Morning Report - News from Oct. 5, 1999

POP/ROCK

Sir Elton--Person of the Year: The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences’ MusicCares Foundation has selected Elton John as its 2000 MusiCares Person of the Year. John--described by Academy President Michael Greene as “a living symbol for what the recording academy and MusiCares stand for, and what we as a society should strive to celebrate . . . a first-magnitude creative talent with a heart to match”--will be feted Feb. 21 at a Los Angeles tribute dinner and concert. Previous MusiCares honorees have included Stevie Wonder, Luciano Pavarotti, Quincy Jones and Bonnie Raitt.

Leading Black Sabbath to Doom?: Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne is calling for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to scratch the British metal band’s name from this year’s list of nominees. This is the third year of eligibility for Sabbath, which created the blueprint for headbanger bands with songs such as “Paranoid” and “Iron Man,” and Osbourne says he doesn’t want to wait to be passed over again. “Just take our name off the list,” Osbourne said Monday in a statement. “Save the ink. Forget about us. The nomination is meaningless, because it’s not voted on by the fans. It’s voted on by the supposed elite of the [music] industry and the media, who’ve never bought an album or concert ticket in their lives.” There was no immediate word on whether hall of fame officials would alter the ballots sent out to about 1,000 voters, a group made up chiefly of musicians, music executives and critics. The voting deadline for the 15th annual induction is next Tuesday. Other nominees include Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Lou Reed, the O’Jays, Ritchie Valens and Queen.

PERFORMING ARTS

Exclusive Local Stop: Famed Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli--who has not performed in Southern California since 1995 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center--will sing on Jan. 12 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. The recital, sponsored by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, is an exclusive Southern California appearance and one of only three U.S. stops Bartoli will make on her current tour. Bartoli and her 15-member period instrument ensemble, Il Giardino Armonico, will do selections drawn from Vivaldi’s 20 surviving operas. Tickets, at $250 each, will go on sale to Philharmonic Society members and subscribers on Wednesday, with any remaining tickets available to the general public on Oct. 18.

TV & VIDEO

Rival Military Dramas: On the heels of last week’s news that Steven Spielberg is planning an NBC drama series about a U.S. Marine Corps regiment come reports this week that Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” star, Tom Hanks, is working on a Fox drama about the famed West Point military academy. Like Spielberg’s role on “Semper Fi,” Hanks would be an executive producer of “West Point,” which is being developed for next season.

‘Titanic’ Described for the Blind: A special video version of the Oscar-winning blockbuster “Titanic” arrives in stores today, accompanied by an audio description by director James Cameron aimed to make the movie more accessible for those who are visually impaired. The video, the first featuring a director describing his own film using the new TheatreVision technology, is also available on the Web at https://www.RPInternational.org. Among the elements Cameron describes are the film’s scenery, costumes, actors’ facial expressions and on-screen action.

TNN Joins Series Fray: Cable’s Nashville Network is getting into the drama series department with “18 Wheels of Justice,” a new hourlong series starring that Diet Coke commercial guy, Lucky Vanous, as an undercover Justice Department agent. Billy Dee Williams plays his supervisor and G. Gordon Liddy plays a coldblooded crime boss. The series, which also will feature a number of country music stars, is set to premiere in January.

QUICK TAKES

Farrah Fawcett, who drew headlines for her seemingly disoriented appearance on CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman” in 1997, will make her first return visit to the program on Oct. 13. . . . The well-reviewed but little-seen movie “The Iron Giant” garnered a leading 15 nominations for the International Animated Film Society’s 27th annual Annie Awards, taking place Nov. 6 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. “Tarzan” picked up 10 nominations. Both will vie for the best animated theatrical feature prize, along with “A Bug’s Life,” “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” and “The Prince of Egypt.” . . . NBC News has signed a five-year deal with Chris Matthews, host of CNBC’s “Hardball With Chris Mathews.” Under the deal, he will continue to host the CNBC political program, but he will also take on expanded duties for NBC and MSNBC, including joining NBC’s “Today” show as a political contributor. In addition, “Hardball” may move to MSNBC in the future. . . . A man who wrote a story about an “existential ant” with a “strong sense of individuality” has sued DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, contending that the companies stole his work and turned it into the animated movie “Antz.” David Seals-McClellan, who seeks more than $10 million in damages, alleges that he submitted his story in 1994 to a writing project that had ties to DreamWorks partner Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment. Studio representatives were not immediately available for comment. . . . Jazz singer Barbara Morrison will replace Milt Jackson as guest artist on the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts’ Sunday Count Basie Orchestra program. Jackson canceled due to illness.