ON THE TOWN: He’s been blasted by...

ON THE TOWN: He’s been blasted by Jimmy Swaggart. He’s been sued by his own father-in-law. He’s a recovering alcoholic who left the Betty Ford Center early because he was upset about having to make his bed every morning. Yes--he’s Ozzy Osbourne. The bad boy of heavy metal reports to work Monday here in L.A., where he’ll begin recording a new album produced by Roy Thomas Baker. We’ll give you a scoop on three songs--and their Ozzy-esque titles--that’ll definitely make the final cut: “Demon Alcohol,” “Blood Bath in Paradise” and “Fire in the Sky.” Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and manager, says he’ll tour after the album’s release this fall. . . . KCRW-FM’s “SNAP” host Deirdre O’Donoughue got an unexpected subscription-drive boost last weekend when R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe phoned in with a challenge. If KCRW reached its fund-raising goal by midnight, he’d answer any five questions from “SNAP” listeners. Sure enough, the show topped its goal--and Stipe made good on his pledge, answering both exotic queries (how he came to write “Exhuming McCarthey”) and silly ones (how many pairs of shoes he owned). . . . And inspired by persistent inquiries from Lance Loud and other area Elvis Costello fans, we’ve got the lowdown on Elvis’ recording itinerary: He’ll start pre-production work in Ireland later this spring, then if current plans hold up, move to L.A. (!) where he’ll cut the new album. Warner Bros. is still waiting for word on a title and producer, but says the record should be out by fall.