*Whoopi Goldberg says her friend Patrick Swayze, who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, is the reason she won an Oscar for “Ghost.” The actress-comedian said Swayze persuaded director Jerry Zucker to cast her amid “some resistance.” According to Goldberg, Swayze said, “I’m not making this movie unless you put Whoopi Goldberg in there.”
*There’s one man big enough to play the role of the late Notorious B.I.G.: Rapper Jamal “Gravy” Woolard has been cast in the biopic “Notorious,” MTV.com reports.
*”Rock Star: Supernova” host Brooke Burke gave birth to her fourth child — and her first boy — Wednesday, according to People.com.
*Actress Bai Ling agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to disturbing the peace and to pay a fine and penalties totaling $700 in a shoplifting case, a Los Angeles city attorney spokesman said.
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Personals was compiled by Kim Profant from Tribune news services and staff reports.
