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

POP/ROCK

Sweet Dreams, Nebraskans: Omaha Mayor Hal Daub is urging parents to keep their children away from shock-rock group Marilyn Manson’s performance today in the City Auditorium. “Marilyn Manson is a group that promotes themes such as satanism, murder and date rape,” Daub said Thursday. The show will go on, however, because the band could sue the city if it were prevented from playing, city spokesman George Davis said. The group, whose lead singer calls himself Marilyn Manson, has two albums on Billboard magazine’s Top 200 chart this week, including last year’s “Antichrist Superstar,” which entered the chart at No. 3. On Tuesday, a Marilyn Manson concert in Lubbock, Texas, touched off a confrontation between 75 praying protesters and the group’s fans, who favor black clothes, white-painted faces and heavy eyeliner.

‘Early’ Rimes: Singer LeAnn Rimes will release a second album Tuesday, even as the 14-year-old’s debut album, “Blue,” still tops the Billboard country chart. “The Early Years” features Rimes’ remake of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” which was previously available only on a promotional disc for Target stores. All of the new album’s 10 tracks were recorded before the release of “Blue.” Meanwhile, tickets for Rimes’ April 26 show at the Escondido Performing Arts Center go on sale this morning.

TELEVISION

Center to Develop Children’s Series: The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania is getting into the children’s television business. As part of its focus on improving children’s television, the center plans to fund the development of a TV series for commercial television that will be targeted toward elementary-school children. “Relatively little is known about how to get a program with high educational content on commercial television and how to attract a large audience,” Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Center, said. Veteran TV producer Joe Quinlan will oversee the children’s TV project.

STAGE

Manilow Musical on Stage: La Jolla Playhouse will stage “Harmony,” a new musical by Barry Manilow and his longtime collaborator Bruce Sussman, Oct. 19-Nov. 23. The show is inspired by the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, six entertainers in 1920s Germany whose career was crushed by the Nazis because some group members were Jewish. La Jolla also has announced Moliere’s “The School for Wives,” to be staged by the company’s new artistic associate Neel Keller June 15-July 13, and Donald Margulies’ “The Model Apartment,” which Mark Rucker will direct, July 27-Aug. 24.

QUICK TAKES

Bella Lewitzky, Gwen Verdon and Ann-Margret will receive the Professional Dancers Society’s Gypsy Award on Sunday at the organization’s 11th annual awards luncheon at the Century Plaza Hotel. . . . Actor Samuel L. Jackson has been tapped to serve as master of ceremonies for the Independent Spirit Awards on March 22 in Santa Monica. . . . Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the L.A. Philharmonic were awarded the quarterly prize of the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik for their recording of “Bernard Herrmann: The Film Scores.” . . . Noted jazz photographer William P. Gottlieb will be attend the opening Sunday of a showing of his photographs at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City. . . . The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced that it will hold its 12th annual induction ceremony May 6 at a downtown hotel. The event had been planned for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, but the museum has no space large enough to accommodate 1,500 for dinner and the cost of setting up a tent would be prohibitive, the foundation said. . . . Carol Burnett and Charlton Heston will star in a benefit performance of “Love Letters,” Feb. 19 at the Coronet Theatre. . . . For those who didn’t catch Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Internet broadcast earlier this week, radio station KLOS-FM (95.5) will broadcast one of his concerts at the historic Fillmore auditorium in San Francisco on Tuesday at 9 p.m. . . . ABC anchor Peter Jennings announced his engagement to Kayce Freed, a producer for ABC’s “20/20.” No date has been set.