MORNING REPORT - News from July 14, 2000

Streisand-Gore Ticket: Barbra Streisand is in talks to headline an all-star fund-raising concert for the Democratic Party that would immediately follow Vice President Al Gore’s expected presidential nomination, according to the singer’s spokesman and party officials. The show would be Aug. 17 at the Shrine Auditorium and would be open to delegates and other party supporters, with ticket prices for most seats ranging from $150 to $1,000 per person, according to party press secretary Jenny Backus. No other prospective performers have been named. Streisand, 58, last sang in public at a sold-out New Year’s Eve concert at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. She also performed in January 1993 at President Clinton’s first inauguration and followed that in 1996 with a Clinton benefit that raised $4 million for his reelection campaign, her spokesman said.

Rage on the Rox: Rage Against the Machine, which sold out two nights at the Great Western Forum in December, will play a small-club show July 23 at the Roxy. The date will serve as a warmup for the politically charged Los Angeles band’s co-headlining tour with the Beastie Boys, which starts Aug. 2 in Toronto. Tickets for the Roxy will be available as giveaways through KROQ-FM (106.7) starting Saturday. The concert will benefit the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank via donations by Rage and KROQ.

ENTERTAINMENT

Executive Counters Anti-Drug Chief: Plans revealed recently by White House drug policy chief Barry McCaffrey to promote movies that contain anti-drug messages with federal dollars are unnecessary, an entertainment executive said Thursday. “There is no question that a message within the context of a television program or a popular film will have a stronger impact on young people than a 30-second TV commercial or a billboard,” said Brian Dyak, president of the Entertainment Industries Council. “However, the integrity of the creative process must be preserved, and Hollywood’s voluntary efforts to address substance abuse in productions should be celebrated as an ‘art that makes a difference.’ ” Dyak noted that the entertainment industry incorporated anti-drug messages into its programming well before the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy took up the issue. The Entertainment Industries Council sponsors the Prism Awards, which honor accurate depictions of drug, alcohol and tobacco use in movies and television.

THE ARTS

Domingo’s ‘Operalia’ Coming to L.A.: Placido Domingo, who recently took over the reins as artistic director of L.A. Opera, will bring Operalia 2000--the eighth annual World Opera Contest--to Los Angeles for the first time. During the competition, Aug. 31-Sept. 5 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, 40 operatic hopefuls under the age of 30 will vie for the six prestigious Alberto Vilar Awards (named after the competition’s primary sponsor), totaling more than $175,000 in prize money, before an international jury chaired by contest founder Domingo and composed of distinguished singers, conductors and opera officials. Last year’s competition was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico; previous Operalia sites include Paris, Mexico City, Madrid, Bordeaux, Tokyo and Hamburg.

Long Beach Museum Receives Gift: The Long Beach Museum of Art has been promised the Gail-Oxford Collection, a large holding of American furniture and decorative arts. Including some of the best examples of 18th and early 19th century American furniture on the West Coast, the collection of 325 objects was assembled over 35 years by Long Beach residents Victor Gail and Thomas H. Oxford. Highlights from the gift will go on view Sept. 24, in the opening exhibition of the museum’s new building.

TELEVISION/RADIO

New D.A. in Town: Oscar winner Dianne Wiest will join the cast of NBC’s police-drama “Law & Order” this season. Wiest will play the new district attorney, replacing Steven Hill, who has played D.A. Adam Schiff since 1990. Hill, the last remaining original cast member from the show’s first season, is leaving by mutual agreement, executives with the show said. Hill’s character will be ousted when he loses an election for the D.A’s office.

KRLA Premieres ‘A-List’: KRLA-AM (1110) premieres “The A-List” today at 5 p.m. with a two-hour interview with Oscar-winner Tom Hanks. Hosted by Joe Wizan, who also hosts “Inside the Movies” Sundays at 3 p.m. for the station, “A-List” is expected to become a weekly Friday afternoon feature. The move comes as program director Ron Escarsega shuffles the deck after pulling “Minyard & Minyard,” with father-son hosts Ken and Rick Minyard, from the afternoon drive spot where it had been steadily losing listeners. Escarsega opted for a “niche programming” strategy for the afternoon after negotiations with a high-profile host fell through. The current lineup begins with an hour health show at 3 p.m., followed by an encore presentation of the morning Michael Jackson show at 4 p.m., “Market Wrap With Moe Ansari” (Monday-Thursday) at 5 p.m. and “Mr. Money” at 6 p.m. Escarsega expects “The A-List’s” normal spot to be 4-6 p.m. Fridays.

QUICK TAKES

Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, was denied entry into Israel and deported, officials said Thursday. The government claims that during a 1988 trip to Israel, Islam delivered tens of thousand of dollars to Hamas, a militant Islamic group, the Maariv daily reported. . . . Actress Drew Barrymore and shock-comic Tom Green are engaged, Barrymore’s publicist Eddie Michaels has confirmed. No wedding date has been set. . . . Cameron Crowe’s new film, inspired by the writer-director’s experiences as a teenage rock journalist for Rolling Stone, finally has a name. “Almost Famous” will open Sept. 15 after debuting a week earlier at the Toronto Film Festival. . . . Jimmy Smits and Christopher Lee will join Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson in episode II of the “Star Wars” saga. The as-yet-untitled picture is currently filming in Australia. . . . Alan Arkin will play a night-court judge in A&E;’s new weekly series, “100 Centre Street,” created and executive produced by Sidney Lumet. “Street,” which starts shooting next month and will premiere early next year, marks Lumet’s return to television after a 40-year absence.