“Potter” author expecting

LONDON (AP) – “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling said Saturday she is expecting her third child.

Rowling, 38, made the announcement on her official Web site.

“I am really delighted to say that I am expecting a third baby, who is due next year,” she said. “I always wanted three children, so I could not be happier.”

Rowling’s son, David, was born last year following her marriage to Neil Murray in 2001. She has a daughter, Jessica, from a previous marriage to Jorges Arantes.

The author reassured fans that the pregnancy would not affect the release of the next book in the Potter installment, which will be titled, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.”

“Let me reassure you that book six remains well on track and, fingers crossed of course, I don’t foresee any baby-related interruptions or delays,” Rowling said.

“I still can’t say for sure when it will be finished, but I have written a lot and I really like it.”

O’Neal thanks LA in ad

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Shaquille O’Neal had a big-hearted message for his Los Angeles fans Sunday.

O’Neal took out a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times thanking his fans for their support during his eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Last week, O’Neal signed with the Miami Heat, marking the end of an era in which the Lakers won three NBA championships.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible support over the last eight years,” O’Neal said in the ad. “I am moving on to the next chapter in my career, but I will never forget the support that you gave me.”

O’Neal, whose dispute with Lakers management led to his departure, told Lakers fans, “I will miss each and every one of you.”

“You have been there with me through it all – we never could have won any of the championships without you,” he said.

The Lakers are rebuilding their team around superstar guard Kobe Bryant, who signed a seven-year contract worth more than $136 million. Rudy Tomjanovich will replace Phil Jackson as coach, and former Laker Vlade Divac, who was traded in 1996, will return to replace O’Neal at center.

Duff is seeing all ‘Legs’

Who’s got legs? Who knows how to use them?

Hilary Duff will decide just that when she judges who has the best pair of legs in New York.

The singer-actress will be joined Wednesday in Times Square by her sister, Haylie, for the contest, sponsored by Gillette, dubbed “Legs of a Goddess.” The Duff sisters will be looking for women with “shapely and toned legs, and a confident and enthusiastic attitude.”

The contest is part of a nationwide search, the winner of which will win a “Goddess Giveaway” worth $30,000, the sponsor said in a recent statement.

Hilary, 16, starred in “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.” Haylie, 19, recently appeared in “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Choreographer Cris Judd, ex-husband of Jennifer Lopez, also will be a judge.

Britney’s getting children

Almost-stepmom Britney Spears’ rather complex family tree just sprouted another branch.

Actress Shar Jackson, the ex-girlfriend of Spears’ fiance Kevin Federline, gave birth Tuesday to her second child by the pop star’s future husband, reports E!Online.

Jackson, who played Niecy on “Moesha” during the teen sitcom’s 1996-2001 run, went into labor at an Orange County, Calif., hospital.

Federline, a dancer, missed the 10:30 a.m. delivery, but arrived at the hospital a few hours later. Spears did not accompany him.

It was not known whether Jackson and Federline’s latest production was a boy or girl. The ex-couple already have a 2-year-old daughter, Kori. In all, the 27-year-old Jackson now has four children.

Jackson and Federline, 26, were a couple for about four years before Federline went bonkers for Britney last spring.

In April, Spears, fresh off her 55-hour Vegas marriage, and Federline went public with their romance; the pregnant and dumped Jackson went public with her ire.

“There are two little kids – Spears better be prepared to baby-sit,” Jackson told Us Weekly.

Spears recently told People magazine that she definitely “plans to meet Federline’s kids.”

The 22-year-old “Outrageous” singer, currently laid up with a knee injury, also said she definitely plans to have her own kids.

“I see myself with four or five,” Spears said.

The action movie split

One of Hollywood’s popular power couples is history: Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal have broken up after nearly two years, reports USA Today.

“They remain very close still and are the best of friends,” said Dunst spokesman Stephen Huvane.

Dunst, the costar of “Spider-Man 2,” and Gyllenhaal, who appears in the disaster epic “The Day After Tomorrow,” were introduced in September 2002 by Gyllenhaal’s sister Maggie, who starred with Dunst in “Mona Lisa Smile.” The couple share a Los Angeles home and a German shepherd mix, Atticus.

Huvane and a spokeswoman for Gyllenhaal say the couple split some time ago, but won’t be specific.

In happier couple news: Don’t believe reports about Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake breaking up. “We are solid and I love him,” Diaz tells Us Weekly.

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