STAGEValenzuela Leaves Taper: The director of the...

STAGE

Valenzuela Leaves Taper: The director of the Mark Taper Forum’s Latino Theatre Initiative, Jose Luis Valenzuela, says he will leave his job for reasons that he will disclose later. Valenzuela also directed the current Taper main-stage show, “Bandido!” Taper artistic director Gordon Davidson said, “Fundamentally, I think he wants to run his own institution.”

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Remembering Pickett: A memorial service will be held at Santa Monica’s Highways Performance Space at 8:30 tonight for Los Angeles playwright James Carroll Pickett, who died July 4 of complications resulting from AIDS. Pickett, who co-founded the group Artists Confronting AIDS, was best known for his works “Bathhouse Benediction,” “Dream Man” and “Queen of Angels.” The service will be called “Feast of Fools,” named after the playwright’s unfinished last work. Readings from Pickett’s plays and poetry, as well as tributes by his colleagues, including actor Michael Kearns, performance artist Tim Miller, and director Philip Littell, will be featured. The public is invited.

ART

A Landmark Gift: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has received a promised gift of 40 modern and contemporary works of art from museum trustee Robert H. Halff. The donation--including Andy Warhol’s signature “Campbell Soup Can” painting, several sculptures and drawings by Claes Oldenburg, and Joan Miro’s trademark painting, “Group of Personages”--was hailed as the museum’s “most significant gift of contemporary art in 20 years” by Stephanie Barron, LACMA’s coordinator of curatorial affairs. The recent donation joins two earlier promised gifts from Halff: Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop painting, “Cold Shoulder,” and Joel Shapiro’s sculpture, “Dancing Man.” A small selection of promised gifts from Halff’s collection will go on view on the second floor of the Robert O. Anderson Building from July 24 to Aug. 14.

TELEVISION

Network Hopping: Brian Ross, considered one of TV news’ leading investigative reporters, is joining ABC News. Ross has been with NBC News for 18 years.

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Ban the Ban?: Some of ABC’s highest-paid correspondents are protesting the new network policy barring them from speaking for pay to corporations and trade associations. Sources say that David Brinkley, Sam Donaldson, Cokie Roberts, “Nightline” correspondent Jeff Greenfield and White House reporters Brit Hume and Ann Compton are among those who have signed a letter objecting to the ban. The letter went to Senior Vice President Richard Wald, who decreed in a memo that such moonlighting often amounted to a second job and created an appearance problem for ABC. Wald has agreed to meet with the dissidents.

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America Loves Oprah: Oprah Winfrey is still America’s favorite talk-show host, according to a Louis Harris and Associates poll. Winfrey won the survey for the third straight year. David Letterman was in the second slot, Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford came in third and Phil Donahue, Jay Leno and Ted Koppel of ABC’s “Nightline” tied for fourth place.

MOVIES

Movie in the Infield: The Disney movie “Angels in the Outfield” had a mega-sized premiere on Sunday when the film played on three giant screens to more than 35,000 at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. The movie’s stars, Danny Glover and Tony Danza, were joined by baseball stars including Ralph Branca, Willie Stargell and Dusty Baker for the screening, which was also part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star game festivities. The movie opens on Friday.

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Freedom to Sue: Richie Havens says Time-Warner doesn’t have the freedom to make millions from his appearance in the movie “Woodstock.” He filed a $50-million lawsuit in a New York federal court, claiming the media giant violated copyright and civil rights laws by not getting his permission. Havens opened the legendary music festival in 1969 with his guitar-strumming hit “Freedom.” The movie and soundtrack of the concert went on to reap millions for Time-Warner. A lawyer for Time-Warner disputed the claims, saying the company has a contract signed by Havens.

QUICK TAKES

Arsenio Hall will lead a gun turn-in drive and a peace rally today at the First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles. The Rev. Cecil Murray will join Hall in his effort to get young adults to give up their weapons. . . . Ed McMahon returns to his old stomping grounds tonight when he makes an appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” as Jay Leno’s guest. . . . Stunt master Super Dave Osborne (Bob Einstein) will star in an original half-hour sitcom to air on the USA Network beginning in January. . . . Elton John and Billy Joel kicked off a 14-city tour in Philadelphia on Friday. They shared vocals on each other’s hits, including John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and Joel’s “Piano Man.”