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

POP/ROCK

McCartney and Co. Take to the Road

Paul McCartney and his band will be on the run again. The former Beatle announced on Thursday dates for his upcoming tour, including a May 4 stop at Staples Center (tickets on sale March 24) and a May 5 visit to the Arrowhead Pond (on sale March 23).

The “Driving USA Tour,” which has 19 dates in North America, kicks off April 1 at the Oakland Arena. The singer, whose last major tour was in 1993, will play songs from his Beatles and Wings years as well as from his recent album, “Driving Rain.”

Ex-Destiny’s Child Singers Claim Damage

Two former Destiny’s Child members filed a federal lawsuit against the group, contending the hit song “Survivor,” which won a Grammy for R&B; performance by a duo Wednesday night, made derisive comments about them.

LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson contend the song is in violation of a previous settlement, which precludes either party from making “any public comment of a disparaging nature concerning one another.”

A line in the song, quoted in the lawsuit filed in Houston federal court Wednesday, states: “You thought I wouldn’t sell without you, sold 9 million.”

Tom Fulkerson, an attorney for Destiny’s Child, called the lawsuit “ridiculous.”

The plaintiffs seek a restraining order and an injunction to prevent further comment, as well as a ban on any further performance of the song.

‘O Brother’ Touring After Grammy Win

Here they come again. The touring collective featuring many of the roots music stars who contributed to the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack will return to the road this summer under the banner of the “Down From the Mountain” tour. Dates and venues will be announced shortly.

The lineup includes Alison Krauss & Union Station, Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Ralph Stanley, the Del McCoury Band, Norman & Nancy Blake, Ricky Skaggs and Dan Tyminski.

The tour’s winter dates were a major success and the upcoming shows will no doubt benefit from the soundtrack’s five Grammy wins this week, including the best album trophy.

TELEVISION

Grammys Ratings Nothing to Sing About

CBS’ broadcast of the Grammy Awards Wednesday saw a drop-off in viewership from a year ago, as an estimated 18.9 million viewers tuned in, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

That’s a 29% drop from the audience last year, when controversial rap star Eminem performed a duet with pop superstar Elton John.

CBS Documentary Worries 9/11 Families

A lawyer representing families of the Sept. 11 victims sent a letter to CBS Wednesday urging the network not to use graphic footage of the World Trade Center attack in a documentary due to air on March 10, Yahoo! News reports.

The material was shot by French brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet, who had been recording firefighters’ training exercises when the terrorists struck.

“Any media event that indiscriminately broadcasts the graphic horrors of that day will disrupt the healing process,” said prosecutor William Schmidt, writing on behalf of the American Red Cross, United Way and other groups assisting families in New Jersey’s Bergen County.

CBS spokesman Gil Schwartz defended the two-hour project as “responsible and sensitive.” Rumors that footage would show people being killed, he said, were the result of “misinformation” and “misapprehension.”

MOVIES

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

Reports of his remorse are greatly exaggerated, says Russell Crowe--contending that he did not apologize for roughing up a producer who cut his best actor acceptance speech at Sunday night’s British Academy Film Awards.

Nor does he think the scuffle will affect his Oscar chances, he told “Inside Edition.”

“I think the Oscars are supposed to be about the performance that you’ve given, and I don’t think I’m nominated for a ‘Worst Argument With an English TV Executive,’” he said.

QUICK TAKES

According to People magazine, Madonna will make her London stage debut in the London stage comedy “Up for Grabs.” Her last theater outing: David Mamet’s 1988 play “Speed the Plow,” for which she received mediocre reviews.... Due to a dancer injury, Pilobolus’ new Olympic piece, “The Brass Ring,” will not be performed in Escondido or Long Beach this weekend.... USC School of Cinema is holding a Sissy Spacek retrospective, presenting “Badlands” and “Carrie” on Saturday, starting at 4:30 p.m., and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “In the Bedroom,” starting at 5 p.m. on Sunday, followed by a Q&A; with “In the Bedroom” director Todd Field. Admission is free. RSVP: (323) 822-4158.... Director Ron Howard is the recipient of the ninth annual Beatrice Wood Film Award--honoring the late visual artist’s indomitable spirit--for his work on “A Beautiful Mind.” The honoree is chosen by past winners, who now include Henry Jaglom, Billy Bob Thornton, James Cameron, Sam Raimi and David Lynch.