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

TV & MOVIES

‘Sopranos’ Suit: An Italian American legal group has sued the producers of HBO’s mob drama “The Sopranos,” claiming that it “suggests that criminality is in the blood or in the genes of Italian Americans.” The American Italian Defense Assn.’s suit against Time Warner Entertainment Co. seeks no money or modifications in the show, but asks a Chicago court to proclaim that the program violates the Illinois Constitution’s guarantee of individual dignity. “We’re looking for a vindication of our reputation,” said association Chairman Theodore Grippo. “We realize that we can’t stop the free speech rights of Time Warner. We’re not looking for money. We want a moral victory here.” Time Warner, meanwhile, responded with an apparent reference to the show’s critical praise and numerous Emmy and other awards, saying in a statement: “We are very proud of ‘The Sopranos.’ We’re hardly alone in our assessment that the show is an extraordinary artistic achievement.”

Ecological Preaching: Actor and industrial hemp activist Woody Harrelson, accompanied by friends and a hemp- and vegetable oil-powered bus he calls “the Mothership,” will embark on a 1,500-mile bike ride and 5 1/2-week public speaking tour in an effort to promote what he calls “simple organic living.” Harrelson--who will kick off his tour Thursday with a speech at the University of Washington--plans to bike from Seattle to Los Angeles, camping at state parks along the way and promoting “ecological reform” and “the need for people to wrench themselves from the corporate grid.” The speaking tour--produced by the Spitfire Foundation--will end in Los Angeles, though the date and venue have not yet been set.

Casting a Finder’s Web: Columbia Pictures has posted a $25,000 reward for information leading to the “prompt and safe return” of four blue-and-red “Spider-Man” costumes reported missing Wednesday from the Sony Pictures Studios lot. The costumes were being used by actor Tobey Maguire in filming of the comic-book hero’s latest screen incarnation. The studio has set up a phone line for information about the costumes at (310) 244-1044 but said that filming on “Spider-Man,” expected to wrap in May, will not be delayed because additional costumes are on hand.

No Wax Oscars: The Hollywood Wax Museum, which put a replica Oscar statuette on view with its Julia Roberts figure two days before she took home the real thing, says it has removed the golden prize from its display after receiving a cease-and-desist order from the motion picture academy. “We have complied, but we feel bullied,” a museum spokesperson said, adding that the replica Oscar was legally purchased from a nearby souvenir shop.

STAGE

Globe Moves: San Diego’s Globe Theatres have announced three changes in the 2001 season. A John L. Haber-Jack Herrick musical, “Lone Star Love, or the Merry Wives of Windsor, Texas,” will replace “A Night in Tunisia” in the Sept. 8-Oct. 13 slot at Globe’s outdoor venue. Craig Wright’s “The Pavilion” will replace “The Country Club” in the Sept. 15-Oct. 20 slot in the Cassius Carter Centre Stage. And “Twelfth Night” will swap venues and schedules with Stuart Ross’ “The Boswell Sisters”--the Shakespeare comedy will be staged outdoors July 7-Aug. 11, while the new “Boswell” musical moves into the Old Globe Theatre July 28-Sept. 1.

Architecture Honors: Michael Eisner and the Walt Disney Co. were to be honored Thursday night by Washington’s National Building Museum for the company’s “ongoing commitment to exceptional architecture and urban planning.” Under Eisner’s 16-year tenure, more than 80 Disney buildings have been commissioned and designed by renowned architects, including Frank O. Gehry, Michael Graves, Arata Isozaki and Robert A.M. Stern.

QUICK TAKES

NBC said Thursday that its veteran sci-fi comedy, “3rd Rock From the Sun,” will end after six seasons with a one-hour series finale May 22. The series, currently off the schedule, returns to NBC’s prime-time slate April 17. . . . “That’s My Bush!,” the new White House-based sitcom parody from the creators of “South Park,” drew an estimated 2.9 million viewers in its premiere on cable’s Comedy Central Wednesday night. “South Park,” which precedes the new show, has been averaging about 2.3 million viewers, but drew 2.75 million for this week’s repeat episode. . . . E!’s show “Talk Soup,” hosted by Aisha Tyler, will be taped in front of a live studio audience today, in the first in a series of regular tapings aiming to involve the audience in skits and other parts of the cable show. Additional audience tapings are slated for April 27 and May 11; ticket information will be announced on the 7:30 p.m. show on Monday and Tuesday. . . . The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts has begun a national search for an executive director following the recent death of Wayne Shilkret. Kurt Swanson is at the venue’s helm in the interim. . . . TV Guide reports in its April 14 issue that the foot-and-mouth epidemic in Europe is causing problems for overseas TV productions, with A&E;’s “Benedict Arnold,” which was to have begun shooting in Dublin this spring, the first project to be stalled by the problem.