Whoopi dries her eyes

Whoopi Goldberg has accepted an apology from Gil Cates for excluding her from a montage featuring Oscar hosts during Sunday's telecast.

A promised phone call of apology came from the producer of the Oscars, Goldberg said on Wednesday's installment of "The View."

"Gil Cates called me yesterday," Goldberg said on the ABC daytime show. "He made an oversight, pure and simple."

On Tuesday, Cates told People magazine about the gaffe: "No harm was intended, and I feel very, very badly that she was left out. I'm going to call her and tell her that."

Goldberg said Cates told her on the phone, "You know I love you ... It was a mistake, and I'm sorry I didn't catch it."

Goldberg, who became the first African-American (and female) host of the Oscars in 1994 (she hosted three more times) teared up on Monday's "The View" when her absence from the montage was mentioned.

>Wire reports

As far as presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is concerned, the ears have it.

Asked by "Entertainment Tonight" who should play him in a movie, Obama didn't hesitate. "Will Smith and I have talked about this, because he has the ears," he said. "He's better-looking than me, but we both have those."

Polls disagree. USAToday.com says a recent ZogbySvedka poll indicates that 33 percent of respondents chose Denzel Washington. Smith came in second, followed by Don Cheadle. When asked who should play Hillary Clinton in a movie, the winner was Martha Stewart with 38 percent of the vote. Ellen DeGeneres was second with 21 percent. Reese Witherspoon and Madonna limped far behind, with 8 percent each.

Former "O.C." star Mischa Barton has officially joined the litany of celebrities who have been charged with driving under the influence.

The former star of "The O.C." was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving while having a 0.08 percent or higher blood alcohol level, driving without a valid license and possession of 28.5 grams or less of marijuana, according to court papers.

Barton was arrested Dec. 27 in West Hollywood after sheriff's deputies saw her car straddling two lanes of traffic and failing to signal for a turn.

She was scheduled to be arraigned today in Beverly Hills Superior Court.

>Wire reports

A Madonna sugar high

Madonna is planning to sweeten things up in her life.

Her forthcoming album will be called "Hard Candy," according to reports. And "Sexyback" singer Justin Timberlake will induct the Material Mom into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Madonna will be among those honored at the March 10 ceremony. Other inductees include Leonard Cohen, John Mellencamp, the Dave Clark Five, the Ventures and Little Walter.

Tom Hanks will induct the Dave Clark Five, the '60s British pop band behind the hit "Glad All Over." Billy Joel will pay tribute to Mellencamp, and Lou Reed will honor Cohen.

Ben Harper will induct Little Walter, who produced 14 top-10 hits on the r&b charts before his death in 1968 at 37. John Fogerty will induct the Ventures, whose hits include "Walk Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O."

Madonna's last studio effort for Warner Bros. will include a track called "Candy Store." Madonna chose to stick with the sweet theme because "she loves candy," her longtime rep Liz Rosenberg told EW.com. "It's about the juxtaposition of tough and sweetness, or as Madonna so eloquently expressed it, `I'm gonna kick your ass, but it's going to make you feel good.' " The album is set for April 29.

>Wire reports