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

THE ARTS

A Springer Opera Takes the Stage in London

If you’re in London late this month, you won’t want to miss a work-in-progress opera based on “The Jerry Springer Show.” More than a dozen classically trained singers will be performing profanity-laced songs such as “Do You Ever Wonder Why Your Imaginary Friend Committed Suicide?” and “Everybody Hates You.”

The project, the inspiration of comedic playwright Richard Thomas, was first performed by the Kombat Opera Company at the Battersea Arts Theatre in May. The London Independent called it “a humorous analysis of our polymorphously perverse, television society ... hugely funny, highly topical and human.”

Springer, who first heard of the project a couple of months ago, is upbeat about the project. “I finally made the arts page--and they say I have no cultcha,” he told The Times Friday. “Of course, our show is fairly highbrow, so this is a natural. From comic opera to high opera--I’m gonna call in and see if there’s a part for me.”

The Chicago-based Springer is big in England, where he was born to parents who survived the Holocaust. He appears in his trademark “Jerry Springer Show,” hosts a late-night variety program and has done political commentary. Down the road, he says, he’s contemplating a musical based on his show.

“It would be along the lines of ‘A Chorus Line,” he said. “A backstage look into the lies of some people. We could choreograph the fight scenes, record some love songs ... what about ‘I Used to Be a Man’? ... Our show doesn’t lack for silliness, poignancy or color. As a businessman and an observer of culture, I’m convinced it will be great.”

POP/ROCK

Journalist Resigns in Wake of Harrison Story

A British journalist reportedly has resigned amid the fallout from a controversial tabloid story that reported that former Beatle George Harrison was near death.

James Desborough, a new editor at a U.K. news agency called WENN, has quit, according to Salon.com, which also reported that the journalist had a key role in a July 22 story in the London Daily Mail. That story, picked up by press across the globe, quoted famed Beatles producer George Martin as saying Harrison had confided to him he expected to die soon from brain cancer.

The Martin quotes in the Mail were culled from a WENN interview, but Martin has denied saying that Harrison’s condition was grave. Though the Mail has stood by its story, Beatles historian Martin Lewis said Friday he has a tape of the interview that shows Martin never made the disputed statements.

Harrison, who has undergone radiation treatments in recent months, has lashed out at the story and maintained that his health is holding up.

TELEVISION

Speedy Recovery for Cast of CBS’ ‘Becker’

Not to worry. All is well with the five supporting cast members on CBS’ “Becker.” Five of them had called in sick Wednesday, leaving star Ted Danson and guest star Rhea Perlman alone on the first day of rehearsal, but they were back the next day.

Terry Farrell, Hattie Winston, Alex Desert, Shawnee Smith and Saverio Guerra staged a sickout after Paramount executives declined to discuss hiking their weekly fees as the series heads into its fourth year. On the day of their absence, Paramount sent a doctor to the actors’ homes to examine the “illnesses,” sources said. All of the performers were at work Friday--with no change in their salary status, the studio maintained.

‘Sopranos’ Star Indicted on Robbery Charges

A grand jury has indicted Robert Iler of “The Sopranos” on charges he and two teenagers robbed two other teenage boys of $40 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The indictment, announced Friday, charges the teens with second-degree robbery. If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison. Iler, 16, also faces a possible $100 fine for a marijuana possession charge.

The actor--who plays Anthony “A.J.” Soprano, the pot-smoking, mischievous son of Tony Soprano on the HBO mob drama--was arrested last month with Michael Cournede, 19, and Alban Selimaj, 16. All pleaded innocent.

“This is an expected part of the legal process,” said Iler’s spokesman, Dan Klores. “We are convinced that Robert will be completely exonerated once the facts of this case come out.”

Retirement Not Imminent, Brokaw Says

Pooh-poohing speculation that his long summer vacation signals his imminent departure as anchor of “The NBC Nightly News,” Tom Brokaw said Friday he will definitely be back on the air after Labor Day.

“In the summertime, people don’t have a lot to write about, and so rumor begats rumor,” he told Don Imus on the syndicated radio show “Imus in the Morning.” “People had me out of there. It might have been wishful thinking on their part, but ... I shall return.”

Asked whether he’ll re-up after his contract expires next year, Brokaw was more cryptic. “I’ve been there for 35 years,” he said.

“It’s not likely that I’m going to be getting on the Greyhound bus and going to work in Cincinnati. This is where I’ve been all my professional career and where I fully expect to stay. I’ll determine [whether to sign again] when the time comes--but it’s highly likely that I will.”

MOVIES

Affleck Takes Steps to Curb Alcohol Abuse

Ben Affleck, who co-wrote the Academy Award-winning screenplay for ‘Good Will Hunting” and starred in this summer’s “Pearl Harbor,” has voluntarily admitted himself into rehab, his spokesman said Friday. He is at Promises, a Malibu facility that is also treating Robert Downey Jr. and Paula Poundstone.

“Ben is a self-aware and smart man who has decided that a fuller life awaits him without alcohol,” publicist David Pollick said. “He has chosen to seek out professional assistance and is committed to traveling a healthier road with the support of his family, friends and fans.”

QUICK TAKES

KLON-FM (88.1) will celebrate the 80th birthday of Buddy Collette, a pioneer of the L.A. jazz scene, on Monday. The saxophonist, who was instrumental in desegregating the recording studios, will appear from 4 to 6 p.m. and his music will be featured throughout the day.... A beaded Dolce & Gabbana bra, worn by Madonna during “The Girlie Tour,” sold for a record $23,850 during Sotheby’s two-week online auction.... William M. Griswold, an Italian drawings specialist who has headed the department of prints and drawings at New York’s Morgan Library since 1995, has been named associate director for collections at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Starting in October, Griswold will be the museum’s chief curator and second-in-command to director Deborah Gribbon.