Spears has another ‘Oops!’ mommy moment

New York – Britney Spears stumbled Thursday outside a Manhattan hotel, nearly dropping her 8-month-old son and further fueling the ever-growing media scrutiny of her parenting skills.

In photos splashed across the front page and inside the New York Post on Friday, the 24-year-old pop star is shown exiting The Ritz-Carlton hotel with Sean Preston in one hand and a glass in the other.

As her bodyguards walked Spears to her car, she stumbled – her long pants apparently getting tangled in her open-toed shoes – and bent low as Sean Preston’s head flung backward, knocking off his orange hat.

Spears, though, was able to keep her balance and hold on to her son, with help from a bodyguard, who reacted quickly.

The baby bobble was the latest public incident involving the safety of Spears’ child. Earlier this week, she was photographed driving with Sean Preston in a car seat facing forward rather than facing backward, which some safety regulations say is best.

Conan gets top Emmy gig

Los Angeles – The assignment for hosting the awards show honoring television’s best work is going to NBC’s Conan O’Brien.

The 43-year-old comedian will host the “58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards” on Aug. 27. The show will air live from the Shrine Auditorium on NBC.

O’Brien hosted the Emmys in 2002 and did “a tremendous job,” Dick Askin, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, said Friday. “We’re thrilled that he’s returning.”

O’Brien, host of NBC’s “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” since 1993, will take over the “Tonight” show from host Jay Leno in 2009.

Rock pokes fun at CBS chief

New York – CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves is the most powerful executive in television, but he’s still involved in some of the smallest programming decisions.

Chris Rock said it was Moonves who picked the young actor who portrays the comic as a boy in the UPN sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” vetoing the person who had been first choice.

“Les said, ‘I know how to pick black kids,”‘ the 41-year-old actor-comedian said. “He’s picking them for Angelina Jolie now.”

Rock spoke at Thursday’s sales presentation to advertisers by the new CW network, where “Everybody Hates Chris” will air on Sunday nights this fall after UPN shuts down.

Shows from UPN and the WB will be used on the CW, a venture between CBS and Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros.