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

THE ARTS

Farrakhan to Perform Beethoven Violin Recital

Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, won a Boston violin competition at age 12. The prize was a pair of tickets to hear violinist Jascha Heifetz play the Beethoven concerto--and now Farrakhan will tackle it at the Feb. 13 opening of the Nation of Islam’s World Savior Day conference at the Cerritos Center for the Arts.

The Nation of Islam leader initially had hoped to schedule the event on Feb. 2--Heifetz’s birthday--but that date was already taken. David Warble will conduct the all-Beethoven concert. Proceeds will benefit educational development for the Nation of Islam.

Flutist Galway, Others Receive Knighthoods

James Galway, arguably the world’s best-known flutist, was among those knighted by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The 62-year-old musician gave an impromptu penny whistle performance during the investiture and said he wished his parents, teachers and colleagues had been there.

“Not bad for a boy from Belfast,” Galway, said of the title, which was awarded for his “services to music.”

Others knighted during the ceremony include actors Dudley Moore and Christopher Lee, movie director Anthony Minghella and photographer David Bailey.

Actor David Soul Wins Libel Suit Against Critic

David Soul, best known for the 1970s TV series “Starsky and Hutch,” won a libel case against a journalist who called a 1998 play in which Soul and his wife starred the worst he had ever seen--without having seen it.

The suit was filed against Matthew Wright, whose byline appeared on the 1998 review of “The Dead Monkey,” which was published in London’s Mirror. The story claimed that the 45 people in the audience for the Monday night show laughed derisively at Soul. The actor’s lawyer, Graham Atkins, said that a freelancer had attended the play on the critic’s behalf and that the show didn’t even run on Monday nights.

Wright’s lawyer, Mark Bateman, said his client apologized for the errors. Soul was awarded $29,000 in libel damages plus his legal costs.

“I stand strongly on the side of fair comment and information about the theater,” Soul said outside the court. “But you have to see the play; you have to be there.”

QUICK TAKES

CBS’ “The Early Show” anchor Bryant Gumbel, 53, got engaged to Hilary Quinlan, 42, on Friday. No wedding date has been set.... Director Billy Wilder (“Sunset Boulevard”) is being treated for urinary problems at an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital to which he was admitted on Dec. 5. Wilder, 95, is expected to be released later this week.... The Recording Academy has named Billy Joel its 2002 MusicCares Person of the Year, citing his contributions to charities for AIDS, cancer and victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. He’ll be honored during February’s Grammy Awards festivities.... The Laugh Factory in Hollywood is holding a Military Appreciation Night at 8 tonight to raise funds for a program providing free phone cards to military personnel stationed overseas.... Sean Combs and Jenny McCarthy will host the 29th annual American Music Awards, airing on ABC Jan. 9.... PBS, despite a difficult corporate funding climate, said it has lined up the health-care products company Johnson & Johnson as the underwriter for its new Latino drama “American Family,” a 13-episode series that premieres Jan. 28.

Elaine Dutka