Entertainment Today: Showbiz News

JACKSON ADMITS BABY STUNT WAS 'MISTAKE'

Pop star Michael Jackson admits he made an error in judgment when he dangled his infant son off of a fourth-floor hotel balcony in Germany Tuesday.

Jackson, who was in Berlin to accept an award, says he was just showing the child off to his adoring fans below and never meant to hurt or scare his baby boy.

"I made a terrible mistake," Jackson said in a statement. "I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."

Photos and video of Jackson laughing and dangling the wriggling toddler off of the terrace shot around the world quickly after the incident occurred. Widely published, the grotesque images of the singer's helpless baby, his tiny head covered with a towel and little bare feet kicking the metal railing made the covers of New York's two competing tabloids, one with the headline "Over the Edge," the other proclaiming Jackson "Wacko."

According to the New York Post, German authorities have launched an investigation into the act, while Jacko's friend, the spoon-bending psychic Uri Geller, said he'll confront the entertainer to ask: "Michael, what have you done?"

"I expected him to be eccentric, but not to be crazy," onlooker Jutta Schmidt told the New York Daily News. "Just one false move and that child would have been killed."

"If I was a cop in Berlin, I'd arrest him for endangering a child," said WLIB radio talk show host Mark Riley, who watched on television. "The child could have very well been killed."

QUEEN LATIFAH NABBED FOR DUI

Police in California say they arrested entertainer Queen Latifah for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early Wednesday morning.

The 32-year-old rapper, actress and former talk-show host was stopped for making an unsafe lane change at about 3:15 a.m. as she drove through North Hollywood, reported Alex Delgadillo, of the California Highway Patrol. Latifah was arrested after she allegedly failed a field sobriety test.

Delgadillo classified the bust as a "routine arrest," after which the Grammy Award winner was released.

KATE MENDES?

The publicist for Kate Winslet is refusing to comment on reports the "Titanic" star is planning to wed her boyfriend Sam Mendes this weekend.

According to the World Entertainment News Network, the glamorous couple has told friends to "keep this weekend free" and "be ready to leave their homes at a moment's notice."

"We've been told not to leave the country and stand by our beds," confides one excited pal. "Surely you wouldn't expect these sort of instructions unless they were getting married. It would most likely take place near their new home in Gloucestershire. I think Kate's sister Betty is already staying there."

'HAPPY DAYS' STAR JOINS 'CABARET' CAST

Tony Award-winning actor Tom Bosley is joining the Roundabout Theatre Co.'s acclaimed production of "Cabaret."

The 75-year-old actor will take over the role of Herr Schultz in the hit musical revival on Dec. 13, acting opposite Molly Ringwald, Raul Esparza, Carole Shelley and Hal Robinson.

Directed by Sam Mendes -- yes, the one that may be getting married this weekend -- with Rob Marshall and with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by Joe Masteroff, the revival is one of the longest running in Broadway history, nearly five years and 1,700 performances to date.

This is Bosley's 55th year as an actor. Best-known for his portrayal of beloved middle-class patriarch Howard Cunningham on the long-running sit-com "Happy Days," Bosley has appeared in more than 500 television shows and won a Tony Award for his performance in "Fiorello."

AFFLECK NAMED SEXIEST MAN ALIVE

People magazine has named actor Ben Affleck the "Sexiest Man Alive."

After winning an Oscar for writing the 1997 film, "Good Will Hunting" with best friend Matt Damon, Affleck went on to star in a string of hits like "Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor" and "The Sum of All Fears," as well as win his battle against alcoholism and survive a highly publicized relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow -- all before he reached the ripe old age of 30.

Affleck's recent engagement to Jennifer Lopez has kept his personal life in the headlines. He and Lopez met and fell in love while co-starring in the upcoming films "Gigli" and "Jersey Girl."

Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Pierce Brosnan are People's previous sexy honorees.