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

MOVIES & TV

Farrow Nixes Footage

in Woody Allen Show

A promotional tape for Turner Classic Movies’ “Woody Allen: A Life in Film,” due to be shown on May 4, contains clips from several of the director’s movies starring former love Mia Farrow. That footage is being eliminated from the final cut, however--at the insistence of the actress.

According to an agreement with the Screen Actors Guild, producers must clear all clips not only with the copyright holders but also with the performers who appear in them. And Farrow, it seems, is still miffed over her 1992 acrimonious split from Allen, who left her to marry her 21-year-old adopted daughter Soon-Yi.

Last week, her agent denied permission to use any Farrow footage, suggesting that film historian Richard Schickel--who produced, wrote and directed the 90-minute project--put through a call to her client. During a half-hour conversation with Farrow, Schickel told The Times, she called the show a “celebration” of Allen’s work. No, he countered: “It’s an ‘explanation.’”

Farrow, who appeared in such Allen films as “Hannah and Her Sisters “ and “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” was one of Allen’s primarily leading ladies, along with ex-wife Louise Lasser and longtime girlfriend Diane Keaton. Still, Schickel denies that removing the material left a gaping hole.

“It’s always a little disappointing, but never fatal,” said the critic, who interviewed Allen for the program for 41/2 hours last October. “This isn’t ‘Woody’s Greatest Hits,’ but an examination of why he started making films and the themes he developed. Other material covered the same ground [as the clips of Farrow].”

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TV Academy Supports ‘Readable Credits’

Responding to reports that the Discovery Networks is planning to eliminate on-screen credits from the end of its programs, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has taken the unprecedented step of passing a resolution affirming its support for “readable credits” within programs.

The organization, which presents the Emmy Awards, rejected the idea of steering viewers to a Web site where they could find complete credits, one alternative that Discovery has proposed in meetings with producers. The group’s board voted on the resolution at its monthly meeting Wednesday evening.

On Thursday, unions representing actors, directors, writers, photographers and editors converged to discuss a campaign against the move. Michael Donaldson, president of the International Documentary Assn., presided over the meeting. “There has been a credit erosion over the past decade, reducing them from 90 seconds to 30 seconds,” Donaldson told The Times. “And often they’re squeezed on the side, sharing the screen with promos. Taking them off the screen altogether is devastating for the creative community because credits are how careers are built in this town.”

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Bulletins From the Big and the Small Screens

Luke Wilson has been signed to star opposite Bob Dylan in “Masked & Anonymous,” the story of a troubadour released from prison to perform one last concert. He’ll play a former roadie tending bar who joins Dylan’s character onstage....Billy Bob Thornton will play the title role in “Bad Santa,” a Dimension Films comedy due for a Christmas 2003 release, Variety reports. It’s the story of two con men who rob malls by dressing up as Santa Claus and an elf....”Sex and the City” creator Darren Star is turning his attention to the big screen. He’ll adapt and direct Tracy Quan’s “Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl: A Nancy Chan Novel.” CBS has given the go-ahead to a biopic based on the life of Jackie Gleason. Mark Addy (“The Full Monty”) will star as the famed comedian, according to Variety....Miramax Films has picked up the worldwide rights to “Comedian,” a behind-the-scenes, 100-minute documentary about Jerry Seinfeld’s national stand-up tour. No release date has been set.

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POP/ROCK

Wango Tango Lineup: Dion to No Doubt

Pop music station KIIS-FM (102.7) today will announce an eclectic lineup for its annual Wango Tango concert that ranges from Celine Dion and Pink to No Doubt and Ja Rule.

Others in the lineup for the daylong event on June 15: Alanis Morissette, Mary J. Blige, India.Arie, Ashanti, O-Town, Marc Anthony, the Calling, Vanessa Carlton, Aaron Carter, Michelle Branch, Paulina Rubio and Craig David.

The concert will be held at the Rose Bowl for the first time. Tickets go on sale April 27 but will be handed out by the station in on-air promotional stunts starting today.

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QUICK TAKES

Burbank’s Colony Theatre Company will present the Los Angeles premiere of the critically acclaimed “The Laramie Project,” June 1-28.... Keith Richards, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks are among the entertainers who pay tribute to singer Willie Nelson on “Willie Nelson & Friends: Stars & Guitars,” scheduled to air May 27 on the USA Network.... The Oscar-winning “A Beautiful Mind” is coming out on video and DVD June 25.... Lakers announcer Chick Hearn and veteran TV news producer Pete Noyes have been chosen to receive the Governors Award, honoring career achievement, at the Los Angeles-area Emmy Awards June 29.... A photograph of the Manhattan skyline seen through John Lennon’s bloodstained spectacles sold for about $13,000 Wednesday in London. It was taken by Yoko Ono after her husband was fatally shot in 1980.