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

THE ARTS

Nicholson Is Among Kennedy Honorees

Actors Jack Nicholson and Julie Andrews, opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, composer Quincy Jones and pianist Van Cliburn are the winners of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, the center announced Wednesday.

The coveted award rewards artists who have made a “unique and extremely valuable contribution” to America’s cultural life, said James Johnson, Kennedy Center chairman.

The five will be saluted at a gala event at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Dec. 2, to be attended by President Bush.

This Show Won’t Go On Forever

For more than 40 years, “The Fantasticks” has held forth at the 153-seat Sullivan Street Theater in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Some assumed the off-Broadway wonder would run forever.

Not so, says producer Lore Noto: The musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt will end its run Jan. 6. As of last Sunday, the world’s longest-running musical had played 17,005 performances (and had grossed more than $23 million). By comparison, “Cats,” the longest-running show in Broadway history, closed last September after 7,485 shows.

Known for songs such as “Try to Remember” and “Soon It’s Gonna Rain,” the musical is a mock version of “Romeo and Juliet” in which two fathers invent a feud to bring their children together.

Many close to the production believed they had a chance of surpassing the still-running London phenomenon “The Mousetrap,” which opened eight years before “The Fantasticks.” But economic realities forced them to abandon that dream.

“New owners of the playhouse did their best to accommodate our production, but dwindling grosses [combined] with escalating operating costs decided the issue for us,” Noto said.

TELEVISION

ABC Dominates Ratings for a Month Straight

ABC won its fourth-straight week in prime time for the Aug. 27-through-Sept. 2 period, based on Nielsen Media Research data released Wednesday. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” emerged as the most-watched series for the third time in the last month.

ABC edged CBS, whose “Everybody Loves Raymond” has remained one of the few bright spots in terms of reruns this summer. The show was the most-watched comedy for 15 consecutive weeks and finished second among all programs last week--its highest prime-time ranking since last October.

Ratings for CBS’ “Big Brother” have also improved since its move to 9 p.m., while another staged series, Fox’s “Murder in Small Town X,” slipped to its lowest point, down almost 50% since its premiere. (The full list of Nielsen ratings will appear in Friday’s Calendar.)

QUICK TAKES

Spike Lee will be honored by the Directors Guild of America on Nov. 17 for “ushering in a climate of newfound respect for African American filmmakers and actors.” Also being recognized: “60 Minutes” producer Don Hewitt and Sony Pictures Classics presidents Michael Barker, Tom Bernard, and Marcie Bloom ....The Cinegrill cabaret at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will close Sept. 30 for a move to a remodeled space elsewhere in the hotel. Programming will resume on March 4. The new club will have tiered seating instead of the current set-up, in which sightlines are sometimes blocked.