People in the news

It’s a boy for Britney Spears

New York – Britney Spears has given birth to a baby boy, Us Weekly reported.

The baby was born Wednesday by Caesarean section at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center in California, the magazine said. No other details were available.

A call to Spears’ publicist by The Associated Press wasn’t immediately returned.

It is the first child for the 23-year-old pop star and her husband, Kevin Federline. Federline, 27, has two children with ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson.

Crowe tries to have charge reduced to misdemeanor

Sydney, Australia – Russell Crowe’s lawyers are working to win a reduction of the assault charge filed against him after he allegedly hurled a phone at a New York hotel staffer, an Australian magazine has reported.

The 41-year-old Oscar-winning actor, born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, was charged with felony assault after he was accused of throwing a malfunctioning telephone at hotel concierge Nestor Estrada in June.

If convicted, Crowe could lose his right to work in the United States and could face up to seven years in prison.

In an interview published by The Bulletin magazine on Wednesday, Crowe said his lawyers are working to have the felony charge reduced to a less serious misdemeanor.

But even that could lead to immigration hassles, Crowe said.

“Every time I apply for a visa, it’s like you need a suitcase into the embassy,” he said, referring to the amount of paperwork required. “So to add this charge, even as a misdemeanor level … basically stops me getting certain types of visa.”

Crowe, who has a history of explosive outbursts, said he is prepared to accept his fate.

“If I’m an international menace like the (prosecuting) attorney is suggesting, then fine,” Crowe said from his home in Sydney. “I’ll just stay here.”

Last month, Crowe reached an undisclosed settlement with Estrada.

Long name for a little boy

Berlin – Heidi Klum has named her newborn son after her Grammy-winning husband, Seal, and her father.

Henry Guenther Ademola Dashtu Samuel was born Monday in Los Angeles, the couple announced Wednesday on Klum’s German-language Web site.

Seal’s full name is Sealhenry Olusegun Olumide Samuel, while Heidi’s father and manager is Guenther Klum.

The baby is the couple’s first child. The 32-year-old German supermodel has a 16-month-old daughter, Leni, from her previous relationship with Formula One manager Flavio Briatore.

Trumpeting real estate

New York – For Donald Trump, making money seems to come easily.

More than 2,000 people paid $249 each to read the real estate mogul’s advice when he delivered his first online lecture on dealmaking Tuesday night on his Trump University Web site.

The developer told students he prefers real estate investments to stocks, adding that he believes fears of a real estate bubble are unfounded, the Daily News reported in Wednesday’s editions.

Property values won’t sink as long as the dollar is weak and interest rates are low, he said.

But if home values do crash, “Then people like me would go in and buy like crazy,” he said. “I know people who are going to New Orleans, who want to take advantage.”

“I don’t think it’s a nice thing to do,” he added.

The fourth season of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” in which candidates compete for a job with Trump, premieres Sept. 22.

To London for ‘Chicago’

London – Lynda Carter, who starred in the campy 1970s TV series “Wonder Woman,” will join the London cast of “Chicago” on Sept. 26, the producers said Wednesday.

Carter, 54, will make her London stage debut in the role of the jail matron, Mama Morton.

“Chicago” will mark its eighth anniversary in London on Nov. 18.

“Wonder Woman” aired from 1976-79, with Carter starring in the adaptation of the DC Comics superhero adventure.

Her screen credits include “Sky High” and “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

Teen pleads guilty to hacking Hilton’s phone

Washington – A Massachusetts teen-ager has pleaded guilty to hacking into the cell phone account of hotel heiress and Hollywood celebrity Paris Hilton.

The 17-year-old was sentenced to 11 months’ detention at a juvenile facility for a string of crimes that include the online posting of revealing photos and celebrity contact numbers from Hilton’s phone.

As an adult, he will undergo two years of supervised release in which he will be barred from possessing or using any computer, cell phone or other electronic equipment capable of accessing the Internet.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts and the state district court declined to identify the teen-ager, noting that federal juvenile proceedings and the identity of juvenile defendants are under seal. But a law enforcement official close to the case confirmed that the crimes admitted to by the teen-ager included the hacking of Hilton’s account.

The teen-ager also pleaded guilty to making bomb threats at two high schools and to breaking into a telephone company’s computer system to set up free cell phone accounts for friends.