Glitches Hurt Oscar Party for Yeltsin : Movies: The Russian ambassador bows out and a planned satellite link appears doomed for tonight’s gala honoring the Russian leader.

The Russian ambassador to the United States has canceled plans to attend tonight’s Oscar party in Beverly Hills honoring Boris Yeltsin, adding yet another twist to an event that has had its share of controversy.

Vladimir P. Lukin, who also had made plans to visit the Russian consulate in San Francisco and greet former President Ronald Reagan in Los Angeles, decided to remain in Washington because of pressing economic matters between the two countries, his office said.

“He is actively involved in the preparation of Russian-American economic agreements,” said Asst. Ambassador Sergei Kuznetsov. “He is also leaving (this week) for Moscow to participate in the Congress of Deputies.”

Kuznetsov said he apologized to Reagan for the ambassador’s sudden cancellation.

But sources told The Times that the ambassador’s staff was also concerned at recent news reports that one of the original promoters of the Yeltsin event--Michael Bass of Los Angeles--had served time in federal prison for mail fraud and that two nonprofit groups had complained that Bass’ previous Oscar night parties failed to raise the charitable funds he promised.

Bass has emphasized that his only duties this year were to ask celebrities to attend the Yeltsin dinner and that others would do the organizing. He said that Academy Award supporting actress nominee Diane Ladd (“Rambling Rose”) and supporting actor nominee Michael Lerner (“Barton Fink”) are expected to attend along with other celebrities.

Earlier, actor Jack Lemmon demanded that his name be removed from the Yeltsin dinner after Bass sent an invitation using Lemmon’s name to humor columnist Art Buchwald inviting him to the event. Buchwald felt the invitation, which stated that actor Eddie Murphy would be hosting the event, was insulting in view of the fact that Buchwald had sued Paramount Pictures over the Murphy film “Coming to America.” Lemmon had allowed his signature to be used in the letter, but did not see it before it was sent out.

The Russian ambassador’s cancellation isn’t the only last-minute glitch.

Organizers said it is unlikely they will be able to complete a satellite TV hookup--which they are calling a “space bridge”--by which celebrities gathered at the Armand Hammer Museum in Westwood were to speak with artists and performers at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

For one thing, they said, the Hermitage won’t give them the room they want. For another, there are technological and political problems in Russia that may prevent the broadcast.

The Hammer Museum, which is currently holding an exhibit called “Catherine the Great, Treasures of Imperial Russia,” held a star-studded press conference earlier this month to announce the Oscar night satellite hookup.

But now the Hermitage has told the organizers that it cannot allow them to use a room they wanted for the broadcast. However, another nearby museum--the St. Peter and Paul Fortress--may be available.

“A number of issues are being resolved,” said Peter Paul, an organizer of the Yeltsin dinner. “I don’t want to comment on whether or not a ‘space bridge’ will occur according to our vision. Like all visions, a lot of circumstances are out of our control.”

Paul said there is “a lot of politics going on” between Moscow and St. Petersburg that makes it difficult to set up the satellite hookup.

Joseph Goldin, president of Megavision, which is helping to create the satellite hookup, said he hoped it could still be accomplished in the “first days of April.”

Earlier this year, organizers had hoped that Yeltsin would attend the event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel to accept a humanitarian award from the American Foundation for the Performing Arts, one of the sponsors. But that hope was dashed with political and economic turmoil still unfolding in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Mark Zakharov, a member of Yeltsin’s presidential council, is scheduled to accept the award for Yeltsin.