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

THE ARTS

Bloomberg Takes a Stand on Censorship

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has put the kibosh on a controversial Decency Commission that his predecessor, Rudolph V. Giuliani, set up to police art exhibited by museums funded by the city.

“I am opposed to censorship of any kind,” said Bloomberg, who sits on the boards of a number of museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “I don’t think government should be in the business of telling museums what is art or what they should exhibit.”

The best rule to follow in dealing with an exhibit one considers sacrilegious or pornographic, he added, is to stay home.

“If you don’t like a museum exhibit, don’t go see it,” he said. “And that’s going to be my strategy.”

POP/ROCK

R&B; Singer Fends Off Sexual Allegations

R. Kelly, the R&B; superstar known best for the soaring anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” is again dealing with allegations of engaging in sex with minors.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday that it had anonymously received an explicit 26-minute videotape that purportedly shows the singer in intimate contact with an underage girl. The story appeared the same day the Grammy-winning, Chicago-born singer was scheduled to perform at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

In the story, an attorney for Kelly dismisses the tape as a suspiciously timed fake. But the newspaper also quotes a videography expert who reviewed the footage and said the chances are “slim to none” that the images were doctored. According to the paper, local police launched an investigation three years ago into an alleged relationship between Kelly and the girl apparently depicted in the footage.

Kelly has also been sued by two other young Chicago women who claimed that, while they were minors, they had ongoing relationships with the singer that led to personal injuries and emotional harm. The suits describe an alleged pattern in which Kelly, now 35, used wealth and influence to meet teenage girls and have sex with them.

Court documents also show that the singer secretly married the late R&B; singer Aaliyah, then 15, in 1995--a year after he produced her first album, “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number.”

Keys Tops Soul Train Award Nominations

Alicia Keys had a leading four nominations for the 16th annual Soul Train Music Awards, while fellow soul songstresses India .Arie and Aaliyah had three each.

Veteran R&B; singers the Isley Brothers, making a comeback more than 42 years after their first hit single, “Shout,” also gathered three nominations Thursday.

Jaheim, Musiq Soulchild, Usher and Michael Jackson will be competing in the category of male R&B;/soul album.

Winners of the Soul Train awards, honoring rhythm & blues, soul, hip-hop, rap and gospel performances, will be announced March 20 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, and taped for syndicated television broadcast.

THEATER

Peters, Mendes to Collaborate on ‘Gypsy’

A revival of “Gypsy” is headed for Broadway--instead of London, as had been expected. The New York Times reports that the musical, based on the life of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and her mother, Rose, will be directed by Sam Mendes (Broadway’s “Cabaret”) and is due to arrive next year.

And who will play the brassy, belting Mama Rose, immortalized by Ethel Merman? None other than Bernadette Peters, who, Mendes says, was cast in the role because she’s closer to Rose as she really existed.

“She was a tiny woman,” Mendes told the New York Times. “And she was a charmer. And so is Bernadette. I think the tradition of battle-axes in that role has been explored.”

PEOPLE

Cosby Cancels in Face of Cincinnati Boycott

Bill Cosby has canceled a performance in Cincinnati next month, honoring a boycott called by black groups unhappy with the city’s response to last year’s riots.

“I still stand by the fact that I feel very uncomfortable playing the concerts at this time in this climate,” said the 64-year-old comedian, who was scheduled to perform twice at the Aronoff Center. More than 3,000 tickets had been sold. The money will be refunded.

The Coalition for a Just Cincinnati--one of 14 groups that have called for economic sanctions--mailed letters to Cosby and other performers booked to appear in the city. The coalition asked them to boycott Cincinnati until city leaders pay more attention to police, racial and economic issues.

The push for a boycott came after three days of rioting over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer last April. The officer was acquitted of charges of negligent homicide and obstruction of official business.

Officials of the Cincinnati Arts Assn., a nonprofit group that manages the center, met with coalition members last month and also talked with Cosby. Steve Loftin, the association’s president and executive director, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the cancellation.

TELEVISION

‘Felicity’ Canceled by the WB, Salvaged by WE

“Felicity,” one of the shows that put the WB on the map, will end its four-year run in the spring, Variety reports. The college drama series, in which Keri Russell stars, has been averaging 3.3 million viewers--down about 15% from last season.

The show is off the air now but will return on March 20, with a two-hour finale May 22.

“Glory Days,” the freshman drama that the network had been trying out in “Felicity’s” Wednesday time slot, will move to Mondays at 9 p.m.

Die-hard “Felicity” fans can take comfort in the fact that the show will have an afterlife. Cable’s WE: Women’s Entertainment--an offshoot of American Movie Classics--plans to air all 84 episodes on a daily basis, starting in September.

QUICK TAKES

Talk show host Wally George tells The Times that his colon cancer surgery Feb. 1 was so successful that his doctor at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has pronounced him “totally cured.” He expects to leave the hospital this weekend and return to Orange County’s KDOC-TV in three or four weeks.... Miriam Makeba, originally scheduled to perform last October at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, is now scheduled to close its 2001-02 World Stages series, co-presented by the venue and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, on June 25.... Warren Beatty will receive a lifetime achievement award on April 25 at the 45th San Francisco International Film Festival.... The Moiseyev Dance company will return to U.S. stages after a three-year absence, dancing seven performances at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills on March 19-24. Igor Moiseyev, who turned 96 last month, will not be accompanying them.... Rock ‘n’ roll legend Little Richard will be inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame on Feb. 23 at the group’s 33rd annual Image Awards, to be broadcast March 1 on Fox.... Jackie Mason will perform his “Much Ado About Nothing” show at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills July 30-Aug 4. And Robert Goulet will be starring in “South Pacific” playing at the theater July 9-21, after a June 4-9 run at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.... Joel Gallen will be honored by the Producers Guild of America for quickly pulling together “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” the all-star show that generated more than $150 million in charity pledges for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.... First Lady Laura Bush will appear on “The Olympic Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on Monday.

--Elaine Dutka