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JACKSON, Miss. - Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth to a baby girl Thursday morning at a south Mississippi hospital, according to a friend of the Spears family. The friend, who asked not to be identified because the family had not yet announced the baby’s birth, told The Associated Press that the baby was named Maddie Briann and weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

The 17-year-old Jamie Lynn was the star of Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101,” a sitcom about prep school friends, and is the younger sister of pop star Britney Spears. The Spears family announced in December that Jamie Lynn was pregnant. The father is Casey Aldridge, a pipe-layer from Liberty, Miss. The couple is not married but announced an engagement several months ago.

Ellen Brannan, spokeswoman for Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, in McComb, would not give out any details. “We understand everybody’s interested, but we don’t give out information on anyone. Everyone’s entitled to their privacy,” she said.

The younger Spears lives near Liberty with Aldridge, 19, and has been seen around the small south Mississippi town often as her pregnancy became more apparent. Her family owns a home across the state line in Kentwood, La.

Spears announced her pregnancy through an article in OK! Magazine and was expected to receive a large payday for exclusive pictures of the newborn.

Nickelodeon issued a statement about the birth on Thursday, saying, “We wish her and her family well.” Nickelodeon spokeswoman Marianne Romano said that filming of the fourth and final season of “Zoey 101″ was completed last summer before Spears became pregnant.

Spears portrayed Zoey Brooks, a student at Pacific Coast Academy, a campus that had been an exclusive all-boys boarding school until Zoey and a handful of other girls arrived. At the end of the series, Zoey gets the boy — longtime crush Chase (Sean Flynn).

Friday the 13th was anything but unlucky for the domestic box office as Marvel and Universal’s Edward Norton starrer “The Incredible Hulk” got off to a strong start, grossing an estimated $21 million from 3,505 theaters to place No. 1 for the day domestically.

The surprise headline was 20th Century Fox’s “The Happening,” from filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. The number 13 turned out to be lucky all the way around for the R-rated horror-thriller. Pic grossed an estimated $13 million from 2,987 runs, exceeding expectations and coming in No. 2 for the day. “Happening,” toplining Mark Wahlberg, made more than double the opening day gross of Shyamalan’s last film, “Lady in the Water.”

“Hulk” should easily win the weekend. The No. 2 spot, however, is up for grabs between “Happening” and DreamWorks Animation/Paramount’s holdover “Kung Fu Panda.”

“Panda,” which will cross the $100 million mark over the weekend in only its second frame, grossed an estimated $10 million on Friday from 4,136 theaters for a cume of $93.6 million. Toon placed No. 3 for the day.

Because family films traditionally do better on Saturday and Sunday, “Panda” could end up in the No. 2 position for the weekend.

Sony’s Adam Sandler-laffer “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” came in No. 4 on Friday, grossing an estimated $5.5 million from 3,466 runs for a cume of $57.8 million as it headed into its second weekend.

Women continued to flock to New Line and Warner Bros.’ “Sex and the City,” now in its third frame. Film grossed an estimated $3.5 million from 3,155 theaters for a cume of $113.2 million, and placing No. 5 for the day.