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

POP/ROCK

Jackson 5 Reunion: Michael Jackson’s publicist has confirmed that the singer will join his brothers in making a Jackson 5 reunion album. Jermaine Jackson told a Las Vegas disc jockey Sunday that the brothers were recording material for a new album due in July and were also making plans to tour. However, Jackson publicist Cheri Fein, who said late Monday that Jackson would collaborate on “two to three” songs for the album, added that he “has not yet committed to touring” with his brothers. Michael Jackson, who last joined the Jackson 5 in 1984 for the “Victory” album and tour and has said in previous Times’ interviews that he was not interested in another reunion, is also working on a solo album due later this year, Fein said.

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More on Michael: Meanwhile, Jackson--whose personal life has provided much tabloid fodder--has also committed to hosting a New York celebrity panel about balancing “romantic love, familial love and professional dedication” as a Valentine’s Day benefit for his charity, Heal the Kids. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of the popular book “Kosher Sex,” will moderate the Carnegie Hall event, which will also feature panelists Johnnie Cochran, Chuck Woolery and “Loveline” host Dr. Drew Pinsky, Jackson’s publicist said. Tickets will sell for $45 to $65. Jackson is chairman and Boteach is president of Heal the Kids, which aims to make children a greater priority in adults’ lives. Jackson has two young children of his own by his second wife, Deborah Rowe, who filed for divorce in 1999.

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More on Jermaine: A random bullet smashed through the window of an East Side New York luxury high-rise apartment owned by Jermaine Jackson’s 23-year-old son, Jermaine Jackson Jr., shattering the glass but causing no injuries, authorities said Tuesday. Police, who are searching for the gunman, believe the shooting Monday was a random incident, and that Jackson was not the target.

MOVIES

Oscar Watch: Officials took extra precautions Tuesday to avoid an “Oscar-gate” repeat as nomination ballots were mailed to more than 4,200 of the movie academy’s voting members. “Given the recently completed presidential election and the ‘missing’ Academy Award ballots of last year, we have taken a particularly hard look at our procedures . . . and will implement a few changes,” said Greg Garrison of PricewaterhouseCoopers, which tabulates the ballots to ensure fairness and accuracy. “Most notable . . . will be the way we ‘hand off’ the ballots to the United States Postal Service.” Beverly Hills Postmaster Koula Fuller was on hand Tuesday to ensure that the ballots were safely picked up from the academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters and transported to the Beverly Hills Post Office, Garrison said. Completed nomination ballots must be received by PricewaterhouseCoopers by Feb. 2, and nominations will be announced Feb. 13. Last year, some 4,200 final Oscar ballots were lost in the mail and had to be resent days before the ceremony.

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‘Gladiator’ Hits DVD Highs: DreamWorks’ “Gladiator,” a Golden Globe nominee for best drama, has become the best-selling DVD ever, with 3.5 million units sold since the film’s Nov. 21 DVD release, DreamWorks Home Entertainment said Tuesday. The previous record holder was “The Matrix,” which has sold 2.6 million DVD copies. Meanwhile, “Gladiator” was named DVD of the year this week by the Video Software Dealer’s Assn.

MUSIC

Eschenbach Headed to Philadelphia: Christoph Eschenbach, the German-born conductor who had been a leading candidate to succeed Kurt Masur as music director of the New York Philharmonic, will instead become director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Eschenbach, who has held top posts with the Houston Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer Ravinia Festival, as well as Germany’s NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg and France’s Orchestre de Paris, will replace Wolfgang Sawallisch after the 2002-2003 season. Sawallisch, who will then be 80, will become the Philadelphia orchestra’s conductor laureate.

QUICK TAKES

President Clinton will dedicate today a statue of the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his wheelchair--the first statue ever depicting a world leader using a wheelchair--at the entry to the FDR Memorial in Washington. The $1.6-million statue was created by Venice artist Robert Graham and funded by the National Organization on Disability. . . . ABC’s American Music Awards broadcast Monday night drew about 16.2 million viewers, enough to win the night, but down about 3% from last year’s audience of 16.7 million. Meanwhile, the awards program announced Monday a new category planned for next year’s show that will feature a nationwide talent search for the year’s “best unsigned artist or band.” The winner will perform on the 2002 telecast. Details on how to enter the competition are posted on award sponsor Coca-Cola’s Web site at https://www.cocacola.cmj.com. . . . The first batch of presenters has been named for the Jan. 21 Golden Globe Awards: Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington and “The Sopranos” stars Edie Falco and James Gandolfini--all award winners last year. In addition, Kevin Spacey will present the special Cecil B. DeMille Award to Al Pacino.