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

FILM

Left Wing Conspiracy?: Actor Gary Oldman claims that his latest movie, “The Contender,” has been re-edited as anti-Republican propaganda. In an interview with Premiere magazine, Oldman says that DreamWorks paid for an edit to suit the political persuasions of studio owners Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. “The Contender” focuses on a fictional Republican attempt to derail the nomination of a female Democrat as vice president. Oldman is quoted in the magazine’s November issue as saying that when DreamWorks bought the finished film, director Rod Lurie was paid by DreamWorks to edit it so that Republicans in general were portrayed as villains. DreamWorks Pictures executive Walter Parkes denied there was any political motivation behind the final cut, and Lurie said that Oldman may be suffering from a strain of Stockholm syndrome in which “they begin to sympathize with their captors, and in this case, the captors are the characters that they play.”

ART

Angels on Parade: “A Community of Angels”--an art project designed to place individually decorated angel sculptures all over town as a fund-raiser for Volunteers of America and Catholic Big Brothers--will be announced at California Plaza Watercourt on Thursday. Inspired by a program that brought a fanciful herd of life-size cow sculptures to Zurich, Chicago and New York in 1998-99, the angel project is sponsored by the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, the mayor’s office and the city’s Volunteer Bureau. Sculptor Tony Sheets has designed 6-foot angels in three positions, to be reproduced in fiberglass and painted by other artists. Corporations, organizations and individuals will be solicited to underwrite the sculptures, at rates ranging from $1,500 to $10,000. The angels are expected to go on view February through April and to be auctioned in May.

POP/ROCK

Lawsuit Out of the Bottle: Pop star Christina Aguilera has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing her manager, Steven E. Kurtz of Marquee Management, of “improper, undue and inappropriate influence” over her personal and professional activities. The lawsuit claims that Kurtz used his influence in March 1999 to induce the then 17-year-old singer into signing an agreement that made Kurtz her personal manager, entitled to a maximum of 20% of all her “commissionable income” for an indefinite period of time. She says that part of the agreement allowed Kurtz to use “other management professionals” of his choice to assist him in managing Aguilera, but for no additional costs. Kurtz is accused of taking more than $4,000 per week extra in order to pay the others. Kurtz said in a statement Tuesday that the lawsuit “appears to be nothing other than a transparent and misguided attempt by Christina to avoid her financial and contractual obligations to me.”

THEATER

Theater Rumblings: After snagging on a piece of scenery, a plastic ball with mirrored tiles crashed onto the stage during Act 1 of a preview of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” at La Jolla Playhouse Sunday evening, shattering a few tiles but injuring no one. The ball was repaired Monday and was expected to return to action at Tuesday night’s preview. . . . In other local theater news, Chita Rivera will play Roxie Hart in the touring “Chicago” at Long Beach’s Terrace Theater, Dec. 6-10. Rivera played the other leading role of Velma in the show’s original production.

TELEVISION

‘Millionaire’ a Hot Seat: Despite NBC’s low ratings for the Olympics, ABC will host two special Olympic editions of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” on Oct. 22 and 24. Half of the athletes’ winnings will go to a charity and they can keep the rest. Ten Olympic athletes will appear, including Lenny Krayzelburg, Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Gary Hall Jr. Meanwhile, in other “Millionaire” news, NBC has reportedly asked Martin Sheen and Conan O’Brien and CBS has asked Ray Romano not to appear on celebrity editions of the popular game show next month during sweeps. When the celebrity editions of “Millionaire” ran last May, they earned the game show’s highest ratings ever.

QUICK TAKES

Elizabeth Hurley has formally apologized for shooting a nonunion perfume ad, Daily Variety reported Tuesday, and has promised to make a “significant” contribution to the Screen Actors Guild. Eddie Murphy also made a donation Tuesday, adding $100,000 to the strike relief fund. . . . Linda Blair will host the eighth annual Diversity Awards, presented by the Multicultural Motion Picture Assn., on Oct. 23 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. . . . Thursday’s debate between L.A. Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti and challenger Steve Cooley will be shown live on KCAL-TV Channel 9 at 8 p.m. . . . “FolkScene,” hosted by Roz and Howard Larman and a staple on KPFK-FM (90.7) since 1970, has been dropped by the station. Radio insiders say the duo was let go on Friday. Station executives did not immediately return phone calls but a KPFK receptionist confirmed the show had been pulled.