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

ENTERTAINMENT

The Final ‘Rock’: After five seasons, comedian Chris Rock is ending “The Chris Rock Show” on cable’s HBO, though his relationship with the pay network will continue. The final episode of the talk show will be seen Friday, with guests rapper Ice-T and singer Nikka Costa. Rock, who has several films due for release next year--including the animated “Osmosis Jones” plus “Down to Earth” and “Pootie Tang”--ended his talk show to pursue other film and TV projects, a spokesman for the comic said. Rock’s existing deal with HBO calls for further comedy specials. “The Chris Rock Show” won an Emmy last year for outstanding writing for a variety or music program. Rock was unavailable for comment.

Madonna Says She Will Wed Ritchie: Madonna has apparently told a British tabloid that she will marry film director Guy Ritchie, the father of her 4-month-old son, Rocco, as early as next year. “Guy has asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes, but we haven’t decided when yet,” the singer, 42, is quoted as saying in the Sun. “We are very much in love and it seemed like the natural thing.” When asked for a time frame, Madonna replied: “It could be next year.”

Film Fest’s New Leaders: Three Palm Springs-area businessmen have been named joint chairpersons of the 12th annual Nortel Networks Palm Springs International Film Festival after the resignations this week of the event’s board chairman, Fred Linch, and executive director, Craig Prater. The new chairpersons are developer and former festival Chairman John Wessman, Martin Communications Chairman Tom Martin and Harold Matzner, CBA Industries chairman and a festival founder. Meanwhile, entertainment executive Denis Pregnolato, a co-founder of the festival with the late Palm Springs mayor and congressman Sonny Bono, has agreed to return as executive director, a title he held for two years when the festival began in 1989. The 2001 festival will run Jan. 11-22.

Griffith’s Journal: Melanie Griffith, who recently entered Daniel Freeman Hospital’s drug treatment program to “step down” from prescription medicine she’d been taking for a neck injury, will apparently detail her experiences in “Melanie’s Recovery Journal,” a new feature on her Web site, at https://www.melaniegriffith.com. The current posting reads: “I am home with my family now, after what was a rough eight days! I will tell you my story in due time, but right now my family needs me, and I need them.”

QUICK TAKES

Prince Charles gave a royal thank-you to two of “Charlie’s Angels” Tuesday night, when he entertained Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu at a dinner at St. James Palace in appreciation of Wednesday night’s London premiere of their movie, which was a benefit for his Prince’s Trust charity. The third angel, Cameron Diaz, couldn’t get away from film commitments in the United States. . . . In homage to technological advances such as MP3 and Napster, Spin magazine has picked “your hard drive” as the 2000 album of the year, noting: “The digital download proved so revolutionary it will have a longer legacy than any single piece of music released in 2000.” The magazine’s pick for artist of the year: controversial rapper Eminem.