NEW YORK (AP) – Eddie Murphy says he has one thing in common with his “Dreamgirls” character, the talented and troubled soul singer James “Thunder” Early.

“I could relate to him – the whole idea of him faking his way to the top, like that idea,” the 45-year-old actor said in a recent interview with AP Television News. “Because I think every artist feels, you know, in the back of your mind, it’s like – you’re kinda like – they’re believing this?”

He added: “You know, you kind of feel like, at any moment, they’re gonna pull the covers off, and be like, “He’s not an artist!”‘

Murphy’s screen credits include “48 Hrs.,” the “Beverly Hills Cop” movies and the “Shrek” films, in which he voiced the character of Donkey. He was a cast member of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in the early 1980s.

Although he’s hit some career road bumps here and there – “The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” anyone? – Murphy doesn’t let that get to him.

“I’m the closest you can get to having a charmed existence in this town. … I graduated high school at 17, and got on “Saturday Night Live’ when I’m 18, and I did “48 Hrs.’ when I was 20,” he said. “So I never had the whole, you know, going through auditions and all that and getting on drugs and losing it all and the tragedy.

“(I’ve) been rolling since I was 18. I’ve been chilling. So, every now and then you might have a movie that’s whack and don’t make some loot, but that ain’t the end of the world.”

Murphy, seen escorting film producer Tracey Edmonds to recent screenings of “Dreamgirls,” has said he’s not sure if he’s the father of ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown’s unborn child. Brown, a former Spice Girl, has said there’s “absolutely no question that Eddie is the father.”

Murphy’s wife, Nicole, filed for divorce last year, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple were married in 1993 and have five children.

“Dreamgirls,” which also stars Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson, opens in theaters Dec. 25.

DETROIT (AP) – There’s only one Aretha Franklin, but the Queen of Soul plans to hold auditions for singers to portray her.

A musical based on her 1999 autobiography, “Aretha: From These Roots,” will tour nationally, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.

The production will tell Franklin’s story of growing up in Detroit in the church headed by her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin; of having family friends such as Sam Cooke and Dinah Washington; of her personal struggles; and of her rise to international stardom.

Hits by Franklin, 64, include “Respect,” “Chain of Fools” and “Freeway of Love.”

The Grammy winner is completing an album for release in February.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Bob Barker will pledge $300,000 toward housing an elephant from the Los Angeles Zoo in an animal sanctuary.

The pledge would match donations in support of sending Ruby, a 45-year-old African elephant, to a sanctuary in San Andreas in Northern California, publicist Henri Bollinger said Tuesday.

Ruby is housed at the zoo, but animal rights advocates have raised concerns about the zoo’s treatment of elephants, including a 48-year-old Asian pachyderm named Gita who died in June. Another elephant, Tara, died in 2004.

“Bob has been very concerned about the condition of elephants living in zoos, and particularly at the L.A. Zoo,” Bollinger said. “He wants to do whatever he can to change that situation and get elephants placed in sanctuaries.”

Zoo officials have maintained that they never mistreated the elephants. Zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs said officials weren’t aware of any offer from Barker and that Ruby’s “ultimate destination is not a financial decision.”

Barker, 83, a noted animal rights activist and the host of CBS’ “The Price Is Right,” pleaded with the City Council in February to close the zoo’s elephant exhibit, claiming the animals were miserable and that some of them were ill.

Earlier this year, the City Council approved a $39 million, 3.5-acre exhibit to house Ruby and a 21-year-old Asian male elephant named Billy.

A zoo investigation found that Gita’s keepers didn’t begin emergency procedures for more than eight hours after the elephant was first observed sitting with her back legs tucked under her, a general sign of distress for the creatures.

“We are very grateful that Mr. Barker, a great champion for animals, has stepped forward to help Ruby,” Elliot Katz, president of the group In Defense of Animals, said in a statement. “It’s crucial that Ruby be sent to a sanctuary now.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Leonardo DiCaprio knows global warming is a problem, and he wants answers.

That’s why the actor posted a question on the “Yahoo! Answers” Web site, prompting visitors to share their solutions.

“We can all be environmentalists,” DiCaprio, 32, said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Creating communities online that are interested in discussing and embracing smart, simple and serious solutions reminds us we can all take action in our own homes and where we work.”

The United States “can set an example for the rest of the world by protecting our cities and protecting ourselves,” he said.

The environmental organization Global Green USA invited DiCaprio, who serves on its board of directors, to post the question online.

“It’s meant to provoke thought about what people can do in their own lives and what leaders can do to take us in a different course,” said Matt Petersen, president and chief executive of Global Green USA. “We’re fortunate to have (DiCaprio) on our board because he can help shine the light on the challenge, shine the light on the experts and shine the light on the solutions.”

DiCaprio stars in “The Departed” and “Blood Diamond.”

Yahoo! Answers is a Web site that allows visitors to post questions or respond to those posed by other site users.