It’s a boy for Letterman

New York — David Letterman is a daddy.

Letterman’s girlfriend, Regina Lasko, delivered a baby boy late Monday night. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces and is 21 inches long, Letterman announced on his show Tuesday night.

“I could never imagine ever being a part of something that turned out this beautiful,” Letterman said, according to a transcript from the “Late Show.”

Letterman, 56, said the baby — his first child — is named after his father, Harry Joseph Letterman, who died at 57.

“So God bless dad and God bless Harry,” Letterman said.

Sharpton to host ‘SNL’

Washington — Democrat Al Sharpton, whose one-liners and pointed rhetoric have added laughs to the presidential campaign, will host “Saturday Night Live” next month.

Sharpton will host the Dec. 6 show, which also will feature Pink as the musical guest. It could be a natural fit for the preacher, who often uses humor to promote his long-shot candidacy and is known to crack up his rivals during debates.

Other political figures who have appeared on the show include Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Jesse Jackson and former Vice President Al Gore.

Although none of Sharpton’s rivals for the Democratic nomination have been on, at least three have been depicted. Actors playing John Kerry, John Edwards and Joe Lieberman courted a real Gore for the vice presidency during Gore’s appearance on the show last year.

Recuperating at home

London — Britney Spears has canceled plans to appear at the MTV Europe Music Awards later this week because of an illness, the cable channel said Tuesday.

The pop star returned Saturday to the United States after contracting the flu and a throat infection, said David Frossman, a spokesman for Jive Records, the New York-based label that represents Spears.

She also canceled a promotional event in Paris last week for her upcoming album “In the Zone” because she was sick, Frossman said, adding that the singer had returned to her family home in Louisiana.

Classic car on the block

Los Angeles — Michael Jackson’s custom 2001 Bentley Arnage Red Label Turbosedan, used to ferry entertainers to his Neverland Ranch and in the making of the “What More Can I Give?” charity music video, is on the auction block.

With 13,600 miles on the odometer, it’s loaded with pop star upgrades: two DVD players, three flat screen video monitors, CD changer and video gaming system operational at each seat.

Performers on the music video autographed the interior ceiling. Among them were Jackson, Beyonce Knowles, Reba McEntire, Nick Carter, Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men and Tom Petty.

Jackson’s Bentley is among hundreds of collector cars on the block during the firm’s annual classic car auction Jan. 21-25.