MORNING REPORT - News from April 22, 2000

POP/ROCK

She Didn’t Want to Steal Arista’s Thunder: In the latest episode of the Whitney Houston chronicles, TV Guide is reporting that the singer has backed out of a concert special that was to have been televised during the May ratings sweeps. But a CBS spokeswoman said the report “jumped the gun a bit. We were just in talks. It was never set in stone. We’d love to work with [Houston], but it just didn’t work out.” The spokeswoman added that scheduling problems prevented the special, but “we still hope we’ll have the opportunity to do it in the future.” Houston’s spokeswoman, meanwhile, said the talks came to a halt when CBS wanted to air the program just before NBC’s Arista Records “25 Years of Hits” special on May 15, of which Houston’s performance is a centerpiece. “That was just not a possibility,” the spokeswoman said, adding: “But all of a sudden it’s Whitney [who’s reported to be causing problems].” The spotlight has fixed on Houston in recent weeks because of her erratic behavior, including her absence at two high-profile events--the Oscars, where she was replaced by Faith Hill after problems in rehearsals; and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies, where she was to have performed for inductee and Arista founder Clive Davis but canceled on the show’s eve, citing voice problems.

A Sound Thrashing?: George Lucas’ Lucasfilm Ltd. has sued Dr. Dre and his record label, Interscope, claiming that the rap star used Lucasfilm’s trademarked THX Deep Note sound to open his latest album, “Dr. Dre--2001.” The familiar trademarked sound accompanies the THX logo on movie screens prior to film showings at THX-sound-equipped theaters. Representatives for the rapper and Interscope could not immediately be reached for comment. The album in question is currently No. 9 on pop album charts.

TELEVISION

Spar With Maher: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will host “An Evening With Bill Maher and ‘Politically Incorrect’ ” on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the academy’s North Hollywood headquarters. Scheduled panelists for the event, which will not be televised, are Larry Gelbart, Arianna Huffington and Sheryl Lee Ralph, plus one randomly selected audience member. Tickets are $15. Meanwhile, cable’s HBO will televise Maher’s third hourlong stand-up comedy special, “Bill Maher: Be More Cynical,” in June.

ARTS & ARCHITECTURE

Alpert Award Winners: Film/video artist Peggy Ahwesh, saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman, choreographer Mark Dendy, playwright W. David Hancock and visual artist Shirin Neshat have been named recipients of this year’s CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts, which recognizes mid-career artists for “both their past performance and future promise.” Each receives $50,000, designed “to give them creative breathing room” and “help them carry their work forward.” The recipients will also participate in a CalArts teaching residency.

Sleep in the Wright Style: The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is planning a small chain of business-oriented hotels to be created in the late architect’s style. Called Spring Green Suites, the hotels will be designed by Taliesin Architects, the successor to the architectural firm Wright founded. Each hotel will feature a special architectural exhibit with replicas of Wright’s drawings, photographs and other historical memorabilia. “This will be one of the few ways people will have to get to feel or see the kind of spaces Mr. Wright would have created,” a foundation executive said. The site of the first hotel has not yet been determined.

QUICK TAKES

The Three Tenors concert at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay tonight will be Webcast live at 10 p.m., with repeats Sunday at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at https://www.superstartheater.com. The site, which requires advance registration from those wanting to see the video Webcast, is a “Star Search”-type vehicle overseen by Three Tenors producer Tibor Rudas. . . . CNBC will air its first documentary: “The Great Game: The Story of Wall Street,” on Monday at 5 p.m. . . . The May 1 Pension Fund Benefit Concert by Ravi Shankar, his daughter Anoushka and the L.A. Philharmonic has been canceled, because Shankar, 80, recently underwent surgery. The type of surgery was not disclosed. . . . The Zoo District production of “The Master and Margarita,” which had been extended through April 30, has closed indefinitely due to construction-related flooding at the downtown ArtShare theater, though it may eventually reopen. . . . Citing pain from a knee injury incurred during rehearsals, tenor Vinson Cole withdrew after the first act of Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” on Thursday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. However, Cole is expected to sing the title role today, an Opera Pacific spokesman said.