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

POP/ROCK

Is the Boss’ Music Headed for Broadway?

The New York-based performing arts group Culture Project has received tentative clearance from Bruce Springsteen to turn his songs into a rock opera called “Drive All Night.”

According to E! Online News, the singer is expected to preview a rough demo of the two-hour production in March. Each act of the opera, conceived four years ago by artistic director Darrell Larson and his partner, Stephanie Kerley-Schwartz, contains snippets from some 29 songs by the Boss, including “Thunder Road” and “Atlantic City.” The story revolves around a working-class guy named Eddie.

If the demo gets the go-ahead, Larson says, he’ll work up a full-stage version that he’ll try out in “Springsteen country” and then bring to New York.

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TELEVISION

Adelphia Taking Heat Over Curtailed C-SPAN

Disgruntled viewers have been calling Adelphi Communications to complain about the cable company’s decision to curtail the programming of the C-SPAN channel.

Adelphia’s move was motivated by a federal mandate to add local broadcasters such as KAZA and KXLA to a limited broadband, a company spokesman told The Times. That meant some channels were forced to share. In many parts of Southern California, where the company serves 135 communities and 1.2 million customers, the channel that used to air C-SPAN around the clock is now sharing with one offering TV listings.

“I’ve got to believe that it’s a question of basic incentives--C-SPAN doesn’t generate revenue,” said Silver Lake/Echo Park resident William Pietz, who has organized a local chapter of Citizens for C-SPAN. “But firms like Adelphia need to be reminded that it’s a question of public trust. C-SPAN is a precious resource--crucial to informing citizens and to preserving what remains of our public political culture.”

Lee Perron, Adelphia’s regional vice president, says the company is finalizing details with engineers and programmers about reinstating C-SPAN in Southern California full-time within 45 days. “We received many calls--a lot of them passionate--and understand the commitment to C-SPAN,” he said Friday. “Our company and others not only appreciate it, but invest in its satellite time and production costs. Without us, it wouldn’t exist. Though C-SPAN doesn’t generate revenue, many customers subscribe, in part, because of it--and it’s a benefit our industry provides to the public.”

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One ‘Millionaire’ Is Enough, Regis Says

Regis has given his final answer on the syndicated version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”--and the answer is “no.”

“Regis has been offered the syndicated ‘Millionaire’ not once, but twice, and has declined,” his agent, Jim Griffin, told the New York Post. “I won’t go into specifics of the offer and why it didn’t compel him. Regis already has a full plate and it’s not like he needed another job. I’m sure he will be supportive of whoever they choose.”

The syndicated show, due in the fall, will be shopped around--without a host--at the National Assn. of Television Program Executives convention in Las Vegas next week.

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THE ARTS

Smithsonian Chief Rehnquist Under Fire

A group of 170 scholars, authors and academics sent an open letter this week to Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, chancellor of the board of regents of Washington’s Smithsonian Institution, charging that Lawrence Small, secretary of the museum, was “unwilling or unable to carry out the mission of the Smithsonian, or to safeguard its integrity.”

Small, they claimed, is allowing corporations and individuals too much say in the content of exhibits they sponsor and letting them place their logos on Smithsonian buildings, exhibition halls and other spaces. The museum receives about 70% of its budget from the federal government and must remain independent, critics say.

The letter, reported in the Washington Post, originated with Commercial Alert, a watchdog group devoted to keeping commercial culture “within its proper sphere.” Ralph Nader is chairman of the advisory board.

What prompted the letter was a $10-million gift from General Motors for the General Motors Hall of Transportation at the Museum of American History. Since Small’s arrival in January 2000, Fuji has given $7.8 million for an exhibit and Kmart had its corporate logo emblazoned on a show devoted to African American music.

Rehnquist could not be reached for comment but Small released a statement. “The Smithsonian regents and staff control, without limitation and question, the institution’s activities,” he said, reiterating his commitment to “maintaining the integrity of the Smithsonian and the public’s trust.”

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Ideas on Display for New York Renovation

From interlocking, tubular towers to a building with holes already built into it, about 50 architects and artists participated in “A New World Trade Center: Design Proposals”--a private exhibit devoted to rebuilding the decimated area. It opened Thursday at New York City’s Max Protetch Gallery.

“They’re visions for what Lower Manhattan should or could look like,” said Protetch, who conceived of the project shortly after the Sept. 11 attack.

None of the proposals visualized rebuilding the 110-story twin towers. And while many of the projects had commemorative aspects, only a few called for the entire 16 acres to be turned into a memorial.

Though the exhibit has no official connection to the city agencies overseeing the reconstruction process, Protetch says, he hopes some will visit.

“Part of the reason to do this,” he said, “was to hopefully try to expand the process to include architects who otherwise might not be considered.”

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MOVIES

Porn ‘Star Wars’ No Threat, Judge Rules

A federal court in San Francisco has refused to block the sale and distribution of an X-rated, animated “Star Wars” spoof.

Lucasfilm Ltd. sued Media Market Group Ltd., the New York producers of “Starballz,” for copyright and trademark infringement last October, alleging that similarities between “Starballz” and “Star Wars” could confuse consumers into thinking that Lucasfilm sponsored or produced the X-rated movie that mocks the “Star Wars” story line.

The chance of confusion, the judge said, was slim to none.

Lucasfilm spokeswoman Lynne Hale said she “respectfully disagrees” with the decision.

“This is a pornographic cartoon utilizing ‘Star Wars’ intellectual property. We feel strongly that the law does not allow for parody to be a defense to a pornographic use of someone else’s intellectual property.”

The company has not decided whether to appeal.

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QUICK TAKES

NBC is pulling the Hank Azaria sitcom “Imagine That” off the air after only two episodes.... KABC-AM (790) will broadcast the 2002 Republican gubernatorial debates, uninterrupted, from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.... Craig Springer, assistant dean of cultural arts and activities at USC, has been appointed executive director of the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.... Beginning tonight, the Game Show Network will air Fox’s “Greed,” a mix of reruns and shows not yet aired, with a new interactive component. Viewers can win a top prize of $25,000 during the premiere and assorted gifts thereafter. A different episode will air Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m..... “Fiddler on the Roof” has added a 7:30 p.m. performance on Jan. 27 to its run at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills.

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Elaine Dutka