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

HONORS

Good Directions: The directors of television movies about the Beach Boys, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and world-weary Willy Loman were nominated Friday for Directors Guild honors. The Directors Guild of America’s nominees for outstanding directorial achievement in TV movies for 2000 are Jeff Bleckner for ABC’s “The Beach Boys: An American Family”; Kirk Browning for “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman,” which aired on Showtime; Martha Coolidge for HBO’s “If These Walls Could Talk II”; Joseph Sargent for HBO’s “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story”; and Stephen A. Frears and Martin Pasetta Jr. for “Fail Safe,” which was aired live on CBS. It’s the first DGA nomination for Browning, Frears and Pasetta. Coolidge was nominated last year for “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.” Bleckner’s nomination for “The Beach Boys” is his third from the DGA and second in the movies-for-TV category. Sargent’s nomination is his sixth. The winner will be announced at the 53rd annual DGA Awards dinner on March 10 at the Century Plaza.

All for Art: The Art Directors Guild has announced nominees for its movie and television awards, to be handed out in a Feb. 24 ceremony that will include a cinematic imagery award for Clint Eastwood. The guild’s nominees for best art direction for period or fantasy films are “The Cell,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Gladiator” and “The Patriot.” Nominees for contemporary films are “Almost Famous,” “Billy Elliot,” “Chocolat,” “The Perfect Storm” and “Wonder Boys.” In TV, the nominees for best movie or miniseries are “American Tragedy,” “The Beach Boys: An American Family,” “Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble,” “For the Love of Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story” and “The ‘70s.”

TV & RADIO

Fistell Back on KABC: Talk host Ira Fistell returns to KABC-AM (790) this weekend, taking over the Saturday and Sunday 9 p.m.-to-midnight slot that he guest-hosted early last month. Meanwhile, “The Motley Fool Show,” an investment program based on the syndicated column, will follow Fistell’s Saturday night program, airing from midnight to 3 a.m.

‘Jazz’ Notes: As some would have expected, Ken Burns’ voluminous “Jazz,” which concluded this week on PBS, has created a surge of interest in the music. CD sales are up, a companion book is debuting on the New York Times bestseller list next week and some jazz institutions say their programs are generating more interest. That interest comes along with criticism from some jazz purists that the series omitted key artists, obscured some history and crammed the last 40 years of jazz into the final episode. Even that debate, however, has been welcomed by many jazz enthusiasts. “That means people are paying attention,” said Karen Johnson, general manager of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

STAGE

Comedy Show Returns: Un-Cabaret, the Sunday night comedy show hosted by Beth Lapides that formerly was held at West Hollywood’s LunaPark, has found a new home at the HBO/Warner Bros. Television Workspace in Hollywood. Beginning this weekend, shows will be held at 7:30 p.m. every other Sunday, with free admission. Sunday’s show features John Riggi, Julia Sweeney, and “Sex & the City” writer-producer Michael Patrick King.

MUSIC

Musicares Lineup: Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett and Gloria Estefan--all previous honorees of the recording academy’s Musicares Person of the Year award--will perform in the Feb. 19 salute to this year’s honoree, Paul Simon. Others scheduled for the Century Plaza event include Ruben Blades, Edie Brickell, Shawn Colvin, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Macy Gray, Shelby Lynne, Ziggy Marley, Moby, Joan Osborn, Danny Rivera and Take 6.

QUICK TAKES

The concert industry trade publication Pollstar has named Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre as the year’s best small outdoor concert venue. . . . The West Hollywood House of Blues is planning a Feb. 12 show paying tribute to longtime “Breakfast With the Beatles” radio host Deirdre O’Donoghue, who died unexpectedly last week. . . . Actress Laurie Holden, best known for her role as informant Marita Covarrubias on “The X-Files,” will star opposite Jim Carrey in “The Majestic,” a Warner Bros. Pictures and Castle Rock Entertainment film set during the 1950s blacklist. . . . Jazz great Teddy Edwards will appear at the premiere of “The Legend of Teddy Edwards,” a documentary about his life screening at LACMA’s Bing Theatre tonight at 7:30. . . . “Traffic,” “28 Days,” “Sex and the City” and “The West Wing” are among the nominees for Prism Awards, which recognize accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction. The awards will be presented April 4 on a sound stage at CBS Television City. . . . Rapper Master P will guest on Tuesday’s episode of Fox’s “Dark Angel” and the March 11 installment of HBO’s “Oz.” . . . Actor David Leisure (“Empty Nest”) returns to his ‘80s role as smarmy car pitchman Joe Isuzu in ads that will begin running Monday.