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Entertainment Today: Showbiz Today

By KAREN BUTLER, United Press International
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DI'S EX: HARRY NOT MY SON

One of the late Princess Diana's ex-boyfriends is loudly denying rumors he, not Prince Charles, fathered Diana's 18-year-old son, Harry.

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In an interview with Britain's Sunday Mirror, James Hewitt adamantly declared he is not the father of Diana's younger son, who is third in line to the English throne. The Mirror claimed the publication of recent photos of Harry, in which he bares some resemblance to Hewitt, have sparked questions about Harry's paternity.

"I have been aware for a while that the issue of Harry's paternity has been a major talking point. There really is no possibility whatsoever that I am Harry's father," he insisted. "I understand the interest, but Harry was already walking by the time my relationship with Diana began."

Hewitt's five-year affair with the married princess began in 1986 and ended when news of their relationship broke while Hewitt was serving as a tank commander with British forces in the 1991 Gulf War.

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Hewitt has since been branded a "love rat" by Britain's tabloids, having revealed intimate details of his relationship with Diana to journalist Anna Pasternak for her book "Princess in Love."

Buckingham Palace refused to comment on Hewitt's remarks to The Mirror.


MELANIE: GETTING HIGH WITH SON BAD IDEA

Recovering alcoholic and drug addict Melanie Griffith admits she made a mistake two years ago when she told her 17-year-old son she would rather he smoke marijuana at home with her than get high without parental supervision.

"I said that if my son wanted to smoke pot, I would smoke it with him," Mrs. Antonio Banderas told More magazine about Alexander, her son by Steven Bauer. "I did and it backfired. He liked it. Now he's on the (12-step) program."

The actress says her son is doing well with Narcotics Anonymous, but confesses she feels awful about the role she played in her son's problem.

"My thinking was that it would be better for him to do it at home than to go out in the street and get something that would kill him," she says. "I thought it was a good idea, but ultimately, it wasn't."

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Griffith, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 1988 comedy, "Working Girl," promises she will not make the same mistake with her other two children, Stella and Dakota.


NICOLE 'BEWITCHED' AGAIN?

Actress Nicole Kidman was bewitching in the 1996 romance "Practical Magic," but is she really getting ready to play another big-screen sorceress?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Moulin Rouge!" star is in discussions with Columbia Pictures to play Samantha in a feature film adaptation of the long-running, 1960's sit-com, "Bewitched."

No offers have been made to Kidman, but she is said to have expressed interest in the starring role of the nose-twitching, witch-turned-suburban housewife.

The trade paper quotes sources as saying Mike Myers is the top choice to play Samantha's husband, Darren, but the project has no director and no final script.

Penny Marshall, who at one point had been developing the feature film version, is expected to produce the project.


SPEAKING OF MAGIC...

The newly married author of the phenomenally popular Harry Potter books has announced she is expecting her second child.

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J.K. Rowling and her anesthesiologist husband, Neil Murray, are expecting a baby sometime in the spring, the author's publicist confirmed. This will be the second child for the 37-year-old writer, who has 9-year-old daughter, Jessica, from a previous marriage.

Meanwhile, E! Online reports the British writer also is close to finishing her fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Appearing on the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Children's Television, Rowling said she was ecstatic over a U.S. federal court's decision to throw out a plagiarism lawsuit brought against her by a rival author.

"I'm so relieved. This court case has dragged on for a few years -- I'm a really happy woman today," Rowling said.

Rowling admits the court case left her exhausted.

"It has affected (my writing) obviously," she noted. "Anyone who's been involved in a court case will know that it's time-consuming. It plays on your mind.

"I will say that I have a beginning, a middle and an end -- you could read it all the way through and I know a lot of Harry Potter fans will say, 'Just to give it to us.' But I'm a perfectionist and I want a bit more of a tweak," she said.

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Rowling's publisher, Britain's Bloomsbury Publishing LLC, said earlier this week it would wait until it receives the manuscript before announcing a release date. Industry observers tell E! the book would reach store shelves between three and five months after she hands it in.


CHABON TO PEN SPIDEY SEQUEL

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Chabon has signed on to re-write "The Amazing Spider-Man," the sequel to Columbia's summer box office smash. Variety reports the deal is valued at mid-six against mid-seven figures.

Chabon is the author of "A Model World," "Summerland," and "Wonder Boys."

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