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

THE ARTS

Boston Symphony Cancels ‘Klinghoffer’

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has canceled its scheduled performances of John Adams’ “Choruses From ‘The Death of Klinghoffer”’ this month, citing “the proximity of the events of Sept. 11.”

The choruses are drawn from the 1990 opera about the 1984 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian commandos and the murder of an American passenger, Leon Klinghoffer. “We have decided, in consultation with our music director, Seiji Ozawa, and Robert Spano, who was scheduled to conduct it, to err on the side of being sensitive,” Boston Symphony Orchestra managing director Mark Volpe said.

Adams and the librettist, Alice Goodman, voiced disappointment. “I disagree with the decision, not only because it presumes the BSO’s audiences only want comfort and familiarity during these difficult times,” Adams said in response to an e-mail from the Boston Globe.

“Also because it sets a precedent that there is poetry and music that should not be performed at a given moment because of its content.”

‘The Full Monty’ Tour Rights Sold

Rights to “The Full Monty” tour have been sold, casting into doubt the musical’s previously announced booking at the new Kodak Theatre in Hollywood next spring.

The Producing Office--Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller, best known as the “Rent” producers--obtained rights to the tour from the Broadway producers Fox Searchlight after an initial Chicago run by the Fox production performed poorly at the box office.

“I definitely want to play L.A.,” McCollum said, “and I have to see where it would have the most impact.”

Ed Murphy, managing director of the Kodak, said he still hopes and anticipates that the show will play there next spring.

The new tour will be redesigned to reduce the time required to unload the set. Instead of four days, only 16 hours will be needed--making shorter runs possible.

TELEVISION

Good News/Bad News Scenario at Networks

CBS has picked up the freshman series “The Education of Max Bickford,” starring Richard Dreyfuss, and “The Agency,” a CIA drama, for the full season.

But at the request of producer John Wells, it has pulled the plug on “Citizen Baines,” in which James Cromwell plays a former U.S. senator.

“In this changing business environment, it doesn’t make sense to continue with a product that doesn’t have a financial upside,” Wells said through a spokesperson. “ ... Unfortunately, even with the full support of the studio and the network, sometimes a quality product cannot find its audience.”

HOME VIDEO

‘Mummy,’ ‘Phantom’ Vie for DVD Record

Ten days ago, 20th Century Fox declared that, according to its tracking, “Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace” set a first-week sales record for DVDs, surpassing the numbers chalked up by Universal’s “The Mummy Returns” two weeks before.

Now it seems that the studio was too fast off the mark. An independent review by VideoScan shows that “Menace” came up short of the record and still trails “The Mummy Returns” overall.

Fox isn’t challenging the data, but wants to add some perspective. Unlike box office, there’s no structured reporting mechanism for home entertainment business, studio officials say.

“Those numbers continue to adjust as more retail information is reported,” Steve Feldstein, a senior vice president in Fox’s home marketing division, told The Times. “And there’s a lag time in terms of accumulating this information. ‘Mummy’ has been out three weeks longer so there’s more data available.”

QUICK TAKES

Garth Brooks, who had said last year he was retiring from touring, has changed his mind: He will perform Nov. 14 at the Forum in Inglewood. Tickets go on sale Tuesday. He has an album due in stores a week later.... As of Thursday, the Oct. 20 Concert for New York City had raised more than $30 million for World Trade Center relief efforts.... Howard Stringer has been re-elected chairman of the American Film Institute’s board of trustees, and Jon Avnet and John F. Cooke have been named chairmen of AFI’s board of directors.... Bosnia’s debut entry for the best foreign language film Oscar will be “No Man’s Land,” the story of two soldiers, one Bosnian, one Serb, stranded together in a trench during the Bosnia war. Winner of best screenplay at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, it will open in Los Angeles on Dec. 14.