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

DANCE

Flatley Understudy Takes the Stage: Tickets for “Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance” go on sale Sunday for performances Aug. 26-28 at the Greek Theatre. But don’t expect to see Flatley in the show--his lead role for the current North American tour has been taken over by 21-year-old John Carey, who was Flatley’s understudy and fill-in on previous tours. Flatley, who announced in London this week that he is retiring from live performances in July, remains with the touring production as artistic director and producer. Although the billing will still feature Flatley’s name, a tour spokeswoman said advertising and promotional materials will feature photographs of Carey, not Flatley. Meanwhile, Flatley, who will be 40 in July, announced that his farewell performance will be an outdoor extravaganza called “Feet of Flames,” scheduled for July 25 at London’s Hyde Park. Billed as the biggest dance show ever staged in Britain, “Feet of Flames” will feature 84 dancers in new choreography designed by Flatley; the production will be filmed for future TV and video release.

POP/ROCK

Michael Pleads No Contest: Singer George Michael was banned from a Beverly Hills park, ordered to serve 81 hours of community service and told to undergo sexual counseling as part of a no-contest plea Thursday to a lewd conduct charge. Michael’s lawyer, Ira Reiner, formerly L.A. district attorney, entered the plea on Michael’s behalf during the singer’s scheduled arraignment in Beverly Hills Municipal Court after agreeing on the disposition of the case with prosecutors. Michael was not in court for the hearing. In addition to the hours of required community service, Judge Charles C. Rubin said Michael will have to either serve an additional 80 hours of community service or pay a fine of $910. Rubin also ordered the singer to attend five hourlong sexual counseling sessions. Police said Michael, whose real name is Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, was arrested at Will Rogers Park, across from the Beverly Hills Hotel, just before 3 p.m. on April 7 after a plainclothes officer reportedly saw him masturbate and expose his buttocks in a men’s restroom there.

MEDIA

Actors’ Trade Newspapers to Merge: The two Hollywood actors’ trade newspapers, Drama-Logue and its upstart competitor Back Stage West, will merge next month. Drama-Logue has been sold to BPI Communications, which publishes Back Stage West, Billboard, AdWeek and the Hollywood Reporter. Beginning with the June 4 issue, the new name for the remaining but expanded publication will be Back Stage West/Drama-Logue. It will be supervised by Back Stage West’s staff. Drama-Logue’s annual awards ceremony will be integrated into Back Stage West’s Garland awards, which began in January.

QUICK TAKES

“The Nanny” wedding episode Wednesday night drew nearly 17 million viewers, the CBS comedy’s biggest audience in more than two years. Meanwhile, ABC’s “Ellen” went out with a whimper, with the one-hour series finale Wednesday night finishing fourth in its time slot. . . . Tickets for Shania Twain’s June 21 show at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. . . . Olivia Newton-John has been added to the star-studded lineup for the KIIS-FM (102.7) Wango Tango concert June 13 at Edison International Field of Anaheim. . . . Violinist Vadim Repin will replace fellow Siberian Maxim Vengerov at Sunday’s 8 p.m. engagement of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Vengerov bowed out because of a family illness. . . . Cable’s Lifetime Television will receive the Media Award Sunday from the L.A. Commission on Assaults Against Women for “helping to dispel dangerous myths and attitudes about violence against women” by airing “accurate portrayals of sexual and domestic violence.” . . . Reprise! will present a 20th anniversary concert production of “Sweeney Todd” in five performances March 12-14. The venue will be the Ahmanson Theatre, instead of the series’ usual home at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, because the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical about a murderous barber requires room to produce.