Birthday on the Backcourt

Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry celebrated turning 39 in grand style – showing off her pickleball skills against British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom at the inaugural Light Up the Court event for her Firework Foundation, which she founded in 2019 with her sister, Angela Lerche.

Racketeers galore turned out at the Montecito Club for the oh-so exclusive event to empower children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts. It raised a most impressive $750,000.

The former Dos Pueblos High student beat The Lord of the Rings star Orlando, although he jokingly claimed he’d let the mother of his two-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove, win!

At the event, a three-foot-long birthday cake in the shape of a giant pickle was brought on to the courts for Katy to blow out the candles and share the monstrous confection with the guests including Rob Lowe, Kate Hudson, Meghan Trainor, Jane Lynch, Crystal Iverson, Terry Pillow, and Bruce Heavin.

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos – ranked the world’s richest man by Forbes from 2018 to 2021 – with girlfriend Lauren Sánchez, who spent the summer cruising the Mediterranean on his new $500 million 417-foot yacht Koru, turned up in three limousines. 

“One for him, the other two for his money!” I quipped to Mary Hudson, Katy’s mother, who was attending with her husband, Keith.

Katy, who wore a green and white skirt and a printed shirt with “Founding Sister” on the back in green lettering, says she wishes for nothing as she feels like she has it all already.

“I’ve got enough. I’m so blessed,” she later told Entertainment Tonight at American Idol’s L.A. auditions, where her fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest staged a carnival-themed bash for her birthday.

All well-deserved…