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

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Latino Museum Bailout Vetoed: Gov. Gray Davis has vetoed legislation freeing up $1.6 million for the debt-ridden Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture in downtown L.A. The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Martin Gallegos (D-Baldwin Park), would have reallocated the money for operational expenses instead of the originally intended educational and capital uses. In vetoing the bill, Davis said the measure would have set “an unacceptable precedent by allowing dollars specifically allocated for one purpose to now be used [for] museum operations.” Museum officials were counting on the money to pay off several hundred thousand dollars owed to employees and creditors. It is unclear how the museum will now stay afloat. “There were some big donors who wanted to fund us but who had some restrictions on who was going to run the museum,” said board member Anna Maria Araujo. “I want to fight to keep [the museum going]. There has to be a way.”

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Animated Oscar: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has created a new Academy Award category, for best animated feature film. The award, which could be presented as early as 2002, could be given whenever eight or more eligible animated features are released in a calendar year, with a committee of animators to review the films to determine whether the quality is high enough for an award to be given. Eligible films would have to be at least 70 minutes long and could use cel, computer, stop-motion or other animation techniques. Films submitted for best animated feature could still qualify for the best picture Oscar.

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Then There Were Two?: TLC member Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins said Wednesday that she won’t be touring with the R&B; trio anymore because of health concerns. Watkins, who has been hospitalized several times for the blood disease sickle cell anemia, said she made the decision after a pay-per-view special filmed at the end of TLC’s last tour. She went directly from a hospital to the stage and barely got through the performance, she said. There was no immediate word on whether the remaining two group members would tour without her.

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Reality Turns: A brief glimpse of male nudity was featured on CBS Saturday on the live episode of “Big Brother” that was broadcast at 8 p.m. One of the contestants, Eddie, was awoken by the producers and inadvertently exposed himself when he fidgeted in bed. A network spokeswoman said there were no calls regarding the incident. . . . And in the latest turn in the “reality” programming wave, ABC has made a deal with a trio of companies--including the outfit responsible for Fox’s “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?”--to produce “Public Property,” a show that selects ordinary people and then allows viewers to vote on choices “shaping and changing [the participants’] lives,” including work, lifestyle, personal and relationship encounters. No air date has been set, but the networks are ordering unscripted shows at a frenetic pace as a hedge against a possible writers’ strike next year.

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Quick Takes: WWF wrestler the Rock has signed a $5.5-million deal to star in Universal Pictures’ “The Scorpion King.” Universal said the film was written as a reaction to the charisma he showed in a small turn as an action character in the upcoming “The Mummy 2.” . . . Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader is a guest on CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman” tonight.