Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation’s press.

THE ARTS

Political Woes Stop Concert: A planned May 29 concert at Universal Amphitheatre saluting Jerusalem’s 3,000th anniversary has been canceled because of organizers’ safety concerns in light of political tensions in Israel. The “Musical Salute to Jerusalem,” was to have been hosted by Bill Cosby and feature performers including Lionel Hampton, Byron Janis, Sid Caesar, a 70-piece symphony orchestra, the Children of the World Choir and the ISO and Daniel Erzalow dance companies. But due to “some very strange phone calls that some people viewed as veiled threats” and “grave concern” that such a large event could become a target for political extremists, the event’s organizer, Rabbi Baruch Kupfer, this week decided to cancel the event. Individual ticket sales and advertising for the event had not yet begun.

White House Study: First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, actor Richard Dreyfuss, U.S. cabinet members and leaders of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum Services joined at the White House on Friday to laud community-based arts programs that work with underprivileged youths. The group unveiled “Coming Up Taller: Arts and Humanities Programs for Children and Youth at Risk,” a new report from the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities--which the first lady chairs--demonstrating how arts and humanities programs offer creative alternatives to violence, substance abuse and leaving school.

RADIO & TV

Unusual KCET Campaign: Less than three months after being named KCET-TV Channel 28’s president and chief executive officer, Al Jerome has been forced to go on air and plead for money. The public television station, which closes its fiscal year June 30, is currently $500,000 in the red. In an unusual 2 1/2-minute spot that began airing this week, Jerome announced a special “countdown” campaign to raise $5.5 million to accommodate the deficit and projected costs. “The cost of programming from PBS and other distributors is up 11% over last year and over 24% from just two years ago,” Jerome says in the spot, which will air about five times each day. Jerome said 46% of the station’s revenue comes from viewers’ gifts.

It Must Be Sweeps: The Fox network is running promotional spots targeting NBC’s much-hyped miniseries “The Beast,” which begins Sunday night. The tongue-in-cheek spots ask viewers why they would watch a movie about what Fox deems “a rubber octopus” when they could watch “real” comedies--i.e. Fox’s “The Simpsons” and “Married . . . With Children.” While it is unusual for a network to mention a rival’s program by name, Fox’s advertising head, Geoff Calnan, said the promos are simply a “very Fox-like way to promote our own competition,” noting that the network previously did a similar takeoff promoting “Married . . .” against CBS’ much-trumpeted miniseries “Scarlett.” NBC, however, was so flattered by the attention that its advertising chief, John Miller, sent Calnan a serving of squid Thursday with a thank-you note. Calnan countered that next week he’d like to do a spot poking fun at NBC’s “Friends,” in the hopes that “they’ll send Jennifer Aniston over in a box.”

Will Boyz Be Back?: The Baka Boyz, the popular KPWR-FM (105.9) morning-drive team that tied for fourth place in the latest Arbitron ratings, have been off the air since resigning from the hip-hop station Wednesday amid suggestions that the pair was unhappy over “management changes.” But the deejays--brothers Nick and Eric Vidal, who last week taped a pilot for a possible ABC sitcom--may not be gone from KPWR for good. In fact, they’re now negotiating with the station about a possible return, their producer said.

MOVIES

‘Hunchback’ Opening: The power of a few radio ads Friday morning was enough to sell out the first two days of the El Capitan opening of Disney’s latest animated musical, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” which goes on view at the Hollywood theater on June 21, accompanied by a new 20-minute stage show featuring various Disney characters. Tickets for the indefinite “Hunchback” run, available through calling 1-800-DISNEY-6, are $10-$25.

QUICK TAKES

Don’t expect that rescheduled Oasis concert at the Universal Amphitheatre to take place at least until August. The band, which canceled its April 15 date because of singer-guitarist Noel Gallagher’s illness, is taking a long-promised three-month break at home in England. . . . Rap-influenced trio dc Talk, which headlines the Universal Amphitheatre May 4, was named artist of the year at the annual Dove Christian music awards in Nashville Thursday. Jars of Clay, which plays the Troubadour May 15, was named best new artist. . . . Choreographer Mark Morris and conductor Christopher Hogwood will receive the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts’ annual Artistic Excellence Award on Sunday, before their 2 p.m. Wiltern Theatre performance. Past recipients include Mstislav Rostropovich, Alvin Ailey and Mel Torme. . . . ABC, CBS and NBC have filed a brief with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, backing “Inside Edition” journalists who were barred earlier this month from following HMO executives after using what a judge called “ambush-style” tactics.