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

MOVIES

PG-13 ‘Diamonds’: Following a personal appeal by actor Kirk Douglas on Thursday, the Motion Picture Assn. of America has changed the rating of the film “Diamonds” to PG-13 from its initial R designation. While there is no violence or nudity, “Diamonds” drew the R “for sexual content and a scene of drug use.” “I am, of course, delighted,” Douglas said afterward. “I never considered ‘Diamonds’ an R film. . . . It’s a delightful comedy.” In the film, opening Dec. 10 in Los Angeles and New York, Douglas stars as a onetime prizefighter who embarks on a life-changing journey with his son (Dan Aykroyd) and teenage grandson (Corbin Allred). Having suffered a recent stroke, Douglas’ 80-year-old character is faced with the prospect of being sent to a retirement home, but instead convinces son and grandson to join him in a search for 13 long-lost diamonds. Douglas, who turns 83 next month and suffered a stroke in January 1996, told the MPAA: “I am proud of ‘Diamonds’ and its important and positive message about bridging the gap between generations, finding common ground within a family and living life to the fullest.”

TELEVISION

Meet Mr. Millionaire: John Carpenter, an IRS revenue officer from Hamden, Conn., on Friday became the first $1-million winner on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Carpenter, 31, correctly chose Richard Nixon as the answer to: “Which of these U.S. presidents appeared on the TV series ‘Laugh-In’?” Carpenter--who used a “lifeline” on the final question to call his father and tell him he was going to win $1 million--said he hasn’t decided whether he will stay in his current job but is “leaning toward doing something else.” “Millionaire” continues to draw spectacular ratings for ABC, easily beating NBC’s “Frasier” on Thursday for the second week in a row.

PEOPLE

Standing Ovation: Actor and musician Dudley Moore received a standing ovation Thursday night in Philadelphia for his first public appearance since announcing that he was suffering from an incurable, degenerative brain disease. Frail and on crutches as he was helped to the stage, Moore, 64, looked more at ease as he settled into his chair next to actress Julie Andrews to recite poetry by Ogden Nash. “It was very important to be here. It’s a continuation of life,” Moore said after a benefit concert for the nonprofit organization Music for All Seasons Inc. Best known for the “Arthur” movies and his longtime comedy work with Peter Cook, Moore is also launching the Dudley Moore Research Fund to find a cure for PSP, or progressive supranuclear palsy, an illness related to Parkinson’s disease that makes it hard for him to walk, speak and eat. Andrews, who has had trouble singing since an operation to remove noncancerous throat nodules, said she was feeling fine, and read a story written by a 19-year-old contest winner.

POP/ROCK

Reunited: N.W.A, the seminal West Coast gangsta rap group from the late ‘80s, has reunited to perform a song for the upcoming film “Next Friday,” which stars N.W.A alumnus Ice Cube. Three of the group’s four surviving members--Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren--teamed up with Snoop Dogg (taking the place of the late Eazy E) to record the song “Chin Check” for the film due in January. The fourth surviving member, DJ Yella, may participate in the music video for the song.

STAGE

Reopening: A gala dedication benefit celebrating the reopening of the 73-year-old El Portal Center for the Arts in North Hollywood as a multistage venue for live professional theater takes place tonight. Actor Donald O’Connor will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from Carol Channing, and Robert E. Caine, president of the theater’s board of directors, will be honored for spearheading the revival of the historic theater after its devastation in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

QUICK TAKES

Paula Marshall is leaving the cast of “Snoops,” the new ABC series that co-stars Gina Gershon, in order to make the light-hearted detective show more dramatic. She quits the firm in this Sunday’s episode, but will appear into January. . . Tim Allen’s wife, Laura Deibel, has filed for legal separation and wants custody of their 9-year-old daughter. She cited irreconcilable differences; the couple have been married 15 years. . . . An anonymous bidder paid $244,500 for the Oscar that Herman J. Mankiewicz won for co-writing “Citizen Kane.” . . . James Cromwell, Oscar nominee for best supporting actor in “Babe” (1995), and Catherine Bell, co-star of CBS’ “JAG,” receive the 1999 Spirit of Hollywood Award for film and television, respectively, tonight at the Beverly Hilton. . . . Stutterers in Film and Television, an organization based in San Juan Capistrano, has commended HBO Pictures for deleting a scene from “RKO 281” in which Marion Davies’ (Melanie Griffith) stutter is mimicked by William Randolph Hearst (James Cromwell).