Morning Report - News from Jan. 16, 2002

TELEVISION

The Osbourne Family Is Coming to MTV

Hoping to turn the notion of “family sitcom” on its ear, MTV will premiere “The Osbournes” on March 5, a hybrid reality-comedy show starring the formerly scary heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, his wife, Sharon, and their two teenage children, Kelly and Jack.

In the show, the Osbournes play themselves--a somewhat dysfunctional family living in a sprawling Hollywood home with the multi-tattooed Osbourne as the patriarch, offering advice and counsel to his children.

Fans Campaign for ‘Once and Again’

Die-hard fans have begun a last-ditch Internet campaign on behalf of “Once and Again,” the ABC series that continues to struggle in the ratings in its third season.

ABC has reduced the number of episodes ordered this season from 23 to 17 and declined to discuss the program’s prospects for renewal during a question-and-answer session with reporters Sunday. One fan Web site says the show is “in imminent danger of cancellation.”

Fans are circulating online petitions and organizing letter-writing to ABC executives; still, such efforts have rarely proven successful, and despite critical acclaim--including an Emmy two years ago for star Sela Ward--”Once and Again” has drawn just 6.4 million viewers on average this season, ranking 91st among prime-time series on the broadcast networks.

POP MUSIC

Gorillaz Leads Brit Awards Nominations

The “virtual” hip-hop group Gorillaz received six nominations in the 2002 Brit Awards, including best British group and best British album--even though its one English member, Blur’s singer Damon Albarn, is outnumbered by the group’s American contingent, including Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and former Talking Heads Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz.

Other multiple nominees include Dido, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue with four each, and Travis, Craig David and So Solid Crew with three each.

The best British album field is Dido’s “No Angel,” “Gorillaz,” Craig David’s “Born to Do It,” Radiohead’s “Kid A” and Travis’ “The Invisible Band,” while U.S. acts Destiny’s Child, Limp Bizkit, R.E.M. and the Strokes compete with French group Daft Punk for best international album.

The awards, Britain’s counterpart to the Grammys, will be presented Feb. 20 at London’s Earl’s Court.

Dave Matthews Band Plays Staples in May

The Dave Matthews Band’s spring tour will begin April 4 in Washington, D.C., and will include shows May 13 at Coors Amphitheatre near San Diego, May 15 at Staples Center and May 16 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine.

Tickets will be available to fan association members through a lottery system starting at midnight Friday and continuing through noon on Jan. 28 at the Web site www.warehouse.davematthewsband.com. Tickets for the 33-date tour of arenas in the U.S. and Canada will go on sale to the general public in February.

MOVIES

Scripter Award Goes to ‘Beautiful Mind’ Scribes

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and biographer Sylvia Nasar on Tuesday were named winner of USC’s 14th annual Scripter Award for their work on the film “A Beautiful Mind.” The award honors the best film adaptation of a book.

The Scripter Award, given annually by the Friends of the USC Libraries, will be presented March 16 at USC’s Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library.

RADIO

David G. Hall Exiting KFI-AM in February

David G. Hall, the program director who guided KFI-AM (640) to the top of the ratings among Southland talk radio stations over the past decade, will be leaving the job next month. He’s been given a promotion by Clear Channel Radio that will make him senior vice president of programming for Premiere Radio Networks, a Clear Channel division that syndicates more than 100 programs and services to stations across the country.

Hall joined KFI as news director in 1989 and became program director the following year.

Robin Bertolucci, who has been heading Clear Channel’s AM programming operation in Denver, will take Hall’s spot as director of Clear Channel AM programming in Los Angeles, overseeing KFI, KLAC-AM (570) and KXTA-AM (1150).

QUICK TAKES

Funnyman Jon Stewart will return as host of the Grammy Awards, which will be broadcast Feb. 27 on CBS.... The WB network has ordered a new “Scooby-Doo” animated series for fall and has renewed the prime-time series “Smallville,” “Reba” and “Gilmore Girls.” ... Director David Lynch (“Mulholland Dr.”) will head the jury at the 55th Cannes Film Festival, May 15-26.... Comedian Chris Tucker will host the NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 23 at the Universal Amphitheatre, an event to be televised March 1 on Fox.... Writer-director Blake Edwards (“The Pink Panther,” “Victor/Victoria”) will receive this year’s Screen Laurel Award from the Writers Guild of America at its annual awards show March 9.... Alan Ball, creator of HBO’s “Six Feet Under,” has signed a seven-figure deal that will keep him producing the series at least two more years.... CNN has hired former Fox Sports Net anchor Keith Olbermann as a contributing editor to “NewsNight With Aaron Brown.” ... U2 was named best band of 2001 in Rolling Stone magazine’s annual critics poll.

Lee Margulies