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

POP/ROCK

A Public Glimpse Into Cobain’s Diaries

Two notebooks from the collected diaries of Kurt Cobain were made available to select New York publishers this week by the Nirvana singer’s widow, Courtney Love, according to MTV.

Love is said to be fielding offers to publish the late rock star’s writings, which reportedly include his early lyrical drafts for “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” his youthful reviews of punk shows and love letters to Love. MTV quotes an unidentified source at one of the publishing houses who estimated that seven-figure bids would be made by month’s end for the publishing rights.

Love, the source says, is emphasizing the need for deft handling of the book’s marketing and packaging in light of the fact that Cobain committed suicide in 1994. Love is also involved in a legal dispute with the two surviving members of Nirvana over a proposed boxed set of their complete recordings.

The source went on to predict that the complete diaries could become a landmark release. “This was an unmediated look at one of the greatest minds of the 20th century ... there were lists of his favorite albums, precise descriptions of what it was like to be an addict, heartbreaking letters. This will have long-lasting value, this will be a huge book.”

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Elton John Deplores State of Music Business

Elton John likens the new generation of pop stars, including Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, to packets of cereal. And he’s fed up.

The music industry, he says, is churning out “average and mediocre” bands--”fodder” that damages the chance of real talent getting air-play.

“Nowadays, record companies want the quick buck from the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Britney Spears, S Club 7, from the Steps,” he told the British Broadcasting Corp.’s “News- night.” “They’ve always been around, I’m not knocking the music perhaps, but it’s like packets of cereal.”

John also came down on music videos. “If I was king of the music business and I would do one thing, I’d close down all the video stations and say let’s just have music, can we?”

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THEATER

Another Incarnation for Alice Walker Novel

“The Color Purple,” Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a poor Southernblack woman’s struggle for freedom, is being turned into a musical.

The material was last adapted into a 1985 movie by Steven Spielberg, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover.

According to the New York Times, the musical will be directed by Mathew Warchus, an Englishman responsible for revivals such as “True West” and “Follies,” from a script by actress-playwright Regina Taylor. The music will be written by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. The producers hope to bring it to Broadway in 2004.

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MOVIES

Trailers: Not Only Sales Pitches, but Art

What do “Amelie,” “Brotherhood of the Wolf,” “Memento,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Mulholland Drive,” “Spider-Man,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “Waking Life” have in common? They’re all multiple nominees in the third annual Golden Trailer Awards, taking place at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on March 14.

Traveling to the West Coast after two years in New York, the event honors film trailers for their artistic value--as determined by judges that include actor Ben Stiller, producer Kathleen Kennedy, director Brett Ratner and Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers.

The panel will select winners in 17 categories, with the top award, given to an editor, going to the trailer that best convinces audiences to see a not-so-great film. New this year: the “What’s Left?” award, which allows the public to vote (at www.goldentrailer.com) for the trailer that gave away the most plot.

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THE ARTS

Artist Takes Care of His Benefactors

Chris Ofili, the British artist whose dung-daubed portrait of the Virgin Mary angered religious leaders and the mayor of New York, is coming to the aid of the elephants that supply raw material for his art.

The Zoological Society of London said Thursday that Ofili had agreed to donate proceeds from the sale of one of his paintings to elephants at the Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in Dunstable, northwest of London. Three of its elephants lived until recently at the London Zoo and have supplied Ofili with dung for a decade.

The painting, “Triple Couple,” is being offered for sale at the Armory art fair in New York City, which runs until Monday. It’s expected to sell for at least $57,000.

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TELEVISION

Olympic Skating Sends Ratings Soaring

Not surprisingly, Olympic ratings were huge for NBC on Thursday when the women’s figure skating finals took place. More than 49 million people watched during the last hour--roughly double the average audience for prime time’s most-watched series, “Friends.”

Based on Nielsen Media Research estimates, the network averaged more than 42 million viewers for the night at any given minute, second only to the opening ceremonies among the 14 nights of Winter Olympic coverage in the books thus far.

According to the NBC, the numbers were the best Thursday-night ratings for any network since the series finale of “Seinfeld” in 1998.

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Networks Gear Up for Pilot Season

Michael Mann, who made his name with TV’s “Miami Vice” and then went on to direct features (“Ali,” “The Insider”), is returning to the small screen. He’ll be collaborating with writer Barry Schindel (“Law and Order”) on the pilot for a proposed L.A.-based police series for CBS.... UPN has ordered a pilot for a new version of the classic Rod Serling “Twilight Zone” series.... Mark Burnett, creator of “Survivor,” is developing an unscripted martial arts series. No network has been lined up the show, in which competitors will compete for the title of “the toughest man in the world.”

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QUICK TAKES

Oliver Hudson, the son of Goldie Hawn and the brother of Kate Hudson, will star in a TV series premiering on the WB network March 14, “My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star”.... Dancer-choreographer Bill T. Jones and the Orion String Quartet will participate in post-performance discussions at UCLA’s Royce Hall on March 1 and 2.... Barry Corbin (“Northern Exposure”) will star as a cowboy trailblazer on the evening of his death in the one-man play “Charlie Goodnight’s Last Night” at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, March 21-23.... Brushing off her film flop, “Glitter,” Mariah Carey is set to play a boxing manager in “Sweet Science”--another offering from the producer of her upcoming “Wisegirls,” for which the singer drew favorable notices at the Sundance Film Festival.... Dido was named best British female artist and her “No Angel” won best British album honors at the 25th annual Brit Awards. Robbie Williams and Travis were the other top winners in the British equivalent of the Grammys, which were held Wednesday in London.... Episodes of CBS’ canceled drama “Wolf Lake,” including four unaired installments, may show up on UPN later this season.... Sting has signed a deal with the Bantam Dell Publishing Group to write his first work of narrative nonfiction, to be published in 2004.... Twenty-three-year-old violinist Leila Josefowicz will replace Pamela Frank, who is recovering from an injury, at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concerts on March 9 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale and on March 10 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

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Elaine Dutka