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

TV & MOVIES

Sorkin Addresses Critics of ‘West Wing’ Opener

Aaron Sorkin, creator and executive producer of the NBC White House drama “The West Wing,” says he wasn’t trying to preach to the nation when he hastily crafted a season premiere episode that thematically addressed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Though some critics praised him for his courage, many reacted negatively to the episode, which aired Oct. 3 and drew 25.2 million viewers.

“It’s not like I haven’t gotten bad reviews before,” he said Monday at an Occidental College panel discussion on the impact of the attacks on the entertainment industry. But critics “reacted as if I had hit them over the head with a bat and taken their money.”

At a time when most television shows have been scrupulously avoiding the imagery of Sept. 11, Sorkin said, he felt it was important to tackle the issue head-on. “I felt it was appropriate to just take a week and stop the tearing through the hallways and the rapid-fire dialogue and the snappy comebacks--the bread and butter of ‘The West Wing’--and do something else,” he said.

The symposium can be heard on KPCC-FM (89.3) at 7 tonight.

E-Mail or Postcards, Studios Tell Fans

With the advent of the anthrax scare, fan mail--the old barometer of an artist’s popularity--has become a mixed blessing.

Hollywood has not received any specific threats related to celebrity mail, said Cheryl Mimura, an FBI representative in Los Angeles. But according to studios, networks and publicists, thousands of letters have been returned to sender, sent to services that open them or, often, just set aside.

Studio Fan Mail Services, one of the oldest and largest fan-mail services in the country, has begun advising fans to send postcards rather than letters--which some studios have stopped delivering. “We are returning fan letters and sending a note along asking them to correspond by e-mail,” said Scott Rowe, Warner Bros. vice president of communications.

ABC Makes Deal to Promote West Point

ABC said Tuesday it has signed a $25-million deal to promote the U.S. Military Academy at West Point through television specials and commercials. West Point alumni are either paying for the air time directly or selling advertising time on the programs in conjunction with the institution’s 200th anniversary.

Disney-owned ABC will run a prime-time special next June, “Young America Celebrates West Point,” and will feature an advertising series called “West Point Minutes” on “Good Morning America” and “Nightline.” Other Disney units also are involved: Filmmaker Bud Greenspan is making a two-hour documentary on West Point’s sports history for ESPN, whose “Classic” division will rebroadcast old Army football games. The History Channel will air a two-hour documentary on people who have attended West Point. And Lifetime will run an ad and programming campaign promoting the military as an option for young women.

THE ARTS

Struggling San Jose Symphony Regroups

The 122-year-old San Jose Symphony, one of the oldest orchestras west of the Mississippi, has canceled all upcoming dates and fired its administrative staff in a bold step to stay alive. Faced with declining donations and a $2.5-million deficit, it hopes to reconstitute itself by February with a leaner administration and a shorter concert schedule.

The orchestra’s struggles are a sore spot for San Jose, which has long sought the major-league cultural status accorded to San Francisco. The self-proclaimed capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose is now the largest city in the United States without a working symphony.

“When you go to the YMCA, you park between two Jaguars,” said Janet Sims, who has played viola in the orchestra for 20 years. “If any area of the United States could support the arts financially, it’s this area.”

Dick Gourley, the symphony’s new chief executive, and local lawyer Michael McSweeney hope to increase fund-raising and cut expenses in half.

QUICK TAKES

NBC is yanking new sitcom “Inside Schwartz” after Thursday’s episode, with plans to repeat episodes of “Friends” and “Will & Grace” in the 8:30 p.m. slot during the November rating sweeps. The network said “Schwartz,” which lost 40% of the “Friends” audience last week, will return in December.... NBC Enterprises is developing a pilot for a nationally syndicated talk show hosted by Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist played by Julia Roberts in the 2000 hit film.... “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” has set a new first-week sales record for DVD. The estimated 2.2 million units sold since its Oct. 16 release edges the old record of 2 million set by “The Mummy Returns” just two weeks ago.... The Chicago, Toronto and Boston engagements of Matthew Bourne’s dance drama “The Car Man” have been canceled by the individual presenters, because of falling theater attendance since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.... ABC’s “According to Jim” and “Alias,” Fox’s “Undeclared” and NBC’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Crossing Jordan” have all received full-season commitments.... The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery is sending its most prized possession--the famous “Landsowne” portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart--on a tour of eight cities. Recently saved from a potential auction by a $3-million gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, it will be displayed at the L.A. County Museum of Art from Nov. 8, 2002 until March 9, 2003.... Johnny Cash has checked out of a Nashville hospital after a two-week stint battling bronchitis.