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

POP/ROCK

Bad Days in the Life of the Beatles

A private letter from John Lennon to Paul McCartney, confirming the chilled relations between the two, is about to go up for auction. Six pages long and undated, full of cross-outs and swear words, it is believed to have been written just before the Beatles broke up in 1970. But whether Lennon ever sent it isn’t known.

The letter is being sold by an anonymous vendor who bought it in the United States in the early 1990s. It is expected to bring in at least $100,000 when it’s sold at Christie’s in London this fall.

In the letter, Lennon expresses bitterness over what he considers to be the group’s unfair treatment of his wife, Yoko Ono, and takes swipes at Paul’s wife, Linda, whom he compares to a “middle-aged, cranky fan.” He also attacks what he perceives as McCartney’s outsized ego. “Do you really think most of today’s art came about because of the Beatles?” Lennon asks. “I don’t believe you’re that insane. Didn’t we always say we were part of the movement, not all of it? Get off your gold disc and fly.”

Lennon ends on an affectionate note, however: “In spite of it all, love you both from us two.”

Post-Show Ruckus Pushes Band Off Tours

Eminem’s rap group, D-12, has been kicked off a major festival tour after clashing with rival rappers at a Camden, N.J., show.

Eminem was not present at the Warped Tour show on Friday, but the other five members of the platinum-selling D-12 performed and were allegedly present when members of their entourage jumped fellow Detroit rappers Esham and TNT, Esham told Camden police. No arrests have been made, but police are investigating.

In a statement Monday, Esham said he suffered head and eye injuries when he was jumped by several dozen men pouring out of the D-12 tour bus.

According to promoter Kevin Lyman, both D-12 (which was expecting Eminem to join them on tour beginning today in Cleveland) and Esham have “been asked to leave” the Warped Tour and will not appear at the final six dates.

Rock Groups Need Clearance in Malaysia

You think Congress is tough on the recording industry? That’s nothing compared to Malaysia, where foreign rock groups will have to be cleared by the government before performing in the conservative Southeast Asian country.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is now requiring artists to submit a recording of a recent concert and the material they intend to play onstage. The government has been attempting to stamp out youth cults that it believes worship heavy metal music. Local consumer groups have called for a ban on music and books related to the genre.

“It is only a precaution to keep out the undesirables and to protect youth,” Badawi told the New Straights Times. “Our intention should not be misconstrued.”

The Scorpions, a German heavy metal band, is one of the first groups forced to apply for permission to play. But history works in their favor. The group not only performed in the 1988 Moscow Music Peace Festival, but were later invited back to the Kremlin to meet with President Mikhail Gorbachev.

THE ARTS

Imported Culture and One-Arm Bandits

Adding a touch of culture to the family fare that characterizes the new Las Vegas, two museums are set to open at the Venetian Hotel on Sept. 16. They’ll feature works from their venerable progenitors: Russia’s State Hermitage Museum and New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

The Hermitage Guggenheim Museum, displaying works from both museums, will serve up “Masterpieces and Master Collections: Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings.”

The exhibit, which includes works by Chagall, Cezanne, Matisse and Van Gogh, has an appraisal value of more than $2 billion. The Venetian, by means of comparison, cost $1.5 billion to build.

The Guggenheim Las Vegas, which specializes in large-scale exhibits, will open with “The Art of the Motorcycle”--a celebration of the motorcycle as the “quintessential symbol of the Modern Age.”

MOVIES

Nestle in a Crunch at Edinburgh Festival

Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson has added her name to the performers calling for a boycott of the Perrier Comedy Awards. The prestigious honors, now in their 20th year, are handed out at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, which got underway Sunday.

The problem, according to performers such as Richard E. Grant, Rob Newman and Julie Walters, is Perrier’s links with the food firm Nestle, which sells powdered baby milk in the Third World.

Critics of the policy believe that breast-feeding should be encouraged in developing countries because bottle-fed babies are more likely to die of water-born infections.

“The Perrier Awards should be boycotted by all right-thinking people because Nestle has got to be stopped,” Thompson said through her agent. She was part of the Cambridge footlights troupe that won the contest in its inaugural year.

Nestle says that it promotes infant food in line with the codes of conduct established by the World Health Organization.

“Many of the allegations made about our behavior are years out of date and have long since been rectified,” a company spokesman said.

QUICK TAKES

LucasFilm has announced the title of its next “Star Wars” installment, to be released next summer. It will be called “Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones.” ... “Dracula,” a new musical version of the Bram Stoker classic that is opening at the La Jolla Playhouse on Oct. 9, will star Tom Hewitt, who received a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Dr. Frank N. Furter in Broadway’s “The Rocky Horror Show.” ... Mary Tyler Moore and Michael J. Fox headline the group being inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame on Nov. 12. Others include Katie Couric, Disney Chairman Michael Eis-ner, “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels and MTV President Tom Freston .... “Shipmates,” a new daily series focusing on couples surviving “the ultimate dating challenge on a cruise ship,” will debut Aug. 27 on KCBS-TV Channel 2. The series will be hosted by “Singled Out” host Chris Hardwick .... CNN will move the hourlong “Lou Dobbs Moneyline” to 3 p.m., pushing “First Evening News,” to 4 p.m., effective Aug. 27 .... KNBC-TV Channel 4 reporter and “Today In L.A.: Weekend” anchor Jim Giggins is leaving the station. Executives declined to say whether Giggins had quit or was fired, saying only that he was “exploring other options.” Giggins could not be reached for comment. He will be replaced on the weekend anchor desk by Chris Schauble, who joined the station in June .... Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa will appear in recital at UCLA’s Royce Hall with pianist Warren Jones Sept. 29.