POP MUSICElton’s New Record: Elton John will...

POP MUSIC

Elton’s New Record: Elton John will return to the Hollywood Bowl for two nights, Sept. 22 and 23, giving the English star the record for Bowl appearances by a pop musician with eight. John first played the historic venue in 1973 and most recently in 1993. Tickets for these concerts, featuring John’s full band, will go on sale Monday through Ticketmaster and at the Hollywood Bowl box office.

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‘HIStory’ Changed: The new version of Michael Jackson’s “HIStory--Past, Present and Future Book 1”--with new lyrics replacing terms that were criticized as being anti-Semitic in the song “They Don’t Care About Us”--will be available to record stores by the end of the week, an Epic Records spokeswoman said. Many retailers, though, are expected to sell most of their original supply before ordering from the new stock. At least 2 million copies containing the original lyrics were shipped to U.S. stores and as of last week about 900,000 had sold. The altered set will bear a sticker denoting that it contains new lyrics. The lyrics can be heard Friday night in a half-hour special on ABC in which Jackson will also debut his video for “You Are Not Alone.” He will also conduct his first on-line chat Aug. 17 with subscribers to America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy and the Internet.

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MTV Award Nominees: Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream” video topped the list of nominees for the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards with 11 nominations, including video of the year, the network announced Tuesday. The Jacksons’ video was followed closely by TLC’s “Waterfalls” and Green Day’s “Basket Case,” which earned 10 and nine nominations, respectively, and were both also nominated for video of the year. Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” was the fourth video up for the award. The awards show will be held Sept. 7 at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and will feature performances by Michael Jackson, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hootie & the Blowfish and the recipients of this year’s honorary Video Vanguard Award, R.E.M.

TELEVISION

Election Team: PBS and NBC will reprise their joint production partnership to provide comprehensive coverage of the 1996 Democratic and Republican conventions, Ervin S. Duggan, PBS president and CEO, announced in Pasadena on Tuesday. The direct collaboration is between NBC News and “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.” In 1992, PBS and NBC made media history when public TV and a network news division combined forces for the first time on a major news event.

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Blues in Full Color: Jake and Elwood Blues are finally ready for prime time. The “Saturday Night Live” duo better known as the Blues Brothers are going to be the subjects of a prime-time animated series from Film Roman, producer of “The Simpsons” and “The Critic.” The cartoon will feature John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s legendary characters getting into trouble around Chicago along with celebrity guests and musicians. Aykroyd will provide Elwood’s voice, and James Belushi will fill in for his late older brother as Jake. Negotiations on when and where the series will air are under way.

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Quality Guaranteed: “Frasier” and “Picket Fences” are the top winners in the Viewers for Quality Television’s 1995 Quality Awards. The organization voted “Frasier” the best comedy, and also gave its stars Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves and David Hyde Pierce best acting awards. “Picket Fences” was voted best drama, helping NBC take home eight awards, compared to three for CBS and one for ABC. Winners will be honored at a ceremony at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in September.

THEATER

‘Miss Saigon’ Discount: The Ahmanson Theater will be discounting tickets to “Miss Saigon” starting Sunday and lasting through Aug. 9. Tickets for all shows through Oct. 1 can be bought in advance at $45 for orchestra and mezzanine seats and $15 for balcony seats, as compared to previous prices of $65 and $40.

QUICK TAKES

“Speed Star” Sandra Bullock has been busy denying rumors: One that she will take Julia Roberts’ place in the upcoming sequel to “Pretty Woman,” another that she and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman are romantically linked. . . . Shooting in Ireland on “Divine Rapture,” which was to star Marlon Brando, Debra Winger and Johnny Depp, came to an abrupt stop Monday when a Paris-based backer withheld funds, the film’s producers said. The stars are reportedly waiting it out in Ireland. . . . Carly Simon and James Taylor--once a couple--will reunite for the first time since 1979 at a benefit for the Martha Vineyard’s Agricultural Society on Aug. 30.