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

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Tributes He Won’t See: Pianist Yefim Bronfman, violinist Gil Shaham and actor Leonard Nimoy will perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and music director Esa-Pekka Salonen at the orchestra’s Oct. 5 season-opening gala honoring violinist Isaac Stern. Stern himself was originally scheduled to perform at the gala, which is being held in celebration of his 80th birthday, but had to cancel on doctor’s orders prohibiting him from flying after undergoing heart surgery in late August. The program--which will include a taped video greeting from the honoree--will feature musical and spoken tributes lauding Stern as a musician, teacher, mentor and statesman.

MOVIES & TV

AFI Fest Schedule: The U.S. premiere of Joel and Ethan Coen’s “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” starring George Clooney, will open the AFI Fest 2000 on Oct. 19. The film festival, based at the Egyptian with additional screenings at the El Capitan and Vogue theaters, will also include an Oct. 25 tribute to filmmaker Philip Kaufman (“The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” “Henry & June”), followed by the L.A. premiere of Kaufman’s “Quills,” starring Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet, on the festival’s closing night, Oct. 26.

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Better Timing Helps ‘Today’: Though the Olympics have been an ongoing ratings disappointment for NBC in prime time, they’ve become a surprise hit for the “Today” show. The NBC morning show, which has been broadcasting live from Sydney, averaged 6.7 million viewers a day last week, making it the fourth-most-watched week in the program’s 49-year history. The top three weeks were in 1998, when the Monica Lewinsky story broke. Thanks to the time difference, “Today”--broadcasting at 10 p.m. Sydney time--has managed to report results and interview winners of events that are not shown on NBC until 12 hours later.

POP/ROCK

New Beatles Collection: The much-anticipated CD of Beatles hits will arrive in stores Nov. 14, with a lineup of 27 of the Fab Four’s most popular tunes running chronologically from “Love Me Do” to “The Long and Winding Road.” Titled “Beatles One: The Beatles Project (#1 Hits),” the collection will be a companion to the book “The Beatles: Anthology,” an official history of the group as told by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, which is due in October. Though Capitol Records would not confirm details about the album, the information was posted on Amazon.com, which is taking orders for the collection now.

ART

Christie’s Settles: Christie’s auction house announced Tuesday that it has approved a $512-million settlement of the class-action civil suit that accused it and Sotheby’s of collaborating to fix fees charged to clients who sold and bought art through the two British-based auction firms. The announcement follows one by Sotheby’s on Sunday that its board had backed the settlement of the lawsuits, which were filed earlier this year in U.S. District Court in New York. Under the pact, which still must be approved by a judge, each of the auction giants would pay $256 million, $50 million of which would come in the form of discount certificates to reduce commissions on future sales. Christie’s International CEO Edward J. Dolman said the firm also “will continue to” cooperate with an ongoing Justice Department criminal investigation into alleged antitrust practices by the auction houses.

QUICK TAKES

Erin Dilly has been replaced by her understudy, Sutton Foster, in the title role of the new stage version of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” opening at La Jolla Playhouse on Oct. 15, with previews beginning Tuesday. In a written statement, director Michael Mayer said, “We all love Erin and think she is a special talent. We are very sad that we could not continue together.” . . . Butterfield & Butterfield’s auction of Mae West’s jewelry drew hefty prices Monday, often exceeding estimates. Among the most dazzling of Diamond Lil’s jewels--which brought in a total of $180,000--were a French diamond and platinum Art Deco bracelet that went for $27,000 and a diamond and platinum necklace that commanded $19,000, even though its three biggest stones, as stated in the catalog, were fake. . . . The World Wrestling Federation made a splashy debut on TNN on Monday, with an estimated 7.2 million viewers tuning in, more than 12 times the cable channel’s average audience. Some 6.9 million watched wrestling the week before on the USA network. . . . Actress Susan Tyrell (“Fat City,” “Cry Baby”) has had both legs amputated below the knees due to a diabetic condition. Director David Schweizer, a friend of Tyrell’s who is planning a benefit for her Sunday at the Viper Room, told the New York Post that Tyrell is “indomitable and her spirits are great.” . . . Twelve inner-city children will perform their own comedy routines at Hollywood’s Laugh Factory tonight as they graduate from the club’s 16th annual Comedy Camp for Kids. Ten of the children, meanwhile, fly to Atlanta next month to perform at the international comedy festival, Laffapalooza.