Former Spice Girl gives baby ex-boyfriend’s name

New York – Melanie Brown has given her baby daughter the surname of ex-boyfriend Eddie Murphy, the former Spice Girl said in a statement Tuesday.

Brown, 31, gave birth to Angel Iris Murphy Brown on April 3 in Santa Monica, Calif. She listed Murphy’s name on the birth certificate.

She said the name was inspired by a number of things.

“Angel, as she was my little angel through my pregnancy. Iris, as it’s my grandma’s name, Murphy because he’s the dad, and Brown, because I’m the Mum!” the statement said.

Murphy, 46, has said he’s not sure he’s the father.

Brown, known as Scary Spice when she was in the megahit group of the ’90s, has an 8-year-old daughter, Phoenix Chi.

Murphy, whose screen credits include “Dreamgirls,” has five children from his marriage to Nicole Mitchell Murphy.

Aretha Franklin to help cast musical production

Southfield, Mich. – The Queen of Soul is looking for a few good subjects.

Auditions for singing and non-singing parts in a musical production based on Aretha Franklin’s autobiography will be May 1-3 in suburban Detroit.

The musical based on the 1999 best-seller, “Aretha: From These Roots,” is tentatively set to premiere in Franklin’s hometown of Detroit next March.

The 65-year-old Grammy winner will help choose the performers who will portray her at various ages, as well as relatives, close friends, background singers and musical colleagues including Sam Cooke, Dinah Washington, Smokey Robinson and pianist Art Tatum.

Roles to be cast include LaRue Mann, Franklin’s wardrobe mistress, whose surrogate should possess “sharp features, lots of personality and (be) bubbly,” a statement from Franklin’s publicists said Monday.

The actor portraying suitor Ken Cunningham should be, among other things, “slim, with a perfect set of teeth, cool and fun.”