TELEVISIONFocusing on the Menendez Brothers: As the...

TELEVISION

Focusing on the Menendez Brothers: As the trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez, which has been heavily covered by the cable network Court TV, comes to a close, ABC News is getting in on the action. The network will air “Murder in Beverly Hills: The Menendez Trial,” an hourlong special on the five-month trial of the Beverly Hills brothers who have admitted to killing their parents, on Wednesday at 10 p.m. Diane Sawyer will anchor; ABC legal editor and Harvard law professor Arthur Miller will provide commentary. The show will take viewers inside the Van Nuys Superior Court as it airs testimony from the trial, including footage of the brothers speaking about the night they killed their parents. As part of his analysis, Miller will dissect the legal strategies of the defense and the prosecution and discuss the possible ramifications the trial may have on the legal system.

AWARDS

Apple of My Eye: Charlton Heston received the Louella O. Parsons Awards for the person who best presents the image of the entertainment industry to the world at the 53rd annual Golden Apple Awards luncheon in Beverly Hills on Sunday. Jack Lemmon presented Heston with the award named for the legendary columnist at the event sponsored by the Hollywood Women’s Press Club. The female star of the year award went to Jane Seymour; Harrison Ford was named male star of the year. The discovery award for best new female star went to Angela Bassett, and the male discovery award went to Chris O’Donnell. The Sour Apple award, which speaks for itself, went to Burt Reynolds, who beat out Shannen Doherty and Sharon Stone.

Whitney’s a Winner: Grammy-winning singer Whitney Houston is this year’s NAACP Entertainer of the Year. She’ll be honored at the 26th annual NAACP Image Awards on Jan. 5 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium; the show will be taped to air Jan. 22 on NBC. The Image Awards recognize celebrities who have contributed to the positive portrayal of African Americans.

STAGE

Sunny Money: The sun was shining on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical “Sunset Boulevard” at the Shubert Theatre on Friday. The show set an all-time record for the Shubert--$512,130 in sales in a single day. “Sunset Boulevard,” starring Glenn Close, opened to generally positive reviews on Thursday.

MUSIC

Eight Is Great: Eight finalists--not the expected six--will compete Monday through Wednesday nights for top prizes in the first Ivo Pogorelich International Solo Piano Competition at Ambassador Auditorium. Announced during the weekend, the eight finalists are: Eteri Andjaparidze, Avo Kuyumjian, Olivier Cazal, Michael Kieran Harvey, Edith Chen, Evgeny Zarafiants, Sergei Babayan and Irina Plotnikova. The awards ceremonies will be Thursday night, presided over by Sir Edward Heath, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, and himself a performing musician. A $100,000 first-prize winner will be announced. The eight recitals will be broadcast live on KUSC-FM (91.5). All of the performances are open to the public.

POP/ROCK

Investigating the Haze: Scotland Yard has reopened the investigation of the death of rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix 23 years after he died of an apparent drug overdose. The attorney general’s office in London said it sought the inquiry after a request from an individual, whom it would not identify. The original inquest recorded an open verdict, meaning there was insufficient evidence of the cause of death. Hendrix died in London on Sept. 18, 1970, at 27, after leaving the message “I need help bad, man” on his manager’s answering machine.

LEGAL FILE

Red in the Face About Conan: Actor Red Buttons has sued “Late Night” host Conan O’Brien and NBC in Los Angeles Superior Court, saying he was maligned in a skit that implied he approved of Ted Danson’s blackface routine at the New York Friars Club roast. In a letter to “Late Night” executive producer Jeff Ross, Buttons called Danson’s well-publicized routine “obnoxious” and “gross.” Buttons, 74, said he was “shocked” that the skit on the Oct. 11 “Late Night” included language implying that he endorsed Danson’s act. The skit featured a blackfaced actor pretending to be Danson, who defended the routine by saying, “Red Buttons thought it was a scream.”

QUICK TAKES

Beethoven, the canine star of the movie “Beethoven’s 2nd,” lent a paw at a holiday party for homeless children at the Para Los Ninos shelter in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. The party was co-hosted by screenwriter Gary Ross, who played Santa, and director Ivan Reitman. . . . “Godfather of Soul” James Brown joins Robert Townsend with a live performance on the Dec. 19 episode of Fox’s “Townsend Television.”