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

PERFORMING ARTS

Bolshoi Shake-Up: The future is uncertain for Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater, Russia’s premier opera and dance company, after the unceremonious dismissal this week of artistic director Vladimir Vasiliev. Vasiliev, a former ballet star who was appointed in 1995 by then-President Boris Yeltsin, was fired in a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin. But rather than being informed personally of his dismissal, he received the news while listening to a radio broadcast. Putin’s decree put the Bolshoi under the jurisdiction of Russia’s culture minister, who said that the main reason for the management shake-up was to make way for a leader with administrative, rather than artistic, skills, because of an extensive renovation to the Bolshoi’s buildings that is scheduled to begin in 2001. Such an administrator has not yet been named, however, and speculation in Moscow is that Vasiliev was dismissed because the Bolshoi has lost status in recent years as its prestige has been eclipsed by St. Petersburg rival the Marinsky Theater (known in the West as the Kirov), led by acclaimed conductor Valery Gergiev.

TV & MOVIES

DeGeneres Project Stalled: Ellen DeGeneres is going back to the drawing board on her planned situation comedy for CBS. The comedian had shot a pilot in which she played the host of a variety show that included sketch comedy. But the show-within-a-show format, slated for a potential midseason debut, is now being retooled. CBS would not comment Thursday on the DeGeneres project or whether another version could still be in the running for a midseason slot on the network’s lineup.

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Coaches Cry Foul Over Film’s Language: Paramount Pictures, currently filming its upcoming Little League movie “Hardball” in Chicago, found itself under attack in the city Thursday. The film, starring Keanu Reeves, is based on a true story about the fortunes of Little League teams formed in Chicago’s poorest public housing projects. But coaches who work with the real teams depicted in the story have held protests during the movie’s filming, saying that the script is laced with stereotype-reinforcing language. Even Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has joined the attack, complaining that the R-rated film’s makers are ignoring all the good things youngsters do and are “trying to portray these kids as saying four-letter words.” Paramount, meanwhile, has said that the film’s screenwriters--who based their film on a 1994 nonfiction book by Daniel Coyle--have created an uplifting fictional drama.

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Women Honoring Women: Women in Film will honor TV producer Marcy Carsey, comedian Phyllis Diller, cinematographer Joan Churchill and the cast and creators of HBO’s “If These Walls Could Talk” and “If These Walls Could Talk 2” at its annual Lucy Awards luncheon on Sept. 8. In addition, actress Meredith MacRae, who died of cancer in July, will be honored posthumously with the Tichi Wilkerson Kassell Founders Award for her “lifetime of distinguished service” to Women in Film. The Lucy Awards, named after comedian Lucille Ball, are given annually to those “whose excellence and innovation have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.”

POP/ROCK

Tolerance Promotion to Protest Lyrics: An Irvine firm is protesting rapper Eminem’s controversial lyrics by pulling its ads from Thursday’s local cablecast of the MTV Video Music Awards. The company, 30 Minute Photos Etc., had contracted to buy six of 11 available spots for advertising in much of Orange County during the awards show, but the firm’s president, Mitchell Goldstone, said Thursday that he will replace ads for his own company with educational spots (from a human relations group) that promote tolerance and condemn violence. “I am so in favor of the arts and so against censorship, but when I found out that Eminem was going to be one of the presenters, I had to do this,” Goldstone said Thursday. “I am simply subscribing to MTV’s [pro-voting] motto of ‘Choose or Lose.’ . . . Voting financially is not censorship, but a meaningful expression of my disdain for Eminem’s lyrics.”

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Taking on the Sheriffs: Country singers Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney are threatening to sue the Erie County, N.Y., Sheriff’s Department over their arrests during a June 3 scuffle with deputies. A preliminary claim filed this week contends the singers suffer from physical and psychological injuries as a result of the fracas. McGraw and Chesney were arrested at a music festival in Orchard Park, N.Y., after Chesney allegedly took a police horse from a backstage area without permission. Police said McGraw assaulted a deputy when officers tried to stop Chesney. The singers--who are scheduled for trial in December on various misdemeanor charges--have denied wrongdoing and claim the arrests damaged their reputations. Erie County Sheriff Patrick Gallivan, meanwhile, called the singers’ claim against his department “ridiculous,” calling it “a common defense tactic” to “try to deflect attention from the real issues at hand by filing a lawsuit against the police.”

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Gospel Singing and Signing: The Rev. Al Green will appear Sept. 10 at the House of Blues’ weekly Gospel Brunch to celebrate the Sept. 12 release of his autobiography, “Take Me to the River.” Green will sing at the 1 p.m. brunch, which will be preceded by an 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. autograph session at the Sunset Strip club, during which Green will sign copies of his book (which will be sold at the event). Tickets to the Gospel Brunch are $30.

QUICK TAKES

Singer Sting has scheduled a free Sept. 12 concert in New York’s Central Park, with electronics retailer Best Buy having committed to paying the city $1 million to sponsor the show. The money will go to city youth programs and to the planning of alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebrations, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Thursday. Some 25,000 free advance tickets will be available. . . . “Survivor” contestant Sonja Christopher, 62, films a guest appearance next week for an upcoming episode of CBS’ “Diagnosis Murder,” appearing alongside series star Dick Van Dyke. Meanwhile, winning “Survivor” contestant Richard Hatch has signed with Hollywood heavyweights Creative Artists Agency for representation as he mulls various offers. . . . Pop group Barenaked Ladies will perform a live Web concert today at 4 p.m. at https://www.entertaindom.com.