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

THE ARTS

State Grants: Los Angeles County arts organizations became nearly $2.2 million richer Thursday when the California Arts Council approved statewide arts grants totaling more than $9 million. Within L.A. County, about 162 grantees shared a total of $1.83 million in organizational support grants, ranging from $4,000 each for groups such as Dance Kaleidoscope and the Rachel Rosenthal Company to $138,373 each for the L.A. County Museum of Art and L.A. Philharmonic. Also approved Thursday were challenge grants for groups such as Pasadena’s Armory Center for the Arts ($30,500) and Cornerstone Theater Company ($35,000); touring and presenting grants to performing arts venues like those at El Camino College ($26,925) and UCLA ($29,175); and new grants programs established by Gov. Gray Davis’ Arts in Education Initiative to fund arts groups that work in local schools, such as Young Musicians Foundation and Southwest Chamber Music ($19,000 each).

USC Plans New Facility: USC plans to build a new arts and performing arts center on campus, scheduled for completion within five years. Larry Livingston, dean of the university’s Thornton School of Music for the past 14 years, will step down from that post and on June 30 assume directorship of the project--which will be officially announced today. According to Livingston, the proposed venue will contain a 1,000- to 1,200-seat concert hall designed to showcase university talent and to attract premier artists worldwide. It also will include a new visual art exhibition space and, depending on available funding, a cafe and theatrical space. Design elements, exact location and budget are yet to be determined, with fund-raising for the new center nearly underway. “The project will transform the university into a serious participant in the cultural life of the city,” Livingston predicted, adding that plans call for “a jewel not distinguished by its mass but by its excellence.”

CTG Hires Dramaturge: Center Theatre Group, operator of the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre, has a new dramaturge in John Glore, a 16-year veteran of the Southern California theater scene. As literary manager at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, Glore had helped scout and refine new plays, duties that he said will be similar in his new job. Glore is also a playwright, whose “On the Jump” and “The Company of Heaven,” as well as his adaptation (with the Culture Clash comedy troupe) of Aristophanes’ “The Birds,” were produced by South Coast.

Starting a Tradition: Ball gowns rustled and a few people muttered “What?” under their breath as the Los Angeles Opera opened its season Wednesday night with a rendition from the pit of “The Star Spangled Banner” before the curtain rose on “Aida.” A company spokesman said it was the first time L.A. Opera performed the national anthem but added that it’s a tradition that Placido Domingo, incoming artistic director, plans to continue at the start of each season. Domingo has done the same thing at Washington Opera, where he also serves as artistic director.

ENTERTAINMENT

MTV Video Award Winners: Controversial rapper Eminem topped the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday in New York, winning three trophies including video of the year and best male video for “The Real Slim Shady.” He also shared rap video honors with Dr. Dre for their collaboration, “Forgot About Dre.” Next in the tally, with two awards apiece, were Aaliyah (best female video and best video from a film for “Try Again” from “Romeo Must Die”), ‘N Sync (best pop video and choreography for “Bye, Bye, Bye”), Macy Gray (best new artist in a video for “I Try” and best cinematography for “Do Something”), Bjork (breakthrough video and best special effects for “All Is Full of Love”), and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (best direction and art direction for “Californication”). Additional winners were Blink-182 (best group video for “All the Small Things”), Destiny’s Child (R&B; video, “Say My Name”), Sisqo (hip-hop video, “Thong Song”), Jennifer Lopez (dance video, “Waiting for Tonight”), Limp Bizkit (rock video, “Break Stuff”) and Aimee Mann (best editing, “Save Me”).

NBC’s Sales Staff Wins Gold Medal: NBC said Thursday that it has “sold out” advertising for its upcoming 441.5 hours of coverage of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, reaching a record $900 million in sales. The network added that the ad sales--which account for a 32% increase over the $680-million total for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta--actually will decrease the number of commercials seen during the 2000 games. Ad time will average nine minutes per hour, as opposed to the 9 1/2 minutes of ads seen per hour during the Atlanta Games, NBC said.

QUICK TAKES

ABC News topped the annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards in New York on Wednesday night with 11 wins, including five for “Nightline.” CBS News, meanwhile, garnered six Emmys, including four for the “60 Minutes” franchise (three for reports by correspondent Bob Simon); and NBC News took home five Emmys, including three for “Dateline NBC.” . . . Ratings for Regis Philbin’s daily talk show have been soaring since former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford’s July 28 departure. The first three weeks of “Live With Regis” had 26% more viewers than the same three weeks of “Live With Regis and Kathie Lee” last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. Philbin has had a succession of guest hosts since Gifford’s departure, with Sarah Ferguson, Raquel Welch, Whoopi Goldberg and Gloria Estefan all booked for coming weeks. . . . Rage Against the Machine, whose concert during last month’s Democratic National Convention was followed by violent confrontations between police and concertgoers, returns to downtown Los Angeles next week--for shows Tuesday and Wednesday at the Grand Olympic Auditorium. Ticket information will be announced today on KROQ-FM (106.7). . . . Julie Andrews has settled her medical malpractice lawsuit resulting from a 1997 throat surgery that she says destroyed her singing voice. Terms were not disclosed.