BENEFIT CANCELED: A benefit for Laguna Beach...

BENEFIT CANCELED: A benefit for Laguna Beach fire victims, planned for Saturday at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Canyon--to have been headlined by Graham Nash and Elayne Boosler--had to be canceled because of Thursday’s mudslides. (A37) Rain triggered mudslides that swept through and damaged the venue, home to the annual Pageant of the Masters. . . . Refunds will be available at the box office next week, but a spokesman for the event said that proceeds from any unreturned tickets would go directly to relief efforts headed by the American Red Cross. . . . For further information, call (714) 494-1145.

AID ON ICE: Despite the already lengthy hockey season, the Mighty Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings have decided extra work is warranted to help Southern California fire victims. They’ll play a celebrity exhibition Dec. 9 at the Anaheim Arena in an effort to raise as much as $300,000 through tickets, parking and concessions. . . . Players will be joined on the ice by sports and entertainment celebrities. Says Disney chairman and governor of the Ducks Michael Eisner: “We hope the fans of both teams will pack the (arena) in support of those affected by the fire.”

NOT TYPECAST: Chapman University music director William Hall is popular with students for his wit and easy nature. So what role is he playing in Whoopi Goldberg’s “Sister Act II,” which opens Dec. 10? “I play the mean, arrogant director of the choir that’s competing with hers,” he says, chuckling. . . . On short notice last summer, Hall was asked to put together a “competing” high school choir for the movie. He came up with 35 Chapman music students--some were freshmen who hadn’t even started classes yet--and 15 from Orange High School. “We can’t wait to see it,” he says.

TREE TIME: November is the time for Christmas giving for Dan Coelho of Anaheim. For the past 10 years, the 39-year-old tree rancher has donated Christmas trees to the Cypress School District, where he was educated. A 6- to 7-foot Monterey pine goes to each of the district’s 10 elementary schools. Coelho asks in return only that the schools donate them to needy families after classes break for the holidays. . . . Says Coelho, who will be cutting them soon: “I always have a lot of extra trees; and giving them away always makes me feel good.”