MOVIESHe’ll ‘Do Anything’--Except a Musical: After five...

MOVIES

He’ll ‘Do Anything’--Except a Musical: After five research screenings, director James L. Brooks has decided that his $40-million Hollywood comedy, “I’ll Do Anything,” will not be a musical, as originally planned. “There was no way to do it where the music didn’t stop the story for the audience and break the feeling of reality,” Brooks disclosed Monday. “I just couldn’t fight it anymore.” The movie, starring Nick Nolte and Albert Brooks, encountered problems last summer when the audience at the first test screening reacted unfavorably to the musical numbers. Without music (except for one song by 6-year-old Whittni Wright), the picture “has been getting the response you’d hope for,” according to Brooks. Initially included on Columbia Pictures’ holiday roster, “Anything” is now scheduled to open Feb. 4.

Making ‘Tracks’: Julia Roberts, who has been busy with a spate of films since raising eyebrows by taking a couple of years off from her filmmaking career, keeps signing on for new projects. The latest, announced Monday, is “Tracks,” a film for Disney’s Caravan Pictures based on the true story of Robyn Davidson, a woman who made history by crossing the Australian outback by camel. “Tracks” will begin production after completion of Roberts’ “Mary Reilly,” which she is doing for TriStar Pictures. Among other Roberts films to be released soon: “The Pelican Brief” and “I Love Trouble.”

Royal Kudos: Director Martin Scorsese will be honored by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Dec. 10, with his Royal Highness, Prince Edward, in attendance as a special guest. Scorsese will be recognized for his work on such films as “The Age of Innocence,” “GoodFellas” and “Raging Bull.” The event will benefit the Variety Club of Southern California, which helps children in need.

WORLD NEWS

Restoration: Vatican Museum officials said Monday that restoration of Michelangelo’s 300-figure fresco, “Last Judgment,” will be completed by Easter, meaning that the entire Sistene Chapel will be visible for the first time in 14 years. The chapel has been obstructed by scaffolding since the Sistine’s multimillion-dollar restoration began in 1980 with Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes. The Vatican also announced that some of the “Last Judgment’s” nude figures will keep the “modesty breeches” painted on them by later artists because those breeches were deemed to be historically important. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, which is part of the Vatican Museums, in two periods between 1508 and 1541. Most of the 38 breeches and veils covering various nudes on the 1,800-square-foot fresco were painted by Daniele Da Volterra, who carried out a mid-16th-Century church edict decreeing that the nudes be covered.

Shut Down: Paris’ Grand Palais, the 19th-Century glass-domed palace known for some of France’s most prestigious cultural exhibits, was declared structurally unsound Monday and closed for up to 2 years for repairs. The closure forced an early end to a show of works by Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard and other painters that was to run until January. About 20 other exhibits scheduled for next year will be canceled, officials said.

STAGE

‘Oleanna’s’ Replacement: Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and the Maiden” is set for the Mark Taper Forum’s Jan. 16-March 13 slot. It replaces David Mamet’s “Oleanna,” which was dropped after a casting dispute between Mamet and the Taper. Dorfman’s play, set in a Latin American country where democracy has recently been restored, examines a wife’s fear that the man her husband has brought home to dinner is an ex-torturer. The drama was first produced in London in 1991 and played Broadway in 1992 and San Diego Repertory Theatre earlier this year. Casting details are expected shortly.

PEOPLE WATCH

Wedding Bells: “Beverly Hills, 90210” heartthrob Luke Perry gave up the bachelor life over the weekend, marrying 24-year-old Minnie Sharp in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Perry, 27, and Sharp, 24, will live at Perry’s home in the suburban San Fernando Valley after they honeymoon at an undisclosed location.

QUICK TAKES

Pearl Jam might be bypassing L.A. on its current tour, but their Seattle compatriots Nirvana will be here on Dec. 30 to play the Forum. Tickets for the show go on sale Saturday. Seats are already on sale for the group’s Dec. 29 concert at the San Diego Sports Arena. . . . Meanwhile, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Cypress Hill and the Breeders are lined up to perform on MTV’s New Year’s Eve special, hosted by Anthony Keidis and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. After airing footage of that show, the cable network will go to the stage of Janet Jackson’s sold-out performance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where Jackson will count down to the New Year.