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

TELEVISION

Move Over, Regis: The Grammy Awards on Wednesday became the first program to beat ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in head-to-head competition. The music awards averaged 27.8 million viewers--the largest audience since 1993--with CBS estimating that 59 million people watched at least part of the telecast. The Grammys drew just under 26 million viewers in the first hour, enough to surpass the nearly 24 million tuned to the Regis Philbin-hosted quiz show. CBS’ strong prime-time performance also benefited David Letterman, whose second “Late Show” appearance since heart bypass surgery surpassed NBC’s “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” for the second time this week.

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Ramseys End Their Silence: John and Patsy Ramsey, parents of slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, have granted Barbara Walters their first in-depth network news interview. The session will air March 17 on ABC’s “20/20 Friday.” The Ramseys, who have maintained their innocence in the unsolved 1996 slaying, are said to discuss their theory on how it took place, and who they think killed their daughter. ABC News notes that there were “no ground rules and no lawyers present at the interview,” and said that the Ramseys--who have not been charged in the case though their names have frequently surfaced as possible suspects--”openly address all questions put to them.”

POP/ROCK

Rocking for Gay Rights: George Michael, Melissa Etheridge, Garth Brooks, Queen Latifah, k.d. lang and the Pet Shop Boys are among the performers set for “Equality Rocks,” an April 29 concert at Washington’s RFK Stadium being mounted by the Human Rights Foundation, a national gay and lesbian rights group. Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Heche, Nathan Lane, Kristen Johnston and the parents of slain Wyoming student Matthew Shepard are also scheduled to take part in the show, which Etheridge called “the largest concert in history that is dedicated to basic equal rights for gay Americans.” “Never before have so many powerful and inspiring artists come together to support our community and celebrate the dream of equality, safety and fairness for all people,” said group executive director Elizabeth Birch, adding that the show is intended to send “a wise and much-needed message to America that it is time to end the senseless violence that has torn apart our nation.”

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Bolton Loses to Isleys, Again: Singer Michael Bolton’s attempt to buy out the assets of bankrupt R&B; legend Ronald Isley--including the royalties from such classic Isley Brothers recordings as “Twist and Shout”--fell apart this week after a federal bankruptcy court judge approved a competing offer from Wall Street financier David Pullman. The successful $4.8-million bid, from Pullman’s Structured Assets Corp., had the blessing of Ronald Isley and two other former Isley Brothers members, as well as the Isleys’ former label, EMI. Pullman intends to sell 15- and 20-year bonds backed by Ronald Isley’s share of royalty income; at the end of the bonds’ life, the royalty income will revert back to Isley or his heirs. Bolton, meanwhile, had offered $5.3 million for Isley’s estate, a somewhat ironic move, given that the Isleys had successfully sued Bolton for copyright infringement, winning $5.4 million after claiming that Bolton stole parts of his 1991 hit, “Love Is a Wonderful Thing,” from a 1966 Isleys song of the same name. Among the assets that Bolton sought in the bankruptcy case was Ronald Isley’s portion of the 1994 jury award (which Bolton has appealed).

STAGE

Ahmanson’s ‘Rainbow’: A revised “Finian’s Rainbow” will replace “The Night They Raided Minsky’s” at the Ahmanson Theatre, July 23-Sept. 3. “Minsky’s” was derailed by the death last December of director Mike Ockrent, although Ahmanson artistic director-producer Gordon Davidson said he hopes to reschedule it later. Peter Stone, whose new book for “Annie Get Your Gun” is on Broadway now, has written the new “Finian’s” script, which “makes it as relevant today as when it was first produced on Broadway in 1947,” said Davidson--although the basic story of an Irishman, his daughter and a leprechaun in America is still there. The original Burton Lane-E.Y. Harburg score is not being revised.

QUICK TAKES

Italy’s Venice Film Festival announced Thursday that Clint Eastwood will receive its lifetime achievement award Aug. 30, the festival’s opening night. . . . Scholastic plans to publish a series of children’s books in the fall based on the Oscar-nominated hit movie “The Sixth Sense.” The books, to be written by David Levithan, will feature the young character of Cole Sear (played in the movie by Haley Joel Osment), who tries to come to terms with his ability to see ghosts. Meanwhile, “The Sixth Sense” is due on video and DVD March 28. . . . “America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back” details its 600th criminal capture on Saturday’s episode (9 p.m. on Fox). . . . Electra records and MTV are auctioning off a personal one-on-one guitar lesson from heavy metal pioneer Angus Young of AC/DC. Bids will be accepted through Tuesday on https://www.eBay.com, with the proceeds going to charity. . . . Pianist Richard Goode has canceled his March 12 recital at UCLA’s Royce Hall, due to illness.