ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS.

TELEVISION

From the Movies to the Cable Box: Tom Hanks (“From the Earth to the Moon”) will reteam with his “Saving Private Ryan” director, Steven Spielberg, to executive produce “Band of Brothers,” a 13-hour HBO miniseries about World War II. The long-term project, based on Stephen Ambrose’s book about a U.S. Army unit that captured Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest as part of the D-day mission, is expected to begin production sometime in 1999, with completion loosely targeted for late 2000 or early 2001.

PERFORMING ARTS

Opera, Vegas-Style: The Rat Pack crooners can keep rolling over in their graves. First Steve Wynn brought in Van Cliburn for the opening of his $1.6-billion Las Vegas hotel, the Bellagio. On Tuesday, owners of the $950-million Mandalay Bay Resort announced that its 12,000-seat Events Center will open April 10 with a performance by . . . Luciano Pavarotti. Though some critics have questioned his voice at 63, the tenor said he’s not worried about getting “desert throat” in his first Vegas appearance in more than a decade. “If it’s dry, don’t worry,” said a slimmed-down Pavarotti. “They will put in 300 machines to make humidity.”

POP/ROCK

Blues Awards: The Washington-based Rhythm & Blues Foundation will present its annual Lifetime Achievement Award to John Lee Hooker on Feb. 25 at Sony Studios in Los Angeles. In addition, 11 artists, two songwriter-producer teams and two vocal groups will receive Pioneer Awards for helping to create “one of the most truly American forms of musical expression.” Honorees are Mickey Baker, Brenda Holloway, Barbara Lewis, Barbara Lynn, Garnet Mimms, Johnny Moore, Bill Pinkney, Joe Simon, Charlie Thomas, Dee Dee Warwick, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, David Porter and Isaac Hayes, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, the Manhattans, and the late Johnny Adams.

Jewel Channeled in Suit: Jewel’s former manager has filed a $10-million lawsuit against the singer-songwriter for breach of contract and wrongful termination following her firing in February. Inga Vainshtein claims that she guided the 24-year-old performer from “obscurity and abject poverty” to huge commercial success. Vainshtein claims her five-year business relationship with Jewel was sabotaged by the singer’s mother and current manager, Lenedra J. Carroll. The suit also cites “bizarre actions” by Carroll, including the use of a channeler and “sham” psychological exams to steer the singer’s career. Neither Jewel nor Carroll could be reached for comment Tuesday. Jewel’s second album, “Spirit,” released Nov. 17, sold an estimated 368,000 copies its first week to place third on the album sales chart.

Courtroom Education: Four musicians claim that singer Lauryn Hill owes them millions of dollars in royalties for work they did on her hit album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” The plaintiffs claim that Hill, a member of the Fugees, improperly took sole production and songwriting credits for the album’s 14 songs. The musicians--Vada Nobles, Johari Newton, Tejumold Newton and Rasheem Pugh--are asking a judge to award them a third of the $6 million or more they believe “Miseducation” has earned, plus co-producing and co-writing credits. Hill’s spokesman said the foursome “were appropriately credited for their contribution on the album” and called the suit “an attempt to take advantage of [Hill’s] success.”

ART

Van Gogh Tickets Update: More than 134,000 tickets--22% of the total available--already have been sold for the L.A. County Museum of Art’s blockbuster exhibition “Van Gogh’s Van Goghs,” opening Jan. 17. But while weekends and midday slots (from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) are filling up most quickly, ducats are still available for all days of the show’s run, a museum spokesman said Tuesday. The tickets--selling at a record price of $17.50 for weekdays and $20 for weekends, plus Ticketmaster service charges--will not be offered at the museum box office until early January. Meanwhile, promotions based on the Van Gogh exhibition and the current Picasso show have helped the museum’s membership grow by nearly 50%, from 64,000 on July 1 to the current 93,000 members. “We can assume that a good deal of that is due to the Picasso and Van Gogh promotion,” the LACMA spokesman said, referring to a drive that grants members two tickets to each exhibition.

QUICK TAKES

Actress Kathy Bates has been elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ board of governors, filling the seat left vacant by the death of Roddy McDowall. Bates joins Gregory Peck and Karl Malden on the board, marking the first time that all three Actors Branch governors have been Academy Award recipients. . . . A database of 3,200 images of works made by 150 artists who have died of AIDS or have HIV went up on the Internet on Tuesday as “The Virtual Collection,” a project launched by the Estate Project for Artists With AIDS. California artists whose work is showcased at https://www.artistswithaids.org include Tony Greene, Philip Pirolo and Ron Athey. . . . Several actors from the hit movie “A Bug’s Life” will chat in character this week at https://www.talkcity.com. Hayden Panetierre will chat today as Princess Dot, Phyllis Diller will chat Thursday as Queen Anne and Joe Ranft will chat Friday as Heimlich, all at 4 p.m. And on Saturday at noon, Richard Kind will chat as Molt.