PEOPLE

By Belinda Luscombe

MANCHILD HAS BOY CHILD

It may have been the first time that the surgical mask MICHAEL JACKSON is fond of wearing did not look out of place. His wife of three months, DEBBIE ROWE JACKSON, gave birth to their first child, a son, early on Feb. 13. No weight or name has been announced. Labor was apparently induced at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and--presto!--dozens of fans, paparazzi and security guards materialized. "Words can't describe how I feel," said Jackson in a statement. "I have been blessed beyond comprehension, and I will work tirelessly at being the best father I can be." He pleaded for privacy and vowed he wouldn't allow his son to grow up in the "fishbowl" that he grew up in. For starters, good old low-profile Liz Taylor is the godmother.

IN PHYSICS, THE NAKED WIN

Scientists are not what you'd call high rollers. But in 1991 STEPHEN HAWKING, the brilliant, paralyzed British physicist, bet American colleagues KIP THORNE and JOHN PRESKILL that there is no such thing as a naked singularity in physics. A singularity is an object of such density that the laws of physics do not apply to it. A naked singularity is such an object outside a black hole, but Hawking believes it can exist only inside a black hole. He lost his bet when someone else proved that you could, in theory, focus gravity waves so precisely as to create a naked singularity. "Stephen took a while to accept the result," says Preskill, but now Hawking has paid up: [pounds]100 (about $163), some "clothing to cover the winner's nakedness" and a thumbprint on a concession statement. The physicist didn't give in easily. The message on the T shirts he gave Thorne and Preskill reads, NATURE ABHORS A NAKED SINGULARITY.

REGULAR OR KISS ARMY?

In the plastic pantheon of action figures, there's Barbie, Ken, G.I. Joe and now...IKE? And KISS? The new dolls were introduced at last week's American International Toy Fair, along with several thousand other playthings, including a Barney that will talk back to you and acres of movie-themed gimcracks. Aren't Kiss fans getting a little old to be playing with dolls? Apparently not. "[Lead singer] Gene Simmons contacted us," says Bob LoMonaco, senior vice president of sales for Todd McFarlane, which makes the Kiss dolls. "This is the first celebrity doll we've made, but there has been a lot of interest." Each Kiss member will retail for about $7.99. Hasbro's General Eisenhower, as befits his station, will be a little pricier, at $49.99. And if you prefer your dolls-in-uniform to come equipped with a riding crop, Hasbro also makes a General Patton.

SEEN & HEARD

Come September, Chelsea Clinton may have to get familiar with the 10,000 Men of Harvard. That's the school song of one college known to have accepted the First Daughter. Chelsea was offered a place under Harvard's early-action program. But Chelsea's dad said she hasn't made up her mind where she'll study. Amherst, Brown, Princeton, Stanford, Wellesley and Yale are also on her list.

Christopher Darden has given up practicing law, but he's still chasing after the bad guys--at least on paper. The former prosecutor who turned anguishing courtroom defeat into cozy bestsellerdom has just signed on at Warner Books to co-author with Dick Lochte two mystery novels about a female African-American assistant district attorney. The first is tentatively titled Right of Conscience.

SIX DEGREES OF BILLY BOB THORNTON

Maybe you've never heard of BILLY BOB THORNTON, but that doesn't make him an unknown. The surprise Oscar nominee for Best Actor can be connected to every other Best Actor or Actress nominee through people he has worked with. According to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon theory, any actor, living or dead, can be traced back to Bacon within six steps. For Billy Bob, it's only four--plus he's friends with the President. Take that, Kevin.

Billy Bob... ...was in Indecent Proposal, with Robert Redford Robert Redford directed Quiz Show, with Ralph Fiennes Robert Redford directed A River Runs Through It, with Brenda Blethyn

[Billy Bob...]...was in Indecent Proposal, with Demi Moore Demi Moore was in A Few Good Men, with Tom Cruise Demi Moore was in The Scarlet Letter, with Gary Oldman Gary Oldman was in Immortal Beloved, with Sandra Voe Sandra Voe was in Breaking the Waves, with Emily Watson

[Billy Bob...]...was in Dead Man, with Gabriel Byrne Gabriel Byrne was in Little Women, directed by Gillian Armstrong Gillian Armstrong directed Starstruck, with Geoffrey Rush

[Billy Bob...]...was in Dead Man, with Johnny Depp Johnny Depp was in Ed Wood, with Patricia Arquette Patricia Arquette was in Beyond Rangoon, with Frances McDormand

[Billy Bob...]...was in Don't Look Back, with Eric Stoltz Eric Stoltz was in Pulp Fiction, with Ving Rhames Ving Rhames was in Mission: Impossible, with Kristin Scott Thomas

[Billy Bob...]...was in For the Boys, with Bette Midler Bette Midler was in The First Wives Club, with Diane Keaton

[Billy Bob...]...was in Indecent Proposal, with Woody Harrelson

GAY MAY DAY FOR ELLEN

Remember the fuss that bubbled up when it was suggested that the title character in the TV show Ellen might come out? The controversy eventually petered out, but the idea didn't. The script for the episode in which Ellen announces she's gay, sources tell TIME, landed on the Disney TV honchos' desks last week. If approved, it will probably air early in the May ratings sweeps. Accordingly, the show would be completely revamped next year. Rumor has it that star ELLEN DEGENERES is looking for a whole lot more money and her network is looking for a whole new supporting cast and crew.

TONYA, STILL HARDY

Be on the lookout for a round-faced man with bushy hair, a thin mustache and no familiarity with ice skating. He may have tried to abduct TONYA HARDING, apparently unaware of who she is or that one of her husbands did time for plotting to bash someone in the knee. Police are investigating Harding's claim that a man forced her into her truck outside her home, ordered her to drive and slapped her several times. Harding escaped by steering the car into a tree, grabbing the keys and running. "Her injuries are minor," says her publicist, David Hans Schmidt, who used the opportunity to stress that she will make her self-proclaimed official return to ice skating in Reno, Nevada, on Feb. 22.