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

ART

Too Gutsy for Some: Animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot asked Austrians on Friday to boycott a six-day performance piece by Viennese artist Hermann Nitsch that is to include the on-stage slaughter of three bulls. Nitsch plans to subsequently use the bulls’ blood and entrails to create art. The animals are to be slaughtered by professional butchers under the observation of licensed veterinarians. Bardot, who termed Nitsch’s plan “morbid” since it makes a public spectacle of “killing and watching [the animals] suffer,” called on Austrian authorities and members of the European Union to denounce the performance. Scheduled to begin Monday at Nitsch’s private castle north of Vienna, the spectacle wouldn’t be the first time he has used animals. Earlier performances have included actors covered in animal entrails mixed with grapes.

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Anderson Named Whitney Director: New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art has named Maxwell L. Anderson, 42, as its new director, effective in September. Anderson, currently director of Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario, replaces David Ross, who left to head the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. To mark Anderson’s appointment, Santa Monica-based collectors Eileen and Peter Norton’s Norton Family Foundation will donate to the Whitney a 1996 video installation, “Electric Mind,” by California artist Diana Thater (it was shown in the prestigious Whitney Biennial in 1997), along with a $100,000 cash grant for the museum director’s discretionary fund.

KUDOS

Golden Eagle Winners: The late poet Octavio Paz was feted Friday night by the Latino entertainment group Nosotros during a tribute in which he received the organization’s Hall of Fame Award. Other honorees during the 28th annual Golden Eagle Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton, included tenor Placido Domingo (international award), singer Freddy Fender (music legend), mariachi Lucha Reyes (artistic triumph) and film star Salma Hayak (best actress). In addition, mariachi singer Amalia Mendoza was given the inaugural Lucha Reyes Award for her role in perpetuating Mexican music, and actors Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez (“187”) and Tracy Vilar (“The Steve Harvey Show”) received Margo Albert Awards for “promising talent.” As previously announced, the late Frank Sinatra received the Ricardo Montalban Award, named for Nosotros’ founder, for his support of Latinos in the entertainment industry.

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Ladies of Soul: Newcomers Destiny’s Child, a quartet whose debut single, “No, No, No,” has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide, lead the pack for the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards with four nominations including best R&B;/soul single by a group, R&B;/soul or rap song of the year, and best R&B;/soul or rap new artist. Janet Jackson and Erykah Badu each scored three nominations for the fourth annual awards, which take place Sept. 3 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Diva Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, SWV and Changing Faces received two nods apiece. Meanwhile, the Lena Horne Award for outstanding career achievement will go to Chaka Khan, and Mariah Carey will get the Aretha Franklin Award for entertainer of the year.

TELEVISION

Taking It to the Streets: ABC “World News Now” anchor Asha Blake will join KNBC-TV Channel 4 in the fall to anchor a daily community-oriented news program at 11:30 a.m. The new show, which will replace the station’s current newscast in that slot, will feature Blake in various communities reporting on news and events. The date for the show’s debut has not yet been determined. Blake’s last day at ABC was Friday.

QUICK TAKES

John Travolta will receive the eighth annual Britannia Award on Oct. 15 from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles. The award, to be presented at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, recognizes Travolta’s “extraordinary contribution to the international entertainment industry.” Previous winners include Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman and Martin Scorsese. . . . “Titanic” star Leonardo DiCaprio made a private visit Thursday to Sang Lan, 17, the Chinese gymnast who was paralyzed last week while practicing a vault at the Goodwill Games. Sang said that seeing the actor might cheer her up, and she even learned a few words of English for their hourlong meeting at a Manhattan rehabilitation clinic. . . . Troubled Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland’s New York court appearance on charges of heroin possession was put off Friday when his attorney said he is undergoing rehabilitation at an undisclosed location in California. A new date was set for Nov. 4. Weiland, 30, also faces drug charges in Los Angeles; his latest arrest occurred last week when authorities found him days after he skipped a scheduled court appearance. . . . “Detroit Rock City,” a movie starring the ‘70s rock band KISS, is in the works at New Line Cinema. Set in 1978, the plot is described as a “coming-of-age story about four teenagers who embark on a wild adventure to attend a KISS concert.” . . . Starting Monday, KTTV-TV Fox 11 news will simulcast its weekday shows--”Fox 11 Morning News” at 6 a.m. and “Good Day L.A.” at 7 a.m.--in Spanish, via the Secondary Audio Program. According to KTTV, the station will have the only morning news programs in Los Angeles offered with a Spanish simulcast. The SAP technology, available on newer television sets, is activated by a button on the TV or remote control.