Entertainment Today: Showbiz News

BERNIE MAC: I WANTED TO MAKE MAMA LAUGH

Comedian Bernie Mac says he decided to become a comedian when he was just 5 years old and tried to make his mother laugh.

"I've practiced comedy since I was a little boy," the "Head of State" star told United Press International. "I saw my mother crying one day and I climbed on her lap and I said, 'Mama, what are you crying for?' and I had my little hand and I was wiping her face and she said, 'Nothing, son.' And Ed Sullivan said (on television,) 'Ladies and gentlemen, Bill Cosby' and Bill Cosby came out and he did a routine about snakes in the bathroom. I didn't understand what he was saying and my mother started laughing and crying at the same time and I said: 'That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to be a comedian, so you never have to cry again.'"

Mac said he then started practicing every day.

"Everybody needs laughs," he explained. "Let me tell you about laughs. Laughs will change your whole face, your hair. Laughs will make you break wind, cough, snort. Laughs will make you forget how cool you are."

The presidential comedy "Head of State," co-starring and directed by Chris Rock, opens Friday.

BABY BOY FOR 'HARRY POTTER' AUTHOR

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has given birth to her second child -- a boy -- in Edinburgh.

Baby David Gordon Rowling Murray was born at the new Royal Infirmary, confirms Rowling's publicist, Nicky Stonehill.

"Both mother and baby are doing well," Stonehill reports, adding both the 37-year-old mother and little David have been released from hospital. Rowling also has a daughter, Jessica, from a previous marriage.

"Harry Potter And The Order of the Phoenix," the eagerly awaited fifth installment of the wizard series, hits bookstores on June 21.

'DISCOVERY' RATINGS SOAR DUE TO CAMERON DOC

A documentary by legendary filmmaker James Cameron helped double the Discovery Channel's ratings last month.

Word from the education network is that "James Cameron's Expedition: Bismarck" spurred strong ratings growth in major markets all over the world following its Feb. 16 premiere.

The two-hour special's international success story follows equally impressive performances in North America, where it debuted last December.

In Latin America the special propelled Discovery Channel to the No. 1 position among all pay TV networks in Brazil and Venezuela. Likewise, viewers in Argentina responded to the program's powerful story and cutting-edge cinematography with Discovery Channel's ratings increasing by 48 percent in that market. On the European front, the premiere of the film more than doubled average time slot ratings for the United Kingdom, Poland, Netherlands and Spain.

In the United States, "James Cameron's Expedition: Bismarck" delivered 1,916,000 households for a 2.2 rating, ranking the special as the No. 1 documentary program on basic cable for the night.

Disney is hoping for similar success when it unleashes the "Titanic" director's breath-taking voyage to the bottom of the sea, "Ghosts of the Abyss," in IMAX theatres next month. "Ghosts" is an unscripted record of Cameron's state-of-the-art expedition to the legendary wreck of the Titanic, the luxury ocean liner that sank more than 90 years ago, killing nearly 1,500 people.

JAY THOMAS JOINS WOODY ALLEN PLAY

Jay Thomas has signed on to perform in "Writer's Block," Woody Allen's theatrical directorial debut that begins previews next month.

The Emmy Award-winning actor is best-known as hockey player Eddie Lebec on "Cheers" and Jerry Gold on "Murphy Brown." His film credits include "Mr. Holland's Opus," "Monday Night Mayhem" and "Santa Clause II." On stage, Thomas was awarded Best of the Best at the Aspen Comedy Festival and most recently appeared at The Seattle Repertory Theatre. He began his acting career in New York with a role in Wendy Wasserstein's play "Isn't it Romantic?"

The ensemble of "Writer's Block," two new one-act plays, includes: Kate Blumberg ("The Syringa Tree"), Annabelle Gurwitch (SciFi's "Dream Team with Annabelle & Michael"), Clea Lewis ("Ellen"), Bebe Neuwirth ("How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days," Broadway's "Chicago" and "Sweet Charity," "Cheers" and "Frasier"), Richard Portnow ("The Sopranos," "Poolhall Junkies"), Paul Reiser ("Mad About You"), Grant Shaud ("Oliver Beene," "Murphy Brown"), Skipp Sudduth ("Third Watch"), and Christopher Evan Welch (Broadway's "The Crucible").

Previews of the Atlantic Theater Co.'s production of "Writer's Block," written and directed by Allen, begin April 23, with opening night scheduled for May 15.