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

MOVIES

‘Mulan’ Cells Rake It In: A weekend sale of artwork from Disney’s “Mulan” fetched $507,000 at Sotheby’s New York, sailing past pre-sale estimates. Buyers cheered as an animated image of the villain Shan Yu and his falcon sold for $43,700 to a private collector from Texas--far eclipsing its estimated price tag of $1,200. Other highlights included a cell (estimated at $2,000) of Mulan and her love interest, Captain Shang, which went for a whopping $39,100. The record for a sale of animation artwork belongs to another Disney film: Cells from “The Lion King” took in nearly $2 million at Sotheby’s in 1995.

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Raimi to Be Honored: “A Simple Plan” director Sam Raimi will receive the sixth annual Beatrice Wood Film Award today, having been chosen unanimously by the honor’s past winners, Hubert Cornfield, Robert Allan Ackerman, Henry Jaglom, Billy Bob Thornton and James Cameron. The award, which was created during her lifetime to keep the memory of visual artist Wood alive, was previously given in the artist’s hometown of Ojai. But because Wood died last year at the age of 105, it will be given this time at Cameron’s Santa Monica office. The ceremonies will recognize Raimi’s work on “outstanding, moderately budgeted American films.”

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Glover Looking at Fugard Project: Danny Glover has starred in movies about South Africa, including HBO’s “Mandela” (1987), but he has never actually filmed there. However, he told a lunch gathering in New York, where he was honored Monday as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program, that he is “very intrigued” by a film version of Athol Fugard’s play “Boseman and Lena” that will shoot there this spring. Adding to Glover’s interest, the project is being put together by 81-year-old director John Berry, who moved to Paris when he was blacklisted in the 1950s.

POP/ROCK

Country Music Nominees: Faith Hill led the pack in nominations Monday for the 34th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, with six nods, including top female vocalist, album of the year and single record and song of the year for “This Kiss.” However, she was shut out of the top award--entertainer of the year--by nominees Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Shania Twain and the duo of Brooks & Dunn. Meanwhile, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn and Steve Wariner each received four CMA nods, with Twain, McGraw, Strait, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, the Wilkinsons and the Dixie Chicks garnering four nominations apiece. Album of the year nominees, in addition to Hill’s “Faith,” are Brooks’ “Double Live,” Messina’s “I’m Alright,” Strait’s “One Step at a Time” and the Dixie Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces.” The awards will air May 5 on CBS.

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No More Club-Hopping: Malibu judge Lawrence Mira on Monday cleared Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee of allegations that he had violated his probation for beating wife Pamela Anderson by drinking at a Miami nightclub. While noting that there was no proof Lee actually drank alcohol, Mira clarified future terms of the rocker’s probation, barring him from entering “any place where alcohol is sold.” However, Mira said Lee’s “progress has been great so far” and noted that the drummer continues to test clean for drugs, is attending anger management counseling and is obeying orders to stay away from his estranged wife.

THE ARTS

$25,000 Richer: Painter Patssi Valdez, light sculptor Jose Lopez and performance artist Hirokazu Kosaka are the first recipients of the Durfee Artist Fellowship Program, a new annual individual artist’s grant that carries a $25,000 award for each artist. The program, intended to “nurture creativity and support the generation of new artwork,” provides grants specifically for artists living and working in Los Angeles County. A 10-person panel of experts selected the recipients based on nominations of artists “in any discipline and at any career level, whom they considered to be doing the most important work in Los Angeles today.”

QUICK TAKES

“Sister, Sister” stars Tia and Tamera Mowry will be doing double duty on the WB this fall when they star as the voices for smart-aleck twins Lemonjella and Oranjella La Belle on a new Saturday morning animated kids series, “Detention.” . . . During Monday’s “Access Hollywood” broadcast, “ER” star Noah Wyle told Pat O’Brien that he and girlfriend Tracy Warbin, a makeup artist, are engaged. No wedding date was discussed. . . . Winners at Saturday’s Directors Guild of America dinner included Michael Cristofer, best director of a TV movie, for HBO’s “Gia”; Paul Miller, best director of a musical or variety program, for CBS’ “The Tony Awards”; Mitchell Kriegman, best director of a children’s program, for Disney’s “Bear in the Big Blue House”; and Richard B. Armstrong, who won a lifetime achievement award in news direction. . . . Actor Tom Hanks was hospitalized in Los Angeles Monday for an infected blister he got on his right knee while shooting the movie “Cast Away” in Fiji, his publicist said. Hanks, 42, was told to remain overnight and stay off his feet for about a week. He missed Monday’s Academy Awards nominees luncheon and will also be forced to skip the NATO Star of the Decade Awards in Las Vegas later this week. . . . The freshman ABC comedy “Sports Night” ranked No. 1 on the Virginia-based Viewers for Quality Television’s latest viewer survey ranking TV’s “highest-quality” shows. PBS’ “Masterpiece Theater” production “Bramwell” ranked second, followed by two David Kelley dramas, Fox’s “Ally McBeal” and ABC’s “The Practice.” . . . “Talk Soup” host John Henson will do a live online chat today at 3 p.m. (at https:www.eonline.com).