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

POP/ROCK

Inquiries Closed: The Nov. 22 death of rock star Michael Hutchence in an Australian hotel room was officially declared a suicide Friday. New South Wales Coroner Derek Hand said that Hutchence--lead singer of the band INXS--was in a “severe depressed state” due to a custody battle between his girlfriend, Paula Yates, and her ex-husband, musician Bob Geldof. Also having an effect, Hand said, were various substances Hutchence had consumed before his death; analysis detected alcohol, cocaine, the antidepressant Prozac and other prescription drugs. Hutchence, 37, hanged himself with his belt and the buckle broke away, leaving his naked body kneeling on the floor of the hotel room, the coroner said, adding that there was no evidence to substantiate British reports that the singer died in an act of auto-eroticism.

Perkins Tributes: West Hollywood’s House of Blues will host two shows paying tribute to the late musician Carl Perkins, who died Jan. 19 at age 65. Johnny Rivers, Dwight Yoakam and Perkins’ sons, Stan and Greg, will perform Feb. 16; tickets are $30 and proceeds go to the Carl Perkins Memorial Fund, which will be used to pay medical bills incurred before the rockabilly star’s death. Then on Feb. 19, the original members of the 1980s band the Stray Cats will reunite for a one-night-only, sold-out performance at 9 p.m.; proceeds from that show will go to the Perkins Center for Prevention of Child Abuse in Jackson, Tenn.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Pavarotti Taking a Breather: Luciano Pavarotti has canceled all performances until at least the end of February to rest following recent blood pressure problems. His Rome spokeswoman said this week that the 62-year-old tenor has had “sudden spikes in his blood pressure recently, caused by stress.” It was unknown if the illness would affect a Three Tenors concert announced earlier this week that’s planned for March 29 at the base of an ancient Pyramid near Mexico City.

TV & VIDEO

‘Fugitive’ Caught On Tape: The original 1960s television series “The Fugitive,” starring David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble and Barry Morse as Lt. Sam Gerard, is headed to video March 17. Republic Pictures will release 15 of the most popular episodes on eight videocassettes; each tape will sell for a suggested $15. Meanwhile, Tommy Lee Jones will reprise his role from the big-screen version of “The Fugitive,” in Warner Bros. “U.S. Marshals,” due in theaters March 6.

Only Two Hours: After 26 years, the annual Easter Seals Telethon is taking a breather. The charity event will this year be converted into a two-hour syndicated special, “Hollywood Salutes Easter Seals,” featuring scheduled celebrity appearances by Bill Cosby, Melanie Griffith, Dana Delany, Roma Downey and Della Reese. The program--which benefits children and adults with disabilities--will be taped March 7 at UCLA’s Freud Theatre. A local air date has not yet been announced.

QUICK TAKES

Former National Endowment for the Arts Chairwoman Jane Alexander will return to Broadway in April for a planned engagement of “Honour,” a drama by Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith about a family thrown into disarray when a journalist profiles the father. A theater for the production has not yet been announced. . . . The L.A. City Attorney’s office said it has decided not to file any charges against Roseanne’s estranged husband, Ben Thomas, for a New Year’s Day incident in which he broke a lamp and window at the couple’s home. Roseanne filed for divorce from Thomas last month, citing irreconcilable differences. . . . Eric Douglas, the 39-year-old actor son of Kirk Douglas, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of disorderly conduct and risk of injury to a 12-year-old patient in a Connecticut psychiatric institute at which Douglas was being treated in 1996. Prosecutors have yet to reveal details of the alleged incidents, but the injury to a minor charge is a felony and carries a sentence of up to 10 years in jail. Trial is set for Feb. 9. . . . Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Julia Sweeney has joined the cast of CBS’ “George & Leo,” the first-year comedy starring Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch. Sweeney, whose first episode airs Feb. 23, will play the recurring role of Alice, a nanny hired by the Newhart character’s son. . . . Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform at the Music Center for the first time, with four performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, March 19-22. The stand is the only 1998 dance program scheduled to date at the Music Center.

Kudos: Director Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”) will receive the American Society of Cinematographers’ Board of Governors Award, honoring him for his “extraordinary and enduring contributions to the art of filmmaking,” on March 8 at the Century Plaza Hotel. Previous recipients include Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster and Robert Wise. . . . Garry Marshall (“Laverne & Shirley,” “The Odd Couple”) will receive the Producers Guild of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Television on March 3. . . . Julia Roberts will be the first female box-office star to receive the ShoWest International Star of the Year Award during the annual theater owners convention in Las Vegas next month. . . . “Air Force One,” “As Good as It Gets,” “Good Will Hunting,” “L.A. Confidential” and “Titanic” are the American Cinema Editors’ nominees for the best edited feature film of 1997. Winners will be announced March 14.