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

DANCE

Graham Trust Files Federal Lawsuit: The Martha Graham Trust, which holds the rights to her name and works, has filed suit in U.S. District Court to block the use of her name by the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance, the corporation that ran the Graham Dance Company and School until their closure at the end of May. After that closure--caused by financial problems and accompanied by bitter accusations from Trust representatives and Center board members--the Trust informed the Center that its licensing agreement was no longer in force. This week, the Center reopened the Graham School in New York without the permission or involvement of the Trust, precipitating the lawsuit.

POP/ROCK

Gallagher No Oasis: In the latest incident involving Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, British police Wednesday were investigating allegations that Gallagher groped a female member of British Airways as she checked him on to a flight to Rio de Janeiro. “The alleged incident is now subject to a police investigation,” an airline spokeswoman said. A police spokesman confirmed they were looking into the complaint. Gallagher has in the past been arrested for smashing a photographer’s camera and paid a fan more than $88,000 after head-butting him. A spokesman for Oasis had no comment.

Metallica Bassists Departs: Metallica announced Wednesday that its bassist of 14 years, Jason Newsted, will leave the band. “Due to private and personal reasons,” Newsted wrote in a statement, “and the physical damage that I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love, I must step away from the band.”

TELEVISION

“Mole” Shrinks: ABC’s new “reality” series “The Mole” headed in the wrong direction with its second telecast Tuesday night, as viewership declined to an estimated 11.5 million viewers, a 15% drop from its premiere. By contrast, NBC’s new sitcom “Three Sisters” held up respectably with 15.8 million viewers, losing only about 10% of the audience for its lead-in, “Frasier.” ABC, meanwhile, has now won four consecutive weeks in prime time, based on data for Jan. 8 to Sunday, which included the American Music Awards and the season premiere of “NYPD Blue.”

QUICK TAKES

The New York Philharmonic denied that Lorin Maazel will be its next music director after the Washington Post reported Tuesday that the American conductor would succeed Kurt Masur. “There have not been any negotiations with him,” New York Philharmonic chairman Paul B. Guenther told the New York Times Wednesday. . . . Deborah Borda, Gordon Davidson and Ian White-Thomson are among several Music Center leaders who will speak at today’s State of the Arts free public forum beginning at 10 a.m. at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. . . . Roger Guenveur Smith’s solo show, “A Huey P. Newton Story,” will return to L.A. for a three-week run at Los Angeles Theatre Center’s Theatre 3, Feb. 10-March 4, preceding the release of Spike Lee’s filmed version of the play in May.