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

MOVIES

Hectic Schedule Keeps Film Under Wraps

Attempts by journalists and theater owners to get a peek at Tim Burton’s highly anticipated “Planet of the Apes” remake have been stalled by the picture’s down-to-the-wire production schedule. According to Inside.com, the exhibitors’ screening has been pushed back to Thursday, two days later than originally scheduled, and the media won’t get a glimpse until July 20--a week before the $100-million film is due to open. Bob Harper, vice chairman of 20th Century Fox, which is releasing the film, says post-production special effects have thrown the film three or four days behind, but other sources say it goes beyond that. Live-action scenes, including an opening rocket crash sequence, have been re-shot, they claim. And studio execs have asked composer Danny Elfman to make the score more heroic so they could sell the film as a “sci-fi ‘Gladiator.”’ The 24-7 race to the finish has also delayed a Fox TV “Making of ‘Planet of the Apes”’ special, which was to have run in advance of the film’s opening. “I just met with the [post-production] guys this morning after their first round of sleep,” Harper told The Times. “Tim volunteered to give us the movie for the summer, and they pulled off the impossible. Releasing the movie in the second half of the summer doesn’t reduce its blockbuster potential. ‘The Sixth Sense,’ one of the biggest-grossing movies of all time, opened then--and so did ‘The Fugitive.’ And our own ‘X-Men’ opened at $55 million this time last year.”

TV/RADIO

Limbaugh Will Keep Talking Through 2009

Syndicated radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh has signed a new contract that makes him the highest-paid radio personality ever and keeps him on the air through 2009, according to Amir Forester, a spokeswoman for Premiere Radio Network. But she declined to comment on a Drudge Report story saying he’d get $250 million in the deal. “I have said that I shall not retire until all Americans agree with me,” Limbaugh said in a statement. “That is still operative. So you who know who you are have been warned.” “The Rush Limbaugh Show” is heard on nearly 600 radio stations nationwide, including KFI-AM (640) locally.

More Music, Less Talk, KCBS-FM Fans Say

Comedian and song parodist Bob Rivers, who took over the morning drive time slot at classic rock KCBS-FM (93.1) on July 2, has been booted off the station. Arrow Program Director Tommy Edwards said the station, known as Arrow 93, received thousands of letters and e-mails from listeners wanting to hear music in the morning. Rivers had steered away from the station’s oldies format, playing only his song parodies. “We think the world of Bob Rivers, and we wish him well,” Edwards said. “He’s a very talented guy, but this was not the right thing for Arrow.” Rivers, whose show had been based in Seattle, flew back there Monday to resume his syndicated program. “Uncle” Joe Benson, who had moved in late June from the morning slot to afternoon drive time to make room for Rivers, was back in his former slot Tuesday. Personality Chris Taylor will handle the afternoon shift until further notice.

‘Sopranos’ Creator Close to a Big Score

David Chase, creator and executive producer of HBO’s “The Sopranos,” has agreed in principle to a deal that would keep him at the helm and continue the Mafia drama for a fifth season, according to sources close to the negotiations. Chase’s package--which involves advances against revenue from selling the show’s rerun, video and DVD rights--could be worth $15 million or more, according to published accounts. Still, sources stressed Tuesday that an agreement has yet to be finalized. “The Sopranos,” whose fourth season won’t begin airing until next June or possibly later, received 22 Emmy nominations last week, the most for any program this year.

THEATER

Local Production Eying the Great White Way

“Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks,” the Richard Alfieri play that topped the $1-million mark in total gross at the Geffen Playhouse on Monday, is expected to play New York in March, produced by Rodger Hess, Marcia Seligson (better known for her Reprise! series in L.A.), and Entpro Plays. Negotiations are underway with both Broadway and off-Broadway theater owners; the venue hinges on availability during the 19 weeks that star David Hyde Pierce is available during his hiatus from “Frasier.” Co-star Uta Hagen is available for at least six months, according to director Arthur Allan Seidelman .... Meanwhile, New York producer Elizabeth I. McCann has announced plans to bring Edward Albee’s “The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?” to Broadway next spring, though no theater, date or cast is set. The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s “Seascape” will also open at off-Broadway’s Second Stage next season.

QUICK TAKES

Annette O’Toole, who played Lana Lang in “Superman III,” will play the mother of teenage Clark Kent (Tom Welling) in “Smallville,” the WB’s new action-adventure series about Kent’s adolescence .... Police pulled the plug on rap group Insane Clown Posse’s Toledo, Ohio, concert after more than 100 fans rushed onto the stage Sunday. Authorities said they stopped the concert--which took place on the final day of a three-day music festival--because of safety concerns. Much of the band’s equipment was destroyed .... The Russian National Orchestra, conducted by Konstantine Stoliarevsky and Carlo Ponti Jr., makes one stop in Southern California during its current U.S. tour: July 29 at 6 p.m. in California Theater, San Bernardino. Ponti takes over as music director-conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony in September.