POP/ROCK - Sept. 18, 2001

Jackson Making a Single for Attack Victims

Michael Jackson is calling on some top-tier pop stars to contribute their voices and time to recording “What More Can I Give?,” a song Jackson has written and will produce to benefit the victims of last week’s terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Destiny’s Child, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys and his younger brother, solo performer Aaron Carter, have already recorded segments of the song in Los Angeles. Jackson plans to go to other singers--including Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake of ‘N Sync and Mya--and work with them individually in the studio before cobbling the song together.

No timeline has been set for the song’s completion or release, although a spokeswoman for Jackson says he is rushing to complete the project and will use his private jet and mobile studio to expedite the process. Jackson said he hopes the single, which will also be released in a Spanish version, will raise $50 million for victims’ funds.

OPERA

L.A. Opera Reschedules Canceled Performances

Los Angeles Opera has added one performance of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and rescheduled another after canceling the opera’s gala opening Wednesday.

The matinee performance scheduled for Sept. 30 has been moved to Sept. 29 at noon, and tickets for the 30th will be honored then. A performance has been added on Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m.; tickets issued for the Sept. 12 performance will be honored then.

Pavarotti Pleads Not Guilty to Tax Evasion

Luciano Pavarotti appeared in court in Modena, Italy, on Monday to plead not guilty to tax evasion charges. The tenor faces charges of filing false tax returns from 1989 to 1995. If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison.

The tenor has long claimed that his official home is in Monte Carlo, a tax haven, rather than Modena. He also claims that his business core is not in Italy. But prosecutors maintain that Modena, the tenor’s home city and the place where he stages his annual charity concerts, is the center of his activities.

Ending a long administrative battle, Pavarotti agreed last year to pay the Italian government more than $11.3 million in back taxes and penalties on civil tax-evasion charges stemming from those same years. The criminal case started in May.

THEME PARKS

Dollywood Slated for $10-Million Expansion

Dolly Parton is in an expansion mood. The singer-actress-businesswoman announced that her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., the state’s top tourist attraction, will add a new $10-million section for next spring and that another $2 million is going into more development at Dolly’s Splash Country, a nearby water park.

Parton will also open a new $25-million Dixie Stampede dinner theater in Orlando, Fla. “The use of ostriches, pig races, chicken chases and other animals will set Dixie apart from all other dinner attractions in central Florida and across the country,” her company said in a statement.

TELEVISION

Fox Family Channel Adds Animated ‘Andy’

“What’s With Andy?,” an animated series based on a series of books by Australian author Andy Griffiths, will premiere at 8 a.m. Saturday on the Fox Family Channel.

It’s the first of 26 episodes produced by CineGroupe of Montreal about a boy who fancies himself a great practical joker. Griffiths’ books include “Just Tricking!,” “Just Annoying!” and “Just Stupid!”

ART

Portrait by Holbein Found in Museum

A new portrait by Hans Holbein has been discovered--right in the middle of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the 16th century painting had been in the museum’s collection for nearly 100 years but was thought to have been done by an anonymous artist. Only last month, when the portrait of a bearded man was cleaned, did researchers recognize the quality of the brushwork and make the connection to Holbein.

The painting, only 41/2 inches high, is valued at several million dollars and will go on display at the museum in November.

British Library Addresses Pest Problem

Moths, lice, worms, silverfish and other bugs are causing so much damage to historic manuscripts, wooden sculptures and other museum artifacts that the British Library is sponsoring a three-day international conference next month to address the problem. The title tells the tale: “A Pest Odyssey: No Collection Is Safe From Pest Attack.”

“Nature used to be on our side with cold winters and cold museums and libraries,” Robert Child, the head of conservation at the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, told the Times of London.

“Now, with mild winters and central heating, a lot of the insects are finding life more comfortable.”

QUICK TAKES

The Spaceland rock club in Silver Lake is planning two benefit concerts to raise money for the Red Cross, New York firefighters and the families of last week’s victims: on Sept. 23 with the Sugarplastic, Jake LaBotz and others, and on Sept. 30 with Bob Forrest, the Hangmen and others.... Earth, Wind & Fire is donating $25,000 from every concert on its current tour, plus profits from merchandise sales at the shows, to victims of last week’s terrorist attacks.... Pastilla, Satelite, Enjambre and Rascuache will perform a benefit concert at the Knitting Factory Hollywood at 8 tonight, with proceeds going to the United Way of New York City to aid post-attack relief efforts.