Morning Report - News from May 8, 2001

THE ARTS

Defending Wagner Choice

Conductor Daniel Barenboim, whose plan to perform music by German composer Richard Wagner in Israel has stirred opposition, says going ahead with the concert would be a sign of Israeli tolerance. In an article in the German magazine Focus, the conductor said no one should be forced to listen to Wagner but that Israel should show itself to be a “100% democracy.” Denying Israelis a chance to hear the music “would indirectly condone the misuse of Wagner’s music by the Nazis,” he wrote. Wagner’s music had been virtually banned in Israel because the 19th century composer was openly anti-Semitic and an inspiration to Adolf Hitler. But Barenboim, an Israeli, wants to conduct a Wagner concert by the Berlin Staatskapelle at the Israel Festival on July 7. However, Israel’s parliament held a special session last week at which lawmakers urged festival organizers to scrap the performance.

WWII Memorial Debate Continues

As the National Capital Planning Commission was voting last Thursday to reconsider both the design and site of the controversial World War II memorial proposed for Washington’s National Mall, Rep. Bob Stump (R-Ariz.) was introducing legislation to exempt the plan from all federal laws or any judicial or administrative review. The memorial is the subject of a lawsuit charging violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Commemorative Works Act, and a temporary restraining order halting the project was issued by a federal district court. Stump’s bill--similar to one introduced in March by Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.), which found no co-sponsors and effectively died in committee--was joined by 20 other congressmen.

ENTERTAINMENT

P. Diddy Declares Lasting J.Lo. Love

Rap mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs apparently isn’t quite over his romance with actress-singer Jennifer Lopez. In the June issue of Vanity Fair, Combs compares their relationship with the torrid love affair between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, saying: “I’m Frank, you know what I’m saying? Frank’s gonna always love Ava and Ava’s gonna always love Frank.” Combs told the magazine that he would even run into a burning building to save Lopez. “She’ll always be someone that I love. All she’s gotta do is think . . . and I’ll be able to feel her.”

Late-Night Comedy Fare

Cable’s Comedy Central will premiere a new Sunday late-night programming block on Aug. 5. “Good Night America Starring Chris Wylde”--billed as “an eclectic mix of in-studio banter, location pieces, celebrity interviews and a live audience”--will air at 11:30 p.m., while “Insomniac With Dave Attell”--featuring the comedian’s exploration of the “amazing amount of activity in the world between midnight and dawn”--will air at midnight. Meanwhile, “Let’s Bowl,” a half-hour game show billed as “ ‘People’s Court’ meets ‘Bowling for Dollars,’ ” will air Sunday nights at 10:30, starting Aug. 19.

Berry Settles Crash Claim

A woman who sued actress Halle Berry over an auto accident has agreed to settle the case out of court, attorneys said. Berry, 32, was sued by Hetal Raythatha for negligence after their cars collided at an intersection in February 2000. Raythatha suffered a broken arm in the crash, while Berry sustained a gash on her forehead that required 22 stitches. The lawsuit claimed Berry, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of leaving an accident scene, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the 2:30 a.m. crash occurred, allegations the actress has denied. Settlement terms were not disclosed.

QUICK TAKES

Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina has canceled her recital tonight at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion due to illness. . . . Prosecutors have said they will not file criminal charges against actor Don Johnson, who was accused of grabbing a woman and making lewd comments at a San Francisco sushi bar. . . . Three writers have been recognized by the PEN/Architectural Digest Awards for Literary Writing on the Visual Arts. UCLA art historian Debora Silverman (“Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Search for Sacred Art”) and New York-based scholar Leonard Barkan (“Unearthing the Past: Archeology and Aesthetics in the Making of Renaissance”) will share the top prize, with a secondary award going to Los Angeles-based writer John Chase (“Glitter Stucco and Dumpster Diving”). The awards will be presented May 15 at New York’s Lincoln Center.