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

TELEVISION

Another Daytime

Talk Show Is Canceled

The world of daytime talk shows seemed to be in turmoil Monday.

Rosie O’Donnell already had announced plans to leave her program at the end of the season. Now comes word that Sally Jessy Raphael’s show, the longest-running of its genre, has been canceled after nearly two decades on the air. And Oprah Winfrey confirmed that she will end her top-rated program at the end of the 2006 season, the show’s 20th anniversary.

Though Raphael’s producers had tried to give the show a makeover, building a new set and giving viewers a peek behind the scenes, they didn’t succeed in arresting the show’s ratings slide. Raphael, third after Winfrey and Jerry Springer three years ago, had sunk to ninth in talk-show ratings. Studios USA Domestic Television, which distributes the show to about 190 U.S. television stations, said it will pull the plug when the current season ends this spring.

Raphael, a former disc jockey, began the show as a local St. Louis program in 1983 and went national the following year. “I am proud that we were able to help so many guests and viewers find solutions to their problems and comfort in their lives,” she said.

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‘9/11’ Documentary Scores Big Ratings

CBS’ documentary “9/11” drew huge ratings on Sunday, attracting an estimated 39 million viewers, the largest audience for any non-sporting event broadcast this season.

Featuring limited commercial interruptions and unedited language, the production showcased previously unseen footage of firefighters inside the World Trade Center, shot by French filmmakers Jules and Gedeon Naudet.

Ratings, not surprisingly, were especially strong in the New York City viewing area, where more than 35% of all households tuned in (compared to 22%, for example, in Los Angeles).

The audience was comparable for viewing during the recent Winter Olympics closing ceremonies.

Firefighters who watched the show told the Associated Press they found it accurate and sensitive.

“It’s history, and history has to be documented and it’s got to be shown to the world,” said retired firefighter John Vigiano, who lost both his sons in the terrorist attack.

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POP/ROCK

Adams and John:

a Budding Team

Elton John, who has been spending a lot of time touring with fellow piano man Billy Joel, is also sharing the microphone increasingly with a guitar man--singer-songwriter Ryan Adams.

John has been championing the alt-country star for months in his Interview magazine column, thanked Adams for his inspiration in the credits of his recent “Songs From the West Coast” album and appears in Adams’ video “Answering Bell.” And, next Tuesday in New York, the pair will tape an episode of Country Music Television’s “Crossroads” series, which brings together country-leaning artists with pop or rock acts. The show will air in May.

John and Adams will get together again March 24 at John’s 10th annual Oscar night party at Moomba in West Hollywood. Sponsored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the event has raised more than $30 million for AIDS prevention programs and services.

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THEATER

‘Lion King’ Closing Doors at Year’s End

The L.A. production of Disney’s “The Lion King” will close at the end of this year, after it marks its second anniversary at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in October.

According to producer Tom Schumacher, the show is selling out on weekends and has made a profit--though he would not disclose figures. In January, Disney Theatrical officials reduced seating capacity in the theater from 2,704 to 2,261, creating better box-office percentages.

The L.A. production will move to Chicago for a spring 2003 opening.

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RADIO

KPFK to Use Donations to Fix Transmitter

Despite the refusal of a couple of on-air personalities to participate in its fund-raising drive, KPFK-FM (90.7) reported receiving unprecedented donations--$914,000--from listeners for its “Save Our Signal” campaign.

Though KPFK has what officials there say is the capacity to reach more listeners than almost any station in the country, it is now able to operate at only 30% of capacity. With the new funding, officials say they can repair a faulty transmitter and begin broadcasting at full strength, possibly by this summer.

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QUICK TAKES

“Malcolm in the Middle” star Jane Kaczmarek, who had been absent from the set for a few weeks due to a reported salary dispute, has returned to work on the season’s last episode. Insiders said it was unclear whether the actress received a raise.... Megan Mullally, who just won a Screen Actors Guild Award for best actress in a comedy series (“Will & Grace”), will head the cast of “He Hunts,” Philip Lattell’s new translation and adaptation of Georges Feydeau’s farce “Monsieur Chasse!,” opening at the Geffen Playhouse on April 17.... “The Art of Paul McCartney,” 70 paintings, sculptures and photographs by the former Beatle, will be exhibited May 24-Aug. 4 at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery.... The Spanish-language network Telemundo premiered its first unscripted series on Monday. In “Protagonistas de Novel,” 20 contestants live in a TV station for two months, facing dancing, acting and singing challenges. At the end of the series, airing weeknights at 9 on KVEA-TV Channel 52, 12 of the participants will be chosen for roles on a future Telemundo melodrama.

Elaine Dutka