TELEVISION - Nov. 17, 1993

Image Award Nominations: The films “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Malcolm X,” the miniseries “Alex Haley’s Queen” and the short-lived TV show “Tribeca” topped the nominees announced Tuesday for the 26th annual NAACP Image Awards honoring positive portrayals of African-Americans in television, films and pop music. Nominated for outstanding comedy series were episodes of “Living Single,” “Martin,” “Roc Live” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” each receiving three nominations overall, and single-nominee “Where I Live.” Top drama nominations went to “Tribeca” (with four nods overall), along with “I’ll Fly Away,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “L.A. Law” and “Law & Order.” “Alex Haley’s Queen” was the top-nominated TV movie or miniseries, with four nods. Nominated for best film were “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (with seven nominations overall), “Malcolm X” (six nods), “Bopha” (three nominations), “Menace II Society” and “Posse.” Actress Angela Bassett was the most-recognized actor, receiving nominations for “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Malcolm X,” along with the television special “The Jacksons: An American Dream.” The awards show, to be held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Jan. 5, will be televised on NBC Jan. 22.

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Changes at CBS: The revolving door of low-rated TV series continues at CBS. “Family Album” has been canceled and Bob Newhart’s “Bob” will be off the schedule through 1993, the network confirmed Tuesday. Meanwhile, there are reports that “It Had to Be You” is being retooled to return without Faye Dunaway’s character, although neither CBS nor Warner Bros. Television would comment. The sitcom, co-starring Robert Urich as a single father of three boys, has been off the air since early October. “Family Album,” canceled after six episodes, starred Peter Scolari and Pamela Reed in a multigenerational-family comedy. “Bob,” after debuting last season to low ratings, was revamped and came back this season to even lower ratings. CBS says the Newhart sitcom will return sometime after November ratings sweeps and December reruns.

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Letterman Flexes Muscles: Remember all those jokes David Letterman made during the World Series about how CBS kept bumping him later into the night? Well, it looks as if he wasn’t joking. Advertising Age reports that Letterman, angered over those delays, has essentially demanded that the network air his “Late Show” in its regular time slot during the Winter Olympics. CBS had planned to delay the program so that it could air highlight shows from 11:35 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. But Letterman apparently said no way, and now highlights from February’s games in Lillehammer, Norway, will air at 12:35 a.m. CBS did not respond to calls.

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Writers, Public TV Sign Pact: Following 10 days of contract negotiations, the Writers Guild of America has reached a settlement with public broadcasting stations including Los Angeles’ KCET. The new three-year pact provides free-lance writers of public television programs with an immediate 5.5% raise, with subsequent increases of 4.5% in 1994 and 5% in 1995.

THE ARTS

Holocaust Museum Discourages Visitors: Seven months after opening its doors, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington is making an unusual request to visitors: Please, if you can, stay away. More than 750,000 people have been to the museum since April, and about 4,000 more arrive each day. Museum officials say both staff and the brand-new building are feeling the wear and tear, with some areas already needing repainting and new carpets. And the extra staff and maintenance required to accommodate the crowds hasn’t helped the budget: The museum expects to come up $12 million short in basic operating funds this year.”We certainly believe, as we said at our opening, that this museum has unique lessons for all Americans,” Museum Director Jeshajahu Weinberg said Tuesday. “We do invite everyone to visit--but not right now.”

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Crackdown in China: China has imposed strict regulations on art dealers and sales of paintings, the official Xinhua News Agency reports. In the latest move in a widening crackdown on arts and entertainment, new Ministry of Culture regulations would effectively make it impossible for artists to sell works the government finds offensive. Under the new rules, all art dealers, joint ventures in art businesses and even international arts events involving Chinese artists must have government approval.

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Webber-Produced Show Closes Quickly: Composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose international hit musicals include “Cats,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Evita,” is closing his newest show, “Eurovision,” after only a week on the London stage. Webber produced, and Tim Luscombe wrote and directed, the comedy spoofing Rome’s Eurovision Song Contest. Webber blamed the show’s failure on “negative critical appraisal.”

QUICK TAKES

Julian Lennon, Howie Mandel, Kelly Le Brock, Andrea Martin, Sheena Easton, Joseph Marcell and Michael York will supply the voices for a new animated TV movie adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic “David Copperfield.” The program airs on NBC Dec. 10 as part of the network’s slate of new holiday programming. . . . Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Janet Jackson and Sharon Stone will be featured in “candid conversations” about “sex, power and love” on the hourlong NBC special “Hollywood’s Leading Ladies with David Sheehan,” airing Dec. 4.