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

TV & RADIO

Local News Not So Rosy: A study of newscasts at 61 stations nationwide--including Los Angeles’ KABC-TV, KCBS-TV and KNBC-TV--has found that all three of the L.A. broadcasts are only average or below in terms of their quality. KABC-TV’s 11 p.m. broadcast earned a C grade from a panel of veteran local-news professionals, while both KCBS and KNBC earned D grades for their 11 p.m. newscasts. The study, conducted by the Columbia University-affiliated Excellence in Journalism, rated newscasts at 61 stations in 20 cities over two weeks last spring on criteria such as reflecting the community, covering a wide range of topics, containing balanced stories, focusing on significant issues and ideas, citing multiple sources and quoting authoritative people. KABC, which ranked 36th out of the 61 stations, earned high grades for balance, accuracy and the expertise of its sources, but earned low marks for local relevance and exploring larger issues. KCBS, which ranked 42nd, scored well in demonstrating enterprise and using authoritative sources, but scored poorly in covering a variety of topics and exploring larger issues. And KNBC, which ranked 44th, also did well in demonstrating enterprise and using authoritative sources, but fared poorly on choosing stories of local relevance and focusing on significant elements.

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Morning Drive, Catholic Style: Catholic Family Radio outlet KPLS-AM (830), which had been playing Gregorian chants since November, has begun its slate of talk radio programming, with live shows from three hosts airing from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and repeats of those programs filling most of the rest of the day. Author John Crudele (“Making Sense of Adolescence: How to Parent From the Heart” and “Teen Power”) and Doug Barry & the Radix Guys (Barry started the youth outreach ministry Radix Inc.) make up the bulk of the schedule, with Crudele filling the 2-5 a.m., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. time slots and Barry’s program airing in the 5-7 a.m., 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. slots. Meanwhile, “The Alan Keyes Show: America’s Wake Up Call,” a call-in program hosted by Republican Keyes, who was a candidate in the 1996 presidential race, fills the crucial 7-10 a.m. morning drive slot.

MOVIES

Villagers Angry Over Filming: A group of Thai villagers has announced plans to sue 20th Century Fox on charges that producers of the upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach” damaged a protected beach near their homes during filming. Villagers allege that the producers violated laws when they damaged coral reefs and removed natural vegetation on Maya Beach, a nature preserve on the tiny island of Phi Phi in the Straits of Malacca. Village officials said they have also asked for an investigation of the head of the Royal Forestry Department, who gave permission for the studio to alter the island. The studio’s film crews have denied damaging the reefs.

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How Many Did You See?: A total of 286 feature-length films has been deemed eligible for consideration for this year’s Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday. It is the highest number of films eligible since 1973; last year, 275 films vied for Academy Award consideration. A list of the eligible films will be mailed to academy members Friday along with the initial Oscar ballots. Nominations will be announced Feb. 9.

POP/ROCK

Spin Editor Sues Manson: Spin Magazine editor Craig Marks filed a $20-million lawsuit in New York on Tuesday against shock-rock star Marilyn Manson, accusing the singer of enlisting his bodyguards to attack him after a November concert in New York. The suit comes five weeks after Marks filed criminal harassment and assault charges against Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, and bodyguards Aaron Dilks and Steve Miller. New York police are still investigating the complaint. The lawsuit alleges that the assault was unprovoked and followed threats by Warner that he “could kill Marks, his wife and family.” The suit contends that Warner’s bodyguards then seized Marks by the throat, choked him and slammed him into a wall, after which the singer allegedly said, “That’s what you get when you disrespect me.” Manson and Interscope Records, which was also named in the suit, had no immediate comment.

QUICK TAKES

“The Rosie O’Donnell Show” reaped the benefits of returning to a live format on Monday when the station earned its highest overnight ratings this season, beating its November sweeps average by 30%. Although it’s seen live in New York, the show still airs taped delayed here, at 3 p.m. on KNBC-TV. . . . Monday’s debut of the Mexican telenovela “La Usurpadora” on KMEX-TV was the highest-rated novela debut in the history of the station, drawing nearly 10% of Southern California’s television viewers. Only KTTV’s “Ally McBeal” and KABC’s coverage of the Fiesta Bowl drew a larger audience from 8 to 9 p.m. . . . TV actress Alyssa Milano (“Charmed”) wed musician Cinjun August Tate on New Year’s Day at a plantation home near Baton Rouge, La.