Denise Stefanie Gonzalez

When producers of "Selena Forever" held open casting calls in Los Angeles for the role of the young singer, they were stunned by the deep, powerful voice coming from a petite 11-year-old with the short brown bob. Hemet, Calif.-born Denise Stefanie Gonzalez was able to perfectly mimic several divas, including Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, according to producer Tom Quinn. "I've known I wanted to sing ever since I can remember," she said during rehearsals last week.

When producers of "Selena Forever" held open casting calls in Los Angeles for the role of the young singer, they were stunned by the deep, powerful voice coming from a petite 11-year-old with the short brown bob. Hemet, Calif.-born Denise Stefanie Gonzalez was able to perfectly mimic several divas, including Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, according to producer Tom Quinn. "I've known I wanted to sing ever since I can remember," she said during rehearsals last week.

Theater The story of tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, who was murdered in 1995, becomes a stage musical in "Selena Forever," opening Thursday at Universal Amphitheatre. The show features 30 songs and a cast of 35, including Veronica Vazquez and Denise Stefanie Gonzalez as the older and younger Selenas, respectively. San Diego's William Alejandro Virchis directs.

PEOPLE Wilder Battling Cancer: Comic actor Gene Wilder, 64, devastated by the death of wife Gilda Radner from cancer in 1989, is battling the disease himself. The frizzy-haired star of the 1970s comedies "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" is being treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan to prevent a recurrence of lymphoma, the hospital said Friday. Wilder was diagnosed with the disease last year.

It has been five years, almost to the day, since 23-year-old singer Selena Quintanilla Perez was shot dead by the president of her fan club. Seven posthumous albums, one feature film, at least two documentaries and a dozen books later, some say maybe it's time the entertainment world let her spirit go. Not likely. In fact, Selena is more popular now than ever. She's one of the top-selling Latin artists of the decade. Her "Todos Mis Exitos" was the No.