want to avoid and then go right into the drama on the vacation? So … the time had come." Two years later, she seems to be doing fine without "Housewives." In addition to her forthcoming HBO Max show, her podcast and her charity, Bethenny, 50, manages the non-cocktail side of her Skinnygirl empire, having sold the booze business a few years back. She also has a wedding to plan with fiance Paul Bernon.
Jessica Simpson's mom slams body shamers who attacked Jessica through the years
During and after her most recent pregnancy, Jessica Simpson was open about the health struggles she faced along the road to Birdie's birth, including weight gain and painful swelling. She would go on to debut her amazingly fit figure, sharing with fans the healthy way she lost the weight. But for her mom, watching the world criticize Jessica's body over the course of her career has been nothing short of "terrible." In an appearance on "Today" this week, Tina Simpson told Sheinelle Jones, "I have to be honest: To me the hardest thing with Jessica has been the weight. Because the way people judge her, it's unbelievable. Body shaming is a terrible thing, and no girl should have to go through that — or guy. Period." She recalled how there were times when Jessica felt compelled to simply stay home — constantly — rather than risk more body-shaming. "Because of that, it catapulted all kinds of different emotions and different things in her life too, you know?" Tina said. "And then it made her want to be a recluse, in a lot of ways, and to hide out and not want to get our of her house." As the mother of two daughters, Jessica has said she now refuses to give in to negative body image issues out of concern her daughters might learn dangerous behavior from her. Referencing her first daughter, Maxwell, in her "Open Book" memoir, Jess explained, "She already has this world to grow up in, and I want her to feel safe enough to love herself and the body that God gave her."
