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

THE ARTS

‘Beekin’ Heading to New York

Theatergoers at New York’s Lincoln Center will have a chance this fall to chuckle at the foibles of the wealthy but hollow Orange County residents who inhabit Richard Greenberg’s “Everett Beekin.” The comedy, which follows a family from New York in the 1940s to Newport Beach in the ‘90s, was commissioned by South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa and had its world premiere there last September. Evan Yionoulis, who directed “Beekin” and Greenberg’s 1998 Pulitzer finalist, “Three Days of Rain,” at SCR, will direct the New York premiere of “Everett Beekin” at Lincoln Center Theater’s 299-seat Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. The run begins in October.

S.F. Symphony Commissions Adams

The San Francisco Symphony announced a 10-year commissioning agreement Wednesday with Bay Area composer John Adams, which will result in the creation of four new works for the symphony and its Youth Orchestra. Symphony Executive Director Brent Assink said the first Adams work under the new agreement would be written for the symphony’s 2002-03 European tour. The finale will be a work for the 2011-12 season celebrating the orchestra’s 100th birthday.

FILM

IFILM Expands Internet Services

IFILM, an Internet movie and industry database, on Wednesday unveiled a comprehensive directory and guide to 80,000 movies, more than 2,000 of which are now available to watch online. The new site expands on IFILM’s short film category and includes an entirely new design and interface, with a new search engine to help people find and watch shorts and movies. “When we started IFILM two years ago, there were less than 50 full-length movies available to actually watch online. Today, there are more than 2,000,” said IFILM’s chief executive officer, Kevin Wendle. IFILM’s new site is divided into a wide variety of channels, each of which offers shorts and movies to watch, movie information, news, reviews, trailers and a comparison shopping guide for buying DVDs or videos.

QUICK TAKES

Ratings for the American Film Institute’s latest television special--”AFI’s 100 Years . . . 100 Thrills,” which counted down the “most thrilling” American movies--were less than thrilling for CBS: An estimated 9 million people watched the three-hour program on Tuesday, the lowest rating thus far for one of the “100 Years” programs. . . . Veteran correspondent Charles Bierbauer is leaving CNN this summer after 20 years with the cable network. CNN had offered him another contract, but Bierbauer said he wanted to try something different. . . . Steven Weber, who saw his own situation comedy series tank on NBC last season, will join the cast of the ABC drama “Once and Again” this fall, reprising his role as a married artist from the show’s first season. . . . In honor of his mother, singer Ray Charles has made a $1-million donation to Albany State University, which is in his Georgia hometown.