PLUGGING “UNPLUGGED”: Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and...

PLUGGING “UNPLUGGED”: Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck of R.E.M. and actor Sean Penn were among those on hand when Neil Young taped an “MTV Unplugged” show last week on a Universal Studios sound stage. Young had shot an “Unplugged” show in December in New York, but was dissatisfied with the results. Among the selections he did at Universal were a few surprises, notably acoustic band versions of “Sample and Hold” and “Transformer Man,” two electronics-praising songs from his synthesizer-dominated 1983 album “Trans.”

The show, along with episodes featuring Rod Stewart (reunited with former Faces buddy Ron Wood) and an array of acts from the Uptown label (including Heavy D.), will premiere sometime in March or April. Warner Bros. Records is also said to be considering releasing an album of the Stewart session.

Young, meanwhile, is one of the artists featured in “Centerstage,” a new performance series on MTV’s sister channel VH-1, in conjunction with public station WTTW in Chicago. The series debuts tonight with a Valentine’s Day concert by Michael Bolton, with Young next Sunday, k.d. lang on March 2, Lindsey Buckingham on March 9 and Keith Richards on March 16. Sade and Sting are both set to tape shows in March. Also, on Feb. 21 VH-1 will begin airing “The Right Time,” a British series examining contemporary music styles hosted by Mr. Cutting Edge himself . . . Tom Jones.